UK/US Translations

[mledawn]

I just wanted to jump in and ask: HP Sauce is considered specialty food in America?

That is interesting as it's just regular ol' grocery fare in Canada.

[Kalliste]

Further to that, I've never really understood what HP sauce actually is. I'm always too scared to buy it because I have no idea what it's for or what it tastes like

[Meredith Quill]

Further to that, I've never really understood what HP sauce actually is. I'm always too scared to buy it because I have no idea what it's for or what it tastes like

 

See here (wikipedia link) for an explanation. Although I prefer Tiptree Brown sauce myself :)

[Kalliste]

hmm, that seems like a weird combination :p So it's sweet then?

[BizBuzz]

This HP Sauce sounds remarkably like Heinz 57, don't you all think?

[Meredith Quill]

It's a spicy/sweet sauce, in the same way that tomato ketchup is savoury but sweet at the same time. Great with cooked English breakfasts, bacon sandwiches and scrambled eggs on toast. Making myself hungry now lol.

[LisTheUnspoiled]

Belsum and I appreciate everyone's responses on the "polystyrene" vs. "Styrofoam" question. Very interesting indeed!

[Shanna Marie]

I seem to recall some discussion back at TWOP from the Canadians about Tim Horton's. I've learned that there's one in the same building/complex where my hotel is in Detroit when I'm at a convention there in a couple of weeks. What should I be sure to try? I'm not a coffee drinker (tea for me), but I have the vague mental impression that they sold some kind of baked good that people crave.

[Athena]

I seem to recall some discussion back at TWOP from the Canadians about Tim Horton's. I've learned that there's one in the same building/complex where my hotel is in Detroit when I'm at a convention there in a couple of weeks. What should I be sure to try? I'm not a coffee drinker (tea for me), but I have the vague mental impression that they sold some kind of baked good that people crave.

 

I am a Canadian and not a big coffee drinker either. I don't really like Tim Horton's that much. For many up here, it is their drug dealer of choice. It's ok when on road trips and airports because it's cheap. It's not high quality stuff and back in the ye olde days, their donuts were good. Alas, they aren't made fresh in the restaurant anymore. The only thing I like these days is their seasonal ginger cookies. I do know a couple of people who love their multigrain bagel though.

[ABay]

Concurring with the drop in Tim's quality. It used to be that when I went back to Buffalo to visit family, I would always stop at the nearest Tim's for English toffee coffee and vanilla creme donuts. I can't get either of those here in Dunkin' Donuts country (I've heard heard rumors some place in CT has vanilla creme donuts but I've yet to find them since Krispy Kreme crashed and burned). I still indulge in the toffee coffee but go to Paula's--a local place, not a national chain--for fantastic vanilla creme donuts.

 

Why don't you have these, CT? Why?

Edited July 3, 2014 by ABay

[sugarbaker design]

I just wanted to jump in and ask: HP Sauce is considered specialty food in America?

 

 

Weird thing about HP sauce is if you buy it in a supermarket it's very thin and runny, if you get it in a Scottish/Irish specialty shop it's much thicker.

[mledawn]

Weird thing about HP sauce is if you buy it in a supermarket it's very thin and runny, if you get it in a Scottish/Irish specialty shop it's much thicker.

 

Are you in Canada? I have not found this to be the case at all, here - unless my mother is working off a secret stash of HP from her last trip in 2004... Yikes.

[Eozostrodon]

Dear north Americans:

Do you have Pimms? Have you heard of it?

 

If not, does the idea of putting chopped up salad vegetables in alcoholic drinks seem incredibly weird to you?

[Athena]

Dear north Americans:

Do you have Pimms? Have you heard of it?

 

If not, does the idea of putting chopped up salad vegetables in alcoholic drinks seem incredibly weird to you?

 

I'm not the best responder for this since I use to live in the UK, but you can get Pimms and those style of drinks here in Canada. A lot of the pubs try to copy the way it is in Britain or Ireland. I don't think I've seen any of my Canadian friends order it though.

 

If it's like the fruit cup version, people just prefer and love Sangria more. Canadians also created and the love (Bloody) Caesar cocktails which uses Clamato and is garnished with celery. I don't know how popular that is internationally, but that is the cocktail of choice for many ladies I know here. 

[Writing Wrongs]

What's the deal with "beans on toast"? That seems like a weird combo to me. I also notice that a British breakfast seems to usually include what looks like a soft boiled egg?
 
Since I watch a lot of British shows , I keep this book at hand:

http://www.amazon.com/Septics-Companion-Mercifully-British-Culture/dp/0981579000/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404523551&sr=1-1&keywords=septic%27s+companion

Edited July 5, 2014 by Writing Wrongs

[Eozostrodon]

Beans on toast is gorgeous, especially with some grated cheddar sprinkled over. I've heard UK baked beans (beans means Heinz!) are a bit different and I think sweeter (in the way ketchup is a bit sweet) than American baked beans.

