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I have noticed in several British t.v. shows that their... - 7/10/2008 10:01:55 PM   
winterlight


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Status: offline 		that? I am just wondering...
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RE: I have noticed in several British t.v. shows that t... - 7/10/2008 10:04:34 PM   
TieNTeas


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Status: offline 		My guess is that, in general, most British flats and homes are smaller that the typical US place.  So, they have smaller appliances to fit into the room.

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RE: I have noticed in several British t.v. shows that t... - 7/11/2008 2:07:18 AM   
Lucylastic


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Status: offline 		hehe when I first moved here I couldnt believe the size of the appliances, not just the fridges but the cookers too. I think the UK doesnt have the heat that a lot of the US has (lotsa rain n cooler) so maybe they dont have the space needs that someone say in the southern parts of the US do. I remember being able to keep milk on the windowsill when I lived in the nursing home till  june, when it might start to go off if you had a hot spell. I think space has a lot to do with it too, old  town homes are generally smaller kitchen wise, newer not so much.
Lucy

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RE: I have noticed in several British t.v. shows that t... - 7/11/2008 2:11:49 AM   
Estring


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Status: offline 		Probably because they get taxed on refrigerator size.  

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RE: I have noticed in several British t.v. shows that t... - 7/11/2008 2:15:37 AM   
YouthAndMaturity


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Status: offline 		I lived in Scotland for a few years and I'd say the main reason why a lot of appliances are small is that there simply is not enough room for larger items like fridges, washers, and dryers that we have here in North America.  Apartments are tiny over in the UK compared to those here in Canada and space is a premium.  On the flip side, supermarkets seem to be more prevelent in the inner city, and I went grocery shopping almost daily.

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RE: I have noticed in several British t.v. shows that t... - 7/11/2008 2:41:02 AM   
Stusmobile


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Status: offline 		Cultural differences ....

Remember that most UK towns and cities grew up around industries that can go back as far as Medieval times. The houses and building constructed then were built at the industry owners expense and came to somebody through their employment. Most landowners built the easiest and cheapest homes for their workers and size was limited. Take a look at mining towns for prime examples of row type housing ... small, cheap and numerous.There is also the fact that many houses were built before appliances were thought of, why build a home bigger, more expensive to build and maintain when a smaller one will provide all the space needed.

Land is limited, not only is a large proportion of the available land given over to farming, there are "green belt" plans in place that prohibit the urban sprawl that many US cities have. Taking somewhere like Seattle as an example (a place I lived) ... from Seattle to Tacoma there is no break in the cities, they merge into one concrete jungle especially clustered around the freeways and each is supposedly a distinct entity. Here if you took a similar route from Birmingham to Worcester once you'd left the suburbs of Birmingham you'd have stretches of predominantly farmland until the next town or city.

Housing here tends to last longer because of the construction techniques and costs .... the large majority of housing is brick construction and once built if it is maintained it will last for hundreds of years. People get used to that and the housing gets used with minor modification within that time. In the US there is much more available room (as long as you have a car) and the building restrictions seem a lot less onerous than the UK. What would buy you a small terraced house built of brick in the UK would buy you a very comfortable family home in the US in most areas (so SoCal is a law unto itself ).

One thing I really noticed was the lack of the "corner" shop in the US too. Unless you lived close in to the cities then you need the car for most things. There is no culture of walking down the road to grab a loaf of bread or a pint of milk. In the UK although that is changing, the corner shops are closing but even so there are many left in the smallest communities. I lived in a little place with around 1200 people, there are a couple of shops for essentials, there used to be a local butchers, bakery and even a gas station. Sadly just one of the shops survives but you don't need to buy 3 gallons of milk once a week, you can walk to it and get fresh milk every day ... that culture isn't something I saw while I lived in the US.


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RE: I have noticed in several British t.v. shows that t... - 7/11/2008 3:02:12 AM   
Daddystouch


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Status: offline 		Several reasons I expect. Smaller homes mean there's not room for larger appliances. Cooler weather means there's less need for refrigeration. A shorter average journey to the nearest food store means it's not necessary to keep such a large stock of food at any one time. We eat less.

