Krazy Krystal's Laboratory

Soaking in the zeitgeist

I am absorbing and in some cases, actively consuming, much of the zeitgeist here.

The word "the" is missing. Some Yorkshire man has swallowed it and won't give it back. Everyone "goes down pub" or "was late because i missed train" and "took dog walk". I am sure I will have an accent within a fortnight, but i really want to keep "the". It's such a handy word.

Chavs are the UK equivalent of Australian bogans. The most well known chav on TV is the "yeah, but no, but yeah" character Vicky from Little Britain. I am not a chav.

Emos are not UK specific, but there are LOTS of them here. Emo is originally short for "emotional" and has evolved into a sensitive new age punk/rock/goth kind of style. Or at least that is my take on the term. I have a strange fondness for emos. Perhaps it is nostalgic, as i am sure that when i was 18 i wanted to be one but they didn't exist then, at least not in the consumer format. I envy all the red stripey tops and cool lace trimmed black skirts. However, i do not wish to be an emo in my late 20's, that would be weird. Emo is a kiddy label ;)

I arrived at a fortuitous time for football in Europe. They do mean soccer, of course... I checked. In the space of one week i have watched the FA cup final and the European Champions League final. I now know that football is really all about singing. Some teams have adopted songs that having nothing to do with football, for example Liverpool fans were singing "You'll never walk alone" during their victorious FA cup final game last weekend. Some are very simple and often obscene chants.. and some are re-worked lyrics to well known pop songs.. It was most amusing to hear the Pet Shop Boys "Go West, Life is peaceful there" tune with the lyrics "One-Nil, To the Arsenal", which was being sung quite loudly at the pub just prior to arsenal's loss to Barca in the European Championships.

Oh no. I've just spent a whole paragraph talking about football. I am doomed. And the world cup is just around the corner... right, moving on.

Fair trade products are highly prevalent in supermarkets and retail outlets. I am hopelessly addicted to the Divine line of fair trade chocolate, the 70% dark chocolate is simply scrumptious. Fair trade tea, coffee, orange juice and snackbars are all available at the cafeteria at uni where I eat lunch. I've even seen fair trade beer and wine in the shops. I approve whole heartedly.

This heightened consumer awareness has also led to a proliferation of widely available organic food. Sainsbury's, a large supermarket chain, has it's own organic in-house label, and products are rather reasonably priced and delicious. I consumed an entire tub of Sainsbury's Organic Hommus within 24 hours of opening it - but hey! - that's what it says to do on the packaging! I am just following instructions i swear!

Levels of technology usage are high here, many houses have wireless internet and online services are well developed. In fact, I just did all my shopping to set my house up online using Argos. I bought pillows, quilt, sheets, towels, bathmat, lamps, laundry basket, storage units, bedside table, toaster, and a sandwich maker all in one go and had it all delivered to my house this morning. Easy. And online grocery shopping is quite standard and I think i will use it from now on.

This is day 7 in the UK, and I am starting to feel at home.

posted by Dr Krystal @ 2:07 pm