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What you must know
The United Kingdom is a dangerous place... Just kidding of course ( Err, not that much!... ), but the insularity and History of British citizens, our long-time friends and enemies force you to know and respect some customs. Some of these are even rituals and you'd better not ignore them... You may be in a very unpleasant situation if you don't do what should be done, or do what shouldn't, breaking rules... Here are some situations that may become quite tricky...
I) LET'S BE CLEAR!
Whenever tourists cross the British Channel from the Continent, they may settle in ENGLAND - in red on the first and third maps... - but they can also stop in WALES or in SCOTLAND. Then they are, indeed, in GREAT BRITAIN (map N° 2).
If they leave Scotland and land in NORTHERN IRELAND, then, they're setting foot in the UNITED KINGDOM) (map N° 3). If they go to THE IRISH REPUBLIC - EIRE), in the south, they are then in THE BRITISH ISLES (map N° 4) ...
Therefore, you can realise that saying where you are and who you are with can be quite difficult on the other side of the Channel...
It's all the more complex as the people who live in these islands do not appreciate when they are mistaken for their neighbours..., which is just normal!...
NEVER tell a SCOT or an IRISH person that they're ENGLISH (... and vice versa!) ...
1) ENGLAND 2) GREAT BRITAIN 3) THE UNITED KINGDOM 4) THE BRITISH ISLES
ENGLAND [capital= London]
GREAT BRITAIN= (3 nations) => (ENGLAND + WALES [capital= Cardiff] + SCOTLAND [capital= Edinburgh] )
THE UNITED KINGDOM= (4 nations) => (ENGLAND + WALES + SCOTLAND + NORTHERN IRELAND [capital= Belfast])
THE BRITISH ISLES= GREAT BRITAIN + THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND ( EIRE- [capital=Dublin] ) + the Anglo-Normans Islands, of course...Britain is home to not one, but three patriotic nations: England, Scotland and Wales.
II) The ceremony of tea? or/ and going to a pub?
a) Arriving in the British Isles, it's very difficult not to drink, buy, offer, or be offered a good and nice cuppa. Tea is drunk on any occasion: happy ones, sad or unhappy ones, when it rains, or when it's sunny! Tea's drunk in tearooms, at restaurants, at home, of course, and at work too, EVERYWHERE! Every situation is ideal for "a good one"! Be careful, you're exactly where tea is drunk and appreciated.
Purists always get tea ready, and savour it, following the same "method", I should say, the same ritual...
https://www.yorkshiretea.co.uk/our-teas/how-to-make-a-proper-brew
Tea leaves | tea-bags |
A teapot | to brew tea |
Warm the teapot | To pour water out of... into... |
A tea cosy | The flavour (taste) |
According to the tradition, milk should be put into the cup BEFORE THE TEA IS POURED ( into a warm cup, out of a very warm teapot) so that it wouldn't be spoilt and in order to have no risk of cracking the china of your delicate tea cup...
A "tea cosy" may be used to keep the teapot warm. It can have very varied styles...
b) You may also be invited to "have a drink or a bite" with friends or co-wokers in a pub (short for public house).
The local pub is the place where you must be. It's part of the people's lives and culture in the United Kingdom. Going to the pub is one of the most important British traditions. They have picturesque names (**). There are pubs in towns... and in villages... and each of them has its own characteristics and specificities (there are "gastro pubs/ sport pubs/ or traditional pubs") => it's therefore very important to choose yours well in order to feel comfortable there.
** https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2017/10/23/Most-popular-pub-names-in-the-UK-2017 (if you follow this link, you'll know the most popular names for pubs: the top three names are: Red Lion, The Crown, and Royal Oak. )
Drinks are bought in rounds because a pub is a place of togetherness, where you meet lots of people. You should stick to British beer (ale), and stout or ale, to wine, or to shandy [ale + lemonade]), to cider or coke (cola) if you're not old enough to be allowed to drink alcohol. Rounds are paid in turns and a night out may finally be quite expensive... The people who don't drink alcohol are not expected to buy beer for everyone if they just order a coke (yet, it's almost as expensive as beer...) Most of the time, people start drinking very early after leaving their work place (often round 5pm) and dinner is often eaten round 9. Some people leave pubs in the early hours...
Caution!... You should know when to leave the group at the right moment... (some say that staying after the third round is taking risks and that you may regret it later...)
Shandy A British pub Half a pint
(To be continued:)
Measurements, what a HEADACHE!
NO CHEATING while visiting our British friends...)
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