Cultural confusions...

Excellent. :encouragement:

BTW - just had 3 weeks in A'dam. Weather was as you described in your earlier post.

Still, three decent days out of twenty odd isn't bad . . .

Edit: Wall to wall sunshine & 30 degrees after we left :mad:
 
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Always best to try and speak to people in their own language. You demonstrate that you DO know how to speak American....so why not just get on with it.......or.....if you must demonstrate your `southern englishness` (northerners don`t generally have the same problems) make some attempt to clarify what time the champagne tasting session starts..... .... But its only a story.......I hear you cry.......shame they didn`t all end up living happily ever after.
 
NOHOH said:
Always best to try and speak to people in their own language. You demonstrate that you DO know how to speak American....so why not just get on with it.......or.....if you must demonstrate your `southern englishness` (northerners don`t generally have the same problems) make some attempt to clarify what time the champagne tasting session starts..... .... But its only a story.......I hear you cry.......shame they didn`t all end up living happily ever after.
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Not always. I had a wonderful boat partner thirty years ago who was an East Coast American. He was well-educated and quite cultured (far more than myself) and we engaged in continuous battle over which "language " was better. Such good fun! So much so that he has just been over from LA to stay with us for a few days, and was delighted to beat me at the Times crossword. He has threatened next to take me on at internet Scrabble.

Play to the differences!!!
Peter

PS Birvidik Bob : I have forwarded your blog to my American friend. I am sure he will find it as entertaining as I did. Keep going!
 
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His story reminds me of an occasion in Halmstad in Sweden years ago when we met a Swedish fellow HR owner. His was much bigger, a 39, and he said that he would love to have a chat with us and learn a bit about tides since he was planning to come to the Channel. Would we like to come aboard that evening and have coffee and some fruit. We duly went aboard, enjoyed coffee and discussed tides, about which he hadn't a clue. All this time, we stared at a bowl of delicious-looking cherries in the middle of the table, but after an hour or so we were dismissed, after a fruitless evening.
 
In the late '60's an American academic came to London to see what was billed as the greatest display of Egyptology ever, the Tuten Kamen exibition.

He left his Hotel, hailed a black cab and asked to be taken to "Tuten Kamen "

Half an hour later he was dropped at a big open grassy place in South London.

Tooting Common...............................................

So you see-it cuts both ways!
 
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Wansworth said:
Reading a book titled Watching the English. The hidden rules of English behaviour by Kate FOX........
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There was an item on telly a while ago with an educated Belgian, a diplomat I think, trying to work out the rules involved with buying drinks in an English pub. He made what we take for granted sound very complicated.
 
Enjoyed the blog, as ever.

johnalison said:
His story reminds me of an occasion in Halmstad in Sweden years ago when we met a Swedish fellow HR owner. His was much bigger, a 39, and he said that he would love to have a chat with us and learn a bit about tides since he was planning to come to the Channel. Would we like to come aboard that evening and have coffee and some fruit. We duly went aboard, enjoyed coffee and discussed tides, about which he hadn't a clue. All this time, we stared at a bowl of delicious-looking cherries in the middle of the table, but after an hour or so we were dismissed, after a fruitless evening.
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:)
 
NOHOH said:
Always best to try and speak to people in their own language. You demonstrate that you DO know how to speak American....so why not just get on with it.......or.....if you must demonstrate your `southern englishness` (northerners don`t generally have the same problems) make some attempt to clarify what time the champagne tasting session starts..... .... But its only a story.......I hear you cry.......shame they didn`t all end up living happily ever after.
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When I read the story I didn't understand why the "maybe" was not just an invitation to confirm or decline the prospect immediately. Or at the very least counter with a promise to check the crew/diary whatever...

Mike.
 
Birvidik_Bob said:
Divided by a common language...

www.sailblogs.com/member/birvidik

Bob
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Do you think that Birdvik was an English teacher. He / she writes like one. Elegantly but nonsensically that is.

The image he describes is the image that some Brits like have of themselves. It isnt the crudity and uneducated aggression of many of the younger generations. It ignores the Costas peopled by Brits eating fish and chips and wearing string vests. The reality is that the average Brit abroad is more likely to say to that American "thats a f00king big boat you have sunshine - my name's Wayne, whats yours?"
 
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I think the answer to a vague invitation like the above is to reply by fixing a time, as in "thanks, 8 o'clock OK?". All you need is a bit of nerve, and possibly some alcoholic priming.
 
Bosun Higgs said:
Do you think that Birdvik was an English teacher. He / she writes like one. Elegantly but nonsensically that is.

The image he describes is the image that some Brits like have of themselves. It isnt the crudity and uneducated aggression of many of the younger generations. It ignores the Costas peopled by Brits eating fish and chips and wearing string vests. The reality is that the average Brit abroad is more likely to say to that American "thats a f00king big boat you have sunshine - my name's Wayne, whats yours?"
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All in your opinion?

I enjoyed the style very much and read it aloud to Mrs M.
 
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