How many sugars?

Michael Wallace · Post by **Michael Wallace** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 12:44 pm

I am this bored. If you want to be particularly helpful, comment with your latitude, longitude and sugar count. I have only included 'southern' and 'northern' on the grounds of self-identification (that is, I don't want to get into an argument about where the north starts, it's more about how you self-identify). Also, I don't believe in the midlands.

If you take a non-integer number of sugars then consider what you would ask for if only integer sugar were available (for instance, if there were only unbreakable sugar cubes, or if someone said they would kill you if you didn't have a whole number). If that's too difficult to imagine, then just round up to the next integer. I have a theory that only homosexuals take non-integer sugars, but I'll save that for another poll.

I shall now get back to trying to work.

Edit: If your sugar taking fluctuates, then a) what is wrong with you? and ii) go with whatever you consider your modal sugar count (and if you don't know about that then go with whatever you had last).

Editedit: If you're Phil Reynolds, it's tea, and you're clearly a southerner.

Matt Morrison · Post by **Matt Morrison** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 12:47 pm

I am from the south, and I take non-integer sugar, yet maintain to be straight.
Despite your instructions to round up or down, I take between a 1/3 and a 1/2 of a spoon of sugar in my coffee, and rather than try and decide whether "0" or "1" was the more accurate option, I've gone for calling you a racist.

Michael Wallace · Post by **Michael Wallace** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 12:50 pm

Matt Morrison wrote:I am from the south, and I take non-integer sugar, yet maintain to be straight.
Despite your instructions to round up or down, I take between a 1/3 and a 1/2 of a spoon of sugar in my coffee, and rather than try and decide whether "0" or "1" was the more accurate option, I've gone for calling you a racist.

I have now edited the post to hopefully answer your question. I had no idea people could be so complicated.

Jon Corby · Post by **Jon Corby** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 1:00 pm

I take no sugars in my tea, and my precise location is 51°17' latitude, 0°46' longitude (southern).

Oh, and

Matt Morrison wrote:I am from the south, and I take non-integer sugar, yet maintain to be straight.

your post history suggests otherwise.

Michael Wallace · Post by **Michael Wallace** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 1:01 pm

Jon Corby wrote:I take no sugars in my tea, and my precise location is 51°17' latitude, 0°46' longitude (southern).

Excellent. Others take note - this is how to make me happy in my pants.

Matt Morrison · Post by **Matt Morrison** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 1:08 pm

Jon Corby wrote:
Matt Morrison wrote:I am from the south, and I take non-integer sugar, yet maintain to be straight.
your post history suggests otherwise.

What the fuck you on about, I've never even mentioned sugar before?

Howard Somerset · Post by **Howard Somerset** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 1:11 pm

Jon Corby wrote:... and my precise location is 51°17' latitude, 0°46' longitude

That's not very precise, Jon. My location is
Latitude 53 degrees, 06 minutes, 14.5 seconds (N)
Longitude 02 degrees, 19 minutes, 03.4 seconds (W)

That puts me just two miles north of the border between the north and the midlands.

You may think that the midlands doesn't exist, but many people who I know live there are certainly convinced that it does. In my experience, most people from the south regard the midlands as part of the north, and most from the north regard the midlands as part of the south. I was born and brought up in the south and only escaped when I was 23, and for the last 32 years I've been living in the north, albeit only two miles north of the boundary with the midlands. (For the years in between I was all over the place.)

When starting to reply and considering my vote it was easy - you said FROM the north or FROM the south. And I'm clearly from the south. However you've now changed it to AM northern, or AM southern. I don't really regard myself as either. But having to decide one way I'll pick southern, as that's where my football allegiance still lies, and is there anything more important than football? So for me it's "no sugar and southern".

Michael Wallace · Post by **Michael Wallace** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 1:16 pm

Howard Somerset wrote:When starting to reply and considering my vote it was easy - you said FROM the north or FROM the south. And I'm clearly from the south. However you've now changed it to AM northern, or AM southern. I don't really regard myself as either. But having to decide one way I'll pick southern, as that's where my football allegiance still lies, and is there anything more important than football? So for me it's "no sugar and southern".

