Typically English

'Do you think I'm typically English?'

My translator, Jenya, and I are talking about cultures.

'Yes,' he replies 'very'

'I know I'm quiet. It's because I'm on my own. It would be different with my friends here.'

'Ah, yes, then you would be joking, be sarcastic. This is something the English are good at, sarcasm, saying things you don't mean.'

'And we are very polite' I say

'Yes, you eat like this...' Jenya sits upright in his chair, his elbows off the table, pretending to hold a knife and fork, cutting small morsels of food and raising them delicately to his lips. His eyebrows and head are raised, chest puffed out. He nods to an imaginary person to his right 'Oh, pardon me' he says in BBC English. He smiles at me, then nods to his left 'Pardon me' and we laugh.