Mistakes plague conception of British
(07/01/99 4:00am)
The Atlantic Ocean sometimes seems to be an impossibly wide gulf between we Americans and our British cousins. It is said we are "two peoples divided by a common language"--irrevocably separated. Thus, each country has many misconceptions about the other. When I boarded a plane bound for London in January, I prepared myself for all the classic stereotypes Americans hold about the British: bad food, quaint villages, grim cities, and tiny roads. In short, I expected to find a European museum piece, its inhabitants sighing wistfully about the state of the Empire while sipping endless cups of tea.