Fulham v. Swansea City

The Game

So I attended my first professional soccer game with a Premiership team (the other team is in the Championship league). Would have been nice to attend a game with Premiership teams battling it out, but I hear those games are expensive and hard to come by in London.

Still, it was an entertaining match despite not knowing anyone on either side except for Fulham's Dempsey (USA! USA! USA!) and Zamora (Match of the Day 2 on Sunday basically said he couldn't pull the trigger). The first half was not so entertaining for me, especially since Fulham was trying to score on our side of the pitch and were failing miserably at it. They had one nice corner, met the head of some Fulham dude and it hit the crossbar. Other than that, it was rather boring. The second half, Swansea started out strong and scored. I didn't see it because I was struggling to finish a pint of Carlsberg. Jamie said he would be devastated if they scored and he wasn't there to watch it, and then it happened. The rest of the action happened on the other end, with two lovely goals scored by Fulham. Then suddenly the game was over. I was hoping for a draw, that would lead into extra time, which would then lead to PKs since this was a replay due to a previous draw. Unfortunately, that was the game--not too shabby I suppose.

The Comparison

First off, Craven Cottage is a small stadium! I guess it is intended to be so and makes it very quaint and intimate. But I am assuming that for Premiership standards, this is as small as it gets. And being an alumna of Virginia Tech and housing the nations #2 scariest place to play (according to ESPN), I kind of hold professional stadiums to a much higher standard. And even comparing it to dilapidated old RFK, it's still missing essentials (like more than one scoreboard since it was inconveniently located above my head so I had no idea what time was left). Perhaps I'm just a spoiled American--every missed shot my head would dart around looking for the jumbo-tron for the instant replay. Sadly, no jumbo-tron or multiple score boards. But again, maybe it's just Craven Cottage that wants to give you that old school feeling since I'm assuming not much of this stadium has dramatically changed since the late 1800s.

I will say that I love the cottage! I would love having seats in that home! I guess it used to be an old hunting lodge that they didn't bother taking down. You can see Fulham fans watching from the deck. How awesome would that be? And it's the only box seat in the house since there were no such things in this stadium. And as far as box seat amenities goes, I think they only service visible was a fireplace? But who knows if that was working since I'm only judging by the visible chimney stack. Still, very very cool.

One thing that I am very saddened about was the no alcohol policy at the game. There is beer at the stadium, but they are only sold five minutes before the game starts, and then at half time till five minutes prior to second half. I guess selling alcohol at that time is better than no alcohol at all. But you are absolutely not allowed to consume your beer in the stands! There were no beer guys (and food guys) roaming the stands trying to sell you drinks. Not one soul had a beverage in their hand--no, they were too busy doing their chants. It seems to be on a stadium by stadium basis, but I sat there dead sober and anxious the first half (because no one was scoring). I almost wanted to bite off my finger nails because I had no beer to nurse.

Everything else is pretty much the same. There were a few chants Swansea had in common with DC United, but the fans on both sides were the same more or less. Well, they didn't have their Barra Brava section where madness occurs, but I think that is a Latino thing so I wasn't expecting it. Actually, I will say that I think DC United has crazier fans than both Fulham and Swansea. I do recall throwing paper streamers at line judges and the smoke bombs other fans have. But still, everything else is pretty much the same. Oh, except for the players. Skill level is definitely a bit better than any MLS team I've seen.

Are You All Right?

It's this strange British greeting they use, much like our, "How are you?" I find it very awkward and strange though, mostly cause when I hear the phrase, "Are you all right?" it means "I have hurt myself." So my natural reaction to that question is (and this is quietly to myself), I think I am physically fine, but should I be hurt? I appreciate the gesture, but I still find it an awkward conversation starter.

But that is nothing compared to MD asking me how I was doing by implementing the word "tricks". I was definitely taken aback, and told him tricks basically means prostitution, which also has the same meaning in the UK, but I guess not in the context he used it in. I forget the exact phrase he used, but it definitely caught me off guard. I think my eyes bugged out at dinner.

"Tricks" is definitely the worst language gap thus experienced. And I absolutely hate Cockney rhyming slang! I hate it so much that I am not even going to begin to explain it, mostly cause I don't fully understand it!

Update 4:04pm: Dan should really be working, but he found it necessary to correct me via Gmail chat. The common greeting is "You alright?", I'm assuming cause it's shorter. And the tricks phrase is, "How's tricks?" Now you know why I bugged out!

