Questions For British People

[Westside PUFAs]

Yes I know I can just "google it" (what a shame that one company has turned into a verb, I never say "google it", I say "just search for..") but I'd rather just post this and hope that some British people answer my questions so it's all on one page and I don't have to spend so much time searching for the answers. And if you say "what does this have to do with Ray Peat?" I say this is the lounge silly person, now either hang out in the lounge with us or GTFO or act least STFU. :)

In no order:

Does your milk have vitamin's A and D added to it?

Can you go to a farm and buy milk and eggs directly?

How many hours per week does the average person work in cities?

Do you have direct deposit?

What are the major differences between London, Manchester and Birmingham?

When you leave the cities, does it become mostly rural farmland?

Russell Brand said that British people don't care about celebrities or race, but I've seen clips of that guy Graham Norton and that appears to be false. Also, Norton looks and acts just like a guy I would see in the gay areas of NYC, Chicago, Miami and LA. He just has a British accent.

Everyone is political now but what were people like 10-20 years ago in the political sense? I know everyone hated George Bush but there wasn't as much fervor as there is now with all the protests and violence etc.

Do you really drink tea everyday?

Are there any cities that have good outdoor areas to go hiking etc. but still not too far from a city?

Do you watch the Super Bowl?

If you had to guess, how many distinct American accents do you think there are? Not regional slang, but accents.

I have more but that's all I can think of at the moment.

 

[Rock_V]

Hey mate! I'm flattered you're so intrigued about us British! I'm actually half Italian so not a true English-man at heart but I reckon I could help answer a few of your questions!

In all 20 years of being in the U.K. I've not once seen a single brand of milk with added vitamin A or D! If your lucky enough (or rich enough) to shop at Waitrose, you can get unhomogised milk and also a lot of supermarkets now stock milk from Jersey and Guernsey which is golden and grass fed.

I haven't personally been to a farmer myself, but I think that's mainly cause there isn't any great farms where I am. In London and down south there's plenty of great farmers markets all over, like Essex and Cornwall. Although in terms of eggs there's a brand named Clarence court and they're shells are blue and I think they're the best standard eggs you can find, farm quality standard with deep rich orange yolks, delicious!

With regards to tea, the older generations in particular are notoriously fond of tea and yes I would say a vast majority of the population of British descent generally love a cuppa. Social class has literally no bearing on tea lovers, I would imagine you would find tea in almost all British homes.

Home this helps, someone else is probably more in the know about the more political and geographical questions.

 

[johnwester130]

Yes I know I can just "google it" (what a shame that one company has turned into a verb, I never say "google it", I say "just search for..") but I'd rather just post this and hope that some British people answer my questions so it's all on one page and I don't have to spend so much time searching for the answers. And if you say "what does this have to do with Ray Peat?" I say this is the lounge silly person, now either hang out in the lounge with us or GTFO or act least STFU. :)

In no order:

Does your milk have vitamin's A and D added to it?

no


Can you go to a farm and buy milk and eggs directly?

yes. depends on the farm

How many hours per week does the average person work in cities?

about 45

Do you have direct deposit?

yes

What are the major differences between London, Manchester and Birmingham?

probably the demographics, differences in wealthy and poor

When you leave the cities, does it become mostly rural farmland?

sometimes

Russell Brand said that British people don't care about celebrities or race, but I've seen clips of that guy Graham Norton and that appears to be false. Also, Norton looks and acts just like a guy I would see in the gay areas of NYC, Chicago, Miami and LA. He just has a British accent.

Everyone is political now but what were people like 10-20 years ago in the political sense? I know everyone hated George Bush but there wasn't as much fervor as there is now with all the protests and violence etc.

Do you really drink tea everyday?

no

Are there any cities that have good outdoor areas to go hiking etc. but still not too far from a city?

there may be some

Do you watch the Super Bowl?

no

If you had to guess, how many distinct American accents do you think there are? Not regional slang, but accents.

about 6

I have more but that's all I can think of at the moment.

 

[raypeatclips]

Does your milk have vitamin's A and D added to it?
No.

Can you go to a farm and buy milk and eggs directly?
Yes but I don't know anyone that does.

How many hours per week does the average person work in cities?
Depends on the job, 37.5-45

Do you have direct deposit?
Yes.

What are the major differences between London, Manchester and Birmingham?
London very expensive, busy, stressful but where all the highest paying jobs are, on average. London is where "everyone" is, and where the biggest events and premieres happen. Manchester is a good, big city, I would be happy to live there, less expensive than London. Northern people generally more friendly than southern, a more relaxed environment. Birmingham is nice, more similar to Manchester than London, but I personally wouldn't like to live there.

When you leave the cities, does it become mostly rural farmland?
Depends on the city.

Russell Brand said that British people don't care about celebrities or race, but I've seen clips of that guy Graham Norton and that appears to be false. Also, Norton looks and acts just like a guy I would see in the gay areas of NYC, Chicago, Miami and LA. He just has a British accent.
British people definitely care about celebrities, people buy magazines about them and talk about them in everyday life. I don't think we are that bothered about them, but I don't agree at all that we "don't care" about them. Race is an issue with a very small amount of people, but what I gather from the media, the issue is nowhere near as big as the USA's issue with race. Generally I don't even think anyone has an issue with race an issue until a terrorist act happens when peoples start to share their views and you see what people really think.

Everyone is political now but what were people like 10-20 years ago in the political sense? I know everyone hated George Bush but there wasn't as much fervor as there is now with all the protests and violence etc.

Do you really drink tea everyday?
A lot of people do but not everyone. Generally an older generation thing, I think. Older people I see drink many cups a day. Younger are more interested in various coffees at coffee shops, trying herbal and fruit teas etc, but tea is quite a big thing in Britain, yeah.

Are there any cities that have good outdoor areas to go hiking etc. but still not too far from a city?
Depends on the city, I am sure you could find one. Depends on what "too far" would be for you. Everything is smaller distances than America so your definition of too far would probably mean you could get to some easily.

Do you watch the Super Bowl?
Personally no but there is increasing popularity with the superbowl and I have seen a few superbowl parties happening. The bars show it on TV's on superbowl night.

If you had to guess, how many distinct American accents do you think there are? Not regional slang, but accents.

 

[Peater]

Does your milk have vitamin's A and D added to it? No, it's just homogenised and pasteurised

Can you go to a farm and buy milk and eggs directly? Never tried, but I believe it's legal. Mostly I think the farmer would be worried about Health and Safety culture.

How many hours per week does the average person work in cities? You have to be rich or poor to live in London. So it's either 16 hours a week with tax credit top ups, or around 40.

Do you have direct deposit? I think we call it Direct Debit

What are the major differences between London, Manchester and Birmingham? London has the City of London corporation. A strange, hidden entity. The City itself is deserted at weekends, it's the financial district. Manchester and Birmingham 'built' on the textile industry and industrial revolution. Have a look at The Enclosures Act, where people were basically kicked off the land. I often wonder what it must have been like for country people to leave their farms for the last time.

When you leave the cities, does it become mostly rural farmland? Directly outside London we have the 'green belt' which is meant to stop urban sprawl but simply adds hours to commute time. Farmland is scattered but concentrated in southwest and east, although there are working farms around London. I've attached a file you might enjoy. I live 30 miles from SW London and there is a mix of healthland, woods, fields (Equestrian and arable). If you pay attention it's still possible to see traces of the old farming landscape in Surrey

Russell Brand said that British people don't care about celebrities or race, but I've seen clips of that guy Graham Norton and that appears to be false. Also, Norton looks and acts just like a guy I would see in the gay areas of NYC, Chicago, Miami and LA. He just has a British accent. Russell Brand is best disregarded.

Everyone is political now but what were people like 10-20 years ago in the political sense? I know everyone hated George Bush but there wasn't as much fervor as there is now with all the protests and violence etc. There was a 'proper' Labour party, although the Unions were smashed in the 80s. The decline of the British car industry says it all. It was caused by a mix of chancers wanting money for nothing, and the managers complete disregard for the workers.

Do you really drink tea everyday? Not anymore myself but it's still very popular. A good breakfast blend cant be beat

Are there any cities that have good outdoor areas to go hiking etc. but still not too far from a city? Not much to see close to the cities in the sense I think you guys mean hiking (Mountains and unbroken views), but there are very good walks and trails.

Do you watch the Super Bowl? Not personally.

If you had to guess, how many distinct American accents do you think there are? Not regional slang, but accents. 10!

I have more but that's all I can think of at the moment

 

[raypeatclips]

@Peater When he says about "the city" is deserted on weekends, he means the small banking district, which is like a ghost town on weekends. The rest of London is still very busy, don't expect anything quiet in London.

 

[Peater]

@Peater don't expect anything quiet in London.

Ain't that right. I couldn't live there

 

[raypeatclips]

Ain't that right. I couldn't live there

London is a city running on stress, everyone is going somewhere fast, the people fall asleep on trains and tubes the minute they sit down. Nobody speaks to each other on the tubes, or even looks at each other. The people I know that live in London get paid 3-4 times as much, for doing the same job that they would outside of London. The opportunities for their job simply don't exist in the same way outside of London, so thats the choice they make.

 

[Peater]

I work there, and having been creative with my approach to my trade have found it relatively straightforward to make a good daily wage. If it wasn't for that, I would not go near the place.

 

[BrianF]

Graham Norton is Irish. He can be a ****. He got his arse handed to him by Sophia Loren on a live chat show one night about 15 years ago, simply because he thought being beautiful and a non-native English speaker he'd be able to make her look silly. She took two or three snide digs from him, clearly wondering if he was actually going to do this, and when she realised, yes he was, she ripped the piss out of him. I don't know why I told you this, maybe because I enjoyed watching a bitchy little twat being put back in his box.

London is busy. Always. Unless you are in the centre of London, you are never too far away from greenery and countryside in the UK, most of it pleasant, some of it spectacular.

Most of us drink tea every day. Tea contributes to the healing of all ailments and social problems. Tea is good. Our weather isn't.

