Prior to moving abroad, I lived in Jersey City, New Jersey for over 3 years, and I was getting used to some aspects of the suburban style life. I would drive to a large supersized grocery store, stock up on food, and carry it all out to my car and easily into my apartment. Normal, right? That aspect of my life had to change when I moved to London.
The last couple of years, I’ve started getting more serious about cooking, and I’ve surprised myself but I do really enjoy it. When I moved here I had to adjust my normal recipes to comply with some of the differences in the products that are available.
In the next few examples I’m thinking mainly about products you can get at the basic grocery stores in the UK, in particularly Tesco, as that is my new local store.
Examples:
Cheese
US: Shredded cheese comes in many forms – mozzarella, monterey jack, pepper jack, cheddar, and there’s another 10 varieties of “reduced fat” or low fat” options
UK: Shredded cheese comes in 2 main forms- mozzarella and British MATURE cheddar
Meat
US: There are various forms of meat.
UK: British beef and British chicken take up the largest selection in the store. There are a few other kinds of meat, but healthier options and lean versions of those meats are limited, and for the most part they all seem to be the “British” variety. I guess it’s great to know that it’s all coming from within the country, but I don’t recall going to the grocery store in the US and seeing “American chicken” and “American beef”, etc. This makes me laugh every time I go to the grocery store.
Product names – I’m sure I’ll think of others but here’s a starting list for you….
Dish detergent (US) vs. Washing Up Liquid (UK)
Saran Wrap (US) vs Cling film (UK)
Trash Bags (US) vs Bin liners (UK)
Eggplant (US) vs Aubergine (UK)
Arugula (US) vs Wild Rocket (UK) – love the word “rocket”. I think the US should consider changing this.
(photo courtesy: www.dooyoo.co.uk)
December 6, 2012
Everyday London Life, London Life