Thanksmas

So first off, yes I know Thanksgiving was a while ago.  But this needs to come before Christmas posts, and we've been off travelling to Portugal, Spain, and Rome for the last two weeks--More than that in these next few days. 

Hall dinners are excellent here.  Just saying.  It started early this year when introductions were being made.  Jenny and Zoe, my two wonderful Chinese hallmates each independently offered to make dinner for the hall.  When they realized that great minds think alike and that they had both offered to make dinner, they joined forces to make the best Chinese dinner I have ever (and probably will ever) have.   Here's a few pictures of the amazing-ness.  I'm afraid the pictures do no justice to the wonders of this Chinese dinner.

The best Chinese EVER

Dessert: British sticky toffee pudding by Lauren

This of course left the Brits and the Americans to reciprocate.  Nothing is more American than Thanksgiving, but due to class schedules everyone scattered by Christmas.  This resulted in the best possible plan --combine American Thanksgiving foods with British Christmas foods to make the best ever Thankmas.  Both have meat, potatoes, veggies, dessert.   Practically the same meal anyway.




Or maybe not... Many conversations leading up to the biggest most epic dinner ever went along these lines.

Me: "So.  I just realized we might have different ideas of potatoes."
Representative of Britain: "Yah, like what?  Don't you roast them?"
Me:  "For Thanksgiving?  Nope.  Definitely mashed."
RofB: "Hmm.  They are definitely roasted at Christmas."
Me:  "Two kinds of potatoes it is, then."

Not nearly as many things crossed over as we originally thought they would.  This resulted in making two different versions of roughly similar things, which in turn resulted in about 4 meals worth of food.

The resulting bellyache and lack of appetite for two days afterward were so worth it.  Check out what we had for dinner....

Photo by Jenny

Rosie made these paper chains, its British tradition!

Specifically American  (Sam and I were in charge of procuring these)
Turkey breast --which I roasted with apples, and covered in foil to keep it from drying out
Mashed yukon gold potatoes
Biscuits  --the American kind, not British cookies
Pumpkin pie and whipped cream --neither is typically eaten here
Eggnog --Homemade, couldn't find any in the store, also rather unheard of here
Olives --The big black ones I always stuck on my finger as a kid
Corn --my family always serves this at Thanksgiving.... so it must be traditional, right?

Both British and American
Cranberry Sauce, Gravy, and Advent Calendar




Specifically British (Rosie & Jack, Lauren & Nick in charge of these)
Ham --which was done in the most fantastic way, with honey and chili flakes/paste/something spicy
Roast potatoes --these are cut into large cubes and roasted to have a tough/crunchy/amazing exterior
Brussel Sprout --You have to have one on your plate at Christmas, even if no one likes them
Peas and Carrots --Self explanatory.  Peas. And. Carrots.  Nothing too fancy. (Very good though!)
Yorkshire Pudding --not a pudding.  See previous post.  Kind of like a biscuit??
Pigs & Blankets --These are the epitome of Christmas dinner.  It simply isn't Christmas without them.  Lest you think they are sausages wrapped in dough, these are tiny little sausages wrapped in BACON.

Also we enjoyed our Christmas crackers, Har-de-harded at our awful puns included in the crackers, and wore our lovely paper crowns as if they were made of gold and sapphires.

Needless to say, much fun was had.  Are you jealous yet?  Good.  You should be.

Photo by Jenny

Thanks Garvins for the CUTE Indian & Pilgrim finger puppets

How to Sound British

The short answer:  Be a native Brit

Perhaps you thought we'd come home with a British accent.  That would be kind of fun, but its not too likely, especially after we found out that Bill Bryson lived here and worked with Durham University for TWENTY years and still doesn't sound British.  But we have had a lot of fun picking up new words, or using words in ways that are not used in the States.  Here's a sampling of words and their British meaning.  (British friends, please feel free to correct me if these are wrong)

