In the evenings I fielded questions on American culture. Nearly every person I connected with during the trip asked the same questions: Why is America so violent? Why does everyone own a gun? I couldn't say much to alleviate Marie's head-shaking and tongue-clucking.

Eventually she changed the topic to everyday life, specifically food. She requested detailed directions for brewing iced tea. You'd think that any culture built on the superiority of tea would know how to make iced tea...but no. Neither Aussies nor Brits could make a glass without brewing it into sludge.

Eventually Marie asked what we Yanks ate for dinner. "Hamburgers, right?" she chimed before I could respond.

"Well...."

I certainly was reluctant to destroy all that international marketing by the omnipresent burger chains.

"More like steak and potatoes, I guess," I said. "Although we eat a lot of chicken and fish now. Healthy stuff. You know." 

She asked about breakfast. I joked that coffee and donuts usually fit the bill.

"Yea, what about donuts?" she asked. "What are they?" 

"Those round thingies with holes we saw at the bakery today," I said. I mentally added another item to the list of things for which Aussies used different words.

"Cakes?" she squawked. "You mean you eat cakes for breakfast?" 

"Oh, they're not really cakes, see--"

"Are they the kind with the icings and sprinkles or just plain?" 

Perhaps she thought there was hope yet.

"Both, really. Depends on the person."  I told her it was patriotic to load up on caffeine and sugar to jump-start the day.

She didn't believe me.