"separated by a common language"

[anabel]

English scones use baking powder (baking soda) as a raising agent, and are somewhere between bread and cake - more solid than cake but sweeter than bread.

They are served with butter and jam, or if you are in the West Country, with clotted cream and jam. A cup of tea is almost compulsory!

[ginger1]

Thanks, guys, for taking this thread up. I find the differences amusing, and occasionally really weird - for example we in the UK, would not blink or gasp, or complain about Molly Weasly calling Bellatrtx a - whatever - and I, for one was astounded when it was asterisked in the posts just after the launch of DH. It is in the Uk so mild as to be hardly a swear word at all - along with various other mild words, usually referring to "dog mess". Are they really considered to be so bad in the US?

[YellowPoofBall]

Yes, it's an extremely derogatory term toward women in the US. I've seen several feminist movements against the word.

[mac_attack]

^^It is very derogatory indeed. I read an article about Emma Watson's new movie that someone posted in another thread, and the word Squaw was written in the heading. That word is considered very derogatory here too towards Native American women and is very seldom heard anymore. If it is referred to by the Native American peoples, it is often referred to as the s-word.

[Lord_Nomolous]

Originally Posted by mac_attack

^^It is very derogatory indeed. I read an article about Emma Watson's new movie that someone posted in another thread, and the word Squaw was written in the heading. That word is considered very derogatory here too towards Native American women and is very seldom heard anymore. If it is referred to by the Native American peoples, it is often referred to as the s-word.

Really? I've never heard that used as a derogatory word. And when people say "the s-word," they're usually not referring to that, but something else.

There's quite a humorous video about this on YouTube by the Black sisters, where they attempt American accents, and rant about crisps/chips and bogeys/boogers. It's absolutely hilarious!

[mac_attack]

^^ When Native Americans refer to the S-word I mean. I know what other people mean when they say the s-word. I had heard a while back that some tribes were trying to get the word removed from their language or something like that. Waynooooo has a couple British vs. American slang videos on Youtube too...his aren't really funny, tho. I just like watching/listening to him talk. The only thing I dislike about those kinds of videos is the British/American war that goes on in the comments! Some people will never grow up, will they?

[Pox Voldius]

Originally Posted by anabel

English scones use baking powder (baking soda) as a raising agent, and are somewhere between bread and cake - more solid than cake but sweeter than bread.

American biscuits also use baking powder & baking soda. Here's a recipe for Southern-Style Buttermilk Biscuits --> http://southernfood.about.com/od/bis...r/bl60127b.htm

btw, are baking powder & baking soda the same thing in UK terminology? because here, they're two different things.

Originally Posted by YellowPoofBall

Biscuits really aren't like scones at all from what I've seen. I don't think I'd eat a blueberry biscuit, nor would I put preserves on a regular biscuit...

You know, I actually came across a recipe for Blueberry Biscuits while looking for a link to a basic American biscuit recipe

[anabel]

Originally Posted by Pox Voldius

btw, are baking powder & baking soda the same thing in UK terminology? because here, they're two different things.

In Britain we have baking powder, which is bicarbonate of soda mixed with another raising agent, and we have bicarbonate of soda alone (NaHCO3). Do you call bicarbonate of soda baking soda over there? I think I muddled that up and assumed that baking powder was the same as baking soda.

[Pox Voldius]

Originally Posted by anabel

In Britain we have baking powder, which is bicarbonate of soda mixed with another raising agent, and we have bicarbonate of soda alone (NaHCO3). Do you call bicarbonate of soda baking soda over there? I think I muddled that up and assumed that baking powder was the same as baking soda.

Hrm...well, I've got a box of baking soda & a can of baking powder in my kitchen, let me see what they say...

baking soda -- active ingredient is "Sodium Bicarbonate", doesn't say anything about any inactive ingredients

baking powder -- ingredients: "corn starch, bicarbonate of soda, sodium aluminum sulfate, acid phosphate of calcium"

[unconvinced]

Originally Posted by Lord_Nomolous

bogeys/boogers

Ah so that's what they mean when they talk about boogers in the Simpsons!

