What I Wish I Had

Still loving the Chinese scooter, but look at the beauty of the above.

Doctor Ronnie and Mr. Ron

When I posted this shot of my new scooter on Facebook, an old friend wrote, "Quadrophenia nostalgia?"

Well, duh.

Too bad I can't afford a Vespa right now and had to get this Chinese one which is more "motorcycle-y" than those used by the Mods. Still, it's a lot of fun ... when it's working.

"Different to" Americans

I've long been intrigued not only by the different vocab and spellings that they have in England and the Commonwealth, but also the different grammar. They'll say, "NatWest apologize for the inconvenience" as if all the people at the bank were sorry, while we say "Chase apologizes."

One grammatical quirk that really charms me is the when they say, "This is different *to* that" instead of "This is different from that." I really can't make a strong argument about which is more correct. I just love the way do it more.

Oh You, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Just minutes ago, finished watching a film with Lexi: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I had literally not seen a frame of it since I was a tiny kid. What I didn't remember is except for Dick Van Dyke, it's an almost 100 percent British enterprise, shot mostly at Pinewood Studios. Unlike Mary Poppins, Dick does not trot out his much-criticized cockney accent.

Very surreal. The 60s were indeed a strange time.

And of all people, who should pop up? Benny Hill.

Lots for an anglophile and nostalgic to sink his teeth into.

Finally ... MARMITE

I've always heard of it, never tasted it.

So when I was breaking the fast from Yom Kippur, and my new friend Charlie from London brought a jar of Marmite for his kids to eat (they can't get enough of the stuff), I jumped at the chance. Brits grow up with this gooey concoction, and it's next to impossible to get here. Most Americans think it's vile, but if you grow up with anything ... most people around the world don't care for our peanut butter, for instance.

What did I think? I liked it. Probably too intense of a taste to break a fast with -- it's a byproduct of beermaking: yeasty and salty, a bit like a spreadable bullion cube. But that's making it sound bad, which it isn't.

Goes great with bagels.