Alittledeal Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I have an exchange student arriving from Arizona soon and seeing the mushy peas thread reminded me that it is always the small things that people like to experience. So, what things would you like to try if you were coming for ten days in the UK (Birmingham). We have a full English breakfast (we'll do black pudding too) and a roast dinner planned already. I think we'll add fish, chips and mushy peas to the menu for her to try now. I'm not just looking for food though. Anything that you see on TV, read in books or just hear about, that you think is interesting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 In Birmingham I'd definitely go for Indian food. In general, I'd go places that are culturally diverse - the TV images that make it to the US give a very mono-ethnic image of the UK. Walking in the countryside is always good to do - a lot of Americans are surprised by how extensive the paths across private land are. L 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Walking is great. I assume you're going to include Yorkshire in the dinner? It's something a lot of Americans don't really get. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 This might sound strange, but when hubby (British) takes me (American) to the UK 1-2 times per year, one of my favorite things to do is just go to the grocery store for a long, leisurely look around. I pick up all sorts of random items it would be fun to try. Our first meals in country are always Indian food because it is just so different in the UK, but we also love to eat UK Chinese food there! Traditional fare is always a given, although we are vegetarian so it is a bit different. However, I adore the fact that so many veggie options abound in the UK and everything is so clearly labeled:) Make sure to find or make a good pasty as well:) I also fell in love withYorkshire puddings and roasties, with veggie Bisto gravy, so that is an option as well:) If for some reason you end up with a vegetarian, a wonderful version of fish n chips can be made with Haloumi:) ETA: don't forget a proper or somewhat so tea room:) in North Yorkshire we visit Betty's routinely, is there something similar near you? 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alittledeal Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 Thanks Laura, some great ideas. I think it's definitely workable to go to one of the resturants in the balti triangle. This student is actually coming through my old secondary school but they were short of hosts and I offered to be one so the student is only sixteen. As such, we will be doing a lot with the other hosts who are nearer in age. An indian resturant will be an easy meet - up place. We often take my dog on long walks so they can definitely join us on those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alittledeal Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 Walking is great. I assume you're going to include Yorkshire in the dinner? It's something a lot of Americans don't really get. Yes! There would be mutiny in my house if there were no Yorkshires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alittledeal Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 This might sound strange, but when hubby (British) takes me (American) to the UK 1-2 times per year, one of my favorite things to do is just go to the grocery store for a long, leisurely look around. I pick up all sorts of random items it would be fun to try. Our first meals in country are always Indian food because it is just so different in the UK, but we also love to eat UK Chinese food there! Traditional fare is always a given, although we are vegetarian so it is a bit different. However, I adore the fact that so many veggie options abound in the UK and everything is so clearly labeled:) Make sure to find or make a good pasty as well:) I also fell in love withYorkshire puddings and roasties, with veggie Bisto gravy, so that is an option as well:) If for some reason you end up with a vegetarian, a wonderful version of fish n chips can be made with Haloumi:) ETA: don't forget a proper or somewhat so tea room:) in North Yorkshire we visit Betty's routinely, is there something similar near you? A wander round the shops is a great idea. I love to do that in new places too. I have received a short profile of the girl so I know she is not a vegetarian but I'm not sure what type of diet she is used to, so I won't make it too meat oriented. We often to go to London for tea but this can be sort of formal. Do you think this a good idea or should we just stick to our usual at-home tea which we have on a Sunday evening? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 A wander round the shops is a great idea. I love to do that in new places too. I have received a short profile of the girl so I know she is not a vegetarian but I'm not sure what type of diet she is used to, so I won't make it too meat oriented. We often to go to London for tea but this can be sort of formal. Do you think this a good idea or should we just stick to our usual at-home tea which we have on a Sunday evening? Oh, definitely London! The atmosphere is the best part:) Although I highly recommend that you serve her tea at home first. If you haven't grown up with it there are little things that she can learn that will definitely make her feel more comfortable in a more formal situation. How to use the filter, add more water to make sure her pot doesn't run dry, which sugar cubes are traditionally for coffee or tea, what 'white' means, etc... You won't believe how many little things one has to learn if you didn't grow up with tea other than throwing tea bags into a jar of water on the porch, lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 One other thing: One really great thing my eventual SIL did the 1st time I visited: she put a basket of British sweeties, biscuits, and crackers into my room. This was a lot of fun to nibble at and kept me from feeling uncomfortable if I got a bit peckish and didn't want to say anything:) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alittledeal Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 Oh, definitely London! The atmosphere is the best part:) Although I highly recommend that you serve her tea at home first. If you haven't grown up with it there are little things that she can learn that will definitely make her feel more comfortable in a more formal situation. How to use the filter, add more water to make sure her pot doesn't run dry, which sugar cubes are traditionally for coffee or tea, what 'white' means, etc... You won't believe how many little things one has to learn if you didn't grow up with tea other than throwing tea bags into a jar of water on the porch, lol. If we do London, then it'll be one of the posh fancy hotels where it is incredibly insulting to pour yourown tea - the waiter will assume they haven't paid you enough attention so we should be okay on that front. I will show her all things tea though at home, just because it's something we all love. