If you think of Britain, what comes to your mind then? (1 Viewer)

[Cordelier]

Strongly advise you to stay away from pub chains like Wetherspoons and never... ever.... ever..... go anywhere near something called "Toby Carvery."

If you see a sign like this -

just drive past.

I scrolled by and thought it said "Tory Carvery".

 

[Cordelier]

The Queen mum's favorite. Can't argue with 101 years.

My Grandmother's as well and she made it to 98. Always had her Harvey's Bristol Cream.

 

[Allan]

Some our cities are dumps. Think Birmingham, filthy, ugly and bankrupt.

OK. I've not been there.

 

[Sweden]

The coolest castles.

And the coldest houses.

 

[Infinite Chaos]

Some our cities are dumps. Think Birmingham, filthy, ugly and bankrupt.

OK. I've not been there.

Very true in the 70's but it's now actually a really nice place to live.

We went for a week to visit my younger brother and there are some really amazing restaurants there from all over the world.

As this article says - it was once very true and mud sticks when you throw enough of it at a target.



It's now home to a large mixed ethnicity population and we met many Japanese, Mexicans, Brazilians and Swedes who had moved there to live.

If you want true dumps - Hull, Sunderland, Middlesborough, Peterborough and Corby.

That said, some of the nicest people come from those areas.

Coventry deserves special place on its own - it was rebuilt horribly after being flattened in WW2 and the locals absolutely despise anyone not from the area.

 

[Perotista]

for me ..... lots of things

for a start ..... the Royal Family .... and driving on the left

Winston Churchill and the Beetles.

 

[SNOWFLAKE]

You have to be oldddddd to have seen that first time around or it was sold to Canada years later?

Both.

 

[Allan]

Common London mistakes:
1. It's the Tower Bridge. London Bridge is something else.
2. Big Ben is the bell, not the clock.

 

[Infinite Chaos]

Common London mistakes:

The worst mistake is saying "hello" to someone on the Tube.

 

[Allan]

The worst mistake is saying "hello" to someone on the Tube.

France is worse. In Paris the expectation in a cafe: even though the tables are separated by 0.0001 cm you do not acknowledge the people at the next table.

 

[Integrityrespec]

for me ..... lots of things

for a start ..... the Royal Family .... and driving on the left

First trip in 1994 and seeing a lot of things I'd only read about.

 

[j brown's body]

Monty Python

 

[VySky]

for me ..... lots of things

for a start ..... the Royal Family .... and driving on the left

The Clash

 

[Allan]

Monty Python

Fawlty Towers.

 

[venice_ca]

Tudor court portraits by Hans Holbein, civil wars, repression of the Irish, too many monarchs to keep straight, some great post-war movie directors, Shakespeare and Shakespearean actors, great novelists and playwrights, David Austin roses, Henry Purcell, Handel’s Water Music, and an outdated monarchy and class structure.

Oh, and smash the Tories!

 

[venice_ca]

Should have mentioned a sordid colonial history, but a stronger anti-slavery movement than in the U.S.

 

[Lutherf]

Britain?

Pasties.
Curry houses freaking everywhere.
"Mind the gap" because if people aren't reminded every 5 seconds then they're bound to fall in front of a train.
Never EVER assuming that a car will stop for you while crossing the road unless there's a signal.
"Oh, that's a lovely idea" translating to "piss off. I'm never going to do that".

-edit-

I almost forgot. Yorkshire pudding. It's not pudding. It's bread. Why is it called pudding?

 

[KevinKohler]

Winston Churchill, peaky blinders, and Aston Martin/James Bond.




Honorable mention....2 of my favorite breweries....Moreland Brewing, and Samuel Smiths.

 

[Logophile]

What comes to mind about Britain?? All the reasons my ancestors left and fought in the American Revolution, and on the other side why my orphaned great grandfather left and never returned. Britain was run by despots and still has some kind of odd attachment to questionable lineage and privilege bizarrely bestowed on not so great genetics. But admittedly, Britain has some lovely countryside that is still void of spy cameras and a fascinating history. And, as long as it has Scotland, it's got Nessie and more importantly, stunning Wales, so its allure is understandable

 

[Serenity]

The incredible history
The beautiful countryside
Beautiful people
LFC
The Beatles, Oasis, Led Zep, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Dire Straits
Monty Python
British TV


That's just to name a few..

 

[RogueWarrior]

My father's family lived through the blitz and the buzzbombs.

Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.

 

[Ganondagan]

You have to be oldddddd to have seen that first time around or it was sold to Canada years later?

Nah, 80 is still young.

 

[Fledermaus]

Warm but tasty beer (warmer than Americans are used to)

Fish and chips.

Pubs

Westminster, Big Ben, etc.

"Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way..." Pink Floyd lyrics.

Rolling Stones, Yes, Byrds, Jethro Tull.....

 

[Somerville]

When I think of Britain, my first thought is always about my first sight of the land after sailing across the Atlantic from Bermuda. Then, I have experienced what others have posted in this thread -- pub beer, food, history and friends - including a couple lady friends that I am still friends with even though we have all married others. Then there was a week in a castle in Scotland that belonged to another friend I had met thru sailing.

 

[Infinite Chaos]

I almost forgot. Yorkshire pudding. It's not pudding. It's bread.

Technically, it's pancake batter with more egg.

Why is it called pudding?

Like many things that came from the poorer side of society, its history has many variations but most agree it was originally called "dripping pudding" and would be put underneath a roasting joint of meat to catch all the juices.
Best theory I heard (whether real or not is another story) is that meat dishes were called pudding of some sort or other at the time.