Can I Have a White Low Please?

Being a Brit, soliciting for a white low isn't such an enormous deal reception. Actually it's a reasonably commonplace request once you ar offered a cup of tea or low.

The phrase "Two nations divided by a standard language" is usually cited as regarding the united kingdom and US. The origin of the phrase divides opinion conjointly, was it writer, George Claude Bernard Shaw, Winston Churchill? I suppose like ME all of them used it from time to time.

When it involves the united kingdom with North America and also the US especially, this phrase applies terribly powerfully.

In the UK once you evoke a "white low" you receive a coffee with milk. therefore it's not a "Black coffee". It looks logical to ME that the choice to black is white. If we wish our low black we'll evoke it per se. an equivalent applies for white.


On recent visits to the US I've encountered problems with this phrase that I ne'er noticed  before. This perhaps as a result of I've drunk low over before.

Earlier this year I was on a domestic Delta flight within the US. As the drinks trolley was passing the air stewardess asked what drink would I like? "Can I have a white coffee please?" was my response.

Her eyes glazed over then she responded with "You what?"

So I repeated the request, just in case she didn't hear me the first time. This was greeted with a "You want what now?"

Recalling a not so distant trip to a Tim Hortons in Canada I remembered to rephrase my request. So I did. "A coffee with milk please."

To which I was shocked and quite offended to find the air stewardess burst into fits of laughter. It wasn't laughter with me either, it was at me.

At times I find air stewardesses' rude, especially American ones. This occasion was definitely up there. It surprised me that she was unaware of this phrase since she is someone who tenders to passengers on a daily basis. Her reaction though was very over the top for my liking.

In the end though I did get my white coffee (that is a coffee with milk).

Just for the record, I stopped asking for hot tea on airlines years ago. I often find it too weak as well as too milky. Everyone likes their tea a certain way and nobody else can make it the way you like. If I do have tea I tend to opt for herbal or fruit tea.

This language difference is quite a challenge at times when you slip into a relaxed mode. You are yourself and use terms which you (incorrectly) assume are universal.

Searching on Google there are roughly 110,000 searches a month for "white coffee" so it can't be that rare, can it? For some bizarre reason over 18,000 of those searches are from Malaysia. Maybe I should order my coffee in Kuala Lumpur? From a little bit of further research I see that the term applies to a leading coffee manufacturer in the country.

Further research also led me to Wikipedia. On this fountain of all knowledge which confirms my use of the phrase:- 

"In many English-speaking countries, "white coffee" is used to refer to regular black coffee that has had milk, cream or some other "whitener" added to it".

Yet it also emphasises that the term is rarely heard in the US. In fact in NYC they use the term "light coffee".

It all strikes me as very strange.

The Americans love their coffee. Although an Australian colleague of mine contends that the US coffee is very poor in quality and not a patch on that Down Under.

How Keeping the Peace Whereas on a Roadtrip?

A few years agone, it had been a chilly Gregorian calendar month Fri and my husband was out of labor. We'd simply detected from his headhunter (recruiter) who'd aforementioned that, thanks to an enormous convention the subsequent week, he should not expect to listen to back on any potential jobs for a minimum of ten days.

It was 4:00pm and that we were down. I checked out him and aforementioned, "Boy, by the time you get employment, we cannot be ready to take time without work for the trip to Arizona for spring break!" it had been like a lightweight bulb went off in each of our heads. Six hours later we have a tendency to were on the road for our initial roadtrip ever.

When folks detected what we have a tendency to did, they were stunned, not such a lot that we have a tendency to went instant, however that we have a tendency to DROVE! American state to Arizona is not a typical road tripping distance to take care, however everybody got on nice. Here area unit tips to living and enjoying 50+ hours within the automobile.

Make sure everyone packs his own "car bag." This is a small backpack or tote that will fit below their feet or next to them in the car. The key is that the kid packs it himself so if something is missing, no one else is to blame. This bag STAYS IN THE CAR! It doesn't go into hotel rooms, it doesn't get out at rest stops, it doesn't go into grandma's house. And, it is repacked at the end of each day.

Each person gets the same seat for an entire day. This avoids arguments at each stop and keeps people's stuff from getting completely strewn about the car. Now that we've traveled over half the country in the car, our kids have determined their fav spots and rarely switch it up.

Clean the car at the end of the day. This means everything is put back in the proper kids bag, garbage is thrown out, water bottles are taken in for the night to be refilled. There is a huge mental difference in the morning when you get into a car that is clean and doesn't smell like yesterday's lunch.

