THE DAILY DROP-IN ……… (aka Wookie’s Speakeasy!) Pt. 2

Wow…I cannot believe we are in March already! Where on earth has the time gone.
Anyway, what have we been doing…..uh hang on, I need coffee and a bite to eat –
*wandering over to the kitchen and grabbing ☕️ and 🥐 then back to the comfy chair*
Ah that’s better. So ladies this is what went on in our world…
In January Shannon flew over to England to spend some weeks with me before we both flew back to the States so I could spend time there with her.
It was totally awesome. The experience also brought up some interesting points from our different perspectives.
Shannon loved England. One passion of hers is history and the fact my country has historical references dating back over 2000 years completely bowls her over! On the visit to Bath I thought we were going to walk in every footstep ever walked by a Roman! I’m pleased to say we did not have to recite every play written by the Bard although she was the judge in deciding who acted the best dramatic scene as Julius Caesar turned to face Brutus crying “Et tu Brute..” – yes I was one of the J.C’s…😈.
However these were 5 points Shannon finds intriguing, amazing, weird, strange or just odd…
1. Our roads – they were an endless source of incredulity and bewilderment. ‘They were too narrow’ was the verdict!… Utahns would not be able to drive down them; they were too bendy, no straight roads anywhere, and my favourite comment of all “ This is a two way road? You have got to be kidding me! I can’t get my truck down here, let alone two cars passing!” Said in an unusually raised voice! 🤣. I would like to state that I took some great photos of beautiful scenery and people we were with. Shannon’s photos include a comprehensive view of all the roads she found strange!! …Hmmm no comment I think! 🤣😈
2. Our 24 hour opening supermarkets – actually don’t open for 24 hours 7 days a week. They close at 22:00 hrs on Saturday and reopen anything from 06:00 hours on Monday. They are open on a Sunday but within the Sunday trading laws – 10:00-16:00 hrs approx.!
3. Fresh food is so much cheaper than the States. I would agree on that one!
4. Our food in general is way less salty and has one heck of a lot less sugar content. She has even contacted one company to question why their product, available in both countries, has differing sugar values. She is waiting for a reply.
5. Our meals are pretty much ‘what they say on the tin’. What you order is exactly what you get without lots of extras. I didn’t understand this until I got to the States.

It was my turn to visit Shannon’s America. I have been to Florida twice and loved every screaming, white-knuckled ride and villa stay immensely. However this time I was going to experience America properly.
OMG it was incredible! So very different to visiting and living like a tourist. What struck me was just how new everything looks. I appreciate there were no historical buildings as I would know but all the buildings looked as though they were only 2-3 decades old. It’s possible its down to the totally different climate but we are still not sure. If anyone knows why, please do drop us a comment. I was very conscious of a different culture. Words or phrases used in our everyday language could sometimes have a different meaning to an American. Just as I was also learning to speak Americanese! 😂I’m almost fluent now!
My 5 points that I found amazing, intriguing, weird, strange and downright odd…
1. Your milkshakes.. I was surprised not to see banana as a flavour option. However my biggest surprise was to get the milkshake …plus the container it was made in with the remains of what they couldn’t get in the glass… plus a glass of water as well as the drink was sometimes very sweet! Now either our companies need to take the American way or the Americans just buy bigger glasses? I don’t know..what do you think?
2. Sugar…. Wow , this has to be an ingredient in just about everything I tasted. My first few meals were like total sugar rushes! Plus I rapidly learned if something was going to be sweet in the first place , be prepared for extra forms of sweetness to be added like cream or icing sugar or honey etc.
3. All meals are bigger… It didn’t seem to matter what I ordered, I got either a stacked plate or two separate plates both with sizeable portions on them. Also the meals are bigger because most things have not just one ingredient but up to 3, 4 or 5 extra bits tacked on. Wanting to try the French toast I couldn’t believe how sweet it was or that it came with sausages and your version of bacon – which is not our back bacon!- I found every meal to be an amazing experience. Awesome!
4. Talking of big… it was strange how you can talk of an 8 hour road trip without batting an eyelid. That would take me up to Scotland pretty much. I became very aware of just how huge the States is. Yes you can see a map but until you’re there it doesn’t hit home. On the flight I was flying over desert for hours it seemed. Plus your climate changes. One morning I was sunbathing in tee shirt, shorts, shades and Havaianas, by the afternoon I was in a snow storm!
5. Your political setup – I am not a political aficionado however I cannot wrap my head around how it works. I don’t understand how people can be career senators or congress. I was looking at the age of some senators ..over a quarter of them are waaaay past retirement age. Plus how laws are made and the process it follows. Then you have to register and state your party if you want to vote in the primaries – but you don’t have to actually vote for your party!. In fairness I wanted to try to understand how the American system worked because it is so different to ours but I’m still struggling with it. Any volunteers to try and explain it?..

These were some of the things that caught our attention. I know we both had an absolute whale of a time and Im looking to return again very soon.
So has anyone else got any things that you find strange, weird, fascinating etc about either of our countries? You don’t have to have visited, it could be something you read or saw. Drop a comment if you have. We would love to hear from you ladies..😊