Christianity (slightly) Defined...

For some reason among many of my Asian friends, there is a slight misunderstanding about Christianity. The common view among educated Japanese friends, for example, seems to be that you might be Christian, or Catholic. That they're two separate things. In fact Catholics are Christians, and they're one of many (many!) branches of Christianity. 

Christianity seems to be popular as a modern thing in a lot of Asia (in Chinese diaspora communities, for example, as well as in South Korea, apparently). And of course there are the older, large communities in places such as the Philippines, which are more likely to be Catholics. But Christianity is not the big and ancient deal here that it is in Europe. So I guess for those practicing other religions or philosophies, it's not so widely understood either.

In fact, there are a gazillion types of Christianity! All are Christians, and believe in Jesus, but might believe or practice slightly differently. The different groups are often referred to as 'denominations', and within those there might be other variations and offshoot groups! Some might be modern variations, some quite ancient ones. Examples of these groups and sub-groups are Eastern Orthodox, Protestants, Catholics, Methodists, United Reformists, Anglicans, Baptists, Presbyterians etc. There are many more. The Catholics are the largest denomination globally.

My British family (self included) would not call themselves at all religious (and of course the Asian and other global family includes all sorts of other philosophies and faiths too!) but we are theoretically Protestants, which in the UK is sometimes also called Church of England (though there are few layers in between, I think!). Protestantism was formed about 500 years ago and now makes up about 40% of Christians worldwide. In rural England, I was also sent to a Catholic Convent taught by nuns for primary school education (because it offered the best local schooling!) And I remember that the Catholic children there would do certain things like 'take communion' (which to a child entailed eating an interesting-looking biscuit and drinking from a goblet offered by a priest!) which the other, non-Catholic children would not. But we all muddled in and said the same prayers (a lot of them - start of day, end of day; before meals, after meals!) and it was generally quite accepting for everyone. 

Unlike many parts of Asia, religion is seen as a fairly personal thing in the modern UK. You don't need to state it on any official documents, and it is considered rude socially (and I think illegal professionally) to ask anyone which religion they practice. You can choose to practice strictly or vocally, or not at all.  (Though in general people don't enjoy being preached to about religions in social or professional situations either!) There is no official religion in the UK, and in modern times I think it might be considered 'multi-faith', though Christianity (in various forms) has been the main one for some centuries.

Photo: The famous cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, in Paris, France, looking pretty at night. (This one is Catholic, and was built about 700 years ago :) )


Photo credit: Wikipedia 

Also on this Blog: 

November the 5th, fireworks and gruesome murder

On or Off? The Shoe Thing

A SE Asian friend recently commented how disgusting it was that some people wore outdoor shoes inside the house.

In most cultures in East and South East Asia, shoes are removed before entering any home. In Japan, even the tiniest apartments are usually designed with a hallway space for changing and leaving shoes. And across SE Asia, most places will have similar spaces, and/or racks for shoe storage outside the front door.

Inside Asian homes either bare feet or house slippers are worn. Which (assuming the home is also kept clean) ensures much more hygienic floors.

But in Europe, we often wear our outside shoes indoors.

For most UK homes, wearing shoes inside - or not - is usually just family preference. Some owners prefer guests to remove footwear; others don't. My family - which has Asian influence - would remove shoes and wear warm socks or slippers inside. But unless the outdoor shoes are very muddy or dirty (and don't forget there are hefty doormats for wiping them before entry, too) it is not generally seen as disgusting or insulting to wear them inside.

There are reasons for this. It is not just Europeans being unhygienic!

In East/SE Asia, traditionally, floors were/are used for sitting and sleeping on. But in many parts of Europe we have never really done that. Floors have one purpose: walking on. And not barefoot (too cold!) Even basic Anglo Saxon homes - in England, over 1000 years ago - used benches to sit on, and raised beds to sleep on. And earlier Roman counterparts had even smarter furniture!

Due to harsh winter climates, modest Anglo Saxon homes, for example, also housed livestock for part of the year. The family depended on these creatures for milk, meat, etc - because there is no harvest for the bleak months - and nobody wanted these precious animals to die of cold. But obviously, nobody wants to sit on THAT floor, either!

Reconstructed Anglo Saxon home

Regardless of creatures, a European floor would also be the coldest, dampest and draughtiest place to be. Far better (and maybe healthier) to be on something elevated, like a bench or a chair. You'll probably find public announcements even today in the West (plus countless parents instructing their children) "Keep Your Shoes Off the Furniture". We also don't want to sit in outdoor dirt!

Basically, floors have never been a social place in the UK, and many other European cultures.

In tropical SE Asia, by comparison, the cooler floor area was a good place to be. Also, the architecture in places like early Malaysia and Indonesia was different - with traditional wooden buildings raised above the soil. This was to allow air to circulate underneath, and through the floor - for even better cooling! In the absence of winters, livestock were kept underneath the building, not inside. So it made perfect sense to use the already raised floor as a seating, social and eating space.

