I went to visit a friend in the US (los angeles). She asked me what I want for breakfast and I said just some tea please and nothing else. I saw her going from confusion to terror in 5 seconds. And I was like whats wrong? Is everything ok?

Eventually she boiled water in a mug in the microwave, put in some pieces of apples and called it tea.

A few weeks later I went for work in the bay area. I just cannot start a day without tea. I saw the hotel I stayed in had a bit of difficulty in the tea department. Decided to buy my own kettle so I can have my tea in the room. Naively went to an electric store to buy a kettle. There was none. I was like WTF. Went to target, there were none. Only stove ones. But my room didnt have a stove. Then it hit me americans just dont boil water like the rest of the world.

I think it's a default item everywhere except north America.

As part of reviewing a stay, Airbnb always asks if the place had a coffee maker. I've only ever ticked yes in the US, Canada, and Indonesia.

(edit: I should clarify, it asks if there was a coffee machine, but it DOESN'T ask if there was a kettle, showing the US-centric app design.)

Voltage isn't an issue iirc, just that it isn't in our "culture" to use kettles. Of my extended family (20+) there's only 2 who have kettles.

Continental Europe too. The first kitchen device I bought was a kettle.

You can make tea, coffee, cheap ramen, clean the drain.... It's universal!

At least for me, it's pretty pointless since I already have a kitchen appliance that spits out hot water relatively fast: the coffee machine

Our kettle died and I guess we didn't replace it quick enough for my mother in law, because she showed up with a new one a few days later. Only cost a couple of dollars, but it's been going strong for the last 6 years.

In Australia, I only drink tea IF I’m feeling like it in winter which is it that often. Don’t drink coffee. And yet I’m still surprised it’s not something that’s in every house…

There's a great video about why it isn't widespread in the US on YouTube by Technology Connections.

There’s just not as many tea lovers here in the U.S. I think. I got one a couple of months ago though (I am a tea lover). Game changer.

!unexpectedfactorial@lemmy.ml when

I would say 20 years ago almost no one had an electric kettle in the US. Now they are much more common, but still only in a minority of homes. Americans just don't drink nearly as much tea as the English. The UK consumes 1.94kg of tea per person annually. The US is 0.23kg. (per wikipedia). You will find a coffee maker in most homes and hotel rooms though.

We had a stove top kettle growing up but I never heard of an electric kettle until I was an adult. First time I saw one was a pretentious dude doing pour over coffee at work.

In Canada, but we're basically the same as the states. Of my extended family, which is 20+ people, I only know 2 who have kettles... So it's a luxury to most people who come to my house lol.

I'm the only person I know with an electric kettle, and I don't use it much since I sopped doing pourover coffee.

Depends where you live, Technology Connections did a few episodes on kettles because apparently they're not super common in his neck of the woods.

Americans. Us Brits seem to be one of the few countries where everyone has an actual kettle.

I'd compare it to having AC in your house: Most people in the US (and other countries) appear to have it, but they're basically nonexistent over here.

I think they mean a powered kettle.