British And American Halloween Traditions - Podcast 92

Image: Dominic Williams

The photo above was taken on Halloween during Dominic's first ever trip to the United States.  I took him to downtown Austin on All Hallows Eve, where people essentially parade up and down 6th Street checking out each other's costumes.  The above was a large group that pretty much everyone was taking photos of, so we followed suit.  In today's podcast we discuss the phenomenon that is fully grown adults dressing in costumes on Halloween, plus all the other traditions that go along with the holiday and how they do or don't differ in America and Britain.  Have a listen and then let us know if you went trick-or-treating as a child and/or whether you pass out candy to trick-or-treaters.

Living In America: Got Guns?

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Guns. It's a hot topic. There's a second amendment. It's all very confusing to us foreigners who don't understand the obsession with guns. It all comes down to a simple question...

Why do ordinary people need guns? Because they feel safer against potential intruders into their home. But if an intruder snuck into your house at night to lift your laptop/ipad/phone and had no weapon, would shooting them and most probably killing them be, for lack of a better term, overkill? Surely a sturdy baseball bat around the body would be an effective deterrent.

I would welcome someone who is pro-gun to explain to me, without simply going on about the second amendment, why a gun is necessary to own. Although with the recent events in Fort Worth, I'm sure many gun owners are nodding their heads comfortably at the reason why they have a gun. When the police are seemingly ready to shoot to kill someone in their own property, isn't it prudent to have a gun to defend yourself?

It raises very serious questions. Police officers who have itchy trigger fingers are a major cause for concern for...well...everyone in the United States. It's probably part of the reason why in the United Kingdom, the majority of the police forces are unarmed. Instead being issued with CS Spray and a Expandable Baton, which was famously a mahogany truncheon in the early days of the Metropolitan Police. Of course, there are armed police in the UK who take part in operations where a firearm is involved.

So, are you pro-gun or are you anti-gun? As always, I'd love to hear from you!

-Dominic

British and American Halloween Candy - Podcast 91

Image: Erica Williams

Now, as Halloween is coming up fast, we're talking about all the wonderful candy (sorry, chocolate and sweets) that you get when you go trick-or-treating.  Some "Fun Size" British treats include Cadbury Fudge, Buttons, Smarties, Refreshers and Flumps (whatever those are) and American treats include, but are not limited to: Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Butterfingers, Tootsie Rolls and Paydays.  The photo above is literally our niece and nephew's haul, spread out on the kitchen table after trick-or-treating one year!  Aside from the green packages of M&Ms what's pictured appears to be pretty standard American Halloween candy, perhaps minus some of the stuff no kid ever wants to see in their trick-or-treat basket.  (Basket?)  Have a listen to our recent ramblings and then let us know what kinds of candy you liked to get on Halloween and which you dreaded seeing in your basket.  (Bucket?)

Why Do British People Hate London? - Podcast 90

London from the sky. Image: Dominic Williams

It's a fair question. A LOT of people from Britain do not like London at all and why? Why do they not like London? In fact, there are people from all over who don't like London at all! It is an amazing city and we just want to know WHY?

Do you not like London? Tells us why!

Welsh Words And Their Meanings - Podcast 89

A typical road sign in Wales. Image: Tea And A Butty

Croeso i bennod podlediad arall o Tea and a Butty lle rydyn ni'n siarad am eiriau 

Cymraeg a'u hystyron!

No idea what I just wrote? Looks like just a bunch of consonants eh? 

I said "Welcome to another podcast episode of Tea and a Butty where we talk about 

welsh words and their meanings" in Welsh.

Welsh is a strange language. Many tourists to the UK who happen to go to Wales don't realise 

there is an actual language that goes along with the country and when they start seeing the bi-lingual signs

like the one above, they start thinking they've gone mad or maybe this country has gone mad. Perhaps both 

is right!
 

Can you say these words?  


1. Croeso (Welcome)

2. Dwt (Cute)

3. Iechyd Da (Cheers)

4. Ych-af-i (Disgusting)

5. Cwtch (Cuddles)

6. Sglodion (Chips)

7. Ysgol (School)

8. Siop (Shop)

9. Maes Parcio (Car Park)

10. Nofio (Swimming)

Tea and a Butty's British Snacks Giveaway Contest!

Okay, for those of you who follow our podcasts but don't follow us on social media, here's what you're missing out on!  (Sorry this blog post is so late, but there's STILL TIME TO ENTER AND WIN!)  These are the British snacks you could win if you follow us on one of our social media pages and follow the instructions for how to enter the contest.  The giveaway contest ends October 31, 2019.  Entry rules below.

