A Tale of Two Cities
by Tamara Gilkes
As a student who is currently studying abroad in London, I have been bombarded with new experiences, a new culture and many other things that greatly differ from the United States. I do not look for the exit while in the underground, but rather for the ‘way out.’ I must look right first when crossing the road and it’s not the subway, but rather the tube (pronounced ‘chube’).
While embarking on this trip, I had every intention of gaining new knowledge about a different culture and I expected to feel a degree of culture shock. Instead, I found it is not the adaptation to a new culture that has created the most unrest, it is how easily I have adapted. Piccadilly Circus looks just like Times Square, my walk to campus often feels like I’m walking through parts of New York City and I don’t have to go more than two blocks to get a Starbucks coffee.
The problem with this is that many American students are coming abroad and are able to live their lives in London without stepping outside of their boundaries. They can eat McDonalds and Subway all day, go to the American Diner at night, watch re-runs of CSI and watch a football game (and I don’t mean soccer here) at the American pubs that litter the streets around London, never once realizing that they are across the Atlantic. Too many students are finding it far too easy to stay within their comfort zones of what is the most American and least European.
But finding British culture proves to be quite the feat. The national dish of England is not fish and chips or anything of that sort, but rather Chicken Tikka Masala. I have tried different types of ethnic food that I never even tried in New York because it is that plentiful. London itself has become this mish-mosh of many different cultures.
My experience while in London has been a conscious effort to inject myself into British culture, but it takes quite an effort. I have made many different treks across town either by foot, bus or tube in order to explore; I have tried eating at different places, including taking a stab at fish and chips; I have tried to mingle with the locals. It is often disappointing how hard I must try in order to avoid anything American.
As disappointing as it is to see so many familiar American names and companies, perhaps “American” is just another culture that London can add to their list of many that have nestled their way into the city. As unfortunate as it is to run into American shops on every block, I would only welcome British companies in New York. It is part of the New York identity to be able to get anything and everything within the five boroughs. Though many may beg to differ, I would not say that New York has lost its culture because of this, but rather has fleshed it out.
In small doses, it may be acceptable to occasionally dine in for a familiar meal at the American Diner, just as I would eat Greek or Japanese food. But while I am here I will make a conscious effort to see all that is Britain, including places outside of London, encompassing all that is British culture from the Anglo-Saxon tradition to the newest cultural invasions.
