Though I have never heard the song, I am afraid Ithilwen may be right.
Personally I have always had a great love for a classic. "The battle Hymn of the Republic". If, on the other hand I were to go more secular I have always enjoyed "God Bless America Again", by The Charlie Daniels Band.

The Battle Hymn of the Republic is really good, but I wouldn't mind Lee Greenwood's Proud to be an American either.

I've read lots of Tom Clancy books and other Cold War books, and probably have seen a matching number of films of that era on TV, and so I must say that the old Soviet Union anthem was quite melodic in a martial sort of way. I wonder if they still use it, actually. It was very catchy.

BellanotfromTwilight, it is a strange coincidence, isn't it? The Kenyan variety sounds delicious! I don't think, however, I've ever had any Indian food. Outside of the major cities I don't recall even seeing many Indian restaurants, for that matter. As for W4J knowing what they are I'm pretty sure any country that was once part of the UK would likely have some knowledge of Indian food since India was part of the Empire for many, many years and soldiers, diplomats, etc. who served there likely brought back many cultural items with them, including curios and recipes for food they'd eaten there. Being totally unfamiliar with Indian cuisine the only things I know about it are that many dishes use curry and that there's no meat involved.

That's what I figured, but Daal and Chapati is really, really ordinary, every-day food so it's not as well-known as, say, chicken tikka or something. By the way, if you've never had Indian food but you say you like hot sauces and such, I'd heartily recommend you try it out! "Curry" is a bit of an odd term. It could refer to the spice commonly used, but when Indians say "curry," they usually mean gravy. (At least I do.) In terms of spices, though, Indian cuisine uses cumin + coriander or garam masala (cumin, coriander, black cardamom, cinnamon, curry leaves, and red chilli) more often. There is some meat in the dishes created by, uh.... meat eaters, I guess?

I guess while I'm on the Indian wavelength, I can just mention how much I'm addicted to the Indian way of making tea We have an Indian store only about an hour away from where we live, so I go there to get my hands on the tea and spices (and here's something I found ironic, the Indians and the Russian share the same word for tea, chai! )
But yeah, I'm generally very fascinated with the Indian culture, dress, food and dance. (I even danced a little bollywood in the years before, though unfortunately, I'm too blonde too look Indian )

That's so neat that you've had Daal and Chapati before, Wrose! I know that Russian culture and Indian culture can sometimes intersect with each other, Bollywood being one primary factor.

I wish that we had the opportunity to collect mushrooms from the forest! I don't know of any edible mushrooms that grow wild here.

Americans can you please explain the appeal of a pumpkin pie?

Pumpkin pie is delicious... I'm not sure what the appeal is, but I just know it's very delicious. However, I can relate to your experience regarding Lemon Pie (which is American, if I'm not mistaken?). I thought it was some kind of savory treat, preferrably with meat, and I was disappointed that it was thick, sweet lemon filling.

What song do you think could be your countries second anthem?. A more modern anthem.

Interesting question. Personally, I think Britain has a pretty lousy national anthem anyway, because:

1. It's usually played so dreadfully slooowly, like a funeral dirge.
2. Most of the time, only the first verse is sung (and most Britons only know the first verse), as the subsequent verses are quite objectionable in modern, treat-everyone-as-equals times.
3. It's not about the country, it's about the monarch. While I hope the monarch will be saved just as much as anyone else, I don't really have any strong feelings towards the Royal Family. It almost feels like the Calormenes saying "May he live forever" after saying the word "Tisroc".
4. We will have to re-learn it as "God Save The King" when the Queen dies and Charles (or William) takes over.

Britons tend to be considerably less patriotic than Americans anyway these days, and songs like "Rule Britannia" or "Land Of Hope And Glory" make many of us cringe. As Flanders and Swann pointed out in one of their routines, Scotland has "Scotland The Brave", Wales has "Land Of My Fathers" and what does England have? "Jerusalem"! I was always puzzled by the reference to "dark Satanic mills". Why is (or was) a mill Satanic? Did they weave "666" into every piece of cloth? Sorry, I digress...

Given the British penchant for satire and sarcasm, we could adopt a spoof patriotic song like "When Britain Really Ruled The Waves" from Gilbert & Sullivan's opera "Iolanthe". Or if you want something more serious, "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty (it's about London at least).

I've never understood why the British aren't more patriotic than they are. You folks have done a lot of good in the world and it's safe to say that if not for you we might be speaking German right now, or Napoleon might have ruled longer, or we may have never gotten to have India Pale Ales . And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Not to mention we might not be here either! Every nation makes mistakes, of course, but if the good outweighs the bad why not be proud of it?

Speaking of which here in the US most of the citizenry have a love relationship with the military. It's strong enough so that when someone says something rude (or when they do something rude) to a service member it usually earns them public excoriation. And of course there's the intra-service rivalry that has been a constant for how long no one can say . I was in the Air Force, for instance, so I can tell Army guys or Navy guys how much better the Air Force is, or the Marines can give the Navy guys wedgies or the Army guys can brag to Air Force guys how they're not slouchy. It's all friendly rivalry of course, there was never a one of us who wouldn't be right there to support a fellow service member, but those ties to our respective branches are pretty strong. Do other countries have this sense of pride in their military and their various branches? If so how do you show appreciation or celebrate it?

