Do you feel proud to your contry?

[brewnog]

Things Brits should not be proud of:
1. Yorkshire pudding
2. Worcester sauce
4. Fish&chips
5. Guiness

Are you out of your TREE? Yorkshire pudding is BEAUTIFUL! And Worcestershire sauce is pretty good too, best on cheese on toast. Fish & Chips are nothing without heaps of salt and vinegar, and mushy peas help too. And Guinness... mmmmmmmmmmm!

Yomamma; Black Pudding is a dubious one. I'm proud that our country could come up with something so vile which tastes so nice, but it's easy to see where the lack of appeal originates.

Can I ask a question? You should promise not to be offended.

Of course you can, and I promise, almost.

 

[brewnog]

Oh, and Danger, I can forgive the Guinness quirks. It's so variable, I've had more disgusting pints of Guinness than nice ones, it's a bit of a risk unless you're in Ireland. If it didn't take quarter of an hour to pour, it's not the real stuff. However, (and I'm being a bit of a traitor here), the Extra Cold draught stuff which is available these days is pretty reasonable, and I love bottled Guinness from the fridge!

 

[Jonny_trigonometry]

If I'm proud of anything or anyone, it's other living things and especially humans. I believe that love is stronger than pride, and pride in something is ok, and pride in someone is a much better thing. To be proud of only one thing or person can cloud one's mind. I'm proud to be a human rather than an anteater or a platypus, although that wouldn't be all that bad... Then again I think I would be more proud to be an alien that can travel across the universe. I love the amazing ability of our frontal lobes. I'm not knocking the concept of pride because I feel that it's needed in some way. I've done a lot of thinking about pride, and I find it's got a bad side and a good side. The bad side of pride causes a person to defend what their proud of (even murder other people if they feel threatened), and that's what I mean when I say it can cloud a person's mind. If a person is proud of their land because they find it beautiful, and they think others want to take it or something, then they won't let others bask in the beauty of the land and even murder them due to their paranoia. It's good to have pride in someone or something, ideally everybody and everything, but to limit our pride to small things like only ourselves (or only our country) or only one other person or thing can lead to obsessive behavior.

 

[Evo]

I *love* yorkshire pudding! My grandmother used to cook roast beef and yorkshire pudding every sunday. (for those of you that don't know, yorkshire pudding is a bread, not a pudding)

This is how my grandmother's looked, she'd cook it in the roasting pan after the roast was done.

http://www.bpic.co.uk/bookrevs/yorkshire_pudding.gif

 

[Moonbear]

I *love* yorkshire pudding! My grandmother used to cook roast beef and yorkshire pudding every sunday. (for those of you that don't know, yorkshire pudding is a bread, not a pudding)

This is how my grandmother's looked, she'd cook it in the roasting pan after the roast was done.

http://www.bpic.co.uk/bookrevs/yorkshire_pudding.gif

[/URL]
Oh, wait, I think I was thinking of something else. What's with the British and calling everything "pudding," even when it isn't pudding?

I think that's something I've had and liked, a lot! But it looked more like the one on this site:
http://www.britannia.com/cooking/recipes/yorkshirepudding.html

I looked up the recipe and I know I've had something that looks just like what's in those muffin tins (but not with any beef drippings).

 

[brewnog]

Bakewell pudding? Pastry with jam and almondy egg based filling? Yummo!

Ahhhhhhh, black pudding, that'll be it. I was telling you about it a while back, it's a sausage made from congealed pigs' blood. Read up the post for yomamma's thoughts!

 

[Evo]

Bakewell pudding? Pastry with jam and almondy egg based filling? Yummo!

Ahhhhhhh, black pudding, that'll be it. I was telling you about it a while back, it's a sausage made from congealed pigs' blood. Read up the post for yomamma's thoughts!

Black pudding, aka blood sausage. My mother used to buy the blood sausage with tongue in it...YUMMY!

Yorkshire pudding is cooked in the drippings of the roast (my grandmother skimmed out most of the fat). Pour gravy over it :!) :!) :!)

I've seen the little ones baked in the tins, I like the big puffy ones baked in the roasting pan better.

 

[JamesU]

isn't pudding normally a desert?

or have I just been buying the JELLO brand crap too long?

