Best of Britain: Sunday Roast

I recently posted a Facebook comment about something I'm going to miss when we leave the UK, and it inspired me to create a series of posts entitled "The Best of Britain." We are scheduled to leave this great country in December, so I should have enough time to procrastinate to death and post at least two more of these.

In my Facebook post I marveled at the efficiency of the postal service over here. (And all the Americans just thought, "She can't be serious." Oh, but I am.) I ordered something on Amazon.co.uk at 12:14 p.m. last Wednesday, and it arrived Thursday morning at 9 a.m.! It's almost crazy to waste the gas to drive 20-30 minutes away when you can pay a few pounds in shipping to have those baby-proofing items at your door the next morning. I love this place. And I love Amazon.co.uk. (I also love JJ-proof locks for my cabinets. That kid enjoys smashing our fine China.)

Sometimes, though, it pays to drive a little further for something spectacular. This week, I got a craving for a traditional, English Sunday roast. Despite the mountain of homework and work responsibilities he had to do this afternoon, Brian agreed that we should go to the Plough Inn in Icklingham for lunch. (Yet another reason I adore that man.)

Side note:  In case you're new to this blog, I'd like to let you know that I am now in my 5th month of pregnancy and nothing excites me more than food. Well, food and massages. Ooh! Massages while I eat! If only there was a Mexican restaurant with those really expensive massage recliners. We'd have to come up with a way to make them so they don't lean back too far, though. Indigestion, you know? I have to believe that the world's greatest inventions (like massage chairs and remote controls) were invented by pregnant women. Or possibly husbands of pregnant women who were sick of hearing about it.

But I digress...

Back to our Sunday roast.

We called to book a table as we always do at this particular pub because they refuse to let you in the door without one. No joke, we went there on a whim once, and the manager said to us, "Have you booked a table?" We looked around the empty pub as if to say, "Are you joking?" And he wasn't. He sent us on our way. So, since we know how the English love it when those pesky Americans follow the rules, we booked a table for 1 p.m.

In most pubs in Britain, you place your order at the bar before you're seated, and this is one of those traditional places. I ordered the beef roast, and Brian went for the chicken. After placing our order the manager said to us, "I could have guessed that." I suppose he's grown accustomed to our faces. Also, we're very predictable.

When our plates arrived, I could hear a choir of angels accompany the lovely waitress to our table. Out came the three generous slices of beef with a perfect amount of thick gravy. I also had a beautiful, homemade Yorkshire pudding on my plate and two roasted potatoes. Quick lesson here: Yorkshire pudding is the reason God invented gravy. They're puffed pastries filled with nothing. They're just puffed-up pastry with a dip in the center to hold - you guessed it - gravy. Isn't that the most glorious thing you've ever heard? (Remember, I'm pregnant.) The two, large roasted potatoes on my plate were perfectly browned and crisp - no doubt from the goose fat used to cook them. I've come to love goose fat for this reason.

Brian's plate was a beautiful presentation of half a roasted chicken. I'll stop here and clarify for the Americans who are accustomed to our hormonally-injected super-chickens in the States. This was half of an average-sized chicken browned to perfection and served with its own special gravy. Brian also had a small portion of dressing and roasted potatoes to accompany his meal.

Traditionally, Sunday roasts are served with meat, potatoes, and LOTS of vegetables. Today was no exception. They brought to the table an assortment of roasted carrots, parsnips, cabbage, broccoli, and potatoes. Yes, more potatoes! Brits love their potatoes.

I ate until I couldn't eat any more. I cleaned off my plate, most of Brian's and the family-sized portion of veggies. And as I contemplated an order of Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert, I caught a glimpse of the smile on Brian's face as he watched me scarf down the rest of our feast. I knew exactly what he was thinking, too. "I can't wait until this baby is born and our lives no longer revolve around her next meal."

Well, me too, buddy!

Obamacare Versus NHS

In the spirit of full disclosure, I won't claim to know too terribly much about what's been going on with the healthcare debate back home. Honestly, it's all I can do to listen to it from across The Pond. However, Brian forwarded me an email he received from our State Representative in Florida (which is where we're registered to vote). I found it very interesting:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Jeff Miller (R-FL-01) issued the following statement following the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act:

“After over a year of trying to ram through a trillion dollar government takeover of our health care system, Nancy Pelosi and the majority party waited until the middle of the night to take one of the most important votes in history.  This bill was written behind closed doors using backroom deals to buy enough votes to pass, and puts the future of our great country at great risk.  It does nothing to protect the sanctity of human life, will not lower health care costs for the American family, cuts Medicare by $500 billion, and raises taxes on middle-class Americans.  I strongly denounce the passage of this bill and will work for its swift repeal.”

