Chips with everything!
There is always a sadness in my heart and an ache in my belly when I leave my original home of Britain. Britain, after all is who I really am. It is not just that I was born there; it is my family, my old friends who have known me since I was a clumsy, spotty, little kid, which I sometimes still am. It is the people, the countryside, the towns and the wonderful British way that cannot be replicated wherever else you go in the world. Even the way a British person says “Hiya” with a smile on their face that seems genuine makes me happy to be home. There is also an amusing reserve that goes with being born and bred British, and I am reminded of that each time I visit home and always when there is a little more American about me and I forget my reserve… just a little bit.
Besides the ache in my belly, I am also bringing home a few extra pounds, and not the extra pounds of my suitcase that cost me £40!!! It is the extra pounds that are nicely hanging onto my tummy area and other areas that cause women a bit of stress. I wasn’t charged for this extra poundage, thank goodness. Can you imagine… “Miss, that will be £50 for the extra 5lbs over your original weight upon entry into the country!” Best not to think about that one. I know I will pay dearly as I suffer the consequences of trying to diet over the next few weeks in order to fit back into my clothes that have become a little snug!
The problem is chips (fries) come with everything and I mean everything… breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper. So, if I say “can I have a side salad with my sandwich instead of chips,” inevitably others at my table will get chips, and you cannot turn down chips if they are right in front of you. It is impossible! I know, I have tried it many times. Skinny chips, fat chips, long chips, short chips, curly chips, it doesn’t matter, dipped in a little mayo and ketchup with some salt and vinegar, they are little tiny and sometimes big bites of very naughty and unforgiving heaven!
This is one of the major downfalls of my trips home. Perhaps, indeed the biggest downfall of all, as I do not think about the consequences of my actions at the time of stuffing the wonderful British chip into my mouth.
Happy memories make my few extra pounds totally worth it… I think? J
