old churches and pretty buildings and stuff

[Dead Winter]

Kind of makes me sad that you would say America Is Horrible at Culture. If anything America goes out of its way to respect other peoples cultures, I'll down right say America goes to far to try and not step on peoples toes (well, I can't speak for the president who steps on everyones toes).




I beg to differ. People are tought how to cook things differently when they grow up. You're mom could boil Pasta and use salt and oil... My mother would just use Boiling water with out all that. Food differed from place to place originally because of what Ingredients they had around them. Northern Italy Might make Fettuccine alfredo(bad example, not a very old dish) and add things like chicken, where southern Italy might add shrimp. Just because of the area. Now days if stuff like that differs its because thats the way the chef wants to prepare it, they want to be different and not have the same old boring stuff they grew up with. Maybe keeping their favorite dish the same simply because it was their favorite.
I don't get where you think you can't get "REAL" Ethnic food in America. Even stating it as a fact. Just by saying that you're insulting all the traditional Italian, Chinese...etc. Chefs in America who try hard and keep the same food that they've grown up with out on your plate, so they can share their traditions.

#1. Fettuccine alfredo doesn't exist in Italy. ANYWHERE. It's an American dish invented by Americans and blown out of proportion by Olive Garden.

#2. My favorite spaghetti will always be my mother's...just because I grew up with it, and we're both 100% American. That said, I have had some really shit Italian food in the US before. Things like breaking the pasta before cooking it...NO. Then they boil it for half an hour so it becomes like slime in your mouth.... For me, there is no substitute or "interpretation" when it comes to pasta. You can make it anywhere and it doesn't matter where you are, but it's more of a matter of knowing how to cook, rather than being of a certain nationality. Pasta should be al dente and you should be able to tell when it's al dente just by tasting it...and if you can't, you need someone to show you how.

#3. C'mon man! We are one of the most intolerant people of the world, ESPECIALLY towards other cultures, and ESPECIALLY when we visit said cultures. By being PC, the gov't has tried to swat the fly off the head by using a hammer, thereby making people EVEN MORE intolerant of other cultures. It cracks me up when people go to other countries and get pissed off because the national language isn't English. Maybe INSIDE THE US, we're tolerant of other cultures, but once we leave our bubble and go into the unknown, it's a different story.

When I was in the military, I wanted to smack most of the Americans I worked with here. It seemed like they were judging other places on how close it resembles the US, not on how DIFFERENT it is...it's almost like they want a mini-US everywhere they go instead of embracing a different culture. So in their minds, the more similar to the US a country was, the better. They should just stay at home, then.

That said, it's not just Americans, and Americans aren't even the worst. That award would go to the English. Americans are at least somewhat flexible when they travel.

Fuck me running...I DO miss 7-11 though.

 

[Dead Winter]

Back on topic:

View from old castle where I live overlooking the valley.

Said 650 year old castle...or what's left of it

 

[Dead_Lioness]

I don't get where you think you can't get "REAL" Ethnic food in America. Even stating it as a fact. Just by saying that you're insulting all the traditional Italian, Chinese...etc. Chefs in America who try hard and keep the same food that they've grown up with out on your plate, so they can share their traditions.

heh

 

[Dead_Lioness]

Fuck me running...I DO miss 7-11 though.

:zombie:

 

[Dead Winter]

When it's 3 a.m. and you need something like a soda or some Doritos or other junk food, maybe some cigarettes, 7-11 is a godsend and we don't have anything like that here.

Italians are so one-dimensional; they all say, "Well people here just don't think of anything like that", and then when they go to a place that has such things (not necessarily 7-11, but speaking in general), they are just amazed and they love it.

For being such a free-thinking culture, they completely miss the point of so many obvious things that could make their lives simpler and easier. They don't like it because they're so deeply rooted in tradition that they're afraid of anything out of the ordinary. It's almost blasphemous to think of something open past 8 pm that's not a pub or a movie theater or a club.

 

[Lordlucid]

#1. Fettuccine alfredo doesn't exist in Italy. ANYWHERE. It's an American dish invented by Americans and blown out of proportion by Olive Garden.

