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Post by spindrift on Jun 15, 2009 11:05:45 GMT
Poor Nepalis have next to nothing. These pictures were taken on a popular trekking route. I can't even imagine how villagers live who are, for instance, in the west of Nepal where there are no foreigners at all. Actually I think they are semi-starving.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 15, 2009 15:54:38 GMT
Extremely interesting photo, Spindrift. What is the material of the stove and how do they keep it so white?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2009 16:37:58 GMT
One thing I noticed in Africa was how precious even the most basic plastic items are. Things that we throw away after one use can last for a year in an African village.
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Post by spindrift on Jun 15, 2009 16:48:50 GMT
Bixa - the stove is made from clay. I'm not sure why it's so white. It must be the natural colour of the clay.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 15, 2009 16:56:37 GMT
One thing I noticed in Africa was how precious even the most basic plastic items are. Things that we throw away after one use can last for a year in an African village. Not really on the cultural chasm theme, but ......... something that galls me is seeing people throw away re-usable plastic items. They'll then go out and buy something almost identical. These are frequently the same people who are all smug about recycling or other ways they think they're being "green". I used the same Dove soap pump dispenser for my dish detergent for ten years, just to give an idea of how long disposable items can last. |
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Post by rikita on Jun 15, 2009 21:29:37 GMT
hwinpp - yeah i guess it is regional... scrambled eggs can be had for breakfast here too, but i must admit i tend to have bauernfrühstück for dinner rather, when i have it, though from the name i could tell it is a breakfast meal... as for the oven picture... here is an oven in a peruvian village... most people there had those, some had gas stoves too, but told me food takes nicer when cooked on wood, also i suppose gas was too expensive in the long run...  |
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Post by Don Cuevas on Jun 15, 2009 23:05:41 GMT
I was in Tennessee and went to a rural cafe for breakfast. The whole concept of "biscuits and gravy" was alien. The waitress explained the biscuit part, which I could grasp. But she could see my bewilderment about the gravy (I was thinking of the brown stuff that accompanies roast meat). Patiently she explained:"You take some grease - you know what grease is?" Indeed I know what grease is - it is something the axle of the car needs to run smoothly. The white stuff I was given had considerably less taste than axle grease would have. Baz, it's true that there's a lot of inferior biscuits 'n gravy in cafes and restaurants. Much of it is borderline is inedible. You might, possibly, like my B&G, which is carefully made, from the finest available ingredients. |
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2016 13:35:24 GMT
When McDonald's arrived in France, many young people already were familiar with the concept of a burger and liked them. However, for at least 2 or 3 years I would see at least half of the customers do something the moment they got their order -- they would open the hamburger and remove any pickles that they found. For some reason they could not abide by the thought of a pickle eaten with a meat patty. Later generations seem to have adapted and I have no longer seen that behaviour.
I have to confess that I might find myself doing the same thing in Australia to remove the slice of beetroot, though.
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Post by questa on May 20, 2016 16:43:14 GMT
Ozzies have eaten hamburgers (not burgers) for ages before the franchises arrived here. We also like the steak sandwich which is made the same way but a slice of real beef is used and toasted bread is used instead of a bun.
An Ozzie hamburger/s.s. is made by toasting the bread component then layering the meat, fried onion, cheese, freshly fried egg, sliced tomato, sliced beetroot, and torn (not chopped) lettuce. Tomato sauce (ketchup) is added at the meat layer. A layer of bacon can be added after the egg.
The Ozzie version leaves the soft bun and sparse filling of the American chains for dead!
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Post by rikita on May 26, 2016 11:17:33 GMT
it was interesting to me, that the kids in the village in kerala that we stayed in didn't know what french fries are, and when we asked them about pizza, a few knew it is sold in a nearby town, but said it was too spicy for them.
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Post by onlyMark on May 26, 2016 12:39:02 GMT
Rikita, when I was in Kerala this year you still can't get french fries apart from in somewhere like Varkala. Pizzas are very uncommon as well. But you can get an aloo bread pakora (mild thick mashed potato curry (aloo masala) between two slices of sliced white bread, dipped in besan (chick pea) batter and deep fried).
For breakfast.
I'm not sure which of the above are the least healthy.
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2016 14:40:19 GMT
Pizza doesn't surprise me at all. Pizza just arrived in Marseille and New York between 1940 and 1950 and it didn't arrive in Milan until 1960! So India...
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Post by questa on May 26, 2016 15:02:16 GMT
I remember my first pizza well. 1966, drove over to Melbourne, met up with a girlfriend who was in the 'arty' lot. She took me to an Italian café...plastic tablecloth and posters of Famous Italian sights tacked to the walls. The Pizza arrived, bang, in the middle of the table. I looked around for plates or cutlery then shrank, humiliated, when I realised you ate it from your hand. Somehow I burned my lip on the hot cheese but didn't let on but bravely nibbled through one slice while others devoured the lot. Later I had bad indigestion pains. It was years before I tried another. Now they are one of my favourite quick meals.
