American Readers(and others too)

[Morai]

We have rice cakes in the UK too. They are much beloved of women who sit and eat them at their desks with a look of pure disgust on their faces, and when you ask them what's the matter with their food they say "Ugh, I'm eating rice cakes, they taste horrible and dry, but they are low fat!." I like them myself, especially with tuna on them, and I always think they smell of struck matches.

I wouldn't say struck matches, more like the taste and smell of stale cardboard. Of course, I'm pretty sure good ole Sam Gamgee could make them taste better.

Here's another cake question: Is "pound cake" the same all over? What about shortcake (as in strawberry)? Is there such a thing? We always use pound cake for strawberry shortcake - now that this thread has me thinking, it sounds strange.

I can't say I ever heard or 'pound cake', though I've eaten my mum's delicious strawberry short cake. The cake itself reminds me of 'angel-food cake' (flavored with vanilla, while 'devils food cake' is rich with chocolate) then the cool whip and jucy strawberries.