To The Left: Part Deux

So I have been driving lately, mostly from the Tube to our house (a bit over a mile). Today I drove from Dan's parent's house to our house--almost 50 miles. Definitely did not enjoy it one bit! Driving on the highway wasn't too bad I guess, but it still is very odd being on a two-way road and driving on the left side. It just feels terribly wrong. Oh, and at one point I had to pass a really slow garbage truck, and that freaked me out that I had to pass it on the right! So very strange and counter-intuitive, at least for me. I bet I'm going to go back to the US and will be extremely messed up driving there. Why can't every one just drive on the right side?

"It's The Economy Stupid"

One of the few things I have learned in 12th grade AP Comparative Government class.

I had a very interesting conversation with one of Dan's friends regarding the global economic crisis. He simply asked if things were as bad or similar or about the same as it is in the UK.

From a personal perspective, I feel like most of my friends have not yet been affected by the credit crunch. None of my friends have lost their jobs because their company is failing, and that's mostly due to the fact that most of my friends work in DC and work for a company that has a government contract. I also believe that DC is more stable compared to other regions in the US. But I feel like it hasn't really effected me or anyone I know, yet. A friend was laid off late last year, but I don't think it was related to the credit crunch as her company has been trying to cut cost for years now. She can correct me though.

I think more of Dan's friends are feeling the crunch here in London. The friend I was talking with is in real estate, and obviously that is hitting a major slump. Another friend is worried about losing his job soon as a contract lawyer. And when the US chose not to save Lehman Brothers, a friend was frantically sending out her CV (but they got bought by Nomura, even though HR keeps firing her despite her boss saying she still works there). So there is a reality to it.

I will say it is interesting to watch the BBC talk about the economic crisis and read about the crisis through the Post.

What I think is most important (and fairly interesting) is to see how the European Union and the Euro hold out through the entire mess. Basically, some countries in the EU are getting their credit downgraded, pissing off the stronger countries. On top of all that, there is also a push to help out the Eastern European countries that are apart of the EU, but don't get the privilege of distributing the coveted Euro, get through the crisis. In all honesty, if this crisis prolongs itself, I can see at worst the EU being dissolved or the stronger countries creating their own union of sorts. But I'm not economist.

I also think the UK government is very conservative about how they are going to stimulate their own economy because they are worried about inflation. It makes sense since historically the British Pound is worth a lot of money (maybe not now, but it has and will be). The news also seems to accentuate the job loss in more rural areas rather than in London. For example, there is this big thing going on where the slogan goes "British jobs for British workers." They are complaining about the Italians who are working "their" jobs, except it is an Italian company who put their plant in England and hired mostly English but also hired Italians. And since the UK is part of the EU, it's not like the Italians can easily be fired.

It's all very different here, and very similar. It's kind of like a rat race to see who can finish on top.

Groceries

Dan and I have to go grocery shopping soon since we have nothing to eat. Well, I'm sure Dan could survive on the crap we have, but I need real food. And yes, this is yet again another food post; it's just really easy to compare food aside from the most obvious things.

Anyways, I really enjoy bacon. English bacon is strange. It's not quite Canadian bacon, and definitely not normal bacon. What we know as bacon is called streaky bacon here due to the streaks of fat. I find English bacon more like ham that can get crispy, unlike Canadian bacon. English bacon is definitely leaner than normal bacon, and that's why Dan prefers this bacon. But because it is a much leaner bacon, it definitely lacks the distinct flavor of bacon bacon. Also, they sell smoked and unsmoked bacon here. And I know they do in the US, but I feel it's extremely hard to find unsmoked bacon there. Hmm...

I'm A Bloody American!

So I'll be returning to the US in less than two weeks--it feels like I just got here in some respects. I am glad to be going back to what hopefully will be warmer weather and longer days (today's sunrise was at 7:09am and the sun will set at 5:18pm, which really doesn't matter if you are under constant clouds!).

The one thing that I have missed the most is the tumble dryer. It is terribly inefficient energy wise and probably leads to the rest of the world hating us (amongst other things), but damnit it is just so useful. Very few homes in the UK have tumble dryers and I have not come across one in my travels around Europe, but by no means is it a required home appliance in homes like it is back in the US.

