redarmy990

ive always wondered whos flaps they actually are

Noorah101

Ditto!! Costo's rack of lamb can't be beat. And their lamb chops are very good, too.

Rene

Anian

There is a hidden catch to any deal that looks even reasonably good, not just ones that are too good to be true. Prices are often artificially high to allow for coupons, whereas in the UK a coupon would be mostly for limited promotions only. Sales will say "20% off everything" but in the small print I find that they exclude the one type of shoe that fits me (I have wide feet). I've learned to ignore most "deals" after getting stung a few times.

Bob

The 4 seasons that aren't trying to kill you.

Ability to walk, get on the bus, ride a bicycle, to get anywhere and for it to be either feasible or not likely to get you killed.

The public bogs not being a peep show.

The street food vendors, even the shit ones and the ease of getting hot, fried food on the way home from something....a decent curry, keebab, whatever.

Pick up game of footie at the park, with mates, and a few pints of beer afterwards.

Cheap/ease of getting else where in Europe for something different to do on a weekend.

Decent bread, decent lamb, that's affordable and easy to get without having to go to a specialist shop.

The NHS, after having to deal with US healthcare with "good" insurance, had enough of it.

Pretty much easy enough to sub, make your own or what not for foods and other things to do, but it is nice not to have to think about it now and again.

But at the end of the day, it's pretty much the weather and mates.

Bink

I think I'm lucky I'm in Houston on this as there is a bit of a footy scene here. Plenty of pick up games around and easy to find a few people to go and have a beer afterwards with. Just a shame none of the parks are within walking distance like they were at home though.

But here, certainly during the summer you can head to certain places and guarantee to find a game or two going on every night that you can just join. I just found a Sunday team to play with from a pick up game.

I'll check out Costco as mentioned above and the market Mr Weeze mentioned (Phonecia in Houston), but I've struggled to find good lamb at reasonable prices too. It's probably my favourite meat too! The last leg I bought was $60 or $70. It was good but that's more than I'm willing to spend for anything other than a rare occassion.

helwardman

This is correct, coupled with the fact that I think I will always feel like an "outsider".

Bob

There's a lot of footie in Boston and the burbs, but you've got to join the leagues or what have you....out where I am, there's a hell of a lot of footie fields, but unless you're part of a team, you can't play on them.

It's all very daft...just can't go to a park and have a pick up game, it's all very organised if you want to play.

Lamb, Trader Joes have pretty decent lamb, but it is a little pricey and it's all Kiwi stuff, which often tends to be tougher.

Around where I am, we can go to the Brazilian shops and get cheap shanks, but the chops are tiny.

Just don't bother with it any more and it was my favourite roast and curry.

sawdustanddiamonds

Colman's mustard
Cadbury's chocolate (the UK kind)
Privacy in toilets
Spray deodorant
Food that doesn't contain corn or fructose
Feeling safe walking home on your own when it's dark
The London Underground
Good public transport in general
A good curry!

trirod

+1 - wow, that's almost identical to what I would have put, except I would take out pickled onions and add roundabouts (aren't 4 way stops the dumbest invention ever?)

HumphreyC

I love the British Isles. I'm not one of those expats who likes to slam the old country. I'll defend almost any aspect of British life from attacks by outsiders. But the weather in the UK does generally suck donkey's balls.

Now it's true that the winters in New England are cold (though the Canadians would disagree) and cost a fortune in heating oil, the spring is a mud-fest and summer has the odd 90 degree plus day which causes you to sweat out half your body weight, it does rain a lot here (but mainly in one massive downpour); but even considering that I wouldn't trade the 4 seasons here for the unrelenting rainy misery of the British seasons. The one plus side - and its a big one - is that the weather in Britain provides a good inducement to go to the pub.

Course all this is subjective so there isn't much point in arguing about it...

Now there's something I definitely don't miss ! (although maybe I would if I used the Boston T every day)

My list

Patum Peperium (the gentlemen’s relish)

Lamb!

Mersea Island - especially ‘The Company Shed’

Castles

Proper historic pubs – the kind where the resident drunk gets a name plate on his barstool when he dies.

Not having to worry about healthcare costs

The countryside (especially the Welsh borders)

Places around where I grew up – Bury St Edmunds, Long Melford, Lavenham

York, Cambridge, Bath, Edinburgh and St Andrews

Cheap flights to Europe

The pre-world cup/euros hysteria when everyone believes England is going to win and the depression/cynicism that sets in when they get beat.

Politicians that actually say what they are going to do if they get elected and give actual details (Mitt - I'm looking at you).

Bob

I'm from Oxford, so the summers were sunny, warm and pleasant, the day was long and it wasn't wet, humid or nasty.

The winters weren't that cold, weren't that wet and it wasn't grey or miserable that the north can get.

The four seasons, that aren't trying to kill you at every opportunity, lovely.

My view of the UK would probably be quite different if I grew up in Newcastle, but then I'm sure the weather probably would have been the least of my worries...finding a coat would probably have been a higher priority

Sally Redux

Nah Geordies don't wear coats - they're for poofters

Bob

Exactly...because simple evolution never made it that far up...beyond starting a fire

Mr Weeze

Once you reach the pinnacle there is no need to further evolve

CAdreaming

Traffic lights
Rounderbouts
People who get Brit humour
The letter U
Lamb chops
Food with no high fructose corn syrup
Driving on the left
Regular public transport which people use
walking (not hiking but just walking in general to place)
seeing people walking on the pavements
Unscented soap especially simple
The tabloids!!!
Paper shops
Tea
the feeling of familiarity
Oh and not having to think every small shudder is an earthquake
Saying all that I do like it here and have made some really good American friends who scour the shops here for me and bring me packets of digestive biccies which must have cost them a fortune!!!