I wondered why, when I visited England (a lovely B&amp;B in Bath, Somerset) why there weren't any ENGLISH MUFFINS.  I figured that they would be overflowing with them... too many to count... and I didn't even have one.  What a downer.

Similarly, I asked for whole grain toast  four out of the five mornings (by the third day it was just a social experiement), all to different staff, and and I got the "Oh you Americans and your brown breads," answer from all four.  I had no idea that Americans carried a stereotype of liking whole wheat bread!  I suppose I could have alleviated the situation by also asking for kippers...

This really doesn't have anything to do with word variations between our cultures, but you mentioned English Muffins and I haven't had breakfast yet.

-Ken