UK! What pops into your head?

[MikeH]

It's not English dishes that are the problem per se it's the general standard of food we put up with.

In Europe (and I suspect the US but I've never been) if you go to an average place for food you get some decent, well cooked food that someone who knows how to cook has made properly. And it tastes good.

You go to an average place here and you get something expensive, barely edible, badly prepared and quite likely just deep fried or microwaved because it requires no skill. We don't have a tradition of food, a lot of our young people generally don't know how to cook, because they haven't been taught at home. A lot of us don't make time to really enjoy food at home and so our kids don't grow up understanding it.

Things have improved a lot in the last few years - personally I think especially since the low cost airlines got us to other European cities to see what we were missing - but we're still way behind.

So, in summary - English dishes can be very good but the general standard of them in places you can eat in Britain is poor, but improving.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by MikeH
Whether or not it was planned is irrelevant. We didn't plan the US either but they wouldn't be where they are without us.

Yeah right.

Thanks to the Brits, we went through 6 years of recession.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Oerdin
Of course much of Hong Kong's success had to do that, unlike the rest of China, Hong Kong had a stable government and the rule of law. Throughout the Chinese civil war and eight years of the Japanese invasion Hong Kong was a calm, peaceful, and orderly place were lots of refugees went to get away from the lawlessness and fighting in the rest of China.

Not quite as rosy as you described it. For starters, the Japanese did come in and conquered the territory on Christmas Day of 1941. It was quite a nasty place during those 3 years and 8 months.

Originally posted by Oerdin
Post war the communist government in the main land carried out numerous purges of capitalist business owners, intellectuals, journalists, and anyone remotely associated with the previous Imperial or Nationalist governments. Many of those people, especially industrialists and intellectials, fleed to Hong Kong because it was a safe place to rebuild their lives.

The capitalists had started leaving before the civil war ended. However, intellectuals didn't leave. In fact, many secretly returned to China to help rebuild the country. The most famous among these are the Three Chins.

Originally posted by Oerdin
The colonial government was responsible the orderly rule of law and the pro-property rights laws which made the growth of Hong Kong's economy possible.

You meant brutal supression of workers and students movements.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
Ah, Ulysseys.

I love Tennyson. He's my favourite.

Such a favourite you can even spell the title correctly.

[MikeH]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
Yeah right.

Thanks to the Brits, we went through 6 years of recession.

So... is your argument that Britain had nothing to do with the US being in it's present state? Or Hong Kong?

If you really think that I am not arguing against you, it's pointless.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


You meant brutal supression of workers and students movements.

Ah. So that's where the tactics employed in Tiananmen Square were learned.


Come on Urb.- that's just so lame.

[Ben Kenobi]

Such a favourite you can even spell the title correctly.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Dauphin
I've never understood these stereotypes.

Same here, but as a Frenchman, It is my birth-bestowed role to badmouth the Rosbifs

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
Ah, Ulysses.

I love Tennyson. He's my favourite.

Darn y.

Well done Molly Bloom on picking up the typo but I think I see an even larger flaw...Ulysses is by James Joyce, who is Irish

[Brundlefly]

Originally posted by MikeH


Whether or not it was planned is irrelevant. We didn't plan the US either but they wouldn't be where they are without us.

Wrong. We would not be where we are without French assistance in the Revolutionary War..

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by MikeH
So... is your argument that Britain had nothing to do with the US being in it's present state? Or Hong Kong?

Hong Kong.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by molly bloom
Come on Urb.- that's just so lame.

What's lame?

That the colonial government brutally suppressed student and worker movements?

[MikeH]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


Hong Kong.

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
Not quite as rosy as you described it. For starters, the Japanese did come in and conquered the territory on Christmas Day of 1941. It was quite a nasty place during those 3 years and 8 months.

I think Oerdin was referring to pre-December 1941. His summary is pretty good and he notes some of the finer points about HK history than many outsiders miss.

The importance of rule of law is arguably overstated. Before 1949, HK was a relative backwater to Shanghai, even though it could be said the rule of law was stronger in HK.

The 1960s riots did a lot for HK. The Brits realised they needed to get the Hong Kong Chinese into positions of power and to give them a voice in gov't policy. Of course, the only people who got a voice were the rich.

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by JimmyCracksCorn


Where's the puke smiley?

Honestly though, if you're not from Italy or Mexico, you've got nothing to brag about food-wise.

??????

Cantonese
Thai
Japanese
French
Indian