A Blog for Anglophiles
This video is very interesting. It appears to be a pilot for a show called Unfinished London that will chronicle building works in London that never happened.
The first video is about a branch of the London Underground that was never built and all the interesting things that prevented it from happening.
If you’re into London at all – then check out this video. I hope it gets made into a TV show – I’d certainly watch it!
Last year I wrote a post on my blog Anglophile’s Digest about Poppy Day, I had actually forgotten about what I had written, but when I was going back to check out what I had written about last year I decided to repost it here. As I have mentioned before, my husband is in the Royal Navy so Poppy Day is really important to him and both of our families.
Today is Armistice Day. I didn’t realize until now that this is the one non-religious holiday that America and Britain share. In America, Veteran’s Day is also commemorated on the day of the Armistice. Having experienced both holidays in both countries I am sad to say that America’s observation pales in comparison to the honor which the British bestow upon their veterans on this day. If you asked the average American civilian what date Veteran’s Day is, if they aren’t looking at a November calendar chances are they couldn’t tell you. I am sure this morning when everyone turned the page on their day to day desk calendar, more than one office worker turned to a coworker and commented “Hey, did you know today is Veteran’s Day?” I find it sad that Americans need a small italicized reminder on their calendar or date book to remember such an important day in our history. By contrast, if you asked a British citizen what date Armistice or “Poppy Day” falls on they will quickly answer “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month”.
For about a month leading up to Poppy Day, everyone wears a paper poppy on their lapel. The proceeds go to the British Legion and one of the most amazing things is that every single television personality makes the poppy a permanent part of their wardrobe for the month leading up to Armistice Day. Even the contestants on The X Factor (Britain’s version of American Idol) wear a poppy on their outfits on stage. I guess it could be compared to the American flag lapel pin, no Member of Parliament would be caught dead without one pinned to their suit.
I suppose here both World Wars quite literally hit closer to home. The British isles were heavily bombed by the Germans and there are still reminders everywhere of the death and destruction. Here in the North, one of the biggest reminders is the depressed economy.
Before the World Wars, Hartlepool was a major English port and a hub of industry with several dozen shipping companies calling the port of Hartlepool home, accounting for nearly 250 ships. Hartlepool’s position as a major British port made it a strategic target for the Germans. On the morning of December 16, 1914 Hartlepool became the first town in Britain to be bombed by the Germans. On this day over 1000 shells rained down on Hartlepool from German ships. Guns on the Heugh (pronounced “Yuff”) Gun Battery in Hartlepool fired back around 150 shells with more accuracy than the German ships and initiated the first and only land to sea attack from the British mainland and severely damaged the attacking ships. Despite this contribution, World War I and the following Depression crippled the once robust Hartlepool shipping industry only to be revived again during World War II. Yet again, this prosperity made Hartlepool a prime target for the Nazi forces and Hartlepool was raided from the air 43 times during the course of World War II. This once and for all cut off the Hartlepool shipping industry and it has never recovered since.
Hartlepool’s story is similar to many other British towns, which is maybe the reason that Armistice Day and honoring their veterans is such a hallowed tradition here. Particularly in the working class towns of the North where the economic effects of war are still relevant decades later, these stories still hit close to home and in many cases the people who lived through them are still around to remember.
I am sitting here in my front room, I live in an old Victorian home on the sea front that was converted to flats. I imagine that the residents of this house would have had a front row seat for that first bombing in 1914. As I sit here I can see the peninsula of the Headland much as it would have looked back then. Although it is a misty day I can see a few cargo ships out to sea, but I have seen naval ships out here as well and ships of war look much different from the merchant ships the residents of this house would have been used to seeing from their front windows. I can only imagine what it would have felt like for whoever who sat right here and watched the shells being launched from the German ships onto the Headland from this distance, far enough away that the falling shells probably didn’t make much sound to penetrate the quiet of that early December morning, but close enough to see the flashes and smoke. It must have been horrific to watch.
A plaque at the Headland War Memorial with the names of the men killed in the December 16th Bombardment of Hartlepool. A Remembrance Day service is held at this memorial every year on the Sunday before the Armistice.
