Joined: 27 Dec 2004 Posts: 200 Location: cambridge, ma.
Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2005 4:50 pm Post subject:
The people's republic of Cambridge, MA. (Boston) _________________ Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly
..................................MFK Fisher
Joined: 04 Nov 2005 Posts: 26 Location: Sénas, France (Provence)
Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2005 1:54 pm Post subject:
Sénas, France via Los Angeles
PROS:
beautiful countryside,
clean air! what a concept!
good schools that don't cost an arm and a leg,
public health care
NO traffic
lower cost of living than LA (much higher than Alabama though!),
our AMAP (association pour le maintien de l'agriculture paysanne), which is a group of people who get together to buy produce directly from a small farmer. We pay an annual fee, and each week we pick up a crate of vegetables at the farm - our farmer runs an organic farm and grows a wide variety of produce. I think this is a great deal for everyone, our farmer can eliminate the middle man and sell direct to consumers, and we get high quality produce at a reasonable cost. And we are culinarily challenged when we receive things we are not sure what to do with, like tons of rhubarb!!
Good cheap wine!
great variety of cheese!
all the necessary commerces even though there are only 6000 people (supermarket, doctors, vet, 5 bakeries!, two good butcher shops, cafés, pizzaria, mechanic, optician, library (no English books though)) There is even a theater, which is really strange for such a small village (don't expect to see Madonