The 10 BEST things about the UK
by Ben Curtis
OK, I promised that after all the recent best of/worst of posts about Spain and the UK, I would eventually fill the last gap, and tell you what I most love about my country of origin. Marina and I have just spent a week in the UK, coming up with the following list (in no particular order!):
1. Help for people in wheelchairs. We were very impressed by how British Rail helped people in wheelchairs on and off trains, and by the number of ‘push here to open’ buttons set up for people in wheelchairs outside shops and offices. I think the UK does very well at helping people with disabilities, though no doubt there is still a long way to go.
2. Marmite, and bangers and mash.
3. International food in supermarkets. Herbs, spices, sauces and ingredients from a huge range of the world’s cuisine can be picked up in a decent-sized supermarket. Not the same in Spain.
4. The British countryside. The rural landscapes in Britain are as majestic, stunning and alluring as any you might find in the rest of the world, all year round. Even in winter, when leafless trees rise out of back-lit, mist-covered hillsides, Britain is astoundingly beautiful.
5. BBC Television and Radio. So what if you have to pay for it, I’m pretty sure it’s worth it.
6. The general standard of living is very high these days. Most people have comfortable houses, big TVs, decent food on the table, and long holidays.
7. The social security/benefits system seems to work. Single mothers with several kids and no work seem to get by one way or another. The NHS may be short of hospital beds but at least all healthcare is free.
8. Loo paper is softer and longer (than that found in Spain).
9. The police are approachable and seem like a decent bunch. One policeman we talked to while waiting for a crashed car to be pulled off an icy road was a thoroughly nice chap. (Spanish police often seem a touch arrogant and uninterested by comparison, but that is a vast generalisation of course).
10. What would you put for number 10?
Posted: December 29th, 2007 under General.
Comments: 54
Comments
Comment from richardksa
Time: December 29, 2007, 1:54 pm
I can’t thinnk of a number ten because you published a picture of Marmite and my mind is now wrapped in a dream of hot buttered toast with too much marmite. If there was one thing that would make Spain better, it would be a supply of that wonderful spread.
Comment from Edith
Time: December 29, 2007, 2:33 pm
The British sense of humo(u)r! British sitcoms and comedies have always been very popular in Holland.
The U.K. is a great country for nature lovers. There are lots of interesting magazines and websites to satisfy the true amateur naturalist. (Alas, BBC Wildlife Magazine is no longer available in Holland! :-((( )
Comment from Graham Tappenden
Time: December 29, 2007, 5:38 pm
The original HP sauce would be a candidate, but I understand that’s now a Dutch production…
Comment from Gary
Time: December 30, 2007, 12:14 pm
Custard like it should be
Comment from Gary
Time: December 30, 2007, 12:20 pm
@ Graham - can you remember when a section of the label was printed in French
“Cet sauce d’haut qualité est un mélange d’eices orienteux…”
No longer so - at least on the big squeezy bottle - just checked.
And does anyone else think the squeezy bottle sauces (HP & Heinz Tomato Ketchup) are not as good as the glass-smack-it-on-the bottom-to get-the-sauce-to-flow bottles
Comment from Gary
Time: December 30, 2007, 12:22 pm
A fine pint of and pulled Tetleys Bitter made in Leeds, not Burton and not Warrington
Comment from BrianA
Time: December 30, 2007, 2:20 pm
I purchase Marmite, HP sauce and cans of UK bitter from local supermarkets. Maybe you have to be nearer the costas? or it depends on what supermarket chains are near you. No.10 has got to be fish and chip shops (although there are a few of those this side of the country) It’s still the best fast food IMHO.
Comment from Jan
Time: December 30, 2007, 5:03 pm
Charity shops or car boot sales. My rare trips back to the UK involve packing in as many charity shops as I can!
Comment from Graham Tappenden
Time: December 30, 2007, 5:22 pm
@Gary: I think I can. I finished my last glass bottle a few weeks ago so I can’t check at the moment.
btw, our Lidl in Oberursel sells Heinz Ketchup _only_ in glass bottles.
Comment from ValenciaSon
Time: December 30, 2007, 6:03 pm
Number 10 would be the Rolling Stones
Comment from luke
Time: December 30, 2007, 7:11 pm
10. Nonconformity
Comment from Dawn
Time: December 30, 2007, 7:36 pm
#10: Grassroots advocacy! Nobody beats the British for getting pissed-off people together to work to find a solution to a problem. CND, Oxfam, pub theatres, and — my personal favourite, now fifty million pounds richer - Sustrans. God bless the British and their ability to find community-based solutions to problems!
