Apology

[lynn cates]

cuisine and cookin'

Hello Stephen. Reminds me of the story of the Texan who went to London, walked into a coffee shop, and ordered biscuits and gravy for breakfast.

He was displeased with the result.

Cheers.
LC

[ChrisGeorge]

Yes that was quite a swivel, but here's a ketchup story.

I'm English and over here we call it 'tomato sauce'

In 1968 I found myself in Greenwich Village in New York and decided to try a 'hot dog' which was a totally unknown gastronomic delicacy in England back then. The young lady on the street stall (who was quite a babe if I remember rightly) asked if I wanted onions and I said 'Yes please' and then she asked if I wanted mustard and I said 'Yes, please and could I have some tomato sauce' At that, the said lady froze and gave me a very astonished look, then stepped back and said in a very loud voice 'Eeeeeeeooooh, could I have some tomarrrrrrto sauce' and nearby stallholders started repeating what she'd said.

Hello Stephen

You say tomarrrrrrto, I say potarrrrrrto.

Great story, Stephen. Being English born I would say tomarrrrrrto except that being here on a permanent basis I have learned that it is better to pronounce the word tomayto to avoid confusion. One has to learn to communicate with the natives.

All the best

Chris

[ChrisGeorge]

Hello Stephen. Reminds me of the story of the Texan who went to London, walked into a coffee shop, and ordered biscuits and gravy for breakfast.

He was displeased with the result.

Cheers.
LC

Or the Englishman who walks into an American bar and asks for "a rubber" because he needs to erase something in the pencil notes he's been taking. We all have to learn that certain words mean something different in other lands and regions.

Chris

[Robert]

Cigarettes can be a problem....

[lynn cates]

bilingual

Hello Chris, Robert. Yes, being bilingual helps.

Cheers.
LC

[tji]

Hi Lynn

Hello Chris, Robert. Yes, being bilingual helps.

Lynn we'll have none of that there sex talk here!!!

Tj

[lynn cates]

sorry

Hello TJ. Right. Sorry. According to Lynn Redgrave, such is NOT very British anyway.

Cheers.
LC

[Steven Russell]

Cigarettes can be a problem....

Yes indeed. "Can I bum a fag?" is to be avoided. As is birth control using Australian Durex.

Best wishes,
Steve.

[Stephen Thomas]

Cigarettes can be a problem....

Yes, in the US one must not say that one desperately needs a fag.

And Druitt should maybe not have said that in England in 1888.

[Rubyretro]

I have an English friend, here in France, who went into a small grocers and
cheerfully asked if the confiture had any preservatives in it ?

Unfortunately preservative means contraceptive in French.

[mariab]

And you know that the bassoon is called “Fagott“ in German. Don't know how many times I had to bite my tongue when referring to this, esp. when working simultaneously with German and English speaking colleagues.

[Magpie]

In Montreal, anglos attempt to order the local delicacy "poutine" in what they consider to be a passably authentic french accept--unfortunately nine times out of ten the actually come out with is the word for "prostitute" (there's only a syllable difference). So the conversation goes something like "Give me one large prostitute, my good fellow. Extra gravy and don't skimp on the cheese, s'il vous plait!"....