S4/E2 - Do British people ACTUALLY do these traditions? | Ft. Stacey

Charlie Baxter

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What's this episode about?

In this episode, Charlie gets together with his fiancée Stacey to chat about some British traditions and discuss whether they really are still a thing or not. They cover things like roast dinners, putting the kettle on in a crisis, queuing, fish & chips, pancake day and more. Listen in to find out what Charlie and Stacey think of these "british traditions".

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Transcript of BEP Premium Modern British Traditions with Stacey.mp3

Charlie:
Hello, Stacey.

Stacey:
Hi, Charlie.

Charlie:
How are you?

Stacey:
Oh, wow. I'm good, thanks. How are you?

Charlie:
It's ridiculous to say that, isn't it? Because we spend every single minute of the day together or we have done today.

Stacey:
I've seen you constantly for the last 48 hours.

Charlie:
There's absolutely no reason to say, how are you?

Stacey:
We can pretend.

Charlie:
We can pretend. And I'm actually quite excited, partly because you've agreed to do this episode with me.

Stacey:
You're welcome.

Charlie:
But also we're going to split this up. We're going to do part one. We're going to have a pizza, and then we'll do...

Stacey:
Rewards.

Charlie:
Rewards. And then we're gonna do part two and part three.

Stacey:
Exactly, yeah.

Charlie:
Lovely.

Stacey:
Great plan.

Charlie:
Yeah. So today we're going to do some modern British traditions.

Stacey:
Yes.

Charlie:
And and we're going to talk about them, see if we actually do them and what other people around us do in regards to them.

Stacey:
Yeah, if we agree, this is just found on a website, so let's see if we agree.

Charlie:
Sure. Yeah. Okay.

Stacey:
Is it traditions or what was... There were...

Charlie:
It was typical British modern traditions.

Stacey:
Oh, that one. Yeah. [Yeah]. Yes. Lovely.

Charlie:
Yeah. Okay. Do you want to go straight in?

Stacey:
Sure.

Charlie:
Yes?

Stacey:
Why not!

Charlie:
Straight into it?

Stacey:
Crack on.

Charlie:
All right. Crack on, guys. Yeah. So the first one is eating a roast dinner on Sunday.

Stacey:
Oh, okay.

Charlie:
A traditional roast dinner on Sunday. Do you still do that right now in your life as a 30... Can I say your age?

Stacey:
You can.

Charlie:
A 32 year old spring chicken. Thanks you as a delightfully aged woman. I don't know what that means.

Stacey:
Sure. Okay.

Charlie:
I don't know if I'm complimenting you or trying to give you a little backhanded...

Stacey:
Okay. Well, I think... I definitely think a roast Sunday roast dinner is still a big part of British norm, British tradition. It still something that happens today. It's not outdated. I do do it on a Sunday. My family pretty much have a Sunday roast every Sunday. I think we're a bit lazy, but.

Charlie:
As in your family or you and me?

Stacey:
You and me.

Charlie:
Well, you're the cook of the house.

Stacey:
Okay, so I'm a bit lazy. It just involves a lot of pots and pans and a lot of effort for just the two of us. We do sometimes go to the pub for a Sunday roast? It's actually a big thing in Australia because I guess the British expat community. Yeah, I would definitely say that a Sunday roast is still a relevant and up to date tradition.

Charlie:
I think it's something that we're proud of, almost, like when we go to a roast or a pub that does roasts in Australia [Yeah] we have this kind of connoisseur kind of mentality that we can judge a good roast. [Yeah.] And the Aussies, the waiters, are like, Oh, is it good enough? And we look down at them.

Stacey:
And I'm going to say that Sydney has a good few roasts. We've had quite a few here and they've been top notch.

Charlie:
Top notch, they've been top notch, sir.

Stacey:
Stop it! Question to you though, what is your favourite roast and what do I mean by that?

Charlie:
She means the type of meat that you use. Typically, I would say that in England we have a rotation of chicken, lamb and beef, and then on Christmas Day we have a turkey. And then, well, with my household, my my mother, she was much better at giving me love through language and emotions rather than food. And because of that, she always just did chicken.

Stacey:
My family doesn't do chicken very often. My brothers actually would scoff at having chicken, which is very unfortunate. The poor chickens.

Charlie:
Well, I think they're actually happy that you're scoffing and letting them live.

Stacey:
Very true. But yes, I think my brothers have often said that a chicken roast is a bit of a half arsed attempt at a roast dinner.

Charlie:
Good phrase there. Half arsed. Yeah. Nice. Well, they're insulting my mother.

Stacey:
You actually missed one because pork is very vital.

Charlie:
Yeah, I forgot that. Pork. What is your favourite?

Stacey:
Well, I think pork is actually probably up there with being my favourite because of one thing. And that is that by having roast pork, you get crackling and you don't have that with any other meat.

Charlie:
I got very confused with crackling. The first time I had it.

Stacey:
What? Why? It's delicious.

Charlie:
Yeah, but my parents didn't tell me about it. And then I was round a friend's house. A girl friends, not a girlfriends. Her friend was the one that I was trying to woo. I think... I think I was about 16, so we hadn't met yet. Don't you worry. [Fine.] Yeah, they gave me crackling and I... I thought it was. I thought it was to be left aside. And then they...

Stacey:
Oh, what? That's the best part.

Charlie:
Yeah, they did that.

Stacey:
I used to actually like, save it to the end because I loved it that much and I really wanted to end on crackling.

Charlie:
What is it?

Stacey:
Oh, it's a bit disgusting, actually. I don't know if you want to...

Charlie:
Go on.

Stacey:
Well, I think it's it is the skin of the pork and you basically rub salt into it and then it creates like a very hard, crispy, crackly layer. You then break off and you have it kind of on the side of your Sunday roast. So you have the pork meat. And then you have the crackling on the side. I'm very sorry for any vegans listening. This is terrible.

Charlie:
Or veggies. Yeah. Or just pig friends. Friends of pigs.

Stacey:
I mean, I love pigs.

Charlie:
Yeah.

Stacey:
Yeah, we should know that we don't eat it very regularly.

Charlie:
It's very true. Yeah, well, we don't have Sunday roast because we're a bit lazy now. [Yeah.] And we're trying to save the planet by having meat every, what, three or four meals?

Stacey:
Yeah, sometimes more, sometimes less.

Charlie:
Yeah. But sometimes we go a whole week or even two, and I haven't eaten proper meat.

Stacey:
That'd be...

Charlie:
Pushing it?

Stacey:
That'd be pushing it. I mean, that'd be good, but.

Charlie:
Yeah, but you have shown me a side of vegetarianism that is wonderfully delicious.

Stacey:
Veggie meals are delicious. I think some of my favourite meals today are veggie. I mean, we're just about to go order pizza and we'll probably order veggie pizzas just from choice.

Charlie:
Is it veggie?

Stacey:
Yeah, definitely.

Charlie:
Just cheese. We always go Margherita.

Stacey:
We're very boring.

Charlie:
But I feel like there's a slight bit of authenticity to that.

Stacey:
Yeah, sure.

Charlie:
Because some of our British friends like to have a meat feast, have like pepperoni and [sausage], sausage, all sorts on the on the pizza. [chicken] But we, we think that it's the best test just to go Margherita. And if it's got a good dough, then it's the real deal.

Stacey:
Is this an Italian podcast? No. Talking about pizzas?

Charlie:
Oh, yes. Well, we've sidetracked, haven't we? So we don't have it regularly because it's just us two.

Stacey:
The Sunday roast he's talking about.

Charlie:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But we do as a family. [Yeah.] We would have it and we're proud of it still. [Yes].

Stacey:
And I think most of the British community still appreciate a Sunday roast.

Charlie:
Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. Okay. So that's done.

Stacey:
Number two.

Charlie:
Number two, putting the kettle on in a crisis.

Stacey:
I really like this one.

Charlie:
It's a good phrase as well. Yeah. Shall I put the kettle on?

Stacey:
Yeah. I think it's very accurate for... Yeah, I'd say it's still accurate. I'd like to like guess a percentage of British people that still do this. I'd say it's a slight generational thing, but for the most part I'd say yes.