I've read lots of Tom Clancy books and other Cold War books, and probably have seen a matching number of films of that era on TV, and so I must say that the old Soviet Union anthem was quite melodic in a martial sort of way. I wonder if they still use it, actually. It was very catchy.

Speaking of Tom Clancy, I remember the submariners singing the Soviet anthem near the beginning of the film version of The Hunt for Red October.

wild rose could likely tell us more, but I believe Russia tried a few different anthems but has returned to the original melody with new lyrics. I too like the tune. You can watch this performance from the closing ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. That page also has links to the old Soviet anthem.

As Flanders and Swann pointed out in one of their routines, Scotland has "Scotland The Brave", Wales has "Land Of My Fathers" and what does England have? "Jerusalem"! I was always puzzled by the reference to "dark Satanic mills". Why is (or was) a mill Satanic? Did they weave "666" into every piece of cloth? Sorry, I digress...

Scotland's national anthem would be Flower of Scotland, as my staunchly Scottish in-laws would have you know. It isn't Scotland the Brave. This anthem which takes a dig at the English, under that English monarch, Edward II, whom they defeated at Bannockburn, is usually sung at Rugby (Union) matches. I don't know what they do for Rugby League.

About the "dark Satanic mills", that would be a reference to the Industrial Revolution, and yes, as William Blake and friends well knew, those mills were actually Dark and Satanic, with the poor people working & living in horrible & unsanitary conditions etc. It was the likes of Charles Dickens and William Blake who drew attention to this situation, and it was the number of social reformers that Victorian England produced which set the precedents to make things rather better for that much overworked and put upon person, often referred to as "the taxpayer", who mysteriously inhabits everywhere else but Britain, judging by Daily Mail media commentary.

King Erlian, William Blake was the bloke who penned the lyrics to Jerusalem. He based the poem on a myth that Joseph of Arimathea might have visited Britain. The other night we saw a program on ABC telling us about the composer who put this poem to music in 1916. Sir Hubert Parry was also noted for other ceremonial music, such as I was glad, performed at coronations, state weddings etc. By the way, IlF, this informative program is one reason why I tend to share your opinion of one T. Abbott, as the ABC & SMH keep our press honest and independent of government and commercial control.

Neither IlF nor W4J would have been even born in 1974, before which God save the Queen was Australia's national anthem, also. In those days it was played at the end of every movie session, when we had to stand at attention and wait, instead of bolting out the door to catch the last train home. At boarding school we had to sing all the verses, also. There used to be a girl called Gloria there, but in a different section of the boarding school, and I used to wonder why the Queen would be happier living with her, and why the Queen wanted to live in Victoria, not NSW. I was only 7 at the time, during a particularly nasty La Nina, which caused much flooding in NSW, so having the Queen rain over us for a such a long time, didn't seem such a good idea, either.

Advance Australia Fair, written originally by Peter Dodds McCormick in 1878, was considered a patriotic song until 1984, when it was chosen by plebiscite as our national anthem. There are a few alterations to update it, such as the omission of at least one verse, which warbles how Captain Cook from Albion sailed to trace wide oceans o'er was driven on by "true British courage". Except on the Sunday before last, when we sang Advance Australia Fair to conclude the service, any Christian reference Peter Dodds McCormick might have put in it has been excised. And of course we don't sing about Australia's sons but Australians all. But our unofficial, and for a while, official, anthem is, and remains, Walzing Matilda.

I like singing the Marseillaise, though I can never remember all the words in the middle bit in French, as they seem to merge a bit. The national anthem I liked to hear most was the Greek national anthem which I heard sung at our Sydney Olympics opening and closing ceremonies.

I've never understood why the British aren't more patriotic than they are. You folks have done a lot of good in the world

Er, us? In 1788? Shadowlander, an interesting thing to ponder is this: take the British migrant out of his homeland, and guess what! However unpatriotic he/she was at home in Britain, he/she suddenly becomes quite otherwise when living somewhere else, especially in Australia. Here, they quite reject the fact that if it wasn't for Australian & New Zealand help, including the Anzac contributions to world wars & food parcels, the British might have been a good deal worse off in the last century than they were. I am only talking from day-to-day observation, of course. You wouldn't see the Barmy Army & their ex-pat rellies barracking for Australia whilst at the matches in the Ashes cricket series.

Yes when I travelled to America I was kind of scared by the patriotism. I had a man screaming why America was so great and I don't think you could look anywhere in the streets of new york without having an American flag in view.

I have never heard someone say "god bless Australia" or "god bless England"

I honestly can't wait to watch the last leg tomorrow night when Adam can finally get Josh back. Since Australia won teh ashes.

