The Past is a foreign country, they do things differently there

[PalazioVecchio]

And you believe the reality of the here and the now is 'normal'. Regale us with your favourite things about the past that are simply often ignored or otherwise nutty.

Any Past, recent or ancient. Any place, native or foreign.

- Medieval Europe. You cop off with a girl. You give her one, and boom. You are married now. Whether you like it or not. FOR LIFE.

- How many of us ever fancied a bit of roast chicken. Popped out to the back yard, wrung its neck, plucked it, cleaned out all the guts ......and you get the idea.

- The most powerful man in the World. Say Julius Caesar, wanting to go from Rome to Paris ? needs to walk it. And can be dead from a simple toothache. Or the Romans lose a battle and do not even hear about for days if not weeks. Teutoberg Forest or other faraway battles.

- Just after the Black Death, housing is so cheap that much of it is abandoned and derelict. Nobody wants to buy it cos a landlord cannot even rent it out.

- Bomb Craters on the pitch at Selhurst Park, 1941.

- Pre mobile phones. You arrange to meet a buddy at a busy event. Concert, Country Fair, whatever. And you know they are nearby, but you cannot find them.

What others ?

 

[Forest Hillbilly]

Buying items from WH Smith, such as Mayfair and Penthouse. Or rather , nicking them, because i was blatantly still at school.

 

[eritheagle]

Queueing for buses in an orderly manner.

Just good manners and politeness which is almost non existent these days.

 

[thegreatlardino]

must be a kent thing, people in Crawley thank the bus driver when they get of? All a tad odd.

 

[becky]

must be a kent thing, people in Crawley thank the bus driver when they get of? All a tad odd.

Nope, they all do it here in Somerset too

 

[ex hibitionist]

pre Thatcher if you described someone as materialistic or 'keep up with the Jones's' it was a way of saying they were unsophisticated, you could say 'nouveau riche' but that was more aristocrats looking down their nose at businessmen. It was cool to be working class in the 70s, middle class people were sell outs who lived in little boxes made of ticky tacky and all looked just the same.

 

[PalazioVecchio]

Telly & Hollywood Period dramas are probably fairly accurate on the politics, intrigues & plots. Where they are surely a mile off the mark ? Personal hygiene, dentistry, and smells.

 

[kingdowieonthewall]

Got on a bus in Royton (near Oldham) 80s, bus driver had his own radio in the cab, playing music loud.
Same in Belfast, 90s.

70s, no best before / use by dates on any food & most corner shopswould have a huge ham joint on that metal slicing contraption & also big blocks of cheese.
Ice cream alsosold in huge bricks cut off a slab & wrapped in cardboard or paper.

 

[ex hibitionist]

Got on a bus in Royton (near Oldham) 80s, bus driver had his own radio in the cab, playing music loud.
Same in Belfast, 90s.

70s, no best before / use by dates on any food & most corner shopswould have a huge ham joint on that metal slicing contraption & also big blocks of cheese.
Ice cream alsosold in huge bricks cut off a slab & wrapped in cardboard or paper.

fish&chips in newspaper and biscuits came in tins, the days before pilchards turned into tuna

 

[PalazioVecchio]

The Early Medieval.

The pop-stars of the era are Knights and other warriors.

Musicians & village-to-village footballers ? almost anonymous.


Today we have Taylor Swift, Eberi Eze & whoever is on the frontline at Ukraine.......how the World has changed. And everybody knows what the King looks like, and even the sound of his voice.

 

[becky]

The Early Medieval.

The pop-stars of the era are Knights and other warriors.

Musicians & village-to-village footballers ? almost anonymous.


Today we have Taylor Swift, Eberi Eze & whoever is on the frontline at Ukraine.......how the World has changed. And everybody knows what the King looks like, and even the sound of his voice.

Yeah! But when was the last time he cured a case of scrofula?

 

[PalazioVecchio]

The Past is a foreign country.

England, 1500.

Young girls being married off to humpy old Goats with rotten teeth.


Before you scoff and laugh too much , pause and reflect. Its probably back up in your own gene-pool.

Said aforementioned old Goat will impregnate her at least ten times before rapidly shuffling off his mortal coil. Leaving her with another 60 years of a draughty Manor house, childcare responsibilities and no Sky sports to relieve the boredom.