I traveled to this country expecting some cultural differences, and I continue to discover them every day. However the greatest shock for me is the lack of beverage choices with meals. There are two options...alcohol or water. Personally, Alcohol ruins my food, and food ruins my alcohol. Water is simply boring. What to do? I ran into this dilemma at the Eagle and Child Pub, and I asked politely for a Coke. Much to my amazement, they had it! I was charged two pounds, and the waitress brought me what appeared to be a shot glass full of Coke. I then asked for a Coke in a pint glass and was charged three pounds. Needless to say, I was a bit disgruntled with the fact that I just spent the equivalent of $11US on Coke. There was nothing I could do but learn from my mistake. I promptly went to the grocery store to buy Cokes to take to dinner with me.
Moral of the story: Learn to drink alcohol or water with dinner or learn to do without an arm and a leg...because that's what Coke costs in England. The picture above is the place at which I lost my arm and my leg.
Moral of the story: Learn to drink alcohol or water with dinner or learn to do without an arm and a leg...because that's what Coke costs in England. The picture above is the place at which I lost my arm and my leg.
7 comments:
Nathan you are absolutly right. Don't get me wrong, I love a glass of wine with some meals, but a girl needs a diet coke every once in a while. Not to mention, where is all of the ice? Not only do we have to drink water with EVERY meal, but there isn't even any ice in it. It is an adjustment we are all going to have to make.
-m
I completely agree! I'm used to dining hall cups being small (you know you've seen people in Bolton with four cups on their trays) so a tiny orange juice at breakfast in the dining commons wasn't a big deal, but when I pay for a Coke I would like to get what I pay for! I do like, however, that they put lemon or lime slices in most beverages. I can't decide whether or not it's because of the taste or because it just makes me feel special...
-Megan
You have to love that exchange rate and limited supplies! However, I've got some good news for you. Firstly, the exchange rate went up yesterday so now you can get more pound for your buck. And secondly, there is still hope for you to get a can of coke at a good price. There is a baguette and bagel bakery a few shops down from Morton's that sells a can of coke for about 90p. It's nice and cold too! That is the best deal I've found so far for our soda addicts. Good luck with your caffeine expeditions!
I am convinced that the British like to raise the prices of American products like Coke just so that we will drink more of their beer. I was thinking about it yesterday and realized that sometimes I can even buy a beer here cheaper than a bottle of water. What is up with these people drinking beer like water any way? I guess I am just used to needing to be hydrated with good old H2O, not a pint.
I knew dealing with the exchange rate would be challenging, but this is ridiculous. Every time I buy something I naturally convert it to US dollars, and every time I want to cry. I bought stamps today for my post cards to send to my family and I almost walked out the door when the total for 16 stamps (I have a lot family) was $9.76. Hmmm maybe I should some send heartfelt emails instead.
I do not understand how you can have a drink at every meal. It seems like people are always drinking with meals here. I know as UGA students we can do our fair share of drinking, but we do it downtown, late night, not all day long with our dinner. The water here doesn't taste so great either. I think one of the reasons they drink so much is because the alcohol warms you up. I don't know about y'all but i am freezing here, and i think the English may drink more often then we do to keep warm. And could we please get some bigger cups in the dining hall. I love all the American kids double fisting their juice in the morning!
Just so no one else gets disappointed... the cherry diet coke is the worst thing ever! There is plenty of cherry, but they forgot the Coke!!
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