Ten assumptions that people make about the British

Hello everyone. I may hold a British passport, but I was born in Singapore and have lived and worked in many parts of the world. Thus by that perspective, I am certainly not your typical Brit to begin with, but I'm amazed how many people imagine that I would conform to certain British stereotypes just because they think I have been totally assimilated. That's clearly not the case, I choose what I allow my cultural influences to be and they come from far and wide. The sum of my cultural identity isn't limited to one country or nationality, but it is the result of my varied international experiences over the years. So, let's see how many of these ten British stereotypes actually apply to me.

What are you impressions of British culture?

1. British people wear shoes in their homes.
Verdict: Not really.
Do I do this? No way.

East Asian people always walk around the house in barefoot (or sometimes they may use bedroom slippers) and for good reason - there may be all kinds of mud or dirt on the soles of your feet after having spent a day outdoors and it would turn your living room floor extremely dirty should you wear your shoes indoors. Somehow, when I was growing up in Singapore, many people got the impression that white people always wore shoes indoors. This was probably an impression we gleamed from TV and films where characters did often wear shoes indoors - but of course, you would wear shoes when you were on a film studio. Would you do the same thing in the comfort of your bedroom? Probably not. Is there a good reason to wear shoes in your own home?

Perhaps it is out of habit, but I usually take off my shoes the moment I get into my flat simply because I want to keep my floors clean. I have a shoe rack by my door and that's where my shoes go. Most Brits do the same thing. I remember visiting a friend in Manchester who wore shoes into his house and he had carpets in his living room - let's just say the state of that carpet was pretty grim. I got the impression that the reason why he continued to wear shoes inside his house was because you wouldn't want to walk barefoot on such a dirty carpet. Some white people wear socks indoors - now hat I just don't get. What's the point? You're just going to get your socks dirty like that.

Would you wear your shoes in your home?

2. British people are fully clothed overdressed at home. 
Verdict: Actually, this is true.
Do I do this? No. Not at all.

Again, this is an impression that I have gleamed from TV as a child but actually, it is completely true. Most British people do actually stay fully clothed whilst indoors - by that I mean they wear trousers even when they are at home. This may vary from household to household, but I have neighbours who wear nothing less than trousers and a long sleeved top even when they are at home and have no intention of leaving the house. I remember how my housemates at university would do exactly the same thing and would never wear shorts unless they are doing sports. Perhaps it is a modesty thing as well as many Brits do still wear trousers even in the gym, whereas I am always in shorts. I don't get it - you're doing sports, you're going to sweat - so the less you wear, the more hygienic. There are several factors to this: firstly, there is the matter of social custom. If you are used to getting dressed before you even leave your bedroom, then that's what you do out of habit. Secondly, some people may choose to save on their heating bills by keeping their houses quite cool, so if the temperature in your living room is only around 15 or 16 degrees, then you wouldn't want to walk around in your underwear, it might feel a bit cold.

I was brought up in Singapore so I guess that's where my preference to wear shorts indoors comes from. I am always in shorts and T-shirt when indoors and would only put on trousers when I am going out. According to the thermometer in my kitchen, it is currently 21.5 degrees in my flat now (even if it is quite cold outside) so I am quite happy in shorts and T-shirt in my flat - I don't feel cold like that. Besides, I don't feel the need to look presentable or decent for anyone when I am in the privacy of my own home - so I am going to wear whatever I want when I am relaxing at home.

3. British people tend to be monolingual.
Verdict: This is mostly true, unfortunately.
Does this apply to me? Are you kidding?

Unfortunately, this is mostly true. There are two reasons for this: firstly, the education system here sucks at teaching foreign languages. Secondly, there is the expectation for the rest of the world to simply speak English and if English is already your first language, you can land in some country like Romania et voila, some of the locals do speak English. I've already written plenty about my love for studying foreign languages so I shall not elaborate about that on this occasion. So let's move on to the next point.

4. British people drink loads of tea.
Verdict: Mostly with the older generation.
Does this apply to me? No.

There is a generation divide here on the issue of tea. I find that anyone over the age of 40 here does tend to like to drink tea the traditional way whilst younger people either prefer coffee or would go for more unusual teas such as Rooiboos, Oolong, fruit infusions or green tea. I suppose a few decades ago, tea would dominate menus around the country and would be served a lot more often - but with the modern expansion of trendy coffee chains like Starbucks, Costa and Caffè Nero, coffee culture has expanded rapidly in the UK in the last ten years. There is also a class divide here - paying £12.45 for a small packet of finest Pu-erh tea is something that only the rich would do, whilst the poor and working class can still afford to pay £12.45 for a tea product, they would consider that a ridiculous waste of money for what is just tea at the end of the day. Such is the difference in perceptions between the classes. As for myself, I am more of a coffee person - when I have reached my quota of coffee for the day, I would usually switch to green tea.

Tea or coffee?

