LIFE: That Time a Brit Went to the Supercross

Saturday saw the Monster Energy Supercross come to Detroit which some of Joe's family came to see (and brought us tickets) to tag along and watch at Ford Field. Personally,  while I'm a country girl, the only time I can stand dirt under my nails is when I'm working in the garden. Country sports, like anything involving motorbikes is not really my thing, but I tagged along, and anytime I can try and squeeze a blog post about something oh so American, then why the hell not share my random British thoughts.

Random thoughts like - why do they play the American national anthem at every sports event?! (not something we really do, or would probably care to do in the UK). Why do they then try and turn said anthem into a pop song?! Why is everyone at this event, so very white?! I came to the conclusion early enough into it that I'm not really hillbilly, countryside enough for such things. I'm happy to wallow in suburban excess, happily. 

But anyway, AMA Supercross is an American motorcycle racing held between January and May in various venues (typically baseball and football stadiums). Founded in 1974, Supercross is an offshoot of Motocross - the difference being Supercross uses off road bikes on man made tracks with jumps, obstacles and tight turns (Motocross using natural terrains on closed courses). When the championship hits Detroit, it finds it's home at the Lion's Ford Field and becomes one of the few venues were the track layout runs into the stands. Various pre-races make up the afternoon and main event - various sizes of bike engine, even a kids race. You have the Monster Energy ladies with hardy anything on waving heat and time signs around and races that last up to 20 laps. 

I guess it was a different way to spend a Saturday night. I did get to cheer on a Brit in one race who was propping up the back, sigh. It was fun being inside Ford Field for the first time. Getting another sports team plastic cup to add to my every growing collection (alongside my Sparty and Harlem Globetrotter ones). Indoor fireworks and fireballs are always fun. Constantly coughing because of the smell of petrol/gas, feeling very small and anxious as 46k plus people are leaving, overpriced downtown Detroit parking spaces, not so much. 

While I'm coming more to grips and understanding American sports. I think I would have preferred watching the Lions getting their ass handed to them, or anything March Madness related. Guess I've left my countryside ways long ago.

How about you? A fan of Supercross?

Rachael

EXPAT LIFE: Garden Birds

One of the more everyday fun things that has come about since moving to the US, has been learning about all the wildlife. Now don't get me wrong, British garden birds are pretty, but there's something exciting about learning all the new bird varieties and just seeing how colorful they are. To me, there's something rather tropical about a bright yellow or red bird passing through and munching away on your bird feeder.

Spring comes with the arrival of the American Robin (above) which is actually Michigan's state bird. Thing is, here it's the same size of a Blackbird which, when you're use to them being on Christmas cards and being the same size of a sparrow back in England, it takes a bit to get your head around. 

Oh Woody the Woodpecker (and his Mrs) that you can hear head banging away more often than actually seeing him. Nevertheless Downy Woodpeckers are one of the common garden birds to be spotted in American gardens. Even here in the suburbs it's great to see what would have been a really wild and unseen bird in the UK just chilling out in my back garden.

Blue Jays with their blue colouring and white belly have a bit of a bad reputation. They are noisy, they are super territorial, scaring off other birds (even hawks, owls & humans) and have been known to eat other birds eggs. But with that blue plumage, they sure are pretty.

Northern Cardinals though, they have to be my favourite. Being bright red (although the female Cardinals are more of the reddy brown) they have a funky Mohawk feathering over their heads. We regularly have a Mr and Mrs Cardinal that pop through the front garden.

Red winged blackbirds aren't a sight you see all to often - in fact this photograph was taken on a Detroit Zoo visit. But there's something beautiful about that hint of red on their wing. It's the male Red-Winged Blackbirds that get all that colourful feathering mind you, the females are just a nondescript brown.

Now American Goldfinches don't appear that often either, but I guess the sunflower (one that was self seeded from apparently one of the sunflower seeds that we filled the feeder with once) was too hard to resist. Sunflowers are apparently one of their favorite foods after all. 

We've also had some hawks sitting in the magnolia tree, which often a little scary when you're caught unaware with a huge bird flying onto your porch as it eyes up the sparrows. It's always something similar to the bird photographed above when we were waiting in line for the drive through at our bank back in 2013. As you do.

