Grocery Shopping in England

I have been requested by several people to write about my experiences with grocery shopping here in England because, let's face it, it is quite a bit different. Sure the major things are the same, you can get your breads, frozen items, fruit, veg, and canned goods like you can in the States, but what is different are the types of things found at the grocery store. In Egham the only grocery store is Tesco which is a national brand and tends to be one of the cheaper grocery stores; this shows in the selection. After a few failed attempts to find ingredients for recipes or just good quality fresh food I abandoned Egham's Tesco in favor of (the more posh) Waitrose in Staines (the next town over). It is the "official grocery providers to the Queen" after all so it better be posh. The thing I like about Waitrose is that I can get much higher quality freshly made breads, ready made meals for when I'm in a hurry, and they just have more of everything which to the American in me makes me indescribably happy. I've come to terms with the fact that I quite like having 20 different options for jam or mustard because then I know I get the exact one that I want. At Tesco it tends to be one or two options for things which I find appalling (but I am a full acknowledged grocery store snob).

Waitrose in Windsor

Waitrose I shop at in Staines

One major difference in English grocery stores is that you have to bag your groceries yourself. Also, if you don't provide your own bag you have to let the cashier know that you need plastic bags otherwise she won't ready them for you. Sometimes you even have to pay a small fee for plastic bags, at Mark's and Spencer's for instance you have to pay 5 pence for a bag. I like that stores are trying to encourage people to use less plastic but the thing that is rather annoying is that the cashiers wait for you to bag all of your groceries before helping the next person in line; this is annoying because usually they don't help you but instead glare rather impatiently at you to hurry up and get out of the way. Another difference is that if you want to use a cart you have to put in a 1 pound coin to "rent" the trolley though you do get it back at the end once you return the trolley to the store. 

Another difference (from Fargo at least) is that if you want fresh produce you have to go early in the day to get it because once they run out for the day they are very slow to restock it. This is frustrating especially on the weekends when everyone is out shopping; it is not uncommon to go looking for veg and not find it in stock at 3pm on a Saturday. What I find interesting is that grocery stores in Britain are beginning to emphasize more and more buying British made and grown products. Nearly every item will tell you where it comes from in the world and if it is from Great Britain it has a lovely sticker on it saying something like "celebrating Britishness" or something adorably British like that. What I do love about British grocery stores is walking up and down the aisles and seeing what kinds of food are heavily marketed and featured. I think that this shows someone new to the country exactly what kinds of food are dear to the British heart. For instance, Tesco has a whole half of an aisle dedicated to british baked beans (the kind eaten with the full english breakfast) and tea. In the meat department, British made sausage links are the predominate item and one can find endless varieties of sausage. The frozen food section has its own freezer specifically for Yorkshire puddings and frozen peas. Another thing you always find is sections of ready made microwavable indian dinners. It's common to see meal deals for two that include curry, rice, and naan bread for 10GBP. Indian food is like America's mexican or chinese and people love a good curry. Of course you also have the sections of ready made take away sandwiches, crisps, and cadbury chocolate (which is my favorite chocolate) which you see people all over the streets eating. 

so many kind of tea!

London Waitrose- Jaclyn, I hope you appreciate this because right after I took this I got yelled at for taking photos.

While I still cannot find the proper ingredients to make decent Mexican food and microwave popcorn is a rarity, I am enjoying trying new things that I find at Waitrose. Grocery shopping is a biweekly event for me and I always look forward to it. It is the little things in day to day life in England that challenge me and make me smile and I love being actively engaged in normal life with the English. For the most part you are always greeted with a helpful and smiling face (apart from the cashiers) and people are always willing to help you find anything you are looking for. Grocery shopping in England is just another example of making the familiar strange and enjoying every moment of it.

Brighton

 Yesterday Nikki, Rachel, and I headed southeast to the seaside town of Brighton. Brighton is pretty much directly south of London and after changing trains at Clapham Junction we made our way speedily down towards the sea. Our main objective for going was for Rachel to shop because Brighton has a huge shopping center and high street. We arrived at 11:30 am and as soon as we got there we headed down to the beach. Brighton beach is a rock beach so it was quite exhausting trudging through the rocks towards the pier. It was also quite windy, though not too chilly (mid 50's) so we didn't linger long. We had lunch at a fish and chips restaurant close to the pier. I had fish fingers and chips; the main selling point of the restaurant we ate at is that they give you unlimited chips (french fries) with any meal purchase. While I didn't take advantage of that (my portion was big enough) I did throughly enjoy my meal. After we headed up to the mall and shopped the rest of the day away. We left to go home at half past six feeling completely knackered and foot-sore. Brighton looks like a beautiful town with lots of hills and picturesque lanes and houses. I would love to go back in the warmer months and just wander through the town at a leisurely pace enjoying the stunning views of the sea as I go.

