ooking for a barbecue, some beer and fireworks. I found the first two of the three.As yesterday was a national holiday in the US, it seemed 
natural to look for some fellow Americans in the UK to share some food and brew. Some of my fellow expats and I headed to Parson's Green [Southern suburb of London] to participate in the American Beer Festival.
natural to look for some fellow Americans in the UK to share some food and brew. Some of my fellow expats and I headed to Parson's Green [Southern suburb of London] to participate in the American Beer Festival.I must say, it was nice. First off, we are having an unprecedented stretch of beautiful weather. I just keep expecting to have to pull out the wool sweaters any day now, but no. It's sunny. It's dry. It's warm [nearly 90 degrees]. It's unbelievable. Certainly nothing like I have experienced since moving here.
So I lathered on the sun cream [sun screen], put on a cargo skirt [don't pass out; it was actually a skirt], and took the tube 5 stops North of where I live to meet some friends.
We met at the W
hite Horse pub. I'm pretty certain there are probably 100 White Horse pubs in London alone. They had a couple of huge umbrellas and a barbecue set up outside. This wasn't just any barbecue either. It was made of bricks, a permanent structure. They had bu
rgers, ribs, and chicken. It smelled wonderful.
hite Horse pub. I'm pretty certain there are probably 100 White Horse pubs in London alone. They had a couple of huge umbrellas and a barbecue set up outside. This wasn't just any barbecue either. It was made of bricks, a permanent structure. They had bu
rgers, ribs, and chicken. It smelled wonderful.And inside they had a band. I might go so far to say that it was a country-influenced band, so I felt like I was home.
And most importantly, they had American Beer. They were pulling Honker's Goose Island from Chicago, at least five brews of Sierra Nevada, and all of the Flying Dog micro brews. I was in heaven. The smell of barbecue and real beer.
All I was missing was a parade and some fireworks. So to satisfy the fact that I was missing those, I put in a call to my friends the Corbett's where I have been known to spend a couple of 4th of July ce
lebrations. My favourite continues to be the sort of family mantra:
lebrations. My favourite continues to be the sort of family mantra:- No gifts
- No dressing up
- No church
- Makes it the best holiday in the world. From the UK perspective, I tried to keep it low key. Probably not the wisest thing to celebrate our Independence from my current host country.
