British picnic
When we first arrived in Great Britain, we were surprised to see couples sitting in cars in car parks (parking lots, in American English) eating lunch, often from styrofoam takeaway (takeout, in AE) containers. Why would people eat in their cars???
Well, we’ve gone local. Yesterday we found ourselves eating a picnic lunch in our car in Wells, England. Why? We couldn’t find a picnic table from Glastonbury to Wells, two beautiful towns in the lovely Somerset countryside. Couldn’t find a park either, or any other green spot to look at while we munched. So we found the first parking spot we could, and had our lunch as shoppers pounded the pavement around us. Maybe it’s time to go home…before we start saying to-mah-to. ;o)
Zadie Smith just had a little piece in the New Yorker about the difference between American takeout and British takeaway. Very amusing.
She’s a novelist, whose novels I’ve never read, but I really love her essays. She also recently wrote this essay for the NYRB about the difference between different styles of European gardens, and about Villa Borghese in Rome, that I imagine will be right up your alley, Mom.
Thanks, Adam! I enjoyed reading them.