Charlie:
Oh yeah. I would like to know whether like my cousins who are like early twenties, maybe even 18 year olds, whether they they do this, I think it... I think it still is a thing. And I had a colleague when I was about 24, she said to me, I don't think there's a single problem in the world that can't be solved with a good cuppa. [Oh! How lovely!] She in every situation she says, I'll put the kettle on, love. You sit down. I'll get the kettle on.

Stacey:
It's very true.

Charlie:
It'll be all.

Stacey:
Right. Yeah. That's a very accurate representation of how it goes down in a crisis.

Charlie:
Just to be clear, though, because some countries don't even have kettles. What are we talking about?

Stacey:
Oh, God. Okay. A kettle is a device that we use to boil water to make a cup of tea.

Charlie:
Very good. Very good. What's your go-to cup of tea?

Stacey:
What do you mean?

Charlie:
What's your preferred cup of tea?

Stacey:
Like flavour?

Charlie:
Well, yeah.

Stacey:
Yeah. I mean, an English breakfast. I'm quite partial.

Charlie:
You're so British that you didn't even consider that there are other kind of teas.

Stacey:
That is a cup of tea. Just... I mean, if we're learning about British culture here, a cup of tea is like a builder's tea, which is an English breakfast, more bog standard version of an English breakfast. But it's a black tea that you add milk to.

Charlie:
Right, yeah.

Stacey:
There's no, like, peppermint or green or Darjeeling, Assam...

Charlie:
You did love Darjeeling, though, when I...

Stacey:
...Lemon and ginger, Earl Grey. I mean, I am... I do like an Earl Grey.

Charlie:
But Earl Grey. Is that not a posh British English tea?

Stacey:
Okay, well, if we are, if we're talking about tea, I feel like there's rules when it comes to tea and, yeah, drinking tea in Britain, I think we have a breakfast tea in the morning and then an Earl Grey in the afternoon [Ooh!] but I think we always have it with milk. None of this lemon business in your Earl Grey. A splash of milk.

Charlie:
Oh, I didn't know about the lemon in an Earl Grey.

Stacey:
Yeah, Aussies love a bit of lemon.

Charlie:
Ah. I heard that it's sacrilege to add milk to an Earl Grey.

Stacey:
Oh, really? Disagree.

Charlie:
I went on a very, very weird experience when I was in that TV production company for six months. When you were trying to get me over to America, a lady took me on a shoot to a a very strange office. It was this old man, and he was basically a hook up for other people to date. He was like a dating service, but really exclusive, [How strange!] and he had this soundproof office and it was the most British like tea drinking kind of afternoon Ritz kind of style tea. Really, really quintessentially British. Yeah. He gave me an Earl Grey and I said, Do you have any milk? And he said, Oh, dear boy, we don't put milk in our Earl Greys.

Stacey:
Oh, really? Well, you know, each to their own. I quite like a little bit of milk.

Charlie:
Yeah? So do you put the kettle on in a crisis, though?

Stacey:
Hmm. Personally, perhaps not. If I'm being completely honest. However, I do still think it's a thing that British people do. I feel like my grandma definitely would put on the kettle in a crisis. And yeah, it's kind of a reassuring thing. I think a cup of tea is quite warming and comforting, and that's what they're referring to, is that they are providing a warming and comforting solution to the problem.

Charlie:
Mm hmm. Yeah. Whenever somebody comes round, would you offer them a cup of tea?

Stacey:
Definitely.

Charlie:
Yeah, that's a thing still?

Stacey:
Definitely. Yeah. Yeah. The part and parcel of greeting people, even if you have people coming over to like a plumber or an electrician to fix something, you always offer them a cuppa.

Charlie:
The names are a cuppa, brew and just a cup of tea. Right?

Stacey:
Delicious.

Charlie:
Moving on. So the next one is the ability to queue nicely.

Stacey:
Oh, this one's very boring. So let's only make this one one minute. Yeah, I think I think British people are pretty good queuers but I think that's where we... And maybe this is a generational thing because we are definitely more impatient now. I'm a terrible queuer. I am I am livid if I have to queue for 5 minutes at the post office.

Charlie:
This might not be generational, but just subjective. You're just an impatient human.

Stacey:
Yeah, but I think we both are.

Charlie:
Oh, bringing me into it!

Stacey:
Who wants to queue? I've got better things to do with my time.

Charlie:
I meditate in a queue.

Stacey:
Do you?

Charlie:
I used to.

Stacey:
What do... What do people do in queues?

Charlie:
What a great question! I'm surprised it's not on the headline of every newspaper.

Stacey:
I mean, I'd really like to know.

Charlie:
Front cover.

Stacey:
So that I find it less boring because I mean, I just end up on my phone or...

Charlie:
Well, that's where your 4 hours on Instagram goes.

Stacey:
It's not just Instagram, it's just my general screen time.

Charlie:
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. 80% on Instagram.

Stacey:
Don't judge me!

Charlie:
But yeah, we still queue. We still form an orderly line whenever it's possible, apart from a pub. That's quite an interesting one.

Stacey:
Yeah, maybe that's what they're referring to is that we.. As British people were not happy to queue. It's just we know to form a single line formation and I think maybe other cultures kind of huddle and get together, whereas we seem to kind of just understand where the queue needs to go.

Charlie:
Yeah, well we form a queue in situations like you've just said where it doesn't formally need to be there, like at a bus stop. If there's a couple of people we all kind of understand a line and other cultures, I don't think necessarily do that. Not all cultures, but you know.

Stacey:
It's kind of interesting.

Charlie:
There you go. There's your one minute.

Stacey:
Brilliant. I'm glad we didn't hang around on that one.

Charlie:
Eating turkey on Christmas Day.

Stacey:
I think we kind of covered this on the Sunday roast thing.

Charlie:
Your attitude. I do not appreciate it. Stop thinking about that pizza.

Stacey:
Okay. Well, Christmas Day, yes, I 100% agree with this tradition. Turkey is the main meat that is a part of Christmas dinner.

Charlie:
Yeah. Do you like it?

Stacey:
I love a turkey. Yeah. I think Christmas wouldn't be the same without it, even though I wouldn't. I mean, I really only eat turkey on Christmas. It's a once a year kind of thing.

Charlie:
Yeah. Most people go say say, yeah, I love the tradition, but it is a bit dry.

Stacey:
No, it's just because you're not cooking it properly. [Oh!] My dad does a turkey crown. So we don't usually have a whole turkey. Like a full turkey, like how a chicken looks, but bigger. [Brilliant!] You know, like with the legs and everything, we have a turkey crown, so the meat has been taken off, the bones have been removed, and then it's like kind of rolled together in string and it retains its juiciness and it's delicious.

Charlie:
Oh yeah. I've actually seen it in the oven once. [Yeah], it really doesn't look like a bird.

Stacey:
Like a turkey. No, it's... But it's very good, I think because we also I mean, we are very spoilt. My dad is actually or he used to be a chef. So we're very spoilt on Christmas Day and we don't just have turkey, which traditionally in the UK is definitely usually an exclusive turkey kind of day. However, in my family's household, like last year, for example, we had turkey, beef and lamb I think.

Charlie:
Really saving the planet there. [Yeah] yeah.

Stacey:
Carnivorous day but yeah. So we have a turkey crown cos it's a little bit smaller, whereas an actual full turkey can feed like ten. I don't even know how many people but a lot of people.

Charlie:
Yeah. And that's on the 25th of December for Brits and then on the 26th, we call it Boxing Day and we normally have some ham.

Stacey:
Do you?

Charlie:
Yeah.

Stacey:
Oh. Yeah I suppose I have ham.

Charlie:
Yeah. Ham and potatoes or leftovers from the Christmas dinner.

Stacey:
Yeah. My dad makes an epic soup where he literally just bungs all of the stuff like the turkey and the veg.

Charlie:
You just said the best verb of the day.

Stacey:
Did I?

Charlie:
Bung,

Stacey:
Bung.

Charlie:
He just bungs that in something. Very informal. Congratulations. [Thanks!] You earned yourself a pizza.

Stacey:
Oh, brilliant. Can't wait. Yeah, the soup is sensational, so...

Charlie:
He also goes over the top with the amount of cheeses that he buys, doesn't he?

