Blog Archives
British at heart
I spotted this online and love the retro vibe and cultural references! It’s available as a T-shirt via this link.
Brits and the Triple D
With my British sister-in-law in town these past few days, we’ve been eating out a fair bit. Today she led us to Dad’s Kitchen in Sacramento, which I’ve driven past a million times but never tried.
The reason for her pick? It was on “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.” Yes, Brits get Guy Fieri on the Food Network UK channel and she’s taught me a thing or two about the Triple D. She knew about this website Flavortownusa.com, which maps out all of the eateries that have been featured on the show. She and her husband have been to a few across the U.S. on previous visits and have yet to be disappointed.
Dad’s Kitchen was good. We ordered Dad’s Burger and The Hot Blonde (both which were featured on the show), along with fries and jumbo onion rings, drizzled with a balsamic vinegar reduction and a shred of parmesan.
And as we left, our waiter told us that they’ve already served two Brits today…
The way to say shhh…
My sister-in-law is visiting us for a few days from England – and am getting lots of good blog material!
Here’s something I didn’t know:
In England, kids are taught to do this in class when teachers want them to be quiet:
In the U.S., we do this:
See the subtle turn of the finger? Fascinating!
Potty hands
Wash your hands! ‘Nuff said!
“In Britain, one in 10 bank cards (10%) and one in seven notes (14%) were found to be contaminated with some faecal organisms, the research, carried out at Queen Mary, University of London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, showed. More than a quarter (26%) of hands sampled showed traces of faecal contamination including bacteria such as E.coli, the study found.
Samples were taken from 272 people from east and west London, Birmingham and Liverpool – and in total 816 specimens were collected. Out of the samples taken, the cards and notes in Birmingham showed the most contamination, with faecal matter detected on 17% of specimens.
More than one in three (35%) of hands sampled from Birmingham harboured traces of faecal contamination. A fifth (20%) of hands surveyed in east and west London were found to have traces of faecal contamination. The most “grossly” contaminated cards and notes came from east London with 8% of cards and 11% of notes holding levels of bacteria that were comparable to a dirty toilet bowl.”
Gah. Gross. I’m not saying that American hands are any better. I shudder to imagine what the results of such a stateside study would find. Read the story.
Iced tea-free zone
I’ve become more of an iced tea drinker in the past five years or so. It’s always perceived in my mind as a healthier option than a soft drink, and provides the added boost of a little caffeine in the afternoon.
What I haven’t really consciously considered is the fact that the U.K. is essentially an iced tea-free zone. If tea is on the menu, it’s not listed as hot tea. It’s tea. It will be hot. For a country obsessed with tea, the concept of iced tea is truly foreign. (However, they do intimately know their Long Island Iced Tea, though, I should add …)
What are your thoughts on iced tea? Good? Bad? Indifferent?
Brits and their nits
I’ve just learned that my husband may have been exposed to nits. This is what he told me yesterday.
You know … Brits and their nits. That’s head lice in American lingo. I can’t decide which word is worst – lice? nits? But I think nits is it.
He doesn’t have it (yet), but the idea of it is making me itchy. Nits, bed bugs, scabies and lice. They all need to die. Or take up knitting as a sport instead of blood sucking. Gah.
(As an aside, Brits do have lice, but theirs is a “wood louse” or “wood lice,” better known in American as the ever lovable insect, the “roly-poly.”)
What to wear with the Lucy shirt
I am swooning over the entire fall collection from Boden. Over the years, I’ve bought a couple of items here and there but then returned them because they didn’t fit quite right. This year, I’ve given it another try and things fit perfectly.
Now my problem is how to style them. The above Lucy shirt is one of my latest buys – so cute with its Peter Pan collar and fitted shape. I bought it in the sale in navy (sadly, white was not available in my size) and am now stuck on what to wear with it apart from jeans. It’s suddenly seems less versatile since it’s navy rather than white. Suggestions greatly appreciated!
The art of skipping rope
My mental image of a girl skipping rope
These days, my ears are accustomed to British English. There aren’t too many expressions that I haven’t heard. But this weekend, well, I discovered a new one:
Skipping rope is the British equivalent to jump rope.
Yes, I laughed when I heard it. Jump rope just seems practical, no nonsense. It’s the kind of manly exercise that Arnold Schwartzenegger does in a gym, quickly shedding pounds. Skipping rope just sounds downright whimsical. The kind of pastime that cannot be done without bobby socks, pigtails, a kitten and maybe a bike with a bell and a basket in the background.
Cheers to a good British organic beer
I blogged last week about a very British find at Whole Foods Market. Well, I have another discovery to share: Laverstoke Park Farm Organic Real Lager, made in Basingstoke, near Hampshire!
We bought some on our last weekly shop and I wasn’t sure what to expect (it’s not often you see a child’s drawing on a label advertising beer!) but it turns out that it is truly a great lager. Not too light, not too pissy (ahem, Coors…). Just refreshing with some body and flavor! Best of all, it’s British and organic! Superb!
Frosties
Photo credit: consumeropinionreviews.blogspot.com
I don’t know about you, but I am fascinated when I see brands in other countries that we as Americans know and love. It’s a strange yet familiar sight. Case in point: Frosties.
You know it as Frosted Flakes, but Brits recognize it as Frosties and I do think that the name “Frosties” is a much more cheerful, albeit more American cheerleader name for the cereal. By comparison, Frosted Flakes sounds almost clinical. Don’t you think?
And if you were wondering, their Tiger also is called Tony and yes, he also thinks “they’re grrreat!”
BRITRISH.COM 