Monday, July 07, 2014

Hotel Tour of 2014 -- night 64

I was thrilled to meet my students today at the Cotton Patch in Birmingham, England.  We spent a day filled with love for our Handi Quilter Sweet Sixteens!


One student per machine.  Can you imagine anything better?


Joy finished her class sample:


I wish I lived here to take patchwork classes from her!

Liz must have thought the class was a success because she didn't throw me back in the stocks.  Phew!  I was worried!

After class we went to a lovely restaurant that served a HUGE plate of fish and chips:


I ate something else, but this was impressively large!

I met my new best friend, Zoe.  She was my waitress tonight.  She apparently agrees with my belief that Chocolate Cake is the Meaning of Life.  I asked for her assistance in choosing between two different chocolate desserts and this happened:

Zoe:"Oh the chocolate fudge cake, definitely!"
Me:  "That sounds great, I'll take it!"
Zoe:  "Would you like ice cream, pouring cream, or custard?"
Me:  "Um..."
Zoe:  "Do you want to know how I like it?"
Me:  "Certainly!"
Zoe:  "I like chocolate fudge cake with cookies and cream ice cream.  It's the best, really."
Me:  "That settles it, then."

This is what Zoe brought me.


We are now BFF.

Now for the hotel:

On the breakfast table at the hotel, there was a bowl containing two different condiment packets:


Born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, I KNOW what Heinz tomato ketchup is.  The HP sauce confused me.  I read the ingredients.  It contained tomatoes and vinegar, just like ketchup, but had additional ingredients.

I try to keep up my image as a wise world traveler, but oft I fail.  I can't keep it up for long and find life simpler (and more interesting!) to just ask questions.

I showed this photo to my students and they explained what HP sauce is.

"Brown sauce"
"It's sweet"
"It's like a steak sauce"

Now I understand!

Tomorrow I leave my hotel at "half eight."  I also used a "serviette" at the dining room table.  All English is not created the same.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I sympathize, had to learn very quickly when we moved here from South Africa 26 years ago and English was not my first language!

Unknown said...

Looks as though you have had a fab time. Glad they are looking after you. And the language thing, you will get used to it, and if not it will certainly give the folks back home a laugh when you explain some of the things. Have you had Yorkshire Pudding yet. Ask Liz, its not a pudding at all. x

Doreen said...

The chocolate cake looks awesome. The front gal in the 2nd photo epitomizes the phrase keeping your "nose to the grind stone"! I think my eyes would cross and my neck break!!! Looks like they all had a great time!!!! Awesome machine (love mine!!!!)!!!!