Some of you wonder by now, "What's with Great Britain, Josey?" (I write quite a few things about Britain.) I can't really explain it, to be honest with you. When I was in 3rd grade, I wrote a report about Hong Kong. That's when I learned about the Brits. I was born in Hong Kong when Hong Kong was still part of the UK as a British Overseas Colony. So you can say, I was a British citizen for 3 months. Technically, I don't know if I ever was a British citizen. I could very well be.
The little island that calls itself Great Britain, may just be a dot on the map (okay, maybe a big dot) but out of this island comes a great number of explorers and a legion of people to take over land to form an empire. The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire, it was once said.
We see it when they had the original 13 colonies in the Americas before the American Revolutionary War.
They have taken over countries in Africa...
...and they have taken over India...
Most of these countries, including the American states, are not ruled by Great Britain anymore. But in each countries/cities, there is still a touch of Britain left. Even in America, there might not be much left except for the English language and quite a few ex-pats.
In growing up, my parents listened to the Beatles and most British music from the 1960's. They were teens in the 1960's in Hong Kong, and British culture is very present in Hong Kong. Much of this carried over to the 1980's when I was a little girl. Music was probably the largest part of my upbringing because I was always dancing and singing to music.
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| My dad's vinyl. Sweet. No, It's not for sale. |
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| Hm, what's in here? |
Tea, chocolate and beer. I think these can go here...
I don't have to write about tea. Not a 3rd time at least.
Chocolate. Later on, I grew to love Cadbury chocolate, especially in college. I had a hallmate from England whose mom would sent over chocolate in a care package. It was the best chocolate (and tea) I've had. Since then, I realize why I don't like American chocolate. American chocolate has a lot of fillers. European chocolate has no fillers. I don't understand, America. Why?
Beer and pubs. I'm not sure how I came to like pubs. There are actually a few British style pubs in Charlotte. One particular one I have frequented is Sir Edmond Halley's in the Park Road Shopping Center. The beer is pretty good (and hoppy) and the food is pretty typical of Great Britain (like fish & chips, shepherd's pie, bangers & mash). A close to the English pub is the Flying Saucer, an American tavern. This actually might be the beginning. The Flying Saucer in Raleigh is where I first hung out with friends in an actual bar. There are no fish & chips or bangers & mash, but it's a nice cozy place to hang out with friends and have a beer or two, maybe watch some sporting event as well.
In the past 10 years or so, cable network has brought us BBC America. Before then, those in America who miss or love British shows have to catch Mr. Bean, Keeping up Appearances, and Are you Being Served? on the local PBS stations. There were also quite a number of other British shows but these are the ones I remember watching. I honestly fell in love with Doctor Who (David Tennant, Matthew Smith, and now Peter Capaldi). I say that I am a big sci-fi fan, and Doctor Who really excites me with sci-fi geekiness and dorkyness all around. Top Gear is not bad. I'm not into too much cars and I'm a mechanical engineer. How does that work?
Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It's one of those that you either love or hate. It's British humor that is totally ridiculous. I guess I know why some people might hate it. But I like it. (And I also like most British comedy. It makes more sense than American comedy.) Speaking of movies, I remember my dad watching James Bond. I'm not a big fan of spy movies but James Bond is pretty good. I always want to be a ninja though. Then from books, there were Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. The most recent one I have watched is Slumdog Millionaire. I really like how the Brits can make a movie showing the Indian culture because of their history with India. Bend it like Beckham (very mediocre but a nice start for Keira Knightley and nice cameo from David Beckham).
England also produced a lot of great books. I once took a course in Victorian British Literature in college. What a mistake. I can't read 12 books in a semester. But I do recall reading Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights, and Jane Eyre. The last 2 books, I've already read before. I think Great Expectations is somewhere in there too which is another great book. In more recent publishing, I have read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and currently reading Mere Christianity. Brave New World is also a great book (didn't know Aldous Huxley was a British writer until just now). There might be more I am missing...
I'm mildly interested in the Royal Family.
I'm sure I can go on but these are the things off the top of my head that I like about Britain. Maybe one of these days, I'll go to England. :)
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