Are you alright? --To execute this one properly, tilt your head to the side, and look very concerned when asking.  It translates roughly to the American "How are you?"  And the expected answer to "Are you alright?" is "Yah, you?"  Don't be caught off guard, and don't assume you must look as if you are in pain. Its a standard greeting.
Proper--because there is a proper and improper way to do everything.  Use this to describe just about everything. "I'm going on a proper walk" "I need to make a proper cup of tea"  One brand of tea I saw bore the slogan "Let's have a proper brew" to advertise its tastiness.
Right -- Could mean: Correct, okay, sure, I'm listening, that's disappointing, yah,  ... just make sure to use it all the time
Brilliant --reserve this for things that are really great, awesome, wonderful, delightful
Cheers --Thanks, bye
Dodgy -- means about the same as it does at home, just make sure to use it every so often
Burgled-- Instead of saying your house was burglarized, make sure to say it was burgled.  Its just more fun (and more British) to say it that way.  Also can be used "I didn't want to get burgled", "I didn't think anyone would burgle me".  Burgle.  Burgled. Burgle.  Haha.  I really enjoy this word.  Burgle. Burgle. Burgle. Burgle. Burgle. Really, try saying it a few times, its hilarious.  Actually, I dare you to say "Burgle" out loud ten times in a row.
Stodgy --Nebulous term.  Used to describe certain foods.  Very unclear what this actually means, even though I think I could use it correctly in a sentence....maybe...well, maybe not.  When I looked up this word the proper definition is "dull and uninspired" or (when speaking of food) "heavy, filling, and high in carbohydrates".  But there is a lot of food that could fall under that second definition, but only certain foods are actually referred to as stodgy.
Posh --Don't use this one unless you are sure you know how to use it, and I'm not.  It has a negative connotation, generally means someone or something that is overly fancy and somewhat stuck up.  I understand (sort of) how this would be used when referring to a person, but I definitely don't understand what inanimate objects and places are posh.  You'll notice your British friends using it frequently.
Tea --Could mean a cup of tea.  Could mean dinner.  Make sure you know what you are invited for if your friend invites you for "tea".
Pudding --does not refer to pudding as you know it.  I've been talking to my hallmates, and it sounds as if American pudding does not exist here, or if it does, its called Angel's Delight (update: tried Angel's Delight and it isn't pudding).  Anyway, pudding can be synonymous with "dessert" or it can mean a moist cake like treat, or it can mean other things.  Honestly, only the British know what they are talking about when they say pudding.  If they say its a pudding, just trust them and memorize what it looks like.  That's pudding.  Same with stodgy.  Just memorize which foods are stodgy.
Jelly --Jello.  They don't have jelly as we know it, apparently.
Noodles -- This always refers to long stringy Chinese or Thai noodles.  It is not interchangeable with "pasta" which is what the Brits call anything that is not rice, Chinese or Thai noodles.
Ages -- used in conjunction with "ago", always refers to the past.  Not surprising, just make sure to use it, and always emphasize the word "ages" in a sentence.
Loads -- lots.  Again, you already know what it means, just make sure to use it loads of times.
Pants --this one is rather important to understand.  "Pants" means men's underwear to anyone British.  Don't compliment a girl on her cute pants or you might offend and embarrass someone, especially yourself.  The word you want is "trousers".  Just eliminate the word "pants" from your vocabulary in Britain if you want to avoid the chance of embarrassment
Rubbish --Because no one will understand you if you say "trash" or "garbage".  Plus you can use this to describe just about anything you are unhappy with.  "That's a load of rubbish!"
State school --public school, just because that's how it is
Public school -- really fancy private school, just because they can.  Pretty sure they switched these two just to make things confusing.

Another note about "sounding British".  There is a discernibly different accent every 25 miles.  I'm told there are some advanced vocal forensic scientists here that can actually determine which street you grew up on.  So if you want to "sound British", you'll have to decide what part of Britain.  The North, the South, York, Nottingham, London, Durham, Newcastle, Berwick upon-tweed, Pity Me, Once Brewed..... The list continues on and includes every city and village in England.  Be sure that once you've decided to sound British that you maintain a consistent accent with your supposed place of origin.  As it is, its a common pastime in Britain to guess where a person is from based on accent, so be prepared to make up a good story about where you are from if you really want to pass as British.