May 20, 2023·edited May 22, 2023Liked by Peter Moore
Another fabulous post, Peter - such great London insights!
But listing black pudding as a con?! Food of the gods, that stuff! In the days when I used to use them, I would judge a hotel by what it chose to include as part of its 'full English breakfast'.
Baked beans? FAIL. Beans are NOT a breakfast item.
Hash browns? FAIL.
Black pudding? YEAH BABY.
My brain would always struggle, though, if beans AND black pudding made it onto my breakfast plate... do they cancel each other out? Short answer: No. The beans are still in the wrong, and black pudding is always going to look shifty in that kind of company...
I recently had cause to wonder what the England equivalent of Wilde’s quote would be, but in the end I’ve concluded that a man (or woman) who is tired of England is simply tired of England – or perhaps just tired of the English, as the soothing greenness of the countryside is always a pleasure. Having done a lot of travelling recently, every time I’ve returned to the UK, I’ve found myself similarly appalled by the numbers of aggressive, careless, selfish and sometimes inordinately fat (clearly the UK is stealing a march on the US in numbers of obese residents) British people, pushing and shoving through banal consumer queues at service stations or crowding airports. The careless hordes and their leftover heaps of rubbish in London are overwhelming, too; they make me want to run for the peaceful greenery of my home in the Chilterns. The only positive thing I can say about the English (I am one too now, btw) is that whereas they used to be far too reserved to chat to strangers on public transport, this is now quite an easy feat. I can only attribute that to an increase in demographic diversity, but would welcome your thoughts on this change as I did not grow up here.
London was always a very short interlude to more adventures elsewhere! Arriving at night and sleeping in my tent in a friend, s backyard or making quick money, 20pd by answering questions about the tower Bridge. I was there when Lady Di got married, in a hotel room on my way to the airport! That says it all. 😉
Another fabulous post, Peter - such great London insights!
But listing black pudding as a con?! Food of the gods, that stuff! In the days when I used to use them, I would judge a hotel by what it chose to include as part of its 'full English breakfast'.
Baked beans? FAIL. Beans are NOT a breakfast item.
Hash browns? FAIL.
Black pudding? YEAH BABY.
My brain would always struggle, though, if beans AND black pudding made it onto my breakfast plate... do they cancel each other out? Short answer: No. The beans are still in the wrong, and black pudding is always going to look shifty in that kind of company...
I recently had cause to wonder what the England equivalent of Wilde’s quote would be, but in the end I’ve concluded that a man (or woman) who is tired of England is simply tired of England – or perhaps just tired of the English, as the soothing greenness of the countryside is always a pleasure. Having done a lot of travelling recently, every time I’ve returned to the UK, I’ve found myself similarly appalled by the numbers of aggressive, careless, selfish and sometimes inordinately fat (clearly the UK is stealing a march on the US in numbers of obese residents) British people, pushing and shoving through banal consumer queues at service stations or crowding airports. The careless hordes and their leftover heaps of rubbish in London are overwhelming, too; they make me want to run for the peaceful greenery of my home in the Chilterns. The only positive thing I can say about the English (I am one too now, btw) is that whereas they used to be far too reserved to chat to strangers on public transport, this is now quite an easy feat. I can only attribute that to an increase in demographic diversity, but would welcome your thoughts on this change as I did not grow up here.
London was always a very short interlude to more adventures elsewhere! Arriving at night and sleeping in my tent in a friend, s backyard or making quick money, 20pd by answering questions about the tower Bridge. I was there when Lady Di got married, in a hotel room on my way to the airport! That says it all. 😉