And of course, wherever you are in the world, you'll always find ...

The pigeon ... it's like a clip from the Hitchcock film Birds when they line up eyeing up the bird food.  

Paying a little extra for the fancy wild bird food certainly pays off when you get pretty birds popping through the garden daily. Joe came across a set of old binoculars at an estate sale for a mere $10 the other week so I can be even more of a twitcher in my spare time. 

Have a favorite bird? Come share in the comments!

EXPAT LIFE: A Country By It's Food

You probably all know me well enough by know that browsing the British food section in stores over here in the US is a bit of a past time for me. Mainly because different stores sell different variations, different brands, different prices and so on. 

But recently it got me thinking about what obviously Brits and perhaps those lovers of British food are buying in these stories. What goods to the supermarkets put out and therefore on a larger picture, what does it say about Brits and the food we eat in general. 

On our last trip to Meijer, which wasn't for British food at all, in fact it was to stock up on the wine. I was wasting time and took a wander to that favorite part of the store. I actually ended up grabbing some Areo's because 89c you can't say no - (which works out at like 59p score!!).

Apparently we like eating biscuits and condiments. I know for me, HP and Tomato sauce are my two must haves.

Typically you'll find;

Biscuits

• Hob nobs
• Digestives - plain & chocolate
• Tea biscuits
• Shortbread - general Scottish brand
• Fingers

Chocolate/Sweets

• Lion bars 
• Yorkies
• Areos
• Wine Gums
• Fruit pastels
• Bounty
• Double deckers
• Flakes

Beverages

• Ribena -
• Robinson's orange squash
• Irn Bru (sometimes)
• Tea - often random brands I've never heard of before, Yorkshire, PJ and Tetley tea can often be found in the normal tea section (luckily)

Condiments

• Heinz Salad Cream
• HP Sauce
• Malt vinegar
• Mint sauce
• Bramston pickles 

Extras

• Mushy peas
• Custard
• Pickled onions
• Rice pudding
• Heinz tomato Soup
• Heinz baked beans
• Gravy granules
• Always some kind of oatmeal 
• Golden syrup 

As for the prices, they can be all over the place and often depends on where you shop. Holiday Market in Royal Oak has a large British food section but you're looking at over $5 (£3.29) for a salad cream and $1.70 (£1.12) for a chocolate bar when Meijer have them around $4 (£2.64) and $1.20 (£0.79) respectively. So like most things, it pays to shop around if you have the time.

I guess we're pretty lucky in being able to buy at least this selection of goods and it's interesting like I say to see what British expats want while they live aboard and what a store orders in. Granted there are things I wish I could find - Quavers being one, Jaffa cakes, bourbon biscuits but I'll take what I can and mix it in with my American eating these days!

What food would you miss if you moved countries?

 

EXPAT REVELATIONS: The Seasons

Weather and the seasons, that age old tradition that us Brits love, love, love to talk about. As you might have noticed, it does frequently feature on my blog. Which is why I enjoyed putting together this topic for the Expat Revelation series with Holly. I didn't consider the seasonal differences before moving here I will be honest. Maybe if I had, I would have been mentally prepared for the differences between South East Michigan and East Yorkshire. 

Michigan is both warmer (yey) and colder (boo) than Yorkshire. Average temperatures hit a high of 82F (28C) in July to a cold 17F (-8) in January. It seems in the last three plus years that America has been home, all averages have been smashed. Especially the average cold temperature, -8C would be a pretty warm seeing I've spent most of 2015 in -20C. Luckily, Michigan is a lot dryer than good old Yorkshire, not that that's at all surprising it does like to rain in Yorkshire. Less rain, more snow, I can't win. 

So let's start as we mean to go on with the season right out my window, winter:

PHOTO: NOAA via The Detroit News

Right now i'm covered under that super cold whiteness. Yes it's that cold and wintry.  

