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Humor
We all learn by experience but some of us have to go to summer school.
UK. Culture
Mr. / Girgis
UK. Culture
England has had its own unique culture, apart from
Welsh, Scottish or Northern Irish culture. Rich in
history and culture
and birthplace of the Industrial
Revolution, many of the world's most
celebrated
scientists, inventions, and thinkers originated from
England.
In Britain...
Do not greet people with a kiss: We only kiss
people who are close friends and relatives.
Avoid talking loudly in public
It is impolite to stare at anyone in public.
Privacy is highly regarded.
Do not ask a lady her age
It is considered impolite to ask a lady her age
Do not pick your nose in public:
We are disgusted by this. If your nostrils need de-bugging, use a handkerchief.
Avoid doing gestures such as backslapping
and hugging
This is only done among close friends.
Do not spit.
Spitting in the street is considered to be very
bad mannered.
Do not burp in public
You may feel better by burping loudly after eating or
drinking, but other people will not! If you can not stop
a burp from bursting out, then cover your mouth with
your hand and say 'excuse me' afterwards
Do not pass wind in public
Now how can we say this politely? Let's say that you
want to
pass wind. What do you do? Go somewhere
private and let it out. If you
accidentally pass wind in
company say 'pardon me'.
Religion & Beliefs
The
official state-sanctioned religion in the UK is
the Church of England
which is of the Christian
Protestant faith. However, there has been a
huge
decline in the role of the Church in Britain since
the middle of
the last Century with less than half
the population attending Church
services or
believing in God.
It is estimated that a third of
the population have
no religious connection. Thirty percent of the UK
population affiliates to the official Church of
England while ten
percent identify with the Roman
Catholic religion.
The Family
Until
the middle of the 20th Century, marriage was
the standard for British
families which comprised
two parents with the father as the head of the
household.
However, in the last few decades, there has been a
rise in
single parent families and many more couples
are choosing to co-habit
rather than to marry.
Half a century ago, living together would have
been
socially unacceptable and was known as ‘living in
sin’.
Divorce at one time was also unthinkable but in the
last few decades it has become more
acceptable.Marriage
too is changing with same sex
couples now permitted to marry in law or
enter into
Civil Partnerships.
Although in the last few decades, there
has been
some reported instability in family life regarding
single
motherhood and marital breakdown family
relationships continue to be
close with two thirds of
the population living in close proximity to
immediate
family and extended family.
There remains a commitment for younger family to
take care of elderly relatives.Mobility
in the workforce
has changed in the last decade so that many
younger
people live some distance from close
family but kinship relationships
continue to be
close with regular communication and family
reunions.
Gender Roles
Until
the middle of the 20th Century, gender roles were
very much male
dominated. The man was the head of
the household. Many jobs were male
oriented such as
bus, train and lorry driving in working class culture
and
men were deemed more able to deal with finance
working in banks and
financial organizations.
Although women were accepted in the
military and the
policeforce, their roles tended to be passive in
contrast to their male counterparts. However,
in the 1970s national
debate began to materialize
championing the employment rights of women
in
society.
In the following decade, the ‘Feminist’ movement
reflected
the mood of women in the workforce and
the part they played in the
developing economy.
The discussion regarding women during this period
concentrated upon life balance between the workforce
and family.
Socialization
The mother is
typically the primary carer of new born
babies and small children.
Employment law enables
them to take a year off work following childbirth
to
care for their new-born baby.
Upon a mother’s return to
work, although
grandparents increasingly fill the gap to help care for
their grandchildren, many others place their child in
a nursery.
Gender
led toys and family life often mean that
gender roles are formed at a
fairly early age.
There is a popular expectation that girls will dress
in
pink, wear nice dresses and play with dolls while
boys are often
encouraged to dress in blue and
play with toys such as tractors and
cars.
Economy
The UK imports a quarter of its food from the EU
but
with the collapse in the value of the Pound against
the Dollar
following the vote for Britain to leave the
European Union, prices are
set to rise dramatically.
In 2015, Britain exported £18 billion worth of
food
and drink whilst spending around £38 billion on
importing food and
drink.
Food
Even if British food
has not got an exceptional
reputation in the world, there are some
traditional
foods in the United Kingdom and traditional British
beers.
The English breakfast and fish and
chips are the most iconic dishes in
the UK.
Traditional British foods typically center around the
concept of ‘meat and two veg’, which means in
essence that the dish will contain a type of meat
(usually beef, pork, lamb or chicken), two types
of
vegetable (typically root vegetables) and potatoes.
Furthermore,
as it is a multicultural country, you can
now enjoy food from all parts
of the world in the UK.
Curry is now the nation’s favorite dish, being
brought
over from the Indian sub-continent with migrants.
