The Quintessential Aspects of Being British

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To most people from Britain, going abroad and meeting others with a different perception of us Brits is interesting. The idea that we eat scones and crumpets, say ‘guv’nor’ and have cockney accents pervades in a lot of other nations, despite the years of Love Island, Fleabag, and Doctor Who, which have showed the many different facets of what it means to be British. But, tourists who visit will still resort to outdated stereotypes, which begs the question: what makes someone quintessentially British?

British Cuisine

One of the most quintessentially British aspects of being British that is consistently misrepresented by those overseas is what the British eat and drink. While there is no denying our love for a cup of tea; scones and crumpets would readily be swapped for a kebab or a curry. TV comedy Scarborough gets it right in the first episode with two of the characters obsessed with a new curry-filled pie. However, you would be forgiven for thinking the British were obsessed with baked goods after the UK import ‘The Great British Baking Show’ (or ‘Bake-Off’), introduced one of our most-loved TV shows to the states. We can’t imagine the same response for Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, or Only Fools and Horses.

Source: Pixabay

British Traditions

While tourists might flock to play croquet, most British people wouldn’t even be able to tell you the rules. Instead, we would do better to introduce them to one of the most British of past times: bingo. Bingo, for instance, is an example of a quintessentially British tradition and one that informs a lot about what British heritage was and where British culture might be going. Traditional bingo represents the English village and the village hall that it was played in, while modern versions of bingo, such as the exciting bingo rooms you can find online, represent the push forwards into the digital age. Bongo’s Bingo, a nightclub bingo experience is another example of how we have retained a key British tradition and successfully modernised it.

British Humour

The dry, sardonic wit of British comedy is often lost to the canned laughter of the American sitcom. Compare Peep Show to The Big Bang Theory, for example, and you’ll see the major differences. But, the British attitude and humour is one of the key aspects of being British. A YouGov survey found that when asked to decipher a series of statements such as “I almost agree” and “You must come for dinner”, the British were more likely to assume sarcasm: you don’t agree at all and you don’t actually want them to come for dinner, while Americans take the statements at face value. This works the same for comedy, with the British humour far more dry and less big laughs than their American counterparts. However, due to such an interconnected world, the lines between the two are becoming blurred, especially as we are able to share culture across the Atlantic.

Being British doesn’t just mean abiding by these values or enjoying certain programmes on TV, it is a series of codified practices that have been ingrained into society. Our love for fish and chips has a long history, not just a penchant for a specific dish. While our humour comes from making the best of tough situations. There is far more to being British than cracking out the tea pot.