Things you always wanted to know the answer to [Vol. 5]

[Snow and Rocks]

bodhi said:

I'll take any amount of "real" sugar over artifical sweeteners personally. Taste rank, give me a headache after a couple of cans and slightly dodgy guts.

I used to be fiercely on the Pepsi side of the fence until they added sweeteners, not so much any more.

I completely agree - artificial sweeteners taste absolutely foul.

I enjoy a can of fizzy drink as a an occasional treat - often when the reaching the summit while out hillwalking or sometimes a rum and Coke if I get fed up with wine.

Really annoys me how the sugar tax has ruined so many drinks. Pepsi is probably the most irritating as they already make Pepsi Max and Diet Pepsi - do they really need 3 artificially sweetened versions of the same thing?

As an interesting aside - apple/orange juice often has more sugar than an equivalent volume of Coke.

Edited by Snow and Rocks on Tuesday 2nd July 18:59

[President Merkin]

The BHF did a hierachy of sugar in drinks. No real surprises in it,

https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-ma...

[Gargamel]

Why do 95% of mens casual shirts have two chest pockets or button down collars ?

Both are st features on a shirt, and yet they are everywhere

WTF do you keep in a shirt button down chest pocket ?

[Trustmeimadoctor]

They don't, camp collar ones certainly not but might be the kinda place your looking
But it's just design features chest pockets especially button down collars are just required for certain collar style

Edited by Trustmeimadoctor on Wednesday 3rd July 13:15

[Gargamel]

Trustmeimadoctor said:

They don't, camp collar ones certainly not but might be the kinda place your looking
But it's just design features chest pockets especially button down collars are just required for certain collar style

Edited by Trustmeimadoctor on Wednesday 3rd July 13:15

For business shirts sure, there are still LOADS with one chest pocket for your blue, green and red bic pens to go in. But on casual shirts its at least 90% are either button down or with st looking double chest pockets with a flap closure and nipple height button.

terrible

[Trustmeimadoctor]

https://www.portugueseflannel.com/collections/ss24...

One pocket with no button and no button down collar

And a good mix here
https://www.allsaints.com/men/shirts

[Gargamel]

Trustmeimadoctor said:

https://www.portugueseflannel.com/collections/ss24...

One pocket with no button and no button down collar

And a good mix here
https://www.allsaints.com/men/shirts

I appreciate the solution

That doesn't answer my questions though - also they are [shudder] short sleeved. I am not Australian.


What do men who buy shirts with pockets keep in them?

Why are they so prevelant, when they look st ?

[RizzoTheRat]

Gargamel said:

What do men who buy shirts with pockets keep in them. And why are they so prevalent? when they look st ?

I find a shirt pocket can be a useful place to keep a phone, but in that case the button is pointless.

On work shirts I used to keep my pass in a shirt pocket to stop it swinging around on the lanyard but I use a retractable clip one on my belt instead now. Again a button on the shirt is pointless though.

I have very occasionally used a button shirt pocket to keep a bank card in when going out, but these days with Garmin/Google pay that's not needed either.

[popeyewhite]

Gargamel said:

What do men who buy shirts with pockets keep in them?

Casual shirts have pockets, smart shirts don't. Casual shirts are often worn without a jacket, smart shirts are worn with a jacket...which has its own pockets.

To answer your question, glasses, a pen (schoolteacher), passport and tickets if travelling.

I think it's just that the trend is for casual shirts to have pockets.

[Trustmeimadoctor]

Gargamel said:

That doesn't answer my questions though - also they are [shudder] short sleeved. I am not Australian.

thats your issue right there long sleeves!

casual long sleeve are really not great style wise they really died in the 90's and 00's

ralph lauren do some long sleeve non pocket non button collar shirts but they look like a very specific person would wear them

Edited by Trustmeimadoctor on Wednesday 3rd July 14:11

[Rich Boy Spanner]

popeyewhite said:

Gargamel said:

What do men who buy shirts with pockets keep in them?

Casual shirts have pockets, smart shirts don't. Casual shirts are often worn without a jacket, smart shirts are worn with a jacket...which has its own pockets.

To answer your question, glasses, a pen (schoolteacher), passport and tickets if travelling.

I think it's just that the trend is for casual shirts to have pockets.

Train tickets. Easy to get them out for the ticket checkers.

[borcy]

Trustmeimadoctor said:

Gargamel said:

That doesn't answer my questions though - also they are [shudder] short sleeved. I am not Australian.

thats your issue right there long sleeves!

casual long sleeve are really not great style wise they really died in the 90's and 00's

ralph lauren do some long sleeve non pocket non button collar shirts but they look like a very specific person would wear them

Edited by Trustmeimadoctor on Wednesday 3rd July 14:11

What about long sleeve shirts with hero sleeves

[StevieBee]

For the past three years, I've insured my car with Churchill. Reasonable premium that increased a little each year. Green Flag cover included. Not had any claim or any change to my profile. Renewal time approaching and they write to me to tell me that they won't be offering to renew the policy so f-off! (they didn't actually say that but they may as well have, not even a thank you for the business).

What has changed that has lead them to turn away what I would have thought is a safe and solid bit of business?

[horsemeatscandal]

Not sure there's a correct answer to this other than "because numpties" but I thought about this as I was washing my baguette in the shower this morning...

Why do English or English-speaking people put on an accent when speaking in a foreign language? Some people also do it when using foreign words in the middle of English sentences.

