Refrigerators

Totally non-fish related, but I've noticed that we have members outside the USA. I've never traveled, and I notice that on the British comedies that I watch on PBS they all seem to have little under counter refrigerators, even in middle class/affluent households (such as Keeping Up Appearances, As Time Goes By, Fresh Fields, etc.) Are such small refrigerators customary in the UK & Europe, as opposed to the monsters we use in the USA? Other than the ice & water feature in the door, I see no reason for our monsters, especially in a small household. Just curious. Thank you.

 

HI i'm from South Asia and our refrigerators are smaller than american refrigerators, it's not related to the size of the households; we just like it that way;D. I 'm not sure about Europe.

 

Other than the ice & water feature in the door, I see no reason for our monsters,

I like my monster on the grounds that I can stock up and not have to go buy food every other day. Family of 4 though...smaller might work with just 1 or 2 people.

 

I can't imagine not having my monster. Of course, if I cleaned it out more often, it might not be as big of a deal!

 

I would guess that it has partly to do with space. The UK is far more densely packed than America, which makes living space a premium. Same thing happens in Japan. Nearly everything in Japan is made with a consideration of the amount of space it uses. Beds are easily rolled up and stored in a closet, the new line of Sony computers take up the space of a small flatscreen TV (and double as one), and they've even grown a cubical watermelon that can easily be stored in the small refridgerators.

America, on the other hand, is obsessed with super-sizing everything. Trucks, fridges, houses, TVs, stereos, aquariums. Bigger is better, even if you're not going to use all of it. (A family of four with a six-bedroom, four-bathroom, three-living-room home??? A single guy who's never hauled more than his backpack with a gigantic pickup or SUV???)
Of course, I can't imagine not having my giant fridge, either. I've got too much stuff in it, though.

 

I like my monster on the grounds that I can stock up and not have to go buy food every other day. Family of 4 though...smaller might work with just 1 or 2 people.

It's just my boyfriend and I, and we have a regular fridge and freezer in the kitchen...plus a fridge and freezer in the basement...along with another freezer. We can buy in bulk and keep lots of beverages chilled. It's nice to go grocery shopping and never have to worry about having enough room. When his Italian grandma comes to stay with us, he helps her make tons of homemade pasta and sauce, and then we can freeze it to enjoy whenever. That was the biggest incentive for getting that extra freezer...stockpiling Grandma's cooking! We're just about out though.

 

I want my supersized truck just can't afford the 50grand it'll cost me LOL

 

I so agree with america being obsessed with SUPER SIZED. I always feel like I gotta get my moneys worth.. so I guess I'm a "bigger is better" kinda girl..

 

I live in the UK, and the big fridges are becoming more popular. my dads just got one and he's like "do you want ice with that?" with EVERYTHING! he's like a kid with a new toy! however, most uk households just don't have the space for one (my dad lives in a big farmhouse, so has a big kitchen). most houses in the towns and suburbs have tiny kitchens, or kitchens with wall to wall cupboards. my kitchen is quite big, but I have 3 doors (2 internal doors and an external door) and a big radiator (the uk is cold for most of the yr!) and a window which limits space somewhat, so I have 2 under counter fridges, and the freezer and tumble drier have to go in the garage as there's just no space in the kitchen.
another factor is people seem to like built in appliances (cupboard door over the appliance), so have built in fridges which simply don't accomodate the big fridges.

 

Down here in the Caribbean, you'll find small fridges in people's offices for the most part, although most people with studio apartments would probably use the smaller ones too.. most apartments are pretty roomy though, at least the ones we've rented, so it's big fridges for us all the way.

 

Halibut - the 50grand the truck costs pales in comparison to the fuel bill (I drive a Chevy Crew Cab heavy-duty pickup with a 6.0 Liter engine - 10-12 MPG) My wallet can't wait for the weather here to break so I can ride my 40 MPG motorcycle!!

As for the big fridges - we have 2 large refrigerator/freezers, one chest freezer, one upright freezer. The upright hasn't been used in years, the chest freezer was just cleaned out and shut off. I read someplace (electric company website I think) that the money you save by buying in bulk is eaten up in one month's worth of electricity to run the freezer. One fridge is stocked with beer behind the bar, the other holds the food in the kitchen.

 

I have a huge fridge and it is always stocked with food and lot's of beer...It's new and supposed to be energy saving but I sure can't see the savings!

 

Halibut - the 50grand the truck costs pales in comparison to the fuel bill (I drive a Chevy Crew Cab heavy-duty pickup with a 6.0 Liter engine - 10-12 MPG) My wallet can't wait for the weather here to break so I can ride my 40 MPG motorcycle!!

As for the big fridges - we have 2 large refrigerator/freezers, one chest freezer, one upright freezer. The upright hasn't been used in years, the chest freezer was just cleaned out and shut off. I read someplace (electric company website I think) that the money you save by buying in bulk is eaten up in one month's worth of electricity to run the freezer. One fridge is stocked with beer behind the bar, the other holds the food in the kitchen.

My stang gets ~14.5mpg(15.7 before gear change) and since Ive retuned it I HAVE to run 92oct @3.61 a gallon it gets expensive. Fortunately I have a short commute.

 

sorry, going slightly off topic, but I feel the need for a rant! its frustrating that to go to work, you have to pay a fortune in fuel/cost of running a car (or even more money on our expensive unreliable public transport) to get there and fortune in child care. by the time you're done paying all that out, you don't make much profit! then the government wonder why so many mums don't work! rant over!

 

I hear ya tan.b! My wife and I determined a few years ago that, at that time, it was better for her to stay home with the kids. By the time we factored in fuel and daycare, she was bringing home like $50 a week - hardly worth the aggravation. She has since found a better job working second shift 3 miles from home. I work first shift, so we don't need to pay for childcare.

 

I have 2 refrigerators. The one in the garage holds my beer and in it's freezer, my frozen fish food.