If you had by chance forgotten that it is Veteran’s Day, please take a moment to reflect and to remember the veterans who fought for their countries and to protect their loved ones and families back home. I will leave you with the poem (written by a Canadian soldier in WWI) that was the inspiration for making the poppy the symbol for remembering those who give their lives for their country.
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
— Lt.-Col. John McCrae (1872 – 1918)
With Britain tightening immigration regulations and the dreams of being an expat in Britain seeming to become far less of a reality for many, you are probably open to suggestions of how you can recreate the expat experience in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Beyond just ordering fish and chips, finding a pub that serves Boddingtons or watching endless reruns of “Coupling” on BBC America, there are some things you can do to bring an authentic feeling expat experience to your domestic life. You might feel and look ridiculous, but an important part of being an expat is trying new things and sticking out like a sore thumb, so get stuck in!
Newspapers are such an important part of British life, I feel like in the US the TV news, the radio news and the newspapers all occupy their own realms. Their audiences don’t overlap considerably, and to be honest a person who relies exclusively on one medium of news will probably end up with a vastly different picture of what is going on in the world. In Britain the various news mediums are deeply intertwined, and the newspaper isn’t just for bankers and businessmen to keep tucked in their briefcases, people from all walks of life read the newspaper and even if they don’t the headlines and top stories from all the major papers are discussed on the TV news. I am not even saying you need to go out of your way to get British newspapers, I think just the act of making an effort to get a daily newspaper and to compare what you read in it to what you hear on the radio or see on TV is a great way to make your day to day life a bit more British. If you really want to make the experience authentic, subscribe to an RSS feed or other daily subscription to your favorite British major daily.
I can think of so many ways this could be done, but I did manage to narrow it down to a few essentials.
Probably the most difficult thing to get the hang of here is putting the kettle on. I certainly offer my guests a choice of cold or hot beverages when I have visitors, but there is something about the British method of doing this that makes it difficult for me to pick it up and that is the preemptiveness. As soon as your guest has announced they are on their way, start boiling the kettle for the tea or brewing the coffee. It should be ready when they get there, and you should offer it to them almost as soon as they walk in the door. Even if its just a short visit, I think the good thing about sharing a cuppa is that it requires you to sit down and take a little bit of time. It doesn’t take long to finish a cup of tea, but its just a long enough time that you do get to actually visit with your guest. Also keep your cookie jar full so you can serve your guests a few little nibbles with their tea or coffee.
Its not just Britons who should celebrate the Armistice, and it would be totally appropriate for Americans to observe the day of remembrance and to wear a paper poppy during the month of November. If you can’t find one, you can easily make your own with a simple cutout of red paper and a black pin.
I know its possible to find traditional British Christmas crackers at some specialty shops, but even if you can’t find them they are incredibly easy to make and one of my favorite things about celebrating Christmas in Britain. The rest of the day is pretty much the same, this is the one thing that I feel really makes it different. So this year with your family try something a little different and bring along some Christmas crackers, or just fashion your own paper hats and allow yourself a bit of whimsy. I did some googling to see if I could find a great reference for making your own Christmas crackers and paper crowns, and there are so many I couldn’t narrow it down. So do some googling and find the one that suits you best, they range from really simple (toilet paper tube, wrapping paper, two pieces of string) to the complicated versions that actually involve buying the “snap” bit from the internet and making your own crackers that actually crack. Either way you go, they are easy and fun to make, especially as a project for kids.
Enjoying Christmas dinner while wearing my paper crown
Mark you calendar and make sure to place your bet for the British Grand National on April 10th 2010. Before placing your bets be sure to peruse all of the betting guides, but most importantly go with your gut and if you want to be truly British do absolutely no research at all and put your money on the horse with the silliest name. Even for Brits that don’t regularly follow horse racing, the Grand National is a huge national event that almost everyone watches and most people also place a bet. You don’t have to be in Britain to place a bet, you can place bets online through both American and UK betting sites.
