Food and culture in other countries

karadekoolaid said:
Here's a recent "complaint" from a Newcastle traveller to Greece:
Stick to Sunderland next time, pet.
No bacon, no sausage. Too much rice. Oh, and the entire week, all inclusive, was 750 quid ($1000). That's what it just cost me to fly to Atlanta and back (yes, travelling from Venezuela is expensive).
My only thought is that, perhaps, people should make an effort to find out a little about where they'd like to holiday before actually booking. If you want gravy with everything, then forget Greece, or Spain. If you dislike rice, then avoid most of the Mediterranean and Middle East. If you don't like mountains, avoid Greek islands, the Pyrenees, or the Swiss alps. If you don't speak a foreign language, or are not prepared to at least make an effort, then stay at home, or go somewhere that does speak your language. But for heaven's sake, don't come home and whine about it or expect every other country in the world to accommodate you.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I'd take that trip to Greece in a heartbeat! I couldn't get the link to open, unfortunately.
 
Lullabelle said:
It turns out they booked through loveholidays.com, everyone had 1 set of towels each, no daily cleaning service. Maybe should have done some research.
Click to expand...
I also don't care too much about daily cleaning service but a towel exchange is pretty important after a few days. I'm on board for the green environmental aspect, but we bathe daily, so...yeah, research is pretty important.
 
karadekoolaid said:
Here's a recent "complaint" from a Newcastle traveller to Greece:
Stick to Sunderland next time, pet.
No bacon, no sausage. Too much rice. Oh, and the entire week, all inclusive, was 750 quid ($1000). That's what it just cost me to fly to Atlanta and back (yes, travelling from Venezuela is expensive).
My only thought is that, perhaps, people should make an effort to find out a little about where they'd like to holiday before actually booking. If you want gravy with everything, then forget Greece, or Spain. If you dislike rice, then avoid most of the Mediterranean and Middle East. If you don't like mountains, avoid Greek islands, the Pyrenees, or the Swiss alps. If you don't speak a foreign language, or are not prepared to at least make an effort, then stay at home, or go somewhere that does speak your language. But for heaven's sake, don't come home and whine about it or expect every other country in the world to accommodate you.
Click to expand...

I completely agree we should not expect other countries to accommodate us, we are in their country so abide by their laws and accept that their cuisine is different to what you would eat at home.
We always try to say at least good morning, please and thank you, manners do not cost a thing.
 
Lullabelle said:
A male colleague was in Greece for a holiday, couldn't eat the food because it was 'covered in oil and herbs and s**t'. He won't go to the country again, put him right off....no doubt he was expecting 'English food' :facepalm::laugh:
Click to expand...

You read about such stories in the press all the time, as a nation we can be quite ignorant some times. In a few weeks time I'm off to Norway on a cruise and can't wait to try the local cuisine!

Unfortunately it doesn't look like much/any Norwegian food will be served on board the Cruise ship itself, as it's a British Cruise Ship it's full of Pizza's, Fish and Chips and a Chinese Takeaway style buffet like you'd find all over the UK!!

Going abroad and not trying the local cuisine and expecting British food to be everywhere is just nuts to me! Only thing more nuts, is complaining about it to the tour operator on your return! 🤣🤣🤣
 
We’re going on a cruise in December, with stops in Honduras, Belize, and Mexico…places that have zero interest for me. I doubt I’ll even leave the ship in Belize and Mexico, though we’re planning a visit to a brewery in Honduras…for German-inspired beers and sausages.

I mention that because it doesn’t bother me to do that or when someone else does that…as long as they don’t complain about it as well.

I’m fully aware those places aren’t interesting to me, so if I want to stay on the ship and have pizza or a burger, no biggie AFAIC, but if I were to come on here and say, “We’re going to Belize and Honduras and Mexico and I’m sure as hell not eating that crap that they call food down there!” - that’s a different thing altogether to me.

IOW, when I visit a place and don’t want to eat or do something local, I freely admit that it’s me, not them. That’s a big difference.
 
TastyReuben said:
We’re going on a cruise in December, with stops in Honduras, Belize, and Mexico…places that have zero interest for me. I doubt I’ll even leave the ship in Belize and Mexico, though we’re planning a visit to a brewery in Honduras…for German-inspired beers and sausages.

I mention that because it doesn’t bother me to do that or when someone else does that…as long as they don’t complain about it as well.

I’m fully aware those places aren’t interesting to me, so if I want to stay on the ship and have pizza or a burger, no biggie AFAIC, but if I were to come on here and say, “We’re going to Belize and Honduras and Mexico and I’m sure as hell not eating that crap that they call food down there!” - that’s a different thing altogether to me.

IOW, when I visit a place and don’t want to eat or do something local, I freely admit that it’s me, not them. That’s a big difference.
Click to expand...
There are some cool ruins in Mexico, just sayin'. Off ship excursions don't include any of that? I understand you not wanting to be herded like a bull through shops and restaurants with food you don't want to eat, but doing something like that is a bit different.
 