Call me cynical, but I don't see how anything passed this quickly with this much secrecy can be a positive step forward for our nation. However, having never worked in the health field or political arena, I can only tell you what I know from experience living and working in a nation that has universal health care. It lessens the quality and the quantity of care we all receive.

In our "labor rehearsal" class last week, the nurse midwife explained that those who chose to have their baby on base would receive 24-48 hours of care after the birth. And for those who chose to have their baby at Cambrige Hospital (one of the best in this nation): two hours recovery. Two hours after giving birth, those who chose the NHS (National Health Service) would be asked to pack up and get out of there. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Inconveniences like this are only minor compared to what is likely to come as a result of this bill. I fear that immigrants will soon flock to America they way they come to Britain for "free abortions." Let's just hope that future leaders will be able to undo some of the negative things this current Administration has chosen to implement.

...I know I do!

Update on Sunday, March 28, 2010 at 11:53AM by Katy

I found this very interesting. Especially since it was aired on CNN. It appears the American media is a bit disenchanted with this whole process as well. Sure, there are plenty of people who want to see the health care system reformed...but why all the secrecy?

"God Save the Queen"

It's hard to believe that a nation whose anthem proclaims this:

O Lord, our God, arise,
Scatter her enemies,
And make them fall.
Confound their politics,
Frustrate their knavish tricks,
On Thee our hopes we fix,
God save us all.

...has arrested and convicted a Christian man for preaching the Word of God in the streets of Glasgow, Scotland.

According to Shawn Holes' website, he was arrested on March 18 for preaching against homosexuality in the streets of Glasgow. Here is a brief account from a fellow preacher who was there with him on Thursday:

We were preaching today on the streets and experiencing much adversity from police. We were warned not to preach against homosexuality, and if we did we could get arrested. Brother Shawn Holes was preaching when a group of young people began to shout questions at him. One question that they insisted on getting an answer was the issue of homosexuality. Shawn told them it was a sin against God, and that he loved them, and this is why he was telling them the truth. After he stepped down from preaching he was arrested and taken into custody. (Read the full account here.)

According to his website, Mr. Holes was given two options: 1) plead guilty of "some really trumped up charges and possibly pay a small fine of hopefully only 50 pounds or so and go home by Monday" or 2) plead guilty to the charges and "have to spend up to 8 weeks waiting for the trial NOT being allowed to leave the country with no guarentee of winning the case."

Shawn chose option one.

Believe it or not, there is much controversy amongst Christians both in Glasgow and in the States about whether or not this husband and father of two made the right decision. His blog post announcing his release from jail has to date spurred 81 responses - some encouraging Mr. Holes, some reprimanding him, and some downright criticizing him for his decision to plead guilty. Without proper facts to form my own opinion (since this is sadly not a newsworthy story in the UK), I choose not to cast judgement on this brother in Christ. I believe it is more beneficial to consider how in a DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY a Christian can go to jail for simply reading God's word cautioning against the sin of homosexuality (1 Corinthians 6:9-10 is exceedingly clear).

Though this is admittedly not the norm, I have personally witnessed women walking down the streets of Britain wearing absolutely nothing from the waist down (with the police only feet away). I've seen protesters in London practicing violence in the streets. I've seen drunkards throwing bottles and disturbing the peace. I've seen drunken children whose parents have allowed - if not encouraged - their excesses (children are allowed alochol "in private" from age 5). Brian and I live in a nation that not only allows abortion, it funds it! And, yet, a Christian man is jailed for reading directly from God's word.

According to various sources (again, I can find NO actual news coverage of this story), Shawn Holes was charged with "homophobia," “breach of the peace,” and "sectarianism." This FOR PREACHING FROM THE WORD OF GOD in a nation that still echoes, "God Save the Queen." Indeed. And God save Britain!

Update on Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 9:10PM by Brian

I'm glad to see that there is so much interest in this story.

We are all a little baffled about why we can't find good information about this story.  I did a search on an educational website I'm able to use for a legal class I'm taking.  I was able to come up with a little something.  The Scottish Daily Record from 24 March 2010 (on page 9) states:

PASTOR A SINNER

AN AMERICAN churchman missed being the first person to be convicted under the new laws by days.

Travelling preacher Shawn Holes was arrested last week in Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, after shouting "homosexuality is a sin against Jesus".

He was charged with breach of the peace aggravated by religious prejudice.

Holes was fined pounds 1000 at the city's sheriff court - but his sentence could have been tougher.

Copyright 2010 Scottish Daily Record & Sunday Mail Ltd.