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alittledeal Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 One other thing: One really great thing my eventual SIL did the 1st time I visited: she put a basket of British sweeties, biscuits, and crackers into my room. This was a lot of fun to nibble at and kept me from feeling uncomfortable if I got a bit peckish and didn't want to say anything:) I will do this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I realize it's more of a Christmas delicacy, but one thing I really miss about visiting the UK is the individually sized mince pies. I love those things. Every time I visited I took 2 dozen back to the US with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alittledeal Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 I realize it's more of a Christmas delicacy, but one thing I really miss about visiting the UK is the individually sized mince pies. I love those things. Every time I visited I took 2 dozen back to the US with me. Nobody in my family really likes mince pies so we don't really have any hanging around. I wonder if I could find some though. I'll have to have a look in the shops. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I realize it's more of a Christmas delicacy, but one thing I really miss about visiting the UK is the individually sized mince pies. I love those things. Every time I visited I took 2 dozen back to the US with me. Ha! I brought back 2 dozen Marks & Spencer individual mince pies in January for my dd's class that didn't get used. They are going to get thrown away...I am happy to make them to you when I go to the post office Monday if you PM me your address, free of charge, in the spirit of missing lots of things British:) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Cream tea and a pasty. I'm from Devon/Cornwall border so they feel like typical fayre to me. Are there any local fairs or events on when your student is here? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Local pub fare--We were charmed with the atmosphere of the pub in near Dartmouth when we were there. The pub in town was nice too, but the country pub was everything Americans dream of. Actually, it was far more--American bars don't have the homey, family feel that the Dartmouth country pub does. Curry English breakfast fry Steamed pudding Browsing the local grocery store Cream tea Walking the moors, especially if there are any stone circles or standing stones Ancient ruins--So many think of castles (which are nice to tour), but few Americans really think about the earlier inhabitants or the Roman occupation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Forgot to say: If you can take a longer day trip sometime, I had a wonderful time at the Highland Games. We visited Pitlocherie for this, though I think you can go to other locations for this??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 One thing I want to do when I go back. A type of performance, low-brow funny play sort-of thing. Panto? Or maybe Phanto? What I read sounded really interesting. There are some characters that are always required. A horse, maybe? And a young woman with really attractive legs showing them off. Memory is a bit fuzzy. Oh, and Coddled Cream. I make moaning sounds when eating that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alittledeal Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 Local pub fare--We were charmed with the atmosphere of the pub in near Dartmouth when we were there. The pub in town was nice too, but the country pub was everything Americans dream of. Actually, it was far more--American bars don't have the homey, family feel that the Dartmouth country pub does. Curry English breakfast fry Steamed pudding Browsing the local grocery store Cream tea Walking the moors, especially if there are any stone circles or standing stones Ancient ruins--So many think of castles (which are nice to tour), but few Americans really think about the earlier inhabitants or the Roman occupation The pub is an excellent idea. My family actually has a membership to the National Trust which gives us free access to many historical sights and discounted entrance fees to others, so things like ruins and the like will certainly be on the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alittledeal Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 Forgot to say: If you can take a longer day trip sometime, I had a wonderful time at the Highland Games. We visited Pitlocherie for this, though I think you can go to other locations for this??? Unfortunately, I don't drive yet (learning at the moment) so we would be mostly dependent on public transport and my parents driving so this is probably at bit far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alittledeal Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 One thing I want to do when I go back. A type of performance, low-brow funny play sort-of thing. Panto? Or maybe Phanto? What I read sounded really interesting. There are some characters that are always required. A horse, maybe? And a young woman with really attractive legs showing them off. Memory is a bit fuzzy. Oh, and Coddled Cream. I make moaning sounds when eating that. I'd love to do a panto but the visit isn't until the end of March so it won't be the right season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alittledeal Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 Thank you all for your input. It's all been extremely helpful. So far, the tentative plan is: - Cadbury World - An indian resturant - Black Country Living museum (open air museum) - centered around the industrialisation of the black country. Google Black Country Living Museum, Dudley if you'd like to find out more. I'm finding it difficult to link on a tablet. - Warwick Castle - Stratford upon avon - London (bus tour, afternoon tea) - The Bullring (Birmingham landmark and shopping) - The Roman baths, Bath (This is also where my older sister goes to university so we could take a look at an English university) - Cambridge - This is where I attend university (taking a year out) so I know the area well. Beautiful pubs, punting, the university, museums. We'll only do this if I can get my parents to drive because it's quite an expensive train ride. -If we don't do Cambridge, we can take the dog to the Malvern hills, which is a beautiful walk. With a few days shadowing a high school student (this has already been arranged, I think there's more than enough there. I don't want to overwhelm her or leave her too tired to enjoy her experiences. I'll make sure to add in a trip to some local shops aswell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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