About Britain

(1) British food cooking is considered as a family delicacy. The characteristics of English cuisine are: less oil and light, less wine when seasoning, and condiments are often placed on the table for guests to choose. Cooking pays attention to freshness, light taste, seafood and all kinds of vegetables, and the amount of food is small but fine. The cooking methods of English cuisine mainly include steaming, boiling, burning and smoking. From royal delicacies to ordinary people's home cooking, they are all exquisite and quite aristocratic. "What is the traditional/typical English food?" This question is difficult to answer. There are different local dishes in Britain, such as the "sheep miscellaneous pudding" in Scotland, which is a delicious belly made by adding chopped sheep heart, sheep lung and sheep liver with onions, oats and spices. Cornish pies are found in Cornwall, southwest England. They are delicious pies with meat, potatoes, carrots and spices. "Fish and chips" is a kind of fish steak with crispy batter and chips, which is very popular all over the country, especially in the coastal areas where fresh fish are produced.

The important symbol of Britain is Buckingham Palace. Famous scenic spots include "London Eye", Parliament Building and Buckingham Palace.

China City, Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge, Big Ben. ......

(3) Important festivals in Britain:

65438+ 10 month 1

New Year's Day

There is a national festival in this country. Usually, if a holiday falls on a weekend, Monday will be a rest day.

65438 February 2004

Valentine's day

Couples' Day. There are no national holidays.

March 1

St David's Day

St David is the patron saint of Wales. Celebrate with traditional customs, there is no national holiday.

March 65438, 2007

St. Patrick's Day

Irish patron saint. Celebrate the traditional customs of Ireland. There are no national holidays.

April 1

April Fools' Day

Usually friends or colleagues play harmless jokes, but it must be before noon 12.

April 2(nd)

Mother's Day

Send cards, flowers or gifts to thank your mother.

April 13

Friday and Sunday

National holidays. Christian religious festivals.

April 15- 16

(Jesus) Easter

Easter eggs made of chocolate for children as gifts.

April 23(rd)

St George's Day

Guardian saints of England. Celebrate traditional customs. There are no national holidays.

May 7(th)

May Day holiday

Take a day off. Religious festivals.

May 28(th)

May Day holiday

Take a day off. Religious festivals.

June 65438, 2007

Father's Day

Send cards, flowers or gifts to thank your father.

August 27(th)

August holiday

Take a day off. Religious festivals.

65438+1October 3 1

Ghosts'Festival

Traditionally, people celebrate with pumpkin lanterns, masquerade parties or parades. The child knocked on the neighbor's door for change or candy. No holidays.

1 1.5

Gefke night (commonly known as firewood night)

Celebrate the arrest and execution of Gefk who tried to burn down the parliament building. Traditional firewood burning and fireworks celebration. No holidays.

1 1 month 1 1 day

day of commemoration

Every year165438+1October11am1am is to commemorate the unknown martyrs who died in the first and second world wars. Almost all shops have sold plastic or paper poppy souvenirs before and after. Most towns will hold small ceremonies in front of the Martyrs Memorial Tower. Members of the royal family will observe a two-minute silence in London or overseas. There are no national holidays.

165438+ October 30th

St Andrew's day

The patron saint of Scotland. Traditional customs celebrate, and there is no national holiday.

65438+February 24-26

Christmas day

National holidays start from Christmas and last for two days, but most people will rest until after New Year's Day. Generally speaking, it is not appropriate for 65438 to arrange a business trip to Britain from late February to early October.

(4) the British living habits:

Britain is conservative in nature and respects tradition, so it has preserved quite a lot of historical sites, traditional cultural relics and various museums, among which there are inevitable traditional burdens, such as the royal family and nobles who still exist, and the traditional buildings that cannot be renovated and rebuilt but are expensive to maintain. Compared with other English-speaking countries, the social and ethnic characteristics of Britain are quite different from those of the United States. As far as the general standard of living is concerned, its modernization and comfort are not as good as those of the United States. The efficiency of general daily affairs is also difficult to compare with that of the United States. Generally speaking, British people are not as cheerful and straightforward as Americans, and will not take the initiative to chat up strangers. The starting point is not to pry into other people's privacy. If English people talk to strangers, they will be quite reserved, and the topic often revolves around the weather, because this is a topic that will not touch personal privacy. Generally speaking, English people don't make friends as easily as Americans, but once they make an English friend, they may be friends for life. British people are generally proud of their traditional culture and attach importance to leisure life with artistic and cultural connotations.

