Being British...
 

One of the British national daily newspapers is asking readers "what it
means to be British?".

This answer from a Swiss guy sums it up nicely:

"Being British is about driving in a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian beer, then travelling home, grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab on the way, to sit on Swedish furniture and watch American shows on a Japanese TV. And the most British thing of all? Suspicion of anything foreign ".

Sounds all too familiar....

colonialism by proxy

I like it.

Now, what's with the British national obsession with Indian and Turkish foods?

PS my professor 'friend' is in London now, teaching at some University or other. All I know is that his flat is somewhere near a club that features exotic dancers called the 'California'.

and anything east of Dorset to be full of WOGS (wily oriental gentlemen).

HAHA...gota say thats painfully true! Id have to add, at the risk of falling into my own category, we have a horrendous tendancy to miserably wallow in all that is bad about our country. That said, blighty's not a bad old place...just wish we had a lil more sunshine! :)

Britain and India are tied together through their unique history.

hm---interesting.

professor friend is at UEL-Docklands.

Geez. The US flag was based on a corporate logo? That explains so much...

Ha! A poll back in 1998 reported UEL as having the ugliest female students in the UK. I only know this because my bf at the time had a particularly clinging ex who started there that year. I laughed childishly up my sleeve....

Anyway - without wanting to sound too easily riled, I wonder if that Swiss man has any experience of England outside of London? And whether he drives a Swiss car or watches a Swiss TV?

Perhaps that's part of being English - take the best of what the world is prepared to sell us, then nip down your local for a pint of real ale and a plate of fish-paste sandwiches. And chips.

could be...
http://www.lexlexlex.net/upload/04_09.jpg

Kinda off topic, but related:

England has lost alot of its "foreignness" around here. I don't know if it's because of the wide availability of BBC America, the fact that we do so much business with Brits, or what. But a British accent doesn't seem any more surprising to hear than a southern one or a New Yorker one.

Didn't used to be that way -- when I was a kid, a British accent immediately conjured images of a guy in a bowler hat and monocle. Maybe there's just more of you in Colorado now.

A Swiss guy, looking for directions, pulls up at a bus stop where two Englishmen are waiting.
"Entschuldigung, koennen Sie Deutsch sprechen?" he says.
The two Englishmen just stare at him.
"Excusez-moi, parlez vous Francais?"
The two continue to stare.
"Parlare Italiano?" No response,
"Hablan ustedes Espanol?" Still nothing.
The Swiss guy drives off, extremely disgusted.
The first Englishman turns to the second and says, "Maybe we should learn a foreign language...."
"Why?" says the other, "That bloke knew four languages, and it didn't do him any good."
:lol:

I think you need to leave Britain before you can truly understand what it means to be British.

No-one's mentioned sense of humour which is something expats often miss and people of other nationalities comment on. It's not necessarily "better" or "worse" than the SOH of other nationalities, but it is unique and usually a very dominant part of Brit personalities.

If you ask an American, they'll say bad teeth and saying "tally ho". :rolleyes:

:lol:

Well there's always the "vice anglais" and the "English pox" (both scurrilous rumors with no basis in fact, I'm sure).

Brianna, according to a friend who did a junior year abroad in London, the Indian restaurants had the only edible food available in the city.

Fish PASTE??? That doesn't sound very appetizing .... :eek: