Tuesday 7 March 2006

half baked


My father-in-law offered to toast some bread for my sandwich. He put the bread on my plate and I noticed that only one side had been toasted. Now here comes one of those "I'm not crazy, YOU'RE crazy" moments I often have in this country. Apparently, most English people only toast one side of the bread (the outside) when making a sandwich such as a BLT. I never even knew that you could do such a thing in a toaster, let alone thought about how the toast will get soggy if it's toasted on the inside. It does make sense, though. When you make a cheese toastie (or a grilled cheese to us North Americans), the inside isn't toasted. Think about it! Or not.

Residents of the UK and ex-pats may notice my habit of writing posts about the differences (usually culinary) I've noticed here. I truly don't want to come across as a whingey tourist; the kind that compels you to shout "If you don't like it, go back to [insert city of origin here] and your supersized nachos!" Besides, it works both ways. I am certain that at this very moment, there are thousands of British ex-pats in Canada who are staring at a plate of poutine and wondering which circle of hell could have produced such a dish. They recoil in horror as we douse everything in ketchup, flee in terror from our numerous peanut butter-flavoured food items, and gasp in disbelief at our pogos. While much of my writing includes phrases such as "Good lord, what is wrong with you people?", it's always written out of love. No, really.

For any government officials who may be reading my blog, please take this into consideration when I apply for citizenship in the near future. I love England and the Queen is really excellent. Thank you.

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