PC01

Been here for a year, and I miss everything.

Telly, steak and kidney puddings, proper cheese, electric kettles, rainy summers, sausages, terraced houses, country pubs, pints of real ale, chicken and leek pie, gin and tonic, trains, and curry.

I yearn for these things with a gaping heart.

You alright?

geoff52

There must have been some attractions in the US that made you move.

I go to the UK every year, and after about 4 weeks I start yearning to return home to Canada.

Could there be other reasons why you have not settled in your new environment?

scilly

How much research did you do before moving to the US??

Did you move alone or with a partner? That can affect your outlook!

It isn't the UK, never has been!!

I'm afraid that just like moving to any other country (including Canada and Australia), there will always be great differences between what you grew up with and what you will find.

How about trying to focus on why you did move, and on what is good about the US?

I am speaking from experience ........... we moved first to the US, then up to Canada because that is where the work was. I had many other reasons for not liking the US .............. but food was never ever one of them!

You don't say which area you are living in ............ but there are fantastic bbq'd foods in most areas, all the fresh fish dishes of the coastal areas. I could go on and on about the food.

Perhaps caused by the fact that I could happily do without most British food

Then there are all the places to visit ......... have you tried getting out and about.

PC01

I think you both misunderstand, I'm not complaining, I'm just introducing myself and few little things I miss.

I've lived in 3 other countries aside from Britain and the US so I'm not exactly new to the whole picking up my life, moving on and leaving things behind.

But you know. Nothing is going to stop you from missing things from home aside from friends and family. I've been from coast to coast here over many years of visiting and working and frankly there is nothing anywhere in the world that compares to things you grow up with aside from prohibitively expensive imports but as you say, most food in the US is fine if you can deal with the lack of variety.

I moved here permanently to marry my now wife and everything else has been fine.

Pulaski

Hi PC, welcome to BE.

Get yourself an induction stove and an old-fashioned stove-top kettle and you will never yearn for an electric kettle again. It will boil faster than any electric kettle and you can boil as little as a few ounces of water if you want.

PC01

Cheers, bud!

Rete

Hello PC01 and welcome to BE

Thank you for introducing yourself and your new whereabouts.

I see some others have replied to you but since this is the Welcome Inn, rather than a discussion forum (please don't shoot the messenger), my I suggest that you post your yearnings either in the USA forum USA - British Expats or in the Lounge. Before posting, we ask that you have a read of site rules linked above on the beige header.

The US does have real ale (craft beers are the rage these days), pubs (the only ones I know, however, are Irish), electric kettles (I'm used nothing but for the last 20 years), lots of Indian restaurants (lots of Indian immigrants to help you satisfy that curry craving), and if you are on the east coast there is a great train system in the NYC area and on the west coat there is one in San Francisco and don't forget about Amtrak which travels the US (up, down and sideways).

Look forward to seeing you and those that have already responded to your initial post in whichever forum you choose to visit.

Pulaski

They had one of those sideways moving ones in Washington state, about thee weeks ago.

PC01

I realise the tone of a post is difficult to gauge, but honestly, it was meant with tongue firmly in cheek. I have no real complaints or problems with the country, I just thought it was an amusing intro to a forum of british ex-pats who love nothing more than a good complain.

But since you raise some points, allow me to respond. I hate to disagree, but Amtrak is terrible. I've taken trains from Penn State in NYC to Akron in Ohio, they took around 18 hours due to the state of the tracks. Plus you need a cab to get you from the "station" to your destination, which can be hours away.

I've eaten in a couple dozen Indian restaurants in the US and they were all terrible. I asked them why they don't serve anything authentic and they just shrugged and subtly gestured around at the other diners with a depressed resignation.

Beer here is frankly the worst in the world. IPA, which a lot of people seem to love and is the darling of many microbreweries, tastes like cough syrup soaked pinecones. Mass produced beer is unconscionably awful. Thankfully I live opposite a bar which gets a lot of imports from Belgium and Germany, so I'm happy enough there. I do miss my warm pint of pride though.

vikingsail

Beer here is so sh....ite I have given up drinking - I mean this is the country that has given us Red Stripe, Pabst etc and where Bud and Coors are considered high quality. The 'new market' of trendy microbreweries seems to be filled with flowers and fruit!! Uggggh so I prefer not to imbibe.

Indian food - well its cooked for the local cultural palette. I once heard said that Fish and Chips in Australia taste nothing like back in the UK because they cater to the local taste buds - same here in the US, again look at the quality competition Olive Garden, Outback, Taco Bell etc etc!!!

But your right this is a Brit expat forum and god do they love to moan - it always makes me feel like I'm back home!

PC01

Love it!

Moan your heart out matey!

Although sod not drinking, most nutritious meal of the day.

johnwoo

I suggest you start a new thread for moaners only.

Rete

I have asked that this post be removed from the Welcome Inn and reposted in the US general forum as it has taken on a life of its own although I have asked that you repost your introductory post in the US forum or the Lounge forum.

The BE house cleaners will be along shortly.

Please note I understood the tone of your post and as a USC did not take offense at it. Nor was it intended as an offensive response to you.

Again, welcome to BE and enjoy your time with us.

PC01

God I miss banter.

moneypenny20

As this is now chatting, I've moved you into the Trailer Park.