Culture: Two nations divided...

[UKRay]

I'd forgotten all about ice-cream soda. That stuff was amazing. Can you still get it and does it still taste the same?

Talking about childhood reminded me of things like gob stoppers, aniseed balls and Blackjacks. You have to go to a specialist sweet shop to find those now, but back in the day they were everywhere - staples, you might say!

Language is a funny thing. The Brits will know exactly what I mean by jelly but I'm not sure how this might translate elsewhere? Jello maybe? Anyway, back in the 1950s, my mum used to have a selection of jelly moulds (one was shaped like a rabbit). She would make a milk jelly white rabbit on a green jelly base for birthday teas. Anyone remember milk jelly made with evaporated milk? I haven't seen evaporated milk for years either - or condensed milk, the really thick gloopy stuff. I used to like condensed milk in coffee.

A lot of the old stuff has vanished from the shelves. Okay, much of it was probably dangerous but somehow nobody died... or maybe they did!

Ray

[tonyc1]

I'd forgotten all about ice-cream soda. That stuff was amazing. Can you still get it and does it still taste the same?

Talking about childhood reminded me of things like gob stoppers, aniseed balls and Blackjacks. You have to go to a specialist sweet shop to find those now, but back in the day they were everywhere - staples, you might say!

Language is a funny thing. The Brits will know exactly what I mean by jelly but I'm not sure how this might translate elsewhere? Jello maybe? Anyway, back in the 1950s, my mum used to have a selection of jelly moulds (one was shaped like a rabbit). She would make a milk jelly white rabbit on a green jelly base for birthday teas. Anyone remember milk jelly made with evaporated milk? I haven't seen evaporated milk for years either - or condensed milk, the really thick gloopy stuff. I used to like condensed milk in coffee.

A lot of the old stuff has vanished from the shelves. Okay, much of it was probably dangerous but somehow nobody died... or maybe they did!

Ray

Yes, they're not common now, those sweets. We still have jelly quite often especially with ice cream or Pavlova. And my wife wants to know how you make cheesecake without evaporated milk and as far as condensed milk goes I can still eat spoonfuls of it easily. I like to be around when the boss makes mayonnaise and I can scrape out the milk tin. I haven't had a milk jelly for over 50 years and had forgotten all about them. We do have now and again Junket and sometimes Blancmange though. We still sometimes have Sago or Tapioca which isn't very common these days!

There are a lot of good edibles from the past that aren't consumed now.

Tony.

[RooLeadGirl]

Jelly here is actually preserves.. Grape, Strawberry, raspberry etc..

http://media-files.gather.com/images/d269/d692/d744/d224/d96/f3/full.jpg

You can also get "goobers" hehe which is jelly and peanut butter already mixed up!

http://doncrowson.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Downtown-WFSU-Pledge-Drive_Mar202010_0474.jpg

as far as the Jelly you are talking about we call it Jell-O.. something we like to do in the US is make Jello shots... you make up the jello with vodka and put shots in small plastic cups and than take them later after they set. yummm!!!!

http://happylotus.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/jello1.jpg

we still have condensed and evaporated milk... People here drive rediculously large vehicles lifted up so high that you have to use a step ladder to get in. We do have amish and they go around town with their horse and buggies.. Depending on where you live in the country you will have a different "accent".. and regionally different words are used.. (like soda and pop) I grew up and it was called pop.. unless it was orange.. than it was orange soda. no idea why.

i am jealous of the accents in teh UK! I want one lol. I dont know if anyone has seen the "charlie bit my finger" youtube video, but apparently its in the top five.. if two american kids were doing that... it would of never gotten 10 views. But because that cute little boy has such an adorable accent he skyrocketed to stardom!

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Hey RooLeadGirl is Utah Vodka like the Utah 3.2% beer ? You must be bootlegging that in from Mesquite, cause you folks in Utah are not supposed to be drinkin that firewater.

I am currently werkin in LaVerkin Utah. Pretty scenery, but nothing to do, not even in StGeorge. We call the folks with the lifted trucks, and other redneck things Utards.

As to sweetened condensed milk, it is available in the baking section of the supermarkets. I just used a bunch to make 6 pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving.

For me I grew up with soda, or soda pop. Some folks just use Coke as a general term for carbonated sugary beverages.

[RooLeadGirl]

Hey RooLeadGirl is Utah Vodka like the Utah 3.2% beer ? You must be bootlegging that in from Mesquite, cause you folks in Utah are not supposed to be drinkin that firewater.

I am currently werkin in LaVerkin Utah. Pretty scenery, but nothing to do, not even in StGeorge. We call the folks with the lifted trucks, and other redneck things Utards.

As to sweetened condensed milk, it is available in the baking section of the supermarkets. I just used a bunch to make 6 pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving.

For me I grew up with soda, or soda pop. Some folks just use Coke as a general term for carbonated sugary beverages.

I'm from Ohio. We moved out here 2 years ago. I must say these crazy Utard (we say that too) mormons are rediculous about drinking! bar here closes at 12:30.. who does that!!!! beer is 3.2.. all shots are measured.. no more than one shot per drink etc etc.

You can get regular liquor from the liquor store. Actually not a very well known fact because you have to ask.. but when you get up to the counter you can ask and purchase everclear... 4.99 a bottle here. Thats usually what we buy. When you go to the resturaunt they wont allow you to get a drink unless you order food.

just crazy stuff! if you have a friday night or sat. night free. head down to mesquite to eureka.. best seafood buffet.. ever

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

I'm from Ohio. We moved out here 2 years ago. I must say these crazy Utard (we say that too) mormons are rediculous about drinking! bar here closes at 12:30.. who does that!!!! beer is 3.2.. all shots are measured.. no more than one shot per drink etc etc.

You can get regular liquor from the liquor store. Actually not a very well known fact because you have to ask.. but when you get up to the counter you can ask and purchase everclear... 4.99 a bottle here. Thats usually what we buy. When you go to the resturaunt they wont allow you to get a drink unless you order food.

just crazy stuff! if you have a friday night or sat. night free. head down to mesquite to eureka.. best seafood buffet.. ever

May have to check the buffet out, the RIO in Las Vegas also has an all seafood buffet that I have been wanting to try.. I drive through Mesquite everyday commuting to work, and back. I drive 206 miles a day, and that would give me a reason to stop other than hitting Smiths for groceries. Nothing happening in Utah's Dixie, and very little culture(small art scene). Zion/Springdale is the only spot I have seen so far that has potential, but that will have to wait till it gets warmer. Cedar City seems to have more going on with the various festivals.

Funny how Utah as a different alcohol content for the beer sold there. I wonder how the breweries handle that. I grew up next to a very large Anheuser Busch brewery in Fairfield CA.

Many folks have mentioned the culture shock that they experienced moving to Southern Utah.

I would have to say that an Englishman traveling to Utah would be hard pressed to find any pub like thirst quenching, although I have heard some talk recently about them revamping the liquor laws.

[Nutty Saddler]

Going off the food & drink topic...

Are the majority of Americans still proud to be American ?

We brits have been pushed into not being proud to be British - we have been told that being pro-british is BAD - and it was the last government that has pounded this message into us over the last decade or so . We are told that if we have a national identity ( i.e. English , British etc ) this will alienate other nationalities , that if we are pro- Church Of England this will alienate other religions and the list goes on ... we have a whole generation who have grown up who have no idea what it is to be a brit.

When I read news stories about mothers being beaten unconcious on a bus because her pram accidently bumbed into someone else - and the other 80 passangers stood by and did nothing ( none of them even came forward to identify the man responsible ) , this does not make me proud of what my country has become .

When I read news stories about drunken teenagers vomiting , peeing , spray-painting war memorials etc .. this does not make me proud to be British

If I were to shout aloud that I AM BRITISH and fly the Union Flag in my garden , I would be visited by the local council and police , to be told that I am in danger of inciting racial tensions and must stop what I am doing or I will be arrested

In short I am NOT PROUD OF MY COUNTRY ANYMORE , I was born in Scotland , both of my parents were born in England , 3 of my grandparents were born in England ( the 4th was Canadian - her grandparents moved to Canada from th UK ) , so I am about as british as they come ( yet I am not allowed to say this in public or I will be labeled a racist) - so it must speak volumes that over 60% of my family does not reside in the UK.

When I watch TV that is set in the US I see the Stars & Stripes in every school , police station , government building , US service personnel, Police , Fire dept etc have the flag on their uniforms , we see children making the Pledge to the US at the begining of the school day and I get the feeling that , on TV at least , the US citizens are proud to be Americans.

Is this real or just what we see on TV

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

I hadn't realized that was happening in the UK. Sorry to hear that.

Yes, I would say that most of us are very proud to be Americans, although that there are some that would like to see some of what you described.

We have that whole political correctness thing going on where we don't dare offend anyone.

We have some people that are apathetic to others plights, usually in the big cities where people don't want to get involved-thank you lawyers. Although it does happens all over at times.

Being a tool maker / machinist it really hurts me to buy items that are made overseas, when I know that they could be made here. But how do you compete with a communist country that provides rent free manufacturing buildings, and a steady supply of almost free labor? I want to see MADE IN USA on what I buy. I want to support fellow American workers. It was the USA's industrial might that helped turn the tide, and eventually help win WWII. The Germans made around 1,300 Tiger tanks, we cranked out 50,000 Shermans.

It didn't sit well with me that Obama was going around the world and apologizing for us being "arrogant Americans". If America is sooooo bad, why do we have so many foreigners wanting to immigrate here?

I have a big problem with how they don't want to enforce immigration laws, and are considering amnesty for the tens of millions of illegals that are here. My great grandparents immigrated from Germany in the late 1800's, and became US citizens the right way. Even a lot of legal immigrants are opposed to the amnesty.

I gotta run, late for work, catch this later.

[Nutty Saddler]

If you want to look at a historical perspective Great Britan no longer exists

When my grandparents were born the Royal Navy was twice as powerful as any other navy in the world

When my parents were born the Royal Navy had the capacity to LEND the USN an aircraft carrier

and when my children are born the Royal Navy is going to have to borrow ships from the French to defend our nation properly

All this aside I would like to still ask - are YOU proud to be an American and do Americans have any issues with national identity , because in the UK there are serious doubts about what it means to be British and if it is allowed to be proud to be so.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

To answer your query directly, YES, I am proud to be an American.

There are some who are ashamed to be, but I am not one of them , nor are my friends. The small (7,200 pop.) semi rural community I live in also has a lot of pride in being Americans. We have a great Veterans Day parade, we vote in large numbers, the local paper has articles that show the good that America does, and you see flags all over town.

Las Vegas Nevada has the second largest Veterans Day parade in the U.S.

I believe that even with its faults, I do live in the greatest country there is.

I am not happy with some of the current politics, but we still have the power to change that.

To the detractors I have said, fine, if it is so bad here move to another country.