Beef-eaters

     You have surely seen it posted on the label of a bottle of gin and it may have called your attention. I still remember when I was studying seventh grade at school and my English teacher gave us handouts of several ads representing well-known brand names which portrayed the Anglo-Saxon world. Memories of a bearded man wearing a red military uniform come into my mind…

     Then, I learnt that man was known as “beefeater” because apparently “beefeaters” were privileged people who could afford eating meat while the rest of ordinary people could not. Honestly, I always thought “beefeaters” were something of old times, until I travelled to London and visited its famous Tower, which had been home to many prisoners such as Elizabeth I or Anne Boleyn, among others.

     The architectural clash between this precious landmark and the new City is shocking. However, it is even more surprising to know that beefeaters live in the Tower Complex!

     But as it usually happens with a culture with such a meticulous way of doing “things”, nothing happens at random. The 35 beefeaters living in the Tower are carefully chosen. In fact, some of the requirements they have to follow are, for instance, 22 years of military service, holding the Long Service and Good Conduct medal, and being over 30 years old. Surprisingly, they work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year!

      Apart from working as Yeoman Warders of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, they are also perfect guides of the Tower since they thoroughly show every corner of such a historic landmark.

     All in all, I hope every time you see them, you remember these men of anachronic look are the "Yeoman Warders" of an immovable place since, according to legend, the Tower shall not be moved neither destroyed until the stoned ravens decorating the building decide to leave it...