How concerned are Brits about health and fitness?
On the whole, Brits seem less concerned about maximizing their personal health and fitness than Americans are. In fact (get ready for this one), they view America as a nation of “health nuts,” all consumed by the pursuit of the “clean life” and a fixation on having the perfect skin, body, legs, an d so on. Not long ago an article in a London paper on the Irish actor Stephen Rea remarked that, when Rea ordered mineral water (rather than beer) during the interview, it was telling proof that he’d “gone Hollywood.” The book “Brit-Think/Amerithink” has some funny material on this cultural diffe rence (details elsewhere). Here are a few random observations on health in the UK. Although the movement for banning smoking in public places is gaining ground, it remains a more a minority sentiment in this country. Pubs are tremendously smoky, although thankfully, smoking is not allowed in movie theatres. Probably be cause Britain makes some of the best ales in the world, people drink a lot (3 or 4