The 40 things that make Britons cultured in the Independent

[bodenbiscuit]

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/from-vintage-markets-to-knowing-how-to-say-quinoa-the-top-40-things-that-apparently-make-britons-cultured-10508927.html?cmpid=facebook-post

How accurate?

I have only 27.

30 but it feels very old fashioned. Also very London centric and moneyed. I don't agree that you have to be rich and in London to be cultured.

Bit of an odd list. 'Read wikipedia articles'?
O RLY?
Surely reading textbooks/ serious non-fiction would be more highbrow?

Agree it is nonsense. Watching daytime TV makes you cultured ?! Surely huge swathes of the Brititsh working age population don't watch countdown to be able to 'get the conundrum' as they are out at work . Lots of other weird ones too.

*British

Yeah I thought that about Wikipedia articles. Maybe it's to do with wanting to look things up in the first place?

Maybe they mean the wiki vortex where you look up Modern Pentathlon and four hours later you're reading about the different methods of harvesting maple syrup, with no clear idea of how you got there.

Most of the cultural signifiers on this list are nonsense. It was sponsored by Yakult, a purveyor of "cultured" drinks.

So it tells us what the drinkers of this odd tasting liquid think, when put on the spot. It's hardly a representative sample of culture.

33. I have actually been to 2 operas, 2 classical concerts, a play and a ballet in the last 10 days.

I got 29, but I'm not British. If I can substitute baseball for cricket, then I'll have 30.

Can recognise paintings?

How many? Obviously I can recognise some, but not every painting.

Questions are crap. Avoid generic superstore furniture?

I wouldn't buy furniture from Argos but I might from m&s or even some stuff from Ikea.

I reckon I get 31. If I wasn't allergic to coffee and tea (even herbal) I would get 33.

I think I ought to get another point for listening to jazz which is just as cultured as classical IMHO.

'Know about cheese' I can confirm I am fully aware of cheese.

Watch films with subtitles? Don't they mean with the subtitles turned off?

'Put on an accent to pronounce foreign words' Do they mean 'Pronounce foreign words correctly'?

Yes, it seems very slanted towards the 'Wealth=Culture' POV.

32. I dislike meat, politics and sports.

'Can recognise paintings?

How many? Obviously I can recognise some, but not every painting.'

The sort of paintings you get on the lids of posh biscuit tins.

I'm failing on the knowing cuts of meat one due to being vegetarian. I enjoy these things but do think they're a load of nonsense.

Being able to read music is a good one, Wikipedia not so much.

Thats just rubbish tbh.

What on earth is the relationship betwen 'visting a farmshop' and having some culture???
Or do they mean 'you are the right sort of MC person who will go to a farmshop therefore you are cultured'?

I go to the farm shop to buy hay and chicken feed.

I suspect they mean a different type of farm shop.

And if you live in central London you could be very cultured but nowhere near a farm shop. Maybe a posh deli would count? Or Borough market?

Weird. I got 36 but I'm not sure that's much to be proud of, tbh, given the strangeness of some of the statements. Agree with Mischief about 'foreign words'. Unless they mean affectedly saying 'Paree' rather than 'Paris'?

Later I will be watching 'Beck' on BBC4, which has subtitles....no choice, as it isn't dubbed. Does that make me posh?

It is a ridiculous list and a poorly thought out article. I got 35 but it means absolutely nothing.

'put on an accent to pronounce foreign words' - sounds like there is a fine line between being cultured and being a pretentious wanker!

i think there are very few really cultured people in the uk, most sort of do it because they have to rather than go to see plays etc because they really enjoy it