The amazingly good things about the US

[djc206]

theplayingmantis said:

nothing wrong with pride in there country, rather than thinking its sh*t or being apologetic or embarrassed as a lot of us seem to be.

re. guns don't they justify that as to stop the king of England waltzing in and to hunt dangerous or delicious animals?

You can be proud without being arrogant. A little self deprecation is healthy, I’m not embarrassed by my country but I’m smart enough to know it’s far from perfect and there are aspects of other cultures/countries that I am envious of. I still think the Pledge of Allegiance is a bit over the top, a lot of bad things have happened in this world when a country grew a superiority complex, I’m not suggesting that’s where the US is headed but it’s not healthy in my book.

I think that was how Homer Simpson justified his gun purchase yes.

[Tallow]

theplayingmantis said:

Globs said:

If you are not happy having your camera laptop, phone copied and analysed only take new basic ones. I'd also clean up your social media anyway, there's a BIG push on anything 'subversive' - anything that questions the official narrative. Imagine you are back in 1980 visiting the USSR: That's currently where the US is today, but with shinier, bigger cars, TVs and fatter people. The TSA have caught exactly 0 terrorists but caused mayhem so forwarned is forearmed.

is this really true? plenty of subversive websites originate there dont they? 4chan, reddit etc.

I know plenty of immgrants and have lots of visitors both socially and on business and haven't once heard of this happening. You hear about this anecdotally on social media (well, Twitter) but actually I would say it is extremely rare in an overt way.

Does it happen covertly? Maybe, but if so there's a good change it's to the same extent in the UK, I'd wager.

So in short, I really don't think this is very high up at all on the "things to worry about whilst visiting America" scale.

As an aisde, I see we've rather predictably veered off the praise for America (what the OP originally intended) to the things people dislike about America...

[theplayingmantis]

Tallow said:

theplayingmantis said:

Globs said:

If you are not happy having your camera laptop, phone copied and analysed only take new basic ones. I'd also clean up your social media anyway, there's a BIG push on anything 'subversive' - anything that questions the official narrative. Imagine you are back in 1980 visiting the USSR: That's currently where the US is today, but with shinier, bigger cars, TVs and fatter people. The TSA have caught exactly 0 terrorists but caused mayhem so forwarned is forearmed.

is this really true? plenty of subversive websites originate there dont they? 4chan, reddit etc.

I know plenty of immgrants and have lots of visitors both socially and on business and haven't once heard of this happening. You hear about this anecdotally on social media (well, Twitter) but actually I would say it is extremely rare in an overt way.

Does it happen covertly? Maybe, but if so there's a good change it's to the same extent in the UK, I'd wager.

So in short, I really don't think this is very high up at all on the "things to worry about whilst visiting America" scale.

As an aisde, I see we've rather predictably veered off the praise for America (what the OP originally intended) to the things people dislike about America...

ok back on topic and topical given tis the season:

shamrock shakes

[RDMcG]

E34-3.2 said:

I see that you mentioned "good food" in your post. Is there such a thing as good food up there? My budget on food for my clients is unlimited and I still struggle to find anything decent in the US. Most of the food I order is from Europe as it is nearly impossible to find flavour in fruits and vegs. Meat is a disaster. Fish is OK when I catch a guy going at sea for me and bread taste like paper.

That does not in any way line up with my experience, and I have eaten in a wide variety of topflight restaurants around the planet, ( including some outstanding places in London)..

NYC and SF have simply superb restaurants that are on a par with any in the world, and there are regional places , some very simple with food of extraordinary freshness and taste. I was in Maine last summer and had the best lobster rolls imaginable after picking my lobsters..all at a roadside shack. Certainly would nit agree that meat is a disaster.

Yes,,there are lots of tasteless and undifferentiated chain restaurants, but I am surprised by the extent of the generalization.

I am well aware of the faults of the US and did not start this thread to list the many bad things of which I am aware, but, in the holidays section, the good things that might be worth mentioning.

Of course the web has a way of distorting that intention.

[E34-3.2]

RDMcG said:

That does not in any way line up with my experience, and I have eaten in a wide variety of topflight restaurants around the planet, ( including some outstanding places in London)..

NYC and SF have simply superb restaurants that are on a par with any in the world, and there are regional places , some very simple with food of extraordinary freshness and taste. I was in Maine last summer and had the best lobster rolls imaginable after picking my lobsters..all at a roadside shack. Certainly would nit agree that meat is a disaster.

Yes,,there are lots of tasteless and undifferentiated chain restaurants, but I am surprised by the extent of the generalization.

I am well aware of the faults of the US and did not start this thread to list the many bad things of which I am aware, but, in the holidays section, the good things that might be worth mentioning.

Of course the web has a way of distorting that intention.

