I'm an Anglophile

and I'm okay with that

The Royal Navy’s history with King Kamehameha I is evident in the inclusion of the Union Jack in the Hawaii State flag. ©iStock.com/Andrea Izzotti

After working with British colleagues and having them as friends for the past 15 years, I’ve taken on some British-isms. For example, “cheers” as in thank you, but I have not brought myself to say, “Cheers, mate” because that’s taking it too far.

Knackered (tired) is another great word, and sometimes I say it wrong, like k-nackered, just to have fun with it. There’s also splash out, gobsmacked, chuffed, gutted, cheeky, and the horrible visuals, “tits up” and “pissing down”.

Whenever I heard accents on TV, I tried to mimic them. I think this is why my South Carolina accent is passable. And why I say on-velope instead of envelope and i-thr, instead of either. Funnily, I didn’t realize I said these words this way until someone pointed this out, probably in high school.

Growing up, I gravitated towards British authors like Agatha Christie, historical fiction by Philippa Gregory, and music from The Alan Parsons Project. And my goodness, who didn’t swoon over Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice?

Andrew Davies 1995 adaptation

Dear god, I need a moment.

You’re right. It might be time to watch it again.

When I started teaching abroad, I had no idea that I would work with folks from around the world. My focus was on the students and the country I would be living in, not the other expatriates. But it turns out, your colleagues are who you hangout with, who you become friends with and I’ve enjoyed learning more about this fascinating culture through them.

Meg, who I met in Ecuador, opened up my world to other BBC historical dramas, and so I went on a spree, watching Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South, the 2006 version of Jane Erye, Wuthering Heights with Tom Hardy, 2008’s Sense & Sensibility, Little Dorrit, Bleak House, Mansfield Park, Persuasion, Cranford, Wives and Daughters, Northanger Abbey, and Lark Rise to Candleford.

Cranford (highly recommend) TV series 2007-2009

To be clear, I’m not a big TV consumer. I read every night, but I don’t watch TV every night. If I watch something, it’s going to be a British panel show. Thanks to my friend Henry, I’m hooked on Taskmaster and WILTY, and occasionally, I check out 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, The Big Fat Quiz, and IQ. And naturally, I live and wait for Netflix to release the next season of The Great British Bake Off.

When I was with my Canadian friend, Julia, shopping through Chiang Mai’s Saturday Walking Street, I pointed out doilies, glass figurines, and other bits that I ooo-ed and ahhh-ed over. She burst out laughing, proclaiming, “Lani, you have the taste of an 80 year old grandma!”

And therein lies my clue, methinks, as to why I gravitate towards most things British. I have the soul of an old lady who’d rather be crocheting blankets, reading cozy mysteries, and faffing about in the garden.

Julian Fellows wrote one of my favorite movies, Gosford Park. I adore British comedians (I mean, God Save the King, they all seem to write novels in their spare time). And why, yes, The Beatles are my favorite band. Why do you ask?

On the menu

🫘 Red Lentil Spinach Soup ~ easy peasy lemon squeezy

🥣 Miso Veggie Stir Fry ~ add some ginger, yo

🖥️ Louis Theroux on Theo Von ~ worlds collide and it’s fantastic

🎶 “Dung Beetle” ~ original music video with AI

😮 Different Perspectives on 'Enough' ~ where I was one of four interviewed

Right, that’s me sorted. Hope all is well and wonderful in your world. Ta! xo