Autumn is pumpkin season in the United States. I have never been the biggest fan of pumpkin. Well, I enjoy it. I think it's yummy. I like pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, etc. But it can get a little excessive in the States. It's like a pumpkin fetish with some people and it can be a bit overwhelming. So I guess I'm saying that I am not a person who is obsessed with pumpkin.
All the same, I started craving pumpkin as soon as I got to England. I guess I was craving the smell of pumpkin bread more than anything, since the smells of nutmeg and cinnamon go hand-in-hand with the bright leaves, dropping temperatures, and Daylight Savings Time.
However, they don't sell pumpkin-flavored things in the UK. At least, they aren't sold at the local Sainsbury's or Tesco.
So imagine my joy when I went to the Farmer's Market at Gloucester Green this week and saw a local baker selling mini PUMPKIN TARTS FOR ONLY A POUND:
Me (looking like I've just found buried treasure): I would like one pumpkin tart, please.
Baker: One pumpkin tarrrt? (imitating my American accent)
Me: Yes.
Baker: That will be one pound.
Me: I didn't think that I would find pumpkin tarts or pumpkin bread in England. Do you often make this?
Baker: This is our first year making pumpkin tarts. We've sold about ten of them this morning. And they have all been bought by Americans.
Me (laughing): Well, yes. They remind us of home.
Baker: We'll be bringing pumpkin-walnut bread next week.
Me (looking just a bit insane with joy now): Oh, you can bet I'll be back next week.
Baker (afraid that I am now a stalker): All right, then. Well, have a nice day.
That's basically how the interchange went. The baker thinks I am a crazy American (he is right) and that I want to be BFFs with him because he makes pumpkin-flavored goodies (he is also right).
Anyway. I had my pumpkin tarrrt. And it was delicious.
Linus could not have been happier to find the Great Pumpkin than I was to find this little one.
So do Brits like to speak with an American accent? How do they do compared to us when we try to have a British accent? I feel like it's easier to take 'r's out than add them on, but that's just a guess.
ReplyDeleteThey like to speak in American accents when they are making fun of us. :) Usually they sound like they are trying too hard to sound like people with a heavy Texan accent. I think it is easier to take out r's, too. But I also find that if I try to speak in a British accent, I have to think of someone I am imitating--it makes it easier to have a model to follow. :)
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