Wagga, I was aware of William Blake. I was referring to a comedy routine by British comedy duo Flanders and Swann which led into a spoof patriotic song called "A Song Of Patriotic Prejudice", which had the refrain:
"The English, the English, the English are best
I wouldn't give tuppence for all of the rest."
In the first three verses they're totally disparaging about the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish, and in the final verse they dismiss everybody else:
"It's just 'cos they're foreign that makes them so mad!"

If you have a Union Jack outside your house in the UK, it means you're either a football fanatic or a racist (or both).

King_Erlian. Your mention of the response to flags is somewhat the same in some places in the US. One poor fellow, a veteran at that, was sued by the local neighborhood authority because his flag "ruined their view of the mountainside." Which was just an excuse to have it taken down because they found it "offensive".
Though to be fare there are many who go overboard in wanting to express patriotism. Such as flying their flags until they are in tatters. Then getting upset when someone says it should be retired. As an old Boy Scout we were told this also shows disrespect to the flag, and what it represents.
Unfortunatly there will always be the extemes on most issues, with the voice of reason stuck in the middle being bruised from both sides.

If you have a Union Jack outside your house in the UK, it means you're either a football fanatic or a racist (or both).

Why on Earth would that make a person a racist?

We fly our flag usually on big holidays, chiefly ones like Veteran's Day or Independence Day. I was a scout like Puddleglum so I know flag etiquette and adhere to it at all times. There's certain procedures to retire a flag and when one's flag becomes too damaged or brittle to fly anymore you can take it down to the local VFW hall and they'll have a very solemn and respectful ceremony where it and other retired flags are burned and then buried. You can keep a well made flag operating for a very long time though as long as you care for it. The Star Spangled Banner is a monster-size flag that they still have on display up in Washington DC and they take super meticulous care of it and its been in serviceable shape since the War of 1812. And you're not limited to just the traditional Stars & Stripes. On Independence Day we fly our Betsy Ross flag. My parents have a Bennington Flag they fly on said day. I was thinking of getting some others and flying each on specific days, but I'm neurotic like that

The flag retirement thing sound really strange to me.

The only Day you will ever see a lot of Australian flags will be on Australia day. When bogans wear them as capes. The Aboriginal flag is always next to it when flags raised at school.

Wagga, I was aware of William Blake. I was referring to a comedy routine by British comedy duo Flanders and Swann which led into a spoof patriotic song called "A Song Of Patriotic Prejudice", which had the refrain:
"The English, the English, the English are best
I wouldn't give tuppence for all of the rest."
In the first three verses they're totally disparaging about the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish, and in the final verse they dismiss everybody else:
"It's just 'cos they're foreign that makes them so mad!"

If you have a Union Jack outside your house in the UK, it means you're either a football fanatic or a racist (or both).

Whereas in Australia, the Union Jack flying outside a house would mean the residents are Anti-Australian Barmy Army members, come to cheer on the "British" cricket team, the visiting football team, or even someone referred to as a "Whingeing Pom", which is also considered racist for us to say about anyone "British". Trouble is, there are Union Jacks in the top left-hand corner of Australian flags, even six of the State flags, and every now and then there is some attempt to see if we can organise a new national flag for Australia that doesn't have a Union Jack as part of the flag. BTW, IlF, the Australian flag goes on top of the flag pole, when it is one of those three-in-one flagpoles, and the Aboriginal flag and your State flag fly on either side, when it is a State Government building.

King Erlian, I'm not surprised at the attitudes of Flanders & Swann, which, here, would be branded as racist, in themselves. I've learned over the years, that when an Englishman or woman wins something at the Olympics then we are told proudly about an English victory. But when a Scottish , Irish or Welshman or woman wins something then suddenly it is a British victory. So much for all of them being in the same UK team. Surely, in UK, the English don't fly St George crosses on suitably patriotic festive occasions, do they? Whilst expecting everyone else to fly the Union Jack?

I don't have an Australian flag to fly, but a couple of families in our street do fly the Australian flag proudly, on Anzac Day, as well as Australia Day. I just drape my Australian flag beach towel over the balcony balustrade. Sorry, IlF.

This year is the 100th Anniversary of the outbreak of World War 1, so we will be hearing a lot about the War to end all Wars. Just in case nobody noticed....8))

I think it's important to remember that things like Flanders and Swann are satire, and are sending up racist views rather than promoting them. I don't think a song with lines like "The French and Italians eat garlic in bed" is intended as a serious attack on other cultures.

As for flying the St. George cross (the English flag), apart from on St. George's Day, you hardly ever see it except at sporting events.

I don't feel especially proud to be English, or British. Seems to be regarded as rather a negative thing in the rest of the world these days.

I've read a theory that much of the rest of the world has been terrified of the British and this is why you might have that impression. I'm glad you pointed out that Flanders & Swann are all about satire. And I'd be proud to say I'm of British descent, even though some of my mob got thrown out of "Old Blighty". As a matter of interest, which part of UK is "Old Blighty", and why do they call it by that name?