IV. Answer the questions.

1. The English have long been famous for their appetites, haven't they?

2. What were the main meals in Elizabethan England?

3. Describe the food put on the dinner table to show the master's wealth in the past.

4. Why is the best English food supposed to be surprisingly regional today?

5. Is it true that the British are great meat and meat pie eaters?

6. Analyze the place of puddings in the British kitchen. Name some of them.

7. When was the potato brought to Britain?

8. Are the British people great liquid milk lovers? Can you prove it?

9. Give an outline of a special place of tea in the life of the British people.

10. What drinks are served in the pubs? What ages are not served and allowed inside the bar?

11. Describe the usual meals peculiar to Britain (the English breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner or supper).

Points for discussion

1. Food and meals in the life of the British people.

2. Food and meals in my life.

3. Describe your usual breakfast (dinner, supper) table.

Some National Traits

Some of the British national traits are resulting from the British way of life. For centuries the British have been known as insular. Nothing has been more important in British history than the fact that Great Britain is an island. Its geographical position was one of the most important factors which contributed largely to making a distinctive character of its inhabitants.

The British are known as a people self-assured, absolutely confident in their national sense of superiority. Although the actual situation of Great Britain in the contemporary world is no longer that of a top nation, it would seem that the implications of this change have not yet penetrated far into British popular consciousness. Deep down the British still feel pretty satisfied with themselves.

The British display a very wide toleration of individual differences among themselves, and even among others. This trait comes out most clearly as willingness to tolerate, some­times it seems a willingness to encourage individual eccentricities.

The British have some very rigid codes of behaviour, notably the public-school code. Individuals who do not do the right things and do not avoid doing the wrong things soon find themselves rejected. For example, it is part of the Englishman's code not to intrude upon his neighbours and their way of doing things. They have their lives to live in their own way, and he has his.

True, for nearly two centuries Britain has undergone changes without serious political and economic violence. Of course, there were the anti-machine riots of the early nineteenth century and a series of strikes. There were some political troubles. But on the whole the process of change has been so orderly that the British cannot be denied a certain reputation for conservatism, which might be listed as another trait of character.

The British are really conservative, they love familiar things in familiar places. They are against any suggestion that some modification of their habits, or the introduction of something new and' unknown into their lives, might be to their advantage.

On a national scale their conservatism may be illustrated by the attitude to the monarchy which is held in affection and reverence by nearly all English people. England is full of small-scale and local conservatisms, some of them of highly individual or particular character. Local corporations, universities, schools and societies have their own private traditions. Such groups have customs of their own which they are very reluctant to change. They like to think that their private customs differentiate them, as groups, from the rest of the world.

Self-assurance, willingness to tolerate eccentricity, law-abidingness, a curious mixture of conservatism and enterprise — all these are generalizations which hold reasonably true of all classes of the British people.

The English countryside is many things to many people. Every Englishman is a countryman at heart. Many years he may have lived in the city, but he does not believe he really belongs there. As he looks out of the window of his flat over the vast desert of brick and stone, he has in his mind a vivid picture of the day when he will live in a thatched cottage with roses round the porch and a garden with beds of flowers.

The country house is, perhaps, Britain's greatest contribution to European civili­zation. Perhaps this is because it is in the country that the British are, or like to think that they are, most at home. The village with its church pub, fishing, cricket, animals everywhere, especially dogs and horses — all this creates an ideal image of Britain. The village is an essential and much admired part of the rural heritage of England. To many people it is a symbol of "roots" and stability. We should also add to this picture the seaside, a passion for gardening and a love for old customs and traditions.

It was the British who started the fashion for seaside holidays. It is not surprising, since nobody in Britain lives more than one hundred and twenty kilometres from the sea. The coast is the most popular place of English people for their annual holiday. Few English people rent houses or flats for their holidays, but one of the traditional ways of spending a summer holiday is in a boarding-house, which may have a card in its window advertising "apartments", or "bed and breakfast".

Camping holidays in the proper sense of the word, with tents, are not so developed in Britain as on the continent. The summer weather too often can be very unpleasant for tent-dwellers. On the other hand, caravans have become very popular. Some people bring their own caravans, pulling them behind their cars, others hire caravans, already in position. There are holiday camps all round the coast of Great Britain. They are ideal places for people who do not want the effort of looking for entertainment. Trained staff look after the children so that the parents can have time off to enjoy themselves.

There are youth hostels in different parts of Britain. It is possible to arrange a walking or cycling tour, moving from hostel to hostel.

The British people may be conservative about the times they take their holiday, but they have shown themselves very ready to take to new places. Each year more English people go to different parts of continental Europe. Many take their cars, often with tents and caravans, others use the travel agents' scheme for group travel and hotel booking.

Most people in Britain work a five-day week, from Monday to Friday. Schools, colleges and universities are also closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Everyone looks forward to the weekend and when Friday comes along, as people leave work they say to each other: "Have a nice weekend". Then on Monday morning they ask: "Did you have a nice weekend?"

Students, young people working away from home and single people in general like to go away for the weekend. They may go home, go to stay with relatives or friends in different parts of the country, or stay in a hotel or boarding-house in the country or at the sea.

Those who stay at home at the weekend try both to relax and to catch up with all the jobs they are too busy to do during the week. For women these include housework, sewing, washing, shopping and sometimes gardening. For men — repairs and other odd jobs in the house, cleaning the car, mowing the lawn and gardening.

Saturday morning is a very busy time for shopping, as this is the only day when people, who are at work can shop for any length of time. On weekdays shops close between 5.30 and 6.00 p.m. and they are closed all day on Sunday.

On Saturday afternoon the most important sporting events of the week take place — football, rugby, horse-racing and other sports. Some people go and watch, others sit and watch the sports programmes on television.

Saturday evening is the favourite time for parties, dances, going to the pictures or the theatre, in fact for "going out" generally. If the weather is fine, people may decide to go out for the day.

On Sunday most people stay in bed for at least one hour longer than usual. And there are many young people who never see the light of day before midday. Church bells are another typical feature of an English Sunday morning, though few people go to morning service.

Sunday is the day when most people are engaged in some fairly light activity such as gardening, washing the car, taking the dog for a walk. Another most popular activity on this day consists of a visit to a pub — either a walk to the local pub, or often nowadays a drive to a more pleasant country pub. Sunday has always been a favourite day for inviting people —friends, relations, colleagues — to afternoon tea, and there are no signs that this custom is losing popularity nowadays.

Some people spend Sunday evening quietly at home, others go to see friends, go to a concert or film, or go out for a drink. The realization that the weekend is nearly over casts a slight melancholy on the eve­ning.

Comprehension Check