Hi friends Niharika here welcome back. Well, are you peckish or are you hungry? In today’s
lesson we are gonna look at the differences between the British and American English,
specifically food related. So if you are travelling to any of these countries, it’s important
for you to know the difference, because if you walk into a restaurant and say something
and if it’s a British word, the Americans will have no clue what you saying. So use
the right words and this lesson will help you to do that.
The very first one that I have for you here is a Biscuit.
Now biscuit is the sweet biscuit that we end up eating
with our tea or with our coffee. Now that’s in British English, however when it comes
to Americans they don’t call it as a biscuit. It’s a cookie for them, now if you go to
America and you say, I would like to have a biscuit for them biscuit is a complete different
thing. Biscuit is a flour based baked food, so that’s in America, but then in British
English it’s called a scone. So you got that difference? A sweet biscuit is biscuit
in British English, where as in for Americans its cookie, but a flour based baked food you
know looks little round and its nice and fluffy in British English it’s called a scone,
whereas it’s a biscuit for the Americans. The next one we have is a Banger. Well, banger
is a ground meat, which is processed, so it is like cylindrical in shape so that’s a
banger. It’s called as a sausage in America. Now even in Britain it’s called a sausage,
but if we look at the old English, then it is called as a banger. So banger means sausage.
The next one minced meat. Now minced meat is crushed or meat which is chopped into real
tiny pieces, that’s minced meat. We also call it as minced beef. Whereas in America
it is called as ground meat, so ground meat or ground beef. Meat which is crushed into
pieces or it is chopped into very very tiny pieces. Then the sea food, the famous shell
fish, prawns. Ooh! I love prawns. So prawn is in British English, whereas shrim, its
shrimp. I’m sorry about that; it’s not shrim, its shrimp. That’s for the Americans.
The next one candy floss. Well, we all kids love to eat candy floss. They are in different
colors pink, yellow and I think in peach as well, so its candy floss in British English.
Whereas Americans don’t call it as candy floss. They will have no clue what you talking
about, so its cotton candy. I would like to have some cotton candy. So if you go to America
and probably if you are in an amusement park or you are in a zoo, where you spot someone
selling cotton candy, you’re gonna ask for cotton candy, you’re not gonna say, I would
like to eat a candy floss. It is gonna be cotton candy. Then the next one chips. I would
like to have some chips with my rice. Now chips is the French fries, the fries that
we get in Mc Donald’s. Now it is chips in British English. If you go to Britain ad you
go to Mc Donald’s they also call it as chips, so chips is the French fries the potato fries.
Whereas French fries is what Americans call it. Now if you go and ask for chips in America
then for them chips is you know the Pringles or the Lays that we eat, you go to a gas station,
you pick up little tiny packets of chips. So chips for them is like Pringles or Lays.
But when it comes to British English they call it as crisps. I would like to go pick
up some crisps from the gas station. So crisps and chips. Got the difference? In British
English chips is Mc Donald’s fries the potato deep fried chips, whereas it’s called as
French fries in America. And crisps is the Lays or Pringle, whereas in America they just
call it chips. I would like to snack on some chips. And then the next one Ice lolly. Ice
lolly that’s a cute word, ice lolly is a flavored water based frozen stick. The ones
that we really love to lick in the summers. So when you go to Britain then it’s gonna
be ice lolly. You go to a super market, you go to a store, you’re gonna ask for ice
lolly. So you know we have orange sticks, we have pineapple, mango, so they are all
flavored one frozen ice sticks, but they are called as ice lollies. Whereas in America
it’s not called as ice lolly, it’s called as Popsicle. I would like to eat a Popsicle;
I’m craving for a Popsicle. So it’s really hot, I wanna go buy some Popsicles. So Popsicles
are again the flavored ice sticks. And then the last one you go to a restaurant and you
ask for jacket potato. That’s gonna be when you are sitting in a nice pricy restaurant
in London. You are gonna ask for jacket potato and not baked potato, so jacket potato is
baked potato of course with a skin with some sour cream and with some cheese on top of
it, that’s jacket potato. But in America or in American restaurants, it’s called
as baked potato. That is just the same thing. So these are some differences, so it’s not
just you know when we talk about differences between British and American English. It’s
not just all about spellings. So certain things have complete different name to it and that’s
how it is and it’s important for you to know that, because if you are learning English,
then it’s better to know it all. So hope this lesson is helpful to you. Go enjoy if
you’re in a restaurant or if you are just hanging out with friends in Britain or in
America, hope these words are useful to you. I’ll be back with
I’ll be back with a new lesson. Till then take care.