Don't know how much if any of that is factually correct, just anecdotal assumptions.


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RE: I have noticed in several British t.v. shows that t... - 7/11/2008 3:19:47 AM   
hisannabelle


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Status: offline 		-fr-

could it have something to do with the power differences as well? i know there are regulations in the uk about not being able to have plugs in the bathroom, for instance, because of the danger of electrocution (since the voltage is higher than the us). my understanding is that in the kitchen the regulations are that appliances have to be a certain number of centimeters away from faucets and such, but given the space constraints, perhaps that has something to do with it.


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RE: I have noticed in several British t.v. shows that t... - 7/11/2008 4:39:27 AM   
pahunkboy


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Status: offline 		Mine is 4.3 cubit feet.   It works since I dont cook for alot of people.

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RE: I have noticed in several British t.v. shows that t... - 7/11/2008 5:12:02 AM   
RealityLicks


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Status: offline 		Worth remembering that WWll bankrupted Britain and that commodities like steel were rationed for years afterward.  Nowadays, its normal to simply buy the fridge that suits your requirements.  Like this.

Also, until child labour was abolished in 1979, it was customary for kids to wake at 4am and haul blocks of ice, milk and other perishables to each house in a given street, before being marched to school in squad formation by local beadles wielding clubs.

By the way, in case they show any BBC Jane Austen adaptations on your TV; women don't wear bustles anymore.

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RE: I have noticed in several British t.v. shows that t... - 7/11/2008 7:12:17 AM   
missturbation


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Status: offline 		I don't think it has very much to do with house size. There are a lot of large homes here too and very few have huge fridges. You can get them over here and i know a few people who have them. They are in themain part empty though. I don't think Brits bulk buy as much as Americans do. I personally shop daily or every two days so dont need a huge fridge and most of my friends do the same.

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RE: I have noticed in several British t.v. shows that t... - 7/11/2008 7:14:00 AM   
utterlybutterfli


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RE: I have noticed in several British t.v. shows that t... - 7/11/2008 11:49:03 AM   
popeye1250


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Status: offline 		It seems that everything is "smaller" in Europe, roads, "big" trucks, cars of course, houses, and even people!
In Ireland I went to Cork one time, I thought I was at a midget's convention so many of the people were so small!
Up in Donegal many of the women are 5'8"-6' tall, so there's a big difference regionally.


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RE: I have noticed in several British t.v. shows that t... - 7/11/2008 12:05:01 PM   
Coupleofwhats


Posts: 280
Joined: 6/4/2008
Status: offline 		That IS a weird part of most of American culture.
I live in NYC, and you can't walk down the block without passing two groceries and five restaurants. When I go out of state, it's really... weird. Having to get in the car to pick up eggs and butter would annoy me.

A lot of people in the states buy in bulk. If I did that, I'd need a bigger fridge too.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Stusmobile

Cultural differences ....

Remember that most UK towns and cities grew up around industries that can go back as far as Medieval times. The houses and building constructed then were built at the industry owners expense and came to somebody through their employment. Most landowners built the easiest and cheapest homes for their workers and size was limited. Take a look at mining towns for prime examples of row type housing ... small, cheap and numerous.There is also the fact that many houses were built before appliances were thought of, why build a home bigger, more expensive to build and maintain when a smaller one will provide all the space needed.

Land is limited, not only is a large proportion of the available land given over to farming, there are "green belt" plans in place that prohibit the urban sprawl that many US cities have. Taking somewhere like Seattle as an example (a place I lived) ... from Seattle to Tacoma there is no break in the cities, they merge into one concrete jungle especially clustered around the freeways and each is supposedly a distinct entity. Here if you took a similar route from Birmingham to Worcester once you'd left the suburbs of Birmingham you'd have stretches of predominantly farmland until the next town or city.

Housing here tends to last longer because of the construction techniques and costs .... the large majority of housing is brick construction and once built if it is maintained it will last for hundreds of years. People get used to that and the housing gets used with minor modification within that time. In the US there is much more available room (as long as you have a car) and the building restrictions seem a lot less onerous than the UK. What would buy you a small terraced house built of brick in the UK would buy you a very comfortable family home in the US in most areas (so SoCal is a law unto itself ).