The British are not arrogant at all. British people only respect personal life and space of thought, so they feel as if they are indifferent. And the problem of racial discrimination in Britain is much less than that in the United States.

The British have long known that they are no longer the world leader, but Americans are now proud of themselves. Apart from the attitude of the British and American governments, the British (English/Welsh) are a very polite, humble and rigorous people, which is actually very similar to the ancient literati society or Confucianism in China. On the other hand, Scots are a little strong-willed, which is a common situation among northern nationalities.

The British advocate "gentlemanly manners" and "ladylike manners" and pay attention to "ladies first". In daily life, the British pay attention to appearance and dress. Men shave every day and wear dark suits when going out to socialize, but avoid wearing striped ties. Women should wear western-style clothes or dresses. The British greeting ceremony is to shake hands. When a man in a hat shakes hands with an Englishman, he'd better take off his hat first and then pay his respects to the other person. But don't shake hands with the British, because that will form an unlucky cross and avoid cross cheers. When talking to an Englishman, you should look at his head and exchange eyes with him from time to time. When interacting with people, pay attention to using honorifics such as "please", "thank you" and "sorry". Adhering to the creed of "don't ask others if they are right or wrong", I don't want to accept others into my private life and regard my home as a "private castle". No one can enter without invitation, and even neighbors rarely associate with each other. Non-working hours are "private hours" and generally no business activities are carried out. If you talk about business while eating, it is even more taboo and annoying. Daily life is absolutely carried out according to the pre-arranged schedule, and there is a strong sense of time.

In public relations negotiations, the British like to talk about tradition, attach importance to procedures, and attach great importance to the identity, manners and cultivation of the negotiating opponents. Usually, British businessmen don't pay much attention to the preparation of negotiations, but they can improvise and be good at attack and defense.

In English communication activities, we should pay attention to the following special customs and taboos:

Don't just break into other people's homes. But if the other party invites you, you should go with pleasure. This can undoubtedly be understood as a signal that the other party may successfully realize business cooperation. But when visiting, it is best not to involve business, and don't forget to bring a bunch of flowers or chocolates to the lady.

② When sending flowers to British ladies, it is advisable to send odd numbers, not even numbers and 13 branches, not to mention chrysanthemums and lilies that British people think symbolize death.

Don't talk about the privacy of the British royal family. The Queen of England is regarded as the symbol of her country.

(4) Avoid using human figures as decorations for goods. I like to cover flowers and avoid white elephants, owls and peacocks.

Don't refer to any Englishman as an Englishman casually. Generally speaking, the British are called Britons, or especially the British or the Glens.

Sneezing is the most taboo in Britain. They always think that the flu is a serious disease.

British traditional breakfast (usually at B & You can enjoy it at b) and afternoon tea. English breakfast includes bacon, sausage, poached eggs, tomatoes, jam toast, cornflakes and delicious milk cereal. As for Britain, which is surrounded by the sea, seafood and barbecue also have a certain level. Oysters, smoked salmon and grilled beef and mutton dishes are quite British. As for fish and chips (fish &; Chips) is an authentic masterpiece of English cuisine.

Afternoon tea adds a little romance to serious English life. Usually at 3: 00 or 4: 00 pm, you can see that British people have put down their work, have a cup of coffee or authentic English milk tea, and contact their colleagues' feelings by the way. Of course, it is also a good time to gossip. As for the orthodox English afternoon tea, besides exquisite tea sets and tea leaves, exquisite cakes are also indispensable. It is a great pleasure in life to have a leisurely cup of afternoon tea outside the cool and comfortable scenery!

British drinking and eating habits

breakfast

The traditional English breakfast includes fried bacon, sausage and fried toast. This is called "fried food". But now most people are too busy to eat this hearty breakfast every day, so the most popular breakfast types are:

A bowl of cornflakes with milk;

Some yogurt with fresh fruit;

Jam toast, usually with tea, coffee or juice for breakfast.

British people still enjoy the traditional English breakfast on weekends. Every hotel or restaurant, especially the well-known family hotel (B&; B) Traditional English breakfast is served.

lunch

English Chinese food is quickly solved, unlike Italians. Usually lunch only takes 30 to 40 minutes. Many English people eat sandwiches, perhaps because sandwiches were invented in England. Usually, people make sandwiches at home in the morning and then eat them at lunch time. Sandwiches are British lunches. Another popular lunch is baked potatoes.