Stacey:
Well, that's actually my mum's doing.

Charlie:
Oh yeah. Yeah.

Stacey:
My mum loves a bit of a cheese purchase at Christmas time.

Charlie:
She spends a lot.

Stacey:
Yeah. The cheesemonger is a very happy man.

Charlie:
Again, a good noun cheesemonger. You're full of it.

Stacey:
That's what I'm here for.

Charlie:
Full of turkey on Christmas Day, full of vocabulary today. The next one is having an avid interest in the weather at all times.

Stacey:
Oh, God, I hate this one.

Charlie:
You chose all of them.

Stacey:
No, but I just mean I hate that British people do this.

Charlie:
Oh, right.

Stacey:
I hate that... I completely agree with it. I think it is... To be honest, it would be the top topic of discussion and it kind of, I guess, small talk. I would say that the weather is British people's favourite small talk topic and I guess it's because it's easy to address. You can say like, oh gosh, hasn't it rained a lot recently or when's this rain ever going to stop eh? Or...

Charlie:
Yeah. It's one thing that everyone can talk about without...

Stacey:
Relate to...

Charlie:
Relate to that's not controversial. [True. Yeah]. And I mean, it's weird because the climate is fairly neutral. Like, it's it's fairly rainy and maybe a little bit warm, but and a little bit cold depending on the season. But it's not the extremes that we've experienced in other countries where it's like snowing and -30 in in the winter and then boiling hot in the summer. So there's there's not that much climate difference throughout the year.

Stacey:
You might be outdated because this year the UK experienced 41 degrees.

Charlie:
True, true. Without global warming I'm talking about. But there is quite a variation in how the day to day weather goes. In in Australia it's it's sunny a lot of the time.

Stacey:
Yeah. So, what you think it's just boring to report on the.

Charlie:
A little bit. When I talk to an Aussie and I'm like, what a great day it is, they're like, Yeah, all right. I mean, I know I need to get a new topic of conversation.

Stacey:
Oh, you're so British, you're walking around Australia trying to talk about the weather.

Charlie:
But I think Brits appreciate good weather because we don't get it very much.

Stacey:
Yes, I guess it's less reliable. So we yeah, we do appreciate it. And I like that.

Charlie:
Yes. Yeah. Good. I like that you like that. Yeah. And I read a book I think. Yeah, I actually did read this one. Yeah. Normally I listen to them. A book on British Culture by Kate Fox.

Stacey:
Oh, lovely.

Charlie:
And she says her idea of this, why we do this so much is because it's our way of signalling what mood we're in.

Stacey:
Oh, okay.

Charlie:
So if we say what a rubbish day, what? Like how rainy it is or whatever, we're showing that we're in a negative mood.

Stacey:
Wow. I've never heard of that before, but I quite like it.

Charlie:
Yeah? [Yeah.] Do you feel like it is true for you?

Stacey:
Yeah, I kind of. I guess it's the. Yeah. How, how you're seeing the day, if you're seeing it positively or negatively. [Yeah] I like it.

Charlie:
And the recipient can decide whether to agree with it or disagree. [Okay]. And if I was to say it's a negative day. Yeah, like bad weather.

Stacey:
I'd probably play devil's advocate and disagree.

Charlie:
Well, this is the thing. In British culture, we don't really go straight for the jugular in terms of directness, do we? We're...

Stacey:
No. Beat around the bush.

Charlie:
Very good. Another slice of pizza for you!

Stacey:
Almost a whole pizza.

Charlie:
Yeah, almost. But my point is that it's up to the individual to choose how direct they are with rejecting that negativity or accepting it. And then the opposite as well. [Nice]. No more?

Stacey:
No. Moving on. How long can you talk about weather for?

Charlie:
Well, not long when you're my partner. Giving you a great little psychological thing and you're like, next.

Stacey:
We should set a timer cap on each each one.

Charlie:
All right. We'll set a two minute timer for the next one. Eating fish and chips on a Friday.

Stacey:
Ah, we can do this in less than 2 minutes. I think that fish and chips is not just for Fridays.

Charlie:
It's every day.

Stacey:
It's not every day. It's definitely more of a weekend treat, I would say. I did actually used to work with one lady. I don't think I can judge all British culture based on one ex-colleague, but she did use to have a takeaway on a Friday.

Charlie:
It's a fact.

Stacey:
It's a fact. So therefore, yes, British people do have takeaways on Fridays.

Charlie:
I was just about to say that I've never heard of this. [Oh, really?] But I did actually. I do actually remember now when I was a child, I used to go round a friend's house called Craig, and his parents used to send us off to the chippy with five quid per person. [Oh, nice]. And we'd come back.

Stacey:
If only it was still that price.

Charlie:
Yeah. And we'd scoff our fish and chips in the newspaper. [Oh, I don't think...] That's, that's quite a cultural thing, isn't it? Wrapping it in newspaper.

Stacey:
Yeah. Yeah. I don't know if everyone's aware of that and I don't know if it's still a real thing. In your village where your parents live. Is it still wrapped in newspaper?

Charlie:
It's not newspaper. It's a similar kind of paper.

Stacey:
Parchment paper, isn't it?

Charlie:
Yeah, but I have been to one, I think with you where it was newspaper.

Stacey:
I think that they almost have a wrapping that looks like newspaper, but it's just to create this nostalgic view that yeah, that that fish and chips is wrapped in newspaper. But yeah, in my town where my family live, in the west of the UK, we still do have proper newspaper, like a current day's newspaper newspaper, like The Sunday Times or The Sun or The Guardian.

Charlie:
Sorry, they wrap it in newspaper there.

Stacey:
Yeah, we do have a layer of parchment for hygienic reasons and then they wrap it in newspaper.

Charlie:
Do you know why they wrap them in newspaper or they used to wrap them in newspaper?

Stacey:
No, no. But I'd love to know why. Tell me more.

Charlie:
I thought you would actually know. I need to find out myself now.

Stacey:
Okay. Bear with. I'm sure it was just for cost effective repurposing. It was probably environmentally friendly before it was a thing to be recycling.

Charlie:
So yeah, you're right, it was cost effective, but it was also because it was a good way to soak up any excess grease from the fish.

Stacey:
Oh, yeah, it is a greasy meal.

Charlie:
The newspaper does soak it up, doesn't it? Very true. [Yeah]] I'm glad to learnt that. And then it was stopped after realising that it was giving us poisoning.

Stacey:
Oh, lovely.

Charlie:
From the ink. [Wonderful!]. No, I kind of made that up. But they also said they did state that it was unhygienic for obvious reasons, I imagine.

Stacey:
My town back where my family lived definitely are still poisoning...

Charlie:
themselves.

Stacey:
Themselves. Yes.

Charlie:
Yes. How often do you have a fish and chips?

Stacey:
Oh, I love a fish and chips.

Charlie:
That's not the question answered.

Stacey:
In the last year. I've had it maybe five times. [Five! Okay]. We have some good fish and chips here.

Charlie:
And it's. And we're in Sydney.

Stacey:
Yeah. So we are on the water so we can trust that the fish is fresh.

Charlie:
Very true.

Stacey:
Although in the UK we have cod or haddock or plaice, whereas here they love a bit of barramundi.

Charlie:
Very good. Yes. And would you say that's a good tip to - which is probably obvious for all countries - but don't have fish inland?

Stacey:
I mean, probably a good tip. Yes, but.

Charlie:
Uh, the UK is quite small.

Stacey:
The UK is, yeah. I mean it doesn't take that long to get to the most inland place of the UK from the coast. So I'd say the UK is pretty good, but definitely Yorkshire I think actually is the best fish and chips we've ever had. [Oh!] Yeah. I think Yorkshire, I think I went to Whitby with my friend Charlie who lives up in North Yorkshire and I can confirm that Whitby was delicious.

Charlie:
Right? Whitby is the name of the fish and chips or a place?

Stacey:
It's a place. It's a tiny.

Charlie:
So the place is delicious.

Stacey:
The place is delicious.

Charlie:
Yummy, yummy, yummy.

Stacey:
It is on the seaside.

Charlie:
Okay. Do you want to say the name of the fish and chips?

Stacey:
No idea.

Charlie:
That's not the name. That's...

