Weird Things Americans Have Said To/Asked Me

[Malrothien 6]

Pop is an interjection, dammit! IT'S SODA.

Pop is what some people call their dad... So I'm going to drink my dad?? EWWWWWWW that's just wrong. Soda all the way!

In some areas of Southern US, they call all drinks Coke then ask what flavor.

I'm from the South, I know all about Coke.

[Miranda&John 0]

Actually it was a Guelph thing, didn't live in Windsor until College and that's when I noticed Canadians pronouncing it as Zed instead of Z.

I've lived in Guelph almost my whole life and I say "Zed". My daughter had to do a vision screening test here in California for school in August, and when she read the Z's she said "Zed" and the person marked her wrong for every one. If she had failed the vision test I would have said something but she passed even having been marked wrong for the Z's.

On another note, I was wedding dress shopping last month at David's Bridal in Modesto and was waiting for one of their salespeople to help me. She was taking a long time so I asked the greeter where the washroom was. The woman looked really confused and said "the what...?". I said "washroom". There was an awkward moment and she said "I don't understand....". Then my daughter said "THE TOILET". To which she responded "Oh... the RESTROOMS... they are through that hall on your left." Wow.

[JillA 2]

Actually it was a Guelph thing, didn't live in Windsor until College and that's when I noticed Canadians pronouncing it as Zed instead of Z.

I've lived in Guelph almost my whole life and I say "Zed". My daughter had to do a vision screening test here in California for school in August, and when she read the Z's she said "Zed" and the person marked her wrong for every one. If she had failed the vision test I would have said something but she passed even having been marked wrong for the Z's.

On another note, I was wedding dress shopping last month at David's Bridal in Modesto and was waiting for one of their salespeople to help me. She was taking a long time so I asked the greeter where the washroom was. The woman looked really confused and said "the what...?". I said "washroom". There was an awkward moment and she said "I don't understand....". Then my daughter said "THE TOILET". To which she responded "Oh... the RESTROOMS... they are through that hall on your left." Wow.

That one gets me.... is it hard to figure out what we mean when we say washroom? Bathroom, restroom, etc. they all end in room, and washroom makes more sense because you wash up after. I don't go to the toilet to rest, thank you very much! Restroom makes less sense to me

[KnJ 0]

Actually it was a Guelph thing, didn't live in Windsor until College and that's when I noticed Canadians pronouncing it as Zed instead of Z.

I've lived in Guelph almost my whole life and I say "Zed". My daughter had to do a vision screening test here in California for school in August, and when she read the Z's she said "Zed" and the person marked her wrong for every one. If she had failed the vision test I would have said something but she passed even having been marked wrong for the Z's.

On another note, I was wedding dress shopping last month at David's Bridal in Modesto and was waiting for one of their salespeople to help me. She was taking a long time so I asked the greeter where the washroom was. The woman looked really confused and said "the what...?". I said "washroom". There was an awkward moment and she said "I don't understand....". Then my daughter said "THE TOILET". To which she responded "Oh... the RESTROOMS... they are through that hall on your left." Wow.

That one gets me.... is it hard to figure out what we mean when we say washroom? Bathroom, restroom, etc. they all end in room, and washroom makes more sense because you wash up after. I don't go to the toilet to rest, thank you very much! Restroom makes less sense to me

Totally. If someone asks for the restroom here, I know what they're saying. To me, bathrooms should have a bath in them, but I use either washroom or bathroom. I bathe my hands, dontcha know.

I think this thread could go on endlessly. It is a constant source of amusement.

But I have to say, there is really no "better" -- we could call automobiles "salamanders" and that would be fine, except that an outside would look at us like #######.

So debating coke/pop/soda/fizzy drink is kind of like debating coke vs pepsi. regional flavour is human diversity and that's what makes us interesting organisms.

I will always cleave to British spellings. I think I enjoy defying my computer's spell checker

[Greg - Andrea 0]

Fun link to read regarding Soda vs Pop vs Coke vs Fizzy Drink vs Ginger vs Lolly Water

http://tastyresearch.com/2006/10/05/pop-vs-soda-vs-coke/ and another one at http://www.popvssoda.com/

Edited September 30, 2009 by Greg - Andrea

[hheaven67 2]

I don't know if this has been added to the thread yet but here it goes:

Hubby calls to order pizza...."I'd like to order a jumbo pizza with light sauce, italian sausage, pepperoni, extra cheese and tomatoes on one side"...

Pizza guy, "which side do you want the cheese on, left or right?"

Hubby, "huh?"

lol....my son said, "when you get the pizza, open it up turn the pizza around and tell them that they put it on the wrong side...you want your money back!"

Too funny! NEVER have I been asked that in Canada!

[Danu 19]

I don't know if this has been added to the thread yet but here it goes:

Hubby calls to order pizza...."I'd like to order a jumbo pizza with light sauce, italian sausage, pepperoni, extra cheese and tomatoes on one side"...

Pizza guy, "which side do you want the cheese on, left or right?"

Hubby, "huh?"

lol....my son said, "when you get the pizza, open it up turn the pizza around and tell them that they put it on the wrong side...you want your money back!"

Too funny! NEVER have I been asked that in Canada!

omg lol!

