On 2013-10-22 08:36:52 +0000, dsi1 said:

> You're probably right about the electric kettle being a ubiquitous
> appliance in Europe. My guess is that it's because Europeans drink a
> lot of tea. The hot drink of choice in America is coffee which requires
> a brewing system, not a separate hot water kettle.

Just a wild-ass prediction: I think coffee has had its day. The market
is so glutted with shops and products. I have noted more tea drinkers
with each passing year; frequently they pursue tea through Chinese and
Japanese shops and pay plenty for their tea, go through a lot of
"cooling" processes (Chinese) and lots of other claptrap. We'll see.

> Europeans would probably think the American's love of the ice cold soft
> drink strange. When my wife and son ordered them, they'd get a rather
> ordinary glass filled with a little ice, which melted in a couple of
> minute. The concept of free, unlimited, refills has not reached your
> shores. You might be somewhat repulsed to see people walking around
> with huge 32 oz cups of ice and soft drink. I wouldn't blame you if you
> did. It's a heck of a thing.

I found it strange in France when I asked for a Martini (which
generally means a vermouth as in "Martini & Rossi), that I was
frequently asked "Two ice cubes or one?"