I have to admit, I have never seen as much as snow as I have until moving here. In winter you're guaranteed a good foot or four or snow throughout the season with -20C becoming the new norm this year. In fact in 2013 we hit about 100 inches in total of snow. Around here winter is measured by how much the Great Lakes freeze over. Currently that stands at nearly 85% of the Lakes being covered by ice. Which is pretty awesome when you consider the Great Lakes is home to 21% of the worlds fresh water by volume (ta wiki for that fact). Unlike the UK, Michigan doesn't grind to a halt and just gets on with it. Wearing four layers becomes the norm, -8C feels warm, and snow shoveling is a nice winter work out.

Spring brings hazy days but not until late April and May. Temperatures are much like a warm British summer day. As  far as seasons go, it's pretty uneventful but lovely all the same. 

Oh summer with your long hot days around the high 20's into the 30's (C). Still a little hot for this Brit to fully enjoy. Sometimes we get a tornado watch or warning when it's the season (late spring through early summer). Sometimes one passes through, although rarely. Long warm days lead to stormy nights. The thunder is eerily loud and threatening enough that it use to scare me the first year or so.

And what's the result of those warm spring days, lovely summers and a mild autumn with it's colder nights? A beautiful colorful colourful autumn finale. The fall colours Michigan has to offer because of it's seasons is one of the reasons I love calling the mitten home. Burnt oranges, to crisp reds and dazzling golden yellows, the Michigan landscape comes alive. By the end of October the trees are naked and Thanksgiving always rolls around with a snow shower or three.

We're lucky in Michigan that we actually get to enjoy all four seasons with their quirks and charms. According to all the seasonal information out there, Michigan is more cloudy than the norm. It's one of the affects of being surrounded by all the Great Lakes. Many leave the mitten and it's surrounding northern states for the warmer climes of the south to retire, it certainly tests what you're made of. But those fall colours, having those of your doorstep, that makes it all worth while in my book.

EXPAT: On Becoming a Little Bit American

[Chicago]

When you make a new country your home, it's only natural that the more you feel a home there, the more you adopt some of the local culture, traditions, mannerisms. It can be a fine balancing act juggling my British ways and finding my feet with new American ways, sometimes they past me by. Many of them actually did until I got thinking for this edition of the expat revelations link up with Holly.

So, in the three plus years America has been my home, how do I think I've become just a little part of the furniture?!

A for Effort with Coupons
The art of coupons is very much a sport over this side of the pond, of which I am but a mere beginner. I do love being able to put coupons on my shoppers card but I don't go the extremes of buying Sunday papers just for the coupons. It is pretty fun though seeing how much you save. 

Americanized Spelling
Just for points sake I stuck the z (zed though, not zee) in there. I wonder if we didn't have an eBay store that this would have changed as much as it has but I have adjusted my spelling. It's not so conscious anymore especially when typing. I miss out "u"s and throw out "z"'s all over the place these days.

Reese's to Hot Dogs

I eat like an American I will be honest and I love love LOVE American food especially with all the choices you can find here. Then again I was never one for traditional British food - well the meat pies, the roast dinners at least. Granted we live in a HUGE metro area so if you fancy Mexican it's right there, some Korean, perhaps some Mongolian?! Well that's there too. We're pretty spoiled in Detroit for some incredibly good food.

[Weaknesses - Reeses Puffs & Taco Bell]

Reese's cereal is the first cereal in 28 years that I actually like eating, I love a good milkshake from Steak & Shake, a cheeky order from Taco Bell, or a coney to American baked beans. And if needs be, I can happily eat a bar of American made chocolate without turning my nose up.

Issues - From Politics to Immigration
From politics, attitudes to healthcare, immigration, who might run for president in 2016 they all interest (and often annoy me), those choices affect my life even though as a green card holder I can't vote. Mind you it all gets a little depressing so I often tune out but, I have an interest for sure. I still know (to a point) what's going on in the UK politically but I have more awareness and interest over this side of the pond. 

Foreign Homeland
Saying that, the UK feels more and more of a foreign place to me. I cling to listening to the BBC, I like to know what's going on but there's a difference between being told what's occurring and what it feels like on the ground. I'm out of touch with friends, with what's on the TV, what the must have trend is in New Look. 

