* I broke down and ordered a box of the raspberry herbal tea from Harney and Sons. (I had been holding off, waiting until I ordered the tea that's for part of a Christmas gift). But I decided I wanted it NOW, because I'm increasingly using herbal tea in the evening. (Especially during this last sinus/cold/respiratory thing). Caffeine upsets my sleep too much but a nice herbal tea (one without chamomile, which I am probably seriously allergic to, I know that safflower affects me unfavorably) doesn't, and it's just nice to have something warm and soothing to drink.
* I find since I started drinking tea, I don't care for hot chocolate nearly so much any more. It seems too thick and goopy and too sweet. Interesting how a person's tastes change; now when I want a hot drink my default is tea.
* The Green Spray has added a few more things. They now carry little pre-packaged cheesecake slices and I approve of this. Once in a while I like a "treat" and it's nice to be able to get a single serving of something so I don't have to freeze what's left or feel bad about eating something more calorific than I normally would over the coming days.
* I need to make skillet mac and cheese again. Maybe this weekend. Mac and cheese appeals to me right now but I don't have time to do it today (it's my evening class). Also I think I have to get more cheddar cheese, I think I used the last of what I had up in scrambled eggs the other day.
* Lynn linked to this: 10 British flavors Americans will never widely appreciate. I haven't tried most of those. I have tried Earl Grey (I am okay with it, it's just, not my favorite tea ever; I'd rather have something like All India or Scottish Breakfast). I've had Vegemite, which is like Marmite - years ago when I was at an "international" botanical meeting (in Chicago) a publisher from Australia had their booth-lady handing out crackers with Vegemite as a way to pull people in. I didn't care that much for it; I found it extremely salty. (And of course, today, I would never eat it because of that).
I've had real Turkish Delight (not the Fry's chocolate-bar kind they describe). I'm okay with it, except for the rose flavor - I just can't eat stuff that smells like soap to me. (And anyway, I prefer the Americanized "Aplets and Cotlets version - especially the Cotlets one, which has apricots in it).
I've also eaten vinegar on "chips" (what we would call fries). It's pretty good that way and I like it better than I like ketchup on fries. (Vinegar, especially malt vinegar, is also good on fried fish). I learned this from my mom; apparently someone in her family did it that way (her family is part British but they've been here for over 150 years so it's not like it's a behavior someone brought over and taught her; it must have been passed down or something. Also, years back, before ketchup and salsa became so popular, lots of people used vinegar as a condiment on stuff)
They don't list Golden Syrup but that might be because most Americans who taste it like it, it's just hard to find in some groceries. (I either mail order it, or I pick up a bottle when I'm up visiting family - no where around here that I have been sells it). Golden syrup is kind of essential for some recipes (I can't imagine doing the West Country Flapjack with corn syrup as a substitute) and it's wonderful on oatmeal. (And in tea, if you want a sweetener in tea).
Maybe they need to do a companion piece about British flavors that Americans like.
* Speaking of Marmite/Vegemite, I have heard a few people of British extraction opine that Marmite is to them as peanut butter is to us - they say "it's something you have to grow up eating." (These were people who did not like peanut butter). I wonder if that's true, if people who didn't grow up with peanut butter dislike it upon trying it as an adult. (I grew up eating the stuff - it was the fallback meal if I didn't like what my mom fixed for dinner; we had the option to make ourselves a peanut butter sandwich if we didn't like what was on offer.) I still like peanut butter and eat it from time to time; when I was in the thick of having bad hives it was one of the things that worried me, that maybe I'd become allergic to it, but some experimentation with avoiding vs. eating it seemed to demonstrate that it had no effect, so I will keep eating it.
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