Categories: uncategorized
Date: 18 November 2005 11:57:30
Mmmmmmm... I love them.
A friend, back from the UK, brought me some back from London. While we were having coffee, after a wonderful Vietnamese dinner [entrée: rice paper rolls; main: satay chicken and beef with vermicelli -- fasting did not take place today *smacks wrist*], the waitress saw them and said, "Oh, I've always wanted to try them!" So I opened them there and then and gave her one. Only 11 left...
But, the highlight of the night of course was seeing my friend again. She is looking as wonderful as ever and it was great to hear about her life as she settles into living in London for two or so years. She has been there six months (she came back here to get a new type of visa) and will head back in January: from a Sydney summer to a London winter may be a bit of a shock!
It was interesting to hear about the differences in London life compared to that in Sydney. Most interesting to her is the definition of "Asian". She is of Sri Lankan origin and over here we use Asian to refer to those from south-east and east Asia, and use Indian or Pakistani or Sri Lankan to refer to those from those countries. Over in London, and I take it the UK in general, Asian means someone from India or Pakistan or another country near there, so she is finding it odd to be called an Asian -- and even stranger that those we call Asians are called Orientals. It does sound very odd to me also. The figures of speech used took up a great deal of our conversation: English usage varies so greatly between countries.
But she is having a marvellous old time in old Blighty and is looking forward to returning, enjoying the life London offers, and travelling around the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe. It'll be great to catch up with her over the next two months -- you really do not realise how much you have missed a friend's company until either they go or, especially, when they return and you slip right back into how things were before.
Thank God for friends.