Mmm, I changed it from that to try and make it clearer that I was going for self-identification, rather than geography. Sorry for the confusion, and thanks for your (even happier making) location specifics.

Jon Corby · Post by **Jon Corby** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 1:28 pm

Matt Morrison wrote:
Jon Corby wrote:
Matt Morrison wrote:I am from the south, and I take non-integer sugar, yet maintain to be straight.
your post history suggests otherwise.
What the fuck you on about, I've never even mentioned sugar before?

Davy Affleck · Post by **Davy Affleck** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 1:29 pm

Michael Wallace wrote:I am this bored. If you want to be particularly helpful, comment with your latitude, longitude and sugar count. I have only included 'southern' and 'northern' on the grounds of self-identification (that is, I don't want to get into an argument about where the north starts, it's more about how you self-identify). Also, I don't believe in the midlands.

If you take a non-integer number of sugars then consider what you would ask for if only integer sugar were available (for instance, if there were only unbreakable sugar cubes, or if someone said they would kill you if you didn't have a whole number). If that's too difficult to imagine, then just round up to the next integer. I have a theory that only homosexuals take non-integer sugars, but I'll save that for another poll.

I shall now get back to trying to work.

Edit: If your sugar taking fluctuates, then a) what is wrong with you? and ii) go with whatever you consider your modal sugar count (and if you don't know about that then go with whatever you had last).

I am in Southern Scotland, which is considerably North of most of you. I consider Geordies, Mackems & Monkey Hangers to be soft southerners. I don't drink tea only coffee, Irn Bru & alcohol.

Michael Wallace · Post by **Michael Wallace** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 1:34 pm

Davy Affleck wrote:I don't drink tea only coffee, Irn Bru & alcohol.

All at the same time, right?

Ian Fitzpatrick · Post by **Ian Fitzpatrick** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 1:37 pm

[quote="Davy Affleck]
I am in Southern Scotland, which is considerably North of most of you. I consider Geordies, Mackems & Monkey Hangers to be soft southerners. I don't drink tea only coffee, Irn Bru & alcohol.[/quote]

Typical fireman

Davy Affleck · Post by **Davy Affleck** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 1:52 pm

[bThe Differences between hardy Scots & soft Southerners][/b]

50°F
People in Southern England turn on the central heating
People in Edinburgh plant out bedding plants

40°F
Southerners shiver uncontrollably
Glaswegians sunbathe on the beach at Largs

35°F
Cars in the South of England refuse to start
People in Falkirk drive with their windows down

20°F
Southerners wear overcoats, gloves and woolly hats
Aberdonian men throw on a t-shirt; girls start wearing mini-skirts

15°F
Southerners begin to evacuate to the continent
People from Dundee swim in the River Tay at Broughty Ferry

0°F
Life in the South grinds to a halt
Inve rness folk have the last BBQ before it gets cold

-10°F
Life in the South ceases to exist
People in Dunfermline throw on a light jacket

-80°F
Polar bears wonder if it's worth carrying on
Boy Scouts in Oban start wearing their long trousers

-100°F
Santa Claus abandons North Pole
People in Stirling put on their 'long johns'

-173°F
Alcohol freezes
Glaswegians get upset because all the pubs are shut

-297°F
Microbial life starts to disappear
The cows in Dumfriesshire complain about farmers with cold hands

-460°F
All atomic motion stops
Shetlanders stamp their feet and blow on their hands

-500°F
Hell freezes over
Scotland will support England in the World cup

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 1:55 pm

Is there some rule on this board that no one's told me about that says all polls have to be ill-conceived, poorly defined and confusing?

What does "how many sugars" mean? In tea? In coffee? On strawberries and cream? I have different answers for all of them and your OP gives me no clue as to which, if any, is required.

Also, I am neither southern nor northern, in origin, location or identification. However, if it makes you happy in your pants, I am currently sitting precisely 52° 17' 26.8" N. I do not see that longitude has any bearing on the question so I opt not to reveal it, otherwise you could go and look at my house on Google Earth (like I've just done with Howard's).

Edit: Incidentally Howard, if that really is your precise location, then according to Google Earth you are contributing to this forum while perched on the bonnet of your car.

