Duck, Duck, Goose

There is something fowl about this blog post!  Can you guess what it is?

In the US there are lots of different types of wild ducks and geese.   We call ducks and geese (also chickens) fowl.  Fowl sounds like the word foul which means something dirty, gross, or an error in a sports game.  So I made a pun or a play on words.  It sounds like I'm saying there is something gross about this post but it's just a fun way to say it's all about ducks and geese.

 Here are two common fowl in the US.

Mallard Ducks

A male and female Mallard Duck out for a walk on a chilly day.  The male has emerald green feathers on his head and a bright yellow beak, the female is brown and speckled.

Canadian Goose

Canadian Geese are big, have a brown body and a black neck and head.  (Geese is the plural for the word goose.)   Although they are quite handsome, many people don't like the geese because there are so many of them.  They hang out in large flocks on open areas like golf courses, playing fields and school yards.  They  are noisy and poop all over making it unpleasant to be around them.  (Talk about a foul fowl!)

The title of this post is duck, duck, goose but it is more than just a description of the number of birds in the pictures.  Duck, duck, goose is a game played by young kids in the US.  Click on the link to read how this game is played.

Laundry Day

Laundry Day!  I have no more clean clothes and since I'm living out of my suitcase while I travel around the US on vacation it means a  trip to the laundromat.

Laundromats are the place to go if you don't have a washing machine and dryer at your house, apartment or dorm.  It cost me $1 (~20,000 VND) to wash one load, 75 cents (~15,000 VND) for a single size laundry soap and $1.50 (~30,000 VND)  for the dryer.  And that's pretty cheap as far as laundromats go.  

Most people wait in the laundromat while their laundry is in the machines.  It can be boring to wait but you don't want someone to walk away with your clothes by theft or by accident.   While I was there someone accidentally, opened my dryer.  They realized it right away, closed the door and restarted the machine.

I brought a crossword puzzle book to do while I was waiting.  Now I have clean clothes again.  Hooray!

Geocaching with Cassie

What do you like to do in your free time?  Do you have any hobbies?

Well, today I would like to tell you about mine.  (If you are one of my friends from the American Center, you already know.)  I like to play a game called Geocaching.  The idea is you use a GPS unit to look for boxes hidden in different places.   Here is an official video explaining more about it -



I have a confession to make.  I don't use my GPS very often when I play this game.  That's because I play in the city and it's often easy to figure out where the hidden location is by using Google maps and the hints listed on the Geocache page.  Of course, this doesn't work if you are looking for a cache hidden in the forest or on a long hiking trail but I've managed to find quite a few this way.

Come along with me as I drive from my hotel to find an easy geocache.  It's filmed in timelapse so the whole video is less than 1 minute.  (42 seconds to be exact.)

Animals Sing

Lots of alternative versions of the 12 Days of Christmas have been made.  Here is a funny one starring family pets.  Enjoy a good laugh!

12-12-12

Happy 12-12-12!

Today is December 12, 2012 or 12-12-12.  In honor of this special day I present you with the 12 Days of Christmas.  

 

Don't ask me why someone would give their true love such crazy gifts as Lords a leapin' and Partridges in a Pear tree.  All I know is the song goes on forever and it's fun to sing.

Enjoy!

Breakfast for Dinner 2!

As promised in my last post, ...  here is the second place I ate breakfast for dinner on my trip to Ithaca, New York.    A restaurant called Waffle Frolic.  I bet you can't guess what I had for dinner?

Chili!  Ha, ha you were expecting me to say waffles weren't you.  Ok, you're right.  I had chili served on a cornbread waffle.  Not a typical waffle but very delicious.   The other waffle was a nice normal buttermilk waffle with fried bananas and chocolate sauce on top.   It's always good to eat out with a friend, that way you can share.

I thought the name Waffle Frolic was just a cute name the owner thought up but it turns out the name is actually historic.  US President Thomas Jefferson brought back a waffle iron from France in the late 1700s and started a trend of waffle parties in the United States.  These parties were called waffle frolics.  It just goes to show you can always learn something new every day.

I hope you enjoyed learning about waffles.  Thanks for stopping by.

Breakfast for Dinner!

Certain foods in the United States are considered breakfast foods.  In other words, they are foods we eat for breakfast.  For example, eggs, toast, bagels, muffins, pancakes, waffles, hashbrowns, french toast, bacon, sausage and so on are all breakfast foods.

The funny thing is we often eat these foods for other meals.  So it's not unusual to have scrambled eggs or pancakes for dinner.  But we always call it breakfast for dinner.

But it does not work the other way around.  We don't usually eat dinner foods for breakfast.  It would be very strange for someone to eat a hamburger and french fries in the morning.

Of course there are few exceptions to this rule.  One exception is cold pizza.  If you had pizza for dinner and there is some left in the refrigerator in the morning, go ahead and eat it.  This is a favorite breakfast food for college students.

