Well, you know what they say down here in Texas: 'It must be jelly, 'cuz jam don't shake like that!'

Seriously (ha!), this is a good place to tell a story on my friend Mary from Belfast who was visiting me a couple of summers ago (her first visit to the U.S.). We were driving around town, seeing the sights, when my two youngest starting yammering that they were hungry. It being almost lunchtime, I told them that we'd be home soon and I would fix them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

I heard this strange gargling noise coming out of Mary, so I looked over, and she had gone white in the face and appeared ready to faint. I asked her what was wrong, but she just waved me off, being unable to speak at that point.

Well, we got home and into the house and I started to make the kid's PBJ's. Mary just stood there in the kitchen, watching me pull out the bread, then the peanut butter, and at that point she squeaked, 'You really aren't going to put jelly on those, are you?' I looked at her quizically and said, 'Of course!'

'Jaysus,' she says, 'Now I've seen everything!'

So, I opened up the cabinet and took down the jar of grape jelly, began spreading it on the sandwiches, and I hear Mary gaffawing behind me. I turned and she was doubled over with laughter! 'I thought you were going to put jelly on those sandwiches, not JAM!,' she says.

This is when she explained to me that 'jelly' in Belfast means 'jello' here in the U.S. But you know what -- I think my kids would probably eat that on peanut butter, too!

-- Áine