A slice of Toast
Last week, the latest Toast catalogue winged its way from their headquarters in Wales to my home in California and like a giddy schoolgirl, I squirreled it away until I could leaf through it and enjoy it in complete peace (yes, I did have to wait until after bedtime for the kids …).
Toast pretty much puts every American catalogue (well, perhaps with the exception of Anthropologie … mmm, Anthropologie) to shame. I love the high-quality photography as much as their delicious collection of knitwear, structured jackets, capes, scarves, menswear and gorgeous, understated pieces for the home. Take a gander …
Fork and Knife Fare
Ever see the Seinfeld episode where Elaine watches her boss eating a candy bar with a fork and knife?
The first time I ate pizza in the UK, I was reminded of this as I watched everyone eat their pizza with a fork and knife. It doesn’t matter if you’re eating pizza from a Michelin-starred restaurant or Pizza Hut, you don’t use your hands. It’s not a thin-crust issue. It’s not a this-pizza-is-too-flipping-hot issue. I believe it’s an issue of manners.
Speaking of manners, Matthew is frequently horrified when he eats with Americans and finds them doing the familiar dance of cutting up their food — steak, for example — into pieces (knife in right hand, fork in left), only to put their knife down, swap their fork from their left hand to their right and then stab the little pieces with their right. The process is exhausting and inefficient. By contrast, he keeps his knife in his right, fork in his left and cuts each piece, stabs and then eats with his left. No silverware shuffle. It’s the essence of simplicity and actually the way I prefer to eat now. Even when I’m enjoying a Snickers bar.
Speed Cameras & Kodak Moments
In the past two weeks, I’ve had the misfortune of receiving two red-light camera tickets in the post (translation: mail) My offense? Rolling right-hand turns (translation: braking as I approach a lighted intersection and turning right without coming to a full stop), which carries with it the particularly steep price tag of $470 in California. Yes, per ticket. More on that next week.
But my red-light camera story actually reminds me of the first time I encountered this sign in England:
What does this look like to you? Photo opportunity, right?
In the US, we actually have a similar street sign I like to call a Kodak Moment sign.
And it’s a simple way to let drivers know that something beautiful is approaching. Get your cameras ready, folks. Behold the majesty on the side of the road! It’s …
Or maybe ..
And so when I spotted that sign followed by … well, pavement (translation: asphalt) and some overgrown shrubbery, I wondered just what I was missing. I started to debate that particular location’s merits and question how Brits assessed beauty in general …
Turns out, it was simply a UK sign, warning of a speed camera ahead …
When Incy Wincy Met Itsy Bitsy
The name's Wincy. Incy Wincy. Photo credit: Dollymania.co.uk
This morning, I sang to my daughter “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.”
Both versions.
What? You didn’t know there were two versions? Ah, well there are! There’s the American version (“The Itsy Bitsy Spider” that you know and love) and the British version (“Incy Wincy Spider” – same melody except Incy Wincy is the spider’s name).
For the record, there are also British versions of …
* “Ring around the Rosie” (same as the American version except for the genius “A-tissue, A-tissue” line where the more solemn “Ashes, Ashes” would normally go)
* “If You’re Happy and You Know It” (same as the American version except for the line “If you’re happy and you know it and you really want to show it” is subbed for the “If you’re happy and you know it then your face will surely show it” that I grew up with)
* “The Wheels on the Bus” (again, same as the American version except for the ending “All day long” instead of “All through the town”)
I love that there are two versions of these songs and I love that my kids will know them both. Sure, they’ll probably get teased mercilessly when they unfortunately whip out the “Incy Wincy” version in company that is decidedly “Itsy Bitsy”-centric, but hey, that’s part of being dual nationality. It’s character building and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Sir Clement Freud and the funniest joke ever told
A little brevity is way overdue so I humbly submit Sir Clement Freud‘s classic British delivery of what has been hailed as the funniest joke ever told. Most Brits have probably heard this one by now but for Americans, I invite you to curl up with a cup of tea and have a listen.
Hope Amidst the Wreckage
A Sainsburys worker dishes out free pastries to clean-up volunteers in Clapham. Photo credit: Kay Burgess Twitpic
As the news and images coming out of the UK continue to horrify us all, Paperblog has posted seven examples of humanity amid all of the violence and madness that we have seen in the past few days.
