Perceptions

Since moving abroad, I've come across some interesting perceptions that other countries have about the British. Not so much from the Swedes (the only thing they've ever commented on is England's inability to deal with snow), but just before Christmas I was talking to the Polish mother of one of my daughter's friends. She was asking me what I was looking forward to about going back to England, and when I only half-jokingly said 'the food', she looked really surprised and replied, "But the food in England is really terrible isn't it?" I confess I found myself struck entirely speechless by this blunt response, and only managed to muster a half-hearted defense. It wasn't helped by the fact that what I was mostly missing consisted of things like proper chips and nothing which would be considered a shining example of British cuisine.

This subject came up again earlier this week, when one of the Brazilians in my conversation class asked perfectly seriously, "But isn't English food all just meat and potatoes?" And the worst thing was, all the other people around the table were nodding in agreement! She was also convinced that all English people are obsessed with the Queen and was actually quite disappointed to be told that we weren't.

It appears that those trying to champion British cookery abroad have some large way to go just yet.