Good Stuff

Good day today. I got some studying done, applied for a few jobs, and worked on grad school applications. Tonight, I went to Tae Kwon Do and the International Hour (actually two hours). It was "good stuff" (more on that in a bit).

I'm currently reading Blenheim Preparation, an account of the events in the post-1688 wars (King William's and Queen Anne's) leading up to Marlborough's victory at Blenheim. There are another ten books waiting in line behind it, so I've got to finish it soon if I'm going to be ready on time!

Tae Kwon Do was a lot of fun; I'd forgotten how much I missed it! Even better was the International Hour, a meeting of (male) foreign students in Exeter. Tonight, it was me, a Chinese guy, and a French guy. We discussed British manners (none of us had a clue!), and talked a little bit about the financial crisis (we all have some background in economics). We also discussed the differences in British and American English (and barely scratched the surface). Perhaps the funniest part was when the Chinese guy asked the English host why he said "good stuff" so much (hence the title), to which the host had no good reply. Eventually, the best that could be come up with as an explanation was that it was intended to demarcate different topics in conversation.

I also learned the proper way to buy drinks at a pub, including the dynamics of the "hidden queue" that operates at the bar. In short, you are supposed to approach the bar, make a mental note of who is standing there already, and catch the eye of the bartender when, and only when, it is your turn. You do not hold your money in the air, call to the bartender, or knock on the bar, all of which are considered to be extremely rude, and might well manage to start a fight (not a good thing!), much like showing up in the wrong colours on the night of a football (soccer) match. Additionally, one person out of a group orders drinks for everyone, and the group members rotate who places the order for the round. In theory, this means that everyone will actually pay for their own drinks, but it, of course, doesn't always work out evenly in practice.

We also found some lovely Laughing Cow cheese (if you're not familiar with it, go to your local Tesco, Sam's, or Wal-Mart and buy some; it's delightful!) to go with our "cream crackers" (essentially baked, unsalted crackers). We first discovered this brand of cheese at Sam's one day last year, and have been in love with it ever since. We had previously eaten it with pretzels; however, since the object of cream crackers is to put cheese on them, we decided that there couldn't be a better topping.

You'll notice that Amanda finally made a post; it's a great story. Enjoy!