Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

The pricing would impact heavily discounted, stronger drinks, effectively almost doubling them in price. No more 65 p cans...more like 1.20cans...

My brother manages an asda in manchester and notes that the goverment is putting a lot of pressure on supermarkets to stop low and no profit pricing on booze. They were asked to stop buy one get one free type deals on cases of beer and bottles of wine.

Not that i really care either way, i rarely drink much these days.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

I hardly think its an epidemic, but certainly more socially acceptable here. I have said this on here before, after 4 years of street level policing, i expereinced way less issues with those who had toked up than those on booze. Also went to more violence calls as a result of booze and more youngsters getting injured and killed due to booze rather than dope....ecstasy is more problematic, but dope.....i'd rather deal with a kid on that than booze and they don't throw up in the back of your police car;)

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

What we have here is immigrant's regret... But the good news is that it is a temporary condition that will fade in a few years on its own.

I made the journey from the US to the UK seven years ago and the first two years were spent being astonished at how badly everything was done in the UK and how wonderful it was in the US. On trips back I stocked up on everything from foodstuffs to facial cleansers because the British stuff was just not up to snuff.
Now, seven years later the only thing that bugs me is that I can't get my beloved Noxema and dowels are astronomically expensive.

Now I am about to return to North America, and I am stocking up on things I'm convinced that I will be without my now beloved sauce mixes and hair conditioner.

My point is that everyone who moves far away will have a time of accommodation.

Canada is not better than the UK but different. Think about where the best place for your kids and grand kids might be in terms of their whole life experience.
You are not the only ones moving and the future belongs to them.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

did you tell the cod that? Atlantic cod is different to the cod they get out here. Maybe something to do with diet????

Fish and chips here are as good as the UK. I do miss me rag pudding, chips, peas and gravy though (although my old boozer on the North |Shore was managed by a lad from Oldham and he did, at times, make us some!).

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

I agree that it will impact a very small number of selected drinks (a chav tax, perhaps? ;) ) but overall the impact will be negligible. I think I recall seeing a forecast that a 40p minimum price/unit would reduce overall alcohol consumption by 2%. Would you notice if your alcohol consumption reduced by 2%?

In any case, who benefits from the minimum pricing? Not the public purse, because it's not a tax/duty - it's the supermarkets who'll gain!!

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

Maybe, who knows. I think any strategy the discourages binge type drinking is good - i know first hand how damaging it can be. I do suspect that this is the start of addressing give away type deals in the markets and the start of a larger trend in addressing drinking habits of some youth ( i was one once:)).

I learned that the larger super markets don't care too much about profits on booze, they are used largely as promotonial, fringe items, like other regular discounted items to get customers in. I do know Asda was willing to follow the goverment's lead, but was concerned that competitors were n't.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

There's nowhere like Calgary though, i.e. a city of some size that is somewhat spread out with a fairly low density inside the city limits.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

Can't think of anywhere I've been in Canada of any consequence where you couldn't get Marmite at the supermarket and there wasn't a fish and chip shop. A decent fish and chip shop, hmm.... Or a decent-sized pot of Marmite instead of the teeny little ones...

Anyway a French Fry is a sliver of potato hidden under a blanket of salt, a chip is a chunk of potato.

As for it being cold, I know people who've lived here their whole lives and they moan about it. The only way to not moan about it in general appears to be to spend the winter in front of the TV watching hockey, which is something I will never be able to do because a Canadian team rarely wins the Stanley Cup.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

Don't agree, I lived in the UK after living in the US a fairly long time, hated it when I got there and it definitely got worse over time. More traffic, higher prices, more crowded, more and more stupid laws, etc.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

I love a bit of good cod, but I love what they call Rock Salmon in London and I think is Dog Fish? after you hit Watford.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

They're basically small sharks. Nothing wrong with them apart from they're a bit endangered. We catch lingcod which are fairly unique to this part of the world. While not cod per se but they're jolly tasty all the same.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

I really like them better, I think. I'm really looking forward to 'starting again' food wise. I've got stuck over the past few years. I want a new culinary chopping board....my first Saturday night in NB is going to be something special involving all the best from the Farmers Market! I shall tell you how I get on. Oink...have you ever bought, or indeed wanted to buy, an Oxtail in Canada?.. a deviation, sorry, but just a quick query.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

I've seen Oxtail in the supermarkets if that's what you need to know?

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

It must be terrible to have to suffer the food in France. I bet you can't wait to get to Canada to start enjoying its world class cuisine? ;)

No, I've never bought it. I have a friend who owns a butchers shop near me and he'll get me almost anything I want. If you establish relationship with a decent butchers they should be able to fulfill any reasonable request. Though I rarely ask for anything more than your standard animal pieces mainly because my culinary skills are somewhat limited probably due to the fact I'm an oik who grew up nearly entirely on frozen pizza and chips.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

:rofl: