Aussies and Brits poke fun at Americans for having 'outdated' kitchen appliances
- Replies 3
A few days ago, a "heated" argument broke out between British people, who are obsessed with their cups of tea, and Americans, who apparently use the stove just to boil water for their hot beverages.
It all began when British Twitter user Stefan Roberts tweeted a screenshot of a recent New York Times article. The headline reads, "A Swift and Easy Way to Heat Water Without Using a Stove," and it is placed above a picture of several electric kettles.
The article, which came out on June 24, explains how an electric kettle works and what it can be used for.
The article may have been helpful to some, but many others on social media were left perplexed and wondering when the United States first learned about electric kettles. There was even a user on Twitter who questioned whether or not the written piece was satire.
Aussies and Brits mock the US for having outdated kitchen appliances. Credit: Shutterstock.
People in the United States frequently boil water using a kettle placed on top of the stove, and some even brew hot tea in the microwave.
The article said that electric kettles are "a quick and easy way to heat water without using a stove." Of course, this confused the Brits because, like us Aussies, they have been doing this for years (even decades) already.
There were a lot of responses to Stefan's tweet from both Britons and Americans, and a heated discussion ensued (sorry, but at least we didn’t say ‘boiled over’!).
And as of late, it appears that even the Aussies are participating in the debate!
"Are kettles a new thing there? I knew they were living in the 1940s, but I had no idea how bad it was," one user wrote, with a second one chiming in and saying, "They might even start drinking decent coffee one day!"
"Americans love to bang on about being the greatest country in the world, yet they are just discovering kettles," added Josh Earl, an Australian stand-up comedian.
While this was going on, an American recounted the story of how their grandparents would often break an electric kettle every time they visited Australia because they kept putting it on the stove.
After being subjected to unrelenting ridicule by their British and Aussie counterparts, Americans stepped in to defend themselves, with some insisting that they will never stop using the microwave to heat water.
"You can pry it from my cold dead arms!" a Twitter user said.
As the discussion continued, there were some Twitter users who tried to defuse the situation by being more diplomatic. Sarah Collins, a Canadian, argued that because so few people in Canada and the U.S. drink tea, neither country generally needs an electric kettle.
Another Twitter user provided a very logical explanation for why many US households lack an electric kettle: the voltage in their plug sockets is around 110 volts, which is roughly half the power of UK and Australian plug sockets, increasing the time it would take to boil water.
So there you have it, folks! The Americans have always been aware of kettles, but it wasn't until recently that they began to appreciate them.
Do you have any other "Australian things" in mind that you believe our friends in the United States would absolutely love? Share them with us in the comments below!
If you're curious about the other differences between Australian and American culture, check out this video below:
Credit: Tristan Kuhn.
It all began when British Twitter user Stefan Roberts tweeted a screenshot of a recent New York Times article. The headline reads, "A Swift and Easy Way to Heat Water Without Using a Stove," and it is placed above a picture of several electric kettles.
The article, which came out on June 24, explains how an electric kettle works and what it can be used for.
The article may have been helpful to some, but many others on social media were left perplexed and wondering when the United States first learned about electric kettles. There was even a user on Twitter who questioned whether or not the written piece was satire.
Aussies and Brits mock the US for having outdated kitchen appliances. Credit: Shutterstock.
People in the United States frequently boil water using a kettle placed on top of the stove, and some even brew hot tea in the microwave.
The article said that electric kettles are "a quick and easy way to heat water without using a stove." Of course, this confused the Brits because, like us Aussies, they have been doing this for years (even decades) already.
There were a lot of responses to Stefan's tweet from both Britons and Americans, and a heated discussion ensued (sorry, but at least we didn’t say ‘boiled over’!).
And as of late, it appears that even the Aussies are participating in the debate!
"Are kettles a new thing there? I knew they were living in the 1940s, but I had no idea how bad it was," one user wrote, with a second one chiming in and saying, "They might even start drinking decent coffee one day!"
"Americans love to bang on about being the greatest country in the world, yet they are just discovering kettles," added Josh Earl, an Australian stand-up comedian.
While this was going on, an American recounted the story of how their grandparents would often break an electric kettle every time they visited Australia because they kept putting it on the stove.
After being subjected to unrelenting ridicule by their British and Aussie counterparts, Americans stepped in to defend themselves, with some insisting that they will never stop using the microwave to heat water.
"You can pry it from my cold dead arms!" a Twitter user said.
As the discussion continued, there were some Twitter users who tried to defuse the situation by being more diplomatic. Sarah Collins, a Canadian, argued that because so few people in Canada and the U.S. drink tea, neither country generally needs an electric kettle.
Another Twitter user provided a very logical explanation for why many US households lack an electric kettle: the voltage in their plug sockets is around 110 volts, which is roughly half the power of UK and Australian plug sockets, increasing the time it would take to boil water.
So there you have it, folks! The Americans have always been aware of kettles, but it wasn't until recently that they began to appreciate them.
Do you have any other "Australian things" in mind that you believe our friends in the United States would absolutely love? Share them with us in the comments below!
If you're curious about the other differences between Australian and American culture, check out this video below:
Credit: Tristan Kuhn.
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