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Garlic & Pearls

Garlic & Pearls

By: Muriel Zagha and Suzanne Raine
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 Suzanne and Muriel examine a series of very different things – from a film to a kitchen utensil, a model train to a bar of soap – that define British or French attitudes, each explaining her cultural background to the other and trying to get to the essence of what makes the British British and the French French.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Muriel Zagha and Suzanne Raine Social Sciences
Episodes
  • The Highland Sport of Shinty: 'Quite a violent version of hockey' - Suzanne and her guest, irrepressible sportswoman Izzy Law, tell an astonished Muriel the fire-and-ice story of the 'clash of the ash' - the ancient Gaelic game of shinty

    The Highland Sport of Shinty: 'Quite a violent version of hockey' - Suzanne and her guest, irrepressible sportswoman Izzy Law, tell an astonished Muriel the fire-and-ice story of the 'clash of the ash' - the ancient Gaelic game of shinty
    Aug 29 2025
    Camans at the ready! Suzanne and our special guest from the Isle of Skye, the skipper, photographer and shinty player Izzy Law, delve into the origins of the ancient Highland game of shinty or camanachd, evoking close historical ties between Irish and Scottish kingdoms and the hardy nature of a game that was traditionally played as a warm-up before battle between chieftains and clans and also used to settle love rivalries. Today it is a vibrant modern game and the subject of Celtic rock anthems. And, Muriel asks, was it also the inspiration for the fictional game of Quidditch?

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Summer Shorts: The 'Sorry' and 'Pardon' face off

    Summer Shorts: The 'Sorry' and 'Pardon' face off
    Aug 22 2025
    Suzanne and Muriel thread their way through how the British and the French apologise and ask for forgiveness. What does it reveal about attitudes to personal space, guilt and pleasure? Which nation is more courtly? Why do the British say sorry all the time? How aggressive is passive aggression? And who, ultimately, gets it right about manners – Tatler Magazine or the Académie Française? 17th-century moralists and the Japanese also put in an appearance.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    26 mins
  • Summer Shorts: The béret and bobble hat face off

    Summer Shorts: The béret and bobble hat face off
    Aug 15 2025
    In a story of sheep, sailors, Royals, Résistants, football fans and actresses, practicality spars with glamour as Suzanne spots Welsh Monmouth caps in Shakespeare and unfurls 15th- and 16th-century Acts of Parliament that may have conditioned the British to reach for their woolly hats, while Muriel salutes the gigantic headgear of Alpine regiments and the French tête à chapeaux (head for hats). Plus: what happened when President Macron was hijacked by a beret and some singing shepherds.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    33 mins
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