The Clothesline Controversy

A garden shop in the UK got a little more publicity for its advertisement than they were expecting, when feminists spoke out against Hillier's call for the clothesline as the perfect gift for wives this Christmas. I first heard this story on our local Las Vegas news - and the funniest thing to me was not that people were taken aback that a clothesline would be a good gift - but the news anchor's utter disbelief that people still used clotheslines to dry their clothes.

My husband and I were just discussing this a few weeks ago. To many Las Vegans, using a clothesline to dry your clothes seems outdated. As a child growing up in the Midwest, I have clear memories of my grandmother's clothesline and helping to hang the washing in the backyard to dry. But in Las Vegas, it seems that no one uses a clothesline - maybe because of the awful winds and dust that we get here? My husband's family and other people we know in the UK still use them. Nothing beats the fresh air to dry your clothes, not to mention the money and energy savings. I am not sure if this is a Las Vegas thing - or if many areas in America now do not use clotheslines.

One funny clothesline story to close. When we were in Newcastle for our honeymoon a few years ago, we left a bag of washing with his mom since we had been in London for a few days. When we came over later that day, my black negligee that I had bought special for our honeymoon was hanging on the clothesline for all to see. Welcome to my new family!

Expats, share your comments - do you use a clothesline or is it outdated in your area?

Thanks LA Times for the clothesline picture!

Traditional Food Favorites: Yorkshire Pudding

I am American, and prior to meeting my husband, I had never eaten yorkshire pudding. I tried it at a few local pubs, but still was not won over. After our wedding, we visited my husband's hometown of Newcastle and I met a lot of his family. I was told that as a proper British wife, I had to know how to make yorkshire pudding. I brushed it off, but now that we have children, I do want to make them traditional English food. Growing up here, they will be overloaded with typical American food, but we want to make sure they love their sausage rolls and chip butties too!

Do your children eat mostly UK or American dishes?