An American needs advice about manners in the UK

Thank you all for you comments and please, let me make a few comments in return:

1. I did not know you had a bank holiday this week. We had a holiday in the USA on Monday, Memorial Day (where we honor fallen military men and women) but I did not think there was a holiday in the UK as well. Had I known that, I am sure I would have put my impatience in check a bit longer.

2. Whenever we travel I always tell my son: "When you travel, remember, you are a guest in someone else's country. Under no circumstance are you to be the loud, obnoxious American." So when you talk about queueing I chuckle a bit from my last trip to England last summer. We were in the queue to enter Windsor Castle and we were surrounded by a bunch of pushy, no queue trained people from an Asian country. One guy behind me kept trying to squirm around me until I finally put out my arm and gave him the look of, "You don't want me to become a loud, obnoxious American do you?" Crisis averted.

3. Regarding DRH shaving soap quality, I really like it, especially what I believe is their new forumulation from a few years ago where now sodium tallowate is the first ingredient. In fact this is what my original email question and comment to DRH was about. (I still feel bad that I didn't know it was a holiday).

4. Finally, I appreciate it when your street department paints "Look Right" on the sidewalk - Americans always look left but that is NOT where the traffic is coming from, just saying. LoL!

Enjoy your life, day, and shave.
 
Rhubarb said:
The packaging was poor (Simple box with sticker)
Click to expand...

What were you expecting? A handcrafted rosewood box with raw silk lining and inlaid filigree? Packaging exists to get the soap to you safely, if it achieves that it's done its job.

Some people will always struggle with hard soaps, but I have three well-used DRH soaps and the performance has been excellent since day one.
 
I also have Arlington and I'm really keen on it... does need to be a slightly wetter lather than some of the softer ones like Stirling etc but does not cause any issues with shaving.

Also got Windsor, and it's great too.
 
chris.hale said:
What were you expecting? A handcrafted rosewood box with raw silk lining and inlaid filigree? Packaging exists to get the soap to you safely, if it achieves that it's done its job.

Some people will always struggle with hard soaps, but I have three well-used DRH soaps and the performance has been excellent since day one.
Click to expand...


I have plenty of shaving soaps. Hard ones included and i don't struggle with using them at all.
I am sure i have a bad one, as it really is pants to use. I'll never find out though because they don't answer any emails. Ever.

Regarding packaging, For the price, i do expect a bit of effort. T&H and Molton Brown have a bit of class on the packaging. The T&H bowl is lovely. The DRH bowl and box looks like it was made by a 6th form craft class.

You may like yours, but i think its crap.

Anyone want to swap my DRH Arlington soap and bowl for some Trumpers soap? (i fancy using the violet) PM if so and we can swap.
 
Rhubarb said:
I have plenty of shaving soaps. Hard ones included and i don't struggle with using them at all.
I am sure i have a bad one, as it really is pants to use. I'll never find out though because they don't answer any emails. Ever.

Regarding packaging, For the price, i do expect a bit of effort. T&H and Molton Brown have a bit of class on the packaging. The T&H bowl is lovely. The DRH bowl and box looks like it was made by a 6th form craft class.

You may like yours, but i think its crap.

Anyone want to swap my DRH Arlington soap and bowl for some Trumpers soap? (i fancy using the violet) PM if so and we can swap.
Click to expand...

If you can get trumpers soap to lather you must be some kind of miracle worker.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Rhubarb said:
I have plenty of shaving soaps. Hard ones included and i don't struggle with using them at all.
I am sure i have a bad one, as it really is pants to use. I'll never find out though because they don't answer any emails. Ever.

Regarding packaging, For the price, i do expect a bit of effort. T&H and Molton Brown have a bit of class on the packaging. The T&H bowl is lovely. The DRH bowl and box looks like it was made by a 6th form craft class.

You may like yours, but i think its crap.

Anyone want to swap my DRH Arlington soap and bowl for some Trumpers soap? (i fancy using the violet) PM if so and we can swap.
Click to expand...

I suppose something could have gone awry with yours.

I don't really care about packaging, I'd be happy if everything came in a plain brown cardboard box that I could just re-use or recycle. Posh packaging just increases the cost of the product for no real gain IMO. I've had the same thing with fountain pens, they come in a really nice fancy box (that's) too nice to throw out, but then it has no use and just takes up space.

I take your point about the bowls, I think they're OK but the TOBS one is better. That being said once mine are empty the replacement soaps are going into tins, the wooden bowls look nice but they're not terribly practical.
 
ike said:
Thank you all for you comments and please, let me make a few comments in return:

1. I did not know you had a bank holiday this week. We had a holiday in the USA on Monday, Memorial Day (where we honor fallen military men and women) but I did not think there was a holiday in the UK as well. Had I known that, I am sure I would have put my impatience in check a bit longer.

2. Whenever we travel I always tell my son: "When you travel, remember, you are a guest in someone else's country. Under no circumstance are you to be the loud, obnoxious American." So when you talk about queueing I chuckle a bit from my last trip to England last summer. We were in the queue to enter Windsor Castle and we were surrounded by a bunch of pushy, no queue trained people from an Asian country. One guy behind me kept trying to squirm around me until I finally put out my arm and gave him the look of, "You don't want me to become a loud, obnoxious American do you?" Crisis averted.

3. Regarding DRH shaving soap quality, I really like it, especially what I believe is their new forumulation from a few years ago where now sodium tallowate is the first ingredient. In fact this is what my original email question and comment to DRH was about. (I still feel bad that I didn't know it was a holiday).

4. Finally, I appreciate it when your street department paints "Look Right" on the sidewalk - Americans always look left but that is NOT where the traffic is coming from, just saying. LoL!

Enjoy your life, day, and shave.
Click to expand...
You sound the perfect Gent! (I am female by the way)
 
ike said:
Finally, I appreciate it when your street department paints "Look Right" on the sidewalk - Americans always look left but that is NOT where the traffic is coming from, just saying. LoL!
Click to expand...
We always stay to the left, its historical, walking the dog (keeps them under control & "on hand")
climbing stairs or going down stairs are on the left, why? Most people were right handed, lefties were burned at the stake or drowned. if you stay to the LEFT, it means you can defend your self, picture it in your head, meeting a stranger, sword worn on the left hip, the right hand to wave (Salute) or defend yourself. Old films picture this in jousting. Us mad Brits bring order to everything.
Queensbury for one.
T
 
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Tony'schin said:
We always stay to the left, its historical, walking the dog (keeps them under control & "on hand")
climbing stairs or going down stairs are on the left, why? Most people were right handed, lefties were burned at the stake or drowned. if you stay to the LEFT, it means you can defend your self, picture it in your head, meeting a stranger, sword worn on the left hip, the right hand to wave (Salute) or defend yourself. Old films picture this in jousting. Us mad Brits bring order to everything.
Queensbury for one.
T
Click to expand...

Helical* staircases in castles go clockwise on the way up for same reason, right-handed attackers would have their sword hand hampered by the central pillar.

*I know they're called “spiral” but they're not and it annoys my OCD.
 
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