ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
United KingdomHow Did You Move Your Stuff?
Thanks everybody for their thoughts and taking the time to post :)

We're rethinking the IKEA desk, weighing out the cost of shipping as opposed to getting a new one here. We don't have an IKEA nearby and it would have to be shipped here from Georgia so we're working out the cost differences. I know it sounds like a silly thing, but we love this desk.

He will be making a fresh start in a lot of ways, he's leaving loads behind. When it comes to CDs, Books, and DVDs though, we're collectors and fanatics, so we'd like to have our 'complete collection' even if it sounds a bit goofy, hehe.

We were just wondering if there were any options we hadn't thought of, your replies have been really helpful. We're working to bring the costs down, I'm sure we'll find a way. I know it's just stuff in the end, but I think some of it's important for him to have here so it's like there is some of himself here too, so when he's making his new home here there's that sense that it's some of his things here, not just mine. I hope that makes sense :)

Thanks again for your thoughts and feedback. Oh, and by the way, your kitties are beautiful!!
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-02-16 22:39:00
United KingdomHow Did You Move Your Stuff?
Hello all fellow US/UK VJers!

My fiance' and I are close to interview time. He's got his embassy medical soon, then he'll get his interview date. Right now he's searching around for shipping companies to move his stuff from there to here. He's gotten some quotes, but they're very steep, nothing lower than 580 pounds so far.

I was just wondering if anyone had any tips on moving stuff, what method you've chosen, any tips on where to go for the best price, etc. Any advice or thoughts would be helpful as we're not sure where else to look other than freight companies, maybe there's just something we have not thought of. He doesn't have a lot of stuff, just an IKEA desk, and clothes, DVDs, CDs, books, etc.

Any thoughts would be appreciated, thanks in advance :)
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-02-16 08:23:00
United KingdomKat and Russ's Mojo Thread
You can do it girl! You'll be in and out of there before you know it and that much closer to being with your man :) Mucho hugs and good luck :)
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-03-10 10:46:00
United KingdomEmbassy Troubles

Hello we are in the same boat as well, We sent back our first packet 3 with all the forms and checklist Feb 12, and to this date they are still saying they havent recieved it, So we declared it lost and did a new packet 3 which we mailed off March9th. In addition cause i just saw the other post we thought it had been delivered to the embassy on March 12th, but apperently it was delivered but to that mystery PO box address where according to the post office hasnt been picked up from there yet... At this point I wont lie, Im feeling really down and hopeless this whole journey has been one road bump after another and still no end in site. Im hanging in there from only the sheer love i have for my fiancee and I wont let anything stop us from being togther. I hope all of us hear some good news soon god only knows we need it.


"At this point, I won't lie, I'm feeling really down and hopeless"

I understand so much, you're not alone. My fiance' and I have been on the phone every night just aching over all of this. Every morning he wakes up hoping there will be a letter. We're struggling to go about our daily lives as we need to, but still wanting to keep close. It's such a hard balance sometimes as it feels like we're leading these painful half lives most of the time, not wanting to dwell too much on how painful it is to be apart but not wanting to ignore it so much it's like we cease to exist for one another. It also feels like the embassy and this process as a whole does not seem to respect the fact that these are real hearts and lives they're dealing with. They acknowledge no one and answer to no one.

We pay all this money, we follow the instructions by the book, we dot every i and cross every t. Sometimes it feels like all we get for it is being ignored and almost violated in a way.

I understand those hopeless nights and days when the optimism gets a royal kicking. You're not alone and I too hope you get the good news soon. I hope everyone who is going through all this struggle and heartache gets good news soon. While some days it DOES seem like it's miles and miles away, I'm hanging on to thoughts of being reunited. Right now my fiance and I consider ourselves just surviving and grinding through until our real WHOLE lives can begin. When it does, we're going to celebrate and give ourselves the rewards we deserve for getting through this process.

I have great respect for everyone who lives so far apart and gets through this process. I think this in itself attests to the strength and power of all our respective relationships here and for that, I think we all deserve huge congratulations and rewards when we all get through it.

