All Things British Day

Things Americans take for granted:

• When you wash your face, you probably use warm water. You adjust it to the temperature you prefer. Over here, we wash our face in either cold or hot. We could put our faces close to the sink and splash the two separate faucets towards us in hopes that the hot and cold water will blend before hitting, but it doesn't work. "Mixer taps" aren't common here.
• Refrigerators the size you're used to would be referred to as "busses" here.
• The dorm fridge you bought your kid last semester? That's the family fridge here.
• When's the last time you paid a Road tax? A TV tax? A Council tax?
• USDA ground beef has more meat than fat.
• Closets. A home in the UK with built-in wardrobes pays additional taxes.
  
• Sonic Drive-Ins. #2 with tots please.....and could I have a cherry limeade with that?
  
• Salad dressing in a restaurant. You have some.
  
• Real potato salad.
• Stores that are open past 6pm-- especially on Saturday when you're craving potato salad.
  
• Do you own a gun? Even if you don't want one, it would be your choice whether or not you owned it. It comes in handy when you're jones-ing for some potato salad and all the shops are refusing to let you in.
  
• Most people probably understand you when you speak (unless of course you live in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona or California and don't speak fluent Spanish). You probably don't get a lot of raised eyebrows and "pardon?"s.

For instance, when I talk about sidewalks...

they're "pavements" here.
Here, buns are sweet bread rolls and what you would call a hamburger bun in the States is a Bap. So asking for a bun with your burger will get a raised eyebrow, "With raisins?"

This lack of understanding goes both ways though...

One night a friend suggested I get this over-the-counter medicine for the sick kid of the week. I asked, "Cowpie?" (what kind of name is that for a medicine to help relieve cold symptoms?!)
"No, Cow Pole"
"Can you write it for me please?"
"C-a-l-p-o-l"
The stuff's brilliant, by the way.....

The adverts on the telly give the number to ring so quickly!
As do the people leaving messages:
"Mrs. D, please ring me at O eight hundred, Four double two, treble five". When the pen is on the pad and I'm writing like crazy, my mind is saying, "What symbol goes with double?" Not to mention how many digits there are. My current phone looks similar to this: 09513933655. I couldn't tell you my husband's mobile or my own if my life depended on it.

When they tell me to go through the "fly over", they mean "Underpass".
Which brings us to the way you get directions here.

"Excuse me, I'm trying to find the Golden Fry".
"Do you know where the King's Arms Pub is?"
"No, I don't."
"Well, take the road that runs right by the King's Arms and when you get to the third bend in the road ...."

You would never take a ride on the subway-- that's where people walk.
You would take the Tube.
The Tube is an experience of it's own.

When you buy your pass, you need to pick up a current schedule that informs you of current closings. Now ignore it and listen to the announcements in the stations (they'll sound very similar to the Peanut's teacher: Wah Wah Wah wahwah Wah" and will be declaring that the station you need to get off at is now closed for the duration of your life).

Want some great French Fries? They're chips and chips are crisps. Don't ask for ketchup, there's vinegar on the counter for your chips-- or you can pay extra to get a curry sauce to dip them in. They won't wrap your order in newspaper anymore... somebody saving the planet decided that the ink was probably not good to ingest, so now it'll come wrapped in the packing paper movers use (when you're smart enough to hire movers which apparently we are not). Oh, and pleeease don't order your child a milk shake. It is just that-- frothy milk. Shaken milk with some flavour in it. You'll end up drinking it as the 9 year-old pouts.

Lights are usually on the outside of a room which can be great fun for a prankster.

Dogs are welcome just about anywhere, and will be just about everywhere. Did you know dogs enjoy car boots (flea markets but better)? They love finding a good bargain as much as we do. They also really love schools, beaches, and chip shops. Dogs are a Brit's best friend.

You Americans think you have it so good... oh wait, I'm an American.

Here's my thought for today... it falls on the heels of a heated discussion presently underway regarding Scotland wanting to become a separate country. Forget that. You're too little. Iran would eat you for breakfast. I'm thinking the UK (including a grumpy little Scotland) and the US should combine their best qualities (sorry US, that means Hershey's has to give way to the Galaxy bar), and toss out the silliness-- TV tax is at the top of the rubbish pile-- can you imagine the country we could have? Let's present this suggestion to the Presidential candidates and see where they go with this, shall we?