Agreed, yes. Although US style biscuits and gravy is not one of my favourite breakfasts, it’s not that bad. The thing is, the first thing a British person would think of would be something like custard creams served in Bisto. I presume most of us would agree that this is a repulsive idea.
We don’t have custard creams or Bisto in the US, so Americans won’t understand what you’re saying either. Two countries separated by a common language indeed. 
ETA: I’m sure you can imagine my shock on moving hear to learn there was a dish called “chicken fried steak” - and my disappointment when I discovered it was not a fried steak prepared by a chicken.
Nawtha Chucka writes:
> (Unless you were referring to the ubiquitous ‘you’ here?)
I was referring to whoever in this thread seemed to imply that life was unliveable unless they could get biscuits and gravy in the American style available at any moment. I think you’ll enjoy living in the U.K. Go with the flow. There are lots of new things to experience. You may not think all of them are so great. (I certainly did my share of complaining during my three years there.) It’s fun to have new experiences, even if you’ll decide later that they aren’t so great in the long run.
What is this I don’t even…
The usage of “gravy” to describe the sauce you put on biscuits is an idiosyncratic Southernism even in the US. It’s definitely technically a gravy, being composed of fat, flour, and flavored liquid, but it isn’t what most Americans who are not from the south would picture when you say “gravy” without also saying “biscuits and–”
And, despite enjoying the dish myself, what you say about its appearance is tragically true. Like the noble oyster, it’s a food which was obviously first eaten by people who were very, very hungry.
I think it’s a weird name too, but I guess “chicken fried steak” is a reasonable contraction of “a steak that is battered and deep fried, like we would do to a piece of chicken.”
The one that bothers me more is “chicken steak sandwich.” That’s a cheesesteak sandwich made with chicken instead of steak. There’s no steak in it, but there is cheese in it, so it should be a “*cheese *chicken sandwich.”
Heh, there is that. Oreos and chicken broth, maybe? I do like the mental picture of a chicken in a chef’s hat frying a steak.
Well, yeah, but we didn’t have chicken fried chicken either.
ETA: @ Ascenray.
It always looks like that. You sort of have to trust that it won’t be gross the first time you try it.
Let me know if Tripler winds up being assigned to Menwith Hill: my (non-military) parents worked there from '83-85, and we lived on the economy. My brother and I went to British schools and all. I can no longer pretend to know anything about what goes on over there, but I might ask you to take some pictures and send them to me.
Regarding the “horrific crime rate.” That’s news to me. I lived in that area on the economy for a few years. The people who are victims of these crimes are those who are, frankly, asking for it. People who leave their GPS’s stuck to their windshields, who leave iPhones on the front seats of their cars, or leave other valuables visible in their flashy cars. Rightly or wrongly, American cars scream “Salable valuables inside” to vandals and thieves. Before you get both outside mirrors removed, be aware that you need to have at least 2 mirrors on the vehicle for it to pass inspection [warning: PDF] Your car was originally equipped with both outside mirrors; it may need both. I don’t know. I bought cheap local junkers that had already passed inspection.
Let’s go inside the house now. Don’t bother bringing major appliances like the refrigerator or stove. FMO will lend you them. They may have a few transformers to lend, too, but I wouldn’t count on it. Don’t bother bringing large furniture. Houses typically have smaller rooms with doors that don’t align with the outer doors. Older places may have narrow stairways. Things that don’t flex may not get inside. Prepare to have bedrooms with no closets. Armoires will become your friend. There’s an Ikea in Milton Keynes if you can’t find affordable furniture locally. You may want to leave your TV behind. It’ll be the wrong voltage and won’t receive local programming. I’m not sure a Sky box will be compatible. I think they output PAL only. Regardless you can get a local TV new relatively inexpensively or secondhand from the garage sale website.
Garages on houses are not very common especially in older areas. Sometimes you won’t have a guaranteed spot in front of the house. Friends who’ve had garages sometimes complained that their American cars barely fit. Since we’re in the garage, let’s talk about your car. It has some warranty left. Check with Ford to be sure it’s valid in the UK. I’m not sure how it works with Ford but friends with US-model GM cars who used their warranties had some troubles. The dealer had to order the parts from GM in the US. It seemed to take about 6 weeks for them to arrive. No loaners cars. If you use the local rent-a-wreck, you’re looking about about £100 per week. For non-warranty parts, you may order them from the US and have 'em shipped via MPS. That typically takes a week or so. Large parts like a body panel or transaxle may be too big to send. If your Escape has wheel covers, pick up a spare. For some reason people lose the left rear wheel cover. I noticed that after I lost mine. Being a junker, I just took off the front wheel cover to make 'em match.
Let’s go back into the house. I forgot about the electrical outlets. English houses don’t have very many electrical outlets. Extension cords, power strips, and outlet cubes will be your friend. Tesco and Sainsbury have them at reasonable prices. You will not find an outlet inside the bathroom. Use the hairdryer at your dressing table in the bedroom. That string hanging from the ceiling is the light switch. While we’re in the bathroom, your massage showerhead may not work. Strong water pressure is not a given. You’re in luck if there’s a little box with a knob on the bathtub wall. You may not need to pack the bathroom rugs either. Bathrooms are often carpeted.
Did anyone else mention your cell phone? Quad band GSM phones will work in both the US and Europe. The frequencies you’re looking for are 850 and 1900Mhz (US) and 900 and 1,800 MHz (Europe). AT&T and T-Mobile may have these phones, Verizon won’t. I think the American iPhones on AT&T will work in England if they’re unlocked. Some people use their American smartphones on WiFi only and buy a cheapo local phone.
That’s all I can think of for now.
PS-Menwith Hill is in incredibly beautiful country.
I remembered something: passports. You’ll be able to enter England on your husband’s orders. You won’t be able to leave England (except back to the States with him) without a passport. It may be helpful to get one before you leave. Your hubby may consider getting a tourist passport, too. I don’t know if it’d be better for him to get it before he leaves. I can’t remember if the base eats the cost of the tourist passport for him. If he has to pay, get it before you leave.
Order an International Drivers Permit at your local AAA office to drive outside England. France in particular will fine you if you’re stopped and don’t have one. €120 on the spot fine.
Uh oh, I think I just went far beyond the OP of “Do they have ___ in England?” Sorry.
Sounds like leasing was invented for you.
It’s been 27 years and I was just 14 when we left, but I still miss Yorkshire. I have a framed poster of the dales hanging in my dining room.
(Watching old episodes of All Creatures Great & Small – especially scenes where the farmers speak Broad Yorkshire – can take me right back…)
What I loved was driving from Harrogate to the base. You’re driving through the rolling hills with ancient rock fencing then all of the sudden you see white spheres in the distance. It looks like you’re approaching a secret alien landing site. Yorkshire is beautiful and its pudding is rather good.
Don’t forget the camper vans…we’d see the white spheres in the distance, then the protestors, then the base. 
I second the Yorkshire pudding comment. One of the foods I miss.
Or you can marry an engineer like I did before I moved to the UK. He’s messy and expensive, but he’s convenient and fairly reliable.
Where were you living? Greenham Common?
Pateley Bridge.
I highly suggest just selling your car and buying a new one over there. Combined with shipping and the cost of alterations, etc, you will lose a small fortune moving it.