| | |
The Xenophobe's Guide to the Belgians by Antony Mason A guide to understanding the Belgians, best known for their fine chocolate,
which reveals a humorous and insightful view of the people.
| Practicality makes perfect |
| Belgians like above all to be practical, solid. They stand square
and conduct conversation from the base of the neck. Courteous behaviour is expected:
it is the natural product of right-mindedness. It is also practical: that is how
you get on in the world. |
| Tidy attitudes | | They are almost naively devoted to being good citizens. Any kind of vandalism,
dropping litter, or deliberate anti-social behaviour is greeted with horror and
disgust. |
| We're on the map | | The Belgians would be very happy indeed if all the world knew them to
be good-natured, tolerant, individualistic, self-assertive, modest, moderate,
and the embodiment of European ideals. This is a long-term project. Meanwhile
being placed somewhere on the map of Europe will do. |
| Home economics | | The Belgians like to think of themselves as practical, down-to-earth,
dependable. A good Belgian woman knows how to run a household, knows the right
temperature for the beer, can cook steak to perfection, shops efficiently at the
megastore and holds down a job. Her husband holds down a job, drinks the beer,
eats the steak and spends the weekend proudly changing his own oil sump gasket. |
| Worth
the time for a quick start; I knew nothing about Belgium when I started reading.
The strength of the Xenophobe's guides is their short coverage, rather than the
insights of the Culture Shock! series. I read this one in about 40 minutes, and
it helped me understand some of the key issues among the Belgians. It covered
current issues, with very little history, and provided enough background to appreciate
some basic aspects of Belgian culture. Although a little light-hearted in its
discussion, I feel comfortable passing it on to a Belgian friend. |
| Springfield, Virginia |
| I
am Irish and live in Brussels and I bought this book to try to get an idea of
what to expect from the Belgians. It has helped explain where they are coming
from, their home life and their interests/obsessions. Of course, it is impossible
to generalise about a group of such people of such diverse origins, history and
culture, but it highlights the many likeable characteristics of the Belgians and
their country. | | Brussels, Belgium |
| A brief
pen portrait of a nation and its people and even the odd humorous dig at their
subject without being politically incorrect. |
| Lancashire Evening Telegraph |
|
An enlightened new series, good natured, witty and useful. The Xenophobe's Guides
to different nations deserves a real cheer. |
| The European |
Nationalism
and Identity
Character
Attitudes and Values
Happy Families
Manners
and Behaviour
Leisure and Pleasure
Drinking and Eating
Custom and
Tradition
Sense of Humour
Culture
Systems
Culture
Systems
Business and Commerce
Government
Language | |
| 
| Author:
Antony Mason
| | Format:
64
pages, pb | | Published:
01/03/99 |
| Updated:
January 2004 | | Price:
£3.99 | | ISBN-10
& ISBN-13: 1-902825-19-5 |
|
