Like all Toastmasters both the clubs we visited were welcoming and friendly. The Mrs and I love Toastmasters and are already missing our home club. One of the goals we had for our trip was to visit Toastmasters clubs. We accomplished that twice while in Edinburgh. There are 3 public Toastmasters groups that meet in…
Month: June 2014
“Fish Fingers” vs “Fish Sticks”
If you are a Dr Who fan you already know this one, but they refer to thin rectangular pieces of breaded fish as “Fish Fingers”. I guess it is no more unusual than our calling thin fried pieces of chicken as Chicken Fingers, though I haven’t seen chicken fingers on a UK menu yet. I…
After Two Weeks In Scotland
It’s an Adventure. That’s the way I describe our trip to the UK all the time to those who ask why we’re here and to myself. My goal for the trip was to learn what it’s like to live in the UK. It isn’t really a vacation in the sense of seeing the sites, though…
“Pegs” vs “Clothes Pins”
In the UK what we call clothes pins, the things you attach washing to a clothes line with, they call Pegs. Wooden ones are called Wooden Pegs, though plastic ones are just referred to as Pegs. As an interesting addendum, in the film industry they call clothes pins C47s.
“Unattended” vs “Missed” Appointments
The Mrs has been having back problems since we got to the UK. In the US she’d make a couple of trips to the chiropractor and this would be fixed. In the UK, there are no chiropractors. The are osteopaths, which are like chiropractors, but have a different methodology which uses a slower method of…
To British or Not To British
I’m using the term British to refer to all of the UK, ie England, Wales and Scotland. I do this because I need a word for that, and because technically the big island is Britian. (The smaller one is Ireland). This can be a point of contention for some in the UK. The Mrs submitted…
Different is not equal to Bad
Since I learned the word ethnocentrism from Gaylen Van Rheenan in Missionary Principles and Practice way back in college, I’ve understood that just because another culture does something differently than I do, that doesn’t make it bad. I thought I should make a point of mentioning this since I’m writing a lot about how things…
“No Dog Fouling” vs “Cleanup After Your Pet”
I’ve seen this sign in a few places and “No fouling” signs with no picture around the UK. They almost always make me smile or even laugh out loud. I love they went to the trouble of coloring the poop and making it steam. And the dog looks to proud of itself.