Why y'all talk so funny?

"Turns out, like, people in England aren't rhotic anymore... or something."

Hat tip: The Dish

Of Men and Muppets

The new production of "Upstairs Downstairs" has arrived in the USA. Americans watched the previous version on PBS's "Masterpiece Theater," and it reminds me of a great cross-cultural moment shared in 2004 after Alistair Cooke passed away. Each of us tried to explain to the other what made him an endearing public figure.

Passenger H: Have you heard of him? Alistair Cooke used to always read the "Letter from America" on the BBC.
Passenger J: Alistair Cooke? You mean the "Masterpiece Theater" host?
H: Masterpiece wha--?
J: (in Cookie Monster voice) "Hello and welcome to 'Monsterpiece Theater.' I'm Alistair Cookie."
H: Is THAT why they called him Alistair Cookie?

I was reminded of the "Sesame Street" parody above by this week's New Yorker podcast.

Judeo-Webber Tradition

Passenger J is at a house party in New York. Conversation has devolved
somewhat over Samuel Adams Octoberfest beers.


Shocked guest (to mouthy guest): Did you just put the Torah and Cats
in the same sentence?
Passenger J: Only because he was talking about Old Deuteronomy.

Excellent mascots

The Passengers are enjoying a weekend in fabulous Hong Kong. Last night we propped up the bar at a basement members club. Here is an extract from the best conversation of the night:

Passenger H & Passenger J are introduced to another patron of the establishment.
Pleasant Stranger (to Passenger J): So what do you do?
Passenger J: I'm an Art Historian.
Pleasant Stranger: That's great! I went to Art School!
Passenger J (interested): Oh really! Where?
Pleasant Stranger: Rhode Island School of Design.
Passenger H (excitedly, over J's shoulder): Go Nads!

For those of you who are not well versed in the mascots of university ice hockey teams, the RISD team is called the Nads.  Passenger H has been waiting for the opportunity to work that one into  a conversation for a very long time and was ready when the moment came.

Labrador Nature Reserve

Labrador Nature Reserve overlooks Keppel Harbour, named after Admiral Sir Henry Keppel.

Looking from the Labrador hillside. Some of Singapore's petrochemical processing sites can be seen in the distance.

After strolling the neighborhoods on Saturday, the Passengers decided Sunday was a good day for a walk in the (tropical) woods. Ironically, we set off on the MRT for Harbourfront, the train stop for shoppers descending on the VivoCity megamall or for revelers catching a bus, cable car, or monorail to the island playground of Sentosa. Though we did call at VivoCity for lunch, our primary destination was Labrador Nature Reserve, parkland and recreation area. In the nineteenth century the British deforested this hillside and set up gun batteries to defend the port of Singapore. They proved an effective deterrent until Japanese forces overran the island in 1942. Today the jungle and its birds and ants and lizards have overtaken the concrete bunkers and visitors can walk along steep, shaded paths or picnic by the water.

The trail along the Bunker Path has been marked with appropriate flagstones.

The remains of a gun emplacement. A tree has grown up through the central platform for the cannon.

This 6-inch gun was unearthed further north in Kallang. It has been mounted here with a couple resin figures it pith helmets can keep it company. Passenger H worried that they "don't dispel the stereotype of Britons with flat bottoms."

The strategic effect of this lookout point has diminished over time.

Ranch dressing and the American Spirit

H mixed up a tasty batch of vegetable dip for Saturday's party using only mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. It was a far cry from the ranch-flavored dips popular all over America and responsible for the traumatizing image above: "Blitz Blintz, a large meat pizza rolled like a blintz filled with ranch dressing," from This Is Why You're Fat.

Passenger H: I think that ranch dressing may be one of the aspects of America I find most disconcerting.
Passenger J: Are you bothered by its exceptionalism or its ubiquity?
Passenger H: Both. Obviously.

This is why my country can seem so bizarre from the outside. We are One Nation, Extra Cheese.

Explaining 1950's American pastimes

We have guests coming around for drinks next week. We have been brainstorming activities appropriate for entertaining a professional couple one generation older.

Passenger H: What's that cheesy game again?
Passenger J: What? Do you mean Parcheesi?
Passenger H: Yeah, that's the one.

Parcheesi is known in Europe as Ludo. Fortunately, sarcastic suggestions about 1970's fondue parties are understood on both sides of the Atlantic.