Catica, my thoughts are with you and I hope you two get your interview and get reunited soon. I hope you two will have a huge celebration and all this will soon be but a memory. Loads of good luck to you both. :)
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-03-15 14:05:00
United KingdomEmbassy Troubles
Hola fellow UK VJers :)

I have to apologize in advance if I ramble, it's just one of THOSE bad days.

Andy and I have done all we can with the Packet 3 at this point. He filled out and sent back everything he was required to [the first packet 3 forms being sent in at the end of January], he's had his medical, and he sent in his final checklist last week. He hadn't heard anything, so he checked with Royal Mail to see if it was delivered, but since it required a signature [he sent it guaranteed delivery which perhaps was an absolute mistake though we thought we were being careful] he was informed it was sitting in a P.O. Box. He called the Embassy helpline, then emailed the embassy for any info.

He was told, over two different days of calling, that they couldn't tell him if they received it, and when they do it will take 6-8 weeks to ENTER IT INTO THE SYSTEM, then 6-8 weeks TO PROCESS and give an interview date which would take place 2-3 weeks from the date of issue. Andy tried calling to figure out whether the 'enter into system' 6-8 weeks referred to the forms he already sent in January, or the final checklist itself. No one would give him a straight answer and no one would tell him much of anything. We get those monotone cyborg-like responses through email.

So now, we have no idea and of course, no one will tell us anything. We were hoping he'd make it back here for good by my birthday [April 20th] but it doesn't look like it now. It's just one of those moments I feel so frustrated at how they do things, that they don't have to answer for anything. I know from reading threads that we're not alone by any means, and I do know that so many people here have faced even bigger heart-wrenching hurdles thrown in front of them. I don't think I'll ever stop ranting about how they treat all of us like numbers or files, wanting us to jump through so many hoops to PROVE our relationships and love for one another while systematically stepping on it. Leaving us all up in the air, setting down these RULES that are so hard to discern and making it that much harder to see each other. All the while, they don't have to answer for ANYTHING.

Errgggh. Sorry I'm ranting, I know you guys have been put in the same position, if not a worse one many times. I'm just having a good old fashioned 'I hate bureaucratic automatons" moment. Not to mention that I miss him so much it hurts, but you probably knew that :)
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-03-10 11:15:00
United KingdomWhat Do You Consider "Packet 3 Sent"??
I posted this twice, once in the Foreign Embassy forum and now here. Apologies if you're reading it twice :)

My fiance and I are waiting now for our interview date, trying to get a decent idea of how long it might be [though we know the variables are huge with this process]. I was viewing timelines similar to ours - Kat & Russ, Cabe & Corrinne, John & Caroline, etc. to see how much time passed between Packet 3 submission and Interview date.

Here's my question. When entering the date for "Packet 3 Sent", are you entering the date when you first sent in ANY form connected to Packet 3 or are you entering the date you submit your final checklist? My fiance' submitted his first Packet 3 forms around January 28th or so, had his embassy medical done, got the police certificate, etc., and he submitted his final checklist two weeks ago.

For my timeline, I entered the date he sent his final checklist as the 'Packet 3 Sent" date.

Just wondering what everyone else did. It only seems to be an average of a few weeks between packet 3 sent and interview date receipt. Since we can't get an answer from the Embassy, I was just wondering about the similar timelines.

As always, any feedback is appreciated. Like most people, we're just desperate to get some kind of idea of how much longer we have to go.
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-03-15 14:09:00
United KingdomIn theory......
I agree LisaD. I think SOOOO many people from my generation have that whole 'If I can't get it now, it's NOT FAIR!" thing. I could write a book titled "1,000 Things I Hate About The K-1 VISA Process", but I feel like it's just one of those hard roads you've got to go down in a committed relationship, if you really want it enough. I make the joke that the actual interviews go so fast because what they're REALLY thinking is "Hey, if you people got THIS far after all the ####### we put you through, you MUST love each other".

