UK and America are two countries separated by a common language, UK and US Q&A

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Continuation of the previous thread where posters from the UK ask questions like 'what the hell is going on with the gaps in US toilet doors'; and posters fro the US ask things like 'what is with wearing stripes'

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/a2149133-to-think-there-is-something-wrong-with-Americans?msgid=48969042#48969042

Stbx and I went to have a lunch in the states on a visit back there. We ordered a beer with our lunch - we weren't driving anywhere. Got the face and people were looking at us like we were drunkards.

I will admit that drinking in public between lunch and say 5pm can kind of be looked at badly. When I lived in the states, if I saw someone going into a bar at 2pm I'd be thinking "jeez - it's only mid afternoon and drinking already?" whereas now it doesn't raise an eyebrow with me.

What does it mean to have a Union job? My friends BIL is a joiner in New Jersey my friend said it's not well paid but it's a Union job. I was just watching telly and the property developer said he will be employing 100 people and sixty will bd union jobs. Is it to do with mannual workers?

Lettertoherms

How would the word 'gaol' be used then? We use it the same way as hospital.

He 'went to gaol'. Not he 'went to the gaol' because we don't know which one he was taken to.

Um, I put the in front of things like hospital and gaol...

Isn't union, trade union? Similar to trade unions here?

I would say - 'he went to jail' - 'they were sent to jail' - 'she has just come out of jail'.

I wouldn't ever spell it gaol though, have we gone back to that now?

I never know whether it should be gaol or jail...so I copied, lol

But I'd say he's in the jail or he's away to the hospital, though if I used at instead then there'd be no the.

Though, to be fair...I go away up the street to get my messages from tescos instead of going shopping at tesco, so I'm not claiming any correct grammar in spoken English, lol

Do we have year books in the UK?

I'm in a union, but I am in a government job. The union pretty much represents the workers when creating contracts with management. They negotiate wages, time off, etc. The union also will represent you if you are disciplined at work. You don't have to be in a labor job; I'm an Administrative Law Judge, which is a professional job.

Year books...sort of, they've started doing them and proms too, but they're not a big thing, yet, if you see what I mean.

steff - trade unions here do a similar thing, except I get the feeling they have more power still in America, it's very common for people in jobs like teaching, nursing and civil service to be in a union but not so much in actual trades.

Back to cakes, I am still confused. Based on recipes I have seen for Victoria Sponge, it seems that it is not really what I would think of as a sponge because it has butter in it. What is the consistency of it; is it dense or light and fluffy?
The recipe, with its equal amounts of everything, seems more like what we would call a pound cake, which is a more dense, but very moist, cake.

One reason I ask is that this weekend we are having a joint birthday celebration for my DIL and DH, and they want a British themed menu. So I am thinking about making a Victoria Sponge.

A VS is between a sponge and a pound cake and if made well from scratch is very very good and usually what my kids requested for birthday cakes when young.

Re angel food cakes... make custard or ice-cream or lemon curd with the yolks.

plenty of beer here in San Diego, it is becoming our 'thing' we have 'brewery gardens' (pretty outdoor restaurants owned by breweries) that many people happily lunch at.

We had a couple of yearbooks when I was at school (in England) in the 1990s but they weren't like the American ones with individual photos - more like compilations of photos from trips and holidays, IIRC.

However, UK schools do seem to be getting more American with all the proms nowadays.

Yearbooks only in the last 10 years and people aren't really as bothered about them (probably because of the lack of tradition like in the US). I left school in 2004 and we had a prom but we were the first year to do so, and really it was just a plain old leaver's ball. There was no prom king or queen, no theme, it was nothing like the US TV image of prom (which I realise might be overhyped!) At my friend's school apparently everyone was sneaking in alcohol and the teachers turned a blind eye.

We didn't have a yearbook, (my sister's year, 2007, did but only for the last year) but we had a special school photo session where anybody who wanted a friendship group photo taken could have one. I have a useless one because I don't speak to any of the other three girls any more! I fell out with two and have one on facebook but haven't seen her since we left school.

Thanks, self, I found a recipe with US measurements, so I'm going for it.

Sponge cake should be light. Victoria sponge should technically have only jam as the filling, but a lot of people also add cream.

The reason for the egg difference is that US eggs are - legally must be - washed before they reach the supermarket. This makes the shells more porous so bacteria can get in and, if they aren't refrigerated, multiply. In the UK the regulations are the opposite - eggs are not allowed to be washed. They therefore keep their natural bacteria-resistance and don't need to be kept in the fridge. They are sold at room temperature to prevent condensation forming on them and affecting the coating, which would happen if they were sold chilled and then taken home on a warm day. I think US chickens are also less likely to be vaccinated against salmonella, so the eggs are more likely to contain bacteria in the first place - another reason to refrigerate.

I didn't know that. I am just doing what I was told by numerous people here. When in Rome... (or in England)

One reason for using the egg whites in a carton in the US is that most of them (all, maybe?) are pasteurized so are safe for meringues, etc. where eggs are not fully cooked.

There's no such thing as a 'Victoria Sponge' - its a 'Victoria Sandwich'.

After the comments on the thread about sponge cake not containing butter I went off to my variety of cookery books to find a basic sponge recipe.

For years I have made a sponge using equal amount of everything, but according to my oldest cookery book (80s) I'm wrong and it should be a fat free sponge. Just as I'm reading this they are talking about sponge cake on the radio and one person mentions a fat free sponge- 'oh, a genoise sponge' came the response.

I think our understanding of sponge has changed. The recipe for what I call a Victoria Sponge is called a Victoria Sandwich, even by Queen Mary Berry.

Can someone remind me please. How many ounces is a cup of butter?

And the talk about savoury and it's meaning got me thinking of this:

That's funny. I had to google treacle sponge, got a recipe, and got as far as "pudding basin."

That is so funny. :)