Daily Dirt: What’s your pick from a jacket potato, prawns and a tortilla espanola? Maybe add a bit o’ peanut cheese?

Daily Dirt for Monday, Oct. 28, 2024

If you’re interested in family trees, you should enjoy topic No. 3. Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,099 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Were you aware some of food items in America have a different calling card abroad?

For example:

• Let’s start with one of my favorites — peanut butter. The Dutch call this “peanut cheese.”
• What we call “shrimp,” Brits refer to as “prawns.”
• In America, what we like to call “oatmeal” is better known as “porridge” in most of Europe.
• In Spain, if you want what we refer to as an “omelet,” you’ll need to ask for a “tortilla espanola.”
• In Europe, what Americans refer to as “hot dogs” are labeled “Vienna sausages” or “frankfurters.”
• What we call French fries are more commonly known as “chips” in the United Kingdom and “frites” in French-speaking lands.
• My love of (American) “potato chips” would translate into an affection for “crisps” in Great Britain.
• A “jacket potato” in England is a “baked potato” in the U.S.
• What Americans call “cookies” are known as “biscuits” in the United Kingdom.

2. Did you know (Part 168) …

• The first toy advertised on television was “Mr. Potato Head” in April 1942. The marketing campaign was a huge success, with over 1 million sets sold in the first year.
• The World Series, which resumes tonight in New York, is averaging 14.55 million viewers per game. That’s the best such showing for the Fall Classic since 2017.
• A reinvention of Mountain Dew Cabo Citrus is on the way, probably around spring 2025.
• A re-release of Doritos Guacamole is about to rejoin America’s family of snacks. The last time this style of Doritos was on shelves was around 2006. This is another treat planned for release in the spring.
• Coffee Mate is close to debuting three new cold foam creamers: Italian Sweet Creme, Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie and French Vanilla.

3. This might be the overall strangest item tied to the history of rock music in general and the Rolling Stones in particular:

Legendary bass player Bill Wyman, who when he was 47 years old, married an 18-year-old named Mandy Smith. When they started their relationship, she was … ummm … 13. Wyman and Smith were married for just one year, but then Wyman’s 30-year-old, Steven, winds up marrying Mandy’s 46-year-old mom. So … had Bill and Mandy stayed together while Bill’s son and Mandy’s mom were married, Steven would have technically been his own grandfather.

Go ahead, top that. I’ll wait.

Steve Thought O’ The Day
All things considered, are the Dallas Cowboys currently the saddest professional sports franchise?

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Steve gladly eats all of those American foods, regardless of what they’re called in other countries because Steve will never travel to another country.