Barrel Stands (and other weird desires)

[Venusy]

I've heard of Spotted Dick, but I can't think of what it is now.

Tesco's sell them here in the UK. In my house it's known as Spotted Private Parts

Tesco's are evil.

No, ASDA is evil. It sells most of the stuff I need one minute, and the next: BAM! The layout's been reorganized, and I can no longer find my favourite brand of carbonated beverage there, forcing me to go to Morrisons, Tescos, or worse, the Co-op!

[LK]

Tesco's are evil.

...Yes...Texaco's are bad as well...

[Trubble]

WHAT is wrong with the Co-Op? I'd like to know... it's better than fecking Tescos and Sainsburys put together... at least.

I hate all supermarkets mind, but I have this thing where I have to defend my place of work. Please excuse it, but I still want an answer.

[Venusy]

The reason I don't like Co-op is because they overcharge me. In epic proportions. Though I will admit, it is a lot better quality than those two put together, it's the price that puts me off.

[Trubble]

Well fair play.

They need to afford to pay their staff £5 an hour when most of them do nothing. Although, they are the worst managed company ever... ok I won't get started on my rant, but you get the picture. If there weren't so many pros to me working there, I wouldn't be working there.

Also I get discount, so I don't feel the price so much

[Kitiara]

I've lived in the South all of my life. I was born in South Carolina, and now I live Georgia.  It is like Brynne says, there is no pop, no soda, no fizzy drinks. Everything is coke. Pepsi is a coke. Or, if over the age of 70, possibly a cola.

The main question I get asked when travelling, or have out of state guests, is "What they heck are grits?
But anyone from the south grew up on them. However, you have to live in the right parts of the South to be familiar with shrimp and grits. I took a friend from up north to a 'nice' restaurant and he was appalled to see grits on the menu. He thought that was just a backwoods diner thing.

[LK]

Yes, please explain "grits."  I always think it's gravel or chips of asphalt, but I am probably wrong.

Also, what are "crumpets?"  I know "crisps" are chips, but I forgot what "crumpets" are.

[Trubble]

A crumpet is kind of like your version of a pancake (i.e. small and round, unlike our pancakes which are big and thin and soo much nicer, I dunno what you'd call them, crepes probably) only it's thicker and full of holes. You put butter, jam on it etc and it melts through.

See here.

I may have to go to the bloody shop now you've reminded me.

[HRH Posie]

Well imagine my reaction when I first heard a Brit say "smoke a fag,"  I thought it was a hate crime.

*Snorts* That's great  

Actually northerners have some really odd phrases.  I've only been in Manchester for a short while as I was born down south and my family originate from London.  My pet hate is "chip barm".  I threw an absolute wobbly in the fish & chip shop when I was offered that.  It's a damn bread roll!  Not only that, I was offered gravy for the chips.  Totally minging.  Hmm no-one has sausages in batter 'round here  either *sulks*

PS The English-to-American Dictionary.

[Trubble]

You know what I've never tried Posie? A deep fried Mars bar, I really think it's about time I did - only our local chippy doesn't do them, I'll have to hunt.

[HRH Posie]

You know what I've never tried Posie? A deep fried Mars bar, I really think it's about time I did - only our local chippy doesn't do them, I'll have to hunt.

If you take your own mars bar with you, most will deep fry it for around 15p

[Trubble]

Ah really? Awesome.

[cyperangel]

That sounds absolutely revolting.

Then again, I dont much dig deep fried stuff, its a bit too rich in fat for my taste. Id rather go for the steak that still says mooo.

[Trubble]

Well, I wouldn't usually but with Posie's talk of fish and chips I realised it was something I'd never tried and probably should at least once in my lifetime.

You eat live cows? *raises an eyebrow*

[cyperangel]

well, i want them to talk a walk past the grill first, if only to look at it and get scared...

I like my meat rare.

[Trubble]

Fair play.

[cyperangel]

and... I like my chokolate rare too.. deep fried chokolate.. Thats just wrong on so many levels i cant descibe it... Eeeech

I did however see a program on the tellie about how they were figuring out why some people in the edinborough area had trouble with the health. Too many low income people eat way too much deep fried food, such as deep fried pizza, mars bars, sausages, fish and chips and so on. Basically anything you can stuff in hot oil that was edible afterwards would be consumed. The trouble were, that the deep fried food were cheaper than food that actually gave some nourishment beyond the fat content.

Still, its wrong. Hot chokolate is something you drink, not something you eat.

[Trubble]

Too true... I mainly agree. However, what about hot chocolate sauce? Hmm?

[Ness]

if you want to experience language barriers when everyone speaks english...

during the olympics (2000 - I'm Australian), we had about a hundred young Americans staying at the church, and one poor girl from England...  she found the Americans hard to cope with, but said we weren't too much different to what she was used to - our words for things (and I've completely blanked on most of it now) were either the same or similar enough for her to be able to decipher what we were talking about.

the things that really stood out for the Americans (apart from driving on the wrong side of the road) were the ne free refills on the soft drinks (fizzy drinks or carbonated beverage if you prefer).  We also have to pay for our local phone calls.

Dinners were interesting - we had to have cordial made up in American strength and Australian strength - the americans seeming to prefer about twice the amount of cordial in the water to us.

Ness

[cyperangel]

Too true... I mainly agree. However, what about hot chocolate sauce? Hmm?

You know, I've never actually tried that.
It sounds delicious, but I wouldnt know. Most anything with chokolate in the name sounds good to me, except when its put together with the phrase "deep fried". 

[Trubble]

Heh, fair play then. You've never had hot chocolate sauce? What to you put on your profitta rolls then? (Note I have no idea how to spell profitta rolls, even though I've probably eaten a lot in my lifetime)

[cyperangel]

Well.. I have no idea what a profitta roll is....

In case your wondering which backwards part of the globe i reside in, the answer is Denmark, Scandinavia.

I usually hear about hot chokolate sauce on ice deserts, and I rarely eat those, as the local weather usually already has me freezing.

[Ness]

profiteroles I believe...  a little pastry ball type thingy filled with custard and coated with chocolate...  sometimes they have cream in them...  horribly fattening but incredibly delicious!

Ness

[Trubble]

Heh, thanks ness - that is what I meant. Although I've never had them with custard in - only cream.

cyperangel - that's ok, you'll have to try it sometime, and I think the point of putting the hot chocolate sauce on the desert is to make it warm... you can also get little chocolate puddings to microwave - which is another example of good hot chocolate

[Kitiara]

Yes, please explain "grits."  I always think it's gravel or chips of asphalt, but I am probably wrong.

Grits are a traditional breakfast staple in the southeast U.S.
For a better description than I can give go here: http://www.grits.com/discript.htm
By the way, grits are traditional, but that doesn't mean I eat them. Fat Back is also common in southern households but I wouldn't touch that stuff either. I am proud of my southern heritage, but the foods people serve around here are appaling. (Ever heard of pickled pig's feet?)

Your profiteroles sounds kind of like what I would call a bear claw.
Yummy.