Oh, This Wacky Island!
A Carb a Day... - 3.8.04

Anne


Ah, another instalment. So filling…and yet so full of empty calories! Since I've started off on a food-related tangent, I might as well run with it, eh? Here are a few things I've noticed about the food in my time here.

  1. Carbohydrates: Man, carbs are huge here. Everything is bread, pastry, or otherwise carbohydrate-based. This is the land where Dr. Atkins dare not tread, and that's alright with me. It means I get to pig out on puff pastries and not feel the slightest bit guilty about it. Mmm...
  2. Pancakes: From what I can gather, people don't eat pancakes very often, except on Shrove Tuesday. It's sort of like Mardi Gras, only it's…pancakes. They're considerably thinner than American-style pancakes; they're almost like crepes really. And people eat them with lemon juice and sugar instead of butter and maple syrup. I know, I know... I'll have to try some and get back to you on that.
  3. Aspartame: Oh, my God. Every soft drink and gelatin desert I've eaten has aspartame or saccharine in it. Or sometimes both! I don't know what to do, really. I suppose I could stop eating or drinking anything sweet, but that would go against my basic nature. Apparently British lab rats don't get cancer. So maybe this means I'm immune while I'm here? Well, let's pretend anyway, at least until I can find an aspartame-free alternative to soda.
  4. Malt Vinegar on Chips (i.e., French or "Freedom" Fries, depending on your level of, uh, patriotism...): Chips with salt and malt vinegar are really good. No, really! If you like salt and vinegar chips that is. I mean, salt and vinegar crisps. Oh crap, my eyes have gone crossed. Anyway, just give it a try. It's good stuff.
  5. The "Donner Kebab": No, I don't know what it is. And yes, I'm thinking the same thing you are. Apparently, the story of the Donner Party is not really taught in history classes. Strangely enough, no one here seems to know what kind of meat is in this either. Let's just say I'm staying as far away from this as possible.
  6. Scones: Fun fact! Scone = American Biscuit. Who knew?

Indian curry is also a huge industry, which is delicious, and is something I wish we had in America. Unfortunately, Thai curry is not very popular, and Vietnamese and Cuban food are virtually unknown. This is heartbreaking for a food-addict like me, but don't worry, I'm coping. I also recently discovered that the supermarket on campus sells Skippy peanut butter. That was a happy day, because if peanut butter's not loaded with sugar, it just isn't worth my time!

One thing I will really miss when I come home are biscuits like Hob Nobs. They're oat cookies with real oats, covered in chocolate. So not only are you getting the benefits of chocolate, you're also getting a serving of oats. See, it's (sort of) healthy!

I've also gotten into the expensive habit of drinking anywhere between 2-6 cups of tea a day. This is more than I've seen any of my hallmates drink, but since coffee shops are few and far between, I need to get my allotment of caffeine somehow. Besides, I drink it with milk, and milk's full of calcium, and it does a body good.

So, don't worry about me. I'm still eating healthily in a roundabout way. So until next week, I'm signing off and reminding you to take your vitamins.

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