(#4) Around The World In Eighty Paragraphs...: June 2007

UGLY AMERICAN- FROM INDEPENDENT TRAVELER.COM

Embrace the American, Leave the Ugly at Home.
Americans traveling abroad have a particularly bad rap. They're loud, poorly dressed, and worst of all - obvious. The Ugly American.There are reasons for the ubiquity of this stereotype. First off, there are a lot of us. And our extreme affluence relative to the bulk of the world's population means there are a lot of us traveling, a very expensive hobby without question.And our Gap/Old Navy/catalogue clothing culture tends to dictate that we dress alike, and sometimes colorfully; you don't find too much basic black at Old Navy.So the French and the rest would rather we downplay our American-ness. It's undeniable that some folks simply don't have a feel for their surroundings, for shifting their rhythms to match the rhythms of place; for shifting their personal style to jive with the style of the country they're in; for leaving the worst of their homestyle at home.So if you're planning to pour out of your hotel room in some khaki shorts with a money belt, a Jacksonville Dolphins baseball cap, an "I'm With Stupid" shirt, some plastic sunglasses, and enough sunscreen to block out a supernova, you deserve whatever comes to you. And if you start wailing about how you can't find any bagels; or send back a pint of bitter because it's warm; or whine and cry about how you can't find the McDonalds, and once you find it complain that the Big Macs are different; well, a pox on you and yours.(In these situations, why travel?!? Why fly 2500 miles to eat every third meal in a McDonalds, read USA Today every morning, watch CNN America, and stick your face in a guidebook, why do it?---Leave the "Ugly" at HomeSo there's an upside to being an American abroad, no question. Here are my tips to help you remain American without earning the "ugly" adjective.1. Dress understated, but be yourself. You may want to leave the I'm with Stupid and South of the Border tees at home, but you don't necessarily have to dress in black in Paris, or in mariachi costume in Mexico. 2. Don't overplay your hometown, but if asked, be forthcoming.Everyone knows someone who won't relent when it comes to their hometown, breaking into song at the mere mention of where they live .3. To paraphrase a very useful truism, better to be thought American than open your mouth and remove all doubt…4. Walk, or rent a bike.Seems simple enough, but much of the world doesn't have the addiction to the automobile that Americans do. If you think the big shiny rental car marks you as an out-of-towner in the US, wait until you try it in Florence. 5. You don't need a picture of everything in sight.We all want photos from our trips, but a camera is the surest way to label yourself "pure tourist." 6. Realize that just because something is different, doesn't mean it's wrong. Eating habits, religious practices, even the word for "soccer" (I still don't call it football) will shift everywhere you go. 7. It's getting there, but English is not yet spoken by all the planet. Learn a few words of the language wherever you are, and for god's sake, just because someone doesn't understand you doesn't mean they're deaf!8. Also on the language tip: you never know who knows a few words of your language. And you can bet the words they'll know best are the ones you don't want them to know. 9. This one goes for everyone, but is worth mentioning: do your homework so you don't end up tipping in Japan, or wearing shorts into a mosque in Turkey, or leaving food on your plate in Russia, or cleaning your plate in certain parts of China.Remember: Ugly is as ugly does; but a true American is a true person of the world. (independenttraveler.com)

4.0) Family Values...

