Hate It or Love It...

Mood: Bouncy
Theme Song: "Sunshine" - Twista

First, I need to continue with my promise to list things I like about England. I can't remember what number I was up to (and frankly I'm a bit too lazy right now to go back and look it up), so I'll just bullet point...

• Yorkshire pudding. I am not sure why this dish is called pudding, because it has nothing to do with dessert at all (or Jell-O, for my American friends). It is more like a bread or a biscuit or something. I know it's made with batter and the drippings from a roast... and that it is mighty tasty. To me, Yorkshire pudding looks like little cups that perfectly hold all the yummy gravy that goes with the roast.
• Christmastime. The English get down on some Christmas. No Happy Holidays nonsense. I'm talking trees, ornaments, Santa and baby Jesus in full effect. And it's awesome. I love Christmas but I've hated how commercial and PC it has gotten in the States. Quite frankly, I don't give a shit about offending anyone. I'm all about my tree, and my fat Santa and my presents. I have much love and respect for Hannukah and Kwanzaa and any other holiday that also happens to fall in December. But I'm a Christmas girl, and so it gives me great happiness to be able to surround myself in all things Christmas-y.
• Schoolchildren's Outfits. No, I am not a pervert. What I mean is I love how Harry Potter-ish they all look. All the kids on the train have those kinds of outfits and I keep thinking "They're all on their way to Hogwart's!"
• The English Sense of Humour. It's hard to explain to people who aren't familiar with it, but it is very dry and very, very funny. It's not like Mr. Bean or anything that Americans would initially think of. If you are really curious, Google or Youtube the following shows - "QI", "Eight of Ten Cats" and the like. You will get a really good feel for British humour. Seeing as how I have a very acerbic sense of what is funny, I seem to take quite naturally to it.

Ok, that's enough props on England for one evening. What I really wanted to write about was the realisation I had tonight. I was cooking (macaroni and cheese for a Thanksgiving celebration at Marianne Slade's house tomorrow), and I put the music channel on my TV on. To my neverending joy, something called "Phat 50! Banging Hip Hop Jamz" was on.  And so while I was making my cheese sauce and bouncing around to 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks and P Diddy and the like, I was suddenly struck by the fact that no matter how much I travel, or how far I live from home, I will always be American. Deep down in my soul there is something that I cannot escape that bleeds red, white and blue. There is something that enables me to know which rapper I'm listening to just from the sound of their voice, and also to know if they are Westside, Eastside, Dirty South, St. Louis, whatever.

As I type this, it is sounding really silly. Of course I'm American, everyone and their half brother knows this. But what I think I'm saying is that there's no danger of me becoming like Madonna and turning half (or three-quarters?) British. Absolutely no danger at all. I may adopt some of the vocabulary, and the fashion and yes, I admit that I am well and truly addicted to tea now - but at the heart of everything, I AM AMERICAN.

I am a crazy, world-traveling American who loves sushi and tea and hip hop. In fact, right this moment I'm couch-dancing along to Kid Cudi's "Day and Night".

And you know what? That makes me happy.

Federman out.