Comment from luke
Time: December 31, 2007, 9:50 am
11. Charity.
During the Tsunami every London station was full of people collecting aid money. Even though millions of pounds were being given, the media was complaining that it wasn’t enough.
I had just come back from Spain where the media was congratulating the government on sending some red cross workers. TV was full of voyeuristic macabre images shown with sentimental music. But there was no one to be seen with a collecting bucket in Madrid.
Comment from Edith
Time: December 31, 2007, 12:41 pm
I don’t care for Marmite or for baked beans on toast, but nothing beats a real, homemade English Christmas pudding! (Except for homemade German Weihnachtsstollen)
Comment from richardksa
Time: December 31, 2007, 2:19 pm
It is amazing how something like this concentrates the mind. I am happy. This morning I discovered a supply of Marmite in Madrid. Toast and Marmite for lunch. Ahh!
If anyone is interested I found it, in all places, in a small mini market called A Taste Of America, which is about a minutes walk away from Republic of Argentina metro (line 6) up the gaslit end of Serrano.
Comment from Parubin
Time: December 31, 2007, 6:02 pm
@ Valenciason : I’ve always seen The Rolling Stones as an American music band.
Comment from Gary
Time: December 31, 2007, 7:43 pm
@parubin - look again!!!
Comment from miriam
Time: January 1, 2008, 2:44 pm
@parubin , the Stones are as American as Penelope Cruz
Comment from Margot
Time: January 1, 2008, 6:02 pm
10. What would you put for number 10?
A bit obscure perhaps but I propose:
The Cerne Abbas Giant - in all his naked glory, mighty club (and mighty member) erect!
Comment from margot
Time: January 1, 2008, 6:50 pm
4. The British countryside. The rural landscapes in Britain are as majestic, stunning and alluring as any you might find in the rest of the world, all year round. Even in winter, when leafless trees rise out of back-lit, mist-covered hillsides, Britain is astoundingly beautiful.
I’d place #4 top-o-the-list….as I sit in Los Angeles on 1 Jan and gaze out the window at the ubiquitous palms and eucalyptus - neither of which ever shed a leaf.
Deciduous trees - their spines revealed - are so unutterably gloriously gorgeous. Heres to the mighty elm and oak - and o those winter landscapes…….
Comment from ValenciaSon
Time: January 2, 2008, 2:33 am
@Parubin The Stones maybe heavily inspired by American blues music but they do hail from the UK.
Comment from luke
Time: January 2, 2008, 11:24 am
@Parubin.
Here’s some other British things that you might have thought were American:
Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Black Sabbath, Cary Grant, Stan Laurel, Ridley Scott, Alfred Hitchcock, H.G. Wells, Frankenstein, the electic motor, internal combustion engine, steam engine, jet engine, light bulbs,vacuum cleaner, the train, penicillin, radar, steel production, submarine, television etc.
Comment from luke
Time: January 2, 2008, 1:04 pm
if any of the above is controversial please check this link: http://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/BestifBrits.htm
Comment from Parubin
Time: January 2, 2008, 1:50 pm
@ Gary, Miriam, Valenciason and Luke :
Of course I know The Rolling Stones hail from England (who doesn´t?)
What I said (and I think only Valenciason got me right) is that The Stones have developed a musical career based on American folkore and popular music.
In fact their first couple of records in the early-mid sixties were mainly covers from afro-american musicians (Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Bobby Womack, just to name the most known, but not only) and the first Jagger&Richards compositions were pseudo-plagiarism themes of American roots.
With the passing of years of course they developed their own fashion and style and they became one of the greatest rock & roll bands in history. One of my favourites too.
They very often led the way for other bands and most of the times not followed anyone (as they so obviously did in their first years) but, in my opinion, always on American musical grounds.
Comment from ValenciaSon
Time: January 2, 2008, 1:56 pm
@Luke your website seems to lack much evidence and seems more based on hearsay for the benefit of anglocentrism. Thomas Alva Edison invented the lightbulb in the US and was also the son of a Spanish lady so it is a little ambitious to say the least that it was a UK invention. His lightbulb was featured in the world’s fair but was not challenged by other so-called inventors of the same. Wright brothers did invent the world’s first powered airplane. In the process of trying to develop the powered airplane they sought out ideas from others but found nothing worthwhile. A glider is a different story. It was their invention (the Kitty Hawk) which led to later models purchased by the US Army for WWI which started the aviation industry. Ernest Duchesne documented the effects of penicillin in his 1897 paper but was not accepted by the Institut Pasteur because of his young age. Alexander Fleming made his so called discovery in 1928.
