Had Difficulty Keeping A Straight Face!

[Caran]

We went to Malvern today. Had a drink in a pub. A couple at the next table were talking, I think they may have been Polish but not sure. Another chap joined them so they spoke English. The Polish chap was talking about their recent trip to Australia. He said it was fine except for two things. The cost of everything was very high but he said the worse thing was...... Wait for it...
There were too many foreigners!!!
What did he want, everyone to be Polish?
I struggled not to laugh.

[maggiebee]

Maybe he meant non European?

[hc4361]

I've heard English people say exactly the same thing about the Spanish Costas where every bar is British and every café does the Full English All Day Breakfast

[jno]

there aren't that many non-Europeans in Australia. Some Chinese, some Lebanese, some aborigines (though you wouldn't normally see many of them). Not really a lot though. I can't think what he might have meant.

[mikey4444]

My sister-in-law went to Spain once and came back, complaining about "too many foreigners there" !

I gently pointed out that perhaps she was the foreigner when she was in Spain, but she told me that wasn't the point !

[naomi24]

Perhaps he meant the Australians.

[lady-janine]

perhaps he meant strange not foreign.

[murraymints]

mum liked china but was surprised that there were so many Chineses at the Great Wall !

[waterboatman]

If the English don't speak the language they think that shouting will do the job. Maybe the Polish chappie thinks the same way.

[mikey4444]

LOL Boaty !

[janbee]

MANY years ago, when I was in The Gambia, I got chatting to a couple from the Midlands. I asked them if they were enjoying themselves. She said," No, I don't like it here, too many black people ". I said , well what did you expect, Scandinavians?

[douglas9401]

Well one thing's for sure, he wasn't being racist or xenophobic.

[EDDIE51]

I met a Frenchman in Paris who bitterly complained 'Nobody's French around here!'.
Surely in Australia the only 'natives' are the Aborigines everyone else is an immigrant.

[mikey4444]

My sister-in-law also complained about the "foreign" food, that it was too hot, and nobody spoke English. There are some people that should never go abroad.

[MargoTester]

I worked with a West Indian lady many years ago, 1960's, we were chatting one day and she said she was moving to another area of Luton. I asked why and she said (I quote) Well they are too many black people moving into our street and its lowering the tone. I burst out laughing and said well you're hardly white are you Desi, to which she replied well I'm different. She went on to become mayor of Luton many years later so perhaps she was. She was great fun bought a flask of tea in every morning laced with rum!!

[pixie374]

//Surely in Australia the only 'natives' are the Aborigines everyone else is an immigrant//

That isn't right, Eddie. An immigrant is someone who has moved there a native is someone that was born there. I'm sure that includes many Australians.

[waterboatman]

Morning pix. xxx You're quite right.

[pixie374]

Morning boaty xx have posted on gmeb...:-)

[Mosaic]

Re. Jno: most of eastern Melbourne is ethnically Chinese or Korean, and huge amounts of the CBD are now owned by Chinese businesses.

[mikey4444]

Australia is essentially a country of immigrants, either contemporary or historical. You could say the same about most of North and South America.

Australia was actively looking for immigrants in the 1960's, with their £10 Poms offer. My parents toyed with the idea when I as a little boy, but there too many family ties in Britain and Ireland, so they ended up staying put.

But I am certain that had we all gone to Oz in 1960, its extremely unlikely that we would have been called "foreigners" when we landed. We would have come from the "old country"

Whinging Poms perhaps !