h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

1. Does everyone in England only use those small half-size refrigerators? Does that mean that people go shopping more often?

2. Do they always have a cremation ceramony where they hold the last rites, then press the button, draw the curtain and roll the casket into the cremetory? Isn't that kind of gruesome? Here in the US, they do the cremation and then present the bereaved with the ashes. Usually this is in conjunction with a memorial service which is what people call a funeral service where there is no casket.

3. What is the difference between an anorak and a jacket?

4. Do children still attend a private boarding schools or do they go to regular public schools? Do they still call attending a private boarding school, going to public school?

1. I have a 6ft fridge/freezer and a chest freezer. The fridge is used for dairy products, meat and leftovers. Fruit is in a bowl in the kitchen and veggies are in the pantry. The ambient temperature here in the UK means that things last a lot longer without refrigeration.

2. Not too sure about cremations.

3. An anorak is a plastic/nylon overcoat usually cut just below the waist. A jacket is any form of overcoat.

4. Most children go to state schools. Private and public are synonymous when it comes to privately funded schools but public is usually reserved for the more famous private schools. I went to a private boarding school but I'm very much the exception with the people I know.

1. Does everyone in England only use those small half-size refrigerators? Does that mean that people go shopping more often?

Er no. Anyway, depends on what you call half size. Most houses I've been in, the fridge/freezer is as tall as me roughly. Just under six foot.

2. Do they always have a cremation ceramony where they hold the last rites, then press the button, draw the curtain and roll the casket into the cremetory? Isn't that kind of gruesome? Here in the US, they do the cremation and then present the bereaved with the ashes. Usually this is in conjunction with a memorial service which is what people call a funeral service where there is no casket.

Varies a lot. Certainly I've not heard of what you claim everyone does in the states. We did what you descrive for the Brits with my father. It was a privelege to carry his coffin and put it on the pedestal, very moving and not at all gruesome.
Gruesome I would describe as everbody dancing naked around the body then ptiching it on to a fire and screaming with gnashing of teeth and beating of chests. still, I guess that was the standard custom once in some places

3. What is the difference between an anorak and a jacket?

An anorak is usually considered either a parka (snorkel) jacket or a plastic thing like a kagool I reckon although the term is loose. Basically it's a rather untrendy jacket for s

4. Do children still attend a private boarding schools or do they go to regular public schools? Do they still call attending a private boarding school, going to public school?

Yes to all three. Some board, some go to private day schools. A public school is private yes.
Most children go to state run schools however.

Hi Adanore - welcome to hootoo.

My take on Q4:

This confuses many people, and you may get different answers. I use the terms "state school" for the free schooling provided by the authorities, "public school" for the independent fee-paying schools, and "boarding school" for ones where children board at the school - nearly all of the latter are independent fee-paying schools.

The confusion comes when people use the term "private schools". They usually mean independent fee-paying schools, which I would call "public schools".

For state education, a few parts of the UK have selective "grammar schools" for children who pass a test at the age of 11. Other children would attend what used to be called "secondary modern" schools, but these tend to have non-specific names these days. In other parts of the UK, where they don't select, all children over the age of 11 would attend "comprehensive schools".

Hope this helps!

Icy

2. Sometimes we have a funeral service at the church (or chapel) for everybody, with the coffin there. then the Hurse takes the coffin to the Crematorium where a few members of the family have a short, sort of memorial service.
But sometimes, the whole funeral takes place at the crematorium, usually the chapel in the crematorium is not as big as a normal chapel so the service is smaller. some big Crematoriums can have up to (i think) 3 funerals at once in different rooms.

When the coffin moves behind the curtain it's not really macabre, it's sort of a last goodbye to the person.

(i think i've got most of that right)