On 11/19/2013 7:55 AM, Ken Norton wrote:
>> I don't know of any other people who use American spelling, nor do I
>> know of any usage of the old English (aka fractional) measurement system
>> outside America. But that does not hinder Americans from claiming that they
>> are first and foremost. That underscores the underlying barbaric nature of
>> American culture.
> Underlying barbaric nature of American culture? Nah, hardly. We gave
> the world Hollywood, Rock and Roll and Country music. Hmm....... I
> think you might be on to something.
>
> If you were to judge American cuisine in Europe by way of the numerous
> McDonald's and Burger King franchises, you would get the (somewhat correct)
> impression that Americans are gastronimically impoverished to an extreme.
> American cuisine is, for the most part, a homogenized blend of global
> foods. La Choy makes Chinese food swing American. Since WW2, we've
> become a nation of pizza. There are still great differences in foods
> from one region to another. For a person, like me, who has travelled
> extensively (all but 4 states), seeing the familiar yellow "M" is a
> life saver when you aren't overly sure if you stomach is up to the
> task of eating the local fare.
I have yet to eat at a McDonald's. Nor at the King of Bs for many years. One of
the things I love about Berkeley is that
the K of Bs downtown failed, and was replaced by an independent Indian
restaurant.
I'm sitting here, trying to remember when I last ate at a franchise fast food
place. Certainly since the kids grew up.
Maybe 15 years? McD's is useful for bathrooms, though.
Among the 300 odd million or so of us, there are those who, without following
any extremist gastronomic vision, mostly
eat fresh, minimally processed food.
We somehow managed a month in New England without one fast food meal, and ate
quite well. Perhaps too well? Burp.
> This was especially true for us in Ireland, which tends to not to be exactly
> gastronomically pleasing or exciting from one eatery to the next.
I hope to test that. A friend is negotiating to buy out her cousins' shares of
her late aunt's cottage. If she succeeds,
we are already invited!
> However, in defence ...
Hey, since when do we need to defend ourselves against anyone else's ideas?
Stand Tall, Eat Well Moose
--
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
--
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