[Pittsburgh

All the Grown Up Documents

I have American health insurance, American life insurance, an American mortgage, an American dentist, an American bank account, a house here ... you get the picture.

"I'm an Alien, i'm a Legal Alien"

When May comes around I can apply for US citizenship. While it's not something I plan on apply for this year at least (we need that money for fixing up the house and my green card is good through 2024) I know one day in a couple of years I want to start the ball rolling and become a US citizen. It's not something I take lightly although it's something I know I want to do. I want the US properly to be my home and feel fully integrated. I want the right the vote here and to have the right to say I'm a citizen.

[I'm very very slowly exploring the USA] 

Sometimes knowing i'm becoming more American doesn't bother me, I take it with a pinch of salt, other times it brings on the homesickness and memories of that Brit that's still deep inside. Being surrounded by American culture, ways and means it's only natural that I take some of these aspects into daily life, i'm not immune to influence but all these things I do, I try to keep a balance with my British ways and traditions, which is probably worthy of a post in and of itself so i'll leave it at that for now. 

LIFE: Commenting on American Culture

A discussion on Reddit grew so popular the other week it even got a mention on the BBC. The thread with over 40,000 comments asked non Americans to comment on the US customs they found the strangest. Finding myself nodding away to their suggestions, I thought i'd compile a list of my own. 

The fascination with university sports, especially American Football here in the US is extreme. Don't get me wrong there is always some university pride in your university teams back in the UK, but in the US it's at another level. American Football matches featuring university teams have a higher crowd attendance that UK Premiership games. To be honest, aside from ice hockey, I don't really understand the huge love for American Football or baseball. Speaking of university - it's cost. From seeing, and without getting too personal, the cost Joe's paid, and will be paying for a very long time for going to university.

Medication advertisements, which pretty much all have a risk of death. Then followed by an advertisement for a lawsuit over a medical complication. Speaking of advertisements, America goes a little OTT for them whether it's celebrating Christmas, tax season or something political.. If you thought party political ads in the UK were bad, here they get down right dirty, personal and often very misleading. 

If you ever visit a public toilet in the US you'll have noticed that "huge" gaps around the toilet door. I'm not sure of the purpose - to make eye contact with the person on the loo? To check if the loo is empty? To make every one super uncomfy?! 

In the wider scheme of things, attitudes to healthcare, lack of maternity provision, the gun culture, sales tax, Black Friday (and by it's extension Britain trying to get all over Black Friday - yeah just no), "news" channels, not using the metric system.

Which parts of American culture do you love or like me, just not understand?!

LIFE: Biggest Fear(s) as an Expat

I'll be the first to admit that I have a fair new fears, anxiety filled moments when it comes to being an expat. Even more so that this for me, is a hard topic to speak about, it reveals what I find to be my weakness, that being an expat isn't always a rosy experience. It's hard for to pin point one fear that troubles me more than other and the fears have certainly changed and no doubt will continue to do so.  So I thought I'd share some of the main worries for the last in the Expat Revelations with Holly - past, every day ones and possible future issues.

Healthcare
Moving from the UK with it's free NHS (well paid with taxes) to the US without any medical coverage was a big fear. Until I was granted my greencard I couldn't be added onto Joe's health insurance coverage. So for the first six months I was running uninsured and wild and dangerous and probably should have wrapped myself up in bubble wrap. That was until I got strep 3 months into uncovered period and I had to go to the urgent care. Without insurance seeing a Dr cost $100 - any treatment and tests just added up that total. Now fast forward and having that health insurance is a big relief, it's still not cheap to visit a Dr or get medication, but it makes it cheaper and something to stress about a little less.

The homeland
Honestly I worry about returning to the UK, even to visit. I haven't returned since I left, I worry, and well know that the UK isn't the same country - politically and socially and I'm not that unworldly girl that left in 2011. People have changed - friends have had babies, got married, people have died and again I'm not that person they use to know (I talk about immigration guilt which somewhat relates to this point more here). Absence changes everyone - yourself and the ones you left behind. Being so use to an American way of life - a life of American pancakes, of having money notes all the same size, American gas prices, of Target and mom n pop diners, being "British" again for whatever crazy reason, even if it's just for a week, is scary.

