PRgal

It depends. My husband's Jewish (ethnically Eastern European. His parents were born and raised in Montreal) and my MIL said that it would be completely inappropriate to call non-relatives "Aunt(ie) and Uncle" in their culture. Topic: I agree. Tom and Mary would be really, really weird. I mean, George and Sybbie would be cousins AND step siblings. Would Sybbie still call Mary, Aunt(ie) Mary and George call Tom, Uncle Tom?

Of course! Violet's immortal. She's still alive in 2015 and wondering what a weekend is. Of course a 2015 Matthew will too.

Completely agree. My husband's friends from high school and university are really casual and they always asked their children to "say hello to PRguy and PRgal," not "Mr. and Mrs. Lastname." I've attempted to correct them, but since I have not known them as long as he has, I'm not sure if it's my place. My friends' kids tend to call me Auntie PRgal (if they're of Chinese descent) as it's the custom to do so. My non-Chinese friends' kids tend to call me Mrs. Lastname or Ms. Maidenname. Back on topic now.

More and more, I'm thinking that Mary's life is turning into Sex and the City. Blake vs. Gillingham is a bit like Big vs. Aidan.

And Matthew looked really fake to begin with, probably because Dan Stevens isn't a natura that blond. I recall someone on TwoP said that they made Matthew a surferdude blond so he could be easily distinguisable from the brown haired guys on the show/Mary's other suiters, who're (mostly) darker haired.

I haven't seen the Nanny in years and didn't watch it on a regular basis when it was on, but yeah, I guess they would. As for Cher in Clueless, it's pretty much known that she is - there's a scene on the TV version of the movie that was a flashback (or maybe photo - I don't remember) of her singing "Dreidl, Dreidl" a fairly well-known Chanukah song and I'm 99% sure there have been references to her bat mitzvah.

Martha is loud and obnoxious. That's the stereotype of a Jewish (American/Canadian, anyway) woman of a certain age. Heck, there's even an Instagram account called Crazy Jewish Mom! Then there's the younger woman stereotype (think Cher from Clueless), which is a whole other story...

Nah...Tom's couple name with Thomas would be....Branrow or The Toms. And yes, Isobel NEEDS to say YES! She has to have a companion closer to her own age. As for Miss Bunting: I wonder if she's rude to the kids she teaches or to their parents. I'm not sure if the village school is a one roomer (did they have one room schoolhouses in the UK?) or if there are several classrooms. If it's the latter, I wonder if she's one of those teachers that kids pray that they WON'T get!

I HATE it when people don't eat something you made! When I was 10 or 11, I made a fruit punch for a barbecue my parents were hosting and NO ONE drank it! Not the kids or the grown-ups. And I often worry about making what my husband calls "PRgal" food for some of my relatives - recently, my parents said that it's "probably not a good idea" for me to make an entire meal for my relatives because they might not "like" my quinoa dressing ("dressing" as in turkey stuffing that has never been stuffed IN the turkey). Non-relatives tell me my quinoa dressing is good. My parents think so, as does my husband. It's just that it's a "PRgal" dish and not something more...Chinese.

We don't have Ulta in Canada (yet), but one of our major drugstore chains is known for having an excellent beauty section with more premium brands (segregated from the drugstore lines, of course) like Stila, Lancome, Clinique and Smashbox. They also run a small chain of beauty stores. I go there a lot as well, since I get points. Once, I only had to pay $25 for a bill worth at least $150. I pretty much only get beauty products there and at Sephora. :S

You can also use pureed beets to get the colouring. Here's a recipe: http://bakecakery.com/2011/03/16/red-velvet-cake-with-beets/

You mean a "moving/motion" picture? It's 1924, so movies are still silent. I'm sure she has - or knows of them. I mean, she knows who Douglas Fairbanks is.

It's fairly strict, and probably MORE SO in the 19th century! My husband's Jewish, I'm not, so any kids we have won't be unless I convert or our kids convert. On the other hand, my nephew IS Jewish even though my sister-in-law is married to a non-Jew. However, I found it surprising that Cora even got an IN with the British aristocracy, considering her family background/religion.

Cora only said her father was Jewish and did not say anything about her mom. Was there any intermarriage back then? If Cora's mom is not Jewish then neither is Cora.

Turkey meatballs with quinoa tonight! :)

Yum on the grits (okay, I've never really made grits, only polenta, which, from what I understand, is from a different species of corn) and mustard greens...not a big fan of shrimp though.

Since Robert seemed to be so anti-radio in last night's episode, I wonder what he wouldn't want to see in his home in 2015. A 4K TV or something else that's a bit unnecessary? He probably would have a Blackberry only because he needs it for email (touchscreen? Android? iOS? Whaaaaa?????). Otherwise, a flip phone from 2005 is fine. Heh.

Coffee (or Americano) with a bit of milk, no sugar, please! Sometimes, I might make myself a "dirty chai" or dirty chai latte - chai (latte) with a shot of espresso. Again, unsweetened. Weekends = lattes/cappuccinos. I have green tea most afternoons. Once in a while, I might have a Hong Kong Milk Tea (black tea with condensed milk and sugar) or maybe yin yang (Hong Kong Milk Tea with coffee, so yeah, sort of like a dirty chai, but with instant coffee (or drip, if you're lucky) instead of espresso). Not a big fan of either, though. Both are available at most Hong Kong style diners/bakeries, which are abundant in the Toronto area.

DIdn't they kind of address it last season when Tom's drink was spiked by a someone on staff and she sneaked into his room? I believe it was Mrs. Hughes who found a book she had about how NOT to get pregnant or something like that?

Snobbish behaviour, yeah, but some from watching the Smithsonian Channel show, it sounds like some of these families are the equivalent of people like the Kardashians today.

We did meatless Monday yesterday and I made a chickpea stew with carrots, apples and spinach. It's based on this recipe. Tonight was back to meat. Made my husband's favourite, a baked potato topped with turkey bolognese and veggies (frozen, because I'm lazy).

The episode is available on the Smithsonian channel website if anyone missed it and wants to see it (at least the Canadian channel).

Not surprised that Candy Cane Coke tastes like mouthwash. Probably should have gone a safe/traditional route and toasted with sparkling grape juice or ginger ale.

Never occurred to me, either! Greek yogurt is my go-to substitute for mayonnaise and sour cream!

If you like maple and brown sugar, there's always REAL maple syrup and brown sugar! :) I make my oatmeal overnight in a slow cooker with an external timer, so it won't turn on until a specified time overnight (usually I cook half of it early, maybe 1-3 in the morning and the remaining between, say, 6-8, so it'll be piping hot when I get up).