I got this email today suggesting that I spend this 4th of July celebrating British things in New York city. The subject line is:
Chips, Bangers, Bad Teeth...
Maybe I'm feeling sensitive (only last week a new colleague at work commented on how nice my teeth are - then added, "for an English person"...) but I just think the whole bad teeth thing is so post-war Britain... Not that we're the first nation to ever suffer a cultural slur (and we're definitely not slow in dishing them out ourselves) - but still, bad teeth? Is that the only thing we're known for that isn't deep-fat fried?
Oh well, for those that aren't as sensitive as myself, here's a long list of 'British' things to do in NYC this weekend.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
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Hmm - I know a few Brits here in the US. Their teeth are all fine. Most of the newly immigrant Ukranian families I know though . . . their teeth are scary! Maybe it's because they can't afford to go to the dentist.
Further down the email I note:
"traditional British food but better than you think it could be."
Now I'm as big a fan of a Philly cheese-steak as any man living, but I'd hardly say US food is noticeably better than UK food. Quantity is not equivalent to quality.
It is cheaper though.
I agree with Mr. Potarto. Many English foods are excellent. Many English stereotypes are nauseating. Here are a few generalizations about the English that I think are pretty true:
- They say "sorry" when they really aren't sorry.
- They are terrible with first names... e.g. "Nigel" and "Fiona" are hideous.
- Their sports teams have excellent names. Who would you bet on, "Arsenal" or the "Red Sox"
- The under-qualified Lords who run businesses hurt their economy.
- They have the best names for stuff. "Knickers" "Cuppa?" "Chin wag"
As we take some time to remember this weekend when our forefathers shot each other, let's also take a moment to remember that, like it or not, we're stuck with each other. Neither country has any other allies.
I guess they have to pick on us for some reason or another... I saw a lot of nasty teeth during them time I spent on the east coast.
What I've never quite understood is a nation which prides themselves on everything great WANTS to lay claim to American cheese. Although, I hear it's good for removing old Bros stickers from your wardrobes...
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