 

[fourier jr]

yeah how can someone dis guiness (isn't that irish anyway?) or fish & chips? my favourite place to eat in london was the stockpot, a cheap non-touristy fish & chip (etc) place off haymarket. where else would someone go to eat fish & chips other than great britain? i also liked the sticky-toffee pudding. every british person should be proud of that stuff

what would a Canadian be proud of? well...
-- birthplace of hockey
-- wilderness all over
-- john charles fields & his medal
-- leslie neilsen, jim carrey, mike macdonald, etc
-- the tragically hip, neil young
-- nahanni national park reserve, 1st UNESCO world heritage site (well we didn't build it but snagged it when we had the chance)
-- cn tower, world's biggest phallic symbol
-- strippers get nekkid
-- Canada's so liberal (ie 2nd country to legalize gay marriage, considering decriminalizing pot, etc etc)
-- tommy douglas, led first communist government elected in the western hemisphere

what WOULDN'T a Canadian be proud of? everything written about in RT naylor's http://www.web.net/blackrosebooks/histcanb.htm & what it led to. & brian mulroney especially. that is all

 

[brewnog]

Yes yomamma, that was Moonbear's point I think. Pudding is usually a desert, I suppose, but Yorkshire pudding works best with onion gravy, and black pudding works best with a Full English! Mmmm!

There are few things better than a massive, well-cooked Yorkshire pudding, with a few nice slices of rare roast Aberdeen Angus which was soaked in red wine the night before, covered in onion gravy, with a good dollop of horseradish, and some nice Dijon mustard (something France can be proud of). Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!

 

[cragwolf]

I'm proud of a few individuals in my country. Not necessarily everything about them, because everyone has their warts. But proud of my country? No, I leave such primitive emotions for the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei and other völkisch movements of their ilk that have plagued modern history. I don't know why boys get attracted to that nonsense. If you can't find a girlfriend or you're dissatisfied with your current partner, there are far more interesting and worthwhile hobbies to take up, like physics, mountain climbing and nudism. And if you really feel the need to sacrifice your individuality to group-think, join an amateur football club. Just stay out of politics, for the sake of everyone!

 

[Smurf]

-- Canada's so liberal (ie 2nd country to legalize gay marriage, considering decriminalizing pot, etc etc)

4th. Netherlands, Belgium and Spain beat us (Spain only by 17 days!).

what WOULDN'T a Canadian be proud of? everything written about in RT naylor's http://www.web.net/blackrosebooks/histcanb.htm & what it led to. & brian mulroney especially. that is all

Brian Mulroney is every Canadian's secret shame.

 

[Lisa!]

Of course you can, and I promise, almost.

Thanks but there's a big problem. I've promised to be nice and polite with Mr wolram! What do you think of your country when everyone around here knows Mr wolram is your countryman?

 

[brewnog]

Thanks but there's a big problem. I've promised to be nice and polite with Mr wolram! What do you think of your country when everyone around here knows Mr wolram is your countryman?

Where there's muck, there's brass.
Or, to say it properly, 'weer t'zmuk t'sprass'.[/size]

 

[Lisa!]

Where there's muck, there's brass.
Or, to say it properly, 'weer t'zmuk t'sprass'.[/size]

I'm not allowed to but I can't control myself! So

 

[Entropy]

I'm proud not to be involved in any form of nationalism. Why should I be anymore proud of an American than a non-American?

 

[Evo]

Yes yomamma, that was Moonbear's point I think. Pudding is usually a desert, I suppose, but Yorkshire pudding works best with onion gravy, and black pudding works best with a Full English! Mmmm!

There are few things better than a massive, well-cooked Yorkshire pudding, with a few nice slices of rare roast Aberdeen Angus which was soaked in red wine the night before, covered in onion gravy, with a good dollop of horseradish, and some nice Dijon mustard (something France can be proud of). Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Brewnog...MARRY ME. Well, only if you can feed me what you've just described.

 

[Moonbear]

Ahhhhhhh, black pudding, that'll be it. I was telling you about it a while back, it's a sausage made from congealed pigs' blood. Read up the post for yomamma's thoughts!