Of Being The Foreigner 
Being that British girl, that foreigner, of still being an outsider is always a constant fear. It's an insecurity that blankets my life, a fear of never fully belonging in either the US or the UK, like which country is really home. Everyday fears of my accent making me stick out but I also fear completely loosing my East Yorkshire twang, of meeting people, of being misunderstood, humour falling flat, saying, doing the wrong thing.

Paperwork
Visa, greencard paper has been a fear since 2011 but it's one that still comes into play when I have to apply for something new. Go back to April/May of this year and my fear of having to prove my marriage was real. Granted my greencard entitles me to live in the US for ten years, by then I want to have applied and being granted citizenship. But I fear not being able to remember all of the key constitutional points and it's amendments of all the government roles and things. I need to the battle the fear of applying for citizenship (and also what that means on a personal level as no longer being just a British citizenship - although being a Brit I'm granted dual citizenship but still) to stop the constant green card renewal fear.

Fears are something I don't think people speak about on blogs enough and certainly not enough on expat based blogs. It's not wrong to admit any of us has a fear whether big or small, but for some reason admitting you have a fear while being an expat is too real, it's too open about admitting that the expat dream isn't as amazing or as grand as you want everyone to believe.

LIFE: Seeking Comfort in a Foreign Land

Source

While I often talk about exploring the US as a Brit, it's rare that I that share the feelings, the emotions of being thousands of miles from the land of my nationality. Sometimes that British land, it's countryside, it's TV shows and food feels so far away. So as part of the expat revelations link up with Holly - the blogger behind English Girl Canadian Man, I want to find the words to talk more about being away from the homeland in a strange country and all the emotions, feelings behind it. I mean it has been nearly 3 years, and writing about it might just help me deal with my lack of confidence because of being a bit of an outsider.

When those times arise when I miss the country, or all the rain reminds me of Yorkshire or I crave mushy peas, when I feel a little lost or I get bugged about my accent again, the one way of finding comfort for me, is food. But not in the comfort eating piling on the pounds way. Food is comforting but it's also a fantastic way of embracing your new home and culture and a way of keeping in touch with your homeland.

I admit, I love food, I love trying new food, granted sometimes it all feels a little overwhelming but it's a great adventure all the same. Prior to moving to the US I'd never eaten any Mexican food nor really had a milkshake - now both firm favorites. Let's be honest I'd barely stepped into a fast food place prior to moving here. Food is that bridge between cultures. You can embrace the new (the BBQ, pancakes, burgers) your own culture (the fish n chips, pasties) and even find new foreign cuisines in your own foreign land (in my instance Mexicantown). That's one of the things that makes America so great, it's history of immigrants, of movement and travel there's so much international influence in food. It all comes to play in food.

The English (left) verses the America fish n chips - which would you prefer?

It's even fun to make it a challenge - like my adventures in trying Cornish Pasties up in Traverse City and Mackinaw City to finding the best place in Metro Detroit that serves up fish n chips. I still get to eat a British favorite, but I'm eating how Americans think it should be. Sometimes it's bang on, sometimes it's presented in a way you might never have considered, sometimes it's way off the mark. It's fun all the same and sometimes I just need that plate of fish n chips, or I need that bacon sarnie with HP sauce dribbled all over, a boiled egg with soldiers for my lunch, my salad topped off with salad cream not one of the thousands of salad dressings you'll find in a store here.

I could go on.

Food itself is comforting. It can warm you up, cool you down, fill your needs and invite your senses to new places. Embracing the local cuisine, eating where the locals eat, to having a favorite on a menu is that step to reaching out, to finding a home. But sometimes just a trip to the local store (Meijer in my case) just to pass a glance over the British section of the international food aisle. Picking up a treat whether it's brown sauce, salad cream or an overpriced Yorkie bar, just that can take a girl back to her Yorkshire roots. 

But if there's one thing that is more comforting than anything, well that's always a cuppa tea.

