A bit too obsessed
I do the weekly family shop, and will often take my two very young children with me. Having a brother in law who is a farmer, I am very conscious of buying British (even local where I can find it), especially vegetables. So I will double the time it takes for me to get round Morrisons, by obsessively reading the labels to see where my food has been grown, manufactured or flown in from.
This has led to a particular kind of racism, but one which I try to defend to my less enlightened friends and family. I even have a mental list that puts provenance in wishlist order, and goes something like this...

Local - anything grown/made in Yorkshire or Lincolnshire (where my brother in law has his farm). Yorkshire Crisps being a favourite snack.

England - So if I can't get my Yorkshire Crisps I will go for Tyrells, as they are made in Herefordshire, home of some excellent Cider as well.

UK - Our family will have holdays in the UK, because I do not want tovspend my hard earned cash in a country which is basically an economic competitor. If I have to go abroad for work, I spend as little as possible, and try to get the hosts to fork out on expenses.

Europe - If I have to buy goods from outside the UK, then I try to avoid the following countries.

France - Older people will remember the French screwing us when it comes to Apples, Lamb and Beef (even though we produce some of the best Beef in the world, so much so that French restauranteers not able to buy our beef, were up in arms during the Foot and Mouth crisis).

Germany - 60 years later I still cannot forgive them for their expansionist policies. You wait, it will happen again, its in their nature. I won't buy a German car, even if its 2nd hand.

Japan - See above. The trouble is they are so very clever with electronics, although the Koreans are catching up. They have never apologised for the atrocities they committed during WW2, if you need extra convincing, read 'The Rape of Nanking'. Also hunt whales.

Isreal - I cannot support their 'Foreign Policy'. They seem to supply a lot of celery to Morrisons, none of which makes its way into my basket.

Iceland - Whale hunters, enough said. During the North Sea fish wars there was a very unsavoury Captain Kirk (yes, really, look it up) who rammed British fishing vessels.

Australia - I don't like their arrogance, and proficiency at sports.

Turkey - Seem to have more violent football hooligans than us.

I can provide a more detailed list with product breakdowns if anyone is interested, maybe I should write one of those ethical guides. I like to think that my children will grow up to be well educated, tolerant citizens. However, with a father like me, I doubt it.
(leancranker, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 10:23, 22 replies)

Deary me
I feel sorry for your kids. The UK doesn't exactly have a clean history either.
(pdawg, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 10:27, closed)

Well said
Nicely put, pdawg.
(Mr McKenzie Mr McKenzie, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 10:45, closed)

The kids are OK
My wife balances out my views...and I am not as extreme as my post suggests.
But I ask you, why buy French apples or cheese when we have just as good here. I am mostly coming at it from an economic point of view, and one which does not get much airing becuase it is not politic to do so. ie. we are as a nation competing economically with other nations, and I see it as our duty to buy British where you can. If you go to Germany, see how many cars are German made, but also go into their supermarkets and see where their food is made. Basically what I am saying is that Europeans are far more sensitive to supporting their own production. Something which I am glad to say is happening here with teh rise of farmers markets, etc.

Of course there is now an environmental argument behind mine, but if you ask anyone who has been involved in agriculture over the past decade or so you will hear some very robust views on Europe.
(leancranker, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 10:49, closed)

A Daily Mail reader
on B3TA

shudders!
( The Scrunt Wants a Dozen Pints, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 11:01, closed)

exapnsionist policies?
yeah too right, bloody germans coming over here trying to take our empire, how dare they be expansionist!!!
(Andy-Bhoy I'm here all week, try the veal., Mon 5 Apr 2010, 11:27, closed)

There is nothing wrong with buying local produce
I honestly don't see anything wrong with supporting british farmers by buying local produce, however I think you really have taken to it to a very illogical extreme.

So good luck with that. I think you might need it.
( hedge_diver, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 11:41, closed)

True
Good to buy local - and good to purchase British products in any case: keep your money within our own economy.

But to "punish" whole nations for the actions of people who have been dead for a long time is just ridiculous.
(EuroSong I love horse meat: best of all the animals, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 12:18, closed)

Methinks children
In your childish desire for your next B3ta witchhunt You are missing the OP's toungue being firmly placed in his cheek.

