But of course! That is the whole point of the story and the list. On our first trip to Rome, eight years ago, we found a wonderful little trattoria near our hotel. We had a marvelous meal -- except for the American family at the next table, who spent an entire hour complaining that the pizza that had been served wasn't like the ones they order back in Chicago.
Part of the wonder of travel is discovering the things every place has that makes it special; the thing that is better there than anyplace else: The french fries in Brussels. The beer in Prague The gelato in Rome The limoncello in Sorento The break in Paris The fish and chips in London The salmon in Bergen The polenta in Florence The flamenco in Seville The pub music in Tralee The perch in Geneva The pasty in Vienna The sunsets on Santorini The blini and caviar in Moscow The pizza in Naples The fried cheese in Athens The lobster in Maine The crab in Anchorage The raclette in Zermatt etc, etc, etc Dan M On Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 6:05 PM, Bob W <[email protected]> wrote: >> This thread reminded me of some advice I gave to a friend who >> was going to Europe for the first time: >> >> It is important to realize that in a foreign country, people >> may not understand your meaning, even if they do speak >> English. There are certain American expressions that can not >> understandably be translated into any European language, >> including the varieties of English spoken in the UK and >> Ireland. Some examples: >> > > Isn't the point of going abroad to experience the differences? The English > are terrible for this, going to a foreign country and demanding that it be > exactly the same as Scunthorpe. > >> >> Crispy bacon strips. > > Pancetta. You can buy crispy bacon strips in Marks & Spencer. > >> Eggs over easy (or sunny side up) > > We can probably cook it - we just can't ever remember what it means. > >> Rare steak (or a rare hamburger) > > These are the ways steak can be cooked in France: > > Bleu - the beast's heart is still beating > Saignant - bleeding > A point - pink in the middle > Bien cuit - well done. You may be deported if you ask for this > Americain - any restaurant that's prepared to do this to a steak does not > deserve your custom > >> Facial quality toilet tissue > > Ours is faecal quality > >> Frosty mug of beer > > It's only cold to disguise the hideous taste. If you can't drink a beer warm > it's not worth drinking > >> Diet Coke > > You're welcome to it! > >> Bottomless cup of coffee > > True > >> "We're in a hurry; can you bring the check right away?" > > Hmm. The problem is usually at the other end: We're in a hurry - can you > bring the f*ing food we ordered 2 hours ago when we weren't in a hurry? > > They're not usually slow to bring the bill. > >> Deep dish pizza >> > > A travesty. Most pizzas are dismally bad outside Italy - a tragedy really > because a good one is incomparably wonderful. > >> etc, etc >> >> Dan M > > Completely untranslatable! :o) > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. > -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