5. British people like the royal family.
Verdict: 50-50, it divides the country.
Does this apply to me? No.

There is this assumption that British people wholeheartedly support the royal family - that simply isn't true. The British public can be divided into three categories: those who do support the royal family, those who don't and those who really don't have an opinion either way. It would be wrongful to assume that all British people would somehow automatically pledge allegiance to the royal family - the same way it would be wrongful to assume that all Singaporeans would automatically pledge allegiance to the PAP. Certainly, if the majority of the electorate (60.14% to be precise) didn't vote for the PAP, they would not be in power - likewise, if only a small minority of Brits support the royal family, they certainly would not be able to hold on to any power. But nonetheless, enough British people do support the royal family to allow the status quo to remain. As for myself, no I do not support or even like the royal family - not in the slightest. I'm not obliged to like them - if they want my respect, they can earn it.

6. British people are unadventurous when it comes to food.
Verdict: 50-50, it depends on age and social class.
Does it apply to me? No way.

Like the tea example earlier, there is a split between the generations and the social classes. The older Brits would be less adventurous when it comes to trying any non-European foods and often they may be even cagey about sampling less familiar European dishes. The younger generation is probably more aware of foods from different parts of the world. Likewise, richer Brits who have the opportunity to travel overseas are going to have a far more cosmopolitan pallet than poorer, working class Brits who do not have the opportunity or means to travel abroad. You may be amazed at how much exotic foreign food is available in your average British supermarket - this wouldn't have been possible just twenty years ago. As for me, I love nothing more than trying exotic dishes from all over the world!

Have you tried Moroccan cuisine?

7. British people are heavy drinkers and love going to the pub.
Verdict: Actually this is mostly true.
Does it apply to me? Not at all.

Yes the pub does seem to be a destination for British adults when they want to socialize. The word "pub" is short for "public house" - but it essentially refers to any bar where they sell alcohol. Yes people tend to consume alcoholic drinks at the pub but these notorious public displays of drunkenness are actually fairly rare and confined to Friday and Saturday nights. A visit to the pub doesn't always lead to binge drinking and getting hopelessly drunk. My colleagues used to adore going to the pub after work for a few drinks but I hated that. I don't drink alcohol at all, I'm teetotal so I really didn't see the point in paying £2 for an overpriced orange juice in a pub. On the other hand, I do prefer European coffee culture where people would socialize in a cafe and drink coffee instead of alcohol.

8. British people are polite.
Verdict: Again, not always true. It depends.
Does it apply to me? I think I'm polite.

I think that this is again an impression that was spread through British works of literature - writers like Jane Austen created characters like Mr Darcy (in Pride and Prejudice) who was the perfect English gentleman. In more recent times, Colin Firth played the role of Mark Darcy in the popular films of the Bridget Jones series, who once again epitomized all these qualities of an English gentleman: well dressed, impeccable manners, charming, witty, intelligent and of course, polite. What are British men like in real life? I'm afraid they are no more polite or rude than any other nation - you will get a range of men from those who are extremely polite to those who have the manners of a wild boar. Like, what were you expecting? As for me, I'd like to think that I'm usually quite polite, but then, that's probably because of my corporate background where I am conditioned to be calm and polite regardless of the situation.

Are British people always polite?

9. British people are obsessed with football.
Verdict: Mostly true I'm afraid.
Does it apply to me? I hate football.

Now whilst there is no denying that football is the most popular sport in the UK, there is a range of attitudes towards football. Not everyone is interested in football and those like me, who are not interested in football, are indeed in the minority. I remember when I was working in Istanbul, a colleague asked me what football team I supported. When I replied that I don't support any football team, he thought I didn't understand the question. I insisted, "no, I don't watch football, I don't follow football, I don't like football thus I don't have a team that I support at all." My British colleague then rescued me and said, "Oh we all support Galatasaray. Yes we all love and support Galatasaray!"  My Turkish colleague had simply assumed that everyone living in the UK was fanatical about football. Not me, no way!

10. British people hate the cold and love hot weather.
Verdict: Strange but true.
Does it apply to me? I'm the total opposite.

It is generally cool in the UK - the average summer's day would rarely exceed 24 degrees and anything approaching 30 degrees would be considered a heatwave. The rest of the year is fairly cool and most people would wear at least two, often three layers. Thus there is an obsession with summer and British people would make the most of the warm summer days that we get and often travel to places like Thailand and Egypt in search of sunshine and hot weather. By the same token they loathe the cold winter weather that comes every year and usually react quite negatively when it gets very cold. Look, I'm from Singapore - I've had enough hot weather in my childhood to last me a lifetime. I don't need any more hot weather ever again, but I still enjoy winter weather very much. I guess that makes me the polar opposite of your typical Brit who loves summer and hates winter.

What are your impressions of the British people and British culture? Have you ever visited the UK - did the reality you encountered meet your expectations? Leave a comment below and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading.