So because I am a British what moved to America, some British traits persist in me.
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So because I am a British what moved to America, some British traits persist in me. For example, if we have a contractor round for any reason, I’m gonna offer them a drink - to include a cup of tea.
We had a guy come over to look at our dryer yesterday because it recently exploded. The look on his face when I offered him a drink. It was like I’d just offered to pay off his mortgage.
“Oh man, yeah please.”
My wife (American), thinks it’s such a strange thing I do.
America, we must normalize this practice. Become responsible for hydrating anyone who sets foot in your home.
@SecureOwl the cold capitalism thing that always pierces my heart is when they ask to use the restroom, because they are "not allowed to make stops between calls", not even to find a public restroom.
i do offer drinks too, though being of less British provenance than you it's usually water or soda. sometimes we have a spare sweet tea float into the house and that gets offered.
i don't think your wife is unusually rude or unaccommodating, just that americans are taught to be suspicious of everyone they did not meet through a trusted person. the idea of trusting someone by default first is supposed to be naive and unsafe.
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So because I am a British what moved to America, some British traits persist in me. For example, if we have a contractor round for any reason, I’m gonna offer them a drink - to include a cup of tea.
We had a guy come over to look at our dryer yesterday because it recently exploded. The look on his face when I offered him a drink. It was like I’d just offered to pay off his mortgage.
“Oh man, yeah please.”
My wife (American), thinks it’s such a strange thing I do.
America, we must normalize this practice. Become responsible for hydrating anyone who sets foot in your home.
@SecureOwl Californian: I always offer coffee, water, sparkling water… whatever we got. And always a cooler on the front porch with iced water for the mail person on days when it’s going to be over 100F.
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I wonder if this is a regionalism, because as a born-and-raised American from what constitutes (just barely) the South, not offering at least a glass of water is borderline offensive.
@DaveMWilburn @SecureOwl
I came here to say this.More people around here carry their own so I offer less often but it is how I was raised.
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@SecureOwl the cold capitalism thing that always pierces my heart is when they ask to use the restroom, because they are "not allowed to make stops between calls", not even to find a public restroom.
i do offer drinks too, though being of less British provenance than you it's usually water or soda. sometimes we have a spare sweet tea float into the house and that gets offered.
i don't think your wife is unusually rude or unaccommodating, just that americans are taught to be suspicious of everyone they did not meet through a trusted person. the idea of trusting someone by default first is supposed to be naive and unsafe.
@tyzbit yeah she says that she was always told that folks don’t like to accept drinks in case they have to pee in the customers restroom, but i am fully prepared should that happen because i literally don’t care if someone has to pee or even poop in the dedicated place we have for such activities
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So because I am a British what moved to America, some British traits persist in me. For example, if we have a contractor round for any reason, I’m gonna offer them a drink - to include a cup of tea.
We had a guy come over to look at our dryer yesterday because it recently exploded. The look on his face when I offered him a drink. It was like I’d just offered to pay off his mortgage.
“Oh man, yeah please.”
My wife (American), thinks it’s such a strange thing I do.
America, we must normalize this practice. Become responsible for hydrating anyone who sets foot in your home.
@SecureOwl
Yeah, of course. Maybe it's also a Midwestern thing to do, and I keep bottled water around for guests, it has the fewest questions -
So because I am a British what moved to America, some British traits persist in me. For example, if we have a contractor round for any reason, I’m gonna offer them a drink - to include a cup of tea.
We had a guy come over to look at our dryer yesterday because it recently exploded. The look on his face when I offered him a drink. It was like I’d just offered to pay off his mortgage.
“Oh man, yeah please.”
My wife (American), thinks it’s such a strange thing I do.
America, we must normalize this practice. Become responsible for hydrating anyone who sets foot in your home.
Not weird, at all.
It's a lovely courtesy and on top of that shows a great deal of respect particularly for working tradespeople.
It's not going to get cooler. A water sharing culture seems like a natural response to the weather changing.
I love every bit of this.
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So because I am a British what moved to America, some British traits persist in me. For example, if we have a contractor round for any reason, I’m gonna offer them a drink - to include a cup of tea.