Stacey:
Whitby Fish and chips. If you Google it, if you're ever in the north of Yorkshire, you just Google Whitby fish and chips and have any there and I'm sure they'll all be great.

Charlie:
But the probability of somebody listening to this living near there is actually possible.

Stacey:
Okay, I'm very sorry, but if you own a Whitby fish and chip shop.

Charlie:
No, not who own it? They wouldn't be listening to this. They're probably British.

Stacey:
Well, they might be.

Charlie:
They might. Yeah, they might be. But I'm meaning the, the people listening to this might be in Yorkshire.

Stacey:
Do you want me to search it.

Charlie:
Go on then. Yeah.

Stacey:
Whitby. Fish and chips. Okay. Brilliant. That doesn't help. There's at least 20 to choose from. I will just go with the most highly rated, I reckon I went there. Magpie Cafe and the latest comment was brilliant fish and chips.

Charlie:
Brilliant. [Yeah]. There we go, guys. Go and get yourself some magpie fish and chips.

Stacey:
Don't go to Whitby Scampi Shack. That's only got a 2.2 rating. [Oh] Yeah.

Charlie:
Well if they've just started and they had a...?

Stacey:
Yeah. True you might feel sorry for them.

Charlie:
So you have fish and chips five times a year on average at the moment outside of the UK.

Stacey:
Yes, I would like it more, but it's not the healthiest of options and I'm trying to currently be a bit healthy. So [fair enough] it's a struggle.

Charlie:
I have just gotten into fish, haven't I?

Stacey:
It's a stretch, but yes.

Charlie:
Yeah, it's good phrase. I don't like the attitude, but it's a good phrase, so I'll allow it. But I've done well recently because I was raised on a very limited palate.

Stacey:
Yeah, you're not a fish eating family.

Charlie:
No. Although my parents did eat it a couple of times, but my sisters were very complainy, complained a lot about food, and so... I probably did as well. Anyway, I didn't have fish until I was an adult and it's taken me...

Stacey:
And now you quite like it as long as it's battered.

Charlie:
Covered in batter. Yes. So as soon as it tastes a bit seafood-like then I gag a little bit.

Stacey:
You had oysters recently.

Charlie:
I had oysters recently. I have sushi [Yeah] from time to time. And now I'm having fish with my fish and chips because I used to just have a jumbo sausage. [Battered]. Battered.

Stacey:
It's a very British thing, actually.

Charlie:
It is, isn't it?

Stacey:
A battered sausage.

Charlie:
Yeah.

Stacey:
Kind of like a corn dog in America.

Charlie:
Okay. Yeah. For Americans out there. Have you ever had a battered Mars bar?

Stacey:
No, that's disgusting.

Charlie:
Because that's a thing in chip shops.

Stacey:
No, [It is!] This is not tradition.

Charlie:
It's modern. Modern tradition. No, it's not tradition, but it's a possibility. And I've had it in a chip shop in the UK before.

Stacey:
Sounds like a heart attack.

Charlie:
It's actually a bit like a poo. It does taste a bit like a poo.

Stacey:
It doesn't taste like a poo. What is it you're talking about?

Charlie:
It looks like a poo and the texture is quite pooey because it's melted.

Stacey:
When have you...? What is wrong with your bowel movements?

Charlie:
Oh, moving on.

Stacey:
Oh my god!

Charlie:
Okay. Oh, I like the next one. Oh, it's jumping a few. I'll come back to it. No, I'll do it now. Dunking biscuits in tea.

Stacey:
Oh, this is the best one. Definitely. This is up there with the most - I don't know - the most current or not even current, but just a very accurate British tradition.

Charlie:
Okay.

Stacey:
I do not know a single British person that doesn't dunk a biscuit in a cup of tea. You don't even drink tea and you will get a biscuit and dunk it in my tea just so that you can have the dunkability of a biscuit. A dunk in a cup of tea improves any biscuit, no matter how bland. Like when your granny used to give you a rich tea that is like basically cardboard. You dunk it in a cup of tea and it just turns to moist mush and it's delightful.

Charlie:
What's a bit disgusting, though, is when you get a digestive and you put it in too long.

Stacey:
Yeah. Or a rich tea. Yeah, both. Both or a Bourbon. Bourbon Bon? Bourbon. Yes, that's the right one.

Charlie:
That was fun.

Stacey:
Or a custard cream. Or a Jammie Dodger.

Charlie:
Jammie Dodgers. I used to.

Stacey:
Biscuits are endless.

Charlie:
I used to get through a whole pack of Jammie Dodgers in one sitting easily.

Stacey:
How are you not fat? Yeah. This is my favourite. I would happily dunk. When I was writing my dissertation, I would get through a whole pack of biscuits in one cup of tea and just continue to dunk. I wouldn't eat any meals, but I'd just dunk biscuits.

Charlie:
I'm sure you'll pass this with flying colours, this test that I'm about to do for you. But if you weren't able to use that verb to dunk, what verb would you use?

Stacey:
Dip.

Charlie:
Yes, another one.

Stacey:
I'm stuck.

Charlie:
Put. [No!] Put in. Put a biscuit in liquid. Leave it for a little bit until it gets a bit soggy - ooh soggy! That's a good word!

Stacey:
Soggy,

Charlie:
Slightly moist. Moist, slightly between liquid and solid.

Stacey:
Mmm sure.

Charlie:
Yeah.

Stacey:
Soggy is a great one though. [Yeah]. No one wants a fully soggy biscuit. You just got a slightly sog it.

Charlie:
That's not a thing. You can't say that.

Stacey:
Don't, don't use that.

Charlie:
Slightly sog it? You can't say that it's only an adjective. Soggy biscuit is great and we love it. [Yeah] Fair enough.

Stacey:
You're making me want a cup of tea.

Charlie:
We're going back to the one before last. Pancake flipping on Shrove Tuesday.

Stacey:
Mmm. But I think this is actually more cultures than just British. But yes, we do do it. I think it's just based around Christianity, isn't it?

Charlie:
Yeah, but I don't know if Catholics do it.

Stacey:
But I mean Americans definitely flip. Oh, no, they don't actually. No, I can remember when we were in America, we used to make out a big thing that it was pancake Tuesday, pancake day even. Yeah, I think it is a British thing. And yes, it's a... I mean, it's not something that we do day to day. Obviously, it happens once a year, but it is definitely something that if you pop on social media, all of your mates will be doing it and they make a big thing out of it. If you can flip a pancake successfully without dropping it on the floor or sticking it to the ceiling, then you are winning.

Charlie:
Update, regarding the cultures. It is celebrated in English speaking countries like the UK, Ireland, Australia and Canada, in France, the USA and other countries it is called Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. In others like Spain, Italy or Brazil, Shrove Tuesday is at the end of Carnival. On this day, many people eat pancakes, thin, flat cakes made in a pan, which was when I realised that it's called pancake for that reason. Made in a pan. But isn't it annoying when you see the social media, because we're in Australia, we're a day ahead, kind of. You see the social media of somebody making a pancake and it's already Wednesday for us. [Yeah] and we forgot pancake [Oh yeah] Tuesday.

Stacey:
Yeah. Well Pancake day. Shrove Tuesday.

Charlie:
Pancake Day, yeah, Shrove Tuesday. And for non-Christians, I think it would be fair to say that statement. Do you know why we do pancake day? What it's for?

Stacey:
Oh, I don't, actually.

Charlie:
Oh, Go on. [Is it...?] Have a stab in the dark.

Stacey:
It is. I think it's using up the pantry. I think it's the same kind of concept as Fat Tuesday in America where you're using up the leftovers or the last remains of your pantry being the flour and everything because you're about to fast for Lent.

Charlie:
Very good. Ding, ding, ding. Yeah.

Stacey:
Good Christian.

Charlie:
You're a great Christian. Yeah. There we go. That was pancake Shrove Tuesday. Pancake day in general. Do you flip them in the air like a brave man or woman?

Stacey:
I'm a bit of a wuss and I... I prefer food over.... The loss of a pancake would be too traumatic for me, so I don't typically risk it unless it's for the peer pressure or the social media content.

Charlie:
Yes. You don't risk it for a biscuit.

