We're British, Innit

Vanessa · Post by **Vanessa** » Tue January 27th, 2009, 9:50 pm

Errr, no! I have farmers' fields round me full of cabbages, spuds and sprouts!! Oooh, mustn't forget the onions!

I often get the odd vegetable 'gift' when walking my dogs.

pat · Post by **pat** » Wed January 28th, 2009, 8:54 am

[quote=""Vanessa""]Errr, no! I have farmers' fields round me full of cabbages, spuds and sprouts!! Oooh, mustn't forget the onions!

I often get the odd vegetable 'gift' when walking my dogs.

[/quote]

Cooo! Nice and smelly at harvest time!

MIL tried to explain to someone here about sprouts. She had asked someone if they knew where she could get brussel tops from. They didnt know about the shape of the brussel plant and how they grow. Now this was a bit worrying as she was taking to a greengrocer at the time!

Rowan · Post by **Rowan** » Wed January 28th, 2009, 2:25 pm

None of you have mentioned some of the things I've found most amusing...

dogging
dislike of Germans
marmalade
kagouls
half day closings
dining at the roadside

EC2 · Post by **EC2** » Wed January 28th, 2009, 3:17 pm

[quote=""Rowan""]None of you have mentioned some of the things I've found most amusing...

dogging
dislike of Germans
marmalade
kagouls
half day closings
dining at the roadside

[/quote]

What's dogging? I'm a Brit and I haven't a clue!
We used to dislike Germans - or earlier generations did for obvious reasons, but it's really no longer an issue, apart from macho squabbling over sun loungers at holiday locations. These days we get on with Germans fine.
Marmalade - Yup, you've caught everyone out there. Nearly all of Spain's crop of Seville oranges end up in the UK in marmalade. I can take it or leave it myself but there's always a jar in the house - in most houses I would think.
Kagouls - A bit 1970's. They were all the rage then. We've branched out into all sorts of snazzy outdoor survival wear since then, most of which we don't need.
half day closings. Haphazard. Some places shut, some don't, (our butchers does on a Wednesday and the opticians) and to compensate, loads of places are now open on Sundays.
dining at the roadside. Ummm.... yes, that's a fair cop. Also in supermarket car parks as I witnessed on holiday in Norfolk last year. Someone had got out the deckchairs and picnic table in the empty parking space next to their camper van in Tesco's car park.

Rowan · Post by **Rowan** » Wed January 28th, 2009, 3:25 pm

[quote=""EC2""]What's dogging? I'm a Brit and I haven't a clue![/quote]

This is the opening sentence about dogging from the book: "It perhaps says a gread deal about us that one of our most recently celebrated sexual deviances involves standing around a car park watching other people have sex [in their cars]." Bracketed info mine.

[quote=""EC2""]We used to dislike Germans - or earlier generations did for obvious reasons, but it's really no longer an issue, apart from macho squabbling over sun loungers at holiday locations. These days we get on with Germans fine.[/quote]

The author indicates the main reason for your dislike of Germans is the sun lounger "problem."

To a lesser extent it has to do with football, too. I'll leave out his closing remarks about the Germans...

As you can tell, it's a pretty no-holds-barred kind of book.

Madeleine · Post by **Madeleine** » Wed January 28th, 2009, 8:30 pm

I can comment on the last two on the list:

Roadside dining - probably because our motorway service stations tend to be a bit grubby (not all of them though) and horrendously expensive just for a sandwich and a hot drink! Solution - make your own lunch and have it by the roadside....

Half day closing - pretty much a thing of the past where I live; you might find the odd shop closed for one half day, but they're pretty rare. Most places open for longer now if anything, although the shop where my mum works closes for lunch.

Rowan · Post by **Rowan** » Wed January 28th, 2009, 8:53 pm

Well apparently, towns and villages that still have half-day closing are those in which witchcraft and ritual sacrifice are still practiced "with the half day being used to complete tasks associated with these practices, such as rounding up virgins and sharpening knives."

LoveHistory · Post by **LoveHistory** » Wed January 28th, 2009, 8:55 pm

As to roadside dining: sounds a lot like tailgating here in the States. Minus the face-paint I would imagine.

sweetpotatoboy · Post by **sweetpotatoboy** » Wed January 28th, 2009, 9:16 pm

[quote=""Madeleine""]Half day closing - pretty much a thing of the past where I live[/quote]

That's what I was going to say.

And I'm glad someone else stepped in to explain 'dogging'...

EC2 · Post by **EC2** » Wed January 28th, 2009, 9:21 pm

[quote=""sweetpotatoboy""]That's what I was going to say.

And I'm glad someone else stepped in to explain 'dogging'...

[/quote]

LOL Sweetpotatoboy!
I had heard the phrase before and thought it might be something along those lines - but I was kind of hoping it had more to do with the British passion for animals - Oh! I am digging myself into a hole here!