GSteed - I avoid all "soft drinks" as a rule.

Good point Robjame.

It really isn't that hard to avoid ersatz foods, at least where I live.

When you're not used to the modified foods, they don't even taste good, never mind the possible health, econoomic, environmental, etc. issues.

What is McD?

Ronald McDonald.

http://tinyurl.com/337wp3

There is only one of them then?

Hopefully there is only one of that guy.

Yeah - he scares me! Even worse than a clown.

Willard Scott created Ronald MacDonald. No wonder he scares you.

I loathe McDonald's, perhaps unfairly because of the movie Supersize Me, but admit that in Tokyo they are clean and a delicious alternative to Japanese food (which I am not wild about). Served by lovely ladies in clean, pressed uniforms of skirts and blouses wearing stockings and pumps, I almost felt like we were on Air Japan. I've never felt the need to eat in a McD's in Europe, though.

<to us The Beano is a kid's comic that's been around since God was an altar boy.

God know's what it is to you lot. Do i really want to know?>

farce previously said the queues are a sign of a civilized society - but i ask you how civilized a society can it be that doesn't have beano?

How civilized is a country that requires Beano?

Our backsides are purely ornamental.

you certainly could not tell that from the many U.K. posts on Fodor's - seems to be a great need for beano in England especially.

The Irish eat more beans that the English.

The first baked bans were imported (from America, natch - probably the windy city) and sold in Fortnum and MAson's for the modern equivelent of £2.80 a tin.

Yet another example of American culture sweeping aside English culture - culinary

where did Mushy Peas come from?

Satan's rear end.

so it's yet another American import?

You really believe, that Iran an North Korea export peas to the rest of the world?

Iran is the world's biggest supplier of pistachio nuts.

CHOLMONDLEYTRUFACT.

CHOLMONDLEYTRUFACT

Oxymoron

California now produces a lot of pistachios - have to research to see who is more

i'm so old i remember red pistachios - red dyed that is