Britishness | Anglotopia

Dispatches from the North: Top 10 Best of the British Summer

September 1, 2010 By Lisa Leave a Comment

I realize that I’m posting this right at the end of the summer, possibly not the best timing for a post such as this but I’ve had so much excitement this summer from the process of getting my ILR Visa to the Tall Ships Races here in Hartlepool and Red Dreams Pitch Invasion music festival last weekend that I just haven’t had the opportunity to finish this post and publish it. Well, a bit late but I suppose it can serve as a tool for reminiscing or for planning for next summer.

Summer in Britain is glorious, while Brits will tell you it is “red hot” or “boiling” outside, in most parts of Britain it rarely gets above 80º F and even that is pretty rare. A normal “hot” summer day in Britain is in the low to mid 70′s. Sure you need to remember to put on your sunscreen, but it’s comfortable to stroll around and enjoy the sun without getting unbearably hot and ducking into the next air conditioned building you find. Here are the top 10 best things about Summer in Britain:

1. Ice Cream

A typical British summer afternoon usually involves stopping into a seaside shop for an ice cream or running for the ice cream van. The quintessential British ice cream treat is the 99 Flake or sometimes just called a “99″. It’s a regular soft serve vanilla ice cream cone with a Cadbury Flake stuck into the top. Most shops and ice cream vans usually offer the option of topping your 99 with “monkey’s blood” which is simply a raspberry syrup. Cadbury sells regular sized Flake bars, but the 99 Flake is specially produced by Cadbury for this ice cream application. There are many speculations about where the name “99″ comes from and according to Cadbury it has been “lost in the mists of time” but regardless of the origins of the names it’s a simple, delicious and very British thing.

2. Fish & Chips

Right next to the seaside ice cream shop where you get your 99 you will usually find a fish & chip shop. On a nice day here in Seaton Carew you walk down the main street and there are two fish & chip shops, one “on the left” and one “on the right”. Over the years the people from the town have come to regard “the one on the left” as the best chippy in Seaton Carew, being a local and living just down the street I’ve actually discovered this commonly held idea is actually false and “the one on the right” is much better. Even though “the one on the left” has changed owners at least once since I’ve moved here, people still line up out the door at this chippy convinced that it’s the best. I would imagine this is a fairly typical situation in other seaside towns and villages across Britain. On a nice summer day people fill benches and squat on curbs with the curiously shaped “chip fork” in hand and a styrofoam carton of greasy fish and chips. It’s an essential ingredient to the British summer.

3. Going to the Beach

In the North of England going to the beach isn’t what it is in the US or in the warmer Southern parts like Cornwall. Here you must go to the beach fully clothed most days, there isn’t much sunbathing to be done and many people will bring with them a kind of half tent or simple bit of tarp attached to some wooden poles that act as a wind screen. You will see children darting in and out of the freezing cold water, but for the most part going to the beach here in the North East means sitting fully clothed on the sand and taking in the views. It might sound boring but there is no need to reapply sunscreen every twenty minutes after sweating it off, there is always a refreshing breeze coming off the water, it’s great people watching and there are lots of opportunities for outdoor activities like playing a game of soccer on the beach or some of the best kite flying conditions you’ll ever find.

4. Late Sunsets

I sometimes forget how far North I truly am until the winter when the sun rises after 9am and sets at around 3:30pm or in the summer when the sun rises at 4am and sets at 10pm. The British summer day is LONG and it’s one of my favorite things about living this far North!

5. Music Festivals

There are several outdoor music festivals over the summer, the most famous of course being Glastonbury but there is also Cream Fields, the V festival and many other small local festivals that will crop up anywhere you can find an open bit of land and permission to plop down a stage. For the second year in a row Hartlepool had its own music festival called Pitch Invasion which was organized by the music charity I volunteer for, Red Dreams. It was fairly small with about 6,000 people attending over the two days, but it definitely had the festival vibe and gave local bands a chance to participate in this British summer staple.

6. Parks & Gardens

Britain has some gorgeous parks and public gardens, even the smallest in the humblest of towns are lovingly maintained and groomed. Here in Hartlepool the largest is Ward Jackson Park which has a bit of something for everyone, there is a little “woodland walk” which is a dirt path that winds through the trees and brush, there is a traditional landscaped typical English garden area with perfectly manicured flower beds and there is a duck pond where hobbyists often bring remote control boats to zoom around on the calm water. There is also a children’s playground and lots of open space for playing frisbee or just lounging on the grass. Having a stroll through a well maintained park is one of the best parts of the British summer.

7. Barbecues

If you are lucky enough to have a back garden or know someone who does, a barbecue on a summer day is a great way to relax. A British barbecue isn’t much different from an American one although it’s definitely a lot more relaxed. Where American men usually have a state of the art grill or smoker or other very manly outdoor appliances and maybe plan ahead by marinating meat and other impressive culinary tricks, Brits like to keep it simple with a small grill and simple burgers and sausages and jacket potatoes (baked potatoes if you’re American) with all the fixins’ on the side. There will always be lots of cold lager and cider to go around as well!

8. Beer Gardens

When the weather starts to heat up in the Spring the first thing I start to look for is the beer gardens opening up. On a sunny afternoon pubs’ beer gardens are packed with people relaxing. It seems no matter the day of the week or time of the day, if the sun is out and it’s warm enough to sit outside there will be people in the beer garden enjoying frosty beverages. I’ve walked into a Wetherspoons pub at noon on a Tuesday for lunch to find the beer garden brimming with people enjoying a pint in the middle of the day. There is just no keeping people away if the sun is out and there is a beer garden nearby.

9. Caravan Parks

All over the UK you will find holiday caravan parks. Caravan parks are a collection of “caravans” or basically trailers that are specifically for the purpose of renting for a week like a cabin or hotel room and then in the middle of the caravan park there is usually a pub and lots of stuff for kids to do like pools and arcades. I haven’t been to one yet since I’m more of a tent and campground kind of person, but for families it’s a great way to get a camping-like experience in a more comfortable and kid-friendly environment.

10. Camping

The North of England is dotted with prime camping areas. The Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, The Pennines, and even just here in the Cleveland Hills. Britain has some serious campers and the natural beauty of this country is ready-made for some of the best camping experiences. The one thing about camping here that is much different from the US is that in this day and age it’s incredibly difficult to find a campground that has fire rings. I was shocked last summer when I was looking for a place to camp and only found a handful of places in the area I wanted to go that allowed fires. Blame the culture of Health and Safety, but I just can’t imagine a campsite without a fire at night for roasting marshmallows and telling stories.

That is my lineup of the Top Ten of the British Summer, it’s a bit late but we’ve still got a few more warm days to squeeze out of Summer 2010 and there is always next summer!

Filed Under: Dispatches from the North, Only in Britain, Outdoor Activities Tagged With: 99 Flake, British summer

Where to Buy BBC Knowledge Magazine in USA – No Longer on Newsstands

August 27, 2010 By jonathan Leave a Comment

One of my new favorite magazines is the BBC Knowledge magazine – a magazine designed for knowledge junkies like me – with a British Twist.

I learned in the last issue that they will no longer be selling BBC Knowledge on newsstands or in bookstores. From now on you can only get the magazine by subscribing.

So, where can you get an affordably priced subscription?

Amazon.com has a good deal as does the BBC America Shop.

Here are some links:

Filed Under: Anglophile Deals, BBC, British Products

Doctor Who: The Coolest Coffee Mug Ever – Disappearing TARDIS!

August 27, 2010 By jonathan Leave a Comment

I came across this in the BBC America shop and I thought it was worth sharing for all the Doctor Who fans out there. It’s a coffee mug where when you pour in the hot coffee the TARDIS appears.

Awesome.

Click the buy button below to purchase one.

Filed Under: British Products, Doctor Who Tagged With: tardis

Guest Post: A Quick Guide to British Humor – Understanding British Comedy

August 13, 2010 By jonathan 2 Comments

Editor’s Note: The following is a guest post from Raffaele Lagattolla, a young Englishman who wanted to share his passion for Cricket with everyone and encourage Americans to take an interest in it. Thanks Raffaele!

The British sense of humour is one of the most talked about irksome points of relations between our nation and the rest of the world. Namely that most other countries have a difficulty in getting their heads around it, except perhaps ex parts of the Empire, such as Australia, New Zealand etc. This is often assumed to be the fault of the inhabitants of that country, however nothing (in my opinion) could be further from the truth.

I will use the example most known to myself, and that would happen to be the differences in American and British humour. May I first say that some American comedies are pure pieces of gold; I can name some that have me laughing on the floor for hours on end. Programmes such as Family Guy, The Simpsons, South Park, Scrubs and so on. However I have noticed in my 18 years on this planet that the main selling point of good old American laughter is that it tends to be both fairly blunt, and rather obvious. Often making the viewers laugh out loud rather than merely chuckle or snigger.

This here is the main difference; British humour (for me) has four cornerstones that you will rarely find in any other countries except perhaps the ones listed above. Now before I start I am not saying that British humour is impossible to understand for all foreigners, merely that it is quite radically different and therefore difficult to pick up. However once you get it undoubtedly it is fabulous.