There are so many different motivations for trying to go the VWP route, every situation is different and the K-1 DOES test your limits quite a bit. When I think about the day it's all done though, when this era fades into that story we'll tell our kids about "Wanna hear the ####### Mommy and Daddy had to go through to be together?", I know overwhelmingly that I'm alright doing it this way. It's just worth it.
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-03-16 15:13:00
United KingdomIn theory......
I can see why, if you're going through the K-1 process from start to finish, that would be such a temptation to do. Still, the government already wants so much proof of validity by doing it the K-1 way, I can only imagine what they'd have to ask if you did it the VWP way.

Logically to me, you can't UNDO intent if you have it, you know? Even though the K-1 process is arguous and requires so much perseverance, at least you've got the reassurance that every piece of evidence you're presenting is 100% on the level. That you don't have to THINK about ways to 'skirt' issues, make up stories, get stories 'straight', etc. If you're looking to do it the VWP way, you've already got the intent to marry when you enter the U.S. I don't think you can mentally undo that and just pretend you did it spontaneously. I might be wrong though, there are crafty folks out there.

I kind of agree with LisaD about the sense of entitlement. Don't get me wrong, I get that way too when these months drag on and I'm like 'I pay my freakin' taxes and did this all the way they told me, how can they treat me this way and get away with it???". I think a lot of us have had those moments. In the end though, I just prefer to do it by the book because I just feel like there's nothing really GOOD in this world that doesn't require some hard-### work. If it's simply a matter of not wanting to wait and go through this, I wouldn't think the risks are worth it in the end, you know?

I don't think it's a bad way to go if it can be done legally, it's just that 'intent' issue and how many risks are involved to a relationship if someone just wants to do it 'faster'. I'd honestly prefer to go through all these months of struggle and sweating it out rather than risk him being barred or denied for a very long period of time. I understand the motivation and desire COMPLETELY, I just couldn't take the risk.

Don't know if that makes me a rule-follwing wuss or what, hehe.
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-03-16 14:37:00
United KingdomLondon Embassy Not Checking Their PO BOX??
I don't think it's so bad to be a stickler for wanting to know what's going on. In a way, I suppose it is kind of like overkill at times to check on things so often, but I come from that 'Damned if you do, damned if you don't" school of thought. I've had so many experiences when I didn't check on things and then only later realized I should have. Wanting to make sure they haven't lost stuff, and if they have I want to know as soon as I can so it's not a month or two later before I do, you know?

I just don't trust bureaucrats, especially overworked ones :)

Teddy, I see your medical is Monday. GOOD LUCK!
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-03-17 18:43:00
United KingdomLondon Embassy Not Checking Their PO BOX??
I'm just giggling a little bit about how different people all approach this process. I LOVE the people who are cool cats, who can sit back after mailing in all their Packet 3 stuff and just chill without checking on it all the time. I wanna be like that!! hehe. I just imagine them lounging with a pipe and a glass of port going 'Tis out of our hands now, life must go on", hehehehe.

I admit, I'm totally getting all obsessive, so is my fiance'. We were completely different during the initial I-129F part. I didn't even check for touches or anything like that, neither did he. We were fine before the whole "Mysterious P.O. Box" thing. Now we're calling all these numbers like little nutmonkeys begging for ANY info.

I don't mind if the cool cats laugh at us, hehe. My Mom puts me in my place. I'll go to her having a dramatic moment of despair over the lack of communication and she's just like 'Honey, it's the GOVERNMENT, what did you EXPECT? A basket of fruit and a candy gram?". Ah, Moms are wise.
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-03-16 22:47:00
United KingdomLondon Embassy Not Checking Their PO BOX??
"I wonder how long it'll be before the phone operators at the State Department start to get very sick of us London visa petitioners. ;)"


They can get sick all they want, we will never give up. We are a force to be reckoned with, mwa ha ha ha!
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-03-16 15:17:00
United KingdomLondon Embassy Not Checking Their PO BOX??

You wouldnt happen to know the State Department's hours of business ROUGHLY would you?

I'm at work untill 10pm GMT, so I can call tomorrow or about 7pm EST tonight, I have my medical on monday though, so I might wait till Tuesday to call (i have to day off, go me!)