Again, please be safe, all.
The London Riots
A masked rioter is seen in front of a burning car in Hackney, North London. Photo credit: EPA/Kerim Okten
This weekend, my family and I were in San Francisco for a mini-vacation. No Internet. No newspapers. No TV. Just a heavy dose of rest and relaxation.
When we returned home, we were shocked to hear the latest news out of London. All of the headlines of looting, arson and violence were too much to stomach.
I know North London. Less than ten years ago, we were living in the small neighborhood of Harringay, only a stone’s throw from Tottenham, where 29-year-old gangster Mark Duggan was fatally shot last Thursday by police after resisting arrest. It was this incident that spurred this weekend’s riots. I would routinely take the bus to Wood Green Tube Station to commute to work – another area that has been targeted by rioters in London.
And these riots have continued to spread far beyond the North London borders. To Lewisham, Peckham, Clapham, to the northern cities of Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool. I’ve been watching the #londonriots tweets today, still in disbelief by how much destruction is taking place and the momentum at which it is spreading.
To my friends and family in the UK, please stay safe.
The London 10
Don't miss the London Eye. Photo credit: De:Benutzer:Swgreed
Every time a friend travels to England, I’m inevitably asked for recommendations on the best spots in London. With that in mind, here is my London 10.
1. London Eye. This walk-on ferris wheel provides the best views in the city! Buy your tickets online and avoid the long lines. Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, London. SE1 7PB. (0)871 781 3000.
2. Notting Hill. Great boutiques and pubs on Portobello Road and don’t miss Portobello Market.
3. Covent Garden. Plenty of restaurants, boutiques and shops to visit including the world famous cheesemonger Neal’s Yard (17 Shorts Garden, London. WC2H 9AT. 020 7240 5700).
4. Oxford Street. H&M (261-271 Regent Street, London. W1B 2ES.020 7493 4004), Top Shop (216 Oxford Street, London, W1D 1LA. 0844 8487 487) and plenty of retail therapy.
5. Theater District. Culture vultures, here’s your spot!
6. Hampstead Heath and Hampstead. You’ll feel like you’re in the country even though you’re only 20 minutes or so from Central London.
7. Green Park, Hyde Park, St. James’s Park, Kensington Park. They all connect. Take a picnic and people watch.
8. British Museum. You can absolutely spend days here and the admission is free. Great Russell Street, London. WC1B 3DG. 020 7323 8299.
9. Tate Modern, (Bankside, London. SE1 9TG. 020 7887 8888) if you like modern art. Also, don’t miss a stroll along the Thames. There are lots of little restaurants and shops there, as well as Shakespeare’s Globe Theater (21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London SE1 9DT. (0)20 7902 1400) and the Millennium Bridge.
10. Selfridges Food Hall. Totally amazing. Actually Selfridges department store is amazing. It puts every department store in the US to shame. Fortnum & Mason and Harrods also have amazing food halls but my favorite is still Selfridges. 400 Oxford Street, London. W1A 1AB. 0800 123 400.
Do you have a favorite spot in London? What’s your London 10?
Happy Weekend!
Raspberry peach cobbler ... mmm ... Photo credit: Simone Anne
Ahhh … the start of the weekend! Tonight, we celebrated with dinner at Chow’s in San Francisco – a sweet little spot on Church Street. After a busy week, there’s nothing like their raspberry peach cobbler with ice cream, which I have to say resembles a traditional British crumble.
Have a fabulous weekend, dear readers! Thank you for a fantastic week! See you back here bright and early on Monday!
You Say Pasty, I Say Pasty
These pasties are not edible.
A couple of days ago, I blogged about Cornish pasties and their protected status. In my haste, I realize that I completely neglected to call attention to the fact that pasties (pronounced pas tees in the UK) and pasties (pronounced pey stees in the US) have the same spelling but are entirely different animals. And you wouldn’t really want to confuse the two. Or eat one while wearing the other.
I have had no luck, to date, figuring out where pasties got their name, assuming that the meat pie version came first. Did the nipple cover industry one day decide that their product needed a snappier name? Maybe something resembling a popular quick lunch food that was popular with miners?! Your guess is as good as mine.
BRITRISH.COM 