[Krikit 1,163]

On another note, I was wedding dress shopping last month at David's Bridal in Modesto and was waiting for one of their salespeople to help me. She was taking a long time so I asked the greeter where the washroom was. The woman looked really confused and said "the what...?". I said "washroom". There was an awkward moment and she said "I don't understand....". Then my daughter said "THE TOILET". To which she responded "Oh... the RESTROOMS... they are through that hall on your left." Wow.

I had that happen so many times that it finally sunk into my head. Now I just ask where the ladies room is. lol

I don't know if this has been added to the thread yet but here it goes:

Hubby calls to order pizza...."I'd like to order a jumbo pizza with light sauce, italian sausage, pepperoni, extra cheese and tomatoes on one side"...

Pizza guy, "which side do you want the cheese on, left or right?"

Hubby, "huh?"

lol....my son said, "when you get the pizza, open it up turn the pizza around and tell them that they put it on the wrong side...you want your money back!"

Too funny! NEVER have I been asked that in Canada!

That would make me super confused. lol. I love what your son said.

[warlord 72]

Pop is an interjection, dammit! IT'S SODA.

Pop is what some people call their dad... So I'm going to drink my dad?? EWWWWWWW that's just wrong. Soda all the way!

In some areas of Southern US, they call all drinks Coke then ask what flavor.

I'm from the South, I know all about Coke.

I posted this a long while back. But here is the Pop vs. Soda controversy and the regions of the country that say "pop" or "coke" or "soda".

This is pretty accurate as we had that debate at work here for our christmas party last year. Someone mentined to bring Pop and someone said what's that you mean soda. A huge inter-company email debate insued (it was hysterical) and finally someone found the GIS maps (better then this one, but can't find the original) to say it depends on what area of the country you were brought up.

Being in Colorado, we have so many transplants from every state (Texas, California and lots of mid-west and east coast) that it's a massive mix on what people call it. This is why in the map for Denver, it's both...

http://www.popvssoda.com/

Update, the good map is on that page, below the other one

http://www.popvssoda.com/countystats/total-county.html

Edited October 1, 2009 by warlord

[JillA 2]

I don't know if this has been added to the thread yet but here it goes:

Hubby calls to order pizza...."I'd like to order a jumbo pizza with light sauce, italian sausage, pepperoni, extra cheese and tomatoes on one side"...

Pizza guy, "which side do you want the cheese on, left or right?"

Hubby, "huh?"

lol....my son said, "when you get the pizza, open it up turn the pizza around and tell them that they put it on the wrong side...you want your money back!"

Too funny! NEVER have I been asked that in Canada!

I don't get it....

[SapphireDreams 71]

I don't know if this has been added to the thread yet but here it goes:

Hubby calls to order pizza...."I'd like to order a jumbo pizza with light sauce, italian sausage, pepperoni, extra cheese and tomatoes on one side"...

Pizza guy, "which side do you want the cheese on, left or right?"

Hubby, "huh?"

lol....my son said, "when you get the pizza, open it up turn the pizza around and tell them that they put it on the wrong side...you want your money back!"

Too funny! NEVER have I been asked that in Canada!

I don't get it....

Haha me either. I'm guessing they want everything but the tomatoes on both sides and then the tomatoes on only one side??

[hheaven67 2]

I don't know if this has been added to the thread yet but here it goes:

Hubby calls to order pizza...."I'd like to order a jumbo pizza with light sauce, italian sausage, pepperoni, extra cheese and tomatoes on one side"...

Pizza guy, "which side do you want the cheese on, left or right?"

Hubby, "huh?"

lol....my son said, "when you get the pizza, open it up turn the pizza around and tell them that they put it on the wrong side...you want your money back!"

Too funny! NEVER have I been asked that in Canada!

I don't get it....

Haha me either. I'm guessing they want everything but the tomatoes on both sides and then the tomatoes on only one side??

Really?? you haven't heard of that? If one person wants one thing & the other person doesn't, you just ask for half the pizza with that topping.

[Danu 19]

I don't know if this has been added to the thread yet but here it goes:

Hubby calls to order pizza...."I'd like to order a jumbo pizza with light sauce, italian sausage, pepperoni, extra cheese and tomatoes on one side"...

Pizza guy, "which side do you want the cheese on, left or right?"

Hubby, "huh?"

lol....my son said, "when you get the pizza, open it up turn the pizza around and tell them that they put it on the wrong side...you want your money back!"

Too funny! NEVER have I been asked that in Canada!

I don't get it....

Haha me either. I'm guessing they want everything but the tomatoes on both sides and then the tomatoes on only one side??

yes....but why does it matter if its on the left or right side...pizza's are round...if you spin it the toppings will go from the left to the right side. even on a square pizza that would happen

[Rhiannercakes 14]

On the pop/soda subject, I call it pop.

When I ordered pizza today, it came with 4 of them and they called it pop on the website.

I'm TRYING to get used to calling it soda.

Everytime I say "pop" to an american they're like "What...?"

It just seems too weird to say soda to me.

And I've been saying "Zee" forever instead of "Zed". It rhymes better with the other letters.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

hehehe I throw a monkey wrench into the pop/soda debate - I call them soft drinks!