Recently I ate dinner at 2 different restaurants in Ithaca, New York dedicated to breakfast foods.  They are open all day long and serve breakfast foods any time of the day.  The first was a bagel restaurant called College Town Bagels that serves sandwiches on bagels.

The other one ....   Well, you have to wait until tomorrow to hear about that.  Thanks for sharing this Byte of America with me.  

The Lottery in the US

Many countries around the world have lottery games and the United States is no different.  You pay a small amount of money for a chance to win a big amount of money.   I don't play the lottery often because quite honestly I don't like to lose.  And since it's a game of chance if you win or lose, it is all because of luck.   

So, to quote the famous character Harry Callahan from the American movie Dirty Harry -
"you've got to ask yourself one question:  Do I feel lucky?  Well, do ya, punk?"

I do.  I feel lucky!   I admit it the excitement of becoming an instant millionaire sometimes draws me in.  My favorite type of lottery game is instant win scratch off tickets.  Near the door of most grocery stores there are vending machines that sell colorful tickets that cost different amounts and have different prizes.

Here is a lottery ticket I bought recently.  It cost $1 and the idea is you scratch off the $ marks with a coin.  This will reveal a money amount.  If you find 3 matching amounts, you win that prize.

So, did I win?  Well, I think you can tell from the goofy picture of me above that the answer is NO.  Next time I think I'll save my dollar for the soda machine.  At least that way I'll have something to show for my money.

Some facts about the lottery in the US
- You must be 18 years old to play.
- Not all states have a lottery.  Each state decides if they will have one or not.
- The money raised from the lottery goes to things like education and road improvement.  I bought my ticket in the state of Pennsylvania and the money is used for programs that help older people in the state.

Now it's your turn to talk.  Do you ever play the lottery?  What type of lottery games do you have in your country?  Is it a good idea to play or is it a big waste of money?  Join the conversation in the comment section.

Christmas Cookies

December in the United States is often referred to as the Holiday Season or Christmas Season.  Activities, parties and other celebrations happen all month long and not just on Christmas Day which is December 25.  One of the traditions of the season is to bake cookies and share them with friends and family.  

I attended a special dinner event last Monday night so my mother-in-law (my husband's mother) and I made Christmas cookies to take with us.  By the way, Christmas cookies aren't one type of cookie.  It's really a term used to describe all cookies baked and served this time of year.  Some like gingerbread cookies and sugar cookies are made mostly around Christmas and some like the ones above are decorated with colored sugars and candies and others like chocolate chip cookies are baked all year round.  We used Christmas colors of green and red to decorate these.  (The chocolate stars are store bought from Trader Joes.)

In this picture I'm making the cookies using a cookie press.  A cookie press is that funny silver tube I'm holding in my hands.   It has a plate with a design cut out of it on one end and the cookie dough is placed inside the tube.  At the other end is a handle.  When I twist the handle it pushes the cookie dough out the other end.  It pass through the decorative part and on to the cookie sheet.  This gives the cookie a unique shape.  The plates can be changed to make different shapes.

This cookie press is very old.  It is made out of metal and you have to turn the crank by hand.  They make newer models that are plastic and battery operated.  

Americans will often exchange cookies with their friends this time of year.  If you are invited to someone's house for the holidays bringing a special food or holiday treat from your own culture is a nice gift.  

Poinsettia

As I mentioned in my last post, pine trees are not the only plant commonly used in the US to decorate for the Christmas holiday.  Poinsettia are also very popular this time of year.

I visited a local greenhouse that sells thousands of these beautiful plants.  Originally from Mexico where  they grew wild, Poinsettias were brought to the United States in 1828 by the US Ambassador to Mexico Joel Robert Poinsett.  And that is also how they got their name.

Originally these plants only came in red.  But today plant breeders have introduced many different colors including white, pink, and a mixture of the two.  But these red and white colored parts are not actually the flower of the Poinsettia.  They are a special type of leaf and the true flower is the little tiny yellow centers.

If you are in the United States for the Christmas holiday and you are invited to someone's house for a party or dinner, a Poinsettia makes a nice gift to bring for the host.

Thanks for stopping by.  This has been Cassie Brenn for Fastfoodenglish.blogspot.com.

Christmas Tree Shopping

Happy December everyone!  I am back in the United States visiting family for the holidays.  Today I went to a nursery selling fresh cut pine trees for Christmas.  Christmas trees are the main decorations for the upcoming holiday.  Some people have artificial Christmas trees and some people have real trees freshly cut.
The real trees have a wonderful pine scent.

Here I am standing in the Christmas tree lot.  There were lots of families picking out Christmas trees and taking them home.

After someone picks out a tree to buy, it gets stuffed into this machine that wraps them up tightly in string so that it's easy to take home.

And there it is all ready for the drive home.  A tree tied to the top of a car is a common site this time of year. 

I did not buy a tree at this nursery.   But I did buy another plant that is commonly used for Christmas decorations.  Wonder what it is?  Check back later and see.