SC - Re: Ras' UK Experience

[Ann & Les Shelton]

I'll second Ras' appreciation for the UK's ales versus the stuff we call
the "King of Beers" over here.  I lived in England for 6 years when my
dad was a flight surgeon stationed over there.  We had a baby sitter who
would take us with her husband down to the equivalent of the VFW, and
we'd sit there drinking Shandy and playing Whist with all these Andy
Capp look-alikes.  Then we came back here, I dutifully waited until I
was 18 so I wouldn't be corrupted by alcohol, then had something like a
Bud or Miller and thought it was awful.  But, back then, the idea of
importing beer into South Carolina was unheard of.  Now, we can get a
decent selection, although they certainly aren't cheap.  I probably only
drink 5-6 beers/year, but it's either foreign or from one of the local
micro-breweries.

There was also discussion about "foreign" food being intriguing to the
locals.  When we were on the Cote d'Azure, we found this little greasy
spoon run by 2 expatriate blokes.  They served English breakfasts
{sausages, kippers, poached eggs, toast with marmalade, fried tomatoes,
etc}, along with fare like Bangers and Mash, Toad in the Hole, etc. 
There were some British tourists in there getting a taste of home, but
the majority of the clientele appeared to be locals having something
"unique." 

John