I believe they probably operate during regular business hours, though I'm not sure.

Over here we set our clocks forward already, so now there's only a four-hour time difference between the U.S. East Coast and U.K. It's a Washington D.C. number so I'd try and give them a ring earlier in the day, before the lunch hour rush time. I told my fiance to call around 9AM-10AM here, which would be 1PM-2PM U.K. time.

Hope you can get a chance :)
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-03-16 14:58:00
United KingdomLondon Embassy Not Checking Their PO BOX??

Thanks,

I just read your embassy troubles thread...God, When I heard my letters were in a PO BOX, I thought "poopy" (not the actual word, obviously) and that I had sent them to a junk mail hell PO BOX and missed a trick.

It's good to know I'm in PO BOX PURGATORY with everyone else. Or not.


You're welcome. I hope you get some luck with the State Dept. line. For us it was just a relief to know they DID RECEIVE everything, even if they couldn't give us any idea of when an interview date might come.

Just gotta take those little victories as they come :)
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-03-16 14:50:00
United KingdomLondon Embassy Not Checking Their PO BOX??

I mailed through my package with the initial forms 11 days ago, I mailed my request for an interview yesterday (both by special delivery)

I have been told they are BOTH still in the US' PO BOX...what the heck? Apparently it should have been signed for by now but just hasnt!

What should I do?


Mags called it, there seems to be a whole handful of people dealing with this mysterious P.O. Box that never gets checked. My fiance' and I are in the same boat and there doesn't seem to be many answers about it. We DID get a good tip from one of the boards to call the State Department instead of that rip-off helpline [they're so vague and not helpful most of the time]. The State Department didn't have MUCH more info, but they at least seemed to have some sort of information on a screen in front of them. Here's the number:

FROM U.K. - 001-202-663-1225. [It's a U.S. number] They'll have recorded messages and options, we were told to Press 1, then Press 0, then press 0 again to speak to someone. My fiance' got through and they were at least able to tell him it was in the system as being 'processed'. Maybe you'd get better feedback from them.

The 'Waiting For Packet 4" thread has some good advice/info in it as well. I found a lot of it to be helpful.

Mucho good luck and hope you get some decent feedback :)
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-03-16 14:00:00
United KingdomGot Email Notification Of Interview!!!
Thanks to all you guys :) I'm hoping to get one of those days where I pop on and see TONS of people have gotten their interviews and good news. I can't say enough how much I hope the waiting game ends for everybody else too :) Here's hoping for a big string of interviews coming up!!
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-03-20 16:56:00
United KingdomGot Email Notification Of Interview!!!

Well that's good news.

*psst* We told you those were standard replies you were getting.....


I know, hehehe. I'm just a nervous nelly :) Thank you all for your replies and help during my many nervous moments :)
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-03-19 13:39:00
United KingdomGot Email Notification Of Interview!!!
This morning my fiance got an email from the Embassy stating his interview date will be on April 19th!! I can't believe it, I don't think I will until he gets the official letter in the mail. I don't want to count chickens yet....but I'm excited.

Relieved is more like it. Now that we know the date, it feels like structure has finally come back. I just can't believe it.

Maybe this means the Embassy is NOT as backlogged or messed up as some have thought [including my nervous self], so perhaps this means all who are still waiting will soon hear good news too! I hope so :) Good luck to everybody and I hope your notification comes soon too! :)
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-03-19 13:35:00
United KingdomInterview Date
W0000000t!!!! Congratulations! Let's hope the embassy continues on it's path of efficiency!!! Best of luck to you guys :)
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-03-20 16:58:00
United KingdomVISA INTERVIEW APPOINTMENT
WOW! Next monday!!! That must have been awesome news to end all awesome news! Congratulations, good luck, and keep us up to date. :)
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-03-21 13:37:00
United KingdomGot my visa :)
#######, that is such a hard call. I hate when companies hold that 'possible redundancy' up in the air that way. I don't know if I could deal, especially if I had that VISA in hand.

