Brits- Answer my questions about your country -Mo Farah's top hat, contactless credit cards, and running greetings

Can't speak for the UK but in Canada we have had tap cards for at least 5 years. Chip cards for at least 10.

Nobody wears those hats anymore, not even to the palace, unless you have the ego the size of a house and think you're credibility is bulletproof. Shame he looks like Willy Wonka.

The lack of recognition on s run is most likely a London thing rather than s British thing. It's very common to acknowledge other runners but I experienced it s lot less in London.

Contactless is very common now but it's not a British thing, you know Sweden is almost completely cashless these days? Contactless travel must be 5 years old. In Russia you can buy a piece of jewellery like a ring that contains your contactless travel access.

What's the deal with fish and chips?

Top hats were formal dress in the US into the 1960s.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/18/politics/gallery/tbt-john-f-kennedy-inauguration-1961/index.html

It's a good look. There's nothing wrong with Mo looking sharp.

Another try at that image

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u7M-xDw1njU/UniYpDdYr7I/AAAAAAAAwSU/6Zqy77JdjBQ/s801/JFK-And-Jackie-January-20-1961.jpg

London, listen up and listen up good: Krispy Kreme is giving away 36,000 free doughnuts today. We repeat: THIRTY-SIX THOUSAND FREE doughnuts.

The giveaway comes as the iconic American purveyors of Homer Simpson's favourite snack starts delivering on UberEats today. They basically just want us to eat more hole foods.

The best part? They're not handing out one measly doughnut at a time – you're getting a dozen.

That's right: 12 glazed rings of joy delivered straight to your door (or office).

The lovely things are available from 2pm today. All you have to do is open – or download frantically – the UberEats app and place your order. It's a simple as that.

https://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/restaurants/krispy-kreme-is-giving-away-36000-free-doughnuts-today-a3690306.html

3. In NYC the complicated transit fees are an extra tax on tourists. Thanks for funding our subways! Native NYCers don't have to deal with that stuff because they rarely buy new cards and they can just refill the cash cards if they run out.

4. Don't you think it's weird that in the US we leave dangerous electrical outlets just facing the room? In the UK you can just turn off the outlet power and kids won't electrocute themselves by sticking forks in them. It's just a bit safer.

1) Top hats are more common at weddings and formal events than the US

4) The voltage is higher in the UK (110 vs 220 I think) and it is a safety thing. A lot of the bathrooms have pull cords for the lights for the same reason (in case you have wet hands)

wejo wrote:

Would Farah where ... ?

Did you mean "Whould Farah were ... ?"

Sigh. Cornell huh? I guess it is better than Brown.

*wear not where. He might wear it to bed for all i know or care. He might use it as a spittoon. He might pull rabbits out of it.

*wave not waive. In London, like other big cities (NY for example), you generally ignore everyone and pretend they don't exist. Don't wave at people. Have you run in the countryside in England? Just as in the US, you'll find people are a bit friendlier outside the big cities.

5 years or so. The US has always lagged the rest of the world in banking technology by a looong way. In most countries, if I want to transfer money to someone, I just go to my online bank and enter their routing number and account number and I can instantly transfer money to them. That doesn't exist here although people like Venmo are trying to fill the gap for small transactions only.

The UK is not alone. Many countries do this. It is for safety. Have you also noticed also that many countries don't permit standard power outlets in bathrooms?

I know, I know, poor thing.

That's all I can think of now.

Don't worry if you can't think of any more - that's cos beyond top hats, cashless payments, running greetings (possibly), and light switches, there are literally no other differences between the two countries.

"Wear" should be capitalized, as it is the first word of a sentence. In addition, the nominative singular pronoun "I" is capitalized in the English language.

"Wave" should be capitalized for the same reason as before. Don't make me hit you with my stick.

Venmo is a company, not a person.

1) People wear weird stylish outfits to get knighted and other awards. However getting your KBE means top hat and tailcoat. Why, I don't know. I think the last person who blew that off was Rod Stewart but when you're a rock star you can bend the rules. I don't know who can pull off the top hat/tailcoat look other than Charlie Chaplin or Mr. Monopoly.

2) No one waves when I run by them in my city.

3) I have a contactless credit card and it's useless. Sure, I can use it for my bus/subway but it never gets used. NYC will get there eventually (I think they just signed some big contract for contactless cards.) You need to go to Asia to get on real mass transit.

4) Safety feature.

All interesting observations.

London is rammed with runners and cyclists - if the etiquette was to acknowledge each other it would be relentless.

The US is backwards when buying transportation tickets, not until I visited Washington DC recently did I remember the faff of buying and topping up cards. I may be wrong, but I think London was quite ahead of its time with the Oyster card (contactless payment card topped up by bank transfer).

Oh, and you are now allowed power outlets in the bathroom

Karl Hungus wrote:

1) People wear weird stylish outfits to get knighted and other awards. However getting your KBE means top hat and tailcoat. Why, I don't know. I think the last person who blew that off was Rod Stewart but when you're a rock star you can bend the rules. I don't know who can pull off the top hat/tailcoat look other than Charlie Chaplin or Mr. Monopoly.

2) No one waves when I run by them in my city.

3) I have a contactless credit card and it's useless. Sure, I can use it for my bus/subway but it never gets used. NYC will get there eventually (I think they just signed some big contract for contactless cards.) You need to go to Asia to get on real mass transit.

4) Safety feature.

nothing wrong with a top hat.

Top hats: very few occasions in which it's appropriate. I'm 52 and have never worn one.

Waving at other runners: It depends, I usually nod or raise a hand, probably get a response 50% of the time.

Contactless is now commonplace. I often go out with just my phone and use that to pay for stuff contactless. Tends to be limited to £30 per transaction, so it's worth having a chip and pin card in your pocket too if you're doing more than just getting sandwiches, coffee etc.

2. I think this must be a big city thing. Running in the countryside generated friendly exchanges and general acknowledgements. But, London was one of the most aggravating running scenes I've ever come across. I was out on the Thames during the morning commute and everyone seemed to be huffing, puffing and racing one another. Most were wearing backpacks and I could only assume that they were run/commuting to work. Is that a thing in London? I avoided running along the Thames the rest of my stay. Everybody seemed to be working way too hard and not at all enjoying themselves. Although, when I got ridiculously lost, people were very helpful trying to get me back to my hotel. I appreciated that!

Running on the Charles River at peak times also sets up a similar situation. I live in a small seaside community outside of Boston now and wave or greet every runner, walker or dog walker I come across...mostly because I see them every day or will eventually run into them at the grocery store. I never used to acknowledge anybody when I was a "serious" runner...so dumb in hindsight.

I always wear a top hat while I'm running and I wave to everyone I pass. For some reason, the people I wave at just look at me strangely and back away.