cmt

Bettyk's complaint about political nastiness on the forum is an amusing example of the pot calling the kettle black. I therefore agree with BTilke's recollections re the closed thread and with her comments in her post at 5:46 a.m. today. Also agree with Patrick's suggestion in his first post on this thread.

walkinaround

how can anyone suggest that we ignore these important aspects of travel:

-how you view your own country along with other countries in the world

-how to learn about your own country by seeing how people with different values view it.

-how to challenge your own values by experiencing life in a place with a different set of values.

For the most part, it seems to me that the discussions that go into politics do so in a way that relevent to world travel. Of course there are exceptions to this.

I agree that this is not the place for an all out debate over whether kerry or bush should be the US president but how recent events shape an american's view of his own country or how it shapes someones travel experience is very relevent in a travel discussion. there is no doubt that the world is very different because of recent events, many related to US gov't (9-11, wars in iraq and afganistan, US/Europe rift, etc, etc). therefore many people's experiences traveling in this world are different from what they would be 20 years ago. do we ignore this?

Many come here for a "light" travel discussion and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. there are some very good debates over restaurants, hotels, etc. Some people wish to get a bit more personal about deeper issues related to the world. i don't see anything wrong with that either. as other posters indicated, it's not very difficult to tell which threads might be controversial from a political perspective.

degas

Sorry to change the subject, but does anyone have a quick and easy recipe for Madeleines au Chocolat?

I find comfort in eating well after a victory or a defeat.

goldwynn

As an observer from another country, I would have to disagree with Bettyk`s 52% of the US population being in agreement. Only 60% turned out to vote.......that leaves approval in the 30 percent range. Not very conclusive in my humble opinion.

And being in agreement with other posters, I am a selective "clicker" and don`t fret the nasties.

BTilke

Hansikday, I remember more than a few political comments from you, too, the most recent being:
Only idiots would say that about our great President. I expect the smart people in Europe know we have a strong, determined leader who will start to look even better and better after he is re-elected in Nov.

I see nothing wrong with discussing politics civilly in a travel context, especially on the Euro forum. Europeans are keenly interested in U.S. politics, far more than Americans are interested in European politics! And American tourists to Europe, especially the smaller towns, should prepare themselves to be asked about their views on a variety of international issues--Europeans will be curious about their opinions.

Moreover, Europeans actually do get a more "fair and balanced" view of things than bettyk etc give them credit for--for one thing, European news shows aren't so dependent on sound bite, short attention span journalism. It's not uncommon to see an hour long news show focusing on a single issue. (And for those who complain about bias on CNN, remember that CNN international is a different animal from the CNN you see in the U.S.)

TopMan

Degas: I have a recipe for macaroons that are as good as ANY you'd ever get in Paris..will that do?

TopMan

BTilke: Weren't you in the process of moving from Brussels to GB??? I hope you'll tell us how that all went as I, personally, would be interested in hearing about a transition of that sort..after all, it IS about travel <G>.

travelwoman

I thiink that it is fine ti disagree and that it is very healthy in fact. It can be done in a way that is non-offensive. Hansikday, you could could phrase your opinions in a way that people would take more seriously if you used a more neutral tone and one that is less pedantic. Just a thought!

i_am_kane

I opened this thread because the caption caught my eye. I never read this stuff on Fodors, my life is too busy.

Just a bunch of TALKING HEADS.

Lighten up everyone.

TopMan

But you read THIS one, didn't you ???<G>!

degas

Topman, I'd love for you to post your recipe. Macaroons have a special place in my heart.

travelwoman

How about ile flottante! Mon dieu que c'est bon! That is heaven and I have never seen it on a menu in the good old USA or in French Canada!

degas

I've not heard of ile flottante, but am willing to learn. Please post away.

travelwoman

Ile flottante is also called Les oeufs a la neige. Basically its a dessert with a soft meringue served with creme anglaise(a thin vanilla custard sauce). Its very light and refreshing.

