Ask the Brit a stupid question

[Marka Ragnos]

Let me ask a question. Bacon and maple syrup, I get that, but peanut butter an jelly/jam... wtf?

I have it every other morning on toast but I prefer just p-nut butter on hot toast. Peanuts, tomatoes, potatoes, chocolate and chili -- all from South and Central America. 

[Stevo985]

 

These are pumps

 

"Sneaker" refers to "trainer". I don't think Americans would call the above a sneaker.

 

Those? Yes, sneakers or "tennis shoes."

 

Fair enough. but sneakers is a much more general term isn't it? So sneakers doesn't JUST refer to that type of shoe does it?

Whereas "pumps" only refers to that particular type in the UK (afaik)

[Stevo985]

 

As far as I am aware: 

 

Jelly (US) is Jam (UK)

 

Jelly (UK) is Jello or gelatine (US)

 

You've opened a can of ... a jar of? ... jelly worms here.

 

You've got it right, but as far as my memory serves, you don't actually have what we call "Jelly" in the UK. I don't remember seeing it -- but I wasn't really looking. It's a juice spread that's set with fruit pectin. Grape jelly is the classic pairing with peanut butter. Jam here is your preserves or conserve, yes.

 

I guess "jelly" is maybe a jam that doesn't have bits in it?

[Marka Ragnos]

 

 

These are pumps

 

"Sneaker" refers to "trainer". I don't think Americans would call the above a sneaker.

 

Those? Yes, sneakers or "tennis shoes."

 

Fair enough. but sneakers is a much more general term isn't it? So sneakers doesn't JUST refer to that type of shoe does it?

Whereas "pumps" only refers to that particular type in the UK (afaik)

 

That's right.

 

And pumps here are women's shoes with tall heels.

[Wainy316]

 

 

 

These are pumps

 

"Sneaker" refers to "trainer". I don't think Americans would call the above a sneaker.

 

Those? Yes, sneakers or "tennis shoes."

 

Fair enough. but sneakers is a much more general term isn't it? So sneakers doesn't JUST refer to that type of shoe does it?

Whereas "pumps" only refers to that particular type in the UK (afaik)

 

That's right.

 

And pumps here are women's shoes with tall heels.

 

 

 

High heels?  The odd things about the clothing name differences is not that they are different but that they are all mixed up, with the same words meaning another thing in each.

[Marka Ragnos]

 

 

As far as I am aware: 

 

Jelly (US) is Jam (UK)

 

Jelly (UK) is Jello or gelatine (US)

 

You've opened a can of ... a jar of? ... jelly worms here.

 

You've got it right, but as far as my memory serves, you don't actually have what we call "Jelly" in the UK. I don't remember seeing it -- but I wasn't really looking. It's a juice spread that's set with fruit pectin. Grape jelly is the classic pairing with peanut butter. Jam here is your preserves or conserve, yes.

 

I guess "jelly" is maybe a jam that doesn't have bits in it?

 

Precisely. It tends to be a little cheaper. Classic in American "diner" restaurants, on the table. Late on weekend nights, drunk people order big breakfasts and eat toast with this jelly whilst embarrassing themselves.

 

Edited March 26, 2015 by Plastic Man

[Wainy316]

Plastic Man, does America have real bacon?

[Stevo985]

Yep that's what I was thinking.

 

I used to eat "bramble jelly", which was basically blackberry jam. It was years ago though so I can't remember if it was "bit-less", hence the jelly name.

[Marka Ragnos]

Plastic Man, does America have real bacon?

Not according to my English dad. He buys Canadian bacon, which is closer to English, he says. He ridicules bacon here.

[Wainy316]

 

Plastic Man, does America have real bacon?

Not according to my English dad. He buys Canadian bacon, which is closer to English, he says. He ridicules bacon here.

 

 

 

I have heard Americans say Canadian bacon, so that means 'back' bacon that we have then?  That incidentally we call 'Danish bacon'

[lapal_fan]

Canadian Bacon isn't quite the same as the UK's either, it's much thicker. 

 

Sort of like half the thickness of a gammon steak.. it's sort of floppy, but it's still got some rigidity to it.

 

And because of that, the fat doesn't go as crispy as ours.

 

I've always thought there would be a huge market for a good line of "UK breakfast sandwich" shops or UK Chip shops in the states, I mean, we've all heard Americans saying "Fish and chips" when asked what they loved about visiting the UK.

[Marka Ragnos]

 

 

Plastic Man, does America have real bacon?

Not according to my English dad. He buys Canadian bacon, which is closer to English, he says. He ridicules bacon here.

 

 

I have heard Americans say Canadian bacon, so that means 'back' bacon that we have then?  That incidentally we call 'Danish bacon'

 

Yes, I think that's right. Don't you call American-style bacon "rashers" there or something like that? It's been a while for me.

[lapal_fan]

 

 

 

Plastic Man, does America have real bacon?

Not according to my English dad. He buys Canadian bacon, which is closer to English, he says. He ridicules bacon here.

 

 

I have heard Americans say Canadian bacon, so that means 'back' bacon that we have then?  That incidentally we call 'Danish bacon'

 

Yes, I think that's right. Don't you call American-style bacon "rashers" there or something like that? It's been a while for me.