Still, if you two would greatly benefit from redundancy pay, I'd say perhaps stick it out. I'm just notoriously irresponsible though. If I had enough to get by during the period of not being able to work in America, I'd just be concerned about getting out of my job with good references intact and take off A.S.A.P. I'm just being honest, I just tend to lead with the "I want to start my new life!" heart than I do with my "Sound financial choices" head. If the redundancy pay would make a big difference though, I think I'd stick it out.

I just hope that if you stick it out, they DO make you redundant. Corporate just sucks that way.

Whichever you choose to do, CONGRATS on getting that VISA and good luck for the future!
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-03-21 14:02:00
United KingdomWhat kind of music do all you people like???

and is disgusted that I love(d) the Jesus & Mary Chain (amongst other ancient throwbacky stuff - god, I feel old!) because he thinks they are (one of his many nominations for) The Worst Band Ever.


OMG!!! The Jesus & Mary Chain!! Awe man, I still freakin' love "Come On" and I often play "Sometimes Always" on road trips. They're not the best band in the world but I still play 'em and I ain't shamed!! hehe.

God, nostalgia. I have 90s collections up the wahzoo [Even though I really don't think the 1990s should be considered 'nostagic' at all!]. One of my favorite things is to play 'Mmh mmh mmh mmh" by The Crash Test Dummies and lip synch it dramatically to horrified individuals around me. It's so terrible...it's GOOD.

EMF, James, Rancid, Dinosaur Jr., Alice In Chains, Pavement, Pulp, Soundgarden, Primus, The Petshop Boys, Spacehog, Kula Shaker, and soooo many more are in my repetoire. I refuse to feel old! Though, sometimes I do when I've heard teenagers referring to Green Day as 'Classic Punk". Yeeeesh.
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-03-22 01:59:00
United KingdomWhat kind of music do all you people like???
I love this thread!

My fiance and I pretty much see eye-to-eye on music, with some exceptions. Like, he once owned a "HIM" album and I've never let him live it down [though, to be fair, he bought it during a hard break-up so maybe he was not thinking clearly, hehe]. I own a lot of George Michael CDs and it just makes him terribly ill.

Even though he's only 4 years younger than me, sometimes there's like this huge gap with music taste. He LOVES the type of music called 'Mash Ups" and I feel like an old crumudgeon going 'It's not MUSIC! It's just a bunch of NOISE! It's not ORIGINAL! What is this new fangled craziness you're playing me???". He, on the other hand, doesn't really know much about 'The Clash" or 'The Jam" and I'm like "Where the HECK have you been????".

My music taste is all over the map, I'll go from vintage Red Hot Chili Peppers to Billie Holiday in one sitting. My favorites are U2, RHCP, Fun Lovin' Criminals, G-Love & Special Sauce, Scissor Sisters, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Beck, The Beastie Boys, Blur, The Clash, Jamiroquai, and craploads more. My fiance is a big fan of NIN, Johnny Cash, Dresden Dolls, Phillip Glass, Yann Tiersen, and The Eels.

On the topic of music, what's "YOUR SONG" with your S.O.? Ours is 'Somewhere Beyond The Sea" by Bobby Darrin. We've got like 5 [I think everyone does! hehe] but that's the ONE.
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-03-21 14:44:00
United KingdomYorkshire Pudding
I have trouble making them because of the humidity down here in Florida, when I use a standard recipe they either won't rise at all or they fall immediately after taking them out of the oven. [I've often gotten little dense brown disks instead of puddings, hehe]

I got around that by trying a Yorkshire pudding recipe by Jamie Oliver. It's a recipe for HUGE Yorkshire Puddings using 1 CUP Flour, 1 CUP Milk, pinch of salt, and 3 Eggs. I whip it up in a steel bowl with just an old fashioned whisk, it takes some elbow grease but it comes out fine. I just use vegetable oil in the bottom of a muffin tin but I let it stay in the oven longer than suggested [suggested 10 minutes but I leave it in for about 15-20 in a 450 degree oven]

I let the batter rest for about 15-20 minutes as well. I use a metal spoon to spoon the batter into the cups and shove them in to bake for 20 minutes, but I don't open the oven door for the first 15 as it makes them fall.

