I was in the American midwest for a while, North Dakota to be exact, and I was round somebody's house and they offered me a slice of pizza, saying 'You guys like pizza over there in France, right?'. To which I replied 'Well, I think you are thinking of Italy, but either way, I'm from England'. The guy just couldn't understand that Europe is made up of loads of vastly different countries and isn't just one big mass of land called 'Europe'. The final straw was when he replied 'well, Englad, France, whatever, it's all the same'. I wanted to hit his ignorant ass. That's like saying 'Canada, USA, whatever'. I was also told I spoke good English for a foreigner.
Of course, I know none of you guys are that ignorant, but the point is England may be close, but 25 miles of water is enough to seperate us from Europe not only by distance but also by attitude, opinion and culture.
So, in order to keep on topic: Things I hate: Ignorance, People who lump England and France together, and North Dakota.