Well Greg, Heather pronounces 'bananas' like "awning" and I pronounce it like "and". However, I'm not sure either of us is representative of our respective cultures. Although I'm Canadian, I've often been told I speak like an "American" and although Heather grew up in Glasgow and Keighley she speaks like a posh BBC announcer. My friend, Tam (also from Glasgow) asked Heather why she didn't speak like a "Glaswegian"....she said "Because I chose not to"!!

Hmmmmmm....I guess tomato is pronounced like "ate".

As to your final question......we pronounce it "IT" like 'hit'!!

Sorry about that!!!

Cheers

Rick