Final Reflection

Throughout this blog I have come to realize the affect that visiting and living in a new culture had upon me. I became more accepting of different ways of life, food, practices, and even values. I gained understanding of how and why certain values are established within a culture, especially drinking in British culture. I centered on the aspect of drinking in London because it had been one of the aspects of their culture I, and my friends, struggled the most with while we lived there. We had to suddenly cope with a whole new perspective on alcohol which was contradictory to our own. As, an American we were raised to believe drinking alcohol was a bad thing, that it was deviant and sinful. However, to the British alcohol is embedded in their culture. They have no issue with drinking and find it a natural part of life and share it among their families teaching them from early ages to drink responsibly and allowing them more independence. Although, this was hard for me as an American to understand, I eventually did through my interactions with the British people in pubs and public transport. I now know that there is no one right way to live, that many people carry different causes and just because they do no follow with your own doesn’t mean you should turn them way, but rather try to understand the reasons behind their modes of life. So, I ask that each of us use cultural relativism, which is to step back and see why a culture does the things they do and try to put ourselves in their shoes in order to better understand their culture.

The English and their food

Many say that the English are not well known for the quality or taste of their food. The English have many dishes such as Yorkshire pudding, toad-in-the-hole, and their most famous, fish-n-chips. English food tends to be hearty in quantity and heavy in gravy or grease. When I was visiting, I noticed the differences between our two cultures foods when I received what is called an English breakfast. It consisted of mushrooms, hash browns, eggs, tomatoes, English sausage (which is different than American sausage), beans, ham, and toast. This breakfast is the equivalent to an American continental breakfast which is eggs, hash browns, and sausage, and toast. However, the quantity of the English breakfast is much larger. Pubs would serve breakfasts and I thought it was very interesting how the English would drink beer with their breakfasts; this is highly uncommon in the United States. In fact, if one would say they had an alcoholic beverage with breakfast one might think that person was an alcoholic. However, this is not the case for the British; beer is a part of their culture and can be drunk with any meal. Yorkshire pudding was another dish I tried when visiting London and this is one I would recommend. Although, the dish is adequately covered in gravy it is very good; it has a fluffy puff pastry and meat along with mash potatoes. I saw this dish, along with fish-n-chips, usually consumed with beer as a beverage. Ironically most of England’s most popular dishes are those served in pubs.

Rock n' Roll

Britain has had a significant impact on music and it has even influenced the music here in the United States. Bands such as The Beatles became very popular in England and the United States when they came to visit New York in 1964. The Sex Pistols were another British punk rock band who which formed in London. Singer Sid Vicious who trademarked the image of a rocker, he was also well known for having drug and alcohol abuse issues. The Rolling Stones are another great English band who’s guitarist Brian Jones also had drug and alcohol abuse problems which were thought to have been contributors to his death. Many popular Rock n’ Roll bands come from Britain and have also became popular within American society as well. The British have influenced Rock n’ Roll culture as well by developing and shaping the rock n’ roll image of a wild, carefree lifestyle. Traces of Britain’s culture can be seen in the Rock n’ Roll image in relation to lifestyle. Alcohol is as much a part of the lifestyle of a rock n’ roll musician as it is a part of British culture; however, the abuse is the personal choice. Though, it can be said that the popularity of rock n’ roll and the image it created may have influenced adolescents in British culture as well as American culture to experiment with alcohol and drugs.

Sports & Culture

Sports are an important part of British culture. Televisions tuned to the sports channel can be found in almost every pub, where people come together to watch their favorite teams. Sports foster both social camaraderie as well as alcohol consumption. While watching a game, many order rounds of drinks to add to the lively atmosphere and tension that the game provokes. At sports games themselves, many spectators purchase beers and are often intoxicated throughout. Americans also participate in this social event and consume alcohol as well; however, the difference lies in the spirit of the English people when it comes to sports and how the consumption of alcohol is interwoven with the concept of sports. When I attended a soccer game in England, the audience contrasted to an American audience in several ways. First of all, in American culture booing is permitted; however, I noticed that many English spectators consider booing inappropriate and disrespectful towards the players. Secondly, the crowd was constantly involved in the game by exhibiting their support for their team. I began to understand how the British view sports and beer as one entity. It was natural to have a pint while watching a game. Sports serve as a unifier for the English people, where individuals come together to join in the excitement of the game whether it be gathered around a table at a pub, or shouting in the bleachers of a game.

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Family Dynamics

One thing that really caught my interest when visiting London was the family dynamics of the English people. The family dynamics I observed in U.K. differed from the family dynamics here in the U.S. I saw children as young as nine walking to school in the mornings. The amount of independence they allow their children seems to be much more than that of Americans. Seeing young children alone in a large city is rarely seen in the United States due to our cultures fear that our children will be harmed by others; that they may be abducted. The fact that English children are allowed more independence at an earlier age may be the cause for their experimentation and curiosity with alcohol beginning at an earlier age as well. Despite the lower drinking age in England than in the U.S., the British drink alcohol among their families with their meals while growing up. This is less common in the U.S., American’s tend to believe in the social stigma that drinking is bad and causes deviant behavior. However, drinking alcohol is considered more acceptable within the British culture, especially drinking among family members. It can be assumed that this is caused by the fact that alcohol, such as beer, has always been a part of the British culture. England’s water supply was contaminated to the point that the only sterile beverage available was beer and wine. Therefore, alcohol was never considered to be a sinful or deviant action because the entire population participated in its consumption.