Hail Britannia

USDA reconsiders ban on haggis

dianaburrell — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:21:43 +0000

Officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are examining the decades-old ban on haggis, Scotland’s national dish. For those of you not in the know, here’s Wikipedia’s description: “Haggis is a dish containing sheep’s ‘pluck‘ (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally simmered in the animal’s stomach for approximately three hours.” The ban was enacted during a breakout of Mad Cow Disease in the late ’80s.

I’m pleading the gastronomic Fifth on this — I resumed my vegetarian diet over a year ago — but in all seriousness, I would happily gobble down some Scottish haggis over a slab of beef procured from a midwestern feedlot.

Keep calm and carry on. Or not.

dianaburrell — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 06:57:18 +0000

I’ve mentioned my love of the Keep Calm and Carry On posters in the past and have kept my eyes open for the spoofs now that the posters have become ubiquitous. Some of my new favorites:

Keep calm and rock on $25.99.

Now Panic and Freak Out $15

More parodies here. I want the Now Panic and Freak Out on a coffee mug!

My favorite Brit words

dianaburrell — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:54:40 +0000

While I love a good British accent, I’m more enthralled with the way Brits construct their sentences, the words they use. Even if you Americanize the spelling of a paragraph written by a Brit writer (such as changing “Americanise” to “Americanize”) there’s a certain rhythm and cadence to their sentences that sound nothing like American English.

But let’s talk about Brit words or expressions, words I can’t use in my everyday American speech lest I sound like a poseur. Here are some of my favorites in no particular order:

Fancy. Verb made popular by Austin Powers. As in “Fancy a shag?”

Stroppy. Ill-tempered.

Gobsmacked. Flabbergasted. I admit, I use this word sometimes.

Brilliant. Used in assent, as in “Brilliant! I’ll bring the wine.”

Wanker. So much nicer than dickhead. I get to say wanker a lot, though, when I’m talking to my Australian friend Deb. Wanker is popular Down Under.

Barrister. So much nicer than lawyer or attorney. Think John Cleese in A Fish Called Wanda.

Cheeky. Means impertinent. Often used around children.

Petrol. The gas station gone exotic.

Jolly. Who can resist, “He’s a jolly fellow, all right.”

What are your favorite Brit words? Add them to the comments section below.

Oldest remains of British royal found

dianaburrell — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:30:00 +0000

A rather lurid headline, but an interesting story nonetheless. The remains of English princess Eadgyth of Wessex, who was born in 910 and was “the Princess Diana of her day,” were found entombed under a 16th century monument in a German cathedral. Records show that Eadgyth (pronounced Edith) died around age 36 after marrying King Otto the 1st of Germany and bearing him two children. Eadgyth was also the granddaughter of Alfred the Great. Tests were done on the remains, as well as the tomb, by the University of Bristol, and results were announced yesterday in a half-day conference entitled “Princess Eadgyth of Wessex and Her World.”

Ricky Gervais hosts the Golden Globes

dianaburrell — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:15:14 +0000

Did you watch the Golden Globes last night? I get tired watching award shows — they drag on forever — plus last night was the two-hour season premiere of 24. But I found this YouTube clip of the highlights of Ricky Gervais’s hosting duties, and in ten minutes I got all the jokes in one neat package. I thought he did fine. I laughed at loud at his Angelina Jolie and Mel Gibson jokes, and loved his barb about The Office (the U.S. version) jumping the shark. What about you? Funny or not? Do you think he’ll be invited back?

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, coming this spring

dianaburrell — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 15:20:17 +0000

I follow Jamie Oliver on Twitter and today he posted a link to a preview of his new ABC show, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, which starts March 26. Can’t wait for three reasons: I love food shows, I love Jamie, and I love that there’s now something worth watching on Friday nights.

Jamie did a similar show in England when he went to an unhealthy town and tried to overhaul the school lunch program. This time he’s in Marshall, West Virginia, supposedly the most unhealthy town in America, and it looks like he ruffles a lot of feathers as he makes over their school lunches.

I can’t embed this video so you’ll have to click on the links to watch it. What do you think? Is this a show you’ll tune in to?

A who’s who of British chick-lit

dianaburrell — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 05:38:25 +0000

Tonight I was searching around for news on one of my favorite British authors (Katie Fforde), and I found this entertaining primer on British chick-lit, complete with a rating system for the social class each authoress tends to write about. If you like chick-lit, or you’re traveling someplace warm over the holidays and want something light to read on the beach, check out some of these titles.

If you like British chick lit, who are some of your favorite authors? I noticed Sophie Kinsella, for example, isn’t listed in this survey, probably one of the best-known Brit chick lit authors known here in the U.S.

Breakfast of Anglophiles

dianaburrell — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 07:20:30 +0000

I was reading this interesting article over the weekend at the Guardian about why porridge is the new power breakfast. When I was a child, I was a voracious reader (well, I still am) who loved English novels, where porridge was always the holy grail of a starving orphan’s life. I used to wonder what the heck it was, never connecting it was the oatmeal I ate nearly every morning.

I didn’t know that there’s a porridge making contest every year, sort of an Iron Chef for oaties, in Carrbridge, Scotland. I’d love to see that. And taste … just as long as I can pass on any snail porridge on offer.

The Delia Effect

dianaburrell — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 07:00:10 +0000

Last week in the U.K., British cookbook author Delia Smith (who’s a little bit like our Martha Stewart, except that she owns a football team and hasn’t done time) presented her first Christmas cooking program in 20 years, and it looks like it was a big hit. The Daily Mail entitled one of its articles, “Welcome Back, Saint Delia” and in a less effusive, but positive article, the Guardian admits “she doesn’t ponce around with all the extras Nigella [Lawson] insists on.”

What’s really interesting to me is the power Smith has with consumers. When she says she likes a certain omelet pan or praises the virtues of cranberries, she creates a run on these products. It’s called “the Delia effect,” and retailers love it. The phrase was even added to the Collins English Dictionary in 2001.

I own a couple of Delia’s cookbooks, and while I don’t use them that often, I like them. They’re homey, and what I reach for when I want to make the perfect gravy for roast beef or try my hand at a British classic like sticky toffee pudding. I’ve been eyeing Nigella’s new Christmas cookbook — new to us Americans anyway — but now I’m thinking of ordering Delia’s Happy Christmas, too. Decisions, decisions.

Mistresses Season 3 in the works!

dianaburrell — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:34:20 +0000

I read in the Daily Mail this week that Joanna Lumley will have a role in the third season of BBC’s chickclick drama, Mistresses, which will start filming in April 2010. Woo-hoo! I was sure season two was the last with the way they ended the season. Fingers crossed the Brits will export this little gem to BBC America.