A Question For Our UK Members:

[Photojeep]

I realize this is highly trivial and completely inconsequential, but I'm hoping ore of our UK member can answer a question for me.

In movies and television series, whenever a character pays for a purchase and isn't using coins, they always count out the bills then fold them in half and hand it over. They never seem to hand over the money unfolded.

Is this custom of folding money prior to handing it over something that is commonly done? Or is it just something done in movies?

I know there are many cultural differences that are much more profound than this but I'm hoping someone can tell me how widespread this is in the UK.

(Like I said, completely inconsequential but enquiring minds want to know...)

Best,
PJ

[MThomson]

I don't remember ever folding over notes before handing them over - certainly not on purpose.

[steveh]

Never heard of it.

Cheers,
Steve

[Silurian]

It is considered bad manners to hand over notes with the Queens head showing. Folding the note is a sign of respect.








No I'm just kidding.

I haven't noticed this in movies and I can't recall doing it myself.

[Brucebubs]

Right up there with Americans in movies that cut up their food with fork in left, knife in right then put down the knife and transfer the fork to their right hand and eat one handed.

Never seen that done anywhere else.

My late mother went on a European holiday tour that included some Americans and they actually commented to her about how she kept her fork in her left hand and knife in her right for her entire meal.

[David Eastwood]

Born and raised in fair Albion. I don’t ever recall folding banknotes being a thing.

It all went to pot with decimalization, anyway. Harumph. Try folding a 50p coin.

[frankmcr]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

Right up there with Americans in movies that cut up their food with fork in left, knife in right then put down the knife and transfer the fork to their right hand and eat one handed.

Never seen that done anywhere else.

That one is definitely for real. Only ranch hands and drifters do it the other way:

"Mighty good grub, ma'm" chomp chomp

(but although they may not have a thorough grasp of etiquette they can turn a herd of stampeding longhorns away from the schoolhouse and marry the pretty schoolteacher from back east).

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

Right up there with Americans in movies that cut up their food with fork in left, knife in right then put down the knife and transfer the fork to their right hand and eat one handed.

Never seen that done anywhere else.

My late mother went on a European holiday tour that included some Americans and they actually commented to her about how she kept her fork in her left hand and knife in her right for her entire meal.

Well here is a lesson in history for you. Colonial Americans emulated the manners of the British aristocracy and that is where they got the business of holding the meat with the fork in the left and cutting with the right and then eating with the left. Of course, no-one told the Americans that the British aristocracy had servants standing over their shoulder to do the heavy cutting and that the British aristocracy, in turn, preferred lighter French cuisine. So, there develops in America a rough and ready culture and cuisine in America using hoity-toity aristocratic manners to saw around on rustic food.

Then the Americans go back to England during WWII and the Brits are horrified because their common British people have never seen people eat like that. They describe it as seeing people putting one hand in their lap and chasing their food around plate with only one implement. I've actually had a Brit friend describe it that way while remarking to me how appalling it was to see Americans eat as they do. Little did she know that she was seeing British aristocratic manners at work!

Bob

[Gdjjr]

I visited a man and his family, years go, when passing thru England, who lived in Bedford- she cooked an amazing roast with yorkshire pudding and gave me the recipe- the temp's suggested were in Marks I also had to keep putting money in the pay phone for a short call, at the airport in London - oh, they drive on the wrong side of the road and had Jaguars as taxi's too - I do admire their sense of humor though

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

Right up there with Americans in movies that cut up their food with fork in left, knife in right then put down the knife and transfer the fork to their right hand and eat one handed.

Never seen that done anywhere else.

My late mother went on a European holiday tour that included some Americans and they actually commented to her about how she kept her fork in her left hand and knife in her right for her entire meal.

Well it was part of an early Puritan movement to stomp out ambidextrous ability, which was considered the work of devil ........Juss kidding .... but as noted noted not just in the movies. It was certainly SOP for us Boomer era US folks maybe before...

[ghostnote]

What's all this "knife and fork" business? God gave us fingers and teeth, what else do we need?

[Photojeep]

Thank you to everyone who responded.

I thought it might just have been something "in the movies" rather than real life. It's funny how some fictional things seen in movies and on TV can be taken as fact when the viewer has never personally experienced it.

In addition to the (very entertaining) comments about cutting one's food, I'm reminded of a conversation I once had back in the late 70's with a student from Iran who honestly thought everyone in the western US was a cowboy, rode horses, and regularly engaged in shootouts with their 6-shooter.

For those of you from the UK, I appreciate the clarification. What I saw on TV did seem kind of "staged" but since I've only been in your part of the world once, I didn't know if it was real of an affectation. (In the interest of full disclosure, I saw this behavior many times on "Lewis" on PBS)

Now I'm off to cut my steak with my right hand and shovel it in with my left ... or do I do it the other way??? Great, now I can't remember...

Best,
PJ

[Nama Ensou]

Originally Posted by Photojeep

I thought it might just have been something "in the movies" rather than real life. It's funny how some fictional things seen in movies and on TV can be taken as fact when the viewer has never personally experienced it.

I guess it's right up there with spinning barrels on opened revolvers making a bunch of clicking noises!

[rllink]

Originally Posted by Photojeep

Thank you to everyone who responded.

I thought it might just have been something "in the movies" rather than real life. It's funny how some fictional things seen in movies and on TV can be taken as fact when the viewer has never personally experienced it.

In addition to the (very entertaining) comments about cutting one's food, I'm reminded of a conversation I once had back in the late 70's with a student from Iran who honestly thought everyone in the western US was a cowboy, rode horses, and regularly engaged in shootouts with their 6-shooter.

For those of you from the UK, I appreciate the clarification. What I saw on TV did seem kind of "staged" but since I've only been in your part of the world once, I didn't know if it was real of an affectation. (In the interest of full disclosure, I saw this behavior many times on "Lewis" on PBS)

Now I'm off to cut my steak with my right hand and shovel it in with my left ... or do I do it the other way??? Great, now I can't remember...

Best,
PJ

Honestly, I watch a lot of British TV and I had never noticed the folded bill phenomenon. I guess I'm not paying enough attention. I'm going to make it a point to watch for it.

[Silly Moustache]

Elderly Limey here.

Interesting comment. I'd suggest that if it is done, it would be for dramatic effect.

I honestly can't remember the last time I paid for anything significant with cash.

I bought a hat for £15 in the local Market a while ago, and I think I had a 10 and a five in my wallet.
I 've just checked - I have two £10s in my wallet.

I keep a lttle purse in my car with coin for parking meters - but even they take swipe plastic now, sdo no real point.

Simply don't do cash or cheques now.

Big non card purchases - direct transfer from bank account to ban account - 100% safe and irreversible.

"Folding money" (!) a ghost from the past.

Thinks, my father was in the motor trade most of his life, so he always kept a few hundred in his back pocket "in case of a deal" - probably only drug dealers still work like that.