Yeah, I've been reading this thread out of order. Sausage made out of blood clots. I can give you lots of clotted sheep's blood if you want it, we just throw the clots away after we get the serum off it. (Pardon me while I go vomit at the thought of eating that.)[/size]

But is it any wonder we're all confused about what pudding is? First I thought pudding was, well, pudding, you know, custard type stuff. Then I visited Britain and realized it applied to the entire dessert menu, but now it also includes bread you eat with or before your main course, and some nasty sausage you eat as breakfast food! Is there any rhyme or reason to it?

 

[yu_wing_sin]

Could have done without the first as well. Oh, wait, I thought he said paperwork.

You don't acquaint to Chinese culture and history much. The world's first bomb was came from China, in about 1200 years ago, in Tang dynasty period. Since that, bombs transmitted to Eastern Asian, then Europe, last Americas. If there is no Chinese bombs, no Renaissance and no the break of feudalism of Europe.

 

[Kazza_765]

Whaaat, no one from Australia has contributed yet.

Ok, now Mt Rushmore is nice and all, but its nothing compared to the giant Merino, Bananna, Mandarin, Rocking Horse, Barra, Cigarette, Lobster, Golden Guitar... et al. But seriously,

1. We are a nation descended from convicts.
2. We are a very old country geologically, which I think explains a few things like the kangaroo and platypus. Obviously God was testing out a few crazy ideas here first, before making the rest of the world.
3. On Australia Day, the whole country takes the day off work, spends the day on the beach with an esky full of beer, and then goes home for a barbie.
4. Aussie Rules Football.
5. Words like bonza, beaut, strewth, bloody oath, sheila, blue and fair dinkum.
6. Paul Hogan, Angus Young, Shane Warne, Cold Chisel, Steve Irwin (err, scratch that last one).
7. We invented the hills hoist, vegemite, boomerang, ute, cork hat, esky, panel van, wine cask
8. The Larrimah pub was built in just 1 weekend.
9. Cane Toad races
10. We invented the Bikini!
11. Thongs
12. More Aussies believe in aliens than god
13. Only 2 percent of Australians know the name of our head of state.

And of course all those boring things like the harbour bridge, opera house etc...

 

[loseyourname]

Guiness is disgusting.
A pint of bitter is divine.

North Coast Rasputin Stout is better, but Guinness is the nectar of life. Don't give the English credit for it, either. It's an Irish brew.

 

[brewnog]

Brewnog...MARRY ME. Well, only if you can feed me what you've just described.

What's in it for me?

 

[Pengwuino]

http://www.bpic.co.uk/bookrevs/yorkshire_pudding.gif

[/URL]

Whatever country this thing was made in needs to have its citizens tested for the plague... and shot.

 

[wolram]

Whatever country this thing was made in needs to have its citizens tested for the plague... and shot.

Well you won't have any," spotted dick", then, another british pudding.
I make two versions of yokie pud, one savory, and one that's delicious with
strawberry jam, and," toad in the hole", with my secret gravy recipe is a
meal fit for a king.
And don't forget bread pudding, or bread and butter pudding, yummy.

 

[loseyourname]

What is up with UK food? Neither the Scots, Irish, or English have contributed anything positive to world cuisine. Heck, I think the only European country I would be proud of on a culinary basis is Italy. Even then I would primarily be proud of Calabria.

 

[russ_watters]

Yuengling Lager.

 

[Pengwuino]

What is up with UK food? Neither the Scots, Irish, or English have contributed anything positive to world cuisine. Heck, I think the only European country I would be proud of on a culinary basis is Italy. Even then I would primarily be proud of Calabria.

Well the only thing America has done for food is make food muuuuuuuuuuuch bigger

 

[wolram]

What is up with UK food? Neither the Scots, Irish, or English have contributed anything positive to world cuisine. Heck, I think the only European country I would be proud of on a culinary basis is Italy. Even then I would primarily be proud of Calabria.

Pasta, pasta, pasta, pasta, and a round thing with stuff on it, man you aint eaten proper english grub if you think that stuff is good.

 

[loseyourname]

Southern Italian cuisine is not big on pasta.

I don't necessarily blame you guys. All of the wonderful vegetables, fruits, and herbs that grow in Italy and make the food so delightfully flavorful don't grow that far north.

 

[EL]

Do you feel proud to your contry?

I'm very glad I was born in Sweden, but I can not say that I'm proud of that, I just happened to be very lucky.