That and my childhood teddy bear that I brought over with me, reading a good book, crafting but the cuppa tea, that's always a winner lets be honest.

LIFE: America & it's Growing Love for Football - the British Perspective

Source

Being British and watching football pretty much goes hand in hand. It's part of our national heritage and identity even if you hate the sport. Every four years as the World Cup rolls around, our nation dusts off the car flags, buys the beer and thinks perhaps this is the year for brining the cup home. Sadly in reality this is rarely the case. You could argue it was the heat, the team never travels well or whatever else you can think of, but their lackluster performances always leaves you wanting, wishing for more. This year has been no exception and I should probably point out that I was backing the US from the off rather than my home country - I'm not sure what that says about me or my national homeland pride these days but I'm rolling with it all the same.

In coming to the US, I moved from a country which has so much national pride in it's team it's like a religion, to America - a nation that's only now really working out what the fuss is all about when it comes to the game. With a win and a draw, hopes are running high for today's game against Germany, will the US succeed where England failed? Will they get the chance to go beyond the group stages?

Football as a sport, and as a sport to watch across the US has been growing in popularity in the last couple of decades. While it might be played by kids in school, it's up against the big national sports (American football, ice hockey, basketball and baseball games) for attention and participation especially at university and therefore, professional levels. Furthermore, for some reason, perhaps this is a Detroit news thing, reporters - Pat Cupto in particular seems to make it his mission to dismiss American's interest in football as just being a World Cup thing, that American football is the only proper football to be watching yet alone playing. 

Thing is, it's not, attitudes are changing.

American residents purchased 200,000 World Cup tickets, second only to Brazil. Bars are packed for games, Americans themselves rather than purely expats from football loving countries are coming out and lending their support. Since the US hosted the 1994 World Cup, and the creation of the Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1993, more and more Americans are tuning in to watch football teams, regardless of the country playing. As a result, US soccer teams, are growing a fan base.

Nevertheless, European football leagues, particularly games from the Premier League teams draw in the biggest American audiences. Yet with 70 millions supposed soccer fans here in the country, MLS teams are battling to catch more of the limelight. In the US, top league football is played in the MLS which comprises of 3 Canadian teams and 16 from the US, divided again into the Eastern and Western conferences. But like the UK there are minor leagues, and our local Detroit City FC founded only in 2012, can be found in the 4th tier of the soccer pyramid.

Detroit City FC Source.

While reporters like Cupto would have you believe that soccer loving in the US was and only will ever be a World Cup fad and that's is too much of an un-American sport to ever get behind, he's wrong. If the growth in the sports popularity in the last two decades is anything to do by, the sport will only continue to grow, be that through star players or TV audience figures. 

Football/soccer may not be an American expression of national identity like to many in the UK, but as any sport it can bring people together. Whether it's right or wrong to get you're hopes up about the fortunes, or indeed misfortunes of the England team, it's refreshing to experience a country slowly, but surely getting behind it's football team, and i'm sure we can all get behind that.

What's your take on football? How to you rate USA's chances against Germany?

FOOD: The American Baked Bean

Before moving to the US, everyone I worked with always use to tell me how much I'd hate American baked beans. Baked beans to me are one of those things I could never skimp on and buy a shops own brand, it would always have to be Heinz. They are certainly a key cultural icon in the UK - I mean we have them for breakfast, lunch or tea. We all grew up with baked beans on toast, they go perfect with a slice or three of bacon and well they are fine on their own if we're honest and some would even admit to eating them cold.

It's funny how a tin of beans can become and reflect wider cultural impacts and experiences of food when you are an expat, when the things you've eaten for the last 25 odd years in my case suddenly change, hence why this blogger challenge post is about the baked bean, rather than a recipe, which I would normally do anyway. I'm shaking it up.

When you compare the two nations and there two versions of the baked bean, there is actually a far bit of a difference. In the US you'll find them much sweeter due to the inclusion of brown sugar and in variety of sauces and if we're getting observant different in colour. But many say the key difference is down to the tomato sauce - in the US it's certainly thinner, more watery and actually more expensive. 