Of course, when we looked at their website, we were unable to find anything.  If I wasn't up to my ears in school, work, and helping my wife through her last month of pregnancy, I'd probably try to do a bit more research.  It seems that none of us know enough about this particular instance to have a convincing opinion. 

It does raise one concern from me though.  I can see that many people are making every effort to be tolerant of everything and everyone, regardless of how sinful it is, unless of course, someone is being "intolerant."  The article does state that Shawn Holes is a sinner.  Newsflash:  we all are.  How about another newsflash:  being intolerant of sin is far from being sinful.  God is intolerant of sin, and I long to be more like that.

Man Versus Machine

I couldn't help but laugh when Brian sent me a Sky News article today entitled, "Driver Led to 100ft Cliff Edge By Sat Nav." For our American readers, "sat nav" is satellite navigation, or GPS.

The article begins: "A driver has blamed his sat nav for leaving his car teetering on the edge of a cliff after he followed its instructions."Seriously? It appears as though this society no longer seeks to blame parents, spouses, or employers for irrational behavior. Apparently, any inanimate object will do.

Thus we have, ladies and gentlemen, reached a new level of peer pressure I'd like to call "steer pressure." Apparently, these sat nav devices have progressed to the point of pressuring individuals to do things they would not otherwise do - in this case, crash into a fence on the side of a steep cliff.

Car dragged from cliff top after sat nav 'nightmare'. Pic: Ross Parry/Halifax Courier 

The unbelievable irony of this story is that the man WORKS AS A DRIVER! This "professional" driver told the Halifax Evening Courier: "It kept insisting the path was a road, even as it was getting narrower and steeper, so I just trusted it." He just TRUSTED it? Seriously? Lord help us all...I'm taking the train from now on.

What kind of advantage are we giving terrorists and psychopaths out there if we just blindly follow what our sat nav tells us to do? "But it told me to turn left into the bank parking lot and to rob it at gunpoint...and I TRUSTED it!"

Phobophobia

I'm not usually one for posting YouTube videos, but this one has caused quite a stir in my household today...

And for good reason, I'll admit. Brian has the world's worst case of Ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) that I've ever seen in a grown man, and his loving wife decided to email this video to him while he was working at the tax office today. I got an email back (not the most loving email I've ever received) explaining how he had "customers" sitting in the office when he screamed out loud. I had to laugh just picturing it.

Now, he says, "It's ON!" In other words, he'll be lying in wait for the first opportunity to scare me half to death. We both distinctly remember the last time he scared me. It was when we were living in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and I was baking a batch of cookies for our friend Jason. I had the hiccups pretty badly, but I was determined to finish the cookies before Jason arrived. Brian decided to go into the hallway outside our kitchen and knock on the wall. I assumed (as Brian knew I would) that it was Jason knocking on our door. I turned the corner down the hallway, and Brian screamed "boo!" in my face.

I then broke into the worst case of the sobs I've had since I started going through puberty. I couldn't stop crying to save my life. I probably cried for about ten minutes until he finally managed to calm me down. I kept saying, "WHY did you scare me?" He felt about as horrible as I've ever seen a person feel. But he made the mistake of responding with, "Well, at least you don't have the hiccups any more!" It was that day he first experienced how uncomfortable it was to sleep on the couch.

This whole snake video reminded me of what a fear I have of being afraid. In other words, I have Phobophobia - a phobia of phobias. I guess we could chalk it up to a childhood filled with moments where dad would scare mom, and mom would start crying. Drew would scare mom, and mom would pee her pants and then hit Drew a few times. Drew would scare me, and I'd start crying. Drew and I would scare dad, and we'd both get a spanking. I can't count the number of times we heard mom scream and then say, "Geeeeeeearld, you just made me wet my pants!"

I guess this joy of scaring one another is what led us to create the annual Christmas Dinner and a Scary Movie. This started the first year I met my best friends Heather and Bo (help me out on the year, everyone). For some odd reason, we decided to have a Christmas dinner at my parents' house and then watch a movie. Somehow it turned out to be a scary movie, and the tradition has stuck ever since. Hopefully, we'll be able to continue that tradition once Brian and I are back Stateside. There are few things more enjoyable than watching my dad scream like a little girl.

Speaking of screaming like little girls, I'm so sorry I didn't wait to show Brian that video when I could see his reaction! I'm just afraid he might have kicked me to the curb...which might exacerbate my Agyrophobia (fear of crossing streets).

What are your phobias, our dear readers? There sure are some interesting ones out there. For instance, Anglophobia is the fear of the English or the English culture. Can you imagine being terrified of good manners and teatime? That baffles me.

Check out this list of phobias to get you started.