to want ^Typical English^ tourist spots to have English people serving you?

[IwantJoansbag]

I expect to get flamed for this and called all-sorts, but I don't care.
I'm genuinely curious.

We went out for the day yesterday and stopped off at 3 well-known English tourist spots.
Glastonbury, Cheddar and Wells. (with a little stop off at a pretty little 'supposedly' English market-garden type place - selling Strawberries, Plums, etc) plus we stopped off at an outlet village.

It just seemed wrong that at EVERY place we stopped we were served by Eastern Europeans. I didn't hear ONE English accent (except in the shops), but all the eateries and stalls.... foreign accents.

If I go to a Beer Festival in Germany, its nice to be served by somebody with a German Accent - it adds to the atmosphere.
If I were to go to New York and eat in China Town - its great if the majority of people are Chinese.
Stopping off in a typical Italian Pizza place and the people are mainly Italian! You expect a bit of authenticity.

So, is it too much to ask the same happens in England?
It must be disappointing for the tourists when they come here.

For the record:- I am ONLY talking about typical tourist spots and I've got nothing against people coming to our country to work, but I think that some places (tourist spots where you expect things to be traditional) they should have mainly English people dealing with the public.

I live in Wells and the OP doesn't add up.
The only places I can think of that are staffed by Eastern Europeans are the little takeaway vans in Clark's Village.
These 'eateries' are burger van affairs that sell coffee & doughnuts. I have never had a problem with the staff there when grabbing a quick coffee.
I wouldn't class somewhere that sells cheap clothes an English Experience so why you would chose to go there for some culture I am not sure?
Maybe for a more 'English' experience you should've gone to one of the many wonderful cafés in Glastonbury? Or headed out of Clarks Village in to Street high street and had lunch in an independent cafe/bakery?
As others have said what is English? (It certainly isn't latte & doughnuts OP!) People come to this country to work the same way as some of my friends are now living in New York, Tokyo, Perth etc working. Should my friends not work in any public-facing establishments for fear of not giving the customer a true American/Japanese/Australian experience?

I'm reminded of a very old interview with Thatcher, when she was talking about being a working mother in a time where this was not the norm.

She explained she had childcare and that her children were fine because she had (and this is a direct quote) "a lovely English nanny". And yes, she did stress "English". So presumably it wouldn't have been okay if the nanny was Welsh. I wonder if an American nanny who could trace her lineage back on both sides to the Pilgrim fathers would have been considered?

I have an image in my head of Hyacinth Bucket opining that 'A naice English girl would have made a proper English Americano'

Probably just me, but then I'm Scottish so what would I know. I've clearly not been to England for a while either, since I don't remember Ye Olde Outlet Village being a traditional local attraction

OP you may not be intending to be offensive, but please be assured that you are succeeding.

OP if you are a newbie who misjudged or expressed yourself badly or have subsequently refined your position, come back and do a mea culpa.

It's a rite of passage and it will get you off a few shit lists

Katie, people are generally happy to chat about themselves, so if it was their home town that would become evident from conversation, also if they were from 50 miles away, etc.

I think someone who has lived somewhere other than their birthplace for 30 years is a naturalised local, though birth locals may not agree.

30 years eh? Still time to serve a west country doughnut without opprobrium if i get my skates on then. What do I do for work for the first three decades?

Take it up with Katie, Arsenic. I was quoting her timeframe.

Oh sorry. I'm lost now.

Katie post at 11.43.21, Arsenic :)

Well, I must say - this thread turned out splendidly, just as I suspected.

Thanks I think

I think the reaction to the OP is predictable but slightly off the point. In my view globalisation, and the massive migration of peoples around the world seeking better lives, has meant that all cultures are slowly losing their distinctive identities. Some see this melting pot as something to rejoice at, I personally don't. Taken to its inevitable conclusion in say 50 years there will be nothing to distinguish cultures/countries from one another - aside from the remnants visible in architecture and possibly food. This is something to be mourned.

In addition, a thought experiment for those who shout "racist" at the OP. Say you go on holiday to Iceland, Egypt or Nigeria and everywhere you go you're served by English people. Driving the cabs, staffing your hotel, serving you coffee... I defy you not to feel that this is an odd state of affairs and that perhaps, just perhaps, the culture you're visiting has lost a little something.

Excuse me?
Flip flop is the one who finds it so great to meet locals. Whatever they may be. I merely asked for clarification as to what she considered a local to be, as her post suggested this was a subjective judgement based only upon accent. I then asked if a non Brit who had lived in an area for 30 years but had a foreign accent would be considered local.
Please do not wilfully misinterpret my posts.
IME casual visitors do not consider a person with a markedly different accent to be local. Along with many people in the actual community.

I am confused can you be English and Black?, I thought English was an ethnicity not a Nationality? You can be Black and British right because British is a Nationality.

OP I'm loving your use of formatting in this thread - your consistent use of bolding and italics and the sadly neglected underline function is really good!

Much contested point of nerdiness TheXxed. The census categories confused the whole issue.

Arsenic its v confusing I usually tick the box Black British (I am actually mixed race).

I think Op does have a bit if point about tourists wanting local though. When I go to Barcelona I want things that are Spanish served by people that are Spanish.There are many shops that are run by other nationalities. They are all very similar and sell similar items. I think there now too many. It's not about colour,race etc because I would equally disappointed if they were Swiss, Polish, American whatever.

However when we went to the Chinese restaurant in Barcelona I didn't want it full of Spanish waiters/waitresses. I wanted to experience how Chinese food works in Spain. I'm sure it would have been equally nice cooked by the British or the French workers but would have missed the point.
I don't think it's racist or Xenophobic, it's not wanting every place in the world to feel the same.

LEMmingaround - fair comment! My ability to recognise accents is non-existent so I sympathize totally.

Katie, I directed Arsenic to your post because she was mocking my reference to 30 years (see my reply to your post, and Arsenic's reply). No-one has misinterpreted your post.

Revealall, you've made my point far better than I could!

I am going to tell you guys something that may blow a few minds Bangladeshis run 85-90% of the Indian restaurants in the UK.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/jan/08/britains-curry-crisis-chefs-immigration

Surely it's a reflection of uk being diverse - I don't get what the problem is?

Ell Oh Ell at this thread title

how is it possible to give the merest fuck about this?