I'm enjoying remembering this trip and all those instances things were different from back up on the other side of the equator!
We had especially made this trip to attend Melinda's wedding to sweet and loving Graham (Grae). While not the best-focused photo, I love the interaction with the young guest and his camera! Theirs was a church wedding and the reception venue was indoors, by the beach. We learned (on our first visit when Heather was 21 and they threw her a party), they are big speech presenters! (I'd love to know if that's the case with others leaving comments!) At US weddings, of course there are some speeches, but this group was masterful without being boring! Also, brides in the US might typically have several bridesmaids as well as a Maid of Honour, usually her sister or Best Friend. Melinda told me they typically have only one additional bridesmaid. I had to show her cake made with a Marzipan frosting. I believe I recall she said that was typical. I don't know of anyone who doesn't have piped frosting! Of course all that was many many years ago, and even here, weddings and receptions have often blown out of proportion! But this was then, and I was fascinated by our differences!
Within a day or two after the wedding, we drove down the coast to stay at the home of Enid and Gordon, then living in Coila That gave us the time to have a most enjoyable visit there with them! (Gordon had designed and built their home as well as a guest house in a boat shed down by the water! What a unique and delightful place to stay!)
Soon we'd be joined again by Joy and David and continue to make our way down the coast to visit Tasmania! It was about to be Ken's 50th birthday, and for the quaintness of it, one we'll never forget!
Lovely photo. Some interesting points of difference. I think it's fairly common here to have between 1 and 3 bridesmaids or as my daughter called them 'Best Women'.
I've never thought of us over here as 'quaint' but then that's another one of those things about how other people see us.
I shall look forward to more pics of your time here
I love your narrative, and of course the photo, Louise. I also love how you've focused on the differences, on what made things so special for you, as visitors. I believe today that there are not so many differences, as more and more, we tend towards doing similar things all over the world (with exceptions, of course). I remember when I was about 12 (50+ years ago), I babysat for 2 little American girls who lived a few doors down from us. Their dad was in the American Air Force, and was seconded to Banchory as a Meat Inspector (at the local abattoir), inspecting meat for the base at Edzell. Anyway, I was amazed by the differences there too. The food they ate (often bought at the Edzell base) ... TV dinners, creamed sweetcorn, M and Ms, crisps and dip, steak (!) and sloppy joes, I could go on. And they played country and western music, Charlie Pride in particular. They were of American Indian origin. And I loved everything about them. The eldest daughter was called 'Myrl-Jeanne' and when they first arrived in our neighbourhood, their mum, Judy, used to call out for her at the back door. We were all convinced her name was 'Margarine', which we definitely thought was different. ;-) I have such fond memories of that family and those days. Sadly, for me, they went back to the US and I have lost touch with them. I often wonder where the girls are, where they live, and what they do.
When we got married (48 years ago), wedding cakes were traditionally fruit cakes, iced with marzipan and fondant. The top tier was often kept for your first wedding anniversary . This is definitely not the done thing now.
Another wonderful trip down memory lane. I love the stories of the differences you found. I have discovered so many different foods since I met you and Ken! So many words are different too. What is it Ken says about the differences between the US and the UK language?
@ankers70@jamibann@casablanca@wakelys@joansmor@corinnec@gardencat@merrelyn@agnesvanderlindeicloudcom@pamknowler I love how much everyone has engaged on these photos and the differences we share! I'll get back further to several of you, but I thought you'd get a kick out of the answer to the question Pam asked. Ken has said, when we travel to English-speaking countries, "We're separated by a common language!" The joys of travel, there are many words I've adopted as I like them better for instances than I do "my own English"!!
@merrelyn Before I forget, Mel and Grae had a fruit cake for a "Groom's Cake" alongside the Marzipan iced cake! (I don't recall the interior) And here's another difference...most Americans make jokes about Fruit Cake. It's a fave of Ken's and I've often made him one for Christmas, but overall, it's the brunt of jokes! Ken and I also saved (in the freezer) the top of our wedding cake to eat on our 1st anniversary! I have NO IDEA what the current trend is now, but I'm sure there are tastier things to be had than that year old defrosted cake!!!
