Sunday Roast

Happy Sunday!!!

One of the best days of the week! Church bells are ringing, sun is shining, and I've been introduced to a new British tradition--The Sunday Roast.

The only thing I can compare Sunday Roast to is Thanksgiving (once a week; watch out waistline). It's such an awesome weekly time for families to gather round--in this case, our big, dancing, incestual boat family. Our fantastic chefs Masha and Victoria spearheaded an epic meal of roasted chicken, green cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower in a tasty cheese sauce, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, peas, carrots, stuffing balls (they're exactly what you think they are), and roasted parsnips. Being that we're in North Yorkshire, it felt perfect that I had my first encounter with Yorkshire pudding. SURPRISE--this is actually a pastry. The flavor is similar to an American pancake baked into what I can only describe as an inside-out muffin. But hey, a photo is worth a thousand words. 

Definitely not pudding. But they sure are tasty!

I really lucked out with this cast! I'm surrounded by devilishly attractive chefs who all like to keep a clean home--God bless the UK. 

Tonight's dinner was hosted at the Palladium, which is another Qdos cottage housing some of our amazing dancers (more on my cottage coming soon). One said dancer, Paul, proceeded to make one of the craziest, most delicious brownies I've ever had. This brownie was made from fresh cocoa and sprinkled with crushed Oreos on top. I probably now have diabetes, but I think it was worth it.

Paul's brownies and dance moves are equally sweet.

LOVING Sunday Roast. It's a time for family to get together. Anyone across the pond reading this--adopt it!!! You don't need a massive feast, but I implore you to just take one night a week to put down your phones and cook some food with the people you love. And hey--maybe even try a new dish that you never would have (seriously though, Yorkshire pudding rocks). 

Tele--that means TV in British

Television has not played a huge role in my life for the past five years. I never had one during college in the Heiken Deiken--we were more fond of board games and binge eating. In fact, I think the only TV watching I've done in the past five years would be binge marathons of Law and Order: SVU and Modern Family. Yet before rehearsal over a cup of tea or after whilst eating excessive amounts of hummus, the tele always seems to be on. I've been surprised to find programs like Friends (everyone in my house hopes to go to Central Perk when we dock in NYC), but I've also started to learn British television.

There is one show called Made in Chelsea which seems to have a cult following--think Laguna Beach with British accents and no beach. But I think I'll leave another blog post altogether for Chelsea. Tonight is dedicated to an annual television/ musical event:

#EUROVISION.

I only included the hashtag because that is the OFFICIAL hashtag of #Eurovision. Can someone make a hashtag "official"? Is that a thing? I've strayed. Eurovision is kind of like the Olympics, but once a year. And there's music. And no sports. Poor comparison? Essentially every country in Europe has a musical artist or group, and there is this HUGE concert/ competition that takes place in the previous winner's country. This year, the event takes place in Copenhagen. This is where we sort of get into the kicker of Eurovision--because it is an epic, lavish concert and every year, it gets pretty expensive (we're talking millions of pounds/ dollars/ euro every year). Because of this, no one really wants to host Eurovision. So you've got a bunch of acts that are all almost good, but all working to not be good enough to actually win. Bravo, Europe, for creating a continent-wide competition where the real winners lie in the plain between "extremely mediocre" and "almost good".

This is one of the contestants of Eurovision representing Austria. Just like the Von Trapps.

The program is also aired in each country, with different commentators per country. The winners of Eurovision are decided by audience votes--but you can't vote for your own country. As you may have guessed, it can get a bit political.  It's a pretty fascinating idea. 

In conclusion, Eurovision is essentially what would happen if American Idol had a gay baby with The Hunger Games.

Here's a photo of some of my pretty house-mates: Mark, Emma, and Hayley! We ordered lots of Chinese food to celebrate a hard work week.

Cheers!

A Yank at Sea in a Sea of Brits

Hi friends!

As I was preparing to fly across the pond, a lot of friends and family would say "keep us updated!" So I was thinking about it, and figured this was probably the coolest way to do it! The plan here is to show you all the exciting adventures I'll be on, where I'm living, who I hang with, and life in general here over here in the UK! So stay tuned--I'll be sure to bring you some great stories, pictures, videos, and fun. The next few months is sure to be filled with growth, new friends, and general debauchery, and I'm intent on sharing everything that's safe for the internet and my mother to see. 

Cheers! (I'm British already)

Joseph