It's just nice to do laundry when you have a tumble dryer. You just stuff your laundry from one machine to the other, set it, and forget it! An hour later, it's dry and you just fold it and put it away. I have to find radiators and things to hang our clothes on. And my clothes just don't feel as nice! There's just something about tumble drying that makes me clothes feel so much more softer. When I was little, my mother used to hang our laundry outside during the summer. And I just remember hating it because it felt different. I also have to iron a whole lot since air drying doesn't quite leave your clothes crisp and de-wrinkled. I also have an iron injury--a nice little burn on my hand because I just wasn't paying attention. I think doing the laundry without a tumble dryer adds 26 hours of work in completing your laundry because it takes about a day to dry and then like 2 hours of ironing. Terribly inefficient. And for all you women out there, it is much better to tumble dry your cotton underwear because the extreme heat kills the bacteria that can cause things like yeast infection--FACT!

If Dan were to make me settle here, I am going to have to put a tumble dryer in our home. I can't go long term without one, and this little adventure has just proven that.

Adventurous

So what I have noticed about males in the UK and the US is that in the UK men are more comfortable putting themselves out there.

Example 1: The other week we went to a karaoke bar, and the English were not shy about singing a song. Some even admitted to not being the best at singing, but they still danced and provided back up at the very least. There was full participation, which you rarely get in the US. I don't know one male that has done karaoke in the US unless they were gay.

Example 2: We had people over to play Rock Band/Guitar Hero World Tour. And it has been my experience that American men prefer playing guitar or drums--never singing (unless absolutely trashed). In the UK, everyone sang and everyone played each instrument once. And most UK people don't know most of the songs that are on Rock Band/Guitar Hero World Tour, yet they still suck it up and sing.

Perhaps it is just the male friends that I have, and really there are American men who would be willing to sing. Perhaps they aren't comfortable with themselves to put themselves out there. But based on my experience, this is what I know.

Stalking Update

Google annoyingly changes languages on me. It wasn't so much of a problem in England--just a few misspelled words. But in Italy... When I lived with my family here in 2005, I picked up Italian real quick--survival tactic since everyone's English is extremely poor. Subsequent visits since 2005 my Italian is pretty much non-existent. I know the basics to scold my cousins, but damn I am pathetic now. TV helps a lot though. But Google is just incredibly annoying to figure out sometimes. If you log into Google, those links on the top occassionally change based on (what I am assuming is) popularity in the given country you log in to. I noticed a difference between US and UK Google. Italian Google I really have to break the word down to figure out what they are trying to link to. Google should really just figure out what language your system is and show a page accordingly rather than depend on your IP address!

Can I Get Fries With That?

God, it seems all my posts revolve around food. If you didn't know me at all you must think I am fat or something (though Dan and my mother infer that I am).

Anyhoo, I've been in Italy for the last couple of days and I can wholeheartedly tell you that I am pasta and pizza out! More so pasta than pizza since I have pasta for lunch and dinner as the first plate (Italians love eating each food as a separate course, which annoys me to no end). Needless to say, I can live without pasta for at least a month. I usually don't like pizza, but I love the pizza in Italy, especially in the neighborhood my family live in. I had pizza for dinner when we arrived, and the other day we had pizza for a snack (yes, a snack!). We are having pizza on Friday, and I'm sure I'll probably end up having it again as a snack. Kind of getting bored with pizza.

But what I have noticed about London and Italy--you can't find good, cheap, diverse food. For example, Dan, Dan's friends, and I went out to sushi at a fairly expensive place. But if you look online, you can't really find a reasonably priced sushi place. I don't even know if they sell sushi here in Rome and if there is, it's probably really expensive and in the expensive part of the city. And Chinese/Thai food in both London and Rome are definitely awful, which makes sense since what we know as Chinese is really American.

Now, I won't speak for the US, but at least for the DC area you can find reasonably priced and very tasty varieties of food. If I have a sushi craving, there are many places I can go knowing that I don't have to spend an arm and a leg. I'm perfectly content with ordering Chinese food from the place around the corner. There are definitely cheapo Italian places that are decent. I hate pizza though, but you can find good places all over. I can't really say that about London and definitely not Rome.

Perhaps I haven't really given a fair chance to London. And I think Dan and I are hanging out in expensive neighborhoods that warrant the expensive menu. But there's definitely no good places in Enfield, which is sad. And Italians are isolationists like that.

Sleeeeeeeping

Clarke is still asleep and it is currently 1233pm. Hmph! Guess we're not going to the Vatican after all...

Italia!

Greetings from Roma! It's good to be back in Rome; a familiar place and familiar faces. I share a common language with London, but Roma feels more like home to me and it will probably continue to feel that way, as strange as that may sound to you.

