Taste Archive

Thank Goat for That!

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Spotted on Broadway in Capitol Hill……….just in case you were out for a spot of nanny…..too!

Mary Poppins at Paramount Theatre Seattle – Just the Medicine

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Saturday night was an all singing, all dancing affair for me and Ashley as we were treated to tickets to Mary Poppins at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle.

I had the LP (remember those?) as a child so was looking forward to reliving some happy memories of precociously performing chimchimminy and supercala (not even going to try and spell it) etc for my family.

The mammoth set – 27 trucks were used in the “get in” – “load in” in America – was simply staggering for a touring production as buildings transformed into streets that transformed into parks – made me a little homesick too.

I’m writing this in a New York hotel room and don’t have the exact cast list with me, but I did have to ask how many of the Mary Poppins cast were English and I think we only counted one! So thumbs up for fooling everyone with the crisp cockney and received pronunciation.

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Did you know the writer – P. L. Travers – actually wrote a series of books about the gifted nanny? That’s apparently where the musical drifts off script from the film and adds in a few more twists and turns.

The 2 1/2 hours simply flies by like an umbrella in the wind and we’ve been humming the tunes ever since.

If you’re thinking of heading downtown for a bit of foot-tapping nostalgia for all the family, then do. Mary Poppins is just the tonic for cheering Seattle up after the coldest April on record.

No spoonful of sugar for me though. I have the Paramount Club to thanks for my latest tipple. They were serving Mary Poppins-themed cocktails and I devoured two “Chim Chim Cheeroos” which are simply Jim Bean and ginger ale deliciousness.

A man has dreams…..

Anti-Chafing Lotion = Lady Anti-Monkey Butt

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One of the joys of moving to the USA is all the fabulous and quirky advertising and marketing I get exposed to that would NEVER wash in the UK.

Paying for some flat-pack furniture screws in a hardware store today, I spotted this product next to the cash register (till).

Yes that’s right, it’s anti-chafing powder for ladies being sold in a hardware store at the point of sale.

I asked if I could take a picture and the sales guy said, “Sure please do!”

So here it is, a picture of a pink bottle of sweat absorbing, friction fighting, anti-monkey butt powder WITH calamine.

Amazing!

Most Tasteless Baby Clothing Ever?

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Spotted this in a store south of Seattle today and nearly barfed!

With nearly 3 months to go till D-Day, I’m starting to immerse myself if baby-land and finding the whole infant scene fascinating. So much choice, so many brands and so damn expensive!

Before we got married I read One Perfect Day by Rebecca Mead. It’s a brilliant book about the daftness of the whole wedding industry.

Wonder if she’s got one about the baby industry in the oven too?!

Might write it myself!

But Where are the Soldiers in the All Day Cafe?

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Found these in our cafe today as I was hunting for some breakfast.

Microsoft in Seattle gets up early, so it’s often a mad rush to get out of the door to get on a call with London or New York. People often eat breakfast at their desk.

Notice that the eggs even come with their own salt and pepper packet which I thought was “cute”!

Plenty more notes on American idiosyncrasies like this on the way. I’ve loved reading Lorna Harris and her CalifLorna ex-pat blog over the years.

Hope to bring a similar shade of observation and humo(u)r on these pages, but with the weather being like it is right now, they might be a little greyer than Orange County for the next few weeks!

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