I've never spoken to someone's who's first language isn't English who speaks English in a generic English accent? They just speak in their normal accent and if they mispronounce something I don't think "haha you're an uncultured idiot" like I do when an Englishman pronounces chorizo wrong.

Just another bizarre English idiosyncrasy?

[StevieBee]

horsemeatscandal said:

Why do English or English-speaking people put on an accent when speaking in a foreign language?

I'm not certain they do.

You could be fluent in French but a French person would know you're British by the way you're speaking their language in the same way we would when a French person speaks English. It takes a very special level of linguistic skill to speak a different language without the accent of your mother tongue.

Accents associated with different languages are influenced by the way the words are formed and sentences, structured. For example, inflections play a much more important role in Swedish than they do in English so when it's spoken, there's more tonal variation; more 'up and down'. If you spoke Swedish you would have to follow this style. You also have lots more tongue rolling (which English speaker's aren't good at). An English person speaking Swedish would sound like they're speaking using a Swedish accent but to a Swede, they'd sound like an English speaker speaking Swedish (and probably failing miserably!).

From our perspective, it may appear that they're putting on an accent but is really just the tonal approach needed for a particular language.

Or, it may be an example of the standard British approach to conversing in a different language - speak English but in their accent

horsemeatscandal said:

Some people also do it when using foreign words in the middle of English sentences.

It's because those words weren't designed for use in English. It's quite difficult to say 'croissant' in anything other than a French accent and sounds weird and awkward when you do say it in an English accent. Same with café au lait, crème fraîche. Etc. Doesn't apply to all words and those it doesn't apply to tend to be those that sound the same in both languages... cliché, chic, bon voyage, etc.

[RizzoTheRat]

horsemeatscandal said:

Why do English or English-speaking people put on an accent when speaking in a foreign language? Some people also do it when using foreign words in the middle of English sentences

Surely accents are just minor differences in the way different people pronounce words. If you're learning a foreign language you pronounce words the way you hear them, so will naturally pick up elements of the accent of the person who thought you. For example I've met several non-Americans with a noticeable American accent because they either learnt English from an American, or grew up watching American films so learned to pronounce words how they heard them.

[horsemeatscandal]

StevieBee said:

horsemeatscandal said:

Why do English or English-speaking people put on an accent when speaking in a foreign language?

I'm not certain they do.

You could be fluent in French but a French person would know you're British by the way you're speaking their language in the same way we would when a French person speaks English. It takes a very special level of linguistic skill to speak a different language without the accent of your mother tongue.

Accents associated with different languages are influenced by the way the words are formed and sentences, structured. For example, inflections play a much more important role in Swedish than they do in English so when it's spoken, there's more tonal variation; more 'up and down'. If you spoke Swedish you would have to follow this style. You also have lots more tongue rolling (which English speaker's aren't good at). An English person speaking Swedish would sound like they're speaking using a Swedish accent but to a Swede, they'd sound like an English speaker speaking Swedish (and probably failing miserably!).

From our perspective, it may appear that they're putting on an accent but is really just the tonal approach needed for a particular language.

Or, it may be an example of the standard British approach to conversing in a different language - speak English but in their accent

horsemeatscandal said:

Some people also do it when using foreign words in the middle of English sentences.

It's because those words weren't designed for use in English. It's quite difficult to say 'croissant' in anything other than a French accent and sounds weird and awkward when you do say it in an English accent. Same with café au lait, crème fraîche. Etc. Doesn't apply to all words and those it doesn't apply to tend to be those that sound the same in both languages... cliché, chic, bon voyage, etc.

Yes, agreed that a French person would know you're English but an English person would hear you doing a half-convincing French accent.

If I say crème fraiche, I pronounce it "crem fresh" rather than "cream fraych" but I don't do a dodgy French accent. It's easy to do correct pronunciation without an accent. The thought came to me, not for the first time, listening to a Tour de France commentator talking about Italian food and when naming dishes doing an almost Super Mario-esque accent but then speaking in an English accent for the rest of the time. When a German drops an English phrase into a sentence they don't do a Victorian-era cockney accent or something. Or do they, and I just can't pick up on it?

[horsemeatscandal]

RizzoTheRat said:

Surely accents are just minor differences in the way different people pronounce words. If you're learning a foreign language you pronounce words the way you hear them, so will naturally pick up elements of the accent of the person who thought you. For example I've met several non-Americans with a noticeable American accent because they either learnt English from an American, or grew up watching American films so learned to pronounce words how they heard them.

That's true, I have noticed that people who are using English a lot as a second language tend to adopt an American accent, especially non-Europeans and I suppose I don't think that's daft. You can tell they're not American though, the same way a Frenchman knows when an Englishman is adopting a French accent as per above.

[Sway]

One of my proudest moments is being confused for being French after saying bonjour in a cafe...

Didn't last long, next breath the guy twigged and asked if I was English!

[Doofus]

horsemeatscandal said:

Why do English or English-speaking people put on an accent when speaking in a foreign language?

Because it makes you more easily understood.

Simple Eg: In French, 'chips' is pronounced "Freet" with a rolled R). In an English accent, you'd say "Frits" or "Frights" or even, as I heard once, "Fritters", amd a French person will (pretend to) struggle to understand you.

Whenever I hear anyone say "Bon Jor" it makes me cringe.