British vs. American vocabulary - this time, in the kitchen...

I got several really lovely cookbooks from Phil's parents for my birthday and Christmas - all British cookbooks (a hint from Phil, perhaps?? I also got British measuring cups/spoons) - Jamie Oliver's "Cook with Jamie", "The Taste of Britain", and my favorite, Gordon Ramsay's "Passion for Flavour". My roommates and I decided to cook together the other night, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to try out one of the recipes; I chose the absolutely fabulous looking/sounding "Rump of lamb Nicoise". However, upon trying to procure the ingredients, I discovered several things: 1) there was no rump of lamb to be had at the three grocery stores that I tried, 2) I have no idea what 'aubergines' or 'courgettes' are, and 3) that I need Phil here to translate or a American/British food dictionary. [BTW, 'aubergines' are eggplants and 'courgettes' are zucchini squash]. It's all well and good when you're at home and can access Google, but at the store...Nonetheless, I can't wait to try any of the recipes, especially from the Ramsay cookbook. I have to admit that I'm a little bit of a fanatic when it comes to Gordon Ramsay (http://www.answers.com/topic/gordon-ramsay). I watch three of his TV shows (Hell's Kitchen, Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, and The F Word, although they are all aired at different times of the year) and am reading his autobiography "Roasting in Hell's Kitchen - Temper Tantrums, R Words, and the Pursuit of Perfection". He is so amazingly driven and inspiring to those around him - even though his relentless pushing of those who work for him can appear overly demanding and maybe even cruel, it is clear that he cares for them and really wants them to succeed (this being the important part - if your going to be demanding, exacting and hard, you have to be just as willing to give praise for a job well done as you are criticism for a job done poorly; it is important to note that although he is known for his bad temper, he has great relationships with many in his employ and in fact has retained 85%+ of all of his employees). I find him really fascintating, amazing, intriguing, and definitely inspring. It would be awesome to do as much with my life as he has, nevermind being able to cook and create extraordinary dishes like that!