At The British Emporium in Grapevine, the grapevine (sorry about that) is abuzz about the only topic that matters across the pond: Prince William’s pregnancy.
Okay, it’s technically the pregnancy of The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, but the talk is all about Prince William—who will succeed him. You know: will it be a boy or a girl?
Gormless, we Americans.
“We’re all terribly excited about the pregnancy,” said Sheela Kadam, the owner of The British Emporium for the past 20 years. “This is another big step for the Windsor family. The news from the Royal Family just keeps getting better and better, and I think they’ve ended the year on a very high note.”
What has tongues wagging in Great Britain is speculation about the next generation of Royals. Who knew, but in October 2011, Commonwealth leaders agreed to a change in success laws that grant sons and daughters of U.K. monarchs equal right to the throne. This means a big change could happen for the Royal Family.
“Now that it’s changed, everyone is going to be waiting with baited breath,” said Kadam. “If [Kate] has a girl, it will be the first time in 300 years that a woman will be in waiting for the royal throne.”
Regardless of his or her gender, Kate and William’s child will be third in line to the British throne.
“The Queen is already on the throne, Prince Charles is waiting, Prince William is waiting and Harry’s going to be moved to the side,” Kadam explained. “This is the first time in any generation of the Royal Family that there are so many heirs in waiting.”
The other topic—old news now, really—is The Duchess’ (pardon me) morning sickness.
As the mother of two sons, Kadam is also an expert on dealing with morning sickness.
“I can speak from my own experience, and I don’t want to get too technical, but I did enjoy Cream Crackers, which are like an English soda cracker,” said Kadam.
Kadam also said she enjoyed Ribena, a blackcurrant fruit cordial concentrate, and a multitude of ginger products, which are good for nausea. The British Emporium offers ginger sodas, crystalized ginger and ginger cookies.
“When I suffered from morning sickness, I found all these products most helpful!” said Kadam.
Horses for courses.
If Prince William lived in Grapevine, he would be king at home for the next seven months or so.
The British Emporium might not offer ice cream, but it does offer a “wealth of pickles to choose from” for those unpredictable pregnancy cravings. The store has Branston Pickle, pickled onions, pickled beetroot, pickled red cabbage, piccalilli, ploughman’s pickle, pickled onion-flavoured chips, Irish pickles and Indian and South African chutneys and pickles, too.
“Brits love pickles!” said Kadam. “Depending on one’s cravings, we also have Marmite and Vegemite and a wealth of proper imported Cadbury’s chocolates.”
And, of course, there is a large selection of presents for after the birth of the royal baby. The British Emporium also carries children’s books, DVDs, dolls, tea sets, Beatrix Potter items and Royal family souvenirs and books.
One is welcome be a nosey parker at the British Emporium.
“We have lots of Peter Rabbit items,” said Kadam. “We normally carry Paddington Bear, but he’s out of stock at the moment.”
Kadam said she enjoys visiting with fellow Anglophiles about her home country.
“Whenever anyone hears any news from England, particularly when they’re an ex-pat, it’s always nice to come together and just be in a place where we have things from London,” said Kadam.
Knees up!
Bonus Rapid-Fire BubbleLife Q&A with Sheela Kadam, Owner of The British Emporium in Grapevine:
Winston Churchill or Margaret Thatcher?
Winston Churchill, of course. It has to be Winnie. “Keep calm and carry on,” of course.
Beatles or Rolling Stones?
Beatles, darling! All we need is love!
Best Dr. Who?
In my opinion, it’s got to be Tom Baker. I love his style, and he eats Jelly Babies, which I carry.
Frasier Crane: British or just well-spoken?
Frasier Crane is American, I believe. I can tell the difference – he’s not a Brit. He’s very funny, though. (Editor’s Note: Frasier Crane was stationed in Seattle. Well played, Sheela.)
U.K. “Office” or U.S. “Office?”
British “Office.”
Best Monty Python movie?
It’s got to be Holy Grail.
“Fawlty Towers” or “Mr. Bean?”
“Fawlty Towers!” Absolutely! The Germans and all that.
John Cleese or Charlie Chaplin?
John Cleese. Charlie Chaplin doesn’t speak.
“Fish and Chips” or “Tea and Crumpets?”
Now, that’s a very difficult question. I’ll have the fish and chips followed by the tea and crumpets – complete with lashings of butter, of course.
Where were you when the most recent Royal Wedding happened?
I was in the car park of 130 North Main St. outside the British Emporium with all the other crazy 200 people that came out to watch the wedding live with us. We had a big screen outside. We had a complimentary British breakfast and tea, and we all wore our finest wedding clothing.
Is Britain as annoyed with Russell Brand as we are?
I think they find him very entertaining. I try to avoid him, actually. You’ll find some much nicer Brits here at the emporium. You never know who you’re going to bump into here – and we’re not like Russell Brand at all!
Where do you get more news from: The BBC or BubbleLife Media?
The BeeeubbleLife Media. It’s wonderful because I get all my local news from BubbleLife.
The British Emporium is located at 140 N. Main St. in Grapevine.
Glossary for Confused Yanks:
Luv: A term of endearing address used predominantly by shop staff.
Gormless: Lacking intelligence and vitality.
Horses for courses: What is suitable for one person or situation might be unsuitable for another.
Nosey parker: A person who meddles in the affairs of others.
Knees up: A party or celebration.