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Most Infuriating Myth about your Country?

  Tags: Stereotypes
 Language Learning Forum : Cultural Experiences in Foreign Languages (Topic Closed Topic Closed) Post Reply
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Jar-ptitsa
Triglot
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Belgium
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 Message 97 of 177
08 July 2009 at 10:55am | IP Logged 
Le dacquois wrote:
Jar-ptitsa wrote:
William Camden wrote:
I was born in Scotland. The most infuriating myth is that we all wear kilts. I have never done so, myself, and I am not keen on shortbread tin Scottishness.


Have you played the bagpipes today? hahahaha!!!

I've heard that Scotland's beautiful but that the food's terrible.


Scotland has some wonderful dishes but unfortunately most people know nothing about them. Some of the best soups come from there like Cock-a-Leekie, Broth and Cullen Skink. I'd much rather get that down my belly than some of the watery rubbish I've tasted elsewhere. If you eat by the coast and islands you'll taste some amazing seafood and game is also the subject of many excellent recipes.


The people hadn't those dishes I think therefore they told that the food's terrible, but I want to visit Scotland.

Quote:
British desserts are also probably some of the best in the world and Scotland contributes a fair number of sweet goodies. No need to mention the plethora of fine beers to wash your meal down with.

I don't like beer but I like very much British desserts: when I was in London we had teatime in the National Gallery and other days some delicious desserts as well.

Quote:
but hey ho, it's horses for courses.


I don't understand this

Quote:
A lot of French people laughed at me at first when I say I eat oats for breakfast, saying how typical it was and that only horses eat oats. I can see how it's funny, but I'm honestly the only Scotsman I know (and I know a few) who eats oats for breakfast and the reason is because I'm a bodybuilder. It's one of the best cereals you can put into your system for many reasons. Anyway, I've now got them hooked on oat biscuits and skirly (a type of stuffing or accompaniment that goes with chicken). Haha. My partner even confessed to missing certain Scottish and British foods now that we are in France (ahlala, quelle honte!!!)

sometimes I eat oats for breakfast as well (some porridge in the winter). In Wallonie the people don't think that only horses eat oats. I never heard of skirly, but anyway I don't eat chicken or other birds.

Quote:
Here in France I generally turn down offers of pigs brains and spit-roasted sparrows. I know a guy who eats their charred heads and bones (no joke). I've noticed these things generally stay out of most recipe books.


what horrible things!!! spit-roasted sparrows I never saw, fortunately.
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Le dacquois
Diglot
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France
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 Message 98 of 177
08 July 2009 at 1:47pm | IP Logged 
"Horses for courses" means that different things appeal to different people. It's like the expressions "different strokes for different folks" and "one man's meat is another man's poison." The latter would have been a better example considering the topic in question!

The sparrows really shocked me here. I suppose it's just psychological. I had never seen a string of burnt out sparrows on a skewer before, skulls and all. It's a bit freaky the first time you see someone suck and grind on the bones. Apparently, it's not illegal to trap them but there is a quota per year. Exceeding the quota is illegal. I don't know how people trap them but I'm sure it's not pretty.


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densou
Senior Member
Italy
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 Message 99 of 177
08 July 2009 at 11:44pm | IP Logged 
Lizzern wrote:
Other societies feel more honest to me


sorry, not mine (at all).... ;)
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patuco
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Gibraltar
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 Message 100 of 177
09 July 2009 at 12:05am | IP Logged 
Le dacquois wrote:
A lot of French people laughed at me at first when I say I eat oats for breakfast, saying how typical it was and that only horses eat oats. I can see how it's funny, but I'm honestly the only Scotsman I know (and I know a few) who eats oats for breakfast and the reason is because I'm a bodybuilder. It's one of the best cereals you can put into your system for many reasons.

I eat oats for breakfast and after working out, although I'm neither a Scotsman nor a bodybuilder.
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RBenham
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IndonesiaRegistered users can see my Skype Name
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 Message 101 of 177
09 July 2009 at 1:52pm | IP Logged 
On the subject of oats, Dr Johnson's dictionary defines them as "a grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people".
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Iversen
Super Polyglot
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Denmark
berejst.dk
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 Message 102 of 177
09 July 2009 at 4:06pm | IP Logged 
Le dacquois wrote:
...hey ho, it's horses for courses.


When I was young it was still possible to get a good horse steak in Denmark, but nowadays it is almost impossible - why can't we get "horses for dinner" when they have finished running around?
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RBenham
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 Message 103 of 177
09 July 2009 at 4:18pm | IP Logged 
Iversen wrote:
Le dacquois wrote:
...hey ho, it's horses for courses.


When I was young it was still possible to get a good horse steak in Denmark, but nowadays it is almost impossible - why can't we get "horses for dinner" when they have finished running around?


I was in Switzerland and France voisine for a bit over a year, up to about the end of last year, and horse steaks were readily available. Whether they were as good as the Danish ones you remember from your youth, Iversen, is another question. Maybe it's just a question of the way we tend to view things from our youth with rose-coloured glasses.
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Marc Frisch
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Germany
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 Message 104 of 177
10 July 2009 at 10:02pm | IP Logged 
RBenham wrote:
Iversen wrote:
Le dacquois wrote:
...hey ho, it's horses for courses.


When I was young it was still possible to get a good horse steak in Denmark, but nowadays it is almost impossible - why can't we get "horses for dinner" when they have finished running around?


I was in Switzerland and France voisine for a bit over a year, up to about the end of last year, and horse steaks were readily available. Whether they were as good as the Danish ones you remember from your youth, Iversen, is another question. Maybe it's just a question of the way we tend to view things from our youth with rose-coloured glasses.


In the part of Germany where I live, horse sausages are still common.


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