There are so many things that are surprisingly different between the US and England. To continue on with all the things I never knew before I moved to London...
Goose Fat, Beef Drippings, and Lard are seen as legitimate ingredients. I've used several recipes that call for lard instead of butter or Crisco as we use in the US.
Street signs in England are located on buildings rather than on a post. I can't imagine navigating this city by car because it is hard enough as a pedestrian.
I love how good people are (generally speaking) about following rules here. One rule is that you take the seat farther in when riding the bus so the next person doesn't have to crawl over you or ask you to move in so they can sit in the seat next to you. Rarely do I see someone take the aisle seat first even when the bus is almost empty.
I love that eggs here are left at room temperature. Plus, eggs are brown instead of white as is common in the US.
Movie theatres are really small here. Plus, when you purchase a movie ticket you pay more based on the seat you select.
Bayonet lightbulbs are quite different than the lightbulbs I'm used to in the US. They don't twist in and out so I still have no idea how to get the bulbs out. I had to wait until my brother-in-law visited and had him change three burned out bulbs for me. Also, it seems like lightbulbs burn out faster here but that might be related to the higher voltage.
Speaking of lights, the light switch for the bathroom is on the outside of the door here. In fact, outlets aren't allowed in bathrooms, either. So I've gotten used to drying and flat ironing my hair in my bedroom. The light switch on the outside is really inconvenient especially if someone uses the loo in the middle of the night because light pours out before they can close the door.
There are so many more options for eye drops here than in the US. They have drops to make your eyes sparkle or dazzle in addition to just soothing dry or itchy eyes.
One of my favourite things about living in London is having my groceries delivered. In the US I would always forget my list or forget what I have on hand. But this way I create my grocery shop in the comfort of my own home and someone brings it to my door...no matter how heavy it is.
Ocado (an online only grocery store) has really thought of everything to make grocery delivery as efficient as possible. They send you an email or text letting you know who your driver is that day and what fruit or veg will be featured on their truck. They also separate the groceries into these conveniently labeled bags for cupboard, fridge, and freezer.
When I do have to go to the grocery store it is usually a pretty terrible experience. Stores are super small and typically carry only the very basics and lunch items. Plus, grocery stores aren't open 24/7 like they are in the US so the workers are always stocking shelves during store hours when people are shopping. In the US the workers will move out of the way for shoppers or allow you to go in front of them but that does not happen here. The workers will push right past you or ask you to move if you are looking intently at the shelf where they need to stock.
Hey! First, let me say thank you again for an amazing beginning to the weekend! I had so much fun and was glad to have someone to hang out with in the big city.
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to comment on a couple of things in this post. First, Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day is actually related to Lent, but the connection doesn't seem to be as overt these days. I think that's mostly because of the decline of religion in the UK, but anyone I've ever spoken to about it could tell me about the religious connection. In the "olden days," people would make these pancakes to make sure they used up all the indulgent ingredients like sugar, butter, and milk before Lent began.
Also, with the grocery shopping I think we've found a couple more things that are different in London compared the rest of the country. My local grocery shops are open 24/7 and stocking is mostly done at night. The workers are generally very friendly and helpful, and the shops clean and spacious. But I have yet to have anyone separate my groceries into Cupboard, Fridge, and Freezer when delivering them, so that's pretty cool!
I had a great time hanging out with you, too! After I posted this someone told me about using up all the indulgent ingredients before Lent but I didn't think that could be possible since I don't consider pancake ingredients overly indulgent :) And I can't believe that your grocery stores in Nottingham are open 24/7! Sometimes I feel like London is really progressive and sometimes I feel like it is lacking in some areas.
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