On Brighton Beach

Touching the English Channel

Really Windy!

Royal Pavillion

A Bittersweet Afternoon

As most of you know I spent the fall of 2009 attending UCL in London as a semester abroad experience. My semester in London singlehandedly changed the entire direction of my life and is the reason that I am now studying at Royal Holloway. During my time there I learned how to truly be independent, think on my feet, and to create a beautiful and new existence out of almost nothing. I established friendships that helped get me through the lurking loneliness and came away with one of the best friends that I could have ever asked for in Heidi. All in all, the fall of 2009 is a golden time in my life and one that I will forever look back on with a pang of nostalgic happiness.

This being said, the place that became like a second home to me was Farringdon Road. This was where my flat was located and where I spent endless hours roaming the streets and corridors of Islington. I loved my neighborhood and I found such utter tranquility living there. The days always seemed brighter when I could look out my window and see Londoners heading to work for the day or popping over to Exmouth market to grab a take-a-way. I enjoyed slowly melding into the folds of everyday life in the city.

I decided that since it had been nearly two years since I last lived at Farringdon that it was time for me to revisit it. On Monday I took a trip down memory lane and arrived at Farringdon station (which is undergoing massive construction at the moment in preparation for the 2012 olympics) and took off down the street that I grew to know so well. 

Our local pub

outside my old flat

I spent the noon hour in Exmouth market, a street nearby where vendors set up vans and stalls selling food during the work week to workers in the area, and had a salami baguette and a samosa.

I then decided to walk up to the Angel area which has a beautiful old high street on the way up full of deli's, butchers, flower shops, and produce markets. It looks like what I imagine London looked like at the turn of the century when people still had locally owned vendors that they went to for all of their different needs. While you can still find this in places like Italy or France, I struggled to find many areas of London with as many shops of the kind in the Angel area. Needless to say, I would give anything to be able to live here again.

local shops in Angel

After my visit to Angel, I headed over to UCL where I visited the campus as well as the Waitrose grocery store that I used to shop at. I then hopped on the tube and picked up a book at Waterstones near Piccadilly Circus. At this point I had been walking for something like five hours and my hoofs were tired and aching. I had been told by my housemates that the four storied department store Selfridges was worth a visit and being near Oxford Street I decided to make a pit stop there. Selfridges is similar to a giant Nordstroms and while it has floors and floors of designer bags and perfume, cookware, clothing, and shoes, it also has a food hall. It is more of a food goods hall selling products from all over the world (including Skippy peanut butter, oreos, and pop tarts which I just about died seeing). I figure if I am ever in need of some rare ingredient for cooking American food I can probably find it at Selfridges. I decided to freshen up with an afternoon tea break and sat for an hour calmly enjoying my tea and eclair while watching through the window the pedestrians swimming through the busy high street outside. 

tea at Selfridges

in the cafe

While exploring the food hall I also decided to check out the new Pierre Herme macarons counter. Ever since visiting Paris for the first time I have fallen in love with French macarons. Because these little cookies are so delicate and difficult to make, you rarely see them outside of Paris or France. I was ecstatic to be able to take home a sampling of such flavors as creme brulee, mint, grapefruit, and sea salt caramel. I bought seven different kinds and once I got home I popped them in the freezer so that I can slowly enjoy them for several days this week. It was a perfect end to my visit to London and soon after, as it was beginning to get dark, I headed for Waterloo station and onwards to Egham. 

Pierre Herme Macarons

My day revisiting the past was indeed bittersweet and left with a quiet sadness for what cannot be again. The past is in the past and while one can always attempt to revisit, one can never quite recreate it. I enjoyed seeing the sights and sounds of my old neighborhood and hope to one day be able to live near there again. My current plans are to apply to schools in London for my doctorate and my visit Monday reemphasized how much I truly miss living in London. The city invigorates and energizes me in a way that no other place on earth does and I look forward to creating new memories there rather than simply lingering on old ones. 

A Burgeoning Passion

“One of the secrets, and pleasures, of cooking is to learn to correct something if it goes awry; and one of the lessons is to grin and bear it if it cannot be fixed.” 
― Julia Child, My Life in France

Ever since I first arrived at college I have become more and more fascinated with the culinary arts. Although I wouldn't say that I particularly did a whole lot of cooking during my time at St. Thomas, I did become entranced by the notion of adding ingredients that seem so insignificant by themselves together to create a finished and delicious product. I have become particularly interested in baking although am starting to branch off more into starters and main courses. My Dad and next door neighbors, the Guse's, can attest to my love of baking any and all types of cookies, bars, cakes, and pies. I even made an apple pie from scratch for my housemates last weekend as none of them had ever had the unique pleasure of eating apple pie (which I took to be a giant travesty and quickly remedied that). 

