The Cadbury’s Creme Egg Diplomatic Issue
I think America and England are going to break up over an egg. But it’s not any old egg; it’s the iconic Cadbury’s Creme Egg wot we ate when we wos kids in England.
My British friends are outraged, shocked, seeking therapy because Hershey — the company that produces Cadbury products in the U.S. — wants to change the chocolate egg-shell recipe. Stateside the original Cadbury Creme Eggs recipe will remain the same. The new formula only impacts Cadbury Creme Eggs in the U.K. So why do it?!
The company is now using a “standard cocoa mix chocolate” in its recipe, according to The Sun.
“It’s no longer Dairy Milk. It’s similar, but not exactly Dairy Milk. We tested the new one with consumers,” a chocolate-egg spokesperson said. “It was found to be the best one for the Creme Egg, which is why we’ve used it this year. The Creme Egg has never been called the Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Creme Egg. We have never played on the fact that Dairy Milk chocolate was used.”
Hands off our eggs!
The company has also changed its packaging size — from six to five Easter eggs in a box — without reducing the price.
Oh dear, anarchy in the UK resumes.
Next time someone in the USA asks me how I like my eggs, I’m going to reply ‘The Cadbury’s way.’ 😉
The Life of an Expat Wife
The life of an expat wife is an odd one. (Same applies to expat husbands, of which there are many, but for this I’m just going to focus on what I know cos I am a lady and therefore a wifey.)
I met an expat wife yesterday who was feeling blue. It’s hard sometimes in your expat place without your friends around. It’s hard when cultures collide, and they do. It’s hard when the weather is shitty and there are endless school snow delays. It’s hard when your husband just pops off to his job with his British mates and has banter and stories to tell when he gets home, and you have….none. It’s hard when you had a fulfilled life back in the UK and sometimes you feel very, very alone.
I get it. It is hard. And then you feel guilty for not feeling grateful and making the most of it. I do all I can to make my life out here have meaning and purpose, but some days, yep, it ain’t always easy.
Easier said than done sometimes
Snow Delay No. 3
I can’t say I’m thrilled at school snow delay #3. Oh, whilst I would hate to have the responsibility of that job where you call the shots based on weather reports as to whether schools close or not, and I totally respect that person and that they have to make a decision, it still sucks.
They made some good calls last week, but today the snow but sprinkled a layer of icing sugar. Damn that snow: it’s more unpredictable in its behaviour than a teenage girl, and I should know because I was one. 😉
Anyway, this is what it looked like this morning:
#hocomd #snowjoke
I can confirm that, as a working mother, it’s a pain in the arse to have snow delays.
My American blogging chum who lives in Austria was telling me how kids in Austria just get on out there and ski to school and that ‘the term “snow day” does not exist. In fact, our daughter is thrilled when there is snow, because it means recess will be outdoors. American students need “Big Girl” panties.’
I agree. Get them out there, stop mollycoddling them kids and prepare them for something other than a morning of video games. I even heard a mother tell her child in the playground at pick up the other day: ‘Don’t make snowballs…..don’t throw snowballs….just don’t touch the snow.’ Sigh.
British at heart
Someone is very happy to be going back to England this week for a visit. In fact, Harry even asked if he could stay there with my parents and we just come and get him and take him to our UK house when it’s time for school to start.
I get the impression with Harry that, whilst he’s enjoyed the USA, it hasn’t stuck in his soul. It will be interesting to see how America resonates with him when he is back in the UK.
When I asked him ‘What are you looking forward to most about going to England, Harry?’, he replied, without hesitation: ‘Speaking English.’
Harry is British at heart
That boy speaks American at school and English at home and won’t speak American in front of me. He says that at school people don’t understand him if he speaks in an English accent. 😦
ukdesperatehousewifeusa 
How very good that Harry is bilingual! 😉 I try very hard, I do….but I will admit that there are times I turn on subtitles while watching The Graham Norton Show.
Snow days, as I’m sure you know, are determined by the local school system. I live in the northern part of the Midwest where winter weather is FAR more extreme than it is in Maryland and yet school is rarely cancelled due to weather. Most children here walk or bike to school every day – no matter what – and elementary schools have a policy of holding recess outside unless the wind chill temperature is lower than -22F. Most Americans in northern climates are very hearty and wear their ‘big girl panties’ all the time.
When we lived in St Lucia my then four year old daughter picked up a beautiful St Lucian lilt. But she would only ever use it with her friends. We could never persuade her to talk to us using the accent. We have it on a video we made of their Christmas production where they each had to say a line from a local version of the 12 days of Christmas but that’s the only evidence!
Cute!
Many states have also banned kids sledding in parks !! http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/the_kids/2015/01/sledding_bans_from_iowa_to_new_jersey_cities_are_outlawing_sledding_in_city.html
Nuts!
With regards to the English accent…….we have been here for 17 + years! I think you would find things different if your son was born here. Both my children were, we do the American traditonal things and the English since they have English parents. I do miss England especially the pubs! I do see English people but hang out with a lot of Americans. Some do have the English sense of humor some do not. My son wants to speak English and when he does it is quite funny. All my family are in England and some in other countries, you just have to make the most of your time here and enjoy it. Yes Americans do speak different they are American…it would be the same in any country!