stapfam

I like to be patriotic but I had to look at this to analyse my Bike riding. I very much doubt as to whether I have anything British on my bikes so the following is very apt.




Being British is about driving in a German car to an Irish pub for a
Belgian beer, then travelling home, grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish
kebab on the way, to sit on Swedish furniture and watch American shows on a
Japanese TV.
And the most British thing of all? Suspicion of all things foreign!

Only in Britain can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.

Only in Britain do supermarkets make sick people walk all the way to the
back of the shop to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy
cigarettes at the front.

Only in Britain do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries and a
DIET coke.

Only in Britain do banks leave both doors open and chain the pens to the
counters.

Only in Britain do we leave cars worth thousands of pounds on the drive and
lock our junk and cheap lawn mower in the garage.

Pamestique 

This is not only a british quirk. This is commonly done here in the states as well! I think the mentality is the diet coke will make all the other calories go away!

Kurt Erlenbach

Sorry, Sfam, those fact all pretty darn well describe Americans as well as Brits. Regarding the last one, in the 2004 Florida hurricanes, all the used clothes, old books, unused furniture, my wife's fabric collection, old bikes, and a lawn mower or two were tucked away safely in the garage, while my new car got smashed by a tree in the driveway. Funny how that works.

Retro Grouch 

Come on over for a visit to St Louis anytime you like. Other than maybe having to watch BBC on televison, you'll feel perfectly at home.

CrossChain

A British riding friend who's been here for years and is almost thoroughly americanized but for his accent (sounds like an older Hugh Grant), shopped for a new bike and came home with a Raleigh-- the first Raleigh I'd seen in person since high school-- just because it made him feel at home. National identities bury themselves deeply in unknown ways under all those universalities of human nature.

Jet Travis

Are there any Raleighs still made in the UK?

stapfam

Don't think so as the conglomerate that bought Raleigh closed the UK production down and moved it to the East somewhere. Like most others within the UK. There are certain small "Custom" builders around that still manufacture their own frames but they are small and getting rarer as each year passes.

zonatandem

Years ago was in American military uniform while still a Belgian citizen, traveling through Canada. Stopped at a nice Chinese restaurant and ordered . . . spaghetti!

ad6mj

OMG, I must be a Brit! It all pretty well fits except I'm watching a Brit show (Dr. Who) on a TV I think was made in the Phillipines. The Japanese ones are too expensive.

guybierhaus

OMG, I must be a Brit! It all pretty well fits except I'm watching a Brit show (Coupling).

JanMM

National Public Radio has a huge amount of BBC news and discussion content these days. Right here in the Heartland of the USA!

Retro Grouch 

Yeah - except for misspelling several relatively simple English words, like color and tire, the Brits are just like us.

Garfield Cat

Ok, how do Brits pronounce Wimbledon? I hear Americans say Wim Bull Ton

BSLeVan

Given the nature of the global corporate world and the great focus on consumerism, I suspect more and more people around the world can relate to Stapfam's list. The list might more correctly be titled "Being a Modern Day Consumer".

royalflash

Remember that you are an Englishman, and have consequently won first prize in the lottery of life.

(Cecil Rhodes)

stapfam

Wim Bull Don

Worcestershire--Wooster Sheer -------Unless it is the sauce- and then it is just wooster source.

Must be plenty more but I will forgive most of you for not being able to spell correctly or being able to pronounce the Queens English. I can't understand what your Great leader Mr. Bush is talking about most of the time.

HopedaleHills

I'm glad you can because I can't

bcoppola

Neither can he.

JanMM

I really appreciate that folks from the UK speak in such a way that we here in the States can immediately tell that you are NOT FROM AROUND HERE. Many Canadians, on the other hand, sound, at first glance, JUST LIKE US. Until, of course, they say "out" or add an "eh?" to the end of a sentence. At which point, a sharp Midwesterner will scratch his head and exclaim, sounding kinda befuddled, "Say, you're not from around here, are you?"

dbg

"..separated by a common language"

az_cyclist

I like Trek bikes, but the frame on my 1500 has "Made in China".