over the cliff, onto the rocks.: France ... Italy ... Italy ... France ... I dunno.

Thursday, July 05, 2007

France ... Italy ... Italy ... France ... I dunno.

It's a toss-up.

Italy. I like Italian food better [lots], and I speak slightly more Italian than I do French [I speak this || much French]. On the other hand, they let the Pope live there. You'd think that someone with snakehandlers in their family tree wouldn't be afraid of the Pope, but I am.

France. I've long wanted to visit Brittany. I could take day trips to London. I'm a fan of Inspector Maigret [and Clouseau too]. I've always wanted to learn to speak French, and I'm a believer in the immersion method.

Greece. Maybe I'll skip them both and just escape to the land of retsina and stuffed grape leaves. Besides, it's close to Turkey.

14 comments:

Keifus said...: Technically, the pope lives in his own little country. It's gotta count for partial credit anyway.

I'd probably go for France myself (for the food, and I think the language sounds nicer--the wine's nice too, and only one channel or border away from good beer as well). I'd consider a little hollow in the alpine foothills though, if someone agreed to keep feeding me.

K (Tripe, ew. Canned tripe, eeeewwww)

xiqjxsfa: quick foxes jumped...; Thursday, July 05, 2007 5:58:00 AM
Keifus said...: Adding...

this is actually something that's been on my mind lately. If I had some freedom from all these preconceptions (and some of the responsibilities), what would I rather be doing?

I weas thinking that Europe seems to suit my viewpoint in some ways (these days), by which I mostly mean high tech and low key, with good food.

K

ysxmt:I might cross Ys too (or what's left of it). Still waiting for my lazy brown dog, blogger.; Thursday, July 05, 2007 7:38:00 AM
hipparchia said...: got nothing but black dogs here, keif, but he appreciates high tech, low key, and good food. the fact that his eyes cross and long strings of drool drip from his fangs when i open the can of tripe just goes to show that even the most adorable among us have our kinks.

douzfeiw: i can has double eeeewwwwz?; Thursday, July 05, 2007 4:02:00 PM
Steve Bates said...: Stella says that 20 minutes into Sicko, she was thinking, "How soon can I pack my bags?" By the end of the movie, we were both asking that question. Our very elderly German-American neighbor who went with us to see Sicko understood the problem; having fled Nazi Germany, she is a living reminder that good places can turn bad in a relative hurry... but she cautioned patience, for exactly that same reason.

[fuuxfb - fuck you, you execrable fucking bastard! (not directed at you, of course, hipparchia, but who could resist that expansion of the acronym)]; Thursday, July 05, 2007 4:50:00 PM
Anonymous said...: First off, Italian food isn't what you think of as Italian food, depending on where you are in Italy. In the US Italian restaurants combine dishes from all over the "old country."

The same goes for every country in Europe - the cooking is just as regional as it is in the US.

Along the Med, I loved Greece.

Along the Atlantic I loved the Netherlands and Britain equally, although you don't get to learn a new language in either place. Oh, you could take Dutch lessons, but they really wish you wouldn't because Americans mangle Dutch, and they speak English.

I lived primarily in Frankfurt which was convenient for going anywhere else in Europe, which is a good idea because Hessians don't even like each other. There is a reason that you hear about Hessian mercenaries - the Prince hoped they wouldn't return.

Of course, first you have to learn to be a Canadian, so you won't get thrown out for being from the US.; Thursday, July 05, 2007 6:08:00 PM
Steve Bates said...: "Of course, first you have to learn to be a Canadian, so you won't get thrown out for being from the US." - Bryan

I had some Canadian classmates in college, and I realize there's no way I could pass for Canadian. I also still have hope for the grand American experiment, and do not wish to leave while there is still a reasonable possibility of retrieving the best of it. And yes, I still feel more than a bit of responsibility for helping to effect that retrieval. No, don't worry; I'm not about to burst into patriotic song. I did that last night, long before I'd had anything to drink, and miraculously I was not arrested. :); Thursday, July 05, 2007 6:44:00 PM
hipparchia said...: people ask me rather frequently, based on my accent, if i'm canadian. this has always surprised me, as i moved north when i first came to florida.

recently, though, i had the chance to meet some folks from winnipeg. they sound exactly like all my mom's relatives, so i guess that's where i've been picking it up from.

i once tried to learn a few words of dutch. mangle would be understating what i did to those poor little words.

germany has snow. come to think of it, so do italy and france. if i want to go skiing, i'll just buy round-trip a plane ticket from and back to some warm climate somewhere.

cuba and greece are looking better and better, though if i never again have another bite of platanos, tostones, mofongo, or yuca it'll be too soon for me.

i know what you mean, steve. i still feel like if i leave here and move to another country, it's almost as egregious as abandoning a pet that can't fend for itself.

also, you said execrable instead of adorable, so i knew you weren't talking to me.; Thursday, July 05, 2007 7:01:00 PM
Keifus said...: That's a good boy. Who am I to judge one's pecadillos? Just so long as he's good enough not to try to kiss people afterwards.

Keifus on Canadians (scroll down). It seems another fine place to live.

As far as Europe goes, regional culinary variations are a good excuse to take a tour. And yeah, I'm conscious that it's only been fifty or sixty years since Europe was a very fine place to be from.

K (tltcmxz: You'd heard of Mad Max? Meet this guy.); Friday, July 06, 2007 9:23:00 AM
Steve Bates said...: "also, you said execrable instead of adorable, so i knew you weren't talking to me." - hipparchia

Read it however you wish, dear lady... though of course I know nothing about your parents' marital status. :) If you want, map the "x" to "sexy" instead of "execrable". Then you may point the remark toward yourself.

[ewlow - too obvious, eh? "ew... low!"]; Friday, July 06, 2007 1:45:00 PM
hipparchia said...: steve,

the gender connotation is a bit wide of the mark, but i was born in, and adopted from, a home for unwed mothers, so bastard fits, albeit loosely.

execrable would be an accurate description of my ability to carry a tune perhaps.

i leave the rest of it to your fertile imagination.; Friday, July 06, 2007 3:59:00 PM
hipparchia said...: keifus,

how did i miss this review? oh, wait. i remember now. i looked back at what i was posting at about that time. i was in a seriously bad mood then, and apparently not paying much attention to the world around me. thanks for directing my attention to this one [re-shuffling the library book shopping list now...]

none of my pets have ever been people-kissers, thank goodness, but this one is probably the least touchy-feely one i've ever had. also the politest. you're safe from his attentions.

agree completely with you about regional differences, culinary and otherwise.; Friday, July 06, 2007 4:24:00 PM
Steve Bates said...: hipparchia - if I recall correctly, that places you on an equal footing with approximately a third of the British peerage. I don't know if that's good company or not. :)

I wrote some doggerel on the subject back when they started including those off-the-main-line peers in Burke's; I know I put it online for jams o donnell to peruse, but I'll have to find it later.; Friday, July 06, 2007 10:43:00 PM
Steve Bates said...: Update: ah, here it is! And it's 40 percent, not 30 or 35 percent.

[oywwkt - oy, what would Keifus think!]; Friday, July 06, 2007 10:47:00 PM
hipparchia said...: oy! i'm not sure i regard the british peerage as good company or not. possibly the infusion of illegit blood is its only saving grace.

the doggerel, however, is delightful! thanks.

wwkt? like you and one or two other odd ducks, keifus thinks i'm an adorable bastard. now that's good company.

llujk: i'm clear out of ideas right now, but this looks welsh, with some icelandic bastardization.; Saturday, July 07, 2007 7:18:00 AM