TopMan

Well, after opening my big fat mouth about the macaroon recipe now I can't FIND it but will keep looking. On the other hand, I do have at hand a fabulous brownie recipe that all retrosexuals <G> love..in fact, it even beat out 24 other entries in a local brownie bake-off final around here a couple of years ago.

Sigh..I will look for the macaroon recipe, tho.

mitchdesj

travelwoman, Iles flottantes are on many menus in Montreal; trust me, I know....
lol.......

Best ones are at Guy & Dodo on Metcalfe.

citiboy50

I just recovered from the election and was hoping to think about travel to escape the nightmare of last Tuesday and Wednesday.Needless to say, being a Miami resident, I am just climbing out of a 4 year nightmare.I agree. Only 31% of the voting age population agreed with Bush.In 2000, he was not even elected President.
Let me tell you about a travel related experience since this is Fodors.I will save my real salvos for a political forum or a private E-mail.
I was in Phuket,Thailand on a boat trip last March to see the beautiful Island where the Beach was filmed.The speedboat was like being in the United Nations-people from Kuwait,Jordan,England,France,Belgium.Africa,Canada ,Thailand etc..I was surrounded along with my wife and peppered with questions about how I felt about GWB.I told them that I was a big opponent of Bush and believed in ABB.I felt embarrassed as a traveler that GWB was our President.I told them that GWB would lose the election and to a person they wanted to know "Do you promise?".I hope that we can put this behind us and escape and survive the next 4 years.Also, I have three draft age relatives-son etc. and will do everything in my powere to keep them out of the Cowboys adventures.I think we should all try to get back to travel as ultimately, this will not do us any good. What do you thinks?

Tomato

1. a strong-minded moron is above all a moron.
2. Europeans can make the difference between a tourist and his/her govt. Although when the govt is democratic it is likely (more than 50%) that this tourist has just voted for a terrible governement.
3. anyway, plenty of people travel to Europe for tourism each year, and a fair amount come from unsavory and contemptable regimes.
If billionnaires from islamic fundamentalist states such as Saudi Arabia can enjoy the Riviera, why not wealthy christian fundamentalists from the USA ? (but watch out for bare breasts on the beach).

jmw44

Thanks for the laugh, degas; I was feeling kind of grumpy. J.

degas

This Madeleines au Chocolat recipe has been approved by the RNC, DNC and a wide assortment of third parties:

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup unsalted butter + 1 Tablespoon to grease molds
2 medium-sized eggs
3 large eggs
rind of 1 lemon, very finely grated
2 Tablespoons dark rum
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups sifted flour + extra to dust molds
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup sifted cake flour

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 350?
1. Butter and flour madeleine tins.

2. Cream 1 cup of butter with an electric mixture until white and fluffy.

3. Add 1 whole medium egg and 1 medium egg yolk (drop white into large clean bowl) into butter and mix.

4. Separate the 3 large eggs. Add the egg yolks, 1 at a time, to the butter, beating after each addition.

5. Add the lemon rind and rum and continue beating the mixture for about one minute.

6. Whip in 2/3 cup of the sugar and the salt on med-high until sugar crystals have disappeared.

7. Add the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar and whip another minute, some sugar crystals should remain.

8. Thoroughly wash and dry the beaters and beat the egg whites until a small foam develops.

9. Add the lemon juice and continue beating until the foam is white.

10. Mix the 1-1/2 cups of flour and cake flour.

11. Sift two-thirds of the flour mixture over the butter/egg/sugar batter and using a large rubber spatula, fold it in; do not overfold.

12. Now add one-quarter of the egg whites, folding in gently.

13. Slide the remainder of the egg whites over the batter, resift the remainder of the flour over the egg whites, and fold all the layers together.

14. Fill the prepared molds 3/4's full and bake about 15 minutes or until the madeleines are lightly golden.

To Serve:

Dust lightly with confectioner's sugar just before serving