JAS_OH1 said:
There are some cool ruins in Mexico, just sayin'. Off ship excursions don't include any of that? I understand you not wanting to be herded like a bull through shops and restaurants with food you don't want to eat, but doing something like that is a bit different.
Click to expand...
Yep, there are tons of excursions for that, but…not interested. And that’s ok.

That’s really my main point, be it food or ruins or museums or whatever else…to me, it’s ok not to be interested in this thing or that thing, as long as I don’t put it down, or put down anyone who is interested in it - “I understand the historical significance of those ruins, but it’s just not something that interests me” is fine, and it’s not disrespectful or insulting, but “I don’t care about a big pile of stupid rocks” is close-minded and rude.
 
TastyReuben said:
“I understand the historical significance of those ruins, but it’s just not something that interests me” is fine, and it’s not disrespectful or insulting, but “I don’t care about a big pile of stupid rocks” is close-minded and rude.
Click to expand...
How do you feel about Stonehenge, old castles, churches, etc.? I'm not insulted and don't mind that you're not interested. Just curious.
 
JAS_OH1 said:
How do you feel about Stonehenge, old castles, churches, etc.? I'm not insulted and don't mind that you're not interested. Just curious.
Click to expand...
Stonehenge - I’ve been twice, enjoyed it both times, but then again, I’m very interested in the history there*.

Castles - I like to wander those on my own, outside the guided tours and even minus the self-guided audio tours. After a while, if I’m being honest, all the long galleries and portraits and tapestries and furniture, room after room after room, start to look the same, so I just like to conduct myself around at my own pace and direction and find little things to interest me.

I remember two castles in particular…one, the guided tour passed through a section of administrative offices, connecting this Regency-period room with that Elizabethan-period room, and I thought it was just as much fun walking through that section and seeing worn metal desks and disheveled papers and PCs and printers as it was seeing the family silver and all that.

The other one, the family still lived there, and when they were away, they opened a couple of the private living quarters rooms to visitors and it was cool that, being aristocrats and all that, their living room had a lot more in common with mine than you’d think - not what you’d expect at all. Just a nice sofa and chairs, a coffee table, a couple of end tables with lamps, and a very ordinary TV: “What?! Where’s the TV that rises up from a hidden slot in the floor?! Where’s the sofa covered in giraffe hide gotten while on safari in 1842?!” - it really just looked like a pretty ordinary living room. Bedrooms and bathrooms were the same…along with a little hard water stain in the bathtub!

Cathedrals/churches - sort of the same with castles, but less interested, because no one really lived in them - probably the intriguing thing is all the notable people buried under the floors and in the walls and all that.

I like little details like finding a statue of copulating gargoyles up in this corner, or a man with a goat head and giant…appendage in the stained glass window on that wall, and I like the architecture, but I’m usually good for a quick couple of pics outside, a look inside, throw a couple of pounds in the collection box (that goat-headed pervert isn’t going to clean himself!) and head on out. I’ll say that there’s absolutely no religious connection for me, being the heretic that I am. :laugh:

The assumption I’m making from your question, of course, is that these castles and churches, like Stonehenge, are in the UK and Europe, and the cultures of many of those countries I’m interested in. Central/South America, not so much (nor Asia, nor Africa, for that matter, and not even all of Europe).







*I was in the process of building a mini-Stonehenge in my back yard, 50 feet or so in diameter, using paving stones and various yard art things (like statues of gnomes, dragons, gazing balls, etc) when MrsT had her stroke and I had to abandon it. If I look hard enough, I can still find the pavers outlining the main circle, now sunk down down in the ground and grown over. What will archeologists a thousand years from now make of that, I wonder? :laugh:
 
we've been to any number of "sights" in Europe - as best we could manage, I opted for some variety of 'guided tour' -
all the trouble to get there, then when you get home,,, find out all the stuff you "missed / saw didn't appreciate" through ignorance.

example: The Forum in Rome - largely a pile of rocks, but when you are explained what it was and how it fit into history . . .
Coliseum, catacombs, St Peter's, St Paul's, Tower of London, Westminster, etc etc etc. all of Crazy Ludwig's castles - an enormous amount of history and doings that one can see . . . and have nadda' clue- may as well just order the slides off the internet . . .

and then the funner stuff:
1751148099243.jpeg

1751148140985.jpeg

1751148421649.jpeg
 
Last edited:
funny story to the last pix - that's our youngest - cuddling up to K9 (Doctor Who) at a convention....
seems . . . the BBC got in financial straits, so they sold off a whole bunch of 'props' for any number of BBC shows.
so one fan bought both of the K9 props (more than one needed for filming,,, apparently remote control technology was a bit break-downy in that era . . .)

K9 is remote controlled . . .

so, as Dear Daughter was making herself comfy, , , K9 "came to life" with a jerk and words to the effect "Unhand me!"
DD jumped about a foot in the air.

btw, for the Whovians, the fellow directly behind her (with glasses) is John Leeson - he was the voice of K9 for most of the episodes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom