Culture: Two nations divided...

[Luke Hatley]

BILLY P........YOU HANG IN THERE AND KEEP THAT BLOOD SUGAR DOWN.......

GRITS GONNA HAVE SOME WITH MY EGGS IN THE MORNING.SMOKED HOG JOWLS

ARE THE BEST TO ME IT IS BETTER THAN BACON.

YES NEW YEARS IN THE MID-SOUTH IT'S FRESH HOG JOWLS & BLACK EYS PEAS...

COME SEE ME BILLY P

[Luke Hatley]

For South African goodies in the UK try www.biltong.co.uk - I love Biltong!

Would anyone be interested in a real cultural exchange?

The idea was put into my head by another forum member who very kindly offered to swap a bag of Oreos for something quintessentially British. I jumped at the opportunity and thought it a great idea. I'm actually quite excited at the prospect of trying something I have only read about and enjoyed finding things to send that are not available in the US.

I have six padded bags that could be filled with British goodies and shipped anywhere in the world and would be delighted to offer my services as a personal shopper if you have something you have always wanted to try - or can't live without. The only proviso is that you send a similar bag of goodies in return. No money changes hands. This is a 'one time' offer - unless it works out really well! Obviously I'll have to put a limit on the value, but this doesn't have to be expensive. With so many regional delicacies you could easily get a taste of Olde Englande without the airfare!

Any thoughts? I'll limit this to six to start with but we'll see how it goes. If you want to take part just put your bid on the table - in other words: tell us about the local delicacy you have on offer and say what would you would like from the UK in return and I'll pick six I am happy to fulfil. Packages will go out within a few days and will be with you asap. If we get swamped with offers then I may have to re-think but see how it goes eh?

RAY I HAVE THOUGHT THIS OVER RATHER WELL... I WILL BE SENDING YOU 10# OF FRESH CHITTERLINGS.....THEY WILL NEED TO BE COOKED RIGHT AWAY.....L M A O & R O T F ..

[tashabear]

None of you have mentioned hp sauce, I sent a bottle across with a PiF, Its quintisentially british, HP stands for houdses of Parliament i think! Goes well with that full english and as a British item its a lovely shade of brown! he he. But I do like maple syrup on sausages and gammon steaks, but marmalade does just as well.

I had to look up gammon steak -- we just call that ham steak here, and I love it. I usually have that with cheesy potatoes and (decidedly nonmushy) peas.

Lemon curd? a type of jam style spread with a citrus tang, great stuff on toast in the morning. I am guessing you have all tried marmalade, a type of citrus jam (jelly i think you call it) with fruit peel in.

My mom puts lemon curd in between layers of a cake. I think of it more of a dessert thing than anything I'd put on toast. The most typical type of marmalade here is orange, but my third grade teacher (a lovely Scottish woman from Edinborough who fostered my deep and abiding love for shortbread) makes jams and jellies for fairs, and my mom loves her ginger marmalade.

I love beef jerky and it makes fabulous tasting soup. I have made my own with limited success.

You make soup out of jerky? Everyone I know just eats it.

[JohnD]

This is a great thread, very entertaining.

I had always thought the term bubbler or bubblah was exclusive to New England.

I lived in MA most of my life and had never had brown bread. My wife grew up in Florida and says her mother (from NC) made it alot.

I did as a kid and still do eat a lot of baked beans. I used to call soda "tonic", my dad still does.

The biggest thing I missed when I left MA was a good Roast Beef sandwich with sauce and cheese. I spent alot of time finding the right meat, sauce, bread and cheese to make them perfectly, myself. No other place in the world has a roast beef sandwich like you can get around Boston and up the North shore.

When I lived in NC in the early 90's, I went, with a buddy from Maine, to buy some jeans. I told the sales girl " I would like to try on a pair of pants" she gave me an odd looked and said" I'm sorry, what?" so I said it again. She still did not understand. As I was about to say it a third time, My buddy from Maine, putting his hand out, as if to hold me back, says " I got this" and proceeds to speak slowly pronouncing every letter, " My friend would like to try on a pair of pants." To which the sales girl replies " ohhhh, Where you from, England or somethin'?"

I believe the breakfast that Ray described, minus the tomatoes, add some Home fries ( any variation of pan fried chopped potatoes) is a standard breakfast for many parts of the western world. Add pancakes and its a Farmers Breakfast.

The following are only my opinion.

Grits are Horrible. (My wife eats them regularly).

Boiled peanuts (or P-nuts as the signs say) are even worse.Please Ray take them off your list, It's not worth it.