Since I'm not the one who "built" Sweden, I cannot say I'm more proud of "my" country than I am proud of for example Norway or Australia.

"Patriotism" is probably the uggliest word ever.

 

[EL]

I'm proud of a few individuals in my country. Not necessarily everything about them, because everyone has their warts. But proud of my country? No, I leave such primitive emotions for the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei and other völkisch movements of their ilk that have plagued modern history. I don't know why boys get attracted to that nonsense. If you can't find a girlfriend or you're dissatisfied with your current partner, there are far more interesting and worthwhile hobbies to take up, like physics, mountain climbing and nudism. And if you really feel the need to sacrifice your individuality to group-think, join an amateur football club. Just stay out of politics, for the sake of everyone!

Well said!

 

[loseyourname]

"Patriotism" is probably the uggliest word ever.

It's so chauvinistic, isn't it? Why can't we be 'matriotic?'

 

[EL]

It's so chauvinistic, isn't it? Why can't we be 'matriotic?'

Exactly my point! ...or...

 

[FredGarvin]

But is it any wonder we're all confused about what pudding is? First I thought pudding was, well, pudding, you know, custard type stuff. Then I visited Britain and realized it applied to the entire dessert menu, but now it also includes bread you eat with or before your main course, and some nasty sausage you eat as breakfast food! Is there any rhyme or reason to it?

Alton Brown goes into the entymology of the word "pudding" in his pudding show. It really does span a lot of different meanings. Pudding, originally, was english and was pretty much anything that had bread in it. What we refer to as dessert pudding today is an American concoction. I can transcribe the entire segment if anyone so desires.

 

[loseyourname]

The online etymology dictionary can be helpful here:

pudding

c.1305, "a kind of sausage: the stomach or one of the entrails of a pig, sheep, etc., stuffed with minced meat, suet, seasoning, boiled and kept till needed," perhaps from a W.Gmc. stem *pud- "to swell" (cf. O.E. puduc "a wen," Westphalian dial. puddek "lump, pudding," Low Ger. pudde-wurst "black pudding," Eng. dial. pod "belly," also cf. pudgy). Other possibility is that it is from O.Fr. boudin "sausage," from V.L. *botellinus, from L. botellus "sausage" (change of Fr. b- to Eng. p- presents difficulties, but cf. purse). The modern sense had emerged by 1670, from extension to other foods boiled or steamed in a bag or sack. Ger. pudding, Fr. pouding, Swed. pudding, Ir. putog are from Eng. Puddinghead "amiable stupid person" is attested from 1851.

I especially like that "puddinghead" meant "amiable stupid person" in 1851.

 

[wolram]

So does every one know what a pudding is now

 

[fourier jr]

Whaaat, no one from Australia has contributed yet.

10. We invented the Bikini!
11. Thongs

oh yeah... www.wickedweasel.com seems to be the master of that sort of stuff

 

[zanazzi78]

What is up with UK food? Neither the Scots, Irish, or English have contributed anything positive to world cuisine. Heck, I think the only European country I would be proud of on a culinary basis is Italy. Even then I would primarily be proud of Calabria.

Typical, the world allways forgets about the Welsh !

(Oh ... yeah the thread) I am proud to be Welsh and no we haven`t made any great significant contribution to world cuisine

 

[honestrosewater]

Alton Brown's show is great. In case anyone wanted to know.

 

[loseyourname]

Typical, the world allways forgets about the Welsh !

(Oh ... yeah the thread) I am proud to be Welsh and no we haven`t made any great significant contribution to world cuisine

I didn't forget about the Welsh, just figured you weren't significant enough to warrant mentioning along with other Brits. Imagine if we were talking about the Iberian peninsula. Everyone will bring up Portugal and Spain, but does anyone really care about Andorra?

 

[fourier jr]

Typical, the world allways forgets about the Welsh !

(Oh ... yeah the thread) I am proud to be Welsh and no we haven`t made any great significant contribution to world cuisine

bertrand russell was welsh. that's something to be proud of.

 

[MaxS]

I am from the US and I am proud of the US. Frankly, I can't see why physical features of the land would be something to be proud of, though: Americans didn't build the Grand Canyon.

Better to be proud of the grand canyon than our history of conquest

 

[MaxS]

...I hate nationalism. It's something the world can do without.

