Glamourgeek

There are many ways to get in trouble with language differences, even in another english speaking country. Here are some translations of common terms in Britain:

• AMERICAN TERM …………… ENGLISH TERM
• Pants …………… Trousers
• Underwear …………… Pants
• Bum …………… Vagrant
• Bottom …………… Bum
• Rude …………… Cheeky
• Sausage …………… Bangers
• Chips …………… Crisps
• French Fries …………… Chips
• Toilet …………… Loo
• Mail …………… Post
• Vacation …………… Holiday
• Bus …………… Coach
• Thanks …………… Cheers
• Friend …………… Mate
• Coworker …………… Mate
• Fellow Bar Fly …………… Mate
• Stranger …………… Mate
• A**hole Driver …………… Mate

Some other cultural differences include the men using cloth hankerchiefs rather than disposable kleenex. I got used to this very quickly (seeing it – not doing it) and now I realize just how much garbage and how many trees I go through using kleenex.

Also, they seem to cook fresh food, and are really very good cooks, not even using prepackaged foods. I have had some of the most amazing meals made from scratch including chicken curry, pad thai, roast lamb, potato and parsnip soup, and more. All made from completely fresh ingredients. No wonder Americans tend towards obesity more. We cook prepackaged as often as possible, or eat out. Did you know that a chicken curry takes as much time to make as macaroni and cheese? And it has zero fat and lots of nutrients.

In London, there is quite a bit to do if you have a large budget. There are also some very lovely things to do while visiting on a tight budget as I am. For example, many of the museums are free or donation based. They are subsidized by the government which means that people of limited means can visit. Yesterday I went to the Natural History museum and saw fossils discovered all around the world. There was a wonderful exhibit on the various types of volcanic materials, as well as an enticing dinosaur exhibit. This museum also had quite a few places for people to sit and rest. The bird exhibit was a bit disturbing since there were hundreds of stuffed birds collecting dust behind glass. This is the museum where my friend Michael and I went to the Harry Potter premiere after-party.

The pub culture in England is unlike any other. France has their café culture. New York their bar culture. Belgium their moules et frites culture. But in England there are pubs on every corner. They have intriguing names such as The Dog And Duck, The Goat, or one I just drove past called Take Courage. I seem to think the pubs are named by the owners putting many words into a hat and picking out two. They add an ‘and’ between the words, and there is the name. For instance, how many Horse and Hounds are there? Also, there are countless Boar’s Heads, Churchill Arms, Fox and Hounds, and White Stags in each town. Speaking of Churchill Arms, there is one in London on Kensington Church Street between Kensington and Notting hill that has some of the best thai food around. Evidently the thai food phenomenon in pubs is quite common. This pub also has pulled draughts, which means the beer is stored in the basement in the original oak barrels, and the draught pulls at the bar actually pump the beer directly from the oak barrels.