@ankers70 "The quaintness" was in reference to our quarters in Tasmania on Ken's birthday...a VERY old building (mid-1700s) where the grass grew up along the wall inside the main room with a fireplace, the only source of heat on a June day! It was so cold in the morning, the sheep in the paddock (an Aussie word I use now) directly behind us had frost on their coats! *So NOT Southern California*!
Beautiful story. We didn't have a tradition of wedding cakes. Only recently have they become fashionable. In Poland, the most important tradition was welcoming the bride and groom with bread and salt.
@haskar Thank you for sharing that! Of course those are traditionally considered staple foods in a home! May I ask how they were presented...individually or as a group presentation at something like a reception? The weddings here are a welcome for friends and family to witness the marriage and the reception is, in effect, a gift of a party to the guests, but they, in exchange, bring gifts, often pre-selected from a bridal registry so that items for the new home are of the bride and groom's choosing.
@jamibann What a truly marvelous insight you had into American customs at an early age! (At age 17, I, too, was babysitting for two youngsters with an Airforce father and lost track of them after they were transferred. I always wonder abut them, but their name was a common one and I never found them.) Interesting about the food choices! I don't recall how long t.v dinners in the aluminum dishes hung around! My mother started buying them when they hit the market, I recall! We saved the pans, but there was no recycling back then! Sloppy Joes were a popular "fast dinner" before fast food and McDonalds! (Never liked them!) Creamed corn is still considered a side-dish vegetable and an ingredient in corn bread! Crisps (Potato chips) and dip are still party nibbles when the hostess is not creative...and people still love them! M&Ms! They'll forever be an American favorite, and even come out in seasonal colors around Easter and Christmas! A favorite cookie recipe that the grands love is M&M-Macadamia nut cookies! (I have to pace myself as I love the pairing, too!) I'm curious, Why the (!) after steak? I know people still love having that when the price or occasion allows! Country-Western music was once disdained by "those who thought they had more cultured taste!" but it's grown more and more popular with everyone through the years! I've followed you as you made your moves from Houston to Paris and loved everything you reported on as you made the most of your time in each place! Does some of what I just wrote resonate about your time living in Houston? I think that nowadays in the states, we have those who eat far-to-much fast food and it wracks havoc on their health. Conversely, we have many (many) who watch what they eat and pace themselves when faced with a poor choice. Ken works out at a gym at least 5x a week, but I personally know very few who would go hiking and getting outdoor exercise as you do...the suburban lifestyle, maybe? For fun, as I'm sure I'm not alone in knowing what variety of foods people eat in Scotland! What would be some of the purchases you'd make over a 2-wk period at the grocery...or do you have different markets for meat, vegetables and pastries?
@ankers70 "Tassie"! There you go again! I started to use the Aussie abbreviation on my current post, but went with the more elongated name! I'm glad to know you lived there because you may relate to some of what I plan to post...and you might even be able to help me get my information right! Thanks~!
@Weezilou Where to begin ... well, the ! after steak was quite simply that I'd never had steak before then. At home, we ate cheaper cuts of meat, and steak was a luxury that our family (and many others in the north east of Scotland at that time) couldn't afford. Thank you for your additional comments on the various items I mentioned. I'd forgotten about cornbread, that was another discovery of mine from those days in the early 70's. Today we live in a fairly small village - hence the outdoor life. The great outdoors is our gym! We do have village hall classes, such as yoga and pilates, and a small gym in a local hotel, but all very limited. I missed my gym classes enormously when we first moved back to Ballater, as I loved that form of exercise (especially in Houston where we were members of a fabulous gym with wall to wall exercise classes of every sort at any time of day). But, if I've learned anything in life, it's flexibility. Make the most of what you have, forget about what you don't have. Adapt and move on. As for food here - we have a very mixed diet. Our son was vegan for a few years, and we learned a lot of vegetarian/vegan recipes from him. But I'm an 'everything in moderation' kind of girl, and don't like 'faddy' eating, so we have no restrictions, but try to eat as healthily as possible, and as little processed food as possible. We probably have about 3 veggie meals a week, one meat, one chicken, a fish and one 'other'. We have a small supermarket, a butcher's shop, a fish shop and a fabulous little delicatessen in the village. I walk down to the shops almost daily and almost exclusively use these shops. Use it or lose it. It is not the most cost effective, I know, but I feel it's a responsible way to shop (it's as my mother would have done, back in the day), and a daily shop avoids a lot of food waste. I can do it this way, because I have the luxury of time and don't always have to be looking for the cheapest option. We also have a monthly 'farmer's market' on the village green, which I usually try to go to.
