Is it just me....

[kins 0]

I never used to be able to find anything in my local M&S food hall and it was about 1/10 of the size of yer average Walmart -- I figured out the reason stuff was more expensive there was because they used to employ people to move stuff around all the time.

Stuff was more expensive there because it was M&S surely? I've yet to find anyone who can afford to shop there for groceries.

I really sympathise with the OP. I used to wander round Seattle supermarkets looking for a quiche... any kind of quiche would do... we always keep a couple in the freezer here in the UK. But no, all I could find was four aisles of pizzas.

I actually think food is one of the things that makes you most homesick. It sends me a bit weird not being able to get hold of my usual comfort foods.

Why am I moving back to the US and away from my beloved UK food, someone remind me?

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

When I first came here I used to encounter ####### all the time that would have a go at me for Britain's "occupation of Ireland", some would get quite agressive about it as well. So its not just in the UK you have to deal with this. I think dealing with people's ignorance of other cultures is a big part of moving to a foriegn country. If you can educate a few people about the reality of things, then that can only be a good thing.

I'm proud to have re-educated most of my big, crazy Irish-American family on this point. When I first came over, it was almost like, "ooooh, sleeping with the enemy, huh?" After they threw back a few brewskis with my ex-husband they realised what putzes they were. Even my brother, who was one of the WORST on this matter, not only has come around on this topic but now loves it in the UK so much he is moving his entire family to London this summer so he can go do a BA at University College London.

[Mags 112]

I had the occassional azzhole try to hold me responsible for 'the big ole evil USA' but after sitting down and talking to them, we were able to get to a nice & mutually respectful place.

When I first came here I used to encounter ####### all the time that would have a go at me for Britain's "occupation of Ireland", some would get quite agressive about it as well. So its not just in the UK you have to deal with this. I think dealing with people's ignorance of other cultures is a big part of moving to a foriegn country. If you can educate a few people about the reality of things, then that can only be a good thing.

I agree. Educate someone rather than get defensive with them. If you are able to sit down and talk to them, most of the time they can see what a great person you are and that will become how they view your country. If you act all funny with them all it will do is re-affirm their impression of a person from that country.

Lisa's post about having a chat is a great idea. Of course, some people just don't want to listen, but that's cos they are complete plebs.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

Yes, M & S is more expensive - because they hire people to change the cheese aisle to the other side if the store every week!

[Dr_LHA 3]

Yes, M & S is more expensive - because they hire people to change the cheese aisle to the other side if the store every week!

To be fair though one of the big supermarkets near me just changed everything around too. I think the idea is to keep you on your toes and help you discover new things when you get lost. Every week is taking it a bit too far!

[meauxna 15]

Also...the British seem to think that the English language was a 'gift' to us.

LOL.. the Greeks used to give me the same hoo ha.. BUT, they gave us our alphabet AND civilization!!! (the world according to them)

Like I said the other night, I've enjoyed your rants as a bit of ####### for tat, mainly because I get equally tired of the Brits and Canadians who make *such* a sport of putting down our barbaric American ways. Your rant about work was spot on, too.. been meaning to go back and comment on that one.

Mags didn't you say you were missing cadbury's lol and btw I agree with your post on Homesick, if this person hates our country so much why is it still here??? Why would someone who spoke so lowly of the country that they choose to come to whinge at every opportunity is beyond me. Its like we personally done something to this person, I would suggest that if this person has not got anything good to say then they should keep it too themselves, it is not productive or beneficial to anyone to get into an argument but please keep your negative comments to yourself.

"Yeah but".. yeah, but what about all the other rants that we allow, or encourage, here, from others facing the same kinds of frustrations? It can be HARD to live outside your comfort zone all the time, and being told that your every approach is 'wrong' somehow *does* grate. I don't think HA is being ungrateful, and she's certainly not expressing anything I haven't read countless times from expats in the US (about the US). And she's not "this person", she's right here in the thread with you...

I also get tired of all the anti-Americanism in the media and in society here...it is hard for me to ignore it and I lash out at the UK in response, using the 'can't-take-it-don't-dish-it-out' justification. I think since I've been back I've managed to keep most of my negative opinions of the UK to myself; sure, it comes out and there's no point in denying it...but I do not agree that it's 'all' I talk about.

I think it's normal for the comparisons to be more at the front of your mind now, as you're making preparations to come to the States--you're weighing up what to bring from the UK and what to leave there--both physical actual stuff and ideas, concepts and new finds.

Anyway, rant on, sister. For once I'll stick up for somone's right to rant. (just don't rag on the US or it upsets the newcomers and people moving here )

[Mags 112]

Meauxna ~ I see the ability to use the little minus quote button is working well! (isn't it a fabulous?)

[homesick_american 1]

In my experience most Americans love anything with cheese or peanut butter!

Chocolate and peanut butter is a magical combination, but whenever I mention it to Brits they make an 'ewwwww' face. So wrong!

I think I lived in the UK 3 years before I realized that cilantro and coriander where actually the exact same thing

Hahaha...to me coriander is the seeds or the ground-up seeds and cilantro is the leaves.

Yes, M & S is more expensive - because they hire people to change the cheese aisle to the other side if the store every week!

Yeah, but the food there is usually nicer too. The carrots aren't bitter and the strawbs aren't moldy.

[meauxna 15]

Meauxna ~ I see the ability to use the little minus quote button is working well! (isn't it a fabulous?)

Oh now you *know* me!

It is an incredible boon to humankind. (must be a US invention )

Only surpassed by chocolate+peanut butter anything.