[mac_attack]

I found this about Biscuits:

Biscuit
Savoury scone (approx)
The American biscuit is a small savoury scone-like bread which is often eaten for breakfast with gravy. Indeed, biscuits and gravy are a traditional southern-style food consisting of savoury scones and a white or brown thick sauce (nothing like British gravy), often with small bits of bacon or other meat.

Which begs the question, what does it mean, "nothing like British gravy"? And It also said where I found it that Biscuits in the UK were hard, where cookies in America were all very chewy. That true? I had a teacher once from New York, and he said that before he moved to the west coast he'd never heard of anyone eating cookie dough or eating chewy cookies.

I also heard a friend say that "bombed" would mean opposite things...For example, if I said that I bombed the test, that would mean I failed. But in Britain, it would mean you aced it?

The last one I heard, the most confusing one, is the braces/suspenders. Ok, here goes. What we call suspenders you call braces, what we call braces you call retainers, what you call suspenders we call garters. Did I get that right? I can see a lot of confusion coming from those three words!!

[UAM]

Originally Posted by mac_attack

Which begs the question, what does it mean, "nothing like British gravy"?

I did wonder why you were having gravy for breakfast! In Britain gravy is a sort of sauce that is made from the juices that run off meat during cooking and then thickened up.

And It also said where I found it that Biscuits in the UK were hard, where cookies in America were all very chewy.

Yep, biscuits are hard. They'll go soft if you leave them out but they're not meant to be like that.

I also heard a friend say that "bombed" would mean opposite things...For example, if I said that I bombed the test, that would mean I failed. But in Britain, it would mean you aced it?

It depends. If you were to say "I bombed" then it would mean you failed, but if you said something was "the bomb" then it means it's great.

The last one I heard, the most confusing one, is the braces/suspenders. Ok, here goes. What we call suspenders you call braces, what we call braces you call retainers, what you call suspenders we call garters. Did I get that right? I can see a lot of confusion coming from those three words!!

Braces: (i) the things you get on your teeth to straighten them (most commonly train-tracks, but could refer to retainers)
(ii) things put over your shoulders and connected to your trousers to hold them up. Sort of like the straps in dungarees.

Suspenders: women's lingerie, a band to hold up stockings.
However, if you were to talk about suspenders in reference to a man most people would probably be aware of the American usage and follow what you were saying.


Are there any Kiwis here? Does anyone know if they shorten everything like Aussies do? Is there much differece between those two languages?

[Soffo]

Wow, weird... I just learned some of this stuff at school (I'm Britain, US, Australia, etc.) but I didn't know there are actually so many of these words...

PS: What I also find a bit weird is German words in English language (kindergarten? )

[CakeorDeath]

What are zuchinies(SP)?

This is a fab thread.

[YellowPoofBall]

Zucchini it's a squash

[mac_attack]

This is a zuchinni. It's a type of squash.

I found this video about the difference between a last call in Canada vs England.

[CakeorDeath]

Originally Posted by mac_attack

This is a zuchinni. It's a type of squash.

I found this video about the difference between a last call in Canada vs England.

Is totally true!

[ginger1]

I think we would call zucchinis courgettes in the UK. Good in stir-fry's and ratatouille.

[anabel]

Originally Posted by Pox Voldius

Hrm...well, I've got a box of baking soda & a can of baking powder in my kitchen, let me see what they say...

baking soda -- active ingredient is "Sodium Bicarbonate", doesn't say anything about any inactive ingredients

baking powder -- ingredients: "corn starch, bicarbonate of soda, sodium aluminum sulfate, acid phosphate of calcium"

That's about right then. Bicarbonate of Soda is exactly the same thing as Sodium Bicarbonate - which you call baking soda. And baking powder appears to be the same on both sides of the pond. However, my own bad experience of following American recipes with British ingredients indicates that there may be minor differences in a lot of things, so perhaps the baking powder isn't quite the same after all ...

[Pox Voldius]

Originally Posted by anabel

That's about right then. Bicarbonate of Soda is exactly the same thing as Sodium Bicarbonate - which you call baking soda. And baking powder appears to be the same on both sides of the pond. However, my own bad experience of following American recipes with British ingredients indicates that there may be minor differences in a lot of things, so perhaps the baking powder isn't quite the same after all ...

Quite possibly.

What other ingredients seem different, out of curiosity?