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Tea and a Butty Podcast is excited to announce our first EVER giveaway!  One winner will receive 15 British snacks and drinks as seen in the photo.

(Items include: 1 bag of pickled onion flavour Monster Munch, 1 bag of Worcestershire flavour Walkers crisps, 1 bag of cheese and onion flavour Hula Hoops, 1 bottle of Irn Bru fizzy drink, 1 box of decaf Twinings English Breakfast Tea, 1 small box of Yorkshire Tea, 1 box of Tunnocks Milk Chocolate Tea Cakes, 1 box of McVities Milk Chocolate Digestives, 1 package of Jammie Dodgers, 1 small box of Walkers Scottie Dogs Shortbread Biscuits, 1 package of Maltesers, 1 pack of Rowntrees Fruit Pastilles, 1 Nestle Aero, 1 Tunnocks Caramel Wafer Biscuit Bar, and 1 Lion bar.)

HOW TO ENTER:

1.  MUST be following @TeaButty on at least 1 of our Social Media accounts.  (Instagram, Twitter, OR Facebook)

2.  MUST “Like” this Giveaway post.

3.  MUST comment “Tea for Me!” on this Giveaway post.

4.  MUST tag 3 friends who might also like to enter the giveaway.  (Must be genuine, non-celebrity, non-store or other types of business accounts.)

THAT’S IT!  GOOD LUCK!



BONUS ENTRIES:

Ways to get bonus entries in this giveaway will be announced during each podcast between now and October 31, with the last bonus entry being announced during that Thursday’s episode.



FINE PRINT:

- Giveaway open to residents of 48 continguous U.S. states only.  Sorry, guys.  Hopefully we’ll have enough audience and $ for an international giveaway next time!

- Must be 18 years old or over, or have a legal guardian's permission to enter.

- Giveaway closes at 11:59p CST on Thursday, October 31, 2019 and the winner will be announced Tuesday, November 5, 2019 on our podcast.

- Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and the brands being given away have no affiliation with this giveaway.

Moving to the UK from the USA - Podcast 88

Image: GDSteam, CC By 2.0

So, we've done moving to the USA from the UK, now we're doing moving to the UK from the USA. But before you get excited at the thought of strutting along Bond street, eating Jelly Babies and drinking tea, there are a few hoops to jump through first in the way of visas! In this episode we talk about them all and also discuss getting married in the Hundred Acre Wood! Have a listen if you are intrigued!

Have you ever thought about moving to the UK from the USA?

Moving to the USA from the UK - Podcast 87

Image: Piviso, CC0 Public Domain

Over time, we've had a lot of questions about visas and moving to the United States in general, so we thought it was high time we recorded a podcast on the topic.  While this is just to give a general idea on the basic requirements and ways to move to America, we did want to try and make it clear that it is not an easy process.  Go ahead and listen to our podcast and then, if you're really serious about moving to the USA, you might like to check out the VisaJourney website, as it, pretty much single-handedly, helped me to get Dominic to the states.  The guides, timelines and forums are particularly useful.  And if you have no interest in U.S. immigration, you may still want to listen to this podcast to find out today's secret bonus entry into our British snacks giveaway!

Gas Stations vs Petrol Stations - Podcast 86

Buc-ee's Gas Station. Photo: Wikipedia

Gas Stations are a big cultural thing in the USA. But what is this culture that surrounds them? What in the name of sanity IS Bucee's? Does it have the cleanest gas station toilets? Are petrol stations the same thing in the UK and the US? Do they even have soda fountains in there? All these questions are answered by Dominic and Erica in this episode!

What's your favourite thing to get at a gas station??

American Snack Cakes - Podcast 85

Image: Mike Mozart - Little Debbies, CC By 2.0

It's time to talk about something very serious, friends.  Dominic and I are afraid we just can't continue on with Tea and a Butty... without doing a podcast about the delicious (?) beloved American tradition that is American snack cakes!  I know, some of you may be screaming at your computer/phone/tablet screen, "Delicious?  DELICIOUS?!  Those cakes are the end of humanity as we know it!"  May I just say to you, first, calm down, and second, if you hate Hostess, Little Debbie, Mrs. Freshly, and Tastykake etc. snack cakes, and everything they stand for, with a passion, you may want to sit this podcast out.  We're not sure they have anything like these delicious confections anywhere else around the world, but we're probably wrong, so once you've had a listen to our latest ramblings, please feel free to let us know if they have similar types of snacks where you live.

