I had lunch with two Yanks today. :)

[Toad]

Swag,

Every society has its bungholes.

My last visit to England was great. Took the family and explored London. We all had a great time.

The evening before we left we dined in a nice tavern out by Gatwick. ONE table near us just had to start running down "yanks" in clear, loud tones. Their neighbors frowned at them in a proper English way and on the way out, two tables apologized for the behavior of the one mouthy table.

That kind of stuff can happen anywhere. Don't let it sour you. The  "average joe" just about anywhere is, indeed, pretty much like the "average joe" here.

Still like England. Going back this month.

[Daff]

London does seem to attract the worst of the American tourists, like Ibeza seems to attract the worst of the European tourists.
 I often wonder if the travel agencies have them fill out some kind of IQ test and will limit their choices depending on the result.
 Breakfast in Europe depends on the place you are staying...better places (not necesarrily more expensive) will have the full breakfast, with various types of bread, cheeses, ham and salami..and you can't beat the coffee!.
 Here in the UK, most people still prefer instant coffee to the real stuff! Heretics!.

Daff

[Sancho]

Originally posted by Dowding

As for American food - what exactly is that?

Tex-mex.  Now STFU.

[Puke]

Sounds like the English (with Beet1e leading the way) have a huge inferiority complex in regards to Americans.  One more 'Brits vs Americans' post from this guy and I'm gonna live up to my callsign.

[beet1e]

ROFL!   One of my more successful threads.

Well, so no WONDER they were whining! ALL women whine! If there's one thing that transcends race, politics or country of origin it is gender. If you had told us two women were whining you wouldn't have gotten a response. Sheeesh, Beatle. Waste our friggin time.

Only one was whining - is that what you meant?

NUKE!  You're in the wrong thread, mate. And I'm not a politician.

Mr. Toad - what night was that? Trying to work out if I was at Gatwick when that Yank-bash thing happened. Hehe, you should have heard us at Cosford the other week.  just kidding

[Dowding]

I've never met a bad American. I studied in Durham, in the North East of England (it has one of the biggest Cathedrals in Europe and a large castle, which you stay in as a student if you happen to go to that college). We got plenty of American tourists, and they were always polite. Whenever I was asked for directions, I always took time to have a chat with them.

I was there 4 years, and never met an annoying one, like you might find in London or other 'well-trodden' areas for American tourists.

Puke - if Americans are so secure, why do they continue to post in reply to Beetle's trawling inanities?

lol Sancho

[lazs2]

Country bashing of third world countries like england and indonessia is bad form even for women.... even for women who don't own guns.   That is one reason that I want to end womens sufferage.   If you listened to women... you deserve to live in england.

And cabs... rode in a sum total of about 4 cabs in my entire life... hate the things.
lazs

[Curval]

Originally posted by Sancho
Tex-mex.  Now STFU.

Tex-Mex...basically Mexican food.  The Tex part means there is just more of it.

[blitz]

Originally posted by beet1e
If in Germany, make it bratwurst/wienerschnitzel.

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH, ever heard of Gulasch, Hühnerfrikassee,
Königsberger Klöpse, Sauerbraten, Eisbein mit Sauerkraut, Grünkohl mit Pinkel, Forelle Müllerin Art, Karpfen blau, Zander mit Specksauce?

At least we're able to cook, moron!

Blitz









PS j/k   ;-D Maybe we'll have Rolladen together some day:D

[Puke]

Puke - if Americans are so secure, why do they continue to post in reply to Beetle's trawling inanities?  - Sancho

I don't really know.  I've seen Beet1e post similar things before and I've always refrained from comment, but after seeing the same type of thing over and over and over again, I begain to think the guy has some sort of problem.  I would suspect there aren't any more polite or mean or rude people per capita in England than in the USA.  People are just people.

After his billionth UKvsUSA thread, I no longer think the guy is trolling or making jokes but has a real problem..but hides behind a veil of a troll.

[Kieran]

Yes, Beetle does have a problem. He also isn't too worried about letting truth get in the way of a good argument.

[Habu]

I have travelled the world extensively and have the following observation to make.

Yes I have met the typical stupid American tourist many times. They are a minority but numerous enough that if you travel you will meet them almost every day. He is the type of person who when in Germany will get all excited and order an American Beer if it is available "because it is the best in the world" and would eat at McDonalds over anywhere else.