Get out of the car whenever possible to eat. We do not do fast food regularly at home and we almost never do it on the road. We've found that any time saving is offset by spills that need to be cleaned up, stomachs that are upset from eating unhealthy food, and people that get cranky from too much time in the car. Local diners are usually very comparable in price, especially when we all drink much needed water instead of soda.

Allow kids some money to buy their own treats occasionally at a gas station. Face it, being in the car can get boring, and as you travel across the country you'll come across some local treats not found at home. It's fun for kids to have some buying power and try a new treat or two. And if you're eating healthier during your meal stops, these treats will have less negative impact. Instead of paying for their choices, consider giving them a per day spending allowance. It's fun to watch them think through how they'll spend their $2/day treat budget.

Limit screen time. Although it's really easy to just pop in a dvd, it's a lot more effective to save it for times when you (the parents) need some quiet time. If movies play constantly, the kids get bored and the noise escalates. Our first trip to Arizona was over 30 hrs each direction and we watched one movie each way. But when it was on, the kids were silent.

Buy a few cooperative games, electronic or not. When our kids were into Nintendo DS, they each had one they were allowed to play for an hour at a time. Again, this made it special and fun. Before we left, I went to a game re-seller and purchased a few games for them to play that required cooperation or had to be played together. Lego DS games are great for this. Then, don't hand out the game (and only give out one at a time) until you have to. Hint: this shouldn't be before the second day of the trip or you're in big trouble! If you can, use one for the trip to your destination and break out a different one for the way home and you'll be in good shape.

Pack a few things for the "mom box" to bring out as surprises along the way. This might be a new pack of word games, a new music cd to sing along with or even a favorite (non messy) treat. Just don't overuse the surprises or they'll lose their effectiveness.

Bring notebooks or journals for the kids to draw or write in. When they were little, we'd ask the kids to draw a picture of something we'd seen along the way. Occasionally we'd make them write out a little journal entry. Although they'd usually grumble, they get a huge kick out of looking back on those entries now that they are teens.

Books on tape are a great way to keep everyone quiet and to tackle books kids wouldn't be likely to read on their own. We've listened to the entire Narnia series (we got it from the library), Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. It was nice to be able to stop the tape and talk about what we were listening to and it allowed readers and non-readers to participate. As a matter of fact, the kids begged for us to buy Huck Finn for our trip home after falling in love with Tom Sawyer.

Tour Vietnam for a Captivating Mix of Natural Beauty and Trendy Wonders

Vietnam has become one in all the foremost sought-after travel destinations in Asia and there ar several reasons behind its quality as a vacation hotspot. placed in South East Asia, Vietnam contains a 3265 kilometres of lovely outline besides deltas, mountains, rivers and bays. speech act of spectacularly lovely natural scenery, Vietnam is very changing into a favorite with nature lovers and it's counted mutually of the highest places for eco-tourism. in contrast to in newest countries, nature appears to be profusely found all over and it's a refreshing modification for city-weary travellers.

The Halong Bay boasts of some 3000 beautiful sculptures arising out of the inexperienced waters of Halong whereas the terraced rice fields of Sapa ar implausibly inexperienced and gift an incredible sight. guests realize it in a bad way to require their eyes off the rock mountains that ar naturally sculptured on the watercourse in cap Coc or the colorful floating markets of Mekong River. The villages in Mai Chau ar charming and beside its seven United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage and Natural Sights, Vietnam has masses to supply guests.

Those interested in culture and history should Tour Vietnam for a glimpse of its colonial past when the French were in control, the remnants of which can still be found in its stately architecture. The many museums in Vietnam are dedicated to various historical happenings in the country and tourists will find a visit to these museums an interesting way to understand the country better. Vietnam has a unique culture of 54 different groups of people living in harmony. Each group has its own culture, custom and language yet all seemingly live together peacefully. Tourists are left amazed at the different customs and cultures in a single country and find it charming to see one group of people dressed differently form the other. It makes a Vietnam holiday really exotic and more interesting to them.

mazed to find people so happy and contented. Vietnamese are extremely hospitable too and they will chat with tourists happily and helpfully. The country is also one of the safest to travel and tourists in Vietnam are held in high regard and given all possible help and protection. This feeling of overall safety makes the whole experience of a holiday very enjoyable.

The cuisine of Vietnam is excellent and is a great amalgamation of Vietnamese, Chinese and French style of cooking. Fresh produce is used consistently in tandem with the season and together this results in delicious, fresh and wholesome food. The street food of Vietnam is famous with fresh sea food being the specialty and which leaves visitors wanting more.

Nature and modernity have combined beautifully in Vietnam and a holiday to this destination is relaxing and soothing without ever being monotonous.