I think back to Florence-… as is the norm, no one picks up a nary a fork until the rest of the family is present, willing and able to join into the festivities and everyday occurrence of that once American tradition, and now obsolete and at best optional occurrence of… daily dining at the dinner table.
The proud and engaging family systematically assembles for a typical family dinner and all take their respective assigned seats at the long cloth covered table for the latest of that day’s gatherings. A starter of Ribollita- delicious thick soup made with local seasonal vegetables, beans and day old bread is present in white ceramic bowls around the table, as Nonno (Veronica’s grandfather and manufacturer of the dish), proudly asks how the soup is, already knowing the answer. A chorus of, “e’ molto
buono” and “bravissimo”, encircles the perimeter. Crostino is up next- small slices of toasted homemade bread, lightly covered with melted scamorza cheese and bits of sausage. The design of a bright sunflower, in the center of the oval plate being passed around, becomes apparent, as the Crostini quickly disappear. Martina, the little sister, gets scolded for hording. A fresh pasta follows- Farfalle (butterflies), swimming in a light fresh tomato and basil sauce. The smell of the fresh picked basil intoxicates the nose, comments Roberto, the father, in his Florentine dialect of Italian, as he pours a fresh, young and local Chianti, into his water glass. Wine is such a mundane part of the day that they don’t bother with wine glasses. Lucia, the mother emerges from the kitchen, this time dishing out half platefuls of local fish pulled from the generous Mediterranean and sautéed in a wonderful, rosemary, lemon sauce. Cries of Basta! (enough) and Pieno! (I’m full), circle the table. Despite the pleas, a simple salad is served and appreciated, drizzled atop with fresh, fragrant Tuscan olive oil. All is washed down with bottled water and the delicious local wine. Fresh bread, without the presence of salt, as is the Tuscan tradition, is roughly sliced and placed in any open spots remaining on the congested table. Upon the salad’s demise, Veronica helps clear the scene and a heavy bowl of fragrant fresh fruit takes the center stage. The robust smell, of roasting Espresso, fills the room.
The meal, eaten in stages, consumes well over an hour and is accompanied by lively animated conversation, and the warmth in the room is heavy and real. The hearty laughter is contagious and genuine affection bounces from one family member to the next. Furio, the little brother, and youngest, receives the nightly honor of opening the after dinner Brachetto. Since this wine is a sweet one, he’s allowed a few sips, and quickly obliges. As is the norm, no one overindulges on the wine and its presence is respected.
In his own tradition, Furio passes the wine cork from one person to the next, all rubbing the stopper under their respective earlobes for luck. Nonna, the grandmother, has Martina on her lap as she playfully braids and teases her hair... Here, family values are not preached, or politically part of a forum, but rather a simple part of every day’s happenings and an occurrence as natural and expected as a sunrise. ...d22

4.1) But everyone looks so happy in the pharmaceutical advertisements...

-- WASHINGTON - Americans are living longer than ever, but not as long as people in 41 other countries.
For decades, the United States has been slipping in rankings of life expectancy as other countries improve health care, nutrition and lifestyles.
Countries that surpass the United States include Japan and most of Europe, as well as Jordan, Guam and the Cayman Islands... "Something's wrong here when one of the richest countries in the world, the one that spends the most on health care, is not able to keep up with other countries," said Dr. Christopher Murray, head of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington... (ap-aolnews) ...d22

4.2) Chi e' Numero Uno...?

How does one exactly deduce that a country is the “greatest” or “number one", as Americans so blindly and pompously proclaim? Is it by the robust richness or gross national product of a country? Or perhaps it’s the number of bothersome bombs in its awaiting arsenal? Maybe it’s the swiftness in which a country can terrifyingly topple another that makes it the “greatest”. With the fall of communism, the whole “land of freedom” concept here doesn’t really do it anymore, after all are the Canadians, Australians, Europeans etc., all living under restrictive and repressive type governments? Hardly!
I had the lavish luxury and humble honor of living in a modest country shaped like a boot and rich in a much different sense of richness, that has contributed to the world such simple and complex gifts, trinkets and treasures as- the calendar…, the Roman Republic…, pure poetry…, scathing satire…, Dante’s Divine Comedy…, Petrach and the modern lyric…, Boccaccio and the development of western literary realism…, banking, bookkeeping and the rise of commercial capitalism…, Renaissance and artistic icons- Brunelleschi, Donatello, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Caravaggio(to name a scant few)…, eager explorations of Colombus(discoverer of America), Verranzano, Vespucci(namesake of America), Cabot and Marco Polo…, Machiavelli and the genesis of modern political science…, Galileo’s development of contemporary science…, monumental musical creations of the violin, piano and opera…, Marconi and the invention of the radio…, Fermi- the founder of the atomic age…, Vivaldi, Fellini and of course food, wine, fashion and Ferrari among many others that I’m too bored to readily recite…. Sounds like they could surely make a case for “number one”…but then again that would be way too pretentious for them...(and to just clarify this howl- yes my name does end in a vowel...)d22

4.3) The boy who cried stupid

Oh how they love to demonize the red, white and bloated. How they love to chastise the lost empire for it's failed experiment of democracy. But then again how the europeans love to mutter 'kyke and nigger' in their own languages from the bottom of their facsist bellies as they open up their own borders like the great satan did hundreds of years ago. And look at the african americans. How they to love to bemoan the unpayed reparations they're owed, payment for the the Amistad heist long ago. So give it to them. DO IT! But then they love to lable the white man , DEVIL, I say prove it! Because unless they're PART of that exclusive club they have to explain to me first what's happening in their own angelic mother country, Africa. Was there anything else learned from the french, english and dutch other than genocide, torture and rape? And if there wasn't, what about unlearning some of those strategic measures? Or did the white man make you do it again? How about India? The great humanitarian Gandhi purged the western maggots only to strengthen the caste system, which he turned a blind eye to. So to this day the lighter skins go to school and get the good jobs while the darker skins wallow in obscurity. And so the world declares a brand new shift in power, demonizing the yankee doodle dandy population for getting shorter, thanks to Mcdonalds while celebrating the rest of the world for getting taller, thanks to Mcdonalds. When the boy cried 'wolf', nobody came. When the boy cried 'stupid' everybody did. ---jc

4.4) Force-feeding leads to vomiting and vomiting leads to messy clean-ups...

Not every country wants a silly Starbucks, mandatory McDonalds or welcoming Wal-Mart on its soon to be sabotaged, street corners. And the sight of the callously commercial and tacky “golden arches”, of those oh so American, burger franchises does cheapen historic pristine cities, while compromising traditions and cultures and therefore creating resentment, rage and retaliation.
What if an intruding Iranian or shallow Saudi company placed an enormous Arab figure in the middle of captivating Cape Cod or nocturnal New Orleans, with gaudy neon lights surrounding its great girth while frequently flashing, “Buy Akbar’s Rugs”? And then they starting selling these culture ravaging rugs on days the other businesses closed and spent time with family, and then twenty-four hours a day, and then they and others started automatically appearing all over the country- on the bright boardwalks of Atlantic City, in the noisy neighborhoods of Chicago, around Yellowstone Park, adjacent to the beautiful beaches of Miami, or deep in the heart of Texas. Oh the hate that would ensue, the vandalism that would arise. “We don’t want that crap here…!” the portly Texans would scream. “Not in my backyard…!” the-lily-white Oregonians would proclaim, “Burn a cross on the front yard…!” the ignorant Alabamans would rant and rave. “Lets do a drive-by on their asses…!” the violent L.A. members would shout and scheme....d22

4.45) we are all from africa...

"I'm glad that you know that." That's how a black man responds when a white man proclaims, "We are ALL from Africa originally!" When you tell a black man that, he'll say, " I'm glad you know that." But why is he so glad? The Chinese aren't so glad when somebody from Italy admits the pasta is a Chinese invention and not an Italian's. Nor do Americans feel a sense of vindication when the Chinese admit that it was an American who first imagined the chicken ball. But obviously the origin of pasta and chicken balls can't compare to the origin of mankind which affects the very ego of our identities. Part of it, is that a black man isn't only just glad that a white man has heard about the biblical land of Cush, more commonly known as Ethiopia and that he knows it to be known as the earliest antiquity or the main birthplace of human civilization. It is that, the white man found a fact, that was important enough to remember and that then, he acknowledged it as truth by mentioning it. Not as a confession, out of shame or contrition, just a simple, casual mention. Because a black man may believe many problems with race relations may be assisted, if not solved by some important knowledge just being casually mentioned. So if he's glad, why the surprise? Why? Because, even if most of us are not racists and only mildly prejudiced or maybe harmlessly nationalistic, the majority of us are deeply CULTURALLY BLIND. Only because our ideas of ourselves are imagined not in terms of individual, but in terms of group, tribe or community. The very idea that all of us may come originally from the same place is frightening to most, because if accepted to be the truth it would leave most to a reality that, while their family has been extended, their sense of individualistic belonging will have been diminished. That is why most of us entirely focus on the ROOTS of our family tree and not the SEEDS; the seeds, that would expose the truth of our similarities, while peeling away the layers of our artificial perceptions of one another. For the most banal reality of all is while we are mostly culturally blind, we are NOT and have never been, COLOR BLIND. Like a dog is, whose basic intuition supersedes such superficial criteria as skin color to judge character. It is only when we as humans AFFECT a dog's natural senses do dogs stray from their natural intuition. We do to dogs what we do to ourselves. So when a white man is ever heard saying, "We are ALL originally from Africa", a brother will feel glad. -- jc

4.5) Mirror, mirror on the wall...

