1. Spud Spud means a potato. It's an informal, quite affectionate noun (potatoes in all their forms: mashed, as chips, roasted, boiled, baked.. have a very special place in British culture!)
Example: Mum: "How many spuds do you want with your lunch?" Child: "Two please." It also forms the brand name of a chain of baked potato fast-food restaurants in the UK, known as Spud-u-like!
Roast spuds
2. Knackered Means 'exceptionally tired'. That's pretty much its meaning today, although a few decades ago it used to mean 'exceptionally tired after of a lot of sex', so was used less freely! Even now the word is mostly used amongst friends, family or close colleagues. The term actually derives from an older verb referring to slaughter of animals that were too old to be of use any more (ie old and tired). :/
Examples: - "I am completely knackered!" - "The hill climb was really knackering.."
3. Dawdle This is a verb meaning to delay or move slowly, wasting time, instead of reaching your target. It's an old word, and slightly old-fashioned now. It is not rude.
Examples: "Hurry up, we can't dawdle around here!" "Rachel is always dawdling, it drives me nuts!"
We don't have seagulls in Singapore. Or at least not in the way they exist in Europe. Gulls are seabirds, which have a very strong connection with the coast in England. The sight of these birds, and the sound of their distinctive squawky call are as one with 'the seaside' in the UK. As soon as you hear gulls, it makes you think of the coast. And I've been to other countries in Europe, and the USA, where gulls are basically everywhere that there is ocean. But I've just been staying at a beachside apartment in Singapore, and something is missing... it's lovely be near the sand and the water.. but no squawking grey seabirds! To me, it doesn't feel properly like the coast! I've been to beaches in Asia before, and not noticed this.
Turns out gulls do lurk in Asia (and nearly everywhere else on earth, including away from the coast and near fresh water, apparently) but they're much less common in the tropics.
In fact, gulls are not particularly gorgeous animals.They're not that beautiful, enjoy scavenging and can be quite aggressive. But they still hold that important association with the ocean for me. Here's a video of some Herring Gulls (one of the most common in the UK) and next time you hear this sound, you'll know you are near water!
Hmm. This July there has been a minor heatwave in the UK - which is wonderful. To be completely honest, there is nothing quite as lovely as the English countryside in a good summer - it is rolling and brilliantly verdant, like a huge, lush salad, dotted with cornfields and groups of grazing sheep and cows. (And if you don't live there - worth a visit. If you do live there: enjoy it! I only realised how beautiful it really is after I moved to the tropics!)
However,on this occasion I was struck by the contrast in beach life between SE Asia and England. OK, OK, this is the tropics. We have the South China Seas, world-renowned reef life and a rotisserie of a climate. Palm-fringed beaches are the stuff of Northern dreams and of course, in Singapore, for example (which is not a beach beauty spot, but still tropical) we go to the beach to have fun. On a really hot day, it's great to head to sandy shores with a swimsuit, play volleyball, cool off with a bit of sea kayaking, or heat up under the rays with the SPF. The beach is a place of comfort and leisure. (Though you might need some insect repellent...)
In the UK, a beach visit is something quite different. It is more a stoical endurance test, an uncomfortable (but necessary) chance to force yourself to take in the biting air, and try not to sprain your ankles crashing across the pebbles*. During the recent heatwave, I joined friends for an afternoon at a pebble beach. It was surely one of the warmer opportunities to do so, and the company was good. But people turned up with tents, plus thick fleeces, and sleeping bags to wrap themselves in while we socialised. Because it was still really cold! Across the beach were people, and their dogs, wrapped in warm blankets, taking in the bitter 'sea breeze'.
Then also came the 'I dare you' type challenge of going into the sea - which was blooming freeeeeezing, and dark grey (none of this topaz tropical lark!) Most of us wore wetsuits, the braver locals went in with just swimming costumes, to the admiration of the rest!
In actual fact, once you are in the sea and get used to the icy temperatures, it is not an unpleasant experience; maybe a bit like rolling in the snow after a sauna? Sort of healthy and testing. And the sea air is fresh. But the experience of a 'visit to the beach' was not 'fun' as would be expected in Bali, for example. And I did sit there rather amusedly wondering - having been able to compare both approaches - why British people go to the beach to endure discomfort! Such a thing is unheard of in the tropics!
Singapore
England in heatwave
And before it gets pointed out, there ARE SOME days in the UK, for certain beaches, which are usually sandy and shallower, when the water warms up to become a pleasant, relaxing lounge. I have lived in the UK for many decades, however, and have experienced this about three times!
Personally, I feel there is something to be said for taking in cold, clean, fresh air (and without mosquitoes!) - but not sure we have to take it to squealing in frozen agony as we get our feet in the water. Happy paddling everyone! *Most Asian beaches are sandy. But in Northern Europe, pebble beaches are very common. Instead of sand, these beaches have plains of stones, worn round by the ocean. They are not easy to walk on!
I've just been travelling in the UK for a few weeks (excuse the quietness while I was away with limited technology!) And, contrary to my previous observations, the cafe Eat actually does sell Matcha latte and a Matcha frappuccino. I didn't have the time to try it (only noticed it on my last day!) But if you are in London (Manchester, Birmingham, Brighton or a few other Eat places) and would like to investigate Matcha, maybe give it a go :) You can find Eat cafes here: http://www.eat.co.uk/pages/where.shtml
Well, if you like a pistacchio milkshake and have money to throw around, this is the place to go! If you want matcha, it's not. I ordered the iced matcha latte with kanten*, and got a pale, creamy nut-milkshake with chunks of clear jelly. (Along, with access to only a large spoon which would not fit into the glass to eat the jelly!) I can't find anything much online about this new-ish establishment at @313Somerset, and maybe, as the name (Italian/Japanese?) suggests, the matcha is mixed with Italian pistacchio?! I couldn't detect any trace of green tea in there though.
Add to this, the price coming in at a whopping SG$10 including taxes, and less than impressive service, and I won't be going back there.
*Kanten is actually agar jelly, which is used in Japanese desserts. The plain form is clear or white, but in my experience, it can come in a number of colours, presumably with the addition of ingredients. At Nana's, for example, they serve a slushy with matcha kanten - leaf-green like the tea, and with a slightly creamier texture. I've also had a black/dark brown version. Dolce Tokyo Level 3, @313 Somerset, Orchard Road. MRT: Somerset. To check all the matcha drinks reviews for Singapore, click the Matcha Addiction label.
It's fairly well known (out East anyway!) that in Japan Kit-Kat makes some really unusual, limited edition, flavours. In fact Kit Kat apparently adopted a 'limited edition flavours' strategy in many countries during the last decade, to revive flagging sales. But nowhere are these more pronounced than in Japan. (Nestle if you are reading - we'd love some wild flavours in other countries too!) Some Japanese Kit Kat varieties I have heard about include Soy Sauce, Wasabi*, Banana, Creme Brulee, Yam, Matcha Green Tea.. and others. You can occasionally find the less wacky of these in Singapore at a high price, but I have been lucky enough to receive gifts of a couple of unusual flavours from Japanese friends. Here are two:
1. Matcha Green Tea Flavour Green chocolate, and green tea wafer and creme filling. Both chocolate and filling had a tinge of that bitter Matcha flavour. Quite nice! I also noted that in Japan, your Kit Kat comes in tiny 'two sticks' packets. (Each stick being basically half the size of one UK Kit Kat stick.) With three packets in a box about the same size as a UK Kit Kat. I guess this means you eat chocolate more daintily / in smaller portions? Stops it all melting together in hot summers?
2. Sakura edition Sakura is 'cherry blossom' in Japan, and the flowerings are a big spring rituals in the country. So perhaps this was a Spring limited edition flavour? The chocolate was again green tea flavour, but with vanilla wafer and a little pink creme, like the blossoms. The chocolate had a flavour, but the filling was mainly just 'sweet'. But then again, what does 'sakura' really taste like?! A very pretty edition, though, I think!
*This
one really intrigues me! Wasabi is that spicy green paste you mix with
soy for sushi dipping - with an eye-watering horseradish edge. Wasabi
with chocolate? Hoping to try other flavours in future.. :)
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