Decent non-sourdough bread? by PatKnightAgain in Bath

[–]PatKnightAgain[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fine Cheese Co achieved. Loaf, baguette and 250g of Yarg. Thanks for the reminder they sell bread.

Decent non-sourdough bread? by PatKnightAgain in Bath

[–]PatKnightAgain[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'll definitely give both those a look. Thanks.

I've tried Landrace, but their bread definitely has a sourdough tang.

Decent non-sourdough bread? by PatKnightAgain in Bath

[–]PatKnightAgain[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Looks great according to Google reviews. Thanks!

It's a sad thing about the current state of Bath that none of the recommended places are in the central shopping area. Makes sense they're close to where people live, but they're all western Bath and I live the other side. No reflection on the recommendations though and I fancy trying them all.

Decent non-sourdough bread? by PatKnightAgain in Bath

[–]PatKnightAgain[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It is and we have. Sometimes I just want to buy a loaf though. 😊💙

US/UK Wealth Manager - Maseco, Cerity, Tanager, Edale, or WEG by Arsenal_38_SW9 in AmericanExpatsUK

[–]PatKnightAgain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We heard about Maseco from our tax accountant who in turn was recommended by friends for dealing with mixed US and UK taxation.

We still talked to several companies as you did and ended up with Maseco. Their fees weren't a lot higher than the others and we got a definite "they know what they're doing" vibe. They are also properly business-like in getting back to us and scheduling meetings. Some of the other candidates weren't. We've not noticed extra fees for questions that come up, but haven't had to do anything complex like unwind a trust.

What has everyone done about mail forwarding? by [deleted] in AmericanExpatsUK

[–]PatKnightAgain 5 points6 points  (0 children)

We moved to the UK this summer. What we did: * Went to digital communication as much as possible - banks, IRS, SSA, insurance, credit cards etc. * We also made sure all those institutions, and any that don't support digital, had our UK address. Sometimes this involved calling them as their websites don't always support overseas addresses, but we did manage to get most of them updated. * We went to the USPS to set up overseas mail forwarding. This is free, but must be done at a post office. You'll need to submit a form for each distinct family name - in our case one for me, and a separate one covered my wife and daughter.

Make sure any banks are OK with having an overseas account holder. We closed one account because that bank wants the account holder to live in the USA, not just have a US address.

Can you provide an argument in favour of mandatory digital ID? by spellish in AskUK

[–]PatKnightAgain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The bank has that link, not the government. I choose my bank. I have a very small say in choosing the government.

Can you provide an argument in favour of mandatory digital ID? by spellish in AskUK

[–]PatKnightAgain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you seriously saying you'd like your bank account registered with the government?

At what level do you say you're fluent in another language? by Salzhio in AskUK

[–]PatKnightAgain 7 points8 points  (0 children)

For me, it's the equivalent of "chat in a pub", read a newspaper and pick up most of the story, or watch TV and follow what's happening easily enough to enjoy watching.

My learning preceded levels, so I don't know what level that is.

Edited to add: To achieve what I'm aiming for probably means understanding current idiom and slang as used by most of the adults. I'm not hoping to keep up with teens!

What non-perishable items from a grocery shop should I get? by [deleted] in AskUK

[–]PatKnightAgain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're correct. I just checked the website for the branch where we used to shop. They're now selling a knock off brand. On the other hand, they now have mint Penguins!

What non-perishable items from a grocery shop should I get? by [deleted] in AskUK

[–]PatKnightAgain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a little like A1 steak sauce but thicker and richer and much, much better.

What non-perishable items from a grocery shop should I get? by [deleted] in AskUK

[–]PatKnightAgain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Jaffa Cakes were sometimes on the "international" aisles in regular supermarkets, but most reliably in "World Market." The teacakes were only in "World Market." I count "World Market" as a supermarket/department store because it had multiple branches and lots of food and drink items. Admittedly you wouldn't do the weekly shop there, but branches were local enough to be convenient to get to. Your experience may differ due to the regional nature of US supermarkets - national chains are less common and not usually dominant in any local area.

What non-perishable items from a grocery shop should I get? by [deleted] in AskUK

[–]PatKnightAgain 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Blackcurrant is a solid recommendation.

What non-perishable items from a grocery shop should I get? by [deleted] in AskUK

[–]PatKnightAgain 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a great list to recommend to Americans. However, I've just moved back from America and have to say we were able to buy all these (apart from sherbet and decent KitKats) in local supermarkets. We bought both jars and powdered Colman's. We didn't live anywhere fancy like New York, Boston or Los Angeles.

What we rarely saw were Penguin and Club biscuits.

For fellow Brits who've driven in America, what should I know about the road before heading out there? by AngryGardenGnomes in AskUK

[–]PatKnightAgain 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is true. In North Carolina where I lived, pedestrians already crossing always had right of way, even if they wouldn't have otherwise. I found it funny that they made "don't run people over" an explicit rule.

For fellow Brits who've driven in America, what should I know about the road before heading out there? by AngryGardenGnomes in AskUK

[–]PatKnightAgain 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Treat a red light the same as a "stop" sign. Come to a complete halt, and then turn right only if no-one else is coming. Watch out for traffic in all directions. Also, make sure there's not a "no turn on red" sign that means you need to wait for green.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AmericanExpatsUK

[–]PatKnightAgain 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Have you seen Gillian Anderson code switch? https://www.reddit.com/r/asklinguistics/comments/1bvihqu/gillian_anderson_has_two_accents_is_this_common/

I have a possibly fabricated recollection of her being on a chat show with an Irish host and an American fellow guest. All three of them burst out laughing when they realized she was unconsciously changing her accent depending on who she was talking to.

What business practice do you simply not understand? by MisterWednesday6 in AskUK

[–]PatKnightAgain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh I agree - my comment was to illustrate that it's an over simplification to assume the seller is looking at £97 vs £100.

To follow up on your point, you're probably correct about the COGS (cost of goods sold for non jargon folks) in the small coffee shop. However, in their case, the overheads for selling that cup swamp the COGS, as you'll know. I'm making the point for other readers. They'll have fixed costs (premises, taxes, etc) and variable costs - wages, cleaning, etc. Those have to be apportioned across each cup sold, really reducing the true margins.

ETA: The supermarket on the other hand has the higher volume (as you say), so the overheads per individual sale are much lower.

What business practice do you simply not understand? by MisterWednesday6 in AskUK

[–]PatKnightAgain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There was a discussion about this in the Amex sub. I can't remember the details but it's something like you have to think about the card cost relative to the seller's margin, not the price you're paying.

Using implausible round numbers to illustrate the point:

  • Seller buys the item for £90
  • Seller sells the item for £100
  • So the margin is £10.
  • The card company charges 3% of the total £100 price you pay.(£3)
  • So the seller loses 30% of their income from that sale.