Also, be sure to listen for the second way you can gain a bonus entry into our British snacks giveaway competition!  Are you entered into the contest yet?  Follow us on social media to find out how!

British Shipping Forecast - Podcast 84

Emoscopes [CC BY-SA 3.0]

It is time, yet again, dear friends, to chat about another British institution and that is, the British Shipping Forecast, an age-old tradition that has developed a rather odd cult-type following over the years.  It's a topic that is quite foreign to foreign Erica and the obsession surrounding it is a concept that she finds even stranger.  Have a listen and then let us know: If you're British, are you familiar with the Shipping Forecast, and if so, do you listen to it in order to go to sleep at night?  Also let us know if you're not British, but happen to know what the Shipping Forecast is, and if you do, let us know why you happen to know what it is.  Really!  I'm desperately curious about these things.

In addition, if you listen to this episode, you will learn the first secret way to gain an extra entry into our fabulous giveaway.  We'll be posting about the giveaway here on the website shortly, but until then, you may find information on how to enter our giveaway on all of our social media sites.

Living in America: Tips For Tipping?

Money left as a tip is expected in the USA. Photo: Public Domain Pictures

Okay, so you're a large party of Brits 'giving it large' (being obnoxious) in a restaurant in the USA, you've eaten a fine meal and the waitress has been very attentive and refilled your drinks after you've taken a sip and asked in a cheery voice "Is there anything else I can get you?!" about twenty thousand times and you've finally asked for the bill, which they've speedily brought you because they want you out of here if you ain't going to order anything else! Make way for another paying customer, sucka!

Now, you may or may not be familiar with America and it's custom of tipping your wait staff. In some parts of the USA, such as New York City, it's customary to tip everyone. The taxi driver, the bellboy, the man that looked at your shoes on the subway and nodded appreciatively at their shine. (Okay, maybe not that last one)

But to tip your wait staff in the US is very common and, yes, even if they didn't give you good service it is still expected to tip. If you're in a large party of perhaps 7 or more people, they don't give you a choice. The tip is automatically added on to the bill (Look for the word 'Gratuity' on your bill to see how much they factored in)

My personal opinion on the subject is they should be paid a fairer wage rather than allowing the restaurant owners to rely on them getting tips to make up their wage packet so they don't have to pay them. I've been told that not tipping is being mean to the employee but I'm not the one who's employing them. The manager is the one who is being mean to the employee by not paying them as much as they deserve.

Then on the other side is this question: If tips were totally abolished and wait staff were paid a fairer wage, would they go above and beyond like many do to earn their keep? Some wait staff need that tip and they are on the ball with their table. If you've taken two sips of that iced tea, they'll be there to refill it. If you're looking around the table for something, they will be asking you what you need. Some of them might even feed you and then burp you but that was one time in Texas Roadhouse and it was very embarrassing due to the language barrier. I ended up paying for that poor waiter's therapy. If you're reading this Bob, I'm very sorry and you'd make an excellent nanny.

So, this is a hot topic among foreigners who've experienced the process and there are valid points on both sides of the argument. So where do you stand on it?

Let me know in the comments below! Also, don't forget to tip for this wonderful service I've provided for you. Thanks.

-Dominic

British Supermarkets Ranked - Podcast 83

Image: Maxwell Hamilton - Tesco at Ashford, CC By 2.0

Interestingly, you guys seem to enjoy it when we talk about British grocery stores.  No, don't argue.  You enjoy it.  We have the stats to prove it.  And, recently we saw (and have seen others do the same in the past) a vlogger we sometimes watch rank British supermarkets from best to worst so, guess what this podcast is about.  Go on, guess.  I'll wait.  Okay, if you guessed that this podcast is about Different Brands of FlipFlops Sold in Turkey, YOU'RE RIGHT!  Joking of course, it's really about Different Brands of FlipFlops Sold in Spain, everyone knows Turkish flip flops aren't any good.  Kidding again, in this episode we're talking about all the British supermarkets we can think of, and ranking them from our least favorite, to our favorites.  Now, I haven't even been in some of the ones on this list, so it's not entirely fair, but you know what they say about life.  After you've heard our recent ramblings, why not pop over to our Facebook group and give us your own ranking of the supermarkets we mention?