One “Proper” Brew with Two Lumps of Marketing
Having relocated back to Los Angeles after a year in the Pacific Northwest – where the coffee REALLY is better – I can finally understand why my expat British friends always complain about how difficult it is to find a good and “proper” cuppa in LA. Yes, you can find plenty of floral and fruity herbal brews and even quite a few good green teas throughout the US, but to a Brit, such drinks are merely scented hot water and not at all what a good cup of the Queen’s finest is all about.
Alas, whether vacationing at the Grand Canyon, partying in Las Vegas or taking up residence in Hollywood or New York, a good and proper cup of tea need no longer be the stuff of nostalgia for Brits living and traveling in the United States. The good folks at Yorkshire Tea have heeded the anguish of their countrymen and women abroad.
Yorkshire Tea's Little Urn at the Grand Canyon
Complete with Facebook fan page, daily blog updates and regular Tweets, “The Little Urn,” a tea-brewing, mini SUV, is in the process of circumnavigating the United States and serving up a “Proper” brew to thousands of expats desiring a sip of their home country, and anyone else who might want a cup of English tea while overlooking the Grand Canyon or gazing up at the Empire State Building.
To our expatriate audience: what food or drink do you most miss from home? If you could order up a food or beverage cart from your home city, what would it serve?
Adam
british culture, brits in the US, english tea, expats, living in the US, tea culture
Not an expat, but when I’m living abroad (especially in Asian countries) and feel homesick, nothing hits the spot like a warm brownie with vanilla ice cream!
Miss UK breakfast cereal, the sickly swwet stuff you get in the US and elsewhere is disgusting. Jacket potatoes seem to be a rarity in the States as well, as is Marmite
I am a UK expat and I miss digestive biscuits, English pork sausages and pork-pie as well as easy access to other types of game for cooking – rabbit, pheasant, hare, venison (I seea lot of live deer but no deer-meat for sale) etc. plus the English cuppa of course as mentioned here – I alwasy buy a huge bag of PG Tips when I visit the UK.
I’ll second the vote for the delicious warm brownie! Traditional American baked goods are probably what I miss most – homemade chocolate chip cookies, gingesnaps, and pies (apple, pumpkin, or pecan). And strangely, really good, well-spiced Indian food is hard to find in Switzerland.
Sahajesh – if you want jacket potatoes in the US, you just have to ask for baked potatoes. Most restaurants will have them – even fast-food places like Wendy’s.
I miss a good deli sandwich, piled high with meat, cheese, lettuce, pickles…and slathered with mayonnaise and a bit of mustard…on a thick slice of crunchy, sourdough bread. Where’s “Dagwood” when you need him?