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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.
The
Xenophobe's Guide to the Belgians
is now available on Kindle
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STORE UK
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| 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. |
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Springfield, Virginia
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| 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. |
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Brussels, Belgium
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| A brief pen portrait of a nation
and its people and even the odd humorous dig at
their subject without being politically
incorrect. |
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Lancashire Evening Telegraph
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| An enlightened new series, good
natured, witty and useful. The Xenophobe's
Guides to different nations deserves a real
cheer. |
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The European
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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 |
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| Author: Antony
Mason |
| Format: 96 pages,
pb |
| Published: 01/06/09 |
| Updated: New Edition |
| Price: £4.99 |
| ISBN:
978-1-906042-22-6 |
| Online eBook. Click on
button below to sample. |
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