Who rules who?

In England - England is ruled by a monarchy. Kings and Queens. There is a prime minister too who is involved with the politics also.
In America there is a government. That government is primarily ruled by the president of the United states of America.
Why the difference? I'm sure there is a long story about it. And most people seem to be extremely interested in this. I know when I went to visit England recently, I had a few people who asked me about the president and the decisions he was making. People tend to attribute all the decisions made to this 'one guy' - the one ruler.
My limited political knowledge prevents me from elaborating further. Just an observation... so who rules who?

TV Shows

So.... TV is TV right? Well i guess it depends on what you watch. There's reality shows, sitcoms, soaps, kids tv etc.
In England I used to watch a few soaps, such as Neighbours, Home And Away and several from the past that I don't remember. I also used to watch some American shows that aired there, such as Beverly Hills and Melrose place. These shows aired frequently but they were a little bit behind as compared to the US.
When I moved to the UK I was disappointed that my English soaps didn't air here. Eastenders, an English soap was found on a channel called BBC America. This channel aired some British comedy shows and some soaps - but unfortunately none that I watched. Although, i was able to pick up with my American soaps.
Its disappointing that not more English shows are aired here. I hear all the time from my friends and family in London about English soaps, reality and comedy shows which are on TV and sadly, they don't air here. The American people that I know who do watch shows on BBC America tell me that they enjoy the English shows, and so I think that if more English shows are shown here, they would be popular. Not everyone has BBC America and so not only is there very little access, but only a few shows which air. A few years ago BBC America discontinued showing Eastenders which was very sad, however later on Dish network put it on a Pay per view as an omnibus weekly. So eventhough I didn't watch Eastenders much when I was living in London, I am totally and 100% hooked on Eastenders here. I love it. More so because it helps me to remember my root, and for 2 hours a week its almost like I am back in England surrounded by people who 'talk like me' and I'm taken back to Walford square.

Its only a shame that I can't share this with my American friends, can't discuss what happened in the latest episode. And it is a month behind UK - so I really can't share it with my English friends lol... but I am glad to watch it anyway.

I do think it would be advantageous to put more English shows on TV and make them available, just as in the UK all of the popular American shows air there.

Its funny though because for some shows - there are different versions. For example, big brother. A few years ago I was in England and was hooked on Big Brother and then when I came back here, I saw Big Brother was in TV and I was excited, but it turned out to be a different kind. There are also different American Idols, although the American one also airs in the UK. Funny - huh?

But whether it is American shows like 90210 or Grey's Anatomy or English shows like Eastenders. I like them all and glad I have the experience to taste them both, because I like both cultures, and they are both a part of me because I am an English Yankee!

Halloween in America

I was talking to a good friend of mine in England and I asked her what she was doing for Halloween. She reminded me that Halloween wasn't really celebrated much in England., and the only thing that really took place was lots of annoying kids knocking on doors. Well that happens here.. but a lot more too.
It definitely took me by surprise when I moved here because I wasn't used to the grandiosity.

Houses are decorated for Halloween with ghosts, skeletons, spiders etc. Lights are put up.

Pumpkins are carved and then a candle is placed inside as decoration. There are usually pumpkin carving competitions.

People dress up, have parties, go to parties. Not just kids but adults too. Of course kids also go trick or treating just like they do in England and collect candy, money etc.

Theme parks, like Disney, Busch Gardens, and Universal studios have Halloween themes evenings where you pay an extra fee and get to go to the park in the evening and enjoy a Halloween inspired evening at the park.

Candy apples, bobbing for apples, ghost stories, horror films, ghost tours, bonfires are other things that may be included for an American Halloween.

As for me - what do I do. Its weird because 15 years ago my sister and I were taking the neighbour's kids trick or treating. I said to my sister 'what shall I dress up as?' She said to me 'don't be so dumb - you're too old to dress up.' 15 years later she is dressing up. I've dressed up for work before, and last year I dressed up to take my niece trick or treating. It just goes to show how things change.



Lets get out the grill

Its kinda hard for me to do a good job of describing the typical 'American' foods since I haven't been to every state in America and exposed to and experienced every type of food - but I'll do my best.

Grilled foods
Since the weather is a lot nicer, here in Florida. It is quite common to have BBQ's and hence grilled meats. It becomes a group of event - 'lets have a BBQ today' or 'Lets get out the grill'. All kinds of meats can be put on the BBQ and grilled.

Seafood

Seafood is a common delicacy especially because of being so close to the water in some states. Oysters, crabs, cat fish, lobster, cray fish etc... all served with various sauces or whatever. The picture below is clam chowder.

Miscellaneous:
Buffalo wings, cheesecake, pizza slices, burgers n chips.


There really is no way to precisely describe what Americans eat. It's like asking someone, "what does American music sound like?" or "what does American art look like?" Of course, there are no answers for these questions since the nation is such a complex cultural, well, melting pot.
And you know what its the same for England. Both places are a cultural melting pot and there are so many foods that have been brought in and introduced and slowly becoming part of their world.

I'm just glad to be an English Yankee and so I have experienced the best of both worlds!

A spot of tea or a spotted dick?

Of course all the different countries have their own cuisine, and visiting a country is just one of the benefits of tasting the different dishes and experiencing the different cultures. England and America are no exception and since I'm an English Yankee I had the pleasure of experiencing both cultures.