Malay 'kampung' home raised on stilts

Even in temperate climates like Japan, traditional buildings were generally raised a little above the ground. And the floor - covered with tatami - was (and still is sometimes today) used for sitting and sleeping. So again, it was imperative that floors were immaculate and free from outside dirt. 

There is also some suggestion that Chinese cultures believed that barefoot walking (for foot stimulation) at home was good for health. As well as it being comfortable in warmer climates. So, yep, very clean floors desirable all round!

Japanese tatami

To go to an Asian home today and not remove your shoes, would be considered very uncouth and possibly even an insult for the host. Even though you will probably find IKEA chairs and beds there, just like everywhere else in the world. Remove the footwear! (And ensure you have clean socks and/or a decent pedicure!) Though interestingly, I have never come across an Asian office where shoes are removed.

Another, lesser, modern factor in the UK is the simple practicality of storing shoes. Smaller Western homes or apartments might not be equipped with hall or 'porch' areas to leave shoes. Because it is not an obligatory part of our culture. And you would not wish to leave them in any common space outside your home (which can be done very happily in places like Singapore) because there is a likelihood of theft! Items left outdoors in the cold would also become quickly damp and rot. So quite often, shoes are stored somewhere else in the family home - such as in a wardrobe or closet away from the entry area.

Anyway, my rule for European homes? Be prepared to remove your shoes, and ask the host as you arrive if s/he would like you to, or not. A stack of shoes near the doorway could be a clue that this household prefers socks and house slippers indoors! Asian homes, obviously: always remove :) 

*Incidentally, 'slippers' are two different things in the UK and SE Asia. In SE Asia, the word refers to rubber 'flip-flops'. In England, the word means soft, usually warm, fabric or sheepskin shoes specifically for indoors and bedrooms. 

Photo creds: Anglo Saxon home via W&G Robinson; Tatami room courtesy of loveartlab; flip-flops/slippers - havaianas. 

What is "Going For A Cheeky Nando's"?

Blowing.The.Lid. *Unfeasible Shock* Yep, 'Cheeky Nando's' doesn't mean anything! This phrase became used a few years ago, in the UK, to confuse (US) foreigners who couldn't understand 'cheeky', and then for young Brits to create really long, non-sensical explanations for it. The whole process is an urban joke! (Not invented by the restaurant). Cheeky in British slang could imply 'local, fun, a bit naughty'. If anything here, it refers to the local 'naughtiness' of inventing bogus explanations of the slang to foreigners. Which, though it was a phenomenon at the time, and has doubtless spawned many inventive and creative outpourings, is also rather dumb and irritating. 

No!

(Yes)

The best option with this phrase is to ignore it - or enjoy the amusement of listening to the young Brits' complex, serious, joke responses to you if you ask what it means. (It just means eating a meal in Nando's chicken restaurant, ultimately.) 

The whole joke has (hopefully) gone out of fashion now. Though it was so popular at one point that many neutral people have since nicknamed the dining chain 'Cheeky Nando's'.

Hope that's cleared that up!  

Feeling oddly hungry now... 

Note to English learners: 'blowing the lid' on something means exposing it. (As if you are removing the lid on jar, to show what is really inside.) It usually refers to something bad or criminal, which needs to be exposed!

Coconut balloon bomb #snackette

This is a coconut. Scooped, whole, from its shell - with the coconut water safely inside, like a small water-filled balloon! A friend introduced me to them at a posh supermarket in Kuala Lumpur, and it's the first time I'd seen coconuts prepared this way. There was a team of guys doing the scooping and potting in-store.

And it was delicious! :)

The advantages: it's easy and quick to eat, without all the messy scraping and time required of a regular whole coconut. Plus you get to eat/drink every bit. The disadvantages: plastic packaging. Though I have managed to wash and re-use my pot. It's only a little more expensive than buying a whole coconut in the supermarket (I think it was around Malaysian RM7 - about £1.25 or USD1.65). 

November the 5th, fireworks and gruesome murder

I was watching some fabulous Deepavali fireworks the other night, and it prompted a Japanese friend to recommend various regional displays back home - for a whole variety of traditional festivals. Japan is famous for a myriad of beautiful and lengthy firework displays, in fact. (And, rather nicely, the Japanese characters for fireworks are 花火 (hanabi) - literally fire blossoms!) All this happy stuff made me think about my own country. 

We don't use fireworks so much in the UK. Of course fireworks are a Chinese invention, so you might expect them to be more part of East Asian traditional culture. But the rest of the world has also had access to these pyrotechnics for some centuries! 

In Britain, more recently, we have official New Year's displays in large centres like London - echoing similar shows in Paris, Sydney, Singapore and other world cities. And we might have other official one-off shows for very special happy occasions (royal wedding, Olympics etc).

But traditionally, there's only one day when we would have firework displays countrywide: November the 5th - or 'Guy Fawkes Day'. And it's actually slightly gruesome! 