According to many an expat, baked beans of the British variety are one of the main food items us expat miss the most although they can be found in those British food sections in the import aisle although you'll probably have to fork out about $3-4 for a tin. Myself? Actually not, I oddly prefer the American variety because they are sweeter and yes the bacon pieces is my winning factor even thought it might only be a teeny tiny 1cm slice in the entire tin. But I think I'm one of the few British expats that prefer the American baked bean.

Custard on the other hand is another matter entirely ... American's can't do custard.

What are your thoughts and what do you love to have your baked beans with? If you've ever tried them, are you a lover or hater of the American baked bean? What would you miss if you moved countries?

 This post is the #6 in the 2014bloggerchallenge.

LIFE: Paczki Day

I was certainly going to town on the fat on Fat Tuesday, what with paczki's and pancakes. What is a paczki I hear you cry from over the Atlantic Ocean? As much as they look like, and the word paczki actually translates from the Polish into doughnuts they differ in the batter used for frying them. They're often filled with yummy fillings like raspberry, strawberries or just covered in a glaze, but traditionally they were filled with plum and rose hip. They are a lot richer and a lot taster than your average doughnut for sure.

They are a bit of a big deal around these parts - as Polish immigrants moved into the region they brought their food and traditions with them. The city of Hamtramck is made up of a big Polish population and is the center for paczki and Fat Tuesday traditions. Due to the popularity they can be found in food stores too especially in areas across the US with similarly high Polish populations which is were I grabbed mine - filled with a yummy strawberry filling and I also had a "proper" paczki later that was filled with the most gooey and delicious lemon curd filling. Heavenly. 

But being a mix of cultures these days, I'm all for having a traditional crepe pancakes (lately I've been always making American style pancakes so it was a welcome change) and gave me an excuse to get through some of the cappuccino ice cream that's a little strong tasting on it's own!

What did you eat for Fat Tuesday?

FOOD: British Foods in American Stores

British food is somewhat easy to come by living in the 'burbs - at least in the larger supermarkets or more higher price specialised stores. Passing through Royal Oak at the weekend we took for having a wander inside Holiday Market - a higher end supermarket which has an average sized British section (right next to some interesting looking German imports if I do say so).

Standing infront of all the British food goodies makes me feel like a kid in a sweets store, and being a little over priced, I tend to only buy one thing at a time depending on my cravings. It amuses as well as intrigues me as to just what food you'll find upon those British shelves - what do American store owners think is typically enough British to be there and therefore what are people (expats or otherwise) buying. 

Regardless of the store there's some regular products - your Birds custard, mushy peas (was very tempted), HP sauces (more likely to be the normal over fruity version), PG Tips (Tetley you can find in the normal tea aisle) and some form of digestive or hobnob, maybe some Ribenna. As for chocolate bars - well for $1.70 (plus tax) you might want to purchase yourself a single Aero bar, Yorkie Bars, Double Decker, Curly Wurly, Bounty or Lion bar. You'll always find some version of marmalade, vinegar, Marmite and gravy granules, I even saw Penguin bars this time, but sadly no Irn Bru.  

I did see Pickled Walnuts - I've never even heard of pickled walnuts. I know there's this image that us Brits like anything that's pickled, but walnuts, really?!

So what did I buy? 

Salad Cream.

Yes the Yorkshire lass who has been away from the home turf for over two years brought one bottle of salad cream over everything else. Why?! Because there's nothing like it in the US. There might be endless - and I really mean huge salad dressing shelves in supermarkets here but there is nothing like salad cream and not being a huge fan of mayo, nothing comes close. 

How much for said salad cream - $5.29 - worth every last cent. 

What food(s) would you miss if you left your home country?

PS. Thanks for all the lovely comments on yesterdays whiskey post - it went down a lot better then I had expected. Liquor posts may have to become another feature across the year. 

CHRISTMAS: Those UK - US Differences.

