A motley of thoughts about differences between here & there

When a BBC or ITN presenter turns to the studio screen to talk to the reporter in the field, we generally see a wind swept woman of indeterminate age & minimal makeup, in a sludge coloured overcoat battling (wo)manfully against the elements whilst delivering crisp, informed analyses. On Fox, we cut to a dyed blonde in a lime green satin blouse, with the artful hairstyle of a regional beauty queen & make-up that indicates application with a trowel, who continually glances left at her (off screen) idiot board.

When someone says "Yo dude. Wassup?", they are not being ironic.

Pie. When I hear the word pie I think of chicken or of steak & kidney. Here it seems always to refer to apple or, unfathomably, peach.

Fire crews: I see at least two or three fire trucks a day honking their way down the Avenues, with an American flag billowing out behind them. And every time I stop and watch them go by, a symbol of pride in their country, & try to imagine what it must have been like to live here in the latter half of 2001. It’s not quite the same seeing as a fire engine go down Kentish Town High Street.