Lashings of Ginger Beer

We went out with some people from Kev's work on Thursday and there is a British guy he works with who said to me 'How weird is it hearing Hugh Laurie with an American accent?' I know that 'House' is on in the UK and that we all pretty much think that, but it makes you wonder, how did they pick Hugh Laurie? I mean he IS the quintessential Englishman, hell when he was with comedy partner Stephen Fry, you had two quintessential Englishmen together (tho odd for the not-gay one to be the better-looking). Hugh Laurie was Bertie Wooster, he was the silly prince Regent in Blackadder. But I realised that the answer is that the character of House is a very English stereotype, the curmudgeon, just with an American accent.
One of the (for me, and prolly only me) many enjoyable things about being in North America is that if you have the stamina, you can watch Conan O'Brien every night. Granted you would have to seethe through Jay Leno first, but if you wait it out, you can hit the jackpot. In Britain we used to get just three shots of Conan over two nights at the weekend on some cable channel that wasn't even listed in the guides, CNBC. Conan manages to be funny and self-deprecating and when he slobbers over his female guests he makes sure you know it's pretend and he'll do the same for his male guests.
Today is sprout day. (Immediately I think of the Robert Rankin book, Sprout Mask Replica) Buying sprouts isn't like buying mincemeat, they are there in the shops, it's just that they aren't being pushed at you as you enter the shop, and I bet that right now on British TV there is a Jamie Oliver Sainsburys ad (genuflect) featuring sprouts. Sprouts are important to Brits just as Marmite is, you love 'em or you hate 'em, and even if you hate 'em, you gotta put one on your plate for Christmas. Btw, we can buy Marmite here, but I have yet to find a Canadian who likes it - on the other hand, it really needs to come with instructions for use. 'First butter your bread. Then spread a thin layer across the top of the butter so that you can see the butter through the marmite'. Perfect. Marmite crisps were the most divine and munchable crisps, but Walker's just teased us with them, then they went away, or did they....?