Dim sum is very common in Britain, especially chocolate, especially at 1 1 am and 3 pm. British children eat the most sweets in the world, which keeps British dentists busy.

dinner

Dinner is the main meal of the day, and there are usually two dishes-meat or fish with vegetables, and then dessert (that is, pudding). English children know to eat all the meat and vegetables before eating pudding.

Frozen cooked food is quite common in Britain. Almost every family has a microwave oven. Usually British people (especially students) buy a frozen cooked food, put it in the microwave oven and eat it while watching TV-this is called "TV dinner". )

Foreign food is also very popular in Britain. Supermarkets are full of Indian, China, Italian, Greek and Japanese food-in fact, food from all over the world.

After dinner, we usually have a cup of tea (with milk of course! )

▲ British dining customs can be summarized as "full breakfast, sloppy lunch and good dinner." Its main banquet is held in the evening. In addition to three meals a day, there is an afternoon tea, usually at three or four o'clock in the afternoon. A cup of coffee or authentic English milk tea is also a way to contact each other's feelings.

▲ English seafood and barbecue, such as oysters and smoked salmon, barbecue beef and mutton dishes, each with its own characteristics. Orthodox hometown dishes, from cold potato salad, fresh salmon marinated in cardamom cream, home-made sausage rolls, English snacks and fried fish and chips, to cooked food, such as mutton and mashed potatoes, shepherd's pie and roasted shrimp with garlic, are all traditional cooking and cooking of British food culture. The most representative ones are barbecue, stew, boiled meat, clear soup, vegetarian bread, biscuits and various cakes and pies, typical shepherd's pie, roast beef, cherry Trevor and chocolate sponge pudding, as well as English scones, sandwiches, hot and cold snacks and cream. Jam and indispensable black tea.

▲ Pub culture is one of the British customs, and the most important drink in a pub is of course beer. In many alcoholic beverages, the main categories of beer are classified into lager beer, bitter beer, strong beer and English beer (ale) according to their bitterness. The other is cider brewed by apples.

Britain is a country with a long history and attaches great importance to gentlemanly manners, which can also be realized when eating English food. There is a saying that if you are unhappy in life, one thing is to eat English food. British agriculture is underdeveloped, and food is imported every year, which is not as noble as the French. Therefore, English food is relatively simple, and British people often laugh at themselves for not being good at cooking.

The limitations of food choices in Britain are relatively large. Although Britain is an island country, the fishing ground is not very good, so the British don't pay attention to seafood, but prefer beef, mutton, poultry and vegetables. The production of English dishes is mostly simple, and meat and poultry are mostly cooked whole or in large pieces. In addition, seasoning is relatively simple, with light taste and little oil but not greasy, but there are many kinds of condiments on the table, which are seasoned by guests according to their own hobbies.

English food breakfast is very rich, generally including eggs, porridge, bacon, ham, sausage, butter, jam, bread, milk, juice, coffee and so on. And it is widely welcomed by western countries.

In addition, British people like to drink tea, and have the habit of drinking tea around 3 pm, usually a cup of black tea or coffee with a snack. British people regard drinking tea as a kind of enjoyment and a kind of social interaction.

The representative dishes of English cuisine are stewed mutton with potatoes, roasted goose with chestnuts, oxtail thick soup and so on.

The British "roast beef with Yorkshire pudding" is called the national dish. This is a dish made of sirloin, eggs, milk and flour, baked with beef and potatoes in the oven. When serving, you should also serve some single-boiled vegetables, that is, "roast beef with Yorkshire pudding". Ordinary families have three meals a day (morning, noon and evening). They have lunch as their main meal. Wealthy families eat four meals a day (breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner).

Dislike to eat sticky vegetables; Avoid seasoning with monosodium glutamate; I don't eat dog meat The taste is not too salty, sweet and sour, slightly spicy, and the dishes made by cooking methods such as burning, boiling, steaming, branding, roasting and baking are preferred. I like Beijing food, Sichuan food and Cantonese food in China.

They generally like drinking tea, especially women who are addicted to tea. "Afternoon tea" has almost become an indispensable lifestyle for the British. Even if there is a meeting, some people want to have a rest and have "afternoon tea". Instead of drinking green tea, pour cold milk or fresh lemon into a cup, add some sugar, and then pour tea to make milk tea or lemon tea. If you pour tea first and then milk, it will be considered rude. They also like to drink whisky, soda, wine and champagne, and sometimes beer and spirits, and they don't advise each other.