Few more images of UCL dorm, Astor College

Cultural Matters: English Candy

Although not everyone is a fan of English food, most agree that England showcases some of the best candy around, especially for chocolate lovers. Sweeter and milkier than most American chocolate (many English claim that Hershey chocolate has a sour aftertaste), sweets (as candy is often referred to) is a regular feature of English life. The two biggest producers are Nestle and Cadbury UK (which was started by John Cadbury in 1824. Just this year -- 2010 -- Cadbury was taken over by the American company Kraft.)

Curly Wurly
My personal all-time favorite. Started in 1971, it's chocolate covered caramel.

Flake
A crumbly milk chocolate bar. Has an odd mouth-feel at first, but quite addictive.

Wispa (Cadbury) and Aero (Nestle)
Crunchy aerated chocolate.

Crunchie
Going back to 1929, this a honey-combed crunchy chocolate bar.

Yorkies
Named for York, England where it began in 1976, this is a large chocolate bar.

Smarties
A slightly larger version of American M&Ms.

Chomp
Chewy chocolate bar.

Dairy Milk
The classic English chocolate bar.

Jelly Babies
The classic English candy. Basically Gummi Bears.

Some common English - American words

Although too much has probably been made of the differences between English words in the U.S. versus Great Britain -- playwright George Bernard Shaw once famously said that England and the USA were "two countries separated by a common langauge" -- there are some differences that any American traveller should be aware of. (Although generally, thanks to movies and TV, they will know what you mean even when you may not know what they mean.) I have listed a few common English words below in no particular order followed by the American equivalent.

ENGLISH                        AMERICAN

Pound                               The main currency; like our dollar.

Quid                                 Slang for the Pound  "Can I borrow five quid?"

Wayout                             Exit

Hire                                  Rent

Football                             Soccer

Takeaway                          Take-out (as in pizza)

Carpark                             Parking lot

Petrol                                Gas, Fuel

En suite                             Hotel room with private bath

VAT                                  Value Added Tax (sales tax) 

Chemist                             Pharmacist

Motorway                          Highway

Single carriageway            Two-lane road

Dual carriageway              Four-lane road

High street                        Main street

Give way                          Yield

Lorry                                Pick-up truck

Single-ticket                      One way

Return ticket                      Round trip

Toilet                                Bathroom, restroom

WC (Watercloset)             Bathroom, restroom

Mate                                Friend, pal, buddy

Telly                                 Television

Boot                                 Trunk

Bonnet                             Hood

Trainers                            Tennis shoes, sneakers

Trousers                           Pants

Jumper                            Pullover (sweater)

Kit                                  Uniform

Posh                               Expensive, overly fancy

Tube                               Subway

Biscuits                           Cookies

Scones                           Biscuits (sort of)

Crisps                            Chips

Chips                             Fries

Jacket potato                 Bakeed potato

Jam                                Jelly

Sweets                           Candy

Wind up                         Tease
Take the Piss                  Tease

Fag                                Cigarette

Hoover                          Vacuum cleaner or to vacuum

Letter box                      Mail box

Cultural Matters: More British Television

Since the last post was about language, I thought I'd return again to TV -- since one of the best things American visitors to Britain can do to acclimate themselves to the language is to watch English movies and especially television (as their TV shows are generally aimed at a British audience, while their films tend to more 'universal' in accents and vocabulary.)

This Easter was a big TV weekend for Britain with the season debuts of Ashes to Ashes and Doctor Who. To get you started, below are clips from several recent British shows.(Also be sure to check out my earlier TV post). NOTE -- to view properly, right-click and then click "Show all" to get the proper perspective.

PS -- if you bring your laptop, you can get online access to the BBC's iplayer website (which is only available in England) to watch all the newest shows. Also consider trying to attend a television taping while in London.


BBC Drama trailer for Spring/Summer 2010
Clips featuring shots of all the BBC's newest shows. Many of these shows will be playing while we are there.


Doctor Who (2010 season, with new tenth doctor)





Jonathan Ross Show
The BBC's equivalent to the Tonight Show. The below clip with a embarrassingly cocky and obnoxious Miley Cyrus is one of the most uncomfortable TV moments in recent years (and therefore quite hilarious).



Catherine Tate Show
One of England's most popular comedians, Catherine Tate starred in her own highly popular sketch show for several years. Below are two clips of her most famous characters: the insulting and profane Nan; and the teenage 'chav', Lauren Cooper with then Prime Minister Tony Blair.





Ashes to Ashes (see earlier post for more info)

What to Expect: Week 3 (Monday, 5 July -- Sunday 11 July)

 Greenwich, London

After a night of celebrating the Fourth of July, we will discuss t\he role of disease and fire in English history. In particular we will look at the Black Death, the Great Plague of 1665 and the Great Fire of London of 1666. The lecture on Wednesday is Cod, Colonists, and the Columbian Exchange: A Salty History of Ecological Imperialism. It looks at the environmental causes of the discovery and settling of the New World, as well as its ecological consequences.

The field trip this week will be a walking tour of the City (oldest part of London) and a visit to the Museum of London's Great Fire of 1666 exhibit. Following lunch, we will travel to the Cutty Sark station to visit the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, the site of the Greenwich Mean Time clock, from which all time zones derive. We will discuss the maritime history of London, the pursuit of Longitude, the creation of the Royal Observatory, and the various perceptions of time at the Royal Clock.

National Maritime Museum

Royal Observatory

Greenwich Mean Time clock

Happy Birthday, London Underground

Just read that today, 10 January 2010 is the birthday of the world's oldest subway --- the London Underground (known by most as simply, The Tube.) Here is a link with more information:
http://www.smittenbybritain.com/2010/01/london-underground-today-in-history.html

Cultural Matters: English Television

Sorry for the lack of recent updates…

To me, one of the most enjoyable aspects of travel is to immerse oneself into the culture before arriving at your destination. And for England, there are so many ways to do this – through books, magazines, radio (all BBC Radio programs are free on the web for Americans), films, and especially television. Much of British TV is available on DVD, Netflix, BBC America, or Youtube. The following are a few of the more popular shows currently enjoyed throughout Great Britain.

Gavin and Stacey
This is a show about the romance between a young man (Gavin, played by Matthew Horne) from a middle class family in Essex (near London) and a working class girl (Stacey, played by Joana Page ) from Barry Island, Wales. Both sweet and darkly humorous, the show deals not only with their growing relationship, but the inevitable cultural clashes between their families and friends. Not only has this been a smash hit, but several Welsh slang terms (“Tidy”, Cracking,” and “What’s occurring?”) have become hip catch phrases in England. Rob Brydon (as Stacey's Welsh uncle Bryn), James Corden (as Gavin’s best friend Smithy) and Ruth Jones (as Stacey’s best friend Nessa) have become cult heroes, complete with a number 1 hit song last Spring. The show just completed its third (and final) season in early January. (In England, a season is called a series, and usually run from 6 to 13 shows). The first two seasons have been released in the U.S. on DVD.

Clip 1: Gavin meets Stacey (and Smithy meets Nessa)

Clip 2: Fish and Chips with Smithy

Clip 3: Do They Know Its Christmas

Doctor Who
While the U.S. may have Star Trek and Star Wars, the British have Doctor Who, which in terms of longevity and fandom (if not always in budget or special effects) has us Yanks beat in spades. The cult show originally ran on the BBC (Britain’s premiere television channel) from 1963 to 1989, it was then revived in 2005 (and still going strong) with better effects, larger budgets, and has become even more popular. The basic premise is the The Doctor (the title is in fact a question, as no one knows his real name) is a Time Lord, and pops around the universe in different time periods in his Tardis (disguised as a old English Police Call Box) to “fix” things. Along the way, he picks up companions and fights off enemies such as the Cybermen or the Daleks. And if mortally wounded, can regenerate into someone else (a nifty way whenever thye need to change actors.) The most revent performer to play The Doctor was David Tennant, who just ended his run on New Years Day. Any American hoping to fit in with England’s pop culture should know their Doctor Who.

Clip 1: His Name is the Doctor

Clip 2: The Lonely Angel (Doctor Who tribute video)

Clip 3: The very first opening theme (1963)

Life on Mars (followed by sequel Ashes to Ashes)
Named after a David Bowie song (as was its sequel), this police drama is about a police officer, Sam Tyler, (played by John Simm) who gets hit by a car in 2006 then wakes ups in 1973. In a world without cell phones, computers, DNA or the internet, he has to maneuver his way around Manchester’s police station while pleasing his boss, the wonderfully political incorrect Gene Hunt (played by Philip Glenister). A fun show, with a sequel that takes place in the eighties. The series will end this summer while we are in London.

Clip 1: Opening titles of show

Clip 2: Sam Tyler meets Gene Hunt in 1973

Clip 3: Ashes to Ashes intro

Cultural Matters: Blogs About Americans in England

For anyone in the US visiting England, there are no shortage of blogs about what to expect, enjoy, experience in England. Below are some of the more common and effective ones:

Anglo Addict
http://www.angloaddict.com/

The Anglo File
http://theanglofile.wordpress.com/

Smitten By Britain
http://www.smittenbybritain.com/

Anglotopia
http://www.anglotopia.net/

Brit Fancy
http://britfancy.blogspot.com/

Britannia in Brief
http://britanniainbrief.blogspot.com/

Postcards From Across the Pond
http://postcardsfromacrossthepond.blogspot.com/

Cultural Matters: English versus American culture (the comedians viewpoint)

Two funny videos about American and British culture. The first, by British comedian Ricky Gervais, from the David Letterman Show, is about American stereotypes of the English:

Video 1

The second is John Cleese (of Monty Python) on the differences between American and English football:

Video 2

What to Expect: Week 2 (Monday, 28 June -- Sunday 4 July)

This week we will first discuss Humans: Separate From or a Part of Nature? Creation, Evolution, and the Debate Over Humans in the Natural World. The question will be are humans a part of nature -- or apart from it? Even more than religion, the closeness between humans and the natural world seems to be sticking point for many regarding Darwin's ideas. In this lecture, we will look at the development of modern humans and what that tells us about race and culture; then we will look at the history of ideas of human origins from Creation to Darwin to DNA.

On Wednesday, we will then look at the peopling of the British Isles and the ecological changes and adaptations that brought about. We will also compare these early Britons with ideas and images of the "Ecological Indian." In recent years there's been much discussion about Native Americans: Were they environmentalists? Or did they, too, cause ecological changes?

Our field trip this week will be to Charles Darwin's home, Down House, in Downe, England just south of London. It was here that Darwin developed his ideas of natural selection (especially through experimentation in the gardens here) as well where he wrote his book, On the Origin of Species. There may also be a voluntary trip to Stonehenge and Avebury, two world famous prehistoric stone circle sites.