Stacey:
Exactly.

Charlie:
Okay, fair enough. I do. We're coming towards the end of part one, though.

Stacey:
Oh, really? Oh maybe. Maybe I could do part two then.

Charlie:
Yeah.

Stacey:
Okay, I'll end with one more. Okay. So being proud of your garden.

Charlie:
I thought you about say girlfriend then. Being proud of your girlfriend.

Stacey:
For helping you with this podcast.

Charlie:
Proud of that verb you used: bung. Bung anything in it. Are you proud of your garden? Well, we have two balconies that have zero amount of lawn on them.

Stacey:
Yeah, that's true. Let's say if you have a garden and also maybe let's... So let's refer to maybe our parents because they have gardens.

Charlie:
Yes. My parents are very proud of their garden. They spend a lot of time and money on it. Yes.

Stacey:
My parents also, although they have a slightly smaller garden, I would say they are also very proud of it. I mean, my dad works at a garden centre.

Charlie:
Yeah. A bit biased, this anecdote.

Stacey:
What do you mean?

Charlie:
Well, he works at a garden centre, so obviously he's going to be focussed on gardens a bit more.

Stacey:
Yeah, he went to... Oh I need to get this right, the Chelsea Flower Show and exhibited at - I'm pretty sure he exhibited or helped exhibit as a part of one of the exhibitions at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Charlie:
He exhibited at the Chelsea Flower Show, which is where the Queen goes to.

Stacey:
And where all of the beautiful gardens are. Yeah, it's like if you're a garden architect.

Charlie:
Wow. Yeah. Do you know when it exhibits or when it's on?

Stacey:
I'd say it's spring. I have no idea, but that would be my guess.

Charlie:
Okay.

Stacey:
Yeah, yeah. Quite a nice show to go to. So, yes, I do think... My grandma very garden proud. I think it's a generational thing. So I think perhaps when we get to the stage of our lives where we have a garden, we will also be very garden proud.

Charlie:
Yeah, if we get...

Stacey:
I think, I can imagine you having like a veggie patch.

Charlie:
Oh, no, I don't think so.

Stacey:
Yeah. I think you'd be a right geek.

Charlie:
No, I don't think I'll do that. [Really?] No. I see why you said that. Because I'm a bit of a geek anyway, but I don't think that will be me. [Hmm]. Anyway...

Stacey:
Watch this space.

Charlie:
Yeah. Watch this space or don't. That would be very boring to watch. I understand the idea of a lawn going back in history, going back, going back in time was respected as an incredibly wealthy part of society or wealthy signalling basically, because it's excess land that's not for farming.

Stacey:
Wow.

Charlie:
And it's you need extra resources like water to keep it very green and luscious. So it was it was part of I think it was part of royalty and the nobles, they had lawns to show off that they had the capability to keep up a green, a luscious green meadow or no, not meadow. Luscious green [Lawn] Lawn. Exactly.

Stacey:
How interesting.

Charlie:
So there you go. Your parents are noblemen.

Stacey:
So are yours, you've got a spectacular lawn.

Charlie:
Quite hard work for my dad. He's. Is he 70? How old is my dad?

Stacey:
71? No, 70.

Charlie:
70. So that's the end of part one. We're going to go have a pizza now, and then we're going to come back to part two and three. So maybe say goodbye to part one listeners, but obviously encourage them to come back to part two and three, yeah?

Stacey:
Yeah. Okay. Sure. Yeah. Goodbye. Part one, listeners. If you want to come back to part two or part three, we're going to discuss some really fun things like how Charlie plays with his conkers and...

Charlie:
It's not what you think.

Stacey:
Where this derives from: Oh, no, he didn't! [What???] Oh, no, he didn't!

Charlie:
Oh, yes, he did. Do you mean like 'She's behind you!'?

Stacey:
Yeah. So if you want to know what that is all about, [Yeah!] come back.

Charlie:
Yeah, very, very good. Okay, cool. Thank you very much. Yeah, I owe you a pizza. [Yum!] See you guys. Part two or next week.

Stacey:
Byee!

Charlie:
We have come to the end of Part one, so feel free to take a break from your listening practice. But if you're happy to keep going, then we're now moving on to part two of this episode. Thanks so much for being a premium or Academy member and enjoy the rest of the show. All right. Welcome back to part two. We've just had a very big indulgent meal. We had pizza. We didn't have a roast, [No] we had pizza. We were due to go to another pizza restaurant.

Stacey:
It was a new one and I was very excited about it.

Charlie:
We used to have this rule where we had to go to a new place if we wanted to eat out. Every time, it had to be a new place.

Stacey:
So then I could justify it as an experience.

Charlie:
As an experience, yes. But we got there and they said, Sorry, guys, we're sold out.

Stacey:
Can you believe it?

Charlie:
Sold out of pizza. So we got all the way to the top of the high street and then I realised we are blessed to live in an environment that provides us...

Stacey:
We really are.

Charlie:
With three, four... What are they called? Wood fire ovens.

Stacey:
Yeah, well, like wood, stone, stone, fire, whatever it is, the good pizzas.

Charlie:
Well, this purpose for this podcast, it's called English. So don't just say 'whatever it's called'. It's our... It's my job.

Stacey:
I think it's wood fired.

Charlie:
Wood fired? [Yeah.] I did actually Google this before and I've already forgotten. Yeah. Wood fired pizza.

Stacey:
Yeah. And there are... We have many options, so yes, we are blessed.

Charlie:
Oh, both.

Stacey:
Stone fired?

Charlie:
Stone baked pizza.

Stacey:
Oh I think they were stone baked.

Charlie:
Or wood fired. There's two options. [Oh]. I guess. Yeah. Anyway, [Pizza!] Really authentic pizza. You know that dough that is just....Ohhhh!

Stacey:
Like high, like puffy on the sides.

Charlie:
Yes.

Stacey:
And a bit and a bit like charred.

Charlie:
Okay. Yes, a little bit. A little bit. Not too much.

Stacey:
A bit blackened. Little bit.

Charlie:
Anyway, we have four choices on our high street within about 10 minutes walk. [Yeah]. Glorious.

Stacey:
Yeah, we're very lucky.

Charlie:
And we went back to the one that we went to three and a half years ago when we didn't know this neighbourhood. And I was very impressed by the difference between that, that moment and then sitting down just now and I tried to share it with you and that went well, didn't it?

Stacey:
I was too hungry to... I had given all of my good conversation to the podcast Part one, so...

Charlie:
Clearly.

Stacey:
Clearly. I was savouring it for this moment. I was keeping my words in scarcity.

Charlie:
Because you were thinking, right, part two, three listeners. [Yeah], they need the good stuff. [Exactly.] I can't give it to you Charlie.

Stacey:
My whole thought process.

Charlie:
But yeah, so we had a good meal, but I had three pieces too many.

Stacey:
Yeah. You could have stopped a good like 15 minutes before.

Charlie:
Yeah. And then you wanted ice cream and then we got turned away as well.

Stacey:
Yeah, we haven't best of luck tonight.

Charlie:
But we've had good food though at the end of it. End result.

Stacey:
And finishing off with a nice little gin and tonic.

Charlie:
Gin and tonic. Yeah, it's a nice, nice weekend. So we're going to continue with the modern traditions.

Stacey:
I'm going to take the lead, though.

Charlie:
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't worry. Don't worry. The typical British modern traditions. And yeah, as Stacey just said, she's going to take the lead. So what's the next one?

Stacey:
Okay, the next one, kind of sticking to the Christmas theme. Watching the Queen's Speech on Christmas Day.

Charlie:
I occasionally do that as an adult, almost, almost to feel like I'm British.

Stacey:
Really?

Charlie:
What do you do?

Stacey:
We have it on in the house. I mean, typically I'm at home with my parents at Christmas time and we do have it on in the house. I'm going to say it's somewhat in the background, so I don't know if I can say that I'm actively watching the Queen's Speech, but my grandma Daphne watches it.

Charlie:
Right.

Stacey:
And a few members of our family watch it. But the other members are usually having a drink and chatting or. Something. [Yeah]. So...

Charlie:
Getting drunk, getting, getting plastered.

Stacey:
But I do think it is probably broadcast and and turned on at least in most British homes on Christmas Day.