#2. My favorite spaghetti will always be my mother's...just because I grew up with it, and we're both 100% American. That said, I have had some really shit Italian food in the US before. Things like breaking the pasta before cooking it...NO. Then they boil it for half an hour so it becomes like slime in your mouth.... For me, there is no substitute or "interpretation" when it comes to pasta. You can make it anywhere and it doesn't matter where you are, but it's more of a matter of knowing how to cook, rather than being of a certain nationality. Pasta should be al dente and you should be able to tell when it's al dente just by tasting it...and if you can't, you need someone to show you how.

#3. C'mon man! We are one of the most intolerant people of the world, ESPECIALLY towards other cultures, and ESPECIALLY when we visit said cultures. By being PC, the gov't has tried to swat the fly off the head by using a hammer, thereby making people EVEN MORE intolerant of other cultures. It cracks me up when people go to other countries and get pissed off because the national language isn't English. Maybe INSIDE THE US, we're tolerant of other cultures, but once we leave our bubble and go into the unknown, it's a different story.

When I was in the military, I wanted to smack most of the Americans I worked with here. It seemed like they were judging other places on how close it resembles the US, not on how DIFFERENT it is...it's almost like they want a mini-US everywhere they go instead of embracing a different culture. So in their minds, the more similar to the US a country was, the better. They should just stay at home, then.

That said, it's not just Americans, and Americans aren't even the worst. That award would go to the English. Americans are at least somewhat flexible when they travel.

Fuck me running...I DO miss 7-11 though.

1. Fettuccine Alfredo was created in Rome.
2. Agreed.
3. I wouldn't say that we're the most intolerant country or even people. Sure when you start getting into the uber Religious/uneducated Parts of America where white is white and everything else is evil, then I would be more inclined to say yes. I have to admit our foreign affairs has been quite lacking, but I did not vote for our current president. I would also have to blame the Liberal Media oh spreading rumors and lies about other countries and at the same time I have to blame the ignorant people who listen to said lies, Not just listen but believe them.
As for people comparing places to America who are from America tend to do that naturally. I think any people who go from one place to another tend to compare it to their home. Me personally, I would tend to compare the surrounding areas to my home. But I'm sure I would be in a state of culture shock depending on the places that I go, and the people that I meet.

My friends back packed through Europe, I was Jealous when they told me they went to Norway. However, because Norway was so expensive they ended up Saving money on hot dogs they had purchased from a couple 7-11's there. I think if you search hard enough you might just find one!

 

[Lordlucid]

heh

please explain.

 

[Dead Winter]

1. Fettuccine Alfredo was created in Rome.
2. Agreed.
3. I wouldn't say that we're the most intolerant country or even people. Sure when you start getting into the uber Religious/uneducated Parts of America where white is white and everything else is evil, then I would be more inclined to say yes. I have to admit our foreign affairs has been quite lacking, but I did not vote for our current president. I would also have to blame the Liberal Media oh spreading rumors and lies about other countries and at the same time I have to blame the ignorant people who listen to said lies, Not just listen but believe them.
As for people comparing places to America who are from America tend to do that naturally. I think any people who go from one place to another tend to compare it to their home. Me personally, I would tend to compare the surrounding areas to my home. But I'm sure I would be in a state of culture shock depending on the places that I go, and the people that I meet.

My friends back packed through Europe, I was Jealous when they told me they went to Norway. However, because Norway was so expensive they ended up Saving money on hot dogs they had purchased from a couple 7-11's there. I think if you search hard enough you might just find one!

If you find fettuccine alfredo anywhere besides Via Veneto in Rome, lemme know. It's panna and pasta...usually italians cook it with some sort of meat, usually speck, but not limited to that. They'll also use mushrooms and even peppers sometimes. But the fettuccine alfredo that we all know and love which is just noodles and panna is an American dish.

7-11 in Norway, huh? Man, these people need to get on the ball here!!!

 

[Lordlucid]

If you find fettuccine alfredo anywhere besides Via Veneto in Rome, lemme know. It's panna and pasta...usually italians cook it with some sort of meat, usually speck, but not limited to that. They'll also use mushrooms and even peppers sometimes. But the fettuccine alfredo that we all know and love which is just noodles and panna is an American dish.

7-11 in Norway, huh? Man, these people need to get on the ball here!!!

Thats kinda why I said it was a bad example. But still, its an Italian Dish.
But actually its the other way around Just the noodles and Butter cream is more Italian (thats the original way it was made), and mixing and adding things is more American.