This 'celebration' is entirely political spin mongering, though over time it has become an accepted  tradition. Which is a sneakily clever, and not unusual, practice worldwide! 

November the 5th commemorates the day in 1605, when Guy Fawkes (and a bunch of other people) were foiled from blowing up English Parliament - which in those days included the King - with gunpowder. Fawkes and his cohort were Catholics, who wanted to assassinate the Protestant King James I, so that he would be replaced by a Catholic monarch.  (The struggle between Catholic and Protestant Christian wings - both in terms of faith and political power - was a big deal across Europe in those days.) Fawkes wasn't even the leader of the rebel group, a chap called Robert Catesby was. But Fawkes has become the brand figurehead for the conspiracy - possibly because he was the first one caught with gunpowder under the parliament building.

In the end, the treasonous group was hung, drawn and quartered. Which is a very nasty way to go - and a fairly grim thing to celebrate in the 21st century! OK, the initial idea was supposedly that we celebrate the survival of King James - with a brilliant piece of 17th century PR: countrywide fireworks, and bonfires to burn effigies of Fawkes. But frankly, the last part seems a bit personal! 

As the saying goes: one man's rebel is another man's freedom-fighter. And Catholics were persecuted in England at the time (though apparently through measures already in place when James came to power, and which he was pressured not to slacken despite his own more lenient personal views). Assassination is obviously not a good thing! But public hanging and disembowelment is not either. 

How we celebrate it
Traditionally, also with local firework displays, often accompanied by a bonfire. Fairgrounds may also be set up temporarily by cities, towns and villages countrywide - for the week surrounding November 5th. Due to the proximity in date to Halloween, community celebrations are sometimes a mish-mash of both events. (As I've mentioned before, a big Halloween with costumes, trick-or-treating etc is not a British thing - that was imported from America during the late 20th century!) Small towns might have their own, individual, local customs (such as tar barrel rolling!) which have become associated with the date, too.

In the 20th century and earlier, local children would often create the Guy Fawkes effigy to be burned on the bonfire. And go door-to-door around the village asking for donations, with the traditional plea "A penny for the Guy?". I'm not sure how popular this aspect is today.

As a child I thoroughly enjoyed the fairground candy floss, rides and excitement, the fireworks and bonfire celebrations. I assumed the explosive fireworks were a nod to the gunpowder (which might be true!) And I only knew that the effigy was supposedly of a very evil person called Guy Fawkes, who tried to do wrong against a blameless state. The reality is, unsurprisingly, probably a bit more complex than this! 

Like many modern and informed British people today - I'm not crazy about the Guy Fawkes thing now, and prefer to enjoy fireworks at New Year's or for royal weddings! Here's a happy use of fireworks - which hopefully will become the new tradition - for the 2016/17 New Year. It includes   homages to David Bowie and Prince who died in 2016, and there are references to all sorts of diversity, if you know British culture and music!

Further reading on this blog:

Halloween

Bonkers British Festivals no1: The Ottery Tar Barrels

This is what it looks like! Balonglong / Kedongdong

Oh yes. Time to sit down and contain your unmitigated excitement, readers! I found the balonglong/kedongdong fruit in Malaysia. Smaller than I thought - these are peeled - and like a sour, slightly dry Granny Smith to eat. (Maybe stick with the juice. Unless you enjoy sour, dry apples..) 

Further reading on this blog:

Balonglong, kedongdong... 

Pretty Pool Pix (plus attitudes to water: East and West)

As some of you know, my toddling years were spent in SE Asia. And when we returned to England (I was about 5 or 6 years old) I was enrolled at the local village school. When summertime, and thus swimming-time, rolled around, I was so surprised that many of the local British children were frightened of water. How could this be? To me, and my friends and cousins in SE Asia, water was the most brilliant, fun thing around! Because we'd frolicked in it very naturally, all our young lives. 

Water is just not a big deal in the UK. Obviously, this is largely climate-related. It's rare to find swimming pools, because they have to be either heated, and/or indoors (both very expensive). And even when heated, outdoor summer pools can be an inhospitable, toe-numbing endurance test! Except for the very brave, outdoor swimming is also seasonal - maybe 3-4 warmer months per year if you're lucky. Indoor, pay-for, municipal pools are year-round, but are often a noisy, grubby, crowded, chlorine fug; for practical exercise, not relaxation! The concept of being in water plus daily calm or fun, is just not a thing in Britain.

But my love of water hasn't wavered since tropical childhood. Be it the ocean (both on and below the waves now!) or pottering at a man-made pool. It's not just the activities, but also the light, colour and sound of water which are so appealing. And it's great to be back in SE Asia, where so many places have swimming pools. Here are some photos of them I've taken over the months. I haven't swum in all of them! :)

Click Any Photo for Slideshow  

More reading on this Blog:

Beach life in England...

* English-learners: 'pottering' is an informal British English word, meaning 'doing relaxed, insignificant activities' or 'doing nothing in particular'.