Yes, I know many of the top restaurants and their chefs and I agree that they are some lovely restaurants on the Michelin star level. I struggle with their everyday food.
I am only working with some of the best products in the world at whatever price it will be and I have to be honest that we avoid like plague American products. True, not all of it is bad and I apologies for my generalisation.

[RDMcG]

E34-3.2 said:

Yes, I know many of the top restaurants and their chefs and I agree that they are some lovely restaurants on the Michelin star level. I struggle with their everyday food.
I am only working with some of the best products in the world at whatever price it will be and I have to be honest that we avoid like plague American products. True, not all of it is bad and I apologies for my generalisation.

No worries..I think there are truly awful chains restaurants which I avoid like the plague...manufactured food, but in most of the cites I visit, ( a lot) there is usually something worthwhile. As a generalization ( a big one) the coasts are better than the centre. Again there are exceptions like Santa Fe or Chicago, but places like Kentucky can be a bit of a challenge.


As I previously mentioned, this was the greatest Lobster roll I have ever eaten, at a shack
by a roadside in Maine...fresh and delicious:

Edited by RDMcG on Monday 12th March 22:04

Edited by RDMcG on Tuesday 13th March 00:55

[paulguitar]

RDMcG said:

No worries..I think there are truly awful chains restaurants which I avoid like the plague...manufactured food, but in most of the cites I visit, ( a lot) there is usually something worthwhile. As a generalization ( a big one) the coasts are better than the centre. Again there are exceptions like Santa Fe or Chicago, but places like Kentucky can be a bit of a challenge.


As I previously mentioned, this was the greatest Lobster roll I have ever eaten, at a check by a roadside in Maine...fresh and delicious:

Edited by RDMcG on Monday 12th March 22:04

That's heaven to me, basically. Recently had similar in Boston, it was amazing.

[liner33]

We ate rolls like that in Kennebunkport when on honeymoon in New England , and clams from roadside vendors , fab

I find the chains in the US have "not great" food bit like the average pub over here but there are exceptions, going for the regional dishes is half the fun of travelling

[anonymous-user]

America’s a great place full of friendly outgoing people.

Being populated by people from all sorts of countries, moving there for opportunities and wanting to make a better life has got to have some positive influences on the mindset and thinking of the population I expect.

[MC Bodge]

liner33 said:

We ate rolls like that in Kennebunkport when on honeymoon in New England , and clams from roadside vendors , fab

I once asked for my fish to be broiled rather than fried (the menu offered the choice) in a restaurant in Kennebunkport.

The waitress was incredulous and shouted,
"Broiled?!?! You want it broiled?!?!". Nobody in(or ouside of) the establishment would have missed it.

"Yes, please. I've eaten fried food every day for the past month", I answered -I'd been working in New England.

I feared that I'd be carted away as a suspected communist.

[JuniorD]

I can safely say that if I lived in the States, I'd be a big fat lardass riding around on a mobility scooter with my belly handing out from under my t-shirt like the best of them. In fact I have a strange craving for a Nathan's Philly Cheesesteak right now. But I have never been to Taco Bell. I draw the line right there.

Speaking of rubbish food, have any of you sampled the delights of "Hot 'n Now", once a 150 outlet chain in Michgan and environs? Four burgers for a dollar. Yuck.

[theplayingmantis]

JuniorD said:

I can safely say that if I lived in the States, I'd be a big fat lardass riding around on a mobility scooter with my belly handing out from under my t-shirt like the best of them. In fact I have a strange craving for a Nathan's Philly Cheesesteak right now. But I have never been to Taco Bell. I draw the line right there.

Speaking of rubbish food, have any of you sampled the delights of "Hot 'n Now", once a 150 outlet chain in Michgan and environs? Four burgers for a dollar. Yuck.

ha, me too. would be massive. i control it here by vigorous exercise and reigning it in, but so many new and odd things to try there, and variations of the same thing. would be huge.

[The Leaper]

liner33,

Me too.. at the Clam Shack by the bridge in the middle of Kennybunkport many years ago. I've even got a limited edition print of that place!

R.

[liner33]

The Leaper said:

liner33,

Me too.. at the Clam Shack by the bridge in the middle of Kennybunkport many years ago. I've even got a limited edition print of that place!

R.

Yep that's the place, the wife spent the evening hurling as we discovered she was allergic to clams

Will go back one day , we drove right up Maine , into Vermont and then New Hampshire right back down to Rhode Island and Massachusetts

[The Leaper]

Pretty well done the same as you although on separate trips. Had a memorable holiday in Maine leaf peeping in one of the best years for it. We really like the north east part of the USA. Mind you, the rest is pretty good too.

R.

