For the Love of England

I’ve always been a bit reserved about sharing my reasons for loving all things English. Perhaps it’s because my English-raised husband might have second thoughts about why I married him. The truth is, I married for love, pure and simple; however, I must admit I’ve always had an inexplicable passion for England and the culture, class and common sensibilities of the English people.

It began at an early age; I’d say about 6. I preferred the many A.A. Milne books, “Now We are Six”, “The House at Pooh Corner”, “When We Were Very Young” - all about Christopher Robin, his English nannies and very real companions Pooh, Piglet and Eeyore. I loved the fact that Milne’s young characters “took tea” and pondered over such noble questions as which future profession had the most merit or who created God.

Elizabeth Ann Said to her Nan:

“Please will you tell me how God began?

Somebody must have made Him. So

Who could it be, ‘cos I want to know?”

And Nurse said, "Well!"

And Ann said, "Well?"

I know you know, and I wish you'd tell."

- Excerpt from “Explained” - Now We Are Six by A. A. Milne

Along with Milne I read Lewis Carroll, Rudyard Kipling, Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde, Jane Austin and Thomas Hughes. For some reason I preferred Tom Brown to Tom Sawyer and The Jungle Book over The Call of the Wild.

A bit later I would be curiously drawn to English films. They were usually black and white, sophisticated true to life stories and the actors weren’t Hollywood beautiful. Something about English films made being an American seem kind of plastic.

The movies I enjoyed had titles like “The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner” “A Taste of Honey” and “I’m Alright, Jack”. The characters had intriguing English names like Colin and Geoffrey and Mavis. The music grabbed me too. Although everyone in The States was humming the theme from the United Artist's movie "Exodus", I was humming the quintessential English hymn, “Jerusalem” (from "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner"), along with the title song from “A Taste of Honey”.

English films were gutsy. Writers and directors weren’t afraid to address issues too taboo for American audiences. They exposed the humanity behind homosexuality, unwed pregnancy, incarceration, mixed-race romance, even nudism. I learned some of life’s unadorned lessons from those movie classics.

The 1960’s proved to be an era of major English "awareness" in the U.S.. The now famous “British Invasion” included the introduction of music idols The Beatles and The Rolling Stones along with fashion icons Mary Quant,Vidal Sassoon and Twiggy. Even Broadway began importing hit shows from London's West End including rousing musicals.

By the time Lionel Bart’s Oliver hit the Great White Way I was already an avid, albeit young New York theater-goer. I made sure to see a few shows each season but for some reason I was particularly drawn to Oliver, with its cast of scruffy boys sporting fringes (bangs) far longer than any American mother of sons would ever tolerate. Little did I know that my future husband was to have been in the cast had it not been for unforeseen circumstances. Instead, Actor David Jones who played the Artful Dodger and would later gain fame in as a member of “The Monkees” attracted my attention. As an aspiring writer I decided to interview David for my school newspaper. I somehow secured the backstage telephone number at the Imperial Theater and succeeded in setting up my first “celebrity” interview.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but this event would give me the confidence to pursue a career where I'd be interviewing actors with credentials far more impressive than those of Mr. Jones. But more importantly, it directed my path to happiness and reaffirmed my affinity for all things English.

So, what's wonderful about England today? It’s still everything I love most. My husband’s dear family, the foods of England - from the full English breakfast on down to England’s “real” national dish, Chicken Tikka Masala. There’s the remarkable football teams (including my favorite, Manchester United), all those welcoming neighborhood pubs, rain without disdain, the floriferous gardens and endless fields of green. There’s also nothing quite like Harrods department store, the River Thames and classic British television shows including Benny Hill, Monte Python, Little Britain, and those brilliant BBC-TV productions that American producers continually attempt to imitate.

Permit me to reveal eleven embarrassing misconceptions I had about England before marrying into my English family:

1- A building that’s 100 years old does not rate as a historic monument.

2- “Tea” is not necessarily a fancy afternoon event reserved for proper ladies in hats and white gloves. Most people I know in England refer to their six o’clock dinner as "tea".

3- English children of the 60’s grew up with the much beloved program, “Captain Pugwash” a series that for decades got away with sexual innuendos and rudely named characters the likes of Seaman Stains and Master Bates.

4- The National Health System works pretty well and no one feels that Socialism is about to destroy the country.

5- Contrary to bad advertising, English food is fabulous. Just try a basic meat pie from any vendor at Victoria Station, or order some down home roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and real gravy at any good pub. The English are also consummate organic gardeners, and fresh, unpolluted veggies are not a rare treat.

6- The humble vegetable, known as the ‘marrow’ is a healthful staple in English diets. Most Americans never heard of it although it's just a very large summer squash.

7- English chocolate rivals any other European brand, at least it does today. Cadbury was recently taken over by Kraft (an American company) so hurry up and buy up those Cadbury and Mars bars before they cheapen the formula.

8- English pastries rival the French because they're made with real fresh cream; usually the clotted kind from Devon. They are to die for.

9- Christmas doesn’t end on December 25^th. December 26^th, Boxing Day is just as festive and everyone gets off work.

10- British Airways is a darn good airline. They even have upscale coach, called “Premium Economy”.

11- The English have unmitigated class. It doesn’t matter what neighborhood you come from or from what lineage you were spawned, to be English is a gift from Mother Britain. I never met an English person who wasn’t proud to be English.

So here’s to England, my love, my second home – that gloriously Green and Pleasant Land .

© Copyright Green Lotus, 2011. All rights reserved.