1. Our National dish is Chicken Tikka Masala I know this is controversial, but probably true! Despite popular beliefs, this dish was invented in Glasgow by Asian chefs (Pakistani, Indian or Bangladeshi - though disputed) to cater for British tastes. And as this dish is so popular, more people eat this on a daily basis than any other "traditional" British dish. 2. Despite the title "United Kingdom" we are far from it Just go to Glasgow and ask any Scot how they feel about their Government being based in London, England. Or ask a Welsh person why English taxes should go towards funding Welsh language classes. Or ask a Mancunian if they would support a regional assembly if it were based in Liverpool.. 3. We are "united" in our love of National sports men and women And then we love it when those same National heroes lose and start to fall from grace, taking a particular pride in the tabloid tales of their demise. Whether it be through sex scandals or drug abuse, we delight in the misfortunes of people who had once achieved greatness. 4. This is (probably) due to a lack of direct sunlight If you are a Filipino or from another sunny climate, coming to the UK can be a little shocking. First of all, you might know it is daylight but will never see the sun for months on end. This lack of sunlight has been known to cause seasonal moodiness and sleeping problems with people who are not getting enough sunlight. While Thailand is known as the land of smiles, the UK is more like the land of frowns. 5. Despite Porn being illegal in the UK prior to 2000, there is now a sex shop on every high street This is enough to make Anne Widdicombe cry into her Ginger beer! Before the year 2000, if people in the UK got caught selling pornographic material they would face a heavy fine and probably prison. And despite a being known as a nation of prudes, it is British women who love nothing more than to spend an evening with friends at an Anne Summers party buying various items for themselves and a DVD for "him". 6. Crumpets! When someone from the US thinks of a British person they generally think of Crumpets and tea, despite not fully knowing what a Crumpet is and how good they taste. In fact, crumpets are so popular we also use the word "Crumpet" to refer to a sexual partner. So if you hear somebody quietly gossiping that they had a "nice bit of Crumpet last night", they are probably not talking about a buttered bread based product... 7. The English delight in winding up the Scottish, Welsh and Irish Since England has stopped its campaign of bloody conquest upon nearby tribes and countries. This has been replaced with a more humorous attempt at belittling people of other nations, but more so to our fellow United Kingdomers. this is usually achieved by reminding Welsh people that their flag is not on the Union Flag due to Wales being a region of England as opposed to a country in itself. Or informing a Scot that they have thicker skins on the oranges north of the border, officially so as to protect the orange in a colder climate but in reality because "we send the rubbish ones up to you". And as for the Irish, it is an old time English sport of creating jokes about the Irish for being "Tick".. 8. It is legal to drink alcohol in a bar but it is illegal to get drunk in a bar Yes, this is true. You can be arrested for being drunk in a bar or pub in the UK. Though mostly this is used to control people who become threatening once drunk, the law is the same for all. So if a policeman tells you that you might get arrested after drinking several vodkas in a bar, they might be telling you the truth! 9. Big Ben is not a clock If you have seen the countdown for new year and see a BBC TV reporter talking about the count down for Big Ben, you might think they are referring to the large clock above the British Parliament. However, the Big Ben in question is actually the large bell inside the clock tower.. 10. We both love and hate the Monarchy Later this year when Prince William marries Kate Middleton, it will be a national bank holiday and people from up and down the country will celebrate the monarchy. When the Queen passes and her heir Prince Charles becomes King, there will be calls for him to abdicate or end the monarchy once and for all. Such is the national sense of contempt for Prince Charles, who are often referred to as the slobbering Dofan Prince. Though this could also be just the very British love of moaning and belittling others?
Alan..... the stuff you referring to comes under the term of " Cuisine"........ Personally, after having spent many years in the hospitality industry, I fail to see why the term should apply , as everything, and I mean everything they do, tastes invariably of ... Curry..... So going back to your question.... I ain't too keen either.....
Well, Curry is pretty much a stew! And not just Indian either... Chinese, Thai, etc.. @lonelywinter. I'm not married yet but my mahal is indeed a Filipino. We will apply for a fiance visa this year
I appreciate that 'Indian cuisine' in the UK is not the real mcCoy - but I still can't stand the smell or the taste. However, I do like the 'pseudo Chinese' cuisine in the UK. In fact my mouth is watering now thinking of roast crispy duck and sweet and sour king prawns!!! Al.:england:
Alan the Chinese food in the Phils is far superior to anything we get in the UK and is also far better value for money. I was out at a small Chinese restaurant near NAIA last week and had a really nice sweet and sour pork, there was too much though really and we ended up taking a lot of it home as a takeaway. That's the only problem really the portions are always big enough for two and if there are only two of you, you end up buying at least two dishes and either over eat, waste it, or take it out. Personally I love Indian food, but I rarely buy from a restaurant, I make it myself mostly, as I can do the three or four good dishes that I really like. I'm not a fan of Tikka though.
In that case I should open an Indian restaurant in Cebu Kieth, I have no Indian blood in me but I made it a mission to teach myself Indian recipes for the last 30 years and I am finally getting good I tried an Indian place in Boracay many years ago, absolutley awful And the only other Indian restaurant I found was one in Mall of Asia, never got round to trying it but it closed not long after it opened, big place too but I was not encouraged by the aroma coming from the door when it was opened, just not quite right I recently found 80% of the spices I need to cook a good Curry in the Phils most of them were in Makro in Las Pinas but I could not find any ground corriander and that one is pretty important as are corriander seeds. I have managed to find an Indian Grocer via the internet in Manila, found a couple actually all in the same general location I will be visting them next time I am over Sadly Ana does not like curry
Kuya, enjoyed your list. It's very that traditionally The English delight in winding up the Scottish, Welsh and Irish Most countries have someone who has to be the brunt of jokes. But who is it in the Philippines??
there's a good indian restaurant in makati... gosh, forgot the name... not fond of indian/pakistani food as well... if it's curry, i do it myself.. my pinoy version of curry.. hehehe... i do like persian/mediterranean, chinese, italian, japanese and of course, pinoy food! hmmmm.... just thought of tampopo all of a sudden!!!
