Ali: God I’m p***ed off.

Tim: Why, what’s up?

Ali: Take a look around you. Have you any idea what country we’re in?

Tim: How do you mean?

Ali: I mean, you look around and it’s seriously difficult to find anything Czech. If you want some typical Czech food you have to look hard for a restaurant serving classic Czech cuisine. Everywhere it’s fast food, pizzas, and Chinese restaurants.

Tim: What are you on about? I mean, you love Chinese food!

Ali: That’s not what I mean. It annoys me like crazy that Czech culture is simply disappearing. Soon we won’t be celebrating Easter but Halloween. And everyone’s going crazy about Valentine’s Day, which has nothing to do with us.

Tim: You don’t think you’re exaggerating a bit?

Ali: No, I don’t.

Tim: So what is Czech culture in your opinion?

Ali: Well, food, customs, that kind of thing.

Tim: And you reckon that that’s something which was, is, and always will be the same?

Ali: That’s just my point. It won’t be any more, cos it’ll get changed...

Tim: But that’s just rubbish, culture is something which is always changing. It’s not something which has been here forever and will remain here forever. We’d simply become fossils in that case.

Ali: Alright smartarse, what do you reckon is Czech culture?

Tim: I don’t know, I reckon that culture is always developing, it doesn’t remain the same, it reacts to new things. In Holland, for instance, there’s loads of immigrants from Muslim countries. And I reckon that Islam is slowly becoming part of Dutch culture. Culture is made by the people who live it.

Ali: Well, I reckon that’s rubbish. Are you telling me that Dutch culture is Muslim?

Tim: No. But take the Christian tradition. Do you honestly think that’s always been here?