This past Friday was actually not my first 4th of July spent in the country least likely to celebrate America's day of independence. The first 4th of July I spent in the land of the Redcoats was with my parents, in the year of our Lord Bushhole 2005. I remember riding the London Eye on this holiday and thinking how much more joyful the experience would have been with some American sunshine, BBQ ribs and fireworks. It is no surprise that the English do not recognize a holiday where Americans cry in one proud voice "Bugger off Brits! No more of your puddings and digestive biscuits!" There are a few restaurants in London that serve "traditional American cuisine" in honor of the holiday, but the menu seems to be modelled off McDonalds and they still offer toffee pudding as a dessert.
On this 4th of July, in a desperate attempt to make a celebration of it, I insisted that PAB invite his Italian friend (thus making our celebration of America multinational) for an all-American dinner (of frozen pizza and salad with ranch) and my specialty American flag cake. This cake epitomizes the kind of American uber-nationalism that fuels movies like Borat and Team America. That being said, I have made the cake with my mother every 4th of July since childhood and it never fails to rally up a love for my country (or at least an appreciation for its hokiness).
Funny, I have never been a huge supporter of the U.S. of A., never one to hang a flag outside or cry during the national anthem. I willingly spent a year of my American college experience abroad in Paris and even more willingly uprooted myself to the U.K. But somehow, despite my failing patriotism, the moment I hear a European badmouth America in that contemptuous, elitist, "You do know that the average American eats McDonalds 5 times a week" way some dorment nationalist pride within me fires and I find myself adamantly defending fast food, gyms with elevators, Hollywood and 6 lane highways as public transportation. There are many things I do not like about America, but nothing irks me more than hearing Europeans, who lovingly eat our fast food, drink our Coca-Cola, wear our clothing and watch our films, talk as if nothing worthwhile has come out of America post-colonialism. If you were to take all of the American TV shows off television, American films out of cinemas, American music off radio, France and other European countries would be sadly quiet, deprived of the large part of their mass entertainment. I would bet a large baguette that more French have seen C.S.I. than have visited the Louvre!
With that said, I adore Europe--30 hour work weeks and 5 weeks of paid vacation, 5 hour meals and an equal number of courses, wine with lunch, churches that have existed longer than our Independence Day, tea breaks, cobblestone streets and public transportation that does not include a light rail--and there is nowhere I would rather live. Just don't f@ck with the U.S. of A. unless you are a fully qualified American. Only we know how bad it really is.
A belated Happy 4th to my loved ones in the ol' country!
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