Being small in America

[donald1]

I'm taller than most people I'm around, 5.9 until I go to the basketball game literally all the team looks anywhere from 6.8-7. 2 they make me feel short...

 

[Transk53]

Blimey, I envy all of you. Apparently in pounds, I am at 218. Better start eating boiled cabbage or something. To the OP, one of my colleagues is of the same build. In his sixties now and he is one of the fittest blokes I know.

 

[Paul_D]

And a women is called a sheila. (Sheel-ah)

Not in the UK.

 

[donald1]

Blimey, I envy all of you. Apparently in pounds, I am at 218. Better start eating boiled cabbage or something. To the OP, one of my colleagues is of the same build. In his sixties now and he is one of the fittest blokes I know.

Muscle does way more than fat so if it's muscle than who cares

 

[tshadowchaser]

when I was 18 I weight 180 lbs. (not sure what that is across the pound) and stood 5'6 . Had a 26 inch waist and 34 inch thighs and shoulders that required me to buy special made shirts if I wanted it to fit. Yes I was a body builder. After a stint in the military and with all the good food I got there I went down to 140 pounds, the weight I carried for the next 35+ years, with a 30 inch waist.
I have never been able to buy "off the rack" and find clothes that fit me. Pants to long if the waist fit, shirts that had to be a half size to big or small. ETC.
I do not think American retailers want things to fit they just want to get close to a fit. They sell to the masses not to individuals.
And YES over here every thing seems to be big. Just look at the people here that are grossly overweight and fat

 

[Carol]

My daughter and her fiancé went to America last year, they said the meals were enormous! She has a photo of her with a starter which was the size of a main meal. On an almost unrelated point why do Americans call the main course the 'entree' when that's actually supposed to be the start, as in 'entrée, French for entry ie the start of the meal?

Oh! Oh! I know! *waves hand wildly in the air* Recently heard a talk in Old Sturbridge Village about this.

It is a term distinct to North American English, but the history is kind of fascinating, as it shows how the term was actually retained while dining patterns changed over time. At the time when a formal dinner was typically large communal roast, the entrée was a dish that was served before the heavy meat course. Many of these dishes at the time could have been considered main courses today.

North American dining habits changed over time, and that impacted many ways of life. As Americans and Canadians spread across the continent, many formed smaller communities. Ovens and cookstoves got smaller. This changed how we prepared food. In colonial days, the oven was the area to the back of a large cooking fireplace. Some of the popular pies, for example, fell out of favor as they would be baked in the oven while the rest of the food was prepared. Smaller ovens and cooking fires meant less was cooking at once. A formal dinner wasn't always a large communal feast anymore, and wasn't always a roast.

The term "entrée", however, still stuck.

entree AmE vs BrE

 

[jezr74]

Not in the UK.

Sheila's come in all shapes and sizes, and all nationalities. We call them UK Sheilas.

 

[seasoned]

We are getting fatter and fatter, this is fact. Too much fast food and busy busy, but that is for another thread.

P.S. And no, I am considered skinny.

 

[Transk53]

Muscle does way more than fat so if it's muscle than who cares

Oh I love the "Grubbs" double mushroom on beef. Yep

 

[Hong Kong Pooey]

Anyone else have issues with this?

I'm a guy. Caucasian, 26 years old. 5'8 or so - maybe 5'9. I exercise, I eat well, yet I maintain a weight of only about 125-130lbs. I'm just not built large. But, apparently, according to the clothing industry, I should have another 5-10 inches on my stomach and another 30 or 40 pounds to fit into a small anything.

I can occasionally find pants that fit, but shirts are ridiculous. It's hard enough to find "smalls" in the first place, and they're still much too big. Children's clothes, on the other hand, are too small, and not really what I want to be buying. And, I shouldn't even mention underwear, which are obviously made for people with giant thighs, which, if you don't happen to have, results in large gaps that can lead to rather awkward and uncomfortable issues for men...

I know I'm not alone here. I have a friend built the same as me, who has these problems, and many of my foreign friends do as well. Why does the market seemingly have no room for people our size? Are we just supposed to buy all of our clothing online from Europe?

I mean, even a European medium fits me!

This is just one example, but geez. I just don't seem to fit the local market, in most cases. I could extend this to my taste in coffee, ethnic cuisine, or martial arts. But even just phyiscally, I don't fit! It seems there is just an ever increasing trend towards a "one size fits all" approach, often catering to the "lowest common denominator" in society, cutting down on diversity and quality in general.

I guess that's not so bad if it's what the majority of people want, but it does make things difficult for the rest of us. And, ultimately, I don't think better for the whole.

Ever considered a shopping trip to Asia? It's full of dudes your size, although you may be considered a bit on the tall side.

It's also cheap as heck when you get there (mostly), and you may even find the cuisine & martial arts are a good fit too!

As for the coffee, try switching to tea. It's a much more civilized drink

 

[Punchy]

On an almost unrelated point why do Americans call the main course the 'entree' when that's actually supposed to be the start, as in 'entrée, French for entry ie the start of the meal?

Because we're Americans Dammit and we do what we want...
But seriously, that made me curious as well. Apparently it's an older usage...found this Entrée - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Buka]

I've lived in the United States all my life. The only time you ever hear the word "entree" is on menus or cooking shows (and forums), nobody actually uses the word. We say dinner, supper, or "Is it ready yet, I'm hungry!?"

It's one of those colloquial quirks of language, similar to the use of the word "anus". Nobody says anus, we say politician.

 

[Tez3]

I've lived in the United States all my life. The only time you ever hear the word "entree" is on menus or cooking shows (and forums), nobody actually uses the word. We say dinner, supper, or "Is it ready yet, I'm hungry!?"

It's one of those colloquial quirks of language, similar to the use of the word "anus". Nobody says anus, we say politician.

:lfao: Oh I do like that! :lfao:

 

[donald1]

I've lived in the United States all my life. The only time you ever hear the word "entree" is on menus or cooking shows (and forums), nobody actually uses the word. We say dinner, supper, or "Is it ready yet, I'm hungry!?"

It's one of those colloquial quirks of language, similar to the use of the word "anus". Nobody says anus, we say politician.

I don't know about menus cause I only look at the pictures, and never watch cooking shows... Unless I'm at the dentist waiting room for an hour or more. At restaurant they do mention appetizers lot "do you want any appetizers" and " breakfast" or atleast i say breakfast

 

[Transk53]

Not in the UK.

In Essex that would be Bird or Burd.