Yesterday I finished reading my "fun book" (the one I read to mellow out after reading my more serious books for school) My Life in France by Julia Child and as soon as I finished I immediately felt inspired and wanted to get to the kitchen. Though I risk sounding sappy and wistful, I adore Julia Child. Her book is a nostalgic yet straight forward account of her search for her true calling in Paris, France in the 1950's and 60's. She takes you through her lessons at Le Cordon Bleu, her cookery book writing, and her love for La Belle France and her people. You can feel her love for food and entertaining simply ooze out of the pages and I came away thinking, "I wish I could be her!" 

Julia Child

What made me so strongly identify with the book and Child was her philosophy that cooking is not just about eating and becoming full but about creating something beautiful to be shared, enjoyed, and remembered. The process of breaking bread and sharing a meal with others is to savor and appreciate what is put in front of you as well as fostering the creation of everlasting memories. I may be waxing romantic here, but I think there is a lot to this idea. I hold some very powerful memories that are directly linked to meals that I have had with friends and family. I can remember what I ate when I went to Paris for the first time and what I eat for Thanksgiving each year because those events stand out in my life as special ones. I enjoy dissecting what was good or bad about a meal after it is done purely for the fun of letting the meal linger a bit longer in my mind. I am not a glutton and I don't just think about food all day, but I do love talking about the concept of cooking and eating good food. 

Patisserie in Paris

Pizza in Italy

Put simply, cooking mellows me out and is my creative outlet that helps me to get away and take a break from the craziness of day to day life. I sometimes think that if I could just have my own show on the Food Network and become a successful cook book writer that I'd have it made (watch out Ina Garten!) For now, it is something that is becoming more than a hobby; a fascination really, or a passion even. Even if I don't have enough time to cook much more than microwaveable boxed dinners or stir fry (what I live on in Egham), I am still consumed by cooking magazines, blogs, and books. And when I do get time (i.e. apple pie) I'm overcome with a sense of utter relief and bliss. I feel at peace with myself and the world and for that I am so thankful. Everyone needs to escape the crazy now and again and I plan on trying hard to continue pushing myself to expand my culinary expertise. I have a list of assorted meals that I want to try and I think it is high time that I start checking them off of my list.

The Joys of British Slang

Whenever I meet and get talking with a non-native English speaking international student at school, one question inevitably arises at some point in the conversation; "Since you speak English as your first language, it must be pretty easy for you to understand in England, right?" Wrong. While I obviously understand English, I have been introduced to a new foreign language of sorts: British slang. I have formed a love/hate relationship with slang; on the one hand I think that the English have more amazingly brilliant and descriptive words in their slang repertoire than Americans do but on the other hand I'm always that girl that says. "wait, what does that word mean?" followed by, "oh... I get it..." Frustrating, but nearly always immediately fascinating and hilarious. I find myself slowly working in the new words that I've acquired (mostly through the help of Nikki and Rachel) and I get instant self-satisfaction when I successfully use one in conversation. Rachel even said "You're turning into us!" which I took as a huge compliment. So while I don't have any problem understanding lectures, I most certainly am learning a whole new, slightly dodgy vocabulary.

New words and phrases (keep in mind these are things that I hear commonly in a setting of college-age students or on TV):
-Knackered: it means to be wiped out, completely exhausted

-Dodgy: similar to "Sketchy" in America, unsafe or strange, risky

-Prat and Twat: Both are words you would use if you are mad at someone, or if someone is annoying. One would call their little brother a prat if he was being rude or snotty. Twat, while not a swear word, I've been told is more insulting and they don't generally use it on TV that children watch.

-Toilet: the bathroom is always called a toilet or a "loo"; a bathroom signifies a room that has a sink or shower attached

-"Hiya, All Right?": This is a common greeting. It's like saying "what's up?" It threw me off at first, I kept wondering if everyone thought I looked ill.

-Snog: Any avid Harry Potter fan would know this word, but for the rest of you, it means to make out with someone

-Barmy: Mad or crazy

- (My personal favorite) Chav: Someone who is, or pretends to be of a low social standing and who dresses in a certain style, typically badly or in sports clothing. (Thank you Wikipedia!) 


-Gutted: if someone is really upset or let down they would say "I'm gutted."