Michael Wallace · Post by **Michael Wallace** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 2:01 pm

Phil Reynolds wrote:Is there some rule on this board that no one's told me about that says all polls have to be ill-conceived, poorly defined and confusing?

What does "how many sugars" mean? In tea? In coffee? On strawberries and cream? I have different answers for all of them and your OP gives me no clue as to which, if any, is required.

Also, I am neither southern nor northern, in origin, location or identification. However, if it makes you happy in your pants, I am currently sitting precisely 52° 17' 26.8" N. I do not see that longitude has any bearing on the question so I opt not to reveal it, otherwise you could go and look at my house on Google Earth (like I've just done with Howard's).

Longitude is relevant because it is my understanding that common definitions of the north/south divide have it as not being parallel to a line of latitude.

I'll grant you I should've mentioned what the sugar is in, but I had forgotten that there were hot drinks other than tea. Also, if you want well-conceived, well-defined, not confusing polls, I would suggest you don't look for them on an Internet forum - whilst I could have spent a very long time making it nice and precise (I suspect I do in fact have the mad skillz for that), it didn't really seem worth the effort when it's not going to get more than a few dozen responses, and is more about stimulating discussion than anything else.

(Sugar on strawberries and cream? Isn't that overkill? Or is this like the butter and jam on bread thing?)

Edit: I've edited the OP just for you <3

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 2:17 pm

Michael Wallace wrote:Longitude is relevant because it is my understanding that common definitions of the north/south divide have it as not being parallel to a line of latitude.

Oh. Well, it's 1° 32 point something.

If the question relates to tea, then the answer is 0.

Sugar on strawberries and cream? Isn't that overkill?

I rarely eat strawberries and cream to be honest (I much prefer raspberries) but, when I do, a little sprinkling of crystalline white sugar adds a pleasing crunch to the otherwise soft and textureless fruit. Raspberries, on the other hand, are lovely as they are, but are made extra special by the addition of a dollop of cream or creme fraiche followed by a spoonful of dark brown muscovado - the sugar has to go on last so that it makes dark swirly patterns in the cream. Yum. Ditto with porridge.

Or is this like the butter and jam on bread thing?

Lost me completely now. Who would put jam on bread without first spreading it with butter? Actually, I suppose the answer is mad people who only butter one slice of bread when making a sandwich, not understanding that the whole point of the butter is to seal the bread surface and keep it from going soggy.

Michael Wallace · Post by **Michael Wallace** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 2:23 pm

Phil Reynolds wrote:
Michael Wallace wrote:Or is this like the butter and jam on bread thing?
Lost me completely now. Who would put jam on bread without first spreading it with butter? Actually, I suppose the answer is mad people who only butter one slice of bread when making a sandwich, not understanding that the whole point of the butter is to seal the bread surface and keep it from going soggy.

I was under the impression that having both butter and jam on bread is considered horrendously decadent by certain quarters (let them eat brioche, etc.). But upon asking around it seems I may have been making this up. I do vaguely recall a column in Private Eye alluding to this though.

Ben Wilson · Post by **Ben Wilson** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 2:58 pm

Fwiw, Midlander, 2 1/2.

Oh, and 53 degrees 10' 44.5" N 0 degrees 35' 24.3" for those of you with alternate means of message delivery.

Charlie Reams · Post by **Charlie Reams** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 3:49 pm

Modal sugars: 0. Mean: ~0.4.
Latitude: 52 degrees, 12.7 minutes North.
Longitude: 0 degrees, 5.5 minutes East.

Time wasted finding this out: 3 minutes 12 seconds.

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 4:15 pm

Charlie Reams wrote:Latitude: 52 degrees, 12.7 minutes North.
Longitude: 0 degrees, 5.5 minutes East.

Oh. A depressingly modern looking building. I've always imagined you sporting your oak (or is it only at Oxford they do that?) in some ancient stone college, with cloisters and a quad and porters in bowler hats riding about on bicycles.

Eoin Monaghan · Post by **Eoin Monaghan** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 4:17 pm

What sort of 'northern' are we talking about here?

