What in the World are Crisps?

“Would you like something to eat?” I asked my cousins, who had just arrived from England.  “It’d be great if I can get some crisps” one of them responded.  I stood there transfixed, wondering what in the world crisps were.  When they tried to explain, I learned that it was definitely some sort of snack.  I eventually had to resort to the always trustworthy Google, which told me that crisps were what we call chips in America.  This was the start of an extremely long and confusing two weeks; my cousins had come to visit from Europe, and although we all spoke the same language, I couldn’t comprehend a huge portion of what they were saying.  They spoke fast, and often I would really have to concentrate in order to understand what they were saying. Sometimes they would laugh at me, and would say, “American are slow”.  Being younger than them all, I tried to remain respectful to them, but eventually I would often have to respond.  “The best thing that the British have given the world is Harry Potter,” I once said, in response to a comment they had made to mock Americans.  Joking around about our different cultures helped us get along with each other.  Our trip to Canada (to visit family) also helped us get along with each other, as we joined forces to make fun of Canadians.  When time had come for them to leave, I was able to keep up with their fast language, and for a few weeks after they left, I had even picked up a little bit of their accent; but I made sure that I eventually dropped it.