August 2010 might seem like a far way off, but people are already talking about it. Keep up with the latest news and stats by checking the Sky Sports News website often. The great thing about the World Cup is that it is widely televised in the US. England has already qualified, so they are definitely going to South Africa for their first shot at glory since 1966. I think one thing about the World Cup in America is people support all different teams and they aren’t afraid to show it. This may be the one time that you can show up at a pub with a cross of St. George painted on your face (or belly if that is your style) and everyone else will look equally as ridiculous as you.
During the last World Cup I fondly remember sitting in The Globe Pub in Chicago (which by the way is THE PLACE to watch football in Chicago, and also serves delicious traditional English food as it is owned and operated by two Brits) and there were fans from all nationalities crammed into the bar at 7am all bedecked in patriotic colors of the nation of their choice and it was really fun for everyone, even me and I am not a football fan by and means.
So this is obvious, but whenever you need to live vicariously through expat experiences, visit Anglotopia and check out the columns and the other great content here, before you know it you will feel like you are in Blighty.
Maybe delicacy is an inappropriate word. As with most “local delicacies” like Italian Beef in Chicago or Clam Rolls in coastal Massachusetts, “Parmo” is fast food. You can get a Parmo at pretty much every pizza place and fish and chip shop in the Teesside area.
Parmo is a term that has been shortened over time, the original name was Parmesan Escalope and now it is just called a Parmesan or colloquially, Parmo. It is kind of like the delinquent nephew of veal or chicken Paragiana in Italian cuisine. It is a piece of chicken or pork beat down until it is as thin as possible and about the size of a small dinner plate. It is then breaded, fried and covered in béchamel sauce and melted cheese and served with chips and a bit of salad on the side. Here in Teesside we like to put garlic sauce on everything, its kind of a cross between garlic mayonnaise and ranch dressing, so its usually served with a side of garlic sauce (because two layers of fatty topping just aren’t enough). Funny enough, although its called a Parmesan, there isn’t actually even a gram of Parmesan cheese in a Parmo, leave it up to Teessiders.
Photo from Wikipedia by Karl Bomersbach
When I first moved here I thought that Parmo was an English thing, but I just recently discovered that its actually a very local thing that can pretty much only be found in Hartlepool and Middlesbrough and the adjacent towns. There is really nothing like it anywhere else and its totally unique to this area.
The thing I find the most unique about this dish is that it hasn’t taken the same path as most of your local fast food favorites. Most of these unique local foods usually start out in a greasy spoon or roadside stand and now we are seeing these types of foods showing up on fine dining menus with a gourmet twist. Its all the rage these days to take something like macaroni and cheese with gourmet ingredients, add a little bit of luxury with some lobster tail or filet mignon and put it on a plate next to some kind of foam or puree and charge $40 for it. Parmo is the exact opposite though, it is an adaptation that took a fine dining dish off the fancy plate and transformed it into an inexpensive, fast food dish served in a pizza box and best consumed after a night of drinking. It is kind of a rare thing for a dish to actually regress from fine dining to pizza shops and burger stands.
I am sure you are probably not jumping out of your seat to come visit Teesside and sample a Parmo, after all you can always go to an Italian restaurant and order a chicken or veal Parmigiana and get something that is similar and probably better quality. However, Parmo is set to make its national debut and soon it could be available outside of our little corner of this island. Earlier this year, Asda (part of the Wal-Mart conglomerate) began selling Parmos in their Teesside supermarkets. It has been so successful that they are considering rolling out the product in other areas of the country. Still, even with the convenience Asda version available in supermarkets, nothing will ever be as authentic as a greasy, saucy and cheesy parmo from a Teesside shop. Maybe some day Parmo will come to respresent British street food the way chip butties and bacon sarnies do, but for now it remains Teesside’s shining beacon of culinary innovation (sort of).
Nudity in a public place is not, of itself, an offence in English law.
This statement may seem surprising to some people, but it has always been so – and remains the case despite the introduction of a new offence of “Exposure” in the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
English law operates on the premise that you are free to do anything which is not specifically prohibited, but you have to take the consequences of your actions.
If you are simply enjoying social and recreational nudity – whether that be swimming, sunbathing or walking, on a beach or other open space (including your own garden) and doing so with reasonable consideration for others, you have every reason to defend your right to continue should you be challenged by a police officer or a representative of the landowner or local authority.
In this, there is no difference between “official”, ” traditional”, or “tolerated” beaches.
However, if public nudity is intended to cause “harassment”, “alarm” or “distress”, to “insult”, or is thought likely to cause “a breach of the peace” then a offence may be being committed.
How your behaviour is interpreted is likely to depend not only what you are doing, but also on the circumstances in which you are doing it.
Let’s put it this way:
If you are in the habit of sunbathing without clothes on a quiet stretch of beach, perhaps one with a long history of such activity, then you are very unlikely to find yourself in trouble. On the other hand, if you attempt to walk naked down your local high street you will, within a few minutes, be coming into contact with the police.
Basically, you aren’t breaking the law in the act of simply being nude in public, however if your nudity causes distress or offense to another person you are then breaking the law. Its a bit confusing, and in a way a naturist can never be certain whether or not they are breaking the law as the law doesn’t address the activity itself but someone else’s reaction to the activity. Even though as the quote above points out there is no difference between an “official” nude beach and a place commonly known for nude sunbathing, the solution to the ambiguity of the law is to designate naturist beaches. Usually they are placed on secluded beaches and since the naturists don’t actually need the permission of the council to be nude on the beach, the main function of designating the beaches is so the council can put up signage warning passersby that they may encounter nudity and the naturists can enjoy the beach without worrying that they may offend someone and end up stuck with criminal charges.
You may be wondering why on earth I am blogging about naturism. No, its not because I myself am a naturist. I began looking into the subject a few weeks ago when a story made headlines that a local naturist petitioned to designate a naturist beach in the North East as there currently aren’t any in the area. (To see the BBC News story, click here) Well, the beach in question is of course the beach that I live on. Luckily the proposed nudist area isn’t the one directly outside my home. The proposed beach is just about a quarter mile down the beach from us and is an area that is shielded by sand dunes. The area is proposed because of the protection offered by the sand dunes so passersby can easily avoid viewing the beach. However, these dunes aren’t high enough to shield the beach from my view since I am about 4 stories up. I suppose should the vote go through and the beach becomes a designated naturist area I should be very careful when surveying the beach with my binoculars.
The issue of naturism in the UK seems to be a slippery slope. On one hand, this is Europe, but on the other hand this is Britain. Whereas continental Europe is very blasé when it comes to nudity, the British make a bit more of a fuss out of it and often find it be more humorous than natural. The other issue which I find to be the most puzzling is that this isn’t the south of Spain or the French Riviera. This is Northern England where even in the summer the temperature rarely climbs over 75 degrees and our pebbly rough beaches are a far cry from the sugar fine sand of many of the places in Europe that seem to inspire people to get in touch with nature. I honestly can’t understand why anyone would want to be nude on Seaton Carew beach, and I most certainly can’t see anyone wanting to skinny dip in the North Sea (sober).
The representative of the local naturist club who was interviewed by the media (nude in his hot tub of course) continuously uses the rationale that “if its warm enough to be on the beach in a swimming costume it is warm enough to be on the beach without one”. I certainly agree, however I can only think of maybe a grand total of 5 days in the past year where a person would be able to comfortably sunbathe on the beach in a bathing suit. Of course I have seen children darting in and out of the frigid waves on some of the warmer days, but I can honestly say I have never seen a single adult stripped down to anything less than shorts and a t-shirt. Even on the warmest days there is a very cool breeze coming off the water and I certainly would never feel the need to get into my bathing suit and lay out on this beach. I can see why some naturists in the warmer areas of the country like Cornwall and Devon might want to walk about as nature intended, but its not an activity that is very conducive to the North East climate.
All of these arguments aside, I don’t see a problem with them using this beach for their clothing-optional recreation. I suppose if they are dedicated enough to that lifestyle that they would brave the North East climate in the nude, more power to ‘em.
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Anglotopia was founded by Jonathan and Jackie Thomas for people who love Britain - whether it's British TV, Culture, History or Travel - we cover it all. Anglotopia was started to get us back to the UK for a trip and it did that in 2009. Now, the goal is for Anglotopia to make our dream of living in the UK a reality.
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