Helen Mirren Has Tea with Dying Boy After Actual Queen Says No

[Surya Gayatri]

156. Only just got on-line after two days, so wasn't able

to read your comment yesterday, whathehell.

Firstly, I wouldn't say I deserve to be qualified as a "Euro wannabe" in your terms, as I am a European in good standing with dual nationality.

Secondly, I truly don't feel any insecurities or self-hatred about my dual-national status. On the contrary, I feel uniquely privileged to be "entre deux chaises" as the French say, or a "Mid-Atlantic" denizen, as the Brits say.

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, I was speaking to a fellow European in my post. As a Brit, Dipsy knows as well as I, that the "cliché" of the Ugly American is not just the title of a book and movie.

Unhappily, the loud-mouthed, flag-waving, uber-patriotic, zenophobic and culturally ignorant American is a species very much alive and well, who frequently shows up on these shores.