So, you'd like to be knighted?  Yes, me too!  (Actually, over the years, a number of people have declined knighthood or other such honors--John Lennon, for example--but such an event is rare. )  The British have a honors system that rewards UK and British Overseas Territories citizens for personal bravery, achievement, or service to the realm.  These lucky few get their honors, which can include knighthood, bestowed upon them in an "investiture" ceremony.  But best of luck in getting the Prime Minister or some other important minister to suggest your name as an investiture nominee to the Queen!

Investiture ceremony
Investiture ceremonies generally take place at Buckingham Palace, but also at Windsor Castle or the Palace of Holyroodhouse, always in a State Ball Room.  These events occur about 20 times per year.  Recipients get to invite only three guests to attend.  (Tough decision if you have a large family, right?) 

The Queen--or if the Queen is unavailable, another member of the Royal Family--enters the ball room accompanied by two Gurkha orderlies.  After the national anthem is played, the ceremony begins.  Each recipient's name is called, and a brief explanation of why they are being awarded is announced.  The recipient then approaches the Queen, who is standing, and if the honoree is male, he bows, if female, she curtsies.  The Queen gives the recipient a medal or decoration, maybe chit-chats a moment, then the recipient takes a few steps backward (while still facing the Queen) before finally turning around and heading back to his or her seat.  The honoree never turns his or her back to the Queen.

The awarding of knighthood is a bit more aggrandized.  Those recipients kneel before the Queen and receive an "accolade," i.e., the Queen dubs the recipient’s shoulder with a sword.  (Very cool, right?)

After the awards are passed out, the national anthem is again played, then all present leave the ball room and the photo session begin.  A very merry day for all!  The Queen says investiture is one of her favorite duties. 

There are many types of honors the queen can bestow.  These are but a few of them: Knight  or Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (GBE), Knight or Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE or DBE), Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE), Officer of the Most Excellent Oder of the British Empire (OBE), and Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE)

A  recent recipient of an MBE was singer Adele, for her "services to music."  Prince Charles presented her award on December 19, 2013, at Buckingham Palace.


Video of an investiture  (filmed in 2008)

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Dear Anglophiles: If you live in NYC or the metro area, you must check out the British sand-up comedian Luisa Omielan appearing this week at the hip, Noho venue Subculture. 

Luisa honed her show, What Would Beyoncé  Do?!, at the Edinburgh Fringe festival, where it played to full houses and received multiple 5-star reviews.  Luisa say's, "It’s about how Beyoncé  songs have helped me.  How I think I should be a diva but it hasn’t quite worked out that way. I showcase Beyoncé songs to highlight how very different my life is to what Beyoncé has."

The media is having a love fest with Luisa too.  British newspaper The Guardian wrote, ". . . there's the pleasure of seeing a brazen new talent announce herself to the world."  And a review in The Independent said, "In a year that's seen a dearth of really talented female comics coming through, she bucks the trend in her own brilliant way."  Luisa has a lot to say about the comedic side of love, and this week's TimeOut London is carrying her article, Luisa Omielan on how to survive being single on Valentine’s day.  (Read it HERE)

Tickets for the show are still available, and they're a very affordable $10-$12!


Subculture
45 Bleecker Street, NYC

Luisa Omielan: What Would Beyonce Do?!
Feb. 18 - 21  (Tue. - Fri.), 2014
Doors open: 9:30 PM; Show: 10:00 PM
Tickets: $10 - $12

BUY TICKETS:
* Tue., Feb. 18
* Wed., Feb. 19
* Thur., Feb. 20
* Fri., Feb. 21

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A fellow Anglophile asked me why the British love Heinz baked beans, and I think other readers may be curious too.  Heinz is, after all, an American company, headquartered in Pittsburgh—yet their beans are more firmly embedded in British culture than in ours.  On a list of quintessential British foods, baked beans--particularly Heinz baked beans--is up there with bangers and mash!  How can that be?

Enterprising Henry Heinz and a friend, back in the 1870s, filled a horse-drawn wagon with their homemade horseradish, sauerkraut, pickles, and vinegar and began selling  their culinary creations to Pittsburgh grocers.  They did well, but a decade later, Henry jettisoned his partner and went into business with relatives instead, launching the F & J Heinz Company.  The new, tweaked product line consisted of ketchup, chili sauce, sweet pickles, apple butter…and baked beans.  That is, beans in a tomato sauce, packed in a tin can.  Within a decade, the company began selling goods in the UK.  Henry and his family sailed to England, lugging five sample cases laden with the company’s “finest and newest products.”  The renown Fortnum & Mason department store in London, a Georgian-era startup famous for carrying exotic specialty products (and a leader in offering products in the newfangled tin can), and a frequent Royal Warrant holder, recognized a winner when they saw one.  In a game-changing moment, the F & M buyers told Heinz they would "take the whole lot.”  When Fortnum & Mason latched onto the product, the bean’s place in UK history was sealed.

In the 1920s, Heinz stopped exporting baked beans and ketchup to the UK and opened production factories for those goods in England.  There, a company executive, trying to sell more baked beans, came up with the bright idea of putting beans on toast—and the Brits loved it.  Later, during WW II, Britain’s Ministry of Food classified Heinz Baked Beans as “essential food” in its wartime rationing system.  In fact, Heinz UK was helping the war effort so much that the Axis twice bombed the Harlesden, London, factory.  Shortly after the war, the Queen issued a Royal Warrant to the company.

In the UK in the 1960s, Heinz’ ad slogan “Beanz Meanz Heinz” went viral, as they say today—becoming one of the best-known ad slogans in the UK.  The ad creator claimed that the slogan was “written over two pints of beer in The Victoria pub in Mornington Crescent.”  Four years ago, the company renamed the beans, “Heinz Baked Beanz,” with a "z."  (Of course, there’s Cockney rhyming slang for baked beans: "Steve McQueens.")  Today, other baked bean producers compete with Heinz in the UK, (e.g., Branston and HP), but Heinz remains the top seller.  Below, I offer two recipes for beans on toast.  Enjoy!

#BritishFoods #BritishCulture #BakedBeans #HeinzBakedBeans #Beanz #BritishRecipes #BeansOnToast

Purchase HEINZ BAKED BEANZ HERE
Peruse Anglophiles United "Kitchen & Pantry" page HERE

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