Charlie:
Yeah. I still think it's a tradition. [Yeah, definitely] An active one. [Yeah]. Do you think that you would tune into it more if the queen or king was your generation?

Stacey:
No, [no?] No, [no]. I'm not generally generationalist.

Charlie:
You just don't like anything. Yeah. [No.] No. Okay. Okay. But I was just thinking your grandma watches it.

Stacey:
Yeah. Yeah. Similar age, I do think, actually, maybe if it was... I do think the royals are slightly changing their brand, I guess, and they're being a bit more current and up to date with social media and stuff. So yeah, maybe I might be a bit more interested in it if it was delivered in a different or newer way.

Charlie:
Who would you listen to? Who would you most likely to tune into out of the royals?

Stacey:
Any of the like. Kate and Will, Harry and Meghan. They're not... Are they technically royals anymore? I'm not sure.

Charlie:
Yeah, a bit of a grey area.

Stacey:
But yeah. Any of them four I'd be quite interested in, I guess.

Charlie:
Yeah. Okay. Okay, cool.

Stacey:
Potentially.

Charlie:
But yeah. So it's a, it's a a modern tradition that's still...

Stacey:
Yeah, and I still think it's a part of Christmas. I think at Christmas time where we are the most traditional as British people.

Charlie:
Yeah.

Stacey:
Which you know, just so happens to bring me onto the next one.

Charlie:
Oh, I really, I really wanted to ask something though, that you brought up. [Okay. Yeah]. You, even though you've lived outside of the country for ten years, you seem to go back at Christmas quite often. [Yeah] Yeah? [Christmas...] It's quite a popular thing to do, isn't it. It's, it's, I would say it's the moment in the UK calendar to make sure that you're home.

Stacey:
Yeah. It's a very special, it's, it's our most special holiday.

Charlie:
Yeah.

Stacey:
And yeah. It's the only time where as a family we all have to be together. It's almost like non-negotiable that... You couldn't just, I don't know, decide not to come around for Christmas. It's just not an option.

Charlie:
Yes. [So...] And it's a very, very lonely experience if you don't. [Yeah] Isn't it? It's quite hard for us.

Stacey:
Christmas is hyped up massively. And if you don't have a family Christmas or a a true British Christmas, in a way, I feel a bit lost.

Charlie:
Yeah, yeah.

Stacey:
And underwhelmed. Bit sad.

Charlie:
Yeah. And, and we don't, we don't think of New Year in the same way, do we? Because a lot of Eastern European countries, they think New Year is the day to celebrate. But we we kind of see that as an excuse to get rat arsed, don't we?

Stacey:
I'm not sure if that's what I think.

Charlie:
Ah, you go for Auld Lang's Eye.

Stacey:
Auld Lang Syne. Isn't it?

Charlie:
Is it. Yeah. Yeah it is. Auld Lang Syne.

Stacey:
I don't even know what that means though actually.

Charlie:
Oh, I don't know what it is.

Stacey:
Auld Lang Syne is a song.

Charlie:
Yeah, yeah.

Stacey:
Yeah. I'm just telling your audience. I know you know what it is!

Charlie:
Auld Lang Syne.

Stacey:
Something.

Charlie:
So you guys don't need to know any more information than that. It's just Ohhh

Stacey:
So it's something to forget. De de de de de de de de. I'm giving up. You need to insert a clip of it here.

Singer:
We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for the sake of Auld Lang Syne.

Charlie:
Auld Lang Syne. So that's a song that we sing at New Year's, and that's not why you go, but you don't go to get drunk. What do you go to celebrate New Year's for?

Stacey:
Hmm. I actually think I just get pressured into doing something for New Year's to see the New Year roll in and feel forced to stay up till midnight, even though I'd definitely like to be in bed at 9.30.

Charlie:
I think we did that last year, didn't we?

Stacey:
No, we've always stayed up till past midnight. We've never.

Charlie:
No. I think last year we did it. It was our first time. [No!] I think so.

Stacey:
No. Last year we hung over the balcony.

Charlie:
That sounds like a wild party.

Stacey:
Well, to be fair, it was COVID, and the day of... We were supposed to go over to our friends. And there was going to be, I think, 12 of us? Ten of us? So not a wild house party. We weren't allowed big numbers, but on New Year's Eve the Australian Government reduced the number in a household to six I think. And it was that whole awkward moment where it was really obvious, but some of us had to like pull out of the of the plans. And so I thought instead of being awkwardly asked to not come to a party, we would politely just excuse ourselves and say that they could enjoy the evening and yeah, duck out, shall we say.

Charlie:
Yeah.

Stacey:
So we went to the pub with them that was allowed and then we came home just before midnight and watched the Sydney Harbour Bridge fireworks from our balcony, which we're very lucky to see the Sydney Harbour Bridge from our balcony.

Charlie:
Yeah, I think I cricked my neck in attempting to do so. But [yeah] we still technically had Sydney Harbour view, Sydney.

Stacey:
Harbour Bridge views.

Charlie:
There you go. That one. From our balcony. Yeah, it was good. Anyway, so yes, we listen to the Queen at Christmas in the background. [Yeah] yeah.

Stacey:
Also at Christmas, do we visit the pantomime?

Charlie:
Oh, yes, we do.

Stacey:
Oh, no, we don't.

Charlie:
Oh, yes, we do.

Stacey:
Oh, no, we don't.

Charlie:
So the pantomime is a, I would say, a more amateur feeling theatre production.

Stacey:
Yeah, it's a theatre production, but it's a bit more fun, light hearted.

Charlie:
Yes. And it's often around a traditional children's tale. Like Cinderella.

Stacey:
Yeah. Like a fairy tale.

Charlie:
Yeah. Fairy tale. Yeah. And.

Stacey:
And there's always. I feel that there's always a romantic pairing. Mm hmm. There's always a villain, a baddie. And there's pretty much always a narrator. Would you say?

Charlie:
Yes? Yes. [Yeah]. And whoever Buttons represents in Cinderella, that person is in every other story, I feel like. The comic.

Stacey:
The little helper.

Charlie:
The helper comedian. Yeah. And they often get B-list celebrities to be these actors on in those theatre productions, depending on how...

Stacey:
I love a pantomime.

Charlie:
Yeah, they're good. A panto, you could also say, couldn't you? In our childhood, well, in my teenage years at least, I remember going to quite a few of the pantos where it was like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and they were played by little people. And there was this kind of assumption that a little person, an actor, would get a lot of work at Christmas, which is very politically incorrect nowadays. And I think they've even stopped playing the roles. A little person wouldn't necessarily be assumed to be the dwarf in that kind of role now. It's all very confusing now, but...

Stacey:
Soon they'll have to rename that whole fairy tale to Snow White and the seven little people.

Charlie:
Yeah, or the seven people. The seven helpers. And then it wouldn't necessarily be...

Stacey:
Seven men

Charlie:
Yeah. And women!

Stacey:
Snow White and the seven gender neutral people.

Charlie:
So you don't remember going to any of those?

Stacey:
I don't think I ever went to Snow White. I think I saw Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast maybe. I was in a few pantos.

Charlie:
Oh, well, let's start there.

Stacey:
I was only ever.

Charlie:
Were you Snow White?

Stacey:
I was not. I was only ever like extras. Like townspeople.

Charlie:
Oh. Oh. So they also have about eight female and eight male dancers.

Stacey:
Yeah, I was one of them.

Charlie:
I used to fancy the majority of the dancers and I was like only 10 to 15 when I went. And I was just like starting to understand, Oh, females, hello. And you'd often wear them, like, slightly revealing costumes.

Stacey:
Would you now?

Charlie:
No, you, not me. Did you?

Stacey:
Just imagine you sat in the audience in your slightly revealing costume. No. I think as a townsperson, I didn't I wasn't wearing anything like somewhat revealing. But...

Charlie:
You know what? I'm actually confusing it with the lead actor being played by a female.

Stacey:
And that was quite common.

Charlie:
And like Peter Man...(?) Peter Pan. Yeah, was often played by a female and the female for some reason would have her legs on show. [Yeah.] And just have like, like, I don't know what. What would be there?

