Category Archives: Culture
A weekend in Edinburgh
If I could be anywhere in the world this weekend, I would kilt up and head to Edinburgh (ed-in-bur-uh).
Not for the haggis, the corner street pipers or the cozy fireside pubs (although those would be nice …). No, I’m thinking specifically about Edinburgh festival season – the mad, vibrant, sensory feast of a party that takes place nearly every day and night in August.
What festival? Well, take your pick. Scotland’s capitol city is currently hosting the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the International Festival and the Art Festival. There really is something for everyone. Find more information at www.edinburghfestivals.co.uk
But wherever you are spending this weekend, have a fabulous one. I’ll see you back here Monday!
Lucky Black Cats
Our black cat Poppy, who was named after Jamie Oliver's daughter Poppy Honey, has not been bad luck. Well, except for those who visit us. She hates visitors.
A happy belated Black Cat Appreciation Day, which was Wednesday. As usual, I’m a day late and a dollar short on the greeting, but better late than never.
And here’s one for the Bizarro World files: Black cats, which are traditionally bad luck in the US, are good luck in the UK. People actually seek them out and want to adopt them. It’s actually the white cats that are bad luck in the UK. Welcome to reverso-world.
Affectionate Anglos
If you’ve watched too many episodes of Masterpiece Theatre, you might get the impression that the British are all standoffish and Mr. Darcyish, with their top hats and stiff upper lips.
Not so.
Actually, I’m routinely taken aback by how very affectionate Brits are. They’re always greeting people with a kiss on the cheek, even those they might meet for the first time. That doesn’t happen in America.
And they’re always ending letters and emails with kisses (x = kiss, if you didn’t know). Sometimes two = xx. Oftentimes three = xxx. And even as much as four = xxxx. I’m not talking about schoolchildren. I’m talking about full-fledged adults. This is the way they sign off every letter. It’s downright romantic!
But what about hugs, I hear you asking … Well, what about them?! Brits can hug as well as the next Yank. Check out the new Hug London Facebook page that’s formed post-riots to heal the city. Hosted by Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centers, the community page invites anyone to send in photos of themselves hugging London landmarks. They will be gathering at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow to hug City Hall in London. So much for the stiff upper lip …
Fork and Knife Fare
Ever see the Seinfeld episode where Elaine watches her boss eating a candy bar with a fork and knife?
The first time I ate pizza in the UK, I was reminded of this as I watched everyone eat their pizza with a fork and knife. It doesn’t matter if you’re eating pizza from a Michelin-starred restaurant or Pizza Hut, you don’t use your hands. It’s not a thin-crust issue. It’s not a this-pizza-is-too-flipping-hot issue. I believe it’s an issue of manners.
Speaking of manners, Matthew is frequently horrified when he eats with Americans and finds them doing the familiar dance of cutting up their food — steak, for example — into pieces (knife in right hand, fork in left), only to put their knife down, swap their fork from their left hand to their right and then stab the little pieces with their right. The process is exhausting and inefficient. By contrast, he keeps his knife in his right, fork in his left and cuts each piece, stabs and then eats with his left. No silverware shuffle. It’s the essence of simplicity and actually the way I prefer to eat now. Even when I’m enjoying a Snickers bar.
Speed Cameras & Kodak Moments
In the past two weeks, I’ve had the misfortune of receiving two red-light camera tickets in the post (translation: mail) My offense? Rolling right-hand turns (translation: braking as I approach a lighted intersection and turning right without coming to a full stop), which carries with it the particularly steep price tag of $470 in California. Yes, per ticket. More on that next week.
But my red-light camera story actually reminds me of the first time I encountered this sign in England:
What does this look like to you? Photo opportunity, right?
In the US, we actually have a similar street sign I like to call a Kodak Moment sign.
And it’s a simple way to let drivers know that something beautiful is approaching. Get your cameras ready, folks. Behold the majesty on the side of the road! It’s …
Or maybe ..
And so when I spotted that sign followed by … well, pavement (translation: asphalt) and some overgrown shrubbery, I wondered just what I was missing. I started to debate that particular location’s merits and question how Brits assessed beauty in general …
Turns out, it was simply a UK sign, warning of a speed camera ahead …
When Incy Wincy Met Itsy Bitsy
The name's Wincy. Incy Wincy. Photo credit: Dollymania.co.uk
This morning, I sang to my daughter “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.”
Both versions.
What? You didn’t know there were two versions? Ah, well there are! There’s the American version (“The Itsy Bitsy Spider” that you know and love) and the British version (“Incy Wincy Spider” – same melody except Incy Wincy is the spider’s name).
For the record, there are also British versions of …
* “Ring around the Rosie” (same as the American version except for the genius “A-tissue, A-tissue” line where the more solemn “Ashes, Ashes” would normally go)
* “If You’re Happy and You Know It” (same as the American version except for the line “If you’re happy and you know it and you really want to show it” is subbed for the “If you’re happy and you know it then your face will surely show it” that I grew up with)
* “The Wheels on the Bus” (again, same as the American version except for the ending “All day long” instead of “All through the town”)
I love that there are two versions of these songs and I love that my kids will know them both. Sure, they’ll probably get teased mercilessly when they unfortunately whip out the “Incy Wincy” version in company that is decidedly “Itsy Bitsy”-centric, but hey, that’s part of being dual nationality. It’s character building and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Sir Clement Freud and the funniest joke ever told
A little brevity is way overdue so I humbly submit Sir Clement Freud‘s classic British delivery of what has been hailed as the funniest joke ever told. Most Brits have probably heard this one by now but for Americans, I invite you to curl up with a cup of tea and have a listen.
Jim Datz’s London
Months ago, I spotted this London poster by Brooklyn artist Jim Datz online and fell in love. Who can resist the retro illustrations on this very different London map? So charming! Jim lived in London five years ago as freelance art director for Urban Outfitters Europe so he’s very Britrish. The poster is currently at the top of my Most Wanted list.
Jon Stewart Banned in the UK
Not sure if you’ve been following The Daily Show this week but Jon Stewart’s response yesterday to the UK censoring some Daily Show footage made me laugh out loud. A special thanks to the always fabulous @thatgirllise for the link and video!
‘Ello There
It started with a conversation with a couple of friends … they were discussing their husbands’ fascination with guns and how they cope. I responded that I don’t have that problem because my husband is British and you know that they don’t have guns in Britain.
Well, they didn’t know that. They wanted to know more.
I proceeded to explain how the cops there don’t have them so the criminals don’t have them – well, not usually. The cops there do have lovely woollen uniforms, which they were also fascinated by, and who could blame them? And one thing led to another until they both determined that a blog was in order – one that would celebrate all of these little things about Britain that Americans might not know and teach them how they, too, could live like a Brit.
Did they have to be a Middleton? Did they have to marry a Beckham? And speaking of that, what exactly is bending it like Beckham? So many questions…
And so today I’ve launched Britrish.com, an online destination to get the skinny on all things British from an American perspective. I’m not British, but I am Britrish and the welcome mat is always out! Please feel free to contact me, leave a comment, suggest a story idea, or throw me a question. Let the fun begin!
BRITRISH.COM 