Being Yorkshire

Eric the Pickle Asked: "Just why are Yorkshire folk so different to anyone else in England. What is it that makes them so special. Why do Yorkshire folk think they know it all?"

You my friend have fallen into the trap of believing that its the Yorkshire folk that are something special. Yorkshire is not only about the people, its much much more about the place. You can't ever become Yorkshire, it is only bestowed by birthright. You will only fully understand the awe, beauty and mystery of the place when you stand in its presence. Yorkshire is to be experienced first hand, for in this large divided county, we have everything.

We understand, just be jealous.

Yorkshire people or 'Tykes' have been said to hold a strong sense of regional identity. They have been seen to identify more strongly with their county than even their country. The people of Yorkshire are immensely proud of both their county and their distinct identity, embracing and proudly endorsing the popular nickname of God's Own County which has been bestowed upon Yorkshire. As the author GP Taylor wrote 'God's kingdom, Adam's land - no finer place will you ever find.' 

Yorkshire has even replaced Kent as the 'Garden of England' or in other words Yorkshire is the most beautiful of all the English counties. Southern Jessies have long regarded Yorkshire as a place of flat caps, clogs and whippets, where men work down the pit and there is nothing of beauty. In other words, general social stereotyping.

It is a proud tradition that the men of Yorkshire display a bluff exterior and suffer no nonsense. The pits have been closed for a generation, as have the satanic mills. Yorkshire is a green and pleasant land that encompasses the majestic high Pennine peaks and deep secluded valleys. Such are the places where Yorkshire people live and work, a place of renaissance and regeneration of the natural landscape. 

You asked, "Why do Yorkshire folk think they know it all" I will share with you the secret of all our collected wisdom and why as you say, we know it all. As a child, even if we thought for a moment that we knew better than our parents. We also knew to keep our mouths tight shut. In that way we watched, listened, learned and took benefit of their wisdom. There was no way on earth that I dare contradict my father. I may have been ignorant back then, but I certainly wasn't stupid.

But most of all, for me, my Yorkshire is the home of the best fish and chips in the whole world. As I am sure a man of your girth will already know!

Regards.

Uncle Mort.