Stacey:
What? Peter Pan? Like a leotard with a, like a green kaftan.

Charlie:
I don't know that word.

Stacey:
Like a tunic.

Charlie:
Yes. I'll go with tunic.

Stacey:
Like a jagged tunic.

Charlie:
A jagged tunic.

Stacey:
That's exactly what it is.

Charlie:
It is actually.

Singer:
Yeah.

Charlie:
Anyway, they'd have their legs out. I found that weird because a male wouldn't necessarily go for that.

Stacey:
Yeah, but it's very in-character. Peter Pan is quite a young boy. So imagine having like a 50 year old hairy man with giant hairy legs playing the role of Peter Pan.

Charlie:
Oh, that makes sense.

Stacey:
Yeah.

Charlie:
Yeah. Okay. Okay. Now I understand, guys.

Stacey:
Realisation happening right here.

Charlie:
Right here. So pantos are still very much a thing. We bloody love one. And what we were saying earlier. [Yeah]. Why were we saying that?

Stacey:
There's a few traditional things that happen in pantomimes and I think it's just a thing that everyone grows up knowing how to react or what to do in pantomime.

Charlie:
Imagine a non-native in a theatre audience. They would be so confused.

Stacey:
But you'd catch on quick because everyone does it. So I feel like it's... You just know. So there's a few things that happen, if I can remember correctly. So one is usually the Buttons of the, of the characters. So the helper, the, the kind of comedian of the characters usually is saying when you see the baddie or when you see the villain, you need to shout, he's behind you or whatever. And so usually the villain will like creep up at some point, any point throughout the pantomime. And the whole audience shouts 'He's behind you! He's behind you!' And then the character will look behind them and he'll just have disappeared and they'll be like, 'Are you lying? This is... He's not behind me,' that type of thing.

Charlie:
Yeah. And, and that happens often with like five people on a bench and it does a whole cycle like four or five times until the final person realises, [yeah], he is behind you. Yeah.

Stacey:
And then the other one is I think the most important one in a way is where one of the characters, usually the baddie, I feel like it's the villain says something like, Oh no, she didn't. And then the audience says.

Charlie:
Oh, yes she did.

Stacey:
Or something along those lines. [Yeah], and it's really fun. You kind of scream. Everyone's like screaming at the the characters on stage and it's very interactive. And then sometimes they split the audience in half and get half of them to sing and then half of them to, I don't know, cheer louder or something like that. And it's very.

Charlie:
Yes. And another one is at the end, they bring four or five really cute children.

Stacey:
On the stage.

Charlie:
From the audience.

Stacey:
Yeah.

Charlie:
And they are.

Stacey:
Terrifying as a child. [Did you do it?]. I would, no. I would literally sink into my seat like, please don't pick me, please don't pick me.

Charlie:
I never went on. But they would always ask, what's your name and why are you here? And who are you with, something like that? And it would always end up in being absolutely hysterical. Like, I don't know how they managed to do it, but every time there was one kid in that group that was just hilarious, without meaning to be.

Stacey:
Kids are just funny.

Charlie:
Yeah, I suppose so. And then they would get a little party bag.

Stacey:
Oh, ah. Oh, yeah. They do like to throw sweets into the audience as well. I like that part. That's the reason I went.

Charlie:
Yeah. And sometimes they would get super soakers and [Oh] and squirt the audience.

Stacey:
Oh yeah. I suppose. [Yeah] yeah.

Charlie:
Very interactive theatre production.

Stacey:
I love a pantomime. Can't wait to go. I'm going to try and go this year.

Charlie:
Oh, yes, you can.

Stacey:
Oh, no, I can't.

Charlie:
All right. Well, yeah, Panto, I feel like we've covered most of it. That's it done. And I think that's part two done.

Stacey:
Wonderful.

Charlie:
Okay, let's go on to part three. Sounds good. We have come to the end of part two now. So again, feel free to pause the episode to take a break from your listening practice and come back to the last part when you're ready. All right. So moving on to part three now. Enjoy. All right. Back with part three. What have we got to start us off with?

Stacey:
Okay. We're starting off with the most random so far, something that... This has to only be in British culture. And it's something you did as a child and it involves conkers.

Charlie:
Why do you think that that's only a British thing?

Stacey:
Because it's so random and niche that it just has to.

Charlie:
Interesting. Maybe...

Stacey:
I feel like... I don't know why I imagine this, but I feel like playground activities just feel very British to me.

Charlie:
What, all playground activities?

Stacey:
Yeah. I don't know why. I just feel like, you know, we've got our little uniforms on. I was wearing a hat.

Charlie:
What do you think other countries do?

Stacey:
And there's a conker tree nearby.

Charlie:
I'll give you. I'll give you if you say I feel like playground games are pretty culture based. I'm sure British Bulldog isn't a popular thing in Japan.

Stacey:
I don't even know what British Bulldog is.

Charlie:
What? You know, when you chase one another from one side of the playground to the other, and it's kind of like rugby, but tagging.

Stacey:
Like tag rugby?

Charlie:
Yeah, but it's not the same, it's a bit different.

Stacey:
I've never really...

Charlie:
There's no ball.

Stacey:
Oh. So it's just like tag?

Charlie:
Yeah, you've just got to get one side to the other.

Stacey:
Ah. I do feel that maybe I've once heard of this, but I, I've maybe forgotten.

Charlie:
Okay. Yeah, well, it's been a while. It's been 32 years.

Stacey:
It's not been 32 years. It's been like, well, since primary school, it's been 22 years.

Charlie:
Good maths on you. [Yeah]. No, that's right. Actually.

Stacey:
I was ten in primary school.

Charlie:
Okay. Yeah. That was the peak of your British bulldog years. [Yeah]. Okay, so...

Stacey:
Conkers.

Charlie:
Conkers, conkers. So conkers are from a conker tree or a chestnut tree, I suppose.

Stacey:
Oh, yes, yeah, yeah.

Charlie:
And we eat chestnuts, don't we?

Stacey:
Mm hmm. Also at Christmastime.

Charlie:
Oh, lovely. We don't throw them in the audience of a pantomime, though.

Stacey:
No.

Charlie:
But we do throw them at each other or each other's own conkers in the playground. Yeah. So the game is to go and pick your, your favourite conker and the, the, the interesting thing about it is that it's like cased in this like.

Stacey:
Spikey, green...

Charlie:
This cage that's like, don't touch me.

Stacey:
Yeah, I forget that.

Charlie:
And yeah, very unappealing. And yet we go for the best of the best.

Stacey:
You have to rip open this spiky outer layer. [Yeah]. Probably get a few needles in your fingers. [Yeah]. And then you tear it open and you're faced with a beautiful little round buttony nugget of conker.

Charlie:
Brilliant. And then you put it through a string.

Stacey:
No, no, no. You thread a string through the conker.

Charlie:
Yes, the other way round.

Stacey:
So usually I'd get my dad to, like, get out a hammer or a drill, pop a little hole through the centre of the conker, thread a string through, and then the idea of the game is that you have one opponent, there's two of you playing against each other. You hold the conker, one of you holds your conker down on a piece... on its piece of string. And the other one basically has to kind of fling their conker at your conker using the string and just basically smash it as hard as they can. And the winner of the game is the person who breaks the other person's conker.

Charlie:
Perfectly put, yeah, exactly. And often I feel like it was played when you were waiting for the school bus.

Stacey:
Oh, yeah.

Charlie:
Yeah, [yeah] It's quite a common [Yeah] thing to do.

Stacey:
Or definitely waiting for the bell to ring, like at break time or before school.

Charlie:
Oh, not at the boxing ring.

Stacey:
No, no. Yeah. Just, you know.

Charlie:
School bell.

Stacey:
Yes, that one.

Charlie:
Nearby us right now in Sydney, there's this school bell that is very advanced and it's in the in the form of the Lion King theme tune.

Stacey:
Yeah, the circle of life.

Charlie:
The circle of life. And for about two years I thought it was a neighbour, didn't I?

Stacey:
Yeah, I thought so too because we do have a neighbour that likes to sing kind of, you know, Lion King, Aladdin, those types of songs with I guess their child and having bath time and stuff. And that's what I thought where it was coming from as well. But no.

