The first time I realized there was a language barrier between Brits and North Americans was when I went grocery shopping in Toronto. There, I was surrounded by vegetables and herbs that looked familiar but had strange names, triggering a blurry Mr. Krabs episode in my head. In a No-Frills supermarket, I opened my Google browser on my phone and typed “What is the egg of a plant?” shortly followed by “scallion?” I’d heard the terms before, but I always thought they were other things—not the same as an aubergine and a spring onion.

To this day, every time I visit the States, it’s still a struggle. God forbid I look up a British website’s recipe in America, or an American recipe in the United Kingdom: the result is always a drain on my data, as I try to figure out why I don’t already know what a parsley leaf looks like. More than anything, the comfort I feel walking into my local chicken or doner shop—deploying light-hearted shorthand with the people working the counter—is a sharp contrast to the alien feeling I get walking into a bodega.

That's because when it comes to idiosyncratic lingo, the U.K. is a fertile breeding ground, drawing from the rich traditions of wordplay and applying them to chippies and curryhouses alike. The knack for verbal gymnastics has become even more dynamic thanks to the ingenuity of immigrant communities, who have adopted and enriched both the the stiff English food and English language. Understanding these linguistic subtleties is crucial: In a city like London, where everything and everyone is packed tight, your ability to "code switch" and respectfully call the guy serving your two-piece chicken and chips "Bossman" says a lot about you. It’s why these words are so comforting—they're a reminder of home, and of who we are.

I usually don’t have the patience to explain the vernacular of my beloved city, but when it comes to food, it’s best to know what’s what. So for anyone who is jumping on the grime music hype so much that they want to take the flight out to blighty (the U.K.), here’s a basic guide to our food terminology when you finally do touch road.

A nostalgic term used by kids in reference to desserts like sticky toffee pudding and custard. Most often used in the context of school lunches. 

Refers to a generous portion of bacon sandwiched between two slices of white bread, with loads of butter and any kind of condiment you so wish to include. Sometimes called a bacon butty.

A sausage that makes up one half of the happy union that is bangers and mash. The sausage is usually drenched in gravy, topped with fried onions, and placed on a bed of mashed potato. The best kind can be found in any pub that serves food.

Short for beverage, you would usually hear this word uttered in a pub to refer to the alcoholic kind, especially when in want of another round. For maximum impact, pair it with a gesticulation that makes it seem like you’re holding an imaginary glass, and tipping it towards your mouth. 

Literally speaking, this is the guy who serves you doner kebab at the kebab shop, or your fried chicken at the chicken shop. Spiritually, he is the bringer of joy, the person who sees you for who you really are, the Dumbledore of ends. The respect shown to this man is so real that no one knows his real name. He is only to be referred to as Bossman. 

The mixture of mayonnaise and ketchup in one bottle so you don’t have to worry about swirling it on your patty. Rumor has is that there is a United Nations of Bossmen who meet once a year to discuss changing the ketchup-to-mayo ratio in burger sauce. 

When you get offered tea in the U.K., someone might respond ‘yeah, make it a builders.' This means milk and two sugars with the teabag left in for a while.

This is short for café, but when used in the U.K., we don’t mean the place where you get cold brew. This is our version of a diner, where we order our greasy, full English breakfast.

Cheeky is as adjective used to describe the joy in doing something naughty, as in "Fancy a cheeky Nandos, or a cheeky pint of beer?"  

A nickname for a fish and chips establishment.  

Refers to a soda, or anything that is carbonated and flavored. If you ask for a soda in the U.K. you will probably get the Devil's Sweat (carbonated water).

Cockney wordplay for the national alcoholic beverage of choice: beer. Cockney slang is rooted in rhyming words, so all these refer to the same thing. Don’t ask me why they do this, but my guess is that being on a grey island with the same weather year-round inspires a unique brand of creativity. 

Derived from the phrase 'Starvin’ like Marvin.' Saying you’re Marvin means you’re really hungry.

A general term for food. "Go get munch." 

Short for off-license, which is the word for our corner stores. The term comes from the fact that you can buy alcohol here and go drink it somewhere else (off the premises). This is also where you get your Rizla skins, favorite bar of chocolate, or crisps (potato chips).

For Brits, pudding is something sweet, soft, and squishy, usually with some kind of sauce or stickiness to it, i.e. cake with custard. 

Cockney slang for ‘curry,' named after a British singer from the 1950s. 

This is what Americans call a ‘biscuit.' Brits usually eat scones for breakfast with clotted cream and jam. Our biscuit is in fact a food group in its own right, of which cookies are included. 

A starter is what an American would call an 'appetizer.' 

A classic beverage mix of Wray & Nephew Rum and Ting, a fizzy Jamaican drink made from grapefruit juice. 

Although generally known as a vegetable, in London this is a verb. To yam is to eat something fast and hungrily.