My take on these guys is that they are idiots because they just don't get what travel is all about. You travel to see new things and experience new things. You don't go halfway around the world to experience life exactly as it is in whatever city or town you grew up in.

For example if you travel all throught Europe and insist on drinking nothing but Coke, and eating hamburgers you have just thrown away a fantastic chance to learn all about European beer and food.

The stupid American type doesn't get it but I think the reason they do not is because they have a cultural inferority complex. It is easier to order American beer and food and then cut up any local fare than it is to take the time to find the best local food and drink and where to find it. That way they can loudly brag about how great everything they know about (American food, drink etc) is and how crap everything else is.

In my experience this is strictly a blue collar attitude. Poor college students, low ranking military types, oil field workers etc exhibit it.

The same Americans who get rich by owning their own businesses, getting a meds degree, working on wall street etc are generally much more intelligent and do not behave this way.

So in fact it is quite an easy way to find out when in a foreign country just how successful or educated an American is. Just look at what they eat and how they behave. Loud voice and intolerence = blue collar / high school grad.  

I am sure the same holds true for this thread. Intelligent well travelled Americans read it and laugh because they know all to well the exact type of person being talked about. Ones who are most likely to act this way get all angry and flame because it strikes a little to close to home.

It is kind of like smoking. The bottom line is if you are under 30 and smoke you are an idiot. You may not think so and may have a dozen reasons to justify your habit but to the rest of us you are just an idiot. And once we know you smoke you will always be thought of that way, because it is true.

[Kieran]

Here's a thought for you, Habu... there's more than one way to eat a Reese's.

If I traveled (major "if") I would do it on my terms. If I wanted to visit place A, I would. If I found a restaurant that served the type of food I liked, even if that was McDonald's, I would eat there. If I found the American beer I liked, I would be happy. In short, as eating and drinking are completely unimportant to me, it would be a nonissue. More than that... I might be counting my pennies and simply be eating as cheaply as I could.

I'll confess to being provincial, and I don't apologize a bit for it. But if I did travel, it wouldn't be so I could find out how your country takes care of business, or to find out how ignorant your people are. I would be going to see your countryside, architecture, and perhaps museums. That is what interests *me*.

One thing does amaze me though... how Beetle found two Americans, especially women, that could stand to be in a room with him and still have their appetite.

[Mark Luper]

Habu,
I am not rich, monetarialy that is, I also have just a little more than a high school education. I am a "blue-collar" worker in a large facility.

You would not recognize me for what I am because I do enjoy experiencing new things, new foods, different cultures.

If you base your knowledge about someone only on a select few person's habits then you will probably be wrong most of the time.

Now perhaps the fact that I did grow up in a culture other than Texan may have broadened my appreciation for other peoples, but one common vein I have seen in people from other countries is thier seeming readiness to try to demean Americans.

[Habu]

Kieran if you travel and live overseas you will quickly find out that the one biggest thing you will start to look forward to are the meals.

After you have been to art gallery after art gallery and castle after castle, museum after museum and beach after beach they are all lose some of their allure. After all they are just buildings and places. A beach in Florida is not that different than one in Hawaii or Australia. Art can be experienced by a book or on TV and be just as compelling as seeing it in a museum unless you are a real student of what you are seeing.

What you begin to realize after traveling awhile it is the interaction with other travelers and locals and the sharing of their food in a different culture that is probably the most fufiling aspect of the experience.

BTW the best local food and drink should not be confused with the most expensive local food and drink. As travelers to Italy know that is also most likely just for stupid tourists.

It is over meals and drink that friendships are made.

I hardly remember the Louve or the British Museum and I have been to both a few times. The Eiffel tower is really just a bunch of stairs to a drafty observation platform.  But I still remember fondly the time I was lost in Belgium and found a small pub to escape the rain and had a great lunch while sampling about a dozen types of local beer. The owner would let me try a quarter pint at a time so I was not completely pissed afterwards. He told me about each one and what made it special. I remember the time in Japan I met a couple of local business men and they took me to a sushi place and introduced me to all the different types. The were pleased to educate me in their local culture and to this day I love sushi and order whenever I can.

If you forgo these experiences then you are just missing out on the most enriching part of the journey.