Charlie:
But yeah, it's the actual school bell telling the kids...

Stacey:
Every morning at 8.45 ish. Yeah. And it's just like the Circle of Life.

Charlie:
And yeah, it's the start of the school day. But yeah, I thought it was a kid that absolutely loves Lion King.

Stacey:
I mean, what a lovely, yeah, what a lovely sound to be welcomed into school to.

Charlie:
Yeah. So they put down their conkers and in they go. So, yeah, that's conkers. Nice.

Stacey:
Very random.

Charlie:
Very random. All right, let's go for one more quick one.

Stacey:
Okay. Maybe a couple of quick ones, all under the umbrella topic of summer in the UK.

Charlie:
Okay. Are you going to pay for the transcribing of this one then?

Stacey:
Definitely not. Something that's very short lived in the UK. We'll go quick, I'll try and do a rapid round and stop you yapping. But yes, some stereotypes or some traditions, are we saying?

Charlie:
Definitely traditions.

Stacey:
Traditions for UK summer. Doing a spot of gardening on a bank holiday.

Charlie:
I really like that because I don't think it's called bank holiday in other countries as much.

Stacey:
I wasn't aware of that.

Charlie:
I think they're called holiday, what are they called in...?

Stacey:
Public Holidays.

Charlie:
Public holidays, [yeah]. Or national holidays, maybe in America, in America.

Stacey:
Public holidays I'm pretty sure.

Charlie:
Okay. And then so that's part of it. And then doing a spot of something is quite a British phrase.

Stacey:
Yes.

Charlie:
And then gardening. That sounds, yeah,

Stacey:
Very British.

Charlie:
Yeah. Take care of your garden. [Yeah]. Be proud of your garden.

Stacey:
I would agree. I think people associate a bank holiday with either a trip or gardening.

Charlie:
I wouldn't have.

Stacey:
or DIY, actually.

Charlie:
Again, I wouldn't have, [Really?] But in America, sorry to bang on about America all the time, but it was quite an interesting experience to compare the two cultures. And because we get more holidays in the UK, they make the most of their long weekends, don't they? A lot more.

Stacey:
Yeah, okay.

Charlie:
So I think a bank holiday for us is more like just go for a little relax in the garden. Whereas they would maybe go to another state and have a little event or holiday.

Stacey:
Yeah. Okay. I see what you mean. Well, I think it is a very, as we've established, I think being garden proud is a very British thing, so...

Charlie:
In Australia we've noticed that there's not much of that.

Stacey:
No.

Charlie:
Pride in their gardens.

Stacey:
There's probably some. We've maybe not been exposed to it.

Charlie:
I'm I'm stereotyping. But still by my sisters, it's more like a swimming pool. [Very true.] No real lawn. [Yeah.] And then just like an iron fence.

Stacey:
Yeah, that's very true.

Charlie:
Metal fence.

Stacey:
Yeah. And it's a yard, not a garden.

Charlie:
Yeah, yeah, it's more like a yard.

Stacey:
This is a yard.

Charlie:
Yeah, yeah. But a yard feels a bit less like [Yeah] a rose bed would be included.

Stacey:
I'm envisioning our future garden with a rose bed.

Charlie:
I'm not having a vegetable patch.

Stacey:
You will.

Charlie:
No way.

Stacey:
You're going to eat your words. And then the vegetables. Okay. The last one on the summer theme is barbecuing at the first hint of sunshine. And this one I strongly agree with because my family for all summer, they will do any... Have... They don't need any excuse to eat a meal outside on the barbecue.

Charlie:
I agree. I would like to say why is it British though? Surely anyone in any country does that when they get a bit of good weather.

Stacey:
Yeah, true. I think it's just that it's so rare for us that... For Aussies it would be like, well, for many Australians it would be like barbecuing all year round, which they do actually. But in the UK I feel like it's a very seasonally specific thing and they like to make the most of it.

Charlie:
I see what you mean. Yeah, yeah. Making the most of it. That does create a bit more urgency at the first moment of sun. Get the barbecue out. [Yeah] Yes, yes. Fair enough.

I think...

And it is a thing.

Stacey:
Brits in general are quite sun worshipping in a way like we.

Charlie:
Yeah. And we're idiots about it, aren't we?

Stacey:
Very un-sun-safe. Unsafe. [Yeah]. Need to up our SPF but yeah I think we, we like follow the sun like if we will we'll point in the direction. My mum will literally move her chair to face the sun, whichever way it's pointing.

Charlie:
Yeah. Yeah, definitely. When I, when I went to Chile I would sit in the, this rubbish little balcony bit in between my, the 50 minute break every hour between my classes, I would sit in that tiny bit of sun and my Chilean manager would come over and be like, Have you not heard of cancer? [Oh!] What are you doing? And I was like, Why don't you join me? Like, this is... This is great. I've got a bit of sun. [Yeah]. Such a different mentality. [Definitely] So stupid of us. [Yeah] But yeah. There we go. So getting a barbie on or getting the barbecue out?

Stacey:
Yeah.

Charlie:
Not Barbie, not Aussie, at the first sign of sun. It's good. I like that. Thank you very much.

Stacey:
You're very welcome.

Charlie:
Yeah, very British. Would you say that we have, uh, said that we are many of these traditions?

Stacey:
Yes. Oh, I think we will be. I think we will be, perhaps when we have a garden.

Charlie:
When we go back to the UK.

Stacey:
When we have a barbecue because we don't own a barbecue currently, but you do love a little bit of a barbecue in Australia, even though we don't have one. You like going to the public barbecue area.

Charlie:
True. Yeah, it's happened twice. Yeah.

Stacey:
Yeah. Feel like you're going to come into your own and wear a... You're going to get an apron that is your barbecue apron.

Charlie:
Yeah.

Stacey:
And you will clean the barbecue to full extent.

Charlie:
Yeah, I will do that. I will do that. Yeah. Well, until then.

Stacey:
Are we leaving it here?

Charlie:
Yeah. I can't really think of how to end until then. Until that barbecue apron. Uh, you're in charge of cooking. I've said that twice in this episode. I just want to confirm that I think we agree that I do a bit more in the House than you.

Stacey:
Definitely, you're a domestic.

Charlie:
But I did say many, many moons ago, I said that the the chef slash the chef gets to do less hours because it's more like the artist.

Stacey:
Yeah.

Charlie:
The artist doesn't have to put as many hours in as the admin.

Stacey:
I agree. Although occasionally I do cook meals that take quite a long time.

Charlie:
Here we go. It's coming out now.

Stacey:
The pancakes this morning took me over an hour.

Charlie:
It's true. [Yeah] They took ages. [Yeah]. Even?

Stacey:
Even.

Charlie:
Even Steven.

Stacey:
We can shake on it.

Charlie:
There we go. All right. Thank you very much though. Appreciate it. Appreciate you.

Stacey:
Appreciate you, babe.

Charlie:
Oh, thanks. All right. Thank you very much, guys. See you next time. Bye. Bye.

Stacey:
Bye.

Charlie:
There we go. The end of part three, meaning the end of the episode. Well done for getting through the entirety of it. Make sure you use all of the resources available to you in your membership. Thanks once again for supporting the show and I look forward to seeing you next time on the British English podcast.

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Podcast host: Charlie:
This will be quite a bit harder for you to understand, as there are a number of accents in the conversation, some poorly delivered at times, as you will notice.

Podcast host: Charlie:
But the aim is to give you a variety of dialects in one conversation and some dialogue to give you native expressions in context. So enter, if you will, to Charlie's pub and his imaginary world.

Character: Mike:
Alright geezer, how's it going?

Character: Chris:
Yes, I'm well thanks. How about you? Have you had a good day?

Character: Mike:
Can't say good mate. No my old man he's been giving me a right old earful for what happened on site last week.

Character: Chris:
Oh that's a pity. Are you back on your dad's building project again?

Character: Mike:
Sad to say mate, but yeah, I am. Couldn't resist this one though. Cash in hand, you know.

Character: Chris:
Oh fair play, hard to resist those I imagine. Oh, here she is.

Character: Emily:
Oh, hi.

Character: Chris:
I was wondering if you're ever going to join us tonight.

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About Your Teacher

Charlie Baxter

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