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2016 16:17:37 GMT
We still eat pizza with a knife and fork in France. However, I am pretty sure that lots of people eat delivery pizzas with their hands at home, if only because that's what they have seen in American series and movies.
(Let's not forget that 'authentic' (Italian) pizza has a very thin crust and collapses if you try to pick it up. But the product sold by Pizza Hut or Domino's or the other chains can easily be picked up.)
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2016 16:40:14 GMT
This is unfair, but it amused me.
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Post by lagatta on May 26, 2016 18:58:02 GMT
They do exist. They are called Paleos.
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2016 19:42:42 GMT
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Post by fumobici on May 27, 2016 1:09:35 GMT
Pizza doesn't surprise me at all. Pizza just arrived in Marseille and New York between 1940 and 1950 and it didn't arrive in Milan until 1960! So India... These guys would argue the date for Milan: www.asantalucia.it/en/storia.html They say 1929. |
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Post by rikita on May 27, 2016 7:02:18 GMT
either way, i had pizza when i was in varkala. i really needed pizza that day. or well, something other than indian food ... First pizza i ever had was in poland by the way, when i was a kid. i think i didn't really like it then, either. though not sure if it really was a pizza.
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Post by patricklondon on May 27, 2016 10:46:36 GMT
To change the domestic focus somewhat, I'm surprised by the number of times I've seen people posting on US messageboards how good it would be to have a combined washing-drying machine, and why doesn't someone invent one. I can only assume they're people used to communal laundry rooms in apartment buildings. My blog | My photos | My video clips"too literate to be spam" |
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2016 13:24:28 GMT
No, not really. No one I know, whether they live in a house or apartment, has a combo washer/dryer. They don't exist here.
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Post by lagatta on May 27, 2016 15:05:33 GMT
I"ve only seen them in Europe. While many North Americans have HUGE houses, there are a lot of people living in apartments or small houses who would appreciate availability of more compact appliances.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 27, 2016 15:13:08 GMT
When we lived on the boat we had a combo washer/dryer, obviously a godsend in that kind of tight space. I can't remember the brand -- Braun, maybe? Anyway, that was over 20 years ago in the US, so if they existed then, surely they're still around.
Edited to say that I just googled & right away Home Depot, Best Buy, Lowe's, Sears, & Amazon come up with combo washer/dryers for sale, so obviously available.
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2016 15:22:47 GMT
Yes, I know they exist in N. America, and they may catch on one day, but they are not popular. Too slow, too limited in what they can do. Most people in tight spaces have stacking units.
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Post by bjd on May 27, 2016 16:06:17 GMT
Since I waste a lot of time looking at Houzz (thanks, Bixa!), I see that N Americans in general have monster-sized appliances. On the few pics where a kitchen is small, they specify that they are European ovens or whatever.
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2016 16:21:33 GMT
People with huge houses in the suburbs and lots of kids have huge appliances. Most people I know have something like this:  Fits in a closet. |
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Post by bixaorellana on May 27, 2016 16:27:03 GMT
Since I waste a lot of time looking at Houzz* (thanks, Bixa!), I see that N Americans in general have monster-sized appliances. On the few pics where a kitchen is small, they specify that they are European ovens or whatever. Well, by damn we moved to that big ole continent in order to have space and we intend to use the hell out of it! Actually, I object to the use of space as a status symbol, as often it's a waste of square footage & a failure of design. People used to envy my big kitchen in the subdivision house I had in Mandeville. Mostly it was a large space in the middle that wasn't quite right for an island nor table. On the other hand, in my limited experience, Europeans need to come to terms with how much space humans actually require for everyday activities. In one hotel, I had to open the shower door in order to bend over to wash my feet, and I'm not all that tall. * Glad to be of service!  |
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Post by bjd on May 27, 2016 18:58:03 GMT
Well then, I suggest you stay in chain hotels owned by American companies. And anyway, you really consider washing your feet an "everyday activity"?
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Post by lagatta on May 27, 2016 19:47:38 GMT
I washed my feet a lot when I was living in Italy - it was hot and dry and they got dusty - I was always wearing sandals in the summer heat.
I never specifically "washed my feet" during stays in Amsterdam, except obviously while taking a shower. It was never dusty (damp) and rarely got very hot, except one summer when there was a serious heatwave even in Northern Europe.
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2016 20:51:01 GMT
I think bixa means that, while showering, the enclosure was so small that there wasn't enough space to bend down to your feet.
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