 

 

We call U.S Bacon "Streaky Bacon"

[Stevo985]

Canadian Bacon isn't quite the same as the UK's either, it's much thicker. 

 

Sort of like half the thickness of a gammon steak.. it's sort of floppy, but it's still got some rigidity to it.

 

And because of that, the fat doesn't go as crispy as ours.

 

I've always thought there would be a huge market for a good line of "UK breakfast sandwich" shops or UK Chip shops in the states, I mean, we've all heard Americans saying "Fish and chips" when asked what they loved about visiting the UK.

No word of a lie.

 

I was at Epcot in 2004. They had a world food bit there.

 

I went to the english bit and asked for fish and chips.

 

It was fish fingers and crisps. 

 

Swear to god.

[lapal_fan]

 

Canadian Bacon isn't quite the same as the UK's either, it's much thicker. 

 

Sort of like half the thickness of a gammon steak.. it's sort of floppy, but it's still got some rigidity to it.

 

And because of that, the fat doesn't go as crispy as ours.

 

I've always thought there would be a huge market for a good line of "UK breakfast sandwich" shops or UK Chip shops in the states, I mean, we've all heard Americans saying "Fish and chips" when asked what they loved about visiting the UK.

No word of a lie.

 

I was at Epcot in 2004. They had a world food bit there.

 

I went to the english bit and asked for fish and chips.

 

It was fish fingers and crisps. 

 

Swear to god.

 

I hope you dropped the word removed that gave you that.

[Stevo985]

I laughed, a lot.

 

I have a photo of it somewhere, I'll try and dig it out. The crisps were all different colours as well. Like coloured nachos.

 

Really weird.

Edited March 26, 2015 by Stevo985

[Marka Ragnos]

Canadian Bacon isn't quite the same as the UK's either, it's much thicker. 

 

 

Yes, I think my dad pines for it. But like a lot of ex-pat English people here, he finds little ways to get his goods, but he's so parsimonious, too, that he'll only go so far if it doesn't cost too much.

 

I used to love some of the breakfast "sarnies" I would get on my way to work in London in the morning. I still try to make versions of them here -- a lot of HP on top.

 

I don't know. It's very hard to say about English food here and its marketability. Because of the overfishing issue, some of us are really trying to limit our cod and haddock eating. I don't buy cod anymore in stores as I feel it's unethical. The "cod" from China they sell here -- no thanks! Too many risks. But I do sometimes have it at restaurants -- I can't resist -- and long story short, it's a niche market and no one -- and I mean NO ONE -- does it right here. It's always wrong. And they can't do chips here, either.

 

There are some surprising outbreaks of British food. In one small part of the country, the "ploughman's" style pies are big. But that's strictly a regional thing. Have seen nowhere else. 

 

And you probably already know, but Hersheys gives us a horrid version of Cadbury's here. It's inedible to a "good English boy" like me, raised by a father from Brum. (At Easter, my American religious mother would make chocolate bunnies and egg with strictly imported Dairy Milk alone, which she would get way in advance. ) And here's the thing: no one here seems to like the Americanized Cadbury's, either. I know so many Americans who just want regular Cadbury's chocolate. Plus, Hersheys is trying to block imports. I have to go my local Indian grocery to get Dairy Milk. 

Edited March 26, 2015 by Plastic Man

[lapal_fan]

I laughed, a lot.

 

I have a photo of it somewhere, I'll try and dig it out. The crisps were all different colours as well. Like coloured nachos.

 

Really weird.

I had those in Canada, I order a small portion of Nachos with chilli from the lunch menu, I ate less than 10% of it before I felt like a complete disgrace.

 

It was nice, but I've never seen a portion like it.

 

 

That cost me less than $10 dollars (Canadian..)

 

This is how much I ate (just took the top off)

 

[mjmooney]

Mike's just showing his age on the "pumps" thing. I remember my parents generation (born 1950s) calling trainers pumps when I was still a very young child but it never really stuck. My generation (born 1970s) have always called them trainers.

Well yes, I am. When I was at primary school, trainers actually didn't exist. There were essentially three things:

1. Those canvas shoes with rubber soles and an elasticated gusset on the top. Usually black, but also available in white. Used for school PE, but also for everyday 'playing out'. Always known as pumps.

2. White, lace-up tennis shoes. Similarly used for casual wear. Sometimes also referred to by the generic term 'pumps'.

3. Black & white baseball boots, usually known as 'bumpers' (known these days as 'Converse', I believe).

Then, round about 1966/67, something new and exotic appeared - training shoes (took a little while before it was abbreviated to 'trainers'). Understood to be a variant of pumps, but less commonly referred to as such.

But I knew from US comics that American kids were wearing something called 'sneakers' in the 50s & early 60s (i.e. predating trainers). I assumed these were the equivalent of types (1) & (2) above.

[Wainy316]

 

 

 

Plastic Man, does America have real bacon?

Not according to my English dad. He buys Canadian bacon, which is closer to English, he says. He ridicules bacon here.

 

 

I have heard Americans say Canadian bacon, so that means 'back' bacon that we have then?  That incidentally we call 'Danish bacon'

 

Yes, I think that's right. Don't you call American-style bacon "rashers" there or something like that? It's been a while for me.

 

 

 

Each individual piece of bacon is a 'rasher'.