SultanOfSwing

I can't imagine how it must feel for an American who lived through some of the periods of greatness during the 60s and early 70s (Vietnam notwithstanding - I mean the civil rights movement, space race et cetera) to look at the place now and see what has become of a former world leader in education and industry. The cold war, and the desire to become the world's police force really didn't do the US any favours, did it?

Egg and Cress

No, and it's too late in the day (it's after 11:00 here) for me to be able to expound rationally here. Will have to start a new thread on the topic, maybe. If I don't, maybe someone else will.

To the other Americans that view this site: I, for one, would really appreciate some input. Whether you agree with my opinions or not…..probably this is best summed up that middle moderate America has been usurped by the extremes, both religious and political. There seems no separating religion from politics now.

Anyway, to get this back on topic, Lyonsden1193 wants to know where the hell his steak and kidney pie is for tea?!? (This was composed at about 6:00 p.m. but couldn't get it on here because the site went down.)

MakinMagic85

You can get British TV fairly easily through the internet, or having a cable/satellite subscription, but good, homecooked food like your mother made is hard to come by here. You can have a hundred different varieties of cheese, all of which seem to be a variation of Kraft singles both in taste and texture and I've discussed endlessly with my wife that while our food isn't the best for you, its all about portion control. When we visited the UK and had a little getaway on the tail end to Paris last time, we ate out fairly often there, and the difference was the fact that you could always order pudding if you were still hungry after eating your main. We ate dessert almost every time.

As an example, Try eating an Applebees bowl of Cheese Stuffed Meatballs with Marinara and Fettucini Alfredo and still having room for dessert afterwards. In almost every restaurant I've eaten in since moving here I rarely am able to order dessert, and have also gained quite a bit of weight (unemployment helped at first but the portions are the culprit too since I've had a job). Why? Because mother always taught me to clean my plate

The thing I miss the most here? A good cheese. Proper cheddar like Mclleland's Seriously Strong, or maybe a nice Cheshire. The closest I've found to the former is a cheese called "Seriously Sharp" by Cabot which isn't terrible, but its still no contender.

cindyabs

I'm one of those.

I watched a documentary about Johnny Cash Sunday on the Biography Channel and found I related to much of it. He/I loved/love the US but do not agree or support many of the political actions by the governments that are taken in our names. His religious views echoed some of mine too, but that's a different road.

cindyabs

I was privileged to be an Army wife and live overseas for 7 years and also to live in different parts of the US, so I was exposed to different views and environments. I don't feel like I don't belong, just that I have a wider world view, it's an adding to, rather than a dividing from thing.

DeltaSierra70

So you have a better understanding than most of how I feel a couple of counties west of you. This morning in the Post Office; "Why do all they A-Rabs in Eye-Ran want to nuke us?" Foolishly I said that they were not Arabs. It got complicated from that point on.

kimilseung

They probably have a great deal of insight in to the situation in Khuzestan and the fight for Arabistan, now we know more about it, from your chance encounter, we should be able to support the Persian Iranians in the struggle to suppress this Iranian Arab nationalism, which is clearly anti-western

Actually I would be interested to hear how the conversation proceeded.

SultanOfSwing

There were so many things wrong with that sentence before you even get to the socio-political aspects

cindyabs

Ah, but you see I'm a damnyankee, so while I can appreciate the good things that are offered by living here in the Slovannah area, I can be objective by reason of birth, to see the big picture.

Also, I've always been interested in Anthropology, so the actual identity of the inhabitants of Eye-Ran is just as interesting as the fact that there's a settlement of green eyed Chinese or the fact that Jews settled in China at least as early (documented) as the 7th century.

I'm a sucker for trivia.

DeltaSierra70

I have been trying to expunge it from my brain. At one stage, a teenager came over and asked if he could shake my hand as his father had told him I had been in the Military. "How long you in then" I told him that is was 13 days and a breakfast, as I had failed the medical at Catterick Camp. "But you was in EYE-Rack, I know for sure." I explained that was 4 years ago, and to save the "Wotchu doing there then?" I told him I was sampling residue. I was there for almost half an hour.
Before my daughter decided to move to OZ and marry, she was taking notes on almost a daily basis for a book she wanted to write entitled "You can't make this shit up" And she's 100% right, you can't make this up.

SultanOfSwing

I bet that would have been a good book, actually

kimilseung

I see why you said complicated, you seem to have destroyed one assumption after another. I am imagining everyone, at the end, just staring at each other, and no one knowing what to say next.

DeltaSierra70

You should go to California as there are more Eye-Rainians there than the are Kuwaiti's in Kuwait! Much safer for you as a charming Yankee to view them there than going to Eye-Ran.
You like trivia?
Did you know that the oldest Schule (synagogue) in the UK is in Cardiff?

DeltaSierra70

What I quoted above only took a few minutes. I have a 'compendium' of short stories from personal experience in a rural GA County. In 2001 I wrote a book that was going to be a movie produced by Fountainbridge Films. They liked it and want more. So I wrote more around the same character. Then one day I started talking about the absurdity of living in Rural Georgia, as at that time I was working in an advisory capacity with the local DTF, and some of the stuff that went on was hard to believe. They talked about it being a modern day Maybury (Mayberry?). Then 9/11 happened and Hollywood shit itself, not knowing what to make any more. My agent called and said that the money was there, but could I write something along the lines of someone like Tolstoy. And so, fame and fortune slipped away.
I may post a couple of them...

HarryTheSpider

Thank you sir!!

HTS