 

A boiled egg isn't part of a traditional English (i.e. Full English) breakfast but soft boiled egg and soldiers (toast cut into fingers) by themselves is quite traditional, I think.

[Meredith Quill]

Yes British baked beans are different to the US ones. Beans on toast is as much a classic staple here, as PB+J is over there. I add a dash of brown sauce to mine whilst they're warming through ;)

 

I wonder if you're referring to a - cracked into boiling water & poached - egg @Writing Wrongs? I imagine eggs poached using that method, could appear to be a de-shelled soft boiled egg in a photo?

A standard full english breakfast consists of eggs (fried, poached or scrambled), bacon (again ours is a bit different to yours), sausage, grilled/fried tomatoes, baked beans and optional extras are: mushrooms, black pudding (see earlier discussion upthread), hash browns and fried bread/toast/bread & butter.

It should be noted that very few people eat this daily, it is more of a weekend or holiday (read: vacation) or occasional thing. Most people just have something simple such as cereal or toast or fruit or yoghurt on a daily basis.

[Writing Wrongs]

I'm pretty sure it's what Eozostrodon described. It's served in a cup and they crack the top open with a spoon and dip the toast strips in it.

[Meredith Quill]

Ahh yes if it's in an eggcup then it's a boiled egg without doubt.

[Kalliste]

I didn't realised that boiled eggs wasn't a international thing. I saw a youtube video the other day where they had a boiled egg (the youtuber was Australian) and most the comments were asking what the egg cup was :P

[ABay]

Maybe it's just the egg cups that aren't international. I've never used one.

[tarotx]

We have Jello shots here-does that count? :P We have some drinks that add a cherry but I've never accurately heard the term Pimms before. Sounds's yummy though. I do have Crush watermelon or Orange Juice with vodka or Tequila all the time if I drink. 

Dear north Americans:

Do you have Pimms? Have you heard of it?

 

If not, does the idea of putting chopped up salad vegetables in alcoholic drinks seem incredibly weird to you?

[BizBuzz]

@tarotx

 

Crush Watermelon???

[taanja]

 

Do you have Pimms? Have you heard of it?

 I have never heard of "Pimms" but we have Bloody Mary's with every kind of food imaginable added/attached. Pickles/olives/peppers/pizza/celery/tomatoes/radishes/ hamburgers/cheese/salami/some other meat product ...etc...

 

No seriously. and yes. You read that correctly. A slice of pizza. Or maybe a small slider (hamburger) all stuck on a stick or basically swimming in the bloody mary.

 

[tarotx]

Sorry I meant to write crushed Watermelon. It's kind of like juice but has some chunks of the fruit in there still. For texture. A bit like a frozen margarita except not frozen and not always the same alcohol.

 

Though now I'm wondering if a watermelon flavored Crush pop would taste like watermelon candy. Yum. 

@tarotx

 

Crush Watermelon???

[BizBuzz]

Sorry I meant to write crushed Watermelon. It's kind of like juice but has some chunks of the fruit in there still. For texture. A bit like a frozen margarita except not frozen and not always the same alcohol.

 

Though now I'm wondering if a watermelon flavored Crush pop would taste like watermelon candy. Yum. 

 

You got my hopes up for a minute.  I don't drink soda's anymore, but I would break my streak to taste a Watermelon Crush.  ::giggle::

[Raingirlkm]

When you mentioned Pimms, my first thought was Pim's which I think you in the UK would call jaffa cakes. Am I right?

[HauntedBathroom]

Hmmmmm....it's not a proper Jaffa cake, but it's probably as close as you can get without being sued by McVities.

[Athena]

I bought jaffa cakes once when I lived there. They were OK, but not really for me. My absolute favourite is McVitieis Dark Chocolate Digestives. They sell them for 3x the price at a European food store here. I bought it once to relive the nostalgia.

[Whimsy]

 I have never heard of "Pimms" but we have Bloody Mary's with every kind of food imaginable added/attached. Pickles/olives/peppers/pizza/celery/tomatoes/radishes/ hamburgers/cheese/salami/some other meat product ...etc...

 

No seriously. and yes. You read that correctly. A slice of pizza. Or maybe a small slider (hamburger) all stuck on a stick or basically swimming in the bloody mary.

 

I drink a lot of Bloody Mary's (don't judge!) and I've never had most of those things as garnish.  I've had olives (my personal fave), celery, pepperoni, lime and shrimp (another fave) but I've never seen pizza, hamburgers, etc.  Where did you get all of that?  I don't know if I want to avoid that place or go visit it! 

[Lisin]

@GenL the Huffington Post did an article about insane Bloody Mary's a while ago... Here's just one example from the piece.

 

[taanja]

Thanks Lisin. that is what I am talking about!

 

I live in the mid-west (Minnesota) and I have had bloody Mary's with these foods here (At bars and the race track among other places) and in Wisconsin. I see that pic is from Milwaukee. yup. Looks about right!