Comment from luke
Time: January 2, 2008, 2:50 pm
@valenciason. I never thought that the British invented the powered flight. But I can’t see much debate that Josph Swan invented the light bulb: he received a patent in 1878 a year before Edison. Swan was not interested in the commercial side and agreed to allow Edison to have a US patent. Edison managed to make Swan’s invention more efficient. You’ll find that Edison was a very good salesman and advertiser.
Comment from tom
Time: January 2, 2008, 11:29 pm
What exactly is marmite? It sounds like something you would rub on your car.
Comment from Ben
Time: January 3, 2008, 11:07 am
Tom - it’s like the Australian vegemite - a delicious yeast extract spread for hot buttered toast. You either love it or hate it, I think it’s a genetic thing. Hmmmm, I’m going to have a piece of marmitey toast right now!!
Comment from ValenciaSon
Time: January 3, 2008, 2:05 pm
@luke So Edison though adept at marketing, was not an inventor? And the whole world is wrong about who invented the light bulb, except for this obscure source? Mmmm, seems dubious.
Comment from Mark
Time: January 3, 2008, 3:04 pm
I was sharing an apartment while at a language school in Sevilla a few years back. My love of marmite on toast as a quick breakfast seemed to confirm my flatmates’ worst fears about British food. As the advertising goes, “you either love it or hate it”. A far superior product to vegemite but many Australians would disagree! Although a completely different type of product, I was also the only person that liked “horchata” in the apartment. A very distinct flavour also. It wouldn’t go well with marmitey toast though!!
Comment from ValenciaSon
Time: January 3, 2008, 7:06 pm
Is marmite like peanut butter in flavor or consistency?
Comment from Ben
Time: January 3, 2008, 8:02 pm
No, it’s smooth. Salty and savoury yes, but not nutty.
Comment from luke
Time: January 3, 2008, 9:19 pm
@valenciason. check out : http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/edison/lightbulb.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Swan
http://righttocreate.blogspot.com/2006/03/independent-invention-light-bulb.html
http://home.nycap.rr.com/useless/lightbulbs/index.html
There are hundreds of sites that back Swan as the inventor, including US sites.
If that doesn’t convince you then let’s just say you say ‘tomAto’ and I say ‘tomaato’!!
I won’t mention the inventor of the telephone since I don’t really care whether it is claimed as British or American.
Comment from Maria S.
Time: January 3, 2008, 10:20 pm
Just to make things a bit more complicated…. :):)
This is just too tempting!! I had to butt in.
Some people actually believe the inventor of the telephone was neither British nor American.
“Ask who really invented the telephone, and you may get the name of a German, Philipp Reis, not Alexander Graham Bell.”
http://uh.edu/engines/epi1098.htm
“Philipp Reis (1837-1874) a schoolteacher living in Frankfurt, Germany, invented the first functioning physical telephone that he named “Das Phone”.”
http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/projects/bluetelephone/html/part8.html
It is not important to me who invented it as long as mine works.
A caller from Germany
Comment from luke
Time: January 4, 2008, 1:29 pm
@Maria. Thank you for that interesting info. Now I’ll have an extra answer for the pub quiz!
Comment from Graham Tappenden
Time: January 4, 2008, 1:33 pm
@Maria S: I thought he only studied in Frankfurt? He lived (and developed his telephone) in Friedrichsdorf (Hugenottenstraße 93 to be precise 
Comment from Elle
Time: January 5, 2008, 1:58 pm
Cracking post. I’m going to put a direct link to it on our forum, and get people talking.
My number 10? Banana Nesquik. Fortunately some friends bought me a box back from the UK this week… so I’ve been a happy bunny.
Elle xx
Comment from Maria S.
Time: January 5, 2008, 4:04 pm
@Graham
True, Philipp Reis is from Friedrichsdorf, a small town of close to 25.000 residents.
But to the rest of the world Frankfurt sounds more appealing and easier to locate, I’d suppose. This small town is only 11 miles/18 km outside of Frankfurt.