PS: how's the garden?! Too early for you guys yet.. tell L the sago palm lived to see another year!

[Fandango 1,439]

Ironically, mags was just expressing the same feeling that HA has expressed.....stop slagging off my country! lol

Exactly! I love the USA, I love being here...but I also love the country I was born and grew up in for 33 years and get rather miffed when people (not necessarily just HA here) slag it off. As does any USC when similar stuff is said about the USA. USCs are not the only patriotic countrymen/women!

The other point I wish to make is that life is WAY too short. Homesickness is nasty, I'll admit that, but rather than wishing away your time in the UK, embrace it, live it, enjoy it, it is part of your life you will never get back again. It is also part of your husband and his way of life. Don't wish it away because you want to be somewhere else. Just my 0.02c.

This is a very important point that I should have touched on more. For me, an American...how wild was it that we could hop on a flight and be in Ireland for dinner? Or jaunt off to Italy on a last-minute weekend getaway? There was nowt I could do about the bits of the UK which I disliked, but instead of focusing on them, I chose to see the opportunities that I'll prolly never have again *unless we move back*.

In the US, a 100 year old building is 'old'....I'm a big history buff and what a wonderful oppty it was for me to see the sights I saw over there. 100 year old building is a babby! hahahahaha. To walk into Durham Cathedral was breathtaking...to walk the city walls of York was mind-blowing...and don't even get me started on Lindisfarne! I could ramble on and on about how amazing it all was. Sure, there were nights where I was so homesick I'd cry myself to sleep...but nothing's perfect and life's so short and doesn't always present such amazing opptys that I could stain my time there being miserable and not soaking up everything I could.

Not to mention being able to share D's life so that when he's here, I can reminisce with him...and he knows that I am more than familiar with where he's from.

I rather enjoyed the chats I had with the azzholes who figured I should be the token person responsible for everything America's done. It gave me a great platform to educate them to a different pov. And how tough ya figure that was being I'm a Republican and a Bush supporter? I can categorically state tho, that I was always successful in putting forth a different pov...gave em food for thought or at the very least, showed them that all Americans are different just like any other nationality.

HA, I have to wonder whether the opinions you put forth here are put forth irl in the same fashion. You might be alienating people with this 'down with the UK' attitude and as with mags, they feel the need to defend their homeland, just like you!

[homesick_american 1]

I think it's normal for the comparisons to be more at the front of your mind now, as you're making preparations to come to the States--you're weighing up what to bring from the UK and what to leave there--both physical actual stuff and ideas, concepts and new finds.

Anyway, rant on, sister. For once I'll stick up for somone's right to rant. (just don't rag on the US or it upsets the newcomers and people moving here )

That's precisely why I don't rag on the US here, ever. It's stressful enough to move to a new country without people bashing it all the time. My husband is having to deal with that right now and I don't envy him. Nobody in America was like "ewww, ENGLAND, why are you going THERE?" My husband gets people telling him "Better get a gun, those Texans are fecking crazy." How would they know? They watch too much TV.

HA, I have to wonder whether the opinions you put forth here are put forth irl in the same fashion. You might be alienating people with this 'down with the UK' attitude and as with mags, they feel the need to defend their homeland, just like you!

I don't put down the UK to my friends and co-workers; they know that I wouldn't be leaving if I loved it here. They slag the UK off to me though.

[Dr_LHA 3]

I don't put down the UK to my friends and co-workers; they know that I wouldn't be leaving if I loved it here. They slag the UK off to me though.

Such is the odd patriotism of the British. We'll be the first ones to point out the crapness of our country, but heaven help any foriegner that does the same!!!

[meauxna 15]

My husband gets people telling him "Better get a gun, those Texans are fecking crazy."

Um, well, they *do* have a point....

Dr---exactly!

"heaven help any foriegner that does the same!!! "

(same goes for Americans.. world over, probably!)

[homesick_american 1]

Such is the odd patriotism of the British. We'll be the first ones to point out the crapness of our country, but heaven help any foriegner that does the same!!!

Exactly. To be fair, Americans do it too, and I have very little patience for people who slag off Texas if they've never even VISITED. To me, you have to EARN slagging privileges by living in the location you're complaining about. IMHO six years is enough to have enough perspective to earn slagging rights. I won't even listen to tourists/new arrivals slagging off the US but if they've been there several years, I don't mind it. Texas is different though; it's an acquired taste for a lot of people and you have to give it at least a decade. Oddly enough some of the things that bothered me about the UK don't bother me as much now, probably because we're close to leaving and it's easier to tolerate them. I went through the same thing in the US, and there were a LOT of things that bothered me about life in a red state, particularly because I'm a Democrat. A few weeks before I left, I stopped being annoyed by the rapture crowd.

The woman a couple of doors down subjects us to a half-hour slagging rant about the UK every time we see her...boy, you ought to hear her. :lol:

[homesick_american 1]

My husband gets people telling him "Better get a gun, those Texans are fecking crazy."

Um, well, they *do* have a point....

Eh...yes and no. Maybe it's the crowd I ran with, but I didn't know anyone who had a gun except for my dad, who has twin 9mm handguns that he carries *everywhere*. He's never used them in anger, though...and he's a piss-poor shot. :lol: :lol: I think he carries them because he can, i.e. it's legal and he has a laminated card from the state that says he can. He embraced neo-conservatism way back in the late 1980s and still listens to Rush Limbaugh for several hours a day. I think he's a lost cause. We talk about music and football...no politics.