Brexit, in gastronomic terms. A popular meme that made the rounds in the wake of the UK's EU referendum. Soon after the results of Brexit referendum in the UK came out, the Internet was buzzing with grief-filled tweets, gloomy analytical pieces, and moans and groans of disappointed “Remain” supporters, as well as with cheerful exclamation marks and red-top “Independence Day” covers promoted by “Leave” campaigners. In the 23 June poll, 51.9% of voters in the UK said they wanted to leave the European Union, while 48.1% voted to stay. The proliferation of memes on the referendum results was a good sign for me. I'm a doctoral researcher at the University of Westminster, and in my research I have found that people use political memes in two sorts of situations: when things have so wrong that the only coping technique is sarcasm and humour; and when things are not great but fixable, and the act of sharing viral pictures assists reconciliation and boosts optimism. I reckoned that the post-Brexit memes were an example of the second case. Memes are the fast-food media of the digital generation: they condense complex issues into an amusing yet meaningful combination of picture and text. In the meme pictured at the top of this article, for example, the juxtaposition of European delicacies with the stereotypical British baked beans doesn't add analytical depth to the discussion of the referendum results. Yet it boils the argument down to materiality: bon appetit, Brexiters, this is what's left on your tables now. I was particularly interested in the memes continental Europeans shared on Twitter. Although EU citizens are legally allowed to reside in the UK, those who do live there were not allowed to vote (unless they had a British passport). Of course, neither were EU citizens elsewhere in Europe, though the decision would ultimately affect them as well. European memes featured an intriguing interplay of national stereotypes about Britain, counter-references to the local politics of European member states, fury at the Brits, and offered a snapshot of the pan-European migrant rhetoric—a tremendously hot topic nowadays. “Adopt a Brit”, a spoof campaign started by a Romanian newspaper, offered “Remainians” the chance to become Romanians and thus stay in the EU, complete with a suggested design for the Remainian ID card. A spoof identity card for “Remainians” who wish to become Romanians and stay in the EU. Western media outlets including CNN reported the story, while on Twitter a mix of users endorsed the idea, including Brits who shared the suggestion among their multi-national groups of followers. Importantly, this campaign followed months of negative depictions of Romanian migrants in the UK tabloids. An Internet meme with a viral pun therefore became a small act of digital revenge against that coverage. If you're a #UK #Remainian you can be adopted by a #Romanian here https://t.co/UevyPurOT3 #Brexit — Adrian Bolboaca (@adibolb) June 28, 2016 @TheWhoCat We're willing to start a Romanian/Remainian family — Chris Terry (@CJTerry) June 27, 2016 I’M A ROMANIAN. I WANT TO ADOPT A REMAINIAN. #Brexit https://t.co/SaY39qTacF — Sébastien. (@unisseb) June 27, 2016 Other European users picked up on the narrative of migration. In one photo circulated on Twitter, a poster on the facade of the Palacio Cibeles in Madrid, Spain was digitally manipulated to read “British Refugees Welcome” instead of “Refugees Welcome”, adding a layer of solidarity to the Brexit results. Nueva pancarta en Cibeles #Brexit — Camilo (@camiloenmadrid) June 24, 2016 New poster in Cibeles #Brexit Instead of blaming the UK voters, these users emphasised—with a touch of soft humour—that Brits were still welcome in their country. Some Italian and Portuguese meme makers linked Brexit to the British royal family, although neither Queen Elizabeth II nor any other Windsor had revealed their views on the campaign leading up to the vote. Several Italians blamed Her Majesty for letting the referendum happen in the first place. The meme below presents the UK-EU relationship as a friendship or romance that has come to an end. This Italian meme reads: “Come on, EU, let us go for a coffee.” The image below quotes a well-known tagline from “Gomorra“, an Italian TV series about the Neapolitan mafia: “We will regain what is ours”. This Italian meme reads: “We will regain what is ours.” The badge on the Queen’s coat reads, “Raised on bread and ignorance.” Via Twitter user @@goddessofnight_ This meme correlates with another popular joke implying that the Queen had personal motivations for supporting the “Leave” campaign. “They say you are too old to go out,” it goes, “but you are Queen Elizabeth, and to show them who is in charge you make the whole country get out”.