We had a guy come over to look at our dryer yesterday because it recently exploded. The look on his face when I offered him a drink. It was like I’d just offered to pay off his mortgage.
“Oh man, yeah please.”
My wife (American), thinks it’s such a strange thing I do.
America, we must normalize this practice. Become responsible for hydrating anyone who sets foot in your home.
@SecureOwl I'm confused. Doesn't everyone do this?
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So because I am a British what moved to America, some British traits persist in me. For example, if we have a contractor round for any reason, I’m gonna offer them a drink - to include a cup of tea.
We had a guy come over to look at our dryer yesterday because it recently exploded. The look on his face when I offered him a drink. It was like I’d just offered to pay off his mortgage.
“Oh man, yeah please.”
My wife (American), thinks it’s such a strange thing I do.
America, we must normalize this practice. Become responsible for hydrating anyone who sets foot in your home.
@SecureOwl I third this is not weird. Though don't do what I did. A dark stormy night Mormon Missionaries showed up at my door. They were soaked. I had just made coffee. I offered them cups to go
I realized my mistake after closing the door. -
So because I am a British what moved to America, some British traits persist in me. For example, if we have a contractor round for any reason, I’m gonna offer them a drink - to include a cup of tea.
We had a guy come over to look at our dryer yesterday because it recently exploded. The look on his face when I offered him a drink. It was like I’d just offered to pay off his mortgage.
“Oh man, yeah please.”
My wife (American), thinks it’s such a strange thing I do.
America, we must normalize this practice. Become responsible for hydrating anyone who sets foot in your home.
@SecureOwl I (American) tend to think of offering only if the temperatures are extreme (either very hot or very cold) but you're right. I'm also surprised when workers ask to use the restroom as though they're bargaining for my firstborn -- like of course you can use the facilities when needed!
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So because I am a British what moved to America, some British traits persist in me. For example, if we have a contractor round for any reason, I’m gonna offer them a drink - to include a cup of tea.
We had a guy come over to look at our dryer yesterday because it recently exploded. The look on his face when I offered him a drink. It was like I’d just offered to pay off his mortgage.
“Oh man, yeah please.”
My wife (American), thinks it’s such a strange thing I do.
America, we must normalize this practice. Become responsible for hydrating anyone who sets foot in your home.
@SecureOwl
Not a Brit, but I also do this to anyone who comes to my home.I also feel this should be normalized and we should treat all other humans with kindness rather than "the help"
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So because I am a British what moved to America, some British traits persist in me. For example, if we have a contractor round for any reason, I’m gonna offer them a drink - to include a cup of tea.
We had a guy come over to look at our dryer yesterday because it recently exploded. The look on his face when I offered him a drink. It was like I’d just offered to pay off his mortgage.
“Oh man, yeah please.”
My wife (American), thinks it’s such a strange thing I do.
America, we must normalize this practice. Become responsible for hydrating anyone who sets foot in your home.
@SecureOwl
I grew up in Oklahoma, and it would always have been inhospitable not to offer something.When I was little (I'm old, so we're talking 1950s) it was not uncommon for a stranger to knock on the door and ask for a glass of water, and of course we'd be happy to help. It was a far more trusting place and time.
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@SecureOwl I'm confused. Doesn't everyone do this?
@grumpydad apparently not - my wife was always told that people didnt want to potentially have to pee in a customers house lol
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So because I am a British what moved to America, some British traits persist in me. For example, if we have a contractor round for any reason, I’m gonna offer them a drink - to include a cup of tea.
We had a guy come over to look at our dryer yesterday because it recently exploded. The look on his face when I offered him a drink. It was like I’d just offered to pay off his mortgage.
“Oh man, yeah please.”
My wife (American), thinks it’s such a strange thing I do.
America, we must normalize this practice. Become responsible for hydrating anyone who sets foot in your home.
Definitely a British thing, it is considered rude not to offer a cuppa, or a sandwhich, biscuits or a slice of cake for a longer job!
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So because I am a British what moved to America, some British traits persist in me. For example, if we have a contractor round for any reason, I’m gonna offer them a drink - to include a cup of tea.