As much as we are quick to pompously point out the storied stereotypes of others we must take some stock of our obvious own. There is telling truth to every such stereotype and that doesn’t mean that all of that particular pack will follow in its detailed description, but certainly enough to create a particular pattern. Yes, there are frequent French that are always arrogant, with their nose in the air, and the generic Germans can be quite cold and staunch in their demeanor, and yes some English are so cynical with predetermined poor teeth, sure some general Jewish folk may be pushy, money oriented and calculating, a multitude of Muslims do in fact perform barbaric Terrorist acts, many Mexicans do find labor inside restaurants, yes some Italians could have murderous Mafioso ties, Japanese citizens may be meticulous and over-organized, Chinese communities can be less than hygienic and non-conforming, no one will dare debate there are some under achieving Irishmen who yearn for a blasé bar with a Guinness and wet whiskey...Certainly we can assuredly agree there is some confirming ugliness in our own Americans as the stereotype implies. Some fallible fool didn’t just dumbly decide that he was to spread random rumors that for example, Australian people have notorious bad breath. Unless there was some validity to it, it would never so stick. It’s just a common characteristic of the broader breed, like a good-natured Golden Retriever or a ravaging Rottweiler....So are you ugly?.........I know, it's not you, it's the next guy....and 'denial' is a river in Africa........d22

4.7) being there...

Thank Christ I got to live in the homeland, Italia, for a lengthy time and not boisterously bungle and backpack through like some typical tourist, but rather actually live there- an accommodating apartment, an old fiery Fiat, a buzzing Vespa, a regular routine, a favorite newscaster, a crush on a local waitress, the picking of the grapes, a change of seasons, fathers weeping at the mere sight of their children, afternoon sessions watching artists disinterested in fame and painting and perfecting their work, a gamut of uncommercialized holidays and festivals, a local mindful mechanic, the blooming of the mighty sunflowers, an uncanny anticipation of recurring church bells, fresh pressed olive oil, long morning walks through history, a lemon tree and a geranium garden..., an appreciation of simple life- or perhaps more accurate- an alarming awareness of this empty american culture…d22

Spaetzle:

1 1/2 cups flour3/4 cup water2 eggs, beaten1/2 teaspoon salt3 tablespoons butter1 tablespoon chopped parsley1 chicken bouillon cube1/4 cup Parmesan cheese Combine flour, water, eggs, and salt. Knead until smooth. Add bouillon to 6 cups boiling water. Using a spatula press 1/2 of the batter through large holed colander or spaetzle maker into boiling bouillon. Cook until they float to the top, remove with a slotted spoon, making sure to leave none behind in the water as these will become doughy. Repeat with remaining batter. Toss with butter, parsley and cheese.

(#4) Around The World In Eighty Paragraphs...

SITE MAP:

This month's place to ESCAPE to: Argentina

UGLY AMERICAN- FROM INDEPENDENT TRAVELER.COM

Sunday, June 24, 2007

9-11 Twin Towers Attack 3D simulation

The 20 happiest nations in the World are:

Countries with highest Suicide Rates...

Forza Italia!

email contact address:

According to the World Almanac.....

4.0) Family Values...

4.1) But everyone looks so happy in the pharmaceutical advertisements...

4.2) Chi e' Numero Uno...?

4.3) The boy who cried stupid

4.4) Force-feeding leads to vomiting and vomiting leads to messy clean-ups...

4.45) we are all from africa...

4.5) Mirror, mirror on the wall...

4.6) cliche' clarity...

4.7) being there...

Spaetzle:

Blog Archive

HOWLSCOWL.COM

(#4) Around The World In Eighty Paragraphs...

SITE MAP:

This month's place to ESCAPE to: **Argentina**

UGLY AMERICAN- FROM INDEPENDENT TRAVELER.COM

Sunday, June 24, 2007

9-11 Twin Towers Attack 3D simulation

The 20 happiest nations in the World are:

Countries with highest Suicide Rates...

Forza Italia!

email contact address:

According to the World Almanac.....

4.0) Family Values...

4.1) But everyone looks so happy in the pharmaceutical advertisements...

4.2) Chi e' Numero Uno...?

4.3) The boy who cried stupid

4.4) Force-feeding leads to vomiting and vomiting leads to messy clean-ups...

4.45) we are all from africa...

4.5) Mirror, mirror on the wall...

4.6) cliche' clarity...

4.7) being there...

Spaetzle:

Blog Archive

HOWLSCOWL.COM

This month's place to ESCAPE to: Argentina