I've had the most success with this recipe. They are HUGE ones, but they come out crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, which I can't get with the standard recipe. Sometimes oil sticks to the bottom but I drain them on paper towel first. If you're in a humid climate and have trouble, it works out pretty good.
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-03-19 13:56:00
United KingdomWOW! Visa arrived 24 hours after interview!
Congratulations! Good luck for the future :)
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-04-14 13:47:00
United KingdomWe've Got The Approval!!
Hola Everyone!

My fiance had his interview today and I'm ecstatic to report that we got approved! The woman conducting the interview was apparently rather scary [will enter a review later, after I've calmed down, hehe] but it all came up roses in the end. I think I can safely say I cannot remember ever feeling this amount of happy, I barely know what to do with it!

I just wanted to express a resounding, massive THANK YOU to everyone who has taken time to reply and help with questions. Without this site and the kindness of so many of you [particularly on this board] I don't know how we would have done it. Thank you all for your time and definately your patience when I've posted those famous 'Stress Questions", hehe.

Thank you all so much. As always, to everyone who is still waiting, I hope that soon these happy shoes will be all yours!

Now I'm gonna go have a celebratory chocolate moment and pass out!
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-04-19 07:26:00
United KingdomApproved
Congratulations! *does super disco happy dance* Best wishes for the future!!!
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-04-19 15:46:00
United KingdomVisa Approved
Congratulations!!! I've seen so many approvals! Wonderful!

Best wishes for your reunion and future! :)
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-04-21 02:16:00
United KingdomVisa Interview Approved
Catica! I think you were freaking out about the same time I was about that mysterious P.O. Box, weren't you? hehe. I'm so glad to hear the news, I know it's been hard but WOOOOOOOT!!! It's all up from here!

Congratulations-a-go-go for now and for the future :)
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-04-21 02:19:00
United KingdomAnyone leaving for the US in May ??
My fiance is flying from Gatwick on Delta on May 4th. They had originally routed him to Atlanta, then on to Tampa. For some reason, they changed his route so his POE will now be Cincinatti, OH. I don't know if it will make much difference. I'm just hoping the passport patrol in Cinci are nice. I probably will not calm down until I pick him up from the airport and get him home.

I hope everyone has a happy flight and that May will get here soon!!
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-04-19 15:57:00
United KingdomHappy Birthday LisaD!!
I remember because LisaD and I have the same exact birthdate. I wonder if being born on that birthdate has anything to do with attraction to British people?? *ponders*

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LisaD! Hope you celebrate in style! :):):)
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-04-19 16:09:00
United KingdomIs this some sort of record?
Can I say 'Holy #######" without it being censored? If so, HOLY #######! AWESOME! That MUST be a record! Hope the rest of the process goes just as fast for you :) Good luck!!!
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-04-25 18:17:00
United KingdomTesco coming to the US

LisaD, you're so sweet. Thank you for that. I've been to most of those, I've gotten a hold of most of the spices and stuff I've needed at the places, but they didn't carry any Naans except ones with peppers in them. I can't remember which one it was, but one of those places had cans of coconut milk that were rusty, *shudders*.

To Homesick, Tampa IS pretty cosmopolitan but still sort of growing I think. You can find much more variety like Thai, Moroccan, Vietnamese, etc. For some reason, the Tampa/Clearwater area only has a handful of Indian restaurants, I suppose our location dictates there are just more Cuban/Latin style restaurants than anything. The culture is growing though, but I much prefer downtown St. Petersburg. Much more culture and restaurant variety.


No probbo!

Have you ever thought about taking a trip to Orlando? It's not too far and I'm sure there's no shortage here.


Man, I'm dense, that never even occured to me. Good idea. I've gone there for the British stuff at times since there's loads of it there.
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-04-26 11:18:00
United KingdomTesco coming to the US
LisaD, you're so sweet. Thank you for that. I've been to most of those, I've gotten a hold of most of the spices and stuff I've needed at the places, but they didn't carry any Naans except ones with peppers in them. I can't remember which one it was, but one of those places had cans of coconut milk that were rusty, *shudders*.

