Ten Things You Might Miss Across the Pond

1. Logical Coin Sizes

If you walk into any shop or restaurant in London, youy may have some difficulty counting your change when making a purchase. The Great British Pound (GBP) is currently split into the following common bill denominations: £100, £50, £20, £10, £5, and coin denominations: £2, £1, 50p (pence), 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p, and the penny. This system has been in place since 1971. Prior to that time, the British pound was split into 240 pence or twenty shillings. This coin was made obsolete when the British pound was reconfigured to a hundred pence for the ease of transaction. Currently from smallest to largest sizes, the coins are as follows: 5p, 1p, 10p, 20p, £1, £2, 50p and the 2p. After a while, it becomes easy to discern the sizes. In a perfect world, the numerical value would determine the size, but alas it is only England.

2. Ice as a Common Beverage Coolant

Although England has come a long way since the times of Bill Bryson and his Notes from A Small Island, ice is not an overly common component of beverages. American travelers should start ordering their water and soft drinks in the US without ice to get used to the phenomenon. In many restaurants in England, you will still have to ask your waitress for ice. Often beverages are just chilled and either served in the glass or with a bottle.

3. Air-Conditioning

It is almost unheard of to have air-conditioning in the metropolis of London. Often in hot weather, buses and tube trains are left with only to open windows. Most concert halls become nearly unbearable to the American Temperature Palate. The best possibility for relief on a hot day is to take a cold shower.

4. Complimentary Programs

In England, it is more the exception than the rule when you are able to get a free program while attending a concert or a show. More often than not, programs are available for purchase, prior to the show or during intermission. Programs sell for anywhere between £2-£40, and are well worth the expense. The programs often include invaluable program notes, season schedules and a roster of performers with cv's or websites. If one wants to for go the cost of the program, I would recommend attending church lunchtime concerts, as programs are usually free or are on the less expensive side (£2-£3).

5. Native English Speakers

As a cosmopolitan city, London has a diverse multicultural hub. This means that there will be a plethora of languages and cultures. In any given day one will hear languages from nearly every region of the globe, from Arabic to Zulu. Unfortunately for those who do not speak languages other than English, this can make restaurant service and shopping a difficult affair. In order to have a meal at nice restaurant, I not only was able to speak to the waitress in Italian, but also in Portuguese to the Maitre d'. So brush up on your language skills!

6. American Vernacular

Although England and America utilize closely related dialectical families of English, there is a deep separation of culture and language. For all practical purposes, one could say that we speak American, and the British of course speak English. It takes a while to become accustomed to changes in spelling: "our" vs. "or" in words like flavor, favour and neighbour; "re" in words like center. Common words in American English such as subway, ramp & elevator become tube and lift in British English. Chips and Fries become Crisps and Chips. The English also now have American fries, however these refer to thin cut fries, where as chips are equivalent to steak fries in American Vernacular.

7. Iced Tea

While travelling in London, I discovered that iced tea, is a new if not beguiling concept to the British who have been scalding their tongues for over 400 years. In most restaurants you can purchase Italian iced tea or sugared tea. Plain iced tea requires the patron to purchase a pot of hot tea and add their own ice. Although iced tea is not popular in London, one can find any kind of hot tea imaginable between the almost dozen tea shops and fine restaurants such as Delaunays that serve a high tea.

8. American Bacon

In the lingua mangia of English cuisine they have products that are close to, but not entirely unlike American bacon. What the Brits call bacon we would consider a crispier version of Ham. The closest product to American bacon is a product called Fat Back. It has a little more fat and flavor than American bacon. What the English would call Ham or Gammon is a meatier product than American ham and is nearer to prosciutto in consistency. A dish that is likely to be found in divey pubs is a sandwich called a "Bacon Buddy." This delicious treat is usually two slabs of thick fat back bacon, on toasted brown bread or pumpernickel bread with ketchup, HP brown sauces, gravy or some combination of the three.

9. Cellphones

There is no particularly easy way to use an American made cellphone overseas, unless one sells an arm and a leg for an international plan. Interestingly enough, to purchase a UK Cellphone is cheaper minute to minute than most contract American plans at about £10 a month. Wi-fi is more common in London than the US, with it's presence in almost every venue possible.

10. Real Jazz

There is certain je ne c'est qua about jazz that makes it uniquely American. In my short time in London it was difficult to find good jazz by an English performer. Even interpretations of Gershwin works such as Rhapsody in Blue and arias from Porgy and Bess suffered a certain pallor in the hands of English musicians.