We had a guy come over to look at our dryer yesterday because it recently exploded. The look on his face when I offered him a drink. It was like I’d just offered to pay off his mortgage.
“Oh man, yeah please.”
My wife (American), thinks it’s such a strange thing I do.
America, we must normalize this practice. Become responsible for hydrating anyone who sets foot in your home.
@SecureOwl I’m not Brittish, but… it’s such an intensely instinctual thing for me to offer *at minimum* basic hydration and means of relieving/cleansing oneself.
I’ve travelled a lot in my life, and that has been just such a near universal social contract.
So it feels wildly jarring when I’m somewhere that isn’t the default mode. Doubly so if basic comfort is provided to anyone entering the home except service providers/workers. That takes it from jarring to icky for me.
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@SecureOwl I third this is not weird. Though don't do what I did. A dark stormy night Mormon Missionaries showed up at my door. They were soaked. I had just made coffee. I offered them cups to go
I realized my mistake after closing the door.@caffinepwrd @SecureOwl my Finnish Lutheran grandfather always offered the Mormon and Jehovah’s Witness door knockers a cup of coffee and happily would talk to them for hours. They would decline the coffee but ask for water, if he didn’t mind. Problem was my grandparents had sulphur water.
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@SecureOwl I’m not Brittish, but… it’s such an intensely instinctual thing for me to offer *at minimum* basic hydration and means of relieving/cleansing oneself.
I’ve travelled a lot in my life, and that has been just such a near universal social contract.
So it feels wildly jarring when I’m somewhere that isn’t the default mode. Doubly so if basic comfort is provided to anyone entering the home except service providers/workers. That takes it from jarring to icky for me.
@mycrowgirl @SecureOwl when overseeing major construction on my childhood home, my mom used to at least offer water to workers, and when it was really hot we'd give them popsicles. she was always really tight with her general contractors and relied on them until they retired
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@mycrowgirl @SecureOwl when overseeing major construction on my childhood home, my mom used to at least offer water to workers, and when it was really hot we'd give them popsicles. she was always really tight with her general contractors and relied on them until they retired
@bnys @mycrowgirl @SecureOwl one of my favourite memories of working in construction was being offered beers by a little old lady whos sunny balcony i was sealing.
not quite the same as above. but still -
So because I am a British what moved to America, some British traits persist in me. For example, if we have a contractor round for any reason, I’m gonna offer them a drink - to include a cup of tea.
We had a guy come over to look at our dryer yesterday because it recently exploded. The look on his face when I offered him a drink. It was like I’d just offered to pay off his mortgage.
“Oh man, yeah please.”
My wife (American), thinks it’s such a strange thing I do.
America, we must normalize this practice. Become responsible for hydrating anyone who sets foot in your home.
i'm in the South (Louisiana) & i do offer cold water and / or soft drinks but most of the contractors have told me they have a cooler with their own drinks...
this gives me the impression it is not common any longer to offer cold drinks to workers because they have already planned for an alternative
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So because I am a British what moved to America, some British traits persist in me. For example, if we have a contractor round for any reason, I’m gonna offer them a drink - to include a cup of tea.
We had a guy come over to look at our dryer yesterday because it recently exploded. The look on his face when I offered him a drink. It was like I’d just offered to pay off his mortgage.
“Oh man, yeah please.”
My wife (American), thinks it’s such a strange thing I do.
America, we must normalize this practice. Become responsible for hydrating anyone who sets foot in your home.
@SecureOwl Wow, how would you not? I'm a Brit, always offer water &/or tea/coffee & biscuits to tradespeople. Also water for couriers & dustmen when it's hot (the dustmen are all men & I hate calling people "operatives").
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So because I am a British what moved to America, some British traits persist in me. For example, if we have a contractor round for any reason, I’m gonna offer them a drink - to include a cup of tea.
We had a guy come over to look at our dryer yesterday because it recently exploded. The look on his face when I offered him a drink. It was like I’d just offered to pay off his mortgage.
“Oh man, yeah please.”
My wife (American), thinks it’s such a strange thing I do.
America, we must normalize this practice. Become responsible for hydrating anyone who sets foot in your home.
@SecureOwl love it!!
