"Great Britain may have been in lane seven and eight but, um, they seemed to be getting there for a country that has very few swimming pools and not much soap."
Aussie Olympic chief John Coates wades in after watching Rebecca Adlington win gold for Britain in the pool.
I first came across this Aussie view of Poms about six months before coming to Australia. Apparently we don't wash very often (outside baths once a week) and thus our personal hygiene leaves something to be desired.
Does anybody know where this 'urban myth' originates from? It probably won't surprise anyone to hear that the stereotypical Aussie male (a la Crocodile Dundee) is viewed in pretty much the same way by Brits.
2 comments:
I heard that myth once. I'm guessing that people theorize that it's so cold there (relatively) that people don't sweat as much and don't need to bath as much.
However, I know that when I lived over there, everyone (myself included) showered every night.
Now to the myth about warm beer: I only ever went into a pub once in 6 months, mainly because I was frugal. I can't even remember if it was warm or not.
I remember staying at a fairly smart stately home (well compared to the row of semis I lived in) somewhere outside Windsor and, dying to have a shower, discovered that only a bath was available and for the water to be heated the entire home's central heating had to be activated. I decided to last the 24 hours or so!
Maybe the myth has stayed with us long past its Dickensian use by date. I guess in the days before hot water heaters it might have been the case. In Australia, of course, they'd just have a quick dunk in the river or local swimming hole and dry off in the sun so the idea of poor hygiene never got a look in here!
Cathy
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