English people are said to be very slow to make other’s acquaintance. A carriage full of strangers in an English train will usually produce a carriage full of serious readers. A similar carriage of Australians or New Zealanders will produce lively and often humorous conversation within minutes.

 

There is a well known joke about eleven couples from different countries, all strangers to each other, stranded on a beautiful desert island.

 

The Chinese would sit down together and gamble with each other all day and all night.

 

The Russians would produce bottles of vodka from nowhere and drink themselves into a stupor.

 

The Scottish couple would argue about who buys the first drink.

 

The Irish would drink a bottle of gin and then start fighting each other.

 

The Welsh would immediately break into song and would sing all night.

 

The Japanese would make plans for building a car factory.

 

The Germans would argue all night about the state of the world economy.

 

The Americans would take each other by the hand and make mad passionate love.

 

The Auzzies would start drink beer and bragging about their lovers.

 

The Kiwis would start looking for a sheep to love.

 

But the English would just stare into the distance and do nothing. They had not been introduced.