[djc206]

RDMcG said:

No worries..I think there are truly awful chains restaurants which I avoid like the plague...manufactured food, but in most of the cites I visit, ( a lot) there is usually something worthwhile. As a generalization ( a big one) the coasts are better than the centre. Again there are exceptions like Santa Fe or Chicago, but places like Kentucky can be a bit of a challenge.


As I previously mentioned, this was the greatest Lobster roll I have ever eaten, at a shack
by a roadside in Maine...fresh and delicious

I don’t have a picture because I was fairly intoxicated but I had a cracking homemade burger from a BBQ on a trailer being towed by a pickup in New Orleans, must have been somewhere around Frenchmen St.

I also did a food cycling tour of New Orleans and the selection of cuisines and quality of the food was incredible. The local beers are pretty good too so there’s plenty of choice to wash your food down with

[h0b0]

E34-3.2 said:

Is there such a thing as good food up there? My budget on food for my clients is unlimited and I still struggle to find anything decent in the US.

E34-3.2 said:

I know many of the top restaurants and their chefs and I agree that they are some lovely restaurants on the Michelin star level

I appreciate this has already been addressed by the OP and E34-3.2 but this quote typifies the UK response. There is a knee jerk reaction to say it is all crap. Americans say the same about the English food. I suspect both are guilty of going to the most easily accessible food and that is normally very poor.I would also suggest we get used to how our native food is presented and use that as a baseline. For example, the best scotch egg I have ever had was not the one from Harrods. It was the one from Tesco. The best Steak and Kidney Pudding was not the one from the Ivy. It was the Hollands one from the chippy. Well at least in my opinion.


For the next comment I appear to singling out E34 again....

E34-3.2 said:

I am travelling a bit for work in the US (mainly around Florida) and a good friend of mine up there asked me what I thought of American "Freedom" and if I felt more free up there than in Europe. My answer was no but in all honesty, I could not pin point the reason why? I have leaved in the Uk for 20years, and France 20 as well and a few others for short periods. . Both of those countries (UK, France) feel "Free" if I had to compare with the US.

When I moved to the US it was the least free country I had ever been to. In both speech and actions. Americans would proudly cite it as what made them great. Unfortunately, they were naive. This was 2004 and 9/11 was still relatively fresh in their minds. I would suggest the freedoms have not changed but the naivety around the controls has reduced. We all know that if we say "trigger" words on our phone calls there will be someone analyzing it to make sure we are not a threat. I think it is those in other countries that are perhaps in the naive state now and, for some, the arrogance pendulum as swung the other way. Having said that, I am not bashing E34, in fact I am agreeing.

[E34-3.2]

h0b0 said:

When I moved to the US it was the least free country I had ever been to. In both speech and actions. Americans would proudly cite it as what made them great. Unfortunately, they were naive. This was 2004 and 9/11 was still relatively fresh in their minds. I would suggest the freedoms have not changed but the naivety around the controls has reduced. We all know that if we say "trigger" words on our phone calls there will be someone analyzing it to make sure we are not a threat. I think it is those in other countries that are perhaps in the naive state now and, for some, the arrogance pendulum as swung the other way. Having said that, I am not bashing E34, in fact I am agreeing.

very good point! ^^^

Food wise, I don't have much choice as my clients require very specific food and very often the quality we are looking for is from Europe or Japan.

[marcosgt]

Matt Harper said:

This really made me laugh. It might be a CO thing - it most certainly isn't an FL thing.



These dudes have absolutely zero sense of humor...

We had the same experience in New England - Wife was stopped for doing 80 on the freeway and the cop was a total arse, going on about our 'incredible speed' or something like that, which seemed particularly laughable on a nearly empty 8 lane road, when we'd spent the previous year driving at 120 on dual carriageways in Germany!

She was also stopped in Canada on a different trip, where the cop very politely warned her that she'd be in trouble if she was caught speeding again.

That's something NOT so good about the US, but then I guess if you like in a country where people DO shoot cops for stopping them, then your sense of humour might be a little stretched in such a situation.

M

[David Beer]

marcosgt said:

We had the same experience in New England - Wife was stopped for doing 80 on the freeway and the cop was a total arse, going on about our 'incredible speed' or something like that, which seemed particularly laughable on a nearly empty 8 lane road, when we'd spent the previous year driving at 120 on dual carriageways in Germany!

She was also stopped in Canada on a different trip, where the cop very politely warned her that she'd be in trouble if she was caught speeding again.

That's something NOT so good about the US, but then I guess if you like in a country where people DO shoot cops for stopping them, then your sense of humour might be a little stretched in such a situation.

In 130,000 miles driving in the USA, only been stopped twice, both in Texas.. first on a 60 doing maybe 75,naughty, it was an open road. Second 71 in a 70. Both occasions made to feel bad but not done! But made to wait at the side of the road while the cop tapped away on his screen.
Still love USA going in June and again Xmas.

M