Comment from Maria S.
Time: January 5, 2008, 4:14 pm
My number 10:
A full English breakfast in a cozy bed/breakfast place.
I especially love the black pudding.
Comment from Frank
Time: January 6, 2008, 9:59 am
“I won’t mention the inventor of the telephone since I don’t really care whether it is claimed as British or American”
They’ll probably claim the jump jet, the jet engine, and the hovercraft as well!
Comment from Frank
Time: January 6, 2008, 10:04 am
“8. Loo paper is softer and longer (than that found in Spain)”
True, the Spanish version is crap! 
And as least we don’t have that disgusting habit you find in some places, of depositing soiled toilet paper in a bin alongside the toilet! 
Nothing nicer than walking into a toilet in summer with loads of flies on the used paper! Disgusting!
Comment from sam freekadelah
Time: January 11, 2008, 1:02 pm
Our “shut up and get on with it attitude”, cos when the going gets tough, the tough gets going….yes i know its a Billy Ocean song but Im sure t’old Billy was sipping a cup o tea with a bacon buttie in a cafe in Barnsley whilst writing it feeling the vibe of the English.
Comment from Maria S.
Time: January 27, 2008, 10:55 am
Ran across this article and found it enlightening.
More to read on British-pride-boosting measures:
“Searching for a definition of Britishness: Fine, but ‘no motto, please”
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/25/europe/motto.php
Comment from Paco
Time: January 31, 2008, 1:58 pm
I get my Marmite and everything else from The Food Hall, they have a lot of vegetarian goodies as well.
Comment from Omar
Time: February 5, 2008, 5:39 am
I don’t know if it’s number 10, but definitely in the top10: British Rock!!!
Comment from Graham Tappenden
Time: March 21, 2008, 3:08 pm
I’ve just remembered something else that makes the UK almost unique: the post gets collected on Good Friday! (and even gets a special mention on the post boxes)
Comment from hellothere
Time: April 8, 2008, 1:19 pm
- Supermarkets open on Sundays (is this still going on, by the way?)
- That little grill thing on the higher part of the oven
- Sockets with a switch
- Fuses in plugs (not sure if it is really a good thing or not, I think it is quite unique, though).
- Airing cupboards
- Windowsills on the inside of the house
- Pasteurised milk delivered on your doorstep
- Backyards
- Magnolias in the backyard
- Victorian houses
- Christmas pudding
- Sunday roast
- Top Gear
- Radio 1
- Belisha beacons at zebra crossings
- Lollipop ladies
- Smoking ban. Yay!
- People with rather unique and funny activities
- Newsnight
And, sorry but… I hate Marmite
Comment from Joe
Time: April 13, 2008, 5:06 am
10. The ability to laugh at ourselves and accept criticism from anyone who offers it (or is this just me?)
Comment from Mark G
Time: April 14, 2008, 1:59 am
There is no significant wine industry in the UK. This is a good thing - it means we can buy wine from all over the world. Has anybody ever seen an Australian red in Spain (or France)? Unfortunately, it costs much more than in Spain.
I’m not convinced about No 7. The benefits system is a disincentive to work or save for a pension.
Comment from holly
Time: May 8, 2008, 1:01 pm
You have written all the right things.I live in Spain and hate it,and what I miss most about the UK is the snow.You havnt wrote that one down,or dont u like it?
Comment from holly
Time: May 8, 2008, 1:03 pm
I forgot to say,next time your in Spain,if u ever go to Lanzarote,tune into UK away fm,they play great music.And the best is on weekdays four till six pm.
Comment from hellothere
Time: May 8, 2008, 1:25 pm
- New Year’s Eve fireworks from the London Eye!
Comment from bill
Time: May 8, 2008, 3:55 pm
@holly - I think you’ll find that there is lot more snow in Spain than in the UK
The thing I miss about the UK most is how accessible everything was. From where I lived (in Brighton) I could walk to the beach in 10 minutes, cycle into beautiful downland countryside in 10 minutes, meet my mates in the pub in 10 minutes, and my commute to work was just a 20 min cycle ride along the seafront. I also liked being able to travel through countryside dotted with villages that actually complement their environment. You get that in Spain as well (especially the north) but you have to hunt it down.
Comment from Elvis
Time: June 10, 2008, 10:29 am
The best thing about the UK for me, is that I don’t live there any more and haven’t had to for over 18 years!
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