I was watching a quiz show today and they had a question that fits here. They did it the other way round, giving the UK name and asking for the American one. I knew all but two of them.

Send me your answers as a PM.

What is the British name for each of these American food items.

1. eggplant
2. mimosa (that's the drink, not the plant!)
3. oatmeal
4. jelly
5. corn starch
6. cotton candy
7. chips
8. arugula
9. jello
10. zucchini
11. frosting
12. cilantro

I am embarrassed to say that you won't be getting a PM from me. The only close one that I know is "chips," and I found I was wrong about that.

Will we be getting the answers soon?

As so few people decided to chew on this one I'll give you the answers now.

1. eggplant, aubergine
2. mimosa, bucks fizz
3. oatmeal, porridge
4. jelly, jam
5. corn starch, corn flour
6. cotton candy, candy floss
7. chips, crisps
8. arugula, rocket
9. jello, jelly
10. zucchini, courgette
11. frosting, icing
12. cilantro, coriander

Going in the other direction I knew all of them except for bucks fizz being mimosa, rocket being arugula and coriander being cilantro.

I only knew oatmeal/porridge, but we do say," icing on the cake" when we figuratively mean something extra.

Surely you knew that in England what you call chips, we call crisps?

In England if a menu says that "chips" are included in a meal it means what you call "fries" are included (although our chips are usually bigger, thicker and greasier than your fries).

I learnt from an American (I can't remember if it was someone here, or elsewhere) that "Fish and Chips", the well-known British fast food, is usually sold in the USA as "Fish and Chips" even though they would normally describe the chips as "fries".

Oh, for heaven's sake. I should have gotten the following:
- aubergine
- porridge (Geez!)
- jam (I am a fool!)
- crisps (I should have known)
- icing (stupid me; we call it that too!)
- coriander (Very common)

These are all terms that we use as well, except for your funny "crisps." Then you call "fries" "chips," right? Since they are French fried, I've never figured that out.

I would say that traditional British thick-cut "chips" are rather different from the American-style narrow-cut "french fries". Here in Britain we're familiar with both varieties, with the traditional fish and chip shops serving the first type and the American fast food franchises serving the second. See here.

In America do you ever eat traditional thick cut British style chips (fries). A British chip-shop chip would generally be much bigger and fatter than an American fry and not fried to the same level of crispiness so that they are softer to bite.

In America do you ever eat traditional thick cut British style chips (fries).

Yes, I have had both in the States.They're both just called (French) fries, but the British-style chip may have some qualifying verbiage on the menu. Also, most non-fast food places tend to have a fry that is in between the two extremes. The pommes frites which I have had in the Low Countries tend to be the narrow, highly crispy on the outside but a little moist on the inside type of fry.

I can corroborate that we have a large variety of fried potatoes served in the States under the name "french fries". For a while they were called "Freedom Fries" by some so as not to give France any credit because "we" were mad at "them".

Coriander is the seed and cilantro are the leaves of the plant. We use both in our cooking, and they have different qualities. Both are yummy!

We also use "frosting" and "icing" to mean the same thing. Both words would have meaning to the average US person, I'd wager (although if I'm wrong and I"m going to have to eat my hat, can I have some of the frost-ice-ing instead of mustard or ketchup?)

I have to say, though, that "bucks fizz" doesn't sound anything like that yummy champagne and orange juice drink that is served at so many brunches. It sounds completely gross!

Interestingly enough, Wikipedia thinks that "mimosa" and "buck's fizz" are slightly different: the first is one part orange juice to one part champagne (or sparkling wine), the second two parts orange juice to one part champagne.

Despite the article, I would spell the drink "bucks fizz" (without the apostrophe). This may be under the influence of Bucks Fizz, the group that won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981... but I can see the US contingent's eyes glazing over already

A century ago there was a concoction in the US called Vin Fiz. A Wright aeroplane spnsored by the drink was the first to fly across the US.

There, don't y'all feel ever so edified?