You might not think it but there's actually a fair few differences when it comes to celebrating Christmas between the UK and the US. Whereas the US is more for sticking up your tree and decorating your home in November for the festive season, there's big differences in the little things that you come to associate with Christmas in the UK. So I thought I'd share a few, things that even with this being my third Christmas in the US I'm still getting use to, it's mostly the things that don't appear over this side of the pond;

Christmas Crackers

Central to the British Christmas, crackers have never really made it over the ocean (although I hear you can occasionally find them). Why is beyond me, why wouldn't you want to wear a silly paper hat and read a crazily cheesy joke over your sprouts?!

Mince Pies

Mince meat for such pies is oddly different in the US alone - often coming in a box that's hard as a rock when you can find it for $7 a jar. Recipes upon the reverse of said jars are always for actual mince pies - yes a pie sized mince pie. In the US it's more about the Christmas cookie, in fact everything is about the cookie, year around.

Christmas Cake and Christmas Pudding

Both are somewhat a little old fashioned in the UK, both are pretty much vacant from the US Christmas scene especially the Christmas Pudding. A lot of my vintage cookbooks do have recipes for Christmas Cakes but this is certainly missing from more contemporary book yet along supermarket selves. 

Tins of Sweets 

Walk into any supermarket in the UK and you'd be greeted with mountains of Quality Street tins, not so here. Quality Streets are non existent but so are similar kinds of sweets, or even tins of sweets. Your're lucky if you still find a bag of Twizzlers from Halloween.

Eggnog

Aside from your spiced and hard cider, Eggnog is a big drink of choice around the Christmas season. Admittedly it's not only I like, I tried it for the first time last year and really didn't like - one I happy give a miss. 

Boxing Day

That special day of eating the Christmas leftovers or of visiting the other side of the family otheriwse known as Boxing Day in the UK and Canada just doesn't exisit in the US. December 26th to many is straight back to the work grind and Christmas is done and over for the year. While there are post Christmas sales, there's nothing compared to the Boxing Day sales you'd find in the UK. It's certainly a way of getting over Christmas, a little too quickly for my liking.

What would you miss about your countries traditions at Christmas time?

Image sources - Christmas crackers, Christmas pudding, Tinsel, Quality Street Tin, Mince Pies

LIFE: What England Could Learn About Dealing With Snow

Us Brits should be use to snow, it darn well happens every year to varying degrees. It snows in America too, granted I haven't experienced a particularly snowy winter (I think this might be the exception) but the shocking differences in how England and US cope with the white stuff is striking, to say the least.

The days of commuting to and from York on the bus would mean the bus being an hour late arriving, then an hour late reaching York from a couple of inches of snow. You'd be lucky to see a gritter go by once a day on an evening in my former neck of the woods. We see the flake of snowfall and we get grumpy, the transport grinds to a halt and the country goes nowhere. Thing is while I mock, us northerners get on with it better than the south, additionally being from the north our snowfall rarely features on the news. Two snowflakes in London and it's the end of the world.

Snow doesn't seem to faze American's (at least not in states accustomed to it). People still go to work, go shopping, buses still run. The first sign of snow on turnpikes and freeways and salter teams (yes teams) work up and down to keep the roads clear. Salters in the US exist rather then gritters - salt works to melt the snow and ice and while it can badly rust your car it works so much better for getting and keeping roads passable. 

Americans are legally obliged to clear any snow from covering the paths in front of their home and applying salt or sand and so on to keep it safe. Could you imagine UK residents doing the same shovel in hand during a snow storm? I think not. Or maybe I'm too cynical.

Over the weekend snowstorm Electra hit us here in Michigan, I think we felt about 6 inches or so of snow. Granted there were issues, as it was snowing throughout the day the salters couldn't keep up and freeway driving was a little dicey at least in the morning. Our apartment complex managers didn't feel the need to clear the snow from around the grounds because it was a Saturday and no one had given the say so getting to and from the car, wasn't easy. I mean who know snow would fall on a weekend of all days .... Nevertheless it certainly wasn't stopping people from getting out and yes, that's a photograph somewhat showing the conditions down in Detroit during said snowstorm while finishing up at estate sale. People here battle through snow, sadly the UK could look to learning how to cope a little better.

I mean, it's not like it doesn't happen every year or anything ... that would be crazy!

What's your take? Do you love the snowy season? How do people cope with it where you live?