Friday 15 August 2008

letter to america

From 1999 to 2004 the incomparable Alistair Cooke sent out to the world a 'Letter from America'. You can listen to them in the BBC archives and I highly recommend that you do.

A few weeks ago now, the delightful Maureen from Annapolis paid me a great compliment by suggesting that I do my own version, a sort of 'blog from America'. What I've settled on is a new and occasional series named 'Letter to America', partly because I have a few things to say and partly because I think that Australians love to let America know how odd we think it is. So, here goes:

Dear America,

Cheese is not orange.

It is coloured with annatto. Please stop doing this because my revulsion for cheese the colour of earwax is greatly limiting my dairy intake.

Sincerely, Amelia

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

9 comments:

A said...

I KNOW! What is with orange cheese? Even worse when it comes out of a spray can like whipped cream....... but, I guess, we have vegemite which is pretty gross if you didn't grow up with it...(?)

nikkishell said...

Haha! I'm going to enjoy reading these letters :)

Di said...

Ha ha!!! Yes, I can imagine. I'd be running away from the dairy isle along with you. Looking forward to hearing your future observations.

Maureen Reynolds said...

Dear Amelia,

There is something seriously wrong with your earwax if it is the color of good ol' 'merican cheese. I suspect it is a lifetime of exposure to the dust from the outback that causes your earwax to color.

Or lay off chewing on annatto seeds.


Love, Maureen (this series holds much promise for me to make good comebacks!)

Sasparilla Sue said...

I have always wondered why we colored our cheese. Like if it was it's natural white we wouldn't know it was cheese?! Not that the coloring keeps me away from it, after all, cheese is the food of the gods as far as I'm concerned.

Anonymous said...

lol....I agree.... thanx for the letter.

LBA said...

and that other cheese .. the one the colour of copha ..

Also gross looking.

Jenaveve said...

Brilliant idea - I wonder if America will respond? :)

If you feel the need, please inquire on my behalf as to why they insist on using cream instead of milk in their tea? Or maybe that is just in Chicago...

On another note, very wise to admit defeat when overburdened, as it can be only temporary after all. Sometimes stopping everything gives you time to start up again.

Anonymous said...

I take issue with your phrasing over "letter from America" - while it is certainly true that Cooke broadcast from 1999-2004 and these are now available from the BBC, he broadcast his letter for over 50 years starting in 1946, making his compelling delivery and apparently effortless prose, all the more amazing.

[I love your series on Golden Hands - too much to say on the subject to put in a comment, but do keep it up]