Brexit Metaphor 35
Over 40+ years of EU membership, the UK got used to multiple benefits: free trade, common regulations, the Single Market and the status of a financial gateway to Europe. Britain got so used to these benefits that it could no longer recognise them as coming from or being dependent on Europe.
In a similar way, humans have for centuries been using foods rich in umami (the meaty taste of glutamate that receptors in the mouth can sense): tomatoes, mushrooms, seaweed, fish sauce, soy sauce, shellfish, cured meats, etc. The fact that the umami taste was not discovered until the 20th century did not stop people from seeking foods rich in umami. Yet, the scientific explanation of this phenomenon has led to the creation of many new recipes and approaches to enhancing the umami taste of foods.
Over 40 years of EU membership, Britain got hooked on "umami". However, umami does not rain from the sky. The benefits of the Single Market are, just like the compounds in fish sauce or in shiitake mushrooms, cultivated with great effort. And if they stop being grown and harvested, they will disappear.
If umami disappears from Britain's diet, it will not be as bad as leaving only sour and bitter tastes in. But the UK economy may just as well end up on a diet of rainwater.
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| Seaweed salad (Source: Wikipedia) |
Notes:
1. Timeline: This article is part of a daily #BrexitMetaphors series, with 126 more Brexit Metaphors to follow until Brexit day, March 29, 2019.
2. Disclosure: The author has a master's degree in European Integration.
3. Invitation: If you'd like to contribute to the debate, you are welcome to leave a comment below.
"U-turn if you want to; the lady is not for turning", Margaret Thatcher once said.
ReplyDelete"U-mami if you want? surely you want", would have been the modern equivalent.
European "Umami" is not the land of milk and honey, but
ReplyDeletetry livinig without it in a Hard Brexit.