Impromtu Evening

I just spent the evening outnumbered by Brits and it was wonderful!  I got an impromptu dinner invitation this afternoon and it took about .045 seconds for me to decide.  Not only was I going to spend the evening with some of my favorite people but I knew I would have a fabulous meal at the same time.  The idea of cooking for myself was not overly appealing so I jumped at the invitation.

It was a fun evening of translating lingo into the ”American” version and sampling some fun UK cuisine.  I learned that a “stone” is a term for pounds, I still have no idea what the actual conversion is but I know that 2.5 stones is around 20 pounds (my wonderful British hosts I am sure are reading this so please feel free to correct me.)  I also learned that they really like beans.  Any type of bean is a staple in UK cuisine.   They also gave me a lesson on credit scores in the UK vs the US.  Basically, the US is really stringent and is not very lenient when you miss a payment.

My host also raved about Marmite on her blog so I decided while I was there I must try it.  I am with the 50% of Brits that can’t stand the stuff.  I can’t really explain it but it is kind of sour and salty all at the same time.  It made my tongue tingle in places where I wasn’t aware I had taste-buds.  Needless to say I only had one sample.  I got rid of the taste with some tasty homemade good-for-me fudge.  We polished off the meal with English tea, which I get the biggest kick out of.  I don’t really know why because it is after all tea but there is something about having a cup of English tea with English people.  It just tastes better.

It was an evening spent with wonderful food, great wine, and fun friends.  When I decided it was time to leave I looked out the window and realized it was going to be a terrible walk home.

I almost died.  Seriously.  Well, not really but I was scared.  I have never experienced weather quite like it.  There is a ton of construction going on around us and I was afraid something from a building would fly off and hit me.   I was knocked around by the wind and almost lost my footing a couple times.  I was run into by a couple with their faces covered trying to shield the wind and snow.  My face was covered in water from the snow and my eyelashes were beginning to freeze.  I couldn’t see anything because the wind and snow were whipping at my face so hard I couldn’t open my eyes even if I wanted.  At one point I had to duck into a doorway to compose myself.  I then decided to run the rest of the way home.  In the process I ran into the Dunkin Donuts guys taking the trash out.  I made it home safe and sound and am just now regaining feeling in my ears.

Now I have to take Charlie out.