Honestly!
( RadG Drinking Mojitos in the sun, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 12:43, closed)

Shouldn't you also be boycotting British products?
You know, just to be consistent?
( Dr Preference AjcuiVd289, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 13:08, closed)

Ahem!
Where the fuck is Ireland or the Irish on the list? We're feeling left out!

actually, in the cold light of day, the above post involves nations and national policy. Even though I'm not a Brit, I feel the same way about what's mentioned, not entirely all of it mind you. I don't think the tone was meant to be racist, just other countries whose foreign policies are shite.
(knackerz is skinning up, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 14:10, closed)

would you buy from someone who was turkish but sold local (to you) produce?

( weaver., Mon 5 Apr 2010, 15:00, closed)

Nevermind the buying rom Britain bit, why are you buying from Morrisons?
Their veggies are AWFUL. They last about a day and then wither and die at the mere thought of having to be edible after that.

Sainsbury's have a much better selection.

(You really would think I worked for Sainbury's instead of Morrisons, wouldn't you?)
( vix0r was not Matthew on, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 15:00, closed)

A general reply
Guys
To answer some of you.
Yes, my tongue was firmly in my cheek.
No, I don't read the Daily Mail, although I do like to see the pictures of posh birds.
Yes, there are dilemnas when I do in fact shop at a Turkish Supermarket. Does that make me a hypocrite, yes I think it does.
Yes, the UK had an Empire. But the wrongs that we caused (and there are many, I agree) were far less than our european cousins. And some historians think that if the British Empire had not existed at the time of WW2 then the German, Japanese and possibly the Russian Empires that would have resulted, would have been far worse for those nations.
Yes, the Irish should be in there, but I have Friends from there, so they get away with it.
Yes, the USA would be on my list, but they produce nothing that I want.

My point in all this is that I see it as perfectly fine to be patriotic. I might be a bit neurotic, but it pisses me off when people shoot me down for wanting to support my country. Yes its got its faults, but bloody hell, it does have a lot to be proud of as well, freedom of speech being one of them.

I shop at Morrisons, because it offers better value than other supermarkets, something i have to bear in mind when balancing the family books. I do go to independent stores as well, but handling one overactive two year old boy, and one better behaved 7 year old girl is not easy, and I can keep them corraled there. Plus the staff know me.
(leancranker, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 16:04, closed)

the wrongs we caused were far less than our european cousins?
not too sure about that.

also, german cars are just better than those made by others. fact.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 16:14, closed)

The Wrongs
Yeah, you are probably right, the Brits were pretty bad in the past.
It is interesting though, that despite the wrongs from our past, we are still part of a commonwealth, something which none of the other nations have (as far as I am aware). Perhaps, our former colonies regard us with less distaste than, say, the French, Begiums or Germans.

German cars may be better made, but I still won't let one out in front of me in a traffic queue...
(leancranker, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 16:28, closed)

you may be right there
I was thinking more about our part in divvying up countries and regions causing all sorts of problems that still go on today.

it's because they are driven by cunts, but german cars certainly don't have the monopoly on those.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 6 Apr 2010, 10:18, closed)

I heard that
Turkish football hooligans are directly funded by the purchase of fish from Turkey in Morrisons.


And also it makes them happy when you buy Turkish Delight, and when they're happy they probably do some raping and burning and shit, so I'd avoid that too
(Ludacrust alliterated your monstrously magnanimous mother, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 21:05, closed)

Turkish Delight is the Devil's liver
I would never buy it, as I find it a particularly repellant confection, and not full of Eastern Promise. Why is it associated with Christmas as well? And why did somebody design it with the flaw that you get icing sugar all over your carpet?
(leancranker, Tue 6 Apr 2010, 9:51, closed)

B3tamation
Celery is grown in Isreal, and shipped to Morrisons?
Learn something new everyday
(Sadarse works like Mist condensing mud flaps, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 23:09, closed)

swap the obsession

and instead of buying what you feed your family grow everything they need. now that's local!
(goorf, Tue 6 Apr 2010, 6:42, closed)

Good call
I would love to do this. I don't know anything about growing weetabix, crisps, bananas, tea, coffee, washing powder, tissues, nappies, toothepaste, guinea pig food, yoghurt, cheese, rice (one of us is a coeliac), oranges, jaffa cakes, milk, tofu, kidney beans, baked beans, spaghetti, coconut mushrooms, avocados, oat cakes...
(leancranker, Tue 6 Apr 2010, 9:56, closed)

mini
So how do you feel about the now german owned mini which is built in oxford?
(phe, Wed 7 Apr 2010, 14:26, closed)