| About | Press | Advertisers | Contact Us | Terms | Sitemap |
General The Brits| The Brits |
 Who are the British? What makes them tick? You arrive in the UK and all you have to guide you is a phrasebook and a vague memory of having watched Mary Poppins when you were a child. If this description fits you then here are some of the things that you probably associate with Britain:Tea, bowler hats, cucumber sandwiches, biscuits, playing cricket (badly), newspapers, moustaches, policemen with silly hats, warm beer, bad weather, the Queen. Most of these stereotypes are very old and come from the 18th Century when Brits first started appearing in different places around the world. Britain today is a very different place from the land of bowler hats and pin-stripe suits that many people still believe it to be. So to clarify the myths and help you know what to expect when you arrive in Britain, here are some short guidelines and advice that will shield you from committing any wilful acts of ignorance – or a ‘faux pas’ as we say in Britain Firstly, don’t panic! When you arrive in Britain you will not be forced to grow a moustache and drink warm beer. The British probably spend too much time in the pub, but real ale (warm beer) is just one of many choices from a range of drinks and snacks available for you to choose from. Wine is very popular in the UK, in fact wine sales increased by 30% between 2006-2008 and guess what? We even have ice-cold beer! Moustaches were very popular (on men only) during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837 – 1901) but are less so in 2008, so don’t expect every British male you meet to look like the lead singer in a Queen tribute band. If you are male and choose to grow a moustache while you are in the UK no-one will hold it against you, but don’t be surprised if they don’t let you hold it against them either. Liking the Queen (our head of state, not Freddie Mercury) is still optional (at the time of writing this article) so do not be fooled into thinking that every Brit you meet is a flag waving royalist. You will find lots of British people who love the Royal Family and lots who don’t, so feel free to express your own opinions on the matter. The British love a good debate, we have one of the oldest democracies in the world and devote a very big part of our national media to arguing our different points of view. Unfortunately the bad weather is not a myth, we do get a lot of rain, but the UK is warm compared to many other countries in the north of Europe thanks to the warm waters of the gulf stream, which heat our little island quite nicely. The wet weather does explain a lot about the British, our love of tea and biscuits for a start. I challenge you to find a bigger selection of biscuits anywhere on the planet than in the UK, while you are here I strongly recommend the Ginger Nuts and the Hob Nobs. We are a diverse nation with diverse tastes, hundreds of different accents, habits, ways of dressing, political views and tastes in music, food, fashion and lifestyle. But generally speaking we all have the same self-deprecating sense of humour and we all moan about the weather a lot. These two things, more than anything else, are what bind this little nation of islanders together. By John Hillman
Bookmark
Email This
Print this
|
|
| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 01 April 2009 ) |