-Quid: money, one could say "It cost 10 quid"

-Pudding: dessert

-Chips: french fries (crisps are potato chips)

This gives you just a very, very small taste of the slang that I encounter everyday. More to come as the year progresses.

Shopping and a Fun Fair

After a long week of reading and lectures, my housemate Nikki and I decided to get out of Egham and go shopping in Windsor. We left Saturday morning after meeting another friend, Katie, at school and boarded the bus to Windsor. It took about 30 minutes to get to the high street and when we got off the bus we were immediately greeted with the stone walls of Windsor Castle.

High street with Castle in background

Windsor Castle

The shops are right off of the castle and the great thing about Windsor is that they have all of the clothing stores that I love with significantly less people shopping in them than on Oxford Street in London. I have a feeling that I will end up doing my clothes shopping in Windsor rather than in London in the future, it's much less chaotic. As it is a major tourist site in England, I was warned to keep an eye on my purse as pick-pockets are about. I had no problems though and once you get a ways down the high street you forget you are in such a touristy area. Windsor is a beautiful town with a lot of old buildings (there is one coffee shop called the "crooked house" that was built in 1718), greenery, and a beautifully long treelined walk up to the castle itself. The weather here still feels warm and my friends and I were wearing tank tops and shorts during Saturday's blistering 84 degree weather (let me assure you, that is VERY hot for England). 

After shopping for an hour or so we ate at a pub near the castle. We had a lovely meal and enjoyed views of the castle from the window by our table. 

inside the pub

Afterwards we walked through old fashioned sweet shops, got a few groceries, and even got some free paella from a restaurant offering tasters to passersby. 

paella!

Later that night after we arrived back in Englefield Green, the three of us decided to go to the "Steam fair" that was up on the green. It was a 1930-40's themed fun fair that played old music and had many old fashioned rides. We rode on the swings and Katie and Nikki rode the "dodgems" (bumper cars) and had candy floss (cotton candy). We capped the night off by sitting on the green and watching a fireworks show. It was a beautiful indian summers night and I enjoyed every minute of it. 

steam fair

swings that we rode

Nikki and I

Katie and Nikki on the dodgems

My School That Looks Like A Castle

Classes started this week at Royal Holloway (late in the year, I know) and I've had to make the transition rather quickly from being on holiday to being a full-time student once again. My program's title is Victorian Literature, Culture, and Art and this term my courses are Victorian London and the 19th Century Novel. Next semester I will have two new courses focusing more on the artistic movements of the period. While I have had a bit of a time getting used to the seemingly unending amounts of reading (Victorian novels are notoriously long winded), I only have classes on Thursdays and Fridays so I have a fair amount of free time to read. It also helps that when I do go to campus I am greeted with one of the loveliest buildings that I have had to pleasure of seeing. Royal Holloway is a campus with an imposing Victorian era structure called the Founders Building that dominates the rest of the campus. It has two grassy quads and they are frequently full of students lounging about on them talking, smoking, or studying.

Founders Building

Royal Holloway was opened in 1886 by Queen Victoria and was originally an all women's college. While the rest of the campus now has a more modern feel, each time I arrive on campus I am in awe of how beautiful Founders truly is. What a perfect place to study Victorian literature, huh? 

I have been enjoying my courses very much so far and my teachers are fantastic. They are discussion based classes which is right up my alley and the two hour class goes flying by. There are a few pubs near by Royal Holloway (one is never very far from a pub in England) and the closest one to campus is called "The Monkey's Forehead" or more affectionately known as "Monkey's." A few friends and I hung out there a few days ago and had a really nice time sitting out on the terrace. It has been very hot here lately (high 70's to low 80's) and in a land of no air conditioning the only nice time to be outside is at night. 

Nikki and I at Monkey's

Though I do spend most of my time reading novels like David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, or Little Dorrit, occasionally I need to pop out and get a bit of fresh air. Conveniently my house is only 5 minutes walk from Windsor Great Park, a large wooded park that spans from Englefield Green all the way to Windsor ( distance that would take 4 hours to walk). I've been there several times to hike and it feels like I've plopped myself right back into the lakes' country in Minnesota. There are loads of lakes, dense forest, and hiking paths as well as paved paths for an easier go. It is an oasis in a busy world and I enjoy getting lost in it. 

Windsor Great Park

Totem pole given to the Queen from Canada

Actual Roman Ruins Taken from Libya in the Park

I love that I have places that I can go to indulge every sort of whim that I have; London for the big city environment, Egham and Staines for practical shopping, and Windsor Park for an idyllic retreat into nature. Life is slower here and I am still getting used to living in such a small town, but with that gives me a greater appreciation for the connections that I have made and the people that I have met.