Monday 5 April 2010

Kwiet Kettle Klub

I was chatting to Pauline on the phone this morning before she went gallivanting for a few days.  All of a sudden her words were drowned by the jug boiling.  I mentioned ‘jug’ yesterday.  In the UK it is called a kettle.  I have no idea what it is called in the US or anywhere else where this is being read (I certainly don’t know the Swedish but that doesn’t matter so much because Dawn Treader has a better understanding of the English as she is spoken than I have.)  Many citizens of New Zealand have a Zip jug.  You know the standard conical jug that stands on a separate base.  It’s a noise devil.  When I’m at my computer in the study I often have the New or some other programme on the imageTV.  The TV is at the other side of the living room.  As you look through the door from where I’m sitting and turn immediately right the jug sits on the kitchen worktop/counter/work surface.  If I put the Zip jug on then I couldn’t hear the TV.  So this year at vast expense (in one of Briscows many ‘everything reduced’ sales – you only buy something full price in Briscows if you need it desperately)  I bought a Sunbeam ‘Peace and Quiet’ quiet boil jug.  Well that’s how it sounded when I bought it.  Now it seems just as noisy as any other jug.  I’m sure it is much noisier than my cheap while plastic jug in Eagleton which I never notice.  The problem is that you can’t walk into a store and ask whether is jug is quiet or not and they certainly wouldn’t demonstrate it. 

So, if you are bothered by a noisy jug, please join the KKK – the Kwiet Kettle Klub to campaign for kwieter kettles.  Apologies to Kiwis (and anyone else who doesn’t call a kettle a kettle) but the Quiet Jug Club just doesn’t have the same cachet.  Oh and by the way I hereby acknowledge that I have freely pinched the term from Pauline. 

7 comments:

  1. A kettle over here, as far as I know.

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  2. Smiling at this; I know the problem. In fact I think I need more than just a Kwiet Kettle Klub, I need a Kwiet Kitchen Klub; because the microwave, the cooling fan on the stove, and the kitchen fan are also very noisy!

    Btw our word for kettle would translate "water boiler". "Zip jug" was new to me so you've added to my vocabulary once more!

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  3. Lisa: Thanks for that.

    Monica: Zip is a trade name used in NZ - probably Briscow's own brand. Not really sure. All I know is that most of my friends and acquaintances have a Zip something or other.

    I agree about kitchen noises. Add to that the dishwasher and the washing machine both of which 'talk' when they have finished. In the case of the dishwasher I put that on when I'm in bed or out! My fridge makes odd noises too.

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  4. So Geeb, is that really strong tea in that wine glass there?

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  5. Well spotted, Katherine. This is an evening photo. I don't usually drink tea after 1700 hrs! It's not good for you. But I boil the jug for other culinary purposes.

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  6. Graham, I have to express my dis-satisfaction with you as a club organiser. I've been away four days and you haven't even managed to recruit one club member. Maybe we need a different club name - although I thought KKK was quite catchy - perhaps the "noisy old boilers"?
    Oh dear, word verification is ejecting.

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  7. We have a new kettle (you'll be pleased to hear because it pours properly). It's no quieter but it is so quick that the noise is there for less time.

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