Howard Somerset · Post by **Howard Somerset** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 4:29 pm

Phil Reynolds wrote:Edit: Incidentally Howard, if that really is your precise location, then according to Google Earth you are contributing to this forum while perched on the bonnet of your car.

That's exactly where I was when I checked it. My GPS doesn't work inside my house.

Charlie Reams · Post by **Charlie Reams** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 4:31 pm

Phil Reynolds wrote:
Charlie Reams wrote:Latitude: 52 degrees, 12.7 minutes North.
Longitude: 0 degrees, 5.5 minutes East.
Oh. A depressingly modern looking building. I've always imagined you sporting your oak (or is it only at Oxford they do that?) in some ancient stone college, with cloisters and a quad and porters in bowler hats riding about on bicycles.

That's the computer lab, which probably makes the lack of stone and porters less surprising. The classical stuff is saved for the college (not that I go there very often, but it is my registered address.)

JimBentley · Post by **JimBentley** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 5:30 pm

Sugar in tea? Are you insane? None for me, obviously.

I'm at +54° 36' 46.08", -1° 3' 24.12" (according to Google Maps, that's pretty much spot on my front door, if any potential stalkers are reading) and consider myself very much a Northerner.

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 5:41 pm

JimBentley wrote:I'm at +54° 36' 46.08", -1° 3' 24.12"

Ooh. Hope you like trains.

Edit: am I right in thinking that the stunning single-take beach scene in Atonement was filmed in Redcar or have I made that up?

JimBentley · Post by **JimBentley** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 5:45 pm

Phil Reynolds wrote:
JimBentley wrote:I'm at +54° 36' 46.08", -1° 3' 24.12"
Ooh. Hope you like trains.

Edit: am I right in thinking that the stunning single-take beach scene in Atonement was filmed in Redcar or have I made that up?

Heh, you get used to the trains. And yes, the beach scenes in Atonement were filmed less than a mile from here.

Howard Somerset · Post by **Howard Somerset** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 6:12 pm

Had I been worried about anyone locating my house, then I wouldn't have used my correct name on this forum. As far as I am aware, there are only two people in UK with my name, and it would not take too much effort to locate both of us.

Derek Hazell · Post by **Derek Hazell** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 6:19 pm

I was just about to say finally an intelligent poll on this message board . . . but then I noticed that Phil Reynolds had found fault with this one too.

David Roe · Post by **David Roe** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:31 pm

I've selected "don't fit etc.", but to avoid marring the completeness of your highly scientific (?) poll, 1.5 sugars and Northern. East Lancashire, actually. Not many of our road signs have latitude or longtitude, all we need to know is which way is Yorkshire. So we can avoid it, obviously.

Kirk Bevins · Post by **Kirk Bevins** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:29 am

Phil Reynolds wrote:
JimBentley wrote:I'm at +54° 36' 46.08", -1° 3' 24.12"
Ooh. Hope you like trains.

Can anyone link me (sorry if I've missed it) to a site where you type this information in and get the google map image or whatever out? I didn't know/had forgotten you lived by trains, Jim. Can I stay over at your house one day?

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:45 am

Kirk Bevins wrote:
Phil Reynolds wrote:
JimBentley wrote:I'm at +54° 36' 46.08", -1° 3' 24.12"
Ooh. Hope you like trains.
Can anyone link me (sorry if I've missed it) to a site where you type this information in and get the google map image or whatever out?

Believe it or not, it's here. It's pretty liberal with the format - you can just cut and paste Jim's reference as above directly into the search box and it works. Same goes for Google Earth.

Derek Hazell · Post by **Derek Hazell** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 3:50 pm

Chris Davies takes sugar, but only if it's in cubes.

Sue Sanders · Post by **Sue Sanders** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 6:26 pm

Derek Hazell wrote:Chris Davies takes sugar, but only if it's in cubes.

Derek is wasting great chunks of my time by opening up old threads that I start reading before even realising they're old. But I HAVE to have my say on sugar.