One thing I really noticed was the lack of the "corner" shop in the US too. Unless you lived close in to the cities then you need the car for most things. There is no culture of walking down the road to grab a loaf of bread or a pint of milk. In the UK although that is changing, the corner shops are closing but even so there are many left in the smallest communities. I lived in a little place with around 1200 people, there are a couple of shops for essentials, there used to be a local butchers, bakery and even a gas station. Sadly just one of the shops survives but you don't need to buy 3 gallons of milk once a week, you can walk to it and get fresh milk every day ... that culture isn't something I saw while I lived in the US.


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RE: I have noticed in several British t.v. shows that t... - 7/11/2008 12:44:12 PM   
chokealone


Posts: 21
Joined: 5/4/2008
Status: offline 		A combination of the above, plus it takes a lot of money to power a fridge/freezer. Like everything in America, you get it cheaper that the UK.

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RE: I have noticed in several British t.v. shows that t... - 7/11/2008 1:03:22 PM   
philosophy


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quote:

ORIGINAL: chokealone

Like everything in America, you get it cheaper that the UK.


...not healthcare.

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RE: I have noticed in several British t.v. shows that t... - 7/11/2008 1:24:54 PM   
cjan


Posts: 3513
Joined: 2/21/2008
Status: offline 		Different lifestyles in Western Europe than the U.S.

They are not obsessed by accumulating the latest and biggest shiny posessions. They work to live ( generally ) rather than live to work and have stuff. I suspect they also have far less debt than we do in the U.S.

Yes, popeye, things are generally smaller in Europe, but that does not mean their quality of life is lesser. In the U.S. we tend to tear down or "scrape" the old and replace it with new, large, often grotesque "McMansions". How much space does one need to live comfortably ? I find it an offensive waste, living where I do, in SW Florida, to see the grotesque McMansions that are used , perhaps, a few months a year.

In Europe, they walk and bike more, take more time to shop for quality fresh items rather than load up[ the grocery cart with processed foods for the week and stuff the freezer. Then they take the time to enjoy time with friends, family and lovers , rather than sit and watch TV for 6 hours a night. Try it, you may like it.



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RE: I have noticed in several British t.v. shows that t... - 7/11/2008 3:22:24 PM   
NorthernGent


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quote:

ORIGINAL: winterlight

that? I am just wondering...



Cultural. We're a people of modest ambitions. I could give you some great quotes from foreign travellers in the 19th century who couldn't understand why the most prosperous people on earth had homes built for comfort rather than style. Privacy is far more important than luxury, here.

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RE: I have noticed in several British t.v. shows that t... - 7/11/2008 3:24:42 PM   
NorthernGent


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quote:

ORIGINAL: cjan

Different lifestyles in Western Europe than the U.S.



The English are absolutely nothing like Western Europeans....we're a breed apart. Assuming you're interested, try "The English" by Jeremy Paxman for a flavour of Englishness.

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RE: I have noticed in several British t.v. shows that t... - 7/11/2008 3:36:03 PM   
Griswold


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quote:

ORIGINAL: winterlight

that? I am just wondering...


Okay, seriously....truly....you're asking the question as to whether or not your life is being affected...because British TV (shows, I presume have) smaller refrigerators than yours.

Now....help me out here....is that what you're asking?

Because I'm fairly confident that's what you're asking.

I've actually reviewed your question at least twice...and that's what I think you're asking.

So I guess I have to ask...again....because I'm absolutely certain you were dropped on your head as a child....are you honestly wasting valuable bandwidth, given to you by people who are paying for this (incredibly expensive) bandwidth (FOR YOU) so you can ask remarkably inane questions....such as "I have noticed in several British t.v. shows that their refrigerators are smaller than ours.......why is that?"

Is that what you're truly asking?

Let's assume their refrigerators are smaller.

Let's assume further (as would seem fairly obvious), that your cranium is somewhat smaller than the refrigerators you describe.

(Well....I'm fairly confident I've explained myself...I don't think I have to go on any further).



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