To Homesick, Tampa IS pretty cosmopolitan but still sort of growing I think. You can find much more variety like Thai, Moroccan, Vietnamese, etc. For some reason, the Tampa/Clearwater area only has a handful of Indian restaurants, I suppose our location dictates there are just more Cuban/Latin style restaurants than anything. The culture is growing though, but I much prefer downtown St. Petersburg. Much more culture and restaurant variety.
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-04-26 10:09:00
United KingdomTesco coming to the US
It's funny you should say that because the curries I've been making taste nothing like the stuff I got in the UK, hehe. Making the fresh spice pastes and such, it tastes much 'cleaner' I guess than the stuff I had in restaurants over there.

And yes, I don't live in a place anywhere near what Dallas is like, or any of the bigger cities. I live in a small town where things like "Tahini" or "Kalamata Olives" scare people, they like their Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Even in downtown Tampa, it's very hard to find Indian food, though there are a few places. We're aiming to get the hell out of here ASAP, we need a place where you don't have to troll phone books endlessly to find a store that stocks Naans and cardamoms, hehe.
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-04-26 09:35:00
United KingdomTesco coming to the US
I think I was the poster you were reffering to, hehe. I mean, I'm definately more the home cook because it's true that it makes such a difference when you KNOW what you're putting in your food. It's just as easy to cut up potatoes into sticks and stick em in the oven as it is throwing on the frozen kind. Still, when time pushes for ready-made or frozen dinners, I did prefer what the UK had to offer better. Here it's basically fried chicken dinners, Italian, or Mexican. Over there I just felt like there was much more variety and a wider range of choices if it comes down to not having time to cook from scratch.

That's another thing, the lack of Indian restaurants unless you're in a bigger metro area. Here, it's all about the Italian food or chinese food. I miss being able to get a good curry delivered to the door. I'm learning to cook them myself but it's hard to find Naan and poppadums. [Awe man, prawn crackers! We don't get those here either].
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-04-26 09:10:00
United KingdomTesco coming to the US
I do have to say I pretty much agree, there's not a lot in American supermarkets that is really appealing for take home or ready to eat. I did like that M&S had a lot of tasty ethnic foods and such a larger variety of dishes. I hate being stereotypical, but I think the majority of American tastes do sort of have that resistance to trying new things so it's rotisserie chickens or sandwiches for take home. Still, with the explosion of 'foodies', it's starting to change a bit.

Don't worry Dr_LHA, if you and Tesco's were meant to be [and I think you are], it will come to you!
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-04-26 07:58:00
United KingdomTesco coming to the US
Awe man, M&S food! I'd much rather see that come over here. Their adverts in the U.K. are evil, but so delicious! I can still here that sultry woman's voice tempting me to go buy M&S profiterolds [she haunts my dreams....in a tasty way]. I have to say I don't think I've ever had such good food that was ready-to-eat, their smoothies were good as well.

Oooh, their deluxe variety of tea biscuits! And their tub of flapjacks! I'm a sad human being for how excited it gets me.
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-04-26 06:26:00
United KingdomFeatherB Flies To The States!
Welcome to the states! It sounds like you're settling in wonderfully.

You got a chocolate at the entry point and everything!! Thanks for posting all that, my fiance' comes in through Cincinatti tomorrow and it sounds like they are nice. It was good to read.

I hope you're loving every moment right now and good luck for the rest of the journey! :):):) [I just downloaded and read over all the AOS stuff today....ugh]

Oooh, that reminds me, when's your 'big day'?? You gotta let us know!
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-05-03 09:39:00
United KingdomFeatherB Flies To The States!
W000000t! Hope you had a happy flight and even happier landing! Now the fun starts! :)
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-04-28 15:11:00
United KingdomUS Embassy goes on sale for £90m
Oooh, I've got to mark this thread so my man can have a look. He swears by the BBC and it's 'sterling rep', I started to believe it too. Mwa-ha-ha! Inaccuracies a-go-go!
TheZillaFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-05-03 14:09:00