I can only go for the 'racist' option because I'm just not catered for on this poll. I really like sweetners in my tea not sugar. I like one sweetner but in their absence I have only 3/4 of a spoon of sugar. In coffee I normally have two sweetners unless it's strong coffee in which case I'm obliged to add more sugar...and it IS sugar I add, not more sweetners. I don't know what blinkin' latitude I live at but in Kent, my nearest big city is Paris - so pretty far south.

I used to have a life.

Adam Dexter · Post by **Adam Dexter** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 8:36 am

Well I live in Malvern, Worcestershire.

52 07'30.34"N 2 20'06.71"W

That's neither north nor south

I take 1.5 sugars. I used to have 2 but that was bad, so I went down to one but that's not enough. My only problem comes with volume of tea. Surely if the mug is half the size, I should have 3/4? But alas, I still have 1.5... habit I guess.

Edit: According to http://www.sasi.group.shef.ac.uk/maps/n ... lygon.html I live in the North :'(

Ian Volante · Post by **Ian Volante** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 12:12 pm

Adam Dexter wrote:Well I live in Malvern, Worcestershire.(

Southerner.

Sue Sanders · Post by **Sue Sanders** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 12:22 pm

Michael Wallace wrote:I am this bored. If you want to be particularly helpful, comment with your latitude, longitude and sugar count. I have only included 'southern' and 'northern' on the grounds of self-identification (that is, I don't want to get into an argument about where the north starts, it's more about how you self-identify). Also, I don't believe in the midlands.

I came up for my own particular definition of the North/South divide a couple of years ago based on the root vegetable which I know as the swede. Whilst staying with a group of friends from all over the UK, it became apparent that, to a Southerner, a swede is the orange root vegetable and a turnip its white equivelent. For Northerners, this is the exact opposite - and remains so into Scotland where your haggis would be accompanied with mashy neeps, the neeps (turnips) being orange - so to me, a swede.

The changeover point was pinpointed as being just South of Manchester. Unfortunately I have no data for Ireland.

Michael has just wiped out my principle work territory by declaring it fictional.

Ian Volante · Post by **Ian Volante** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 12:24 pm

55.938717N, 3.219608W. Or I would be if I wasn't at a friend's house. And I'm from Birstall, W Yorks. The other Birstall is on the border with the south I reckon.

As for me tea, usually none, occasionally one, rarely two.

Oh, swedes are definitely orange, turnips white, and I'm definitely from norther than south of Manchester...

Sue Sanders · Post by **Sue Sanders** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 12:29 pm

Ian Volante wrote:55.938717N, 3.219608W. Or I would be if I wasn't at a friend's house. And I'm from Birstall, W Yorks. The other Birstall is on the border with the south I reckon.

As for me tea, usually none, occasionally one, rarely two.

Oh, swedes are definitely orange, turnips white, and I'm definitely from norther than south of Manchester...

Back to the drawing board then!!!!! (but I've only ever been given the orange mash wi' ma haggis in Edinburgh, and it's refered to as neeps) Actually, Mr Edinburgh resident - go check that out and report back. No hurry!

Ian Volante · Post by **Ian Volante** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 12:57 pm

Sue Sanders wrote:
Ian Volante wrote:55.938717N, 3.219608W. Or I would be if I wasn't at a friend's house. And I'm from Birstall, W Yorks. The other Birstall is on the border with the south I reckon.

As for me tea, usually none, occasionally one, rarely two.

Oh, swedes are definitely orange, turnips white, and I'm definitely from norther than south of Manchester...
Back to the drawing board then!!!!! (but I've only ever been given the orange mash wi' ma haggis in Edinburgh, and it's refered to as neeps) Actually, Mr Edinburgh resident - go check that out and report back. No hurry!

As a former pub cook, you're right. I never understood what the hell people think swedes are here, neeps seems to cover everything!

Sue Sanders · Post by **Sue Sanders** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 1:20 pm

I suppose it's because 'neep' is a proper Scottish word in a Burns stylee. You'll no see 'Haggis an' a selection o' seasonal vegetables' on a Scottish menu.

It's a braad bracht moonlit neep the neep.

Lesley Hines · Post by **Lesley Hines** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 3:58 pm

Midlands! North of Africa but south of Reykjavik.

How many sugars? Are you sou(nor)thern?