The greatest thing about London, and Europe for that matter, is how cheaply you can fly or take a train from one great city to another. My round trip ticket from London to Rome was probably more on the expensive side--$150. But if you time your trip right, you can easily purchase a round trip ticket for a long weekend for less than $100. We also took a day trip to Pompeii from Rome; three one-way train tickets from Roma to Napoli was a bit over 60 Euros. It's just absolutely amazing and awesomely cheap how I can travel from city to city. If I wanted to take a train from DC to New York City, I am looking at spending at least $100. A round trip plane ticket from DC to San Diego cost about $400, but a round trip plane ticket from London to Prague can be around $200. It's a shame that I can't explore my own country for cheap.

I have been to Roma 4 times now, I've been to Pompeii twice, I paid my last respects to Pope John Paull II when he died in 2005--I have never been to the Sistine Chapel. I hope to cross that off my list tomorrow with Clarke. Friday I celebrate my cousin's 18th birthday (eep!) and then on Saturday I return to the rain and clouds of London. Buona sera a tutti!

Food Dictionary

Dan and I hosted a small Super Bowl Party, and of course I cooked. I made a very American meal, much to my chagrin. And boy was it a difficult task as the UK doesn't have very many American things readily available at Tesco. It was three weeks of research, frustration, and cursing trying to figure out what was what and what were suitable alternatives that would not deter from the original recipe.

To start, I made a spinach and artichoke dip. The main meal was hamburgers, chili, and hot dogs (all from scratch), and the vegetarian option was a portabello burger. The side item was french fries I made into chili cheese fries or cheese fries. Everything was from scratch, except for the hot dogs of course. I didn't make a dessert cause baking is really a science, and I think I'm not ready to fully tackle baking with the metric system (all my baking recipes are, of course, American).

Firstly, thank goodness for the internet. If it weren't for Google being able to convert things for me (e.g., oven temperature), it would not have been a success.

Secondly, double cream here is really heavy cream. Thankfully I made a correct guess at the grocery store. Yes, I assumed they would just have heavy cream there, but I was wrong. So if you go to the dairy aisle, there's cream and double cream and strangeness.

Thirdly and sadly, there was no suitable substitute for Velveeta. I know Europeans are very into their cheeses, and Americans can be too and usually scoff at the idea of Velveeta in their diet. But when you want to make chili cheese fries and similar items, making melty cheese from anything else but Velveeta isn't the same. I found a recipe from someone online--anyone with a user name utilizing Philly cream cheese has the right street cred. Though I was successful in making a liquidy cheese (which I was extremely nervous about), it still didn't taste nor look the same. I felt deeply sadden and disappointed at my effort.

Lastly, the British do not have any Mexican/Tex-Mex ingredients! Powders and such from a box do not count as passable Tex-Mex. My chili reqiures chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, which you can easily find in any grocery store back home. The closest thing I could find was a small jar of chipotle paste from a very up-scale grocery store. It did the job, but it's not as good as having real chilis in chili and I don't think it was nearly as spicy as I have made it in the past. And why can't I find non-Dorito tortilla chips???

Overall, the food didn't turn out terrible. Everyone ate everything, which is good. Cooking here makes me feel very naked because I don't have the right tools to put out a proper meal. I miss my Kitchen Aid the most I think, followed closely by my cast iron grill. :(

Winter Wonderland!

Last night it began to snow, causing some attendees to our Super Bowl Pre-Party to cautiously navigate their way home. I wake up this morning with 4 inches of fluffy stuff with an anticipated 6 inches of snow fall by the time the storm is over. Not quite thunder snow as Nick had hoped, but it's snow that gives purpose to the horrible cold temperatures and wind chills! Yay!

Obviously, never trust anything that looks so innocent because it can be horrendous. And this is oh so true of the snow in London. Obama poked fun at DC for not being able to handle a few inches of snow, I wonder what he thinks of London. Many of the Tube lines are shut, trains are shut, roads are blanketed with snow, and airports are shut. Anyone heard of a plow? Dan tells me that they "grit" the road, but he's not sure if that's just salt or sand. If Ted were here, he would probably laugh at the English. Honestly, I know DC is bad about handling snow and things. But I would like to say that Metro lines don't completely shut down; I mean there are big delays (as per usual), but they definitely don't shut down. And why would an airport allow a plane to land in weather like this? Silly silly people.

Still, it's always fun to look at and play in. Not so fun if you have to travel to work and all that jazz. Relax, have a hot chocolate, enjoy the weather, and if you want to kick it old school, run out and make a snow angel or have a good old fashion snow ball fight! :)