Let me start with England:

Sunday Roast:
Sunday roast is usually on a Sunday because its towards the end of the week and usually associated with 'family day'. There is some history associated with this also which you can read about if you are interested.
The roast is usually a meat consisting of chicken, roast beef, pork or lamb (roast chicken is most common) and it can be stuffed with various things such as onion or sage stuffing. It is usually served with roast potatoes (potatoes from the oven). Boiled vegetables. Also Yorkshire puddings. Its hard to describe Yorkshire puddings except to say they are made of flour and milk and you put them in the oven and they rise up, and they taste delicious. All of this is covered with a gravy - which is usually meat based.

This sounds very similar to the dinners that the Americans have on Thanksgiving and Christmas which is usually a turkey dinner. Of course Yorkshire puddings are eliminated, and so is the gravy. But they are both quite similar.

Afternoon Tea

If you watch Eastenders or any other English show, you would see that a cup of tea can solve any problem, whether it is a broken heart, a fire in the Vic or just a bit of bad news. English people use tea as a way to socialize and it is a very important activity to them. Historically - people would drop everything for their 'afternoon tea' but of course this can't be done as easily now. As an accompaniment to the tea, scones are served, biscuits (cookies) or some other rich sweet dessert item

Americans have a similar tradition but not with tea. They catch up over a cup of coffee. Although its not merely coffee anymore, it is espresso, cappuccino, frapaccino. And they use it as a socialization tool too - 'lets grab a cup of coffee.' Most of the American movies have a line in it with something to that effect. Coffee doesn't have the implication of fixing all the world problems but it is an important social tool as in England.

Chips etc

England is famous for its fish n chips. The fish and the chips are both fried in hot oil and usually sprinkled with vinegar, salt n pepper. They are usually served in a paper draped around the boiling hot food. It is made fresh while you are waiting. Sometimes it can be served with mushy peas....!

Not sure that America has an equivalent to fish n chips. But they are famous for their burgers and fries. Look at the 'chips' in the picture. Big and thick. This is different from the fries that the Americans are known for. You can find a fast food featuring burger and chips almost every single corner in America, McDonalds, Burger King, 5 guys, Chick fil a, Popeyes etc....

Steak and kidney pies

Pies are also a hit in the Uk. As well fish n chips which are an easy take-away food, you can also stop and pick up a pie. Usually a tiny one-person portion of it though. The portion sizes in the UK are much smaller than they are in the US. Steak n kidney pie usually served with mash and gravy.
Another kind of pie is Shepherd's pie which is basically minced meat with mashed potatoes on top and then put in the oven.

Bangers n mash

Sausages are big in the UK. When you put them with mashed potatoes, they are known as bangers n mash. Sausages can also make up a dish called 'toad in the hole' which consists of a batter similar to Yorkshire puddings and onions. I've never really tried this but I have heard of it.

Spotted Dick

Spotted dick is a steamed pudding served with custard. The pudding usually consists of fruit like items and the 'spotted' refers to the spots of fruit. Custard is a thick yellow sauce which is sweet and delicious. In England rather than serve pies, such as apple pie with ice cream, they tend to serve pies with custards instead.

There may be more common foods to the UK that I have left out, like baked beans but these are the most common that came to mind.

Stay tuned for foods from America..... coming to you soon from English Yankee.

How many different ways do you do it?

As a somewhat continuation or sequel to a previous post I had written about technology, I just took a moment to realize how many different methods I use to communicate to various people all over the world. How many different ways are there - well the answer is probably infinite because right now while I am typing this blog, I'm sure the i phone people and the blackberry people and whoever are coming up with a new app or a new way for people to stay connected.

Here's how I do it:
Regular text messages
Phone calls
Instant messenger app on my phone (hotmail, yahoo, g talk, skype, and even facebook chat)
Skype app - can call people in England and talk to them. I can't do video chat when I call from my phone but at least I can talk to them
Text free app - can text people for free (only in the US)
Textplus - another app where I can text people for free (only in the US)
What'sapp - can text people in London from my phone without any extra costs
Text n drive lite - this app can read my my e-mails while I drive
Dragon dictation - can speak and this app will write down what i am saying so i can just press one button and it will send the words as a text that i have spoken
Twitter
Facebook - can get updates on my phone as they arrive.
E-mail - updates every hour

So I certainly have limited experience with other applications on other phones. But when it comes down to it, there is a lot of ways to communicate with all the people I want to, and definitely no excuse not to.

What it comes down to - as BT says 'its good to talk.'

These are a few of my favorite things

The worst thing about being an English Yankee is that I grew up with being exposed to some of my favorite foods/drinks etc and now living in America I don't have access to them anymore. When I was a child, I used to visit America quite a bit, and there were foods which I tried out in the USA which I liked and I often brought them back to the UK. Here's a list of some of my favorite foods/drinks and where they come from:

America:

• Macaroni and cheese
• Fruit roll-ups (don't really eat those anymore though)
• Lemonade (my new favorite - although they may have something similar in England) 
• Ice cube gum 
• Panera Bread (ironically I used to hate bread, although I still do kind of, but I like warm toasted sandwiches yum)
• Taco Bell

England:

• Ribena (regular not low sugar yuck)
• Custard
• Hula hoops (crisps or chips for my USA peeps)
• Prawn cocktail crisps, quavers, and basically all the varieties of crisps lol
• Lucozade (although after an incident of bursting this everywhere, needless to say, i didn't take any of these back in my suitcase)
• My ultimate number 1: Lift lemon tea (I love this stuff so much)
• Cadbury's chocolate (you can get some of these here for a higher price, but not all varieties) 
• All Indian sweets (well maybe just the green one)
• Paan
• Sour cola bottles and cherry cola bottles - yum
• Barcardi breezers
• All the weird ice cream and yogurts they make relating to cadbury's chocolate

In summary - its probably a good thing I don't live in the UK anymore with all that junk food I like lol - I'd be as big as a house by now!!!