@jamibann I can't thank you enough for sharing those insights into your lifestyle, so different from those of us who live in city suburbs! I personally see a relationship to this in the time we spent in Lunenburg where the hills were steep enough to offer exercise as we went to the different shops of choice (and the small grocery!) Some here on 365 who visited us there can attest to that! But, as I write, Ken has been to the 24-hr gym you wrote about and is stopping at Costco for some "better priced" or bulk staples. @ankers70@casablanca@wakelys@joansmor@corinnec@gardencat@merrelyn@agnesvanderlindeicloudcom@pamknowler@haskar@allie912@seattlite@tunia Again, thank you for following here and sharing your interest in "the journey". My last correspondence toward the end and with Issi I thought would be of further interest to everyone as we come to continually know one another better in this wonderful "gathering place"!
@haskar Welcoming the newlyweds with bread and salt usually takes place just before entering the wedding hall. The bread is often additionally decorated, and there is salt in a special cut. The bride and groom are greeted at the door by their parents, who say the words: "We welcome you with bread and salt, so that you will never run out of bread and salt in your life." There is a plate under the loaf of bread that should break when served.
Such a wonderful memory and great storytelling- I’ve attended weddings all over the world as my hubbie is a rabbi. I’m always amazed at how unique every each one is, the couple always managing to make their ceremonies so personal and the locations chosen very special. We are very very lucky and hopefully Thomas will continue to officiate for a few more years to come. We have France and Italy to look forward to abroad this year.
A lovely photo and just such an interesting chat amongst “friends”. I remember I couldn’t wait for mother to buy TV dinners….that happened once none of us liked them! When I married in 1970 my mother want us to have a grooms cake, ie a traditional fruit cake! My husband to be turned up his nose so we didn’t. Reading the comments brings back lots of memories.
That is a beautiful cake they had.
Thankyou for telling us about your daily life and routines. I find it so interesting and you have inspired me to try and tell more about what my life is like, and the contrasts I see, as I post photos. @Weezilou
@ankers70 I couldn't be more touched by your comment, Suzanne! While I have a FB account (that I really didn't want in the first place), THIS offers more of an opportunity to share stories (which I love...can you tell?!) Far better than a thumbs up, though "nice" is adequate as we're often busy; join in when you can! Thanks again!
@illinilass How wonderful to see you joining into the conversation, Dorothy; we really HAVE become friends around here! Your bio shows you're a well traveled lady, and that also goes a way to relating to what others share. When that's not the case, we're learning, and that's a good thing!
@rensala How wonderful for you to be able to travel with your husband and have "those fly-on-the-wall" moments when you can see into the lives of others! I love that you make the most of visiting museums when you're away! Tanks to adding to the so many wonderful comments about weddings around the world! What a fascinating circle we have! To you and your husband, stay safe in this crazy world! I woke this morning thinking we need a sign that says, "Jewish Lives Matter"!!! We care!
@Weezilou thank you so much Louise, you brought a tear to my eye. It really does feel like our world has gone crazy and sometimes it feels a little overwhelming. But having faith means we always have hope, and hope comes in many ways. Thank you for what you have said, it’s so very much appreciated
January 18th, 2024
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I've never thought of us over here as 'quaint' but then that's another one of those things about how other people see us.
I shall look forward to more pics of your time here
@Weezilou
@ankers70 @casablanca @wakelys @joansmor @corinnec @gardencat @merrelyn @agnesvanderlindeicloudcom @pamknowler @haskar @allie912 @seattlite @tunia Again, thank you for following here and sharing your interest in "the journey". My last correspondence toward the end and with Issi I thought would be of further interest to everyone as we come to continually know one another better in this wonderful "gathering place"!
That is a beautiful cake they had.