[muglo] Re: [OT] UK

Eric D wrote:

>PS Am finding the UK an interesting place to observe. Web access is slow=
=20
>compared to Canada, smoking is still culturally accepted and accepted in=
=20
>public places, food is *horribly* meat-centric (& they even put meat in =

>their pies... shudder),=20
>
You mean like the French, Germans, Quebecers etc.?

>everything is pasturised, even freshly squeezed OJ sold in the supermark=
et (the pre-packaged OJ here tastes like tang), the vegetarian selection =
is pretty limited (about where Canada was 5-6 years ago... soya milk... I=
've *only* found 1 L So Good plain (no flavours, nothing like Beatrice 's=
 fruit-concoctions (yummy)) and some fruits (oranges) and veggies are pre=
tty bland or unpalatable (zucchinis have been a dismal failure whenever I=
 got them.... bitter).
>
You evidently haven't shopped in the right places. I found Soy milk in=20
oodles of flavours etc. in Oxford. But what did you expect in Leeds,=20
surrounded by sheep, Pasta?

>But there are upsides to the food too, more than compensating for the=20
>drawbacks: the markets are wonderful and the apples and pears are *amazi=
ng*, they have lots of good Dutch & European cheeses  and some excellent =
local cheddars (I like (the cheap) Red Leicester (spelling?)), a *wide* r=
ange of Indian foods (lots of premade sauces) and lots of organic stuff (=
& lots of bakeries with fresh bread)!
>
The markets are real, not yuppie outlets for wholesalers and you should=20
check out some "Farm Stores".

>The entertainment and TV culture is interestingly different (from my=20
>Canadian POV). They still bleep afew "dirty" words (piss-ing/-ed off/-er=
 is the only one I've noticed) but fortunately fewer than in Canada and t=
hey don't have the debased NA puritanical phobia/obession regarding nudit=
y. They also have religious services on the BBC (shocked the hell out of =
me when I first figured out what I was listening to on *public* radio).
>
We even attended a Church Harvest Festival held one evening outside at=20
the local pub, complete with a fund raising auction. Complete with a=20
Folk Band playing the hymns.

>The "debate" about a gay preist (or cardinal or whatever) shows an=20
>interesting aspect of UK society (maybe my take on things will change wi=
th further observations). In Canada we'd have some pretty nasty vitriole =
about the evilness of homosexuality/homosexuals followed by a platitude l=
ike "love thy neighbour" (so long as they're straight ;) (as evidenced by=
 the filth coming out of Canadians' mouths about gay marriage). Here the =
clergy make noise but it seems like real people are not scandalised by th=
e thought of having a gay guy ordained (maybe this is b/c most peopole he=
re don't care about/for religion). In contrast to that ambivalence about =
something that would be a hot button issue back in Canada it seems that x=
enophobia is  all too common (not that we don't have anti-immigrant facti=
ons in Canada... you just don't usually get exposed to these anti-immigra=
nt/anti-refugee people (except when a CRAP MP or Ontario Tory MPP opens t=
heir mouths :()... the things I've heard from a few locals about "Pakies"=
 makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up (it seems like they assu=
me that b/c I'm white and am a native English speaker I am naturally a "l=
ike minded person"... but, this is only a minority of the people I've met=
 (still a disturbing minority=20
>though)!).
>
You also never lived through the fifties invasion of Pakistanis &=20
Jamacians. Memories last a lifetime when your neighbour moves in with 12 =

people living in a 2 bedroom house!

>Also, no real 24 hour news channels  or weather channels (& that's with =
Sky TV (digital cable service)... though, there are so many channels (>10=
0 I figure)  I may be missing the2 4 hour news channels)
>
It all depends on the TV service you buy. BBC has one, so does ITV, at=20
least they used to.

>Anyway, tha's a lot of OT stuff mixed with some on-topic stuff. It's an =

>interesting country. The UK has problems where Canada has none and vice =

>versa. (lots of bureacracy here).
>
>PS AOL is truly AOHell. Why someone would in their right mind pay for AO=
Hell boggles my mind. (I'm using it only b/c it gave one month free while=
 I look for a high speed provider)
>
>L8r, Eric.
> =20
>
Now with that I have to 100% agree, of course what do you expect from=20
Winders users?
Have fun in Yorkshire. If you are a Train nut go to the National Railway =

Museum in York, it's free & very well done. If you like Abbeys &=20
gardens, go to Ripon to Studeley Royal. It's the biggest and best ruin=20
I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot.
BTW there is a Yorkshire Mac User Group in Doncaster.
TTFN,
TeeC


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