The little local tells

[kool maudit]

Surprised at the number of thumb-counters. I was wondering what the tell was going to be, and considered that it might be right vs. left hand, or palm up vs. down, but never in a million years would I have dreamed of the thumb being number one.

[savevp]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I'm a Euro-counter myself.

I was just thinking about how strange Euro-counting sounded, then tried it and realised I’ve also been a Euro-counter this whole time.

Got another interesting one for Canada/Europe and USA. Americans cut their food differently than the rest of us. They’ll use their dominant hand to cut, then put down the knife and pick up the fork with the same hand. Here, we will invariably just cut with the dominant hand and use our off-hand to hold the fork, no switcheroo required.

I’d first heard of that at an etiquette seminar when I was on a work trip to the States. I thought it was nonsense but sure enough at the dinner afterward, I was the only one not changing fork hands.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Proof Sheet

I can't write out the number '7' without putting a horizontal line through the angled portion and I tend to do the same in a 'Z'. Also by default use the 24 hour clock when reminding myself of things or putting an appointment in my online calendar. I haven't gone full fledged euro by referring to addresses as Rideau 99 instead of 99 Rideau or by putting the $ sign after the #'s.

Is that euro enough.? Born in a recently departed member of euro land.

I always put a stroke through my 7s and Zs too, but this was a personal decision of mine when I was in my 20s. I thought it looked snazzy and exotic.

I also use the 24 hr system too, but mostly professionally (hospital). Casually I'm AM/PM.

[Nashe]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I always put a stroke through my 7s and Zs too, but this was a personal decision of mine when I was in my 20s. I thought it looked snazzy and exotic.

I also use the 24 hr system too, but mostly professionally (hospital). Casually I'm AM/PM.

I cross my zeros, but not my 7's or Z's.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Vorkuta

I cross my zeros.

I do that too, but again mostly professionally. It's a medical thing.

A zero with no stroke is a zero.

A zero with a stroke means "no"

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

Always stroke through a 7 or Z, especially if you do a lot of paperwork. So many people have doubts if it's actually a 1 or 2.

I also write a checkmark backwards so that the long segment is on the left as that is easier to write quickly when you have to do a lot of checkmarks as a left handed person. I usually try and do it the 'normal' way when I know others need to see it. My wife is left handed and she does it the same way.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by savevp

I was just thinking about how strange Euro-counting sounded, then tried it and realised I’ve also been a Euro-counter this whole time.

Got another interesting one for Canada/Europe and USA. Americans cut their food differently than the rest of us. They’ll use their dominant hand to cut, then put down the knife and pick up the fork with the same hand. Here, we will invariably just cut with the dominant hand and use our off-hand to hold the fork, no switcheroo required.

I’d first heard of that at an etiquette seminar when I was on a work trip to the States. I thought it was nonsense but sure enough at the dinner afterward, I was the only one not changing fork hands.

The NAmerican way of handling cutlery is older than the European way. The Europeans changed in the 19th century.

[SignalHillHiker]

Is switching the knife and fork why American dinner scenes in movies are so clangy?

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by savevp

I was just thinking about how strange Euro-counting sounded, then tried it and realised I’ve also been a Euro-counter this whole time.

Got another interesting one for Canada/Europe and USA. Americans cut their food differently than the rest of us. They’ll use their dominant hand to cut, then put down the knife and pick up the fork with the same hand. Here, we will invariably just cut with the dominant hand and use our off-hand to hold the fork, no switcheroo required.

I’d first heard of that at an etiquette seminar when I was on a work trip to the States. I thought it was nonsense but sure enough at the dinner afterward, I was the only one not changing fork hands.

I'm left handed and I put the fork in my left hand and the knife in my right and keep them that way. I set the table with the fork on the left and knife on the right. The endless switcheroo looks so strange to me when I see it.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Proof Sheet

I'm left handed and I put the fork in my left hand and the knife in my right and keep them that way. I set the table with the fork on the left and knife on the right. The endless switcheroo looks so strange to me when I see it.

Neither way is “correct”. Both ways have advantages and disadvantages (try eating peas with the fork held Euro-style!).

[Nashe]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I do that too, but again mostly professionally. It's a medical thing. A zero with no stroke is a zero. A zero with a stroke means "no"

In my case it's an IT thing. Mixed numbers and letters in a string with little context are confusing if you don't add these little touches.

[jamincan]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Neither way is “correct”. Both ways have advantages and disadvantages (try eating peas with the fork held Euro-style!).

Isn't it easier to eat peas with a knife and fork, (and therefore presumably "Euro-style")?

[GeneralLeeTPHLS]

Hm...the "euro" way of counting is a strange one to me. Never really noticed there was a different way, but I can't see it being any better then going from the pointing finger onwards, then back to the thumb.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by jamincan

Isn't it easier to eat peas with a knife and fork, (and therefore presumably "Euro-style")?

Try it. Keep in mind that the fork must be kept upside down ...

[manny_santos]

"Pop" vs. "Soda" is another one in general, but there are regional exceptions in the US. As an example, "Pop" is used in Cleveland instead of "Soda".

"Freeway" vs. "Highway" is another one, but there are regional exceptions, this time in Canada. "Freeway" is more commonly used in BC than in Ontario, though the two terms seem to be used interchangeably in BC. "Freeway" is almost never used in Ontario, but it is commonly used in many parts of the US, along with "Turnpike" in some pockets. The Coquihalla is always referred to as a 'highway' though. BC also uses the American term "frontage road" for a roadway running parallel to a freeway, while in Ontario it is called a "service road".

Possibly the most consistent one I've heard is the pronunciation of "vehicle". Americans, as a generalization, pronounce the H while Canadians generally don't. The pronunciation of the H seems more common in the South, though I know someone originally from Oregon who also pronounces it that way.

Another one I've heard while attending church services in the US - they pronounce "amen" as "AYY-men" while Canadians saw "aw-men". Or at least that's how they pronounce it in Ohio.

[Razor]

Originally Posted by thewave46

Northern Ontario:

As you mention, the 'close the lights' phrase can usually distinguish between those of Anglo or Francophone descent, if the accent doesn't give it away initially.

How local city names are pronounced.

Sudbury pronounced as "Sud-berry" (like strawberry) instead of "Sud-buree" is a dead giveaway you're not a local. I think Calgary "Cal-GARY" as opposed to "Cal-gree" has a similar thing going on.

Toronto as "Tor-on-to" as opposed to "Tronoo"

Ottawa as "Ottawa" instead of rolling the t's into d's.

Relative redneck vibe, but that's not necessarily completely indicative of here. The well-fed body type is kind of a giveaway too.

Canadians/Americans: Washroom versus bathroom/restroom.

Using "Shut" instead of close is also Northern ON speak "Shut the door". "shut the lights". "shut the vacuum cleaner off"."Shut the t.v off".yet, we are going to "close up our cottage this weekend"..Go figure.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

Euro-finger-counting feels strange to me. I can't even raise my ring finger with the thumb already up unless my pinky is already up too But this convo makes me fear I am weird. I count on my fingers by touching my pinky with my thumb (1), then ring finger with my thumb (two), and so on until just thumb is out too (5).

This is something I've never thought of before, but yeah, how do you Euro counters manage when you get to four? It's awkward and painful trying to get the ring finger to pop up without dragging the pinky along with it, isn't it?

Not only that, but if you're counting slowly, one looks like a thumbs up, and two looks like either a gun gesture or pointing at something.

Seems like madness.

[rofina]

I was today years old when I learned that not everyone in the world starts finger counting with the thumb.

Mind slightly blown.

[rofina]

Originally Posted by kool maudit

Surprised at the number of thumb-counters. I was wondering what the tell was going to be, and considered that it might be right vs. left hand, or palm up vs. down, but never in a million years would I have dreamed of the thumb being number one.

Right handed myself.

Always count left to right, left hand thumb being number one.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by jamincan

It disambiguates 7 and 1 and Z and 2.

Especially since a lot of Europeans write the 1 as if it was almost an upside down V.