...and in London's defence

Re-reading my last post Im struck by how much I DON’T identify as English. Which is ironic given that (dare I admit it) I was actually born there and feel of it as another home. Its doubly ironic given Im considering living there again. since living in a non-English speaking country seems to have made anywhere I hear English seem more homely. certainly London and Dublin have seemed more like home quicker than Canada did after a month in 2000, or NYC did in 3 days.

I tend to have an identity crisis when I go there – I tend to drink with Australians, unless Im in the East End or with the handful of English people that know who I am noone would know I was born there. I was wrong when I described Perth as the westernmost Australian city as West London from Willesden to Fulham is Australian (I even walked past AFL training in Fulham with a guilty conscience I wasnt going for a run). Little Australia is something Im proud of and ashamed of. Whenever I meet my mates over there I love the fact that theyre doing more interesting things than we used to in Australia, that they all seem to be living a bit seat of the pants, relying on wits and a bit of talk at times to get in the door and get ahead.

On the other hand us “bloody” Australians can be annoying at times. Theres a difference between the enjoyment factor and the yobbo factor, those that live and love London and those that come for the party and dont leave Earls Court. Like the drunken blonde hanging outside the male toilets after the Boat Race trying to charm an Englishman with “Im Australian, you should go to Australia as you’ll pick up a hot girl like me”. Aussies have been doing that in London for 40-odd years now and it’s a bit old hat. She asked me what I thought of her and I said she was nice, to which she wailed to anyone that would listen “Whats wrong with me?!” The gentle art of giving a compliment. And I still cant believe anyone drinks Fosters.

So anyway London. What Id forgotten was just how busy it was, planes overhead every 5 minutes, how many people there are in the streets normally let alone when everyone decides to go to the same event like the Boat Race. But its comforting too, in a way that a city I haven’t lived in as an adult shouldn’t be, home in a way that shouldn’t feel so homely to a foreigner. It might just be the way London is and has been through the ages – the Aussie “gift of the gab” is like the Irish “silver tongue” and the cockney “sweet-talk” which worked so well making a quid in the past.

I never get a map of London when Im there through some pigheaded notion that I know my way around. Even when I stay in Earls Court/Hammersmith and have never consciously been there in my life. And strangely enough it kinda works (except about 3am!) – further proof that London is a part of me. For a similar reason I don’t go sightseeing, I go for a wander or sit around people watching, if theres something interesting on the way (which usually isn’t planned since I only half know where I am!) I go and ‘check’ I know it, since some I remember, some I don’t and at least if I have an adult memory I can better correlate my childhood ones. By the way the Albert memorial is still there.
Walking in Hyde Park – only for tourists or for Londoners too?

Fashion victims at the V&A, the old guys in Portugal are up with it FLAT CAPS ARE IN!!!!!

The best thing about England is that there is no real “English”. The same restaurant I overheard the “repellent” in I also had a couple next to me able to call the waiter in Chinese and generally be very savvy (which doesn’t sound special until I mention they weren’t just not Chinese they were also mixed race. But I shouldn’t have to should I?!). And thats why I felt bad on the plane after bagging the English since "some of my best friends are English", and at times Ive quite happily drunk with the Anglo crowd, sometimes in preference to the Aussie crowd (for reasons seen above).

After talking about the Portuguese only having their own cuisine I got confronted with multicultural London – hmmm lunch, curry, dim sum, sushi, Lebanese, Italian, or just a Caeser salad. Anyone who thinks sushi is a cheap and/or light lunch should never sit next to me at conveyer belt sushi. But there aren’t any in Portugal, and even London only has few so despite spending 20quid Im OK with it. (Footnote - there is one in Yerevan, sounds like the best recipe for three weeks in hospital with food poisoning doesn't it?!)