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In "Magnetic north", writer and presenter Jonathan Meades suggests that the inhabitants of Europe's colder climes are being told, from cradle to grave, that Mediterranean culture is better : the history is richer, the architecture finer, the cuisine tastier, the sex sexier and so on. Even the Mediterranean landscape is supposed to be more enchanting. As a result of this slow but steady indoctrination (or, as the case may be, self-indoctrination) northerners grow up with a sense of inferiority, believing they lead drab lives under drab skies.
Far from me to stop any presenter from airing his opinions, but I believe that nearly all human beings living on this planet suffer from a nagging suspicion that the grass may be greener elsewhere. Thus it's very likely, say, that for every Belgian who drools at the thought of Italy, there's an Italian to be found who melts at the sight of a belfry and who dreams of icy rains, slate-colored canals and endless horizons. This grass-is-greener thing is an innate instinct which requires no nurturing through indoctrination.
Anyway, I liked the documentary, which consisted mainly of an eclectic tour through the colder and/or flatter lands of Europe, under the intelligent but acerbic guidance of Mr. Meades. I especially recommend the second episode, particularly the segment about Lithuania.
The documentary examines the kind of common culture that springs both from exposure to the same physical characteristics (weather, available fishing stocks, vegetation, agricultural crops and the like) and from interconnectedness through trade routes. Interestingly, one of the main subjects being treated is the Hanseatic League, a once-powerful organization that seems to have disappeared almost completely from the collective memory. (At least that is the case in my part of the world.) Thanks to the Hanseatic League, many things travelled across a variety of borders : merchandise, recipes, fashions, architectural styles, ideas. Through factors such as the hiring of an armed bodyguard, the League even influenced Europe in a political, military and religious way.
At this point the viewer will notice that Mr. Meades is repulsed by religion, especially of the monotheistic type. According to him, polytheistic/pagan religions and monotheistic religions are both deluded, the difference being that paganism is unlikely to involve populations bashing each other's head in while trying to establish that spring rain god A is better than spring rain god B. It is a pretty safe bet that, circa 2008, the postbox of the Meades family did not overflow with invitations to come and write for the Osservatore Romano.
An intriguing work, especially for viewers interested in history, architecture and herring recipes. And in case.you're interested in a Belgian recipe for herring : me, I rather like a rolmops prepared with thin slices of onion, served with white beans, jacket potatoes and a knob of butter.
Far from me to stop any presenter from airing his opinions, but I believe that nearly all human beings living on this planet suffer from a nagging suspicion that the grass may be greener elsewhere. Thus it's very likely, say, that for every Belgian who drools at the thought of Italy, there's an Italian to be found who melts at the sight of a belfry and who dreams of icy rains, slate-colored canals and endless horizons. This grass-is-greener thing is an innate instinct which requires no nurturing through indoctrination.
Anyway, I liked the documentary, which consisted mainly of an eclectic tour through the colder and/or flatter lands of Europe, under the intelligent but acerbic guidance of Mr. Meades. I especially recommend the second episode, particularly the segment about Lithuania.
The documentary examines the kind of common culture that springs both from exposure to the same physical characteristics (weather, available fishing stocks, vegetation, agricultural crops and the like) and from interconnectedness through trade routes. Interestingly, one of the main subjects being treated is the Hanseatic League, a once-powerful organization that seems to have disappeared almost completely from the collective memory. (At least that is the case in my part of the world.) Thanks to the Hanseatic League, many things travelled across a variety of borders : merchandise, recipes, fashions, architectural styles, ideas. Through factors such as the hiring of an armed bodyguard, the League even influenced Europe in a political, military and religious way.
At this point the viewer will notice that Mr. Meades is repulsed by religion, especially of the monotheistic type. According to him, polytheistic/pagan religions and monotheistic religions are both deluded, the difference being that paganism is unlikely to involve populations bashing each other's head in while trying to establish that spring rain god A is better than spring rain god B. It is a pretty safe bet that, circa 2008, the postbox of the Meades family did not overflow with invitations to come and write for the Osservatore Romano.
An intriguing work, especially for viewers interested in history, architecture and herring recipes. And in case.you're interested in a Belgian recipe for herring : me, I rather like a rolmops prepared with thin slices of onion, served with white beans, jacket potatoes and a knob of butter.
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