Review: Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour
Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour by Kate Fox
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Kate Fox provides a good read for those who are trying to understand the English and their culture. From how to start a conversation all the way to what not to say, Fox provides all the rules and examples ensuring there is no confusion on how to interact.
Throughout the book there is a lot of humour added as that is a big component of the English culture. The book itself is broken down into two major sections. The first is conversation codes and how one should go about interacting with the English whether it be at the pub, the race course, in the work situation or even a London cab. The second part is on behaviour which delves into another area of the English culture touching on class codes, rules of play, sex, religion etc.
Fortunately I have lived in the UK twice in my life and a lot of these aspects I have picked up over time. The book is very long and at times goes a little overboard in description. For the person coming to England for the first time, this is a one stop shop book in getting up to speed with the English.
Three key takeaways from the book:
1. The weather is the first go-to conversation topic in most situations. Always agree with the weather call and do not criticise the English weather. Note television shows is the second go-to conversation topic
2. National average for watching television is 4 hours a day (including online viewing) …. Wow!
3. There are 50,000 pubs in England, frequented by three quarters of the adult population. One third of those are regulars visiting the pub at least once a week