Field Hockey is a girls sport.(this might be fact)

Although my wife regularly watches " Keeping up appearances", My "favourite" show from the UK is "Spaced" with Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson. I laugh out loud everytime I watch it.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the british people for Simon Pegg. Everything he does is funny, Maybe I'm just in his demographic?.

Lastly, when I think of cockney, I think of "Lock, Stock and two smoking barrels" (One of my favorite movies) how close is that to the "real" thing?

I'm off to cook some breakfast now.

John

[Pip]

I had to look up gammon steak -- we just call that ham steak here, and I love it. I usually have that with cheesy potatoes and (decidedly nonmushy) peas.

My mom puts lemon curd in between layers of a cake. I think of it more of a dessert thing than anything I'd put on toast. The most typical type of marmalade here is orange, but my third grade teacher (a lovely Scottish woman from Edinborough who fostered my deep and abiding love for shortbread) makes jams and jellies for fairs, and my mom loves her ginger marmalade.

You make soup out of jerky? Everyone I know just eats it.

Jerky soup, yeah its great, (don't knock it till you've tried it! lol) if your on the trail, with some wild findings, mushrooms, young beech leaves, and some root veg and beans with dumplings or bannock makes everything taste deliscios and as me mum says "sticks to your ribs". But you do well by sprinkling some cheese over it once its served, to give you a palate cleaner.

We have lime, lemon, orange of course, lemon and lime, marmalade but not much else really my partner made pear and ginger jam mmmmmm. Banana curd is also available and just as nice.

[Hilly]

I made a blue there! Sars and lemonade is a "Square and Lemon"

Tony.

A "blue"? I thought you just buggered up. Sorry I blew up!

[Johanna]

My first husband, Little Jon was from Massachusetts. I grew up in New Hampshire, so I understood him pretty well. I remember his frustration when he needed to exchange 2 dimes and nickel for a "kwahtah fuh the pahkin' meet-tuh" in Macon, Georgia. Because I'd lived in the south before, I stepped up and said "We need a case quarter, please." and she reached in her till.

I have to confess I worked in a convenience store in SC for 3 months before I figured out what "nabs" were, and I thought it was pretty stupid to ask for a Coke if you wanted a Mt Dew, but hey, the gracious people of the south didn't (often) force me to drink their sweet tea. Ugh. The Yankee in me wants coffee morning noon and night. I never knew until I worked on the beach that people drank "tonic" "soda" or "pop" -the Ohio term- for breakfast.

Johanna

[barra]

A "blue"? I thought you just buggered up. Sorry I blew up!

Hilly. Tony made a blue. In this context a mistake. This is as opposed to had/having a blue = fight or argument.

On my first trip to the states I needed an interpreter in my first IHOP. Funniest thing is on my last trip in May we were in another IHOP and the waitress could not understand my friend (original interpreter). I was able to jump in and say oh she means XYZ. The waitress understood me perfectly. We have a little chuckle over that.

[Hilly]

Hilly. Tony made a blue. In this context a mistake. This is as opposed to had/having a blue = fight or argument.

On my first trip to the states I needed an interpreter in my first IHOP. Funniest thing is on my last trip in May we were in another IHOP and the waitress could not understand my friend (original interpreter). I was able to jump in and say oh she means XYZ. The waitress understood me perfectly. We have a little chuckle over that.

Yup, I got that. And "Sorry I blew up" is a way of saying "Oops, I made a mistake". But you guys DO talk funny

I have a couple of wonderful friends from across the ditch from you in Rangiora, New Zealand. They talk funny, too, but stil not as funny as you Aussies. They use words like "chilly bins", "jandles", "trolleys", and others I can't think of right off the bat. When they come here, I feel as if I'm on an alien planet

[rdb]

This is a fun topic, so I have to jump in one more time. I don't know for sure, but it may be the most commented on Topic Evah!

JohnD..You are absolutely correct...Man do I miss Bill and Bob's Roast beef!!!

I have a poor substitute for it down here in NC. I buy very thin rare roast beef ( Boar's Head, of course), and I bought some James River Sauce from Smithfield (That's what B&B uses, although I think they water theirs down a bit) A little cheese, sauce, mayo later, and VOYLAA!. A little slice of home.

Johanna, stop making fun of my accent!! LOL. I have to repeat everything I say twice down here (or hehah as the case may be), even after 12 years. But these people don't pronounce anything the way it's spelled. Kerr Lake is pronounced "cur", but they say "carrr lake...go figure.

Even in England people have a hard time understanding the spoken word from region to region, so the King's English is getting to be a relic of the past too.

I came across this site, which is fascinating. Many words can be found out, so youse guys from America, may find this helpful in deciphering just what the hell UKRAY is talking sometimes...lol.

http://www.translatebritish.com/dictionary.php