Agreed. Be proud of the wonder mankind finds when we look to the stars.

Not of petty squabbles and meaningless titles.

The wholescale slaughter of people through armed conflict is a wholly nationalistic cause (whether or not it is stirred by religious fervor).

 

[Smurf]

It's so chauvinistic, isn't it? Why can't we be 'matriotic?'

the word patriotic comes from latin patria; meaning 'country' and is (i believe) non gender-specific

 

[MaxS]

"Dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori."

Translation: It is sweet and glorious to die for one's country.

So no I don't think its gender specific.

In other news: Pretty good right wing rhetoric huh? Surprised FOX News hasn't made it their motto instead of "fair and balanced"

 

[rachmaninoff]

"Dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori."

Translation: It is sweet and glorious to die for one's country.

So no I don't think its gender specific.

How the in name of Saturn is patria not gender specific? It means "fatherland"*, and dervies directly from pater:patris meaning "father". Ancient Rome was a patriarchial society, how can you try to deny that?

*also "homeland" or "native country" (ironically to English speakers, it's a feminine noun)

As for 'decorum' --> 'glorious', where'd you get that translation? More precise would be "it is sweet and proper".

 

[MaxS]

lol take it easy I'm not trying to deny anything i just don't know anything about latin apparently

 

[LeonhardEuler]

I am American and I feel proud of it, but I think it would be best if I didn't. I do have a feeling of pride about America creating modern democracy, putting a man on the moon, stoping the nazis, etc., but It doesn't really make sense. I wasn't even around for any of these things and contributed nothing to their getting done. Honestly, I think patriotism is a dangerous emotion. It is something one feels and does not control like, anger or jealosy, and like these it can make people behave irrationally. People will give their lives for the glory of a king who doesn't know their name or have more than an intelectual interest in whether they live or die. When a government wants to build an empire and needs people to risk their lives fighting for a cause that offers them no benefits in their every day lives, how does it convince people to fight? Governments often appeal to nationalism to do this. Nationalism makes people treat other people as less than human. People talk about all the civillian casualties in the Iraq war and say that its too bad, but if that's what it takes to stop another 9-11, its got to be done. But by any count the civillian casualties in that war are greater than those in the attacks. Isn't the war a greater tragedy? People don't seem to think so. I think nationalism has much to do with this. The world would be an infinitely better place if people left behind the notion of nations, which don't really exist except in people's minds. We have to stop banding together in these cliques and killing each other. We should just recognize people as people and leave it at that.

 

[Smurf]

How the in name of Saturn is patria not gender specific? It means "fatherland"*, and dervies directly from pater:patris meaning "father". Ancient Rome was a patriarchial society, how can you try to deny that?

*also "homeland" or "native country" (ironically to English speakers, it's a feminine noun)

So.. It means 'fatherland' and is masculin, but also means 'homeland' and is feminine? Can you clarify please?

As for 'decorum' --> 'glorious', where'd you get that translation? More precise would be "it is sweet and proper".

The incorrect translation of that quote comes from the poem "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen, which is taught in the British and Canadian English curriculum (possibly others). Another sign of the Education system crashing down around us.

And I think the best translation I've seen is 'sweet and seemly', but I'm not fluent in latin, so you tell me.

lol take it easy I'm not trying to deny anything i just don't know anything about latin apparently

It's not your fault, I thought it meant glorious too for the longest time.

 

[rachmaninoff]

So.. It means 'fatherland' and is masculin, but also means 'homeland' and is feminine? Can you clarify please?

It's not 'masculine', it's a feminine noun that translates alternatively as 'fatherland' (most literal), 'country', 'homeland', what have you. Abstractions and locations in Latin are usually of feminine gender, if you only speak English it's not something you'd be familiar with. The English words 'patriotic', 'patriotism', deriving from a word meaning 'fatherland', thus strongly reflect the patriarchial nature of Roman society, the respect for the land of the father, and are hardly gender-neutral. The linguistic gender of the Latin root doesn't really make any difference.

As for, "Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,", I'm quite familiar with that poem, and I don't see that it offers any translation whatsoever; it appears in its original Latin,
"The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori. "
As for "sweet and seemly", that's just fine, 'seemly' and 'proper' are very similar transliterations and mean basically the same thing.