FOOD!

One thing I wasn't super excited about in coming over here was food.  England isn't known for having fantastic cuisine as country's like Italy and France are.  However, I've had some really awesome food over here.  Some of it is stuff I didn't even know was traditionally English!

For starters:  Here's my first meal in Bath.

This is a traditional Cornish pasty (pronounced with a short 'a').  Cornwall is the Southwest most county of the UK.  These were originally intended for Cornish miners.  The pasty has a thick crust that could be used to hold it to eat.  As the miners hands were often dirty, they would eat all but the crust and then throw the rest away.  Inside are potatoes, steak, some onions...  This is the traditional kind, they fill them with a lot of other stuff as well.The Coke is a little taste of America and a remedy for 12+ hours of travelling and jet-lag.  It was really good.  I got this and two sweet pastries for less than three pounds.

Next up:  Fish and Chips

An obvious English favorite.  It's probably a heart attack on a plate, but it's actually really good.  These were really delicious beer-battered cod.  You can see the Coke (to combat homesickness).  There's also the salt and vinegar up at the top.  That's the best part.  The fish and chips are excellent completely doused in vinegar with a little bit of salt.  At any sit down restaurant where you order chips (fries), usually pubs, they have a bottle of vinegar on the table.  It's really good!

This is where we ate said fish and chips!

Here is another traditional pasty and chips supper consumed in Cornwall, the home of the Cornish pasty.  That is a half pint of Guiness, the ONLY Guiness I have had on the entire trip.  It may look like Dr. Pepper, but it tastes incredibly nasty.  I don't understand the appeal at all.  Not for me.

Also in Cornwall, this is British BBQ.  It was really good.  And we finished this meal with some really good ice cream.

The best thing about the two meals above is that they were provided by the program.  I only had to pay for the Guiness - and the first sip led to every kind of buyer's regret.

This is a buttered tea at St. Kilves over my study trip weekend.  Earl Grey - my favorite and yummy scones.  Tea is the best thing about England.

This was also the prettiest tea garden I've seen and one of the nicest days we've had.  What luck!

I saw Macbeth in Stratford-upon-Avon.  This was my fancy pre-theater meal...

I don't think it really needs much explanation.  It probably looks somewhat familiar.

This is a Bath Bun.  They are completely delicious.  That's sugar, not salt on the top.  SO good!

And as an added bonus, there's a sugar cube baked into the middle.  YUM!

More about actual places later.  In the meantime, today is the last day of classes and the first day of real freedom.  I don't know what to do with myself without papers to write or things to read.  I suppose I'll explore and enjoy Bath until my mom and sister arrive here TOMORROW!