Month: February 2021

Basic principles

Table manners

“In Europe, people eat good food. In England people think that good manners at the table are more important than the food […]

“In Europe, people eat good food. In England people think that good manners at the table are more important than the food you get to eat.” ~ So wrote Hungarian émigré author George Mikes (1912-87) in 1946, seven years after choosing to make England his permanent home. Good table manners are certainly expected at British mealtimes as part of consideration for others and in the interests of hygiene.

One of the first printed books set out the aristocracy’s rules for table etiquette and many similar handbooks ensued. Some of the rules became commonplace and so it is that: we do NOT slouch, scratch, cough, slurp, burp, spit or blow our noses at the table; we do NOT stretch over fellow diners’ plates; we do NOT put our knife in our mouth; we DO wait to start eating until everyone is ready; and we TRY to engage in a little conversation between mouthfuls.

While these are just a few of the politenesses learnt at home, there are even more to be observed when eating out in high-class restaurants and fine dining rooms. People’s table manners in these situations can reveal their levels of social acumen and self-awareness.

(Image: pixy.org / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

22/02/2021
3 min
4 years
201 words

Entertainment

‘That Was The Week That Was’

‘That Was The Week That Was‘ (“TW3” for short) made stars of the lone female performer, the hugely talented theatrical singer/actress Millicent […]

‘That Was The Week That Was‘ (“TW3” for short) made stars of the lone female performer, the hugely talented theatrical singer/actress Millicent Martin (1934-), host Sir David Frost (1939-2013) and journalist Bernard Levin (1928-2004). It was the first satirical comedy show on British TV and politicians soon came to dread its regular Saturday night showing on BBC at 10.40pm, the last slot before close-down.

It began in November 1962 with 22 episodes written by a team of two dozen, assembled by creator, director and producer Ned Sherrin (1931-2007). The BBC in those days was open to new ideas and TW3 delivered, both in content and format, being aired live with glimpses of cameras, microphones, studio audience, script papers and technicians. Mistakes could not be edited out and the show often overran its time.

1963 was an unfortunate year for TW3, seeing the death in June of one of its performers, Timothy Birdsall, aged only 27. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in November, for which TW3 produced its one and only serious episode in commemoration, and finally the BBC decided to cancel it altogether in December after 14 episodes of the second series, succumbing to pressure to censor political satire in the run-up to the October 1964 General Election.

(Top image: bbc.com/ copyright)

13/02/2021
3 min
4 years
209 words

Law

Alfred the Great’s book of laws

One of the achievements of Alfred the Great (849-899), King of Wessex, was to compile ‘The Dōmbōc’ (The Doom Book) in c.886-93. […]

One of the achievements of Alfred the Great (849-899), King of Wessex, was to compile ‘The Dōmbōc’ (The Doom Book) in c.886-93. It states the laws he deemed to be fair and relevant for his subjects, selecting from and editing existing laws in the kingdoms of Wessex, Kent and Mercia, along with the Bible’s Ten Commandments. This laid the foundations of the English Constitution.

Life then was agrarian, feudal and hand-to-mouth and the laws reflect this. They concern various forms of violence (including to and between the clergy), ownership of cattle and slaves, with punishments ranging from fines to ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth..’ and, of course, to “perish by death”. There were no state prisons, so there is no mention of being sent to jail.

Alfred wanted equal justice for all, no matter how rich or poor someone was, so that the laws had the support of the people. While some punishments were harsh enough to make anyone think twice before acting shamefully, others sought to directly produce good behaviour. For example, one law states:

“If the stray cattle of another man come to thy hand, though it be thy foe, make it known to him.”

(Image: pixabay.com)

10/02/2021
3 min
4 years
209 words

Quoting Neil Oliver...

I love Britain more than anywhere else in the world. With all my heart I declare that those of us born here, or who have made a home here by choice, are the luckiest, most blessed of all people. I am British. I will always be British.