The first cornerstone is undoubtedly that of understatement. Without us knowing it many Brits including myself will be continually understating the current situation or state of affairs. A rather classic example is that of Captain Eric Moody, who in 1989 piloted a Boeing 747, which has lost ALL of its four turbofans. 99% of the passengers were either British or Australian, this is the statement made by Captain Moody.

“Ladies and Gentlemen this is Captain speaking, we currently have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damndest to get them working, I trust you are not in too much distress.”

A masterpiece, there was no screaming or shouting, nobody tried to jump out of the door and the plane landed safely with no ill health present. If any American should read this article this first cornerstone is crucial to understand, all British comedies and people understate almost everything in life. Don’t try and figure it out, trust me just go along with it. Eventually it will become almost second nature should you stay here long enough.

The second cornerstone is that great mystery, irony. This is nigh on impossible to explain, however rest assured that we constantly find the ironies in life and they are source of enormous amusement to us. My friend recently said to me that he was tougher than a wall of bricks, rather ironic that later that day a brick fell off a construction site duckboard and knocked him senseless. I should have probably called the ambulance quicker than I did, but the fact was that both all my friends and me were paralyzed with laughter, almost on the floor. He was fine before you all call me a heartless soul.

The third is undoubtedly that of the macabre. The Brits have a unique sense of humour when it comes to death and mortality. British funerals often contain a great deal of jokes and laughter, alongside the more sombre moments. We often find the pain of others a constant source of amusement; in fact while I waited for my friend to come back to his senses in hospital we shared at least thirty jokes at his expense, all (to us) hilariously funny. Laughter seems to be our unique way of coping with the tragedy of death and suffering, so much so that after a terrible event a great deal of very macabre jokes will be inevitably circulated by the public that would probably be considered in very bad taste by many foreigners. The fact is though that Brits like me find them incredibly funny, although many of us feel ashamed that we laugh, but we cannot seem to help it.

The fourth is perhaps a tad unsanitary, but to us Brits it is part of everyday life. I am talking about the world of sexual innuendo. The British love innuendo, and have an ability to see it in even the most innocent statements. In fact to many foreigners our bluntness about innuendo is quite shocking, and many of us perfect it before we are even 18. In fact…

Perfectly innocent at first, but this is the Brits we’re talking about… If you don’t understand then find an explanation of “getting your leg lover” in British Slang. Then you’ll get it.

It is difficult to explain why we do this, but I believe the simplest answer would have to be that it is part of the British national psyche. To laugh at others, us, the absurd and even illness as a source of humour. For example my grandmother died recently from lung cancer induced by smoking. Tragic yes, but at the funeral I said the following words. “Well… shall we set up a smokers corner?” I tell you now, everybody laughed at that. We were all very sad, but that is British way.

Filed Under: Britishness, Entertainment, Humor, Latest

Did the Founding Fathers Have English Accents?

August 10, 2010 By jonathan 3 Comments

I came across this on Stumbleupon and it answers a question I’ve always wondered: Did the Founding Fathers have English Accents?

The answer is more complicated that you think.

According to Nick Patrick:

Reading David McCullough’s 1776, I found myself wondering: Did Americans in 1776 have British accents? If so, when did American accents diverge from British accents?

The answer surprised me.

I’d always assumed that Americans used to have British accents, and that American accents diverged after the Revolutionary War, while British accents remained more or less the same.

Americans in 1776 did have British accents in that American accents and British accents hadn’t yet diverged. That’s not too surprising.

What’s surprising, though, is that those accents were much closer to today’s American accents than to today’s British accents. While both have changed over time, it’s actually British accents that have changed much more drastically since then.

First, let’s be clear: the terms “British accent” and “American accent” are oversimplifications; there were, and still are, many constantly-evolving regional British and American accents. What many Americans think of as “the British accent” is the standardized Received Pronunciation, also known as “BBC English.”

While most American accents are rhotic, the standard British accent is non-rhotic. (Rhotic speakers pronounce the ‘R’ sound in the word “hard”; non-rhotic speakers do not.)

So, what happened?

In 1776, both American accents and British accents were largely rhotic.

It was around this time that non-rhotic speech took off in southern England, especially among the upper class; this “prestige” non-rhotic speech was standardized, and has been spreading in Britain ever since.

Most American accents, however, remained rhotic.

There are a few fascinating exceptions: New York and Boston accents became non-rhotic, perhaps because of the region’s British connections in the post-Revolutionary War era. Irish and Scottish accents are still rhotic.