Russel Brand isn't entirely correct that statement, though not wrong either. Our race issues were never as severe as the USA and until recently we were a very multi-ethnic nation with no real problems, lots of integration, certainly heading in the right direction. That said, we have begun to see major division between the Muslim population and the greater population in recent years. Things are polarising and we are seeing towns and cities dividing themselves. Its not the fault of any one group, the UK has seen a huge surge in immigration in the last 15 years or so and its caused problems with housing, schooling, health service and services in general. Integration of such large numbers of people hasn't always been successful.

Very few of us watch the superbowl. We like our own football and have it nearly all year round. Its an obsession. We also like boxing.

Canadian is an American accent to us so, Generic North American, New Yoik and Red Neck (hey boyaaa). That makes three. There are only three American accents.

 

[whodathunkit]

Canadian is an American accent to us so, Generic North American, New Yoik and Red Neck (hey boyaaa). That makes three. There are only three American accents.

From the American perspective, I would argue that there are only *two* British accents: Cockney (Liverpool) and everyone else. :p

Not sure what you mean by "Red Neck" American when your written approximation of it reads more like a written approximation of Irish than anything. I can tell a Georgia accent from Alabama from Tennessee, and can often differentiate when someone comes from mountains or flatlands in those states, and I can tell all of them from French/Creole/Cajun Louisiana or Texas, but I never heerd ary one ol' boy from any of them places say "boyaaa". LOL

 

[raypeatclips]

From the American perspective, I would argue that there are only *two* British accents: Cockney (Liverpool) and everyone else. :p

Not sure what you mean by "Red Neck" American when your written approximation of it reads more like a written approximation of Irish than anything. I can tell a Georgia accent from Alabama from Tennessee, and can often differentiate when someone comes from mountains or flatlands in those states, and I can tell all of them from French/Creole/Cajun Louisiana or Texas, but I never heerd ary one ol' boy from any of them places say "boyaaa". LOL

Cockney accent is London based, Liverpool accent is known as Scouse.

 

[whodathunkit]

Cockney accent is London based, Liverpool accent is known as Scouse.

Ahh. Regional subtleties lost on outsiders. Still couldn't tell them apart to hear, at least not right now, but good to know.

When we get most of our info on accents or cultures from Hollywood or the movie industry, we should perhaps hold off on making sweeping statements about them. Relying on Hollywood for info about other cultures is basically repeating inaccurate info gotten from a bunch of know-nothings. Never a wise thing to do.

 

[jyb]

London is a city running on stress, everyone is going somewhere fast, the people fall asleep on trains and tubes the minute they sit down.

That is true for many big cities around the world. Many thrive in that environment though, so I wouldn't call it stress. I personally wouldn't thrive as much if I had to do those hours of commute many Londoners do every day.

 

[lvysaur]

a lot of supermarkets now stock milk from Jersey and Guernsey which is golden and grass fed.

roughly how much is it for a half gallon of jersey milk, would you say?

 

[raypeatclips]

That is true for many big cities around the world. Many thrive in that environment though, so I wouldn't call it stress. I personally wouldn't thrive as much if I had to do those hours of commute many Londoners do every day.

How can you be sure they thrive? I know many people living in London that do drugs, drink a lot, as I say, falling asleep on transport is a sign of a stressed individual IMO. One of them just left their job to live in a spiritualistic retreat centre in a different country for a year to get away from it all.

I am not saying there aren't people that are successful in London, but to me, the "feeling" of the city is stress. Constant speed of people walking around, the cramming on tubes, nobody looking at each other on the tube, talking, interacting. It isn't a healthy environment. The people don't seem happy. Compare this to northern cities where people talk to strangers freely. It is very different.

I often hear in my job how much happier, relaxed and friendlier people from northern cities are compared to London.

roughly how much is it for a half gallon of jersey milk, would you say?

Roughly maybe £2-£2.50
.

 

[lvysaur]

Roughly maybe £2-£2.50
.

damn that's cheap

 

[BrianF]

Never take anything i post too seriously... setiously! Its written with a tongue planted firmly in my cheek and is the result of my own weird sense of humour Mo Chara!

From the American perspective, I would argue that there are only *two* British accents: Cockney (Liverpool) and everyone else. :p

Not sure what you mean by "Red Neck" American when your written approximation of it reads more like a written approximation of Irish than anything. I can tell a Georgia accent from Alabama from Tennessee, and can often differentiate when someone comes from mountains or flatlands in those states, and I can tell all of them from French/Creole/Cajun Louisiana or Texas, but I never heerd ary one ol' boy from any of them places say "boyaaa". LOL

 

[Such_Saturation]

My boy thinking about moving

 

[Carrum]

I've seen clips of that guy Graham Norton and that appears to be false. Also, Norton looks and acts just like a guy I would see in the gay areas of NYC, Chicago, Miami and LA. He just has a British accent.

He doesn't have a British accent. He has an Irish accent. He's from the Irish Republic and yes he is gay.
There are a lot of Irish people involved in British tv.