[Lisin]

My favorite part about this one? It costs $5!!! I mean I can't even get a mixed drink around here for $5. Let alone a mixed drink and a seven course meal! :)

[Raingirlkm]

My absolute favourite is McVitieis Dark Chocolate Digestives.

Oooh, I love those. I get them on occasion at Cost Plus World Market (which is really a mouthful of name, but a fun place to shop) especially when they go on sale. 

[Whimsy]

Thanks Lisin. that is what I am talking about!

 

I live in the mid-west (Minnesota) and I have had bloody Mary's with these foods here (At bars and the race track among other places) and in Wisconsin. I see that pic is from Milwaukee. yup. Looks about right!

 

I'm originally from Minnesota, but admittedly left before I could drink legally so that explains why I missed all of those.  ;)  I now live in Massachusetts and my favorite Bloody Mary was from a bar on Cape Cod with a couple of shrimps (shrimp cocktail style- huge shrimps), but now I feel like that was not so great after all!

[Meredith Quill]

All I can say is OMFG :O that is hilarious.

[tarotx]

Bloody Mary's especially with Olives always sound Yummy but I need to stack up on some tums  >.<

 

I also like cucumber, Lime, water and Gin. My sister loves that drink <3

Edited July 12, 2014 by tarotx

[taanja]

 

I've also like cucumber, Lime, water and Gin. My sister loves that drink <3

 

That actually sounds good ---except for the gin. I would sub vodka and voila!

 

[tarotx]

That actually sounds good ---except for the gin. I would sub vodka and voila!

Yeah I should try it with Vodka. I've only have it when my sister makes it so Gin it's been but having it with Vodka sounds awesome!

Edited July 17, 2014 by tarotx

[Jeezaloo]

@GenL the Huffington Post did an article about insane Bloody Mary's a while ago... Here's just one example from the piece.

 

The most recent scan of my colon looked exactly like this. How funny, right? Hold on, pain in my right arm, I can't imagine whuuuhhhuh...

[Writing Wrongs]

I also hear a lot of mentioning of "pub quizzes". What's that about?

[Meredith Quill]

A pub quiz is where everyone in a pub in arrange themselves into 'teams' (any amount of 2 or more people = a team), which is generally whoever you've gone to the pub with. The publican hands out pens/paper and then proceeds to ask a set number of general knowledge questions, which the teams answer by writing them down. After all questions have been asked everyone swaps papers and marks each others papers as the publican reveals the correct answers. The team with the highest score wins. Simples.

[FormerMod-a1]

We have that here too (USA).  Sometimes called Bar Trivia.  But really, it's doing trivia or quizzes in a bar.

[RachelKM]

That actually sounds good ---except for the gin. I would sub vodka and voila!

I actually drink this with vodka fairly often; It is indeed delicious. It's similar to a white linen (I drink vodka linens when I get these because I object to gin generally) without the simple syrup.  

 

As for the pub trivia, it's pretty popular in Cali.  It started mostly in the English and Irish pubs, but has since expanded to a lot of bars where I live. 

Edited July 17, 2014 by RachelKM

[Sharpie66]

If anyone is interested, there's a fantastic blog on US/UK language differences called "Separated by a Common Language," and written by an American linguist living and working in England: http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/. Highly recommended!!

[Llywela]

We have that here too (USA).  Sometimes called Bar Trivia.  But really, it's doing trivia or quizzes in a bar.

Or in a pub. Hence the name: pub quiz. Does what it says on the tin! ;-)

 

We used to have a brilliant Doctor Who pub quiz here in Cardiff, held monthly, with Gary Russell writing one of the rounds (the Gary Russell Bastard Round). Ever so much fun. Alas, as Gary has tootled off to the other side of the world for work and the other bods who used to run the quiz have also moved on, the quiz is no more.

[Kalliste]

So I have a random question, with is more ignorance on my part, as someone that has grown up with the metric system I always wondered what measurements Americans use for anything that is less than an inch and greater than a foot. 

[BizBuzz]

So I have a random question, with is more ignorance on my part, as someone that has grown up with the metric system I always wondered what measurements Americans use for anything that is less than an inch and greater than a foot. 

 

How small are you talking?  We have measurements like 1/16th of an inch (even on rulers) and even go to 1/32nd of an inch.  But the inch is the smallest unit in the Imperial system. 

 

After a foot it becomes a yard (3 feet) and what is funny is that we tend to go metric after that.  For example, our football fields are 100 yards.  We divide them into 10 yards segments.  In physical education we have the 50 yard dash and the 100 yard dash.  After the yard it becomes a mile.

[Kalliste]

Thanks @BizBuzz that seems confusing, I can't even work out how much 1/16th of an inch is but yes, that is what I mean, basically a comparison to our millimetre.

[Writing Wrongs]

Do all British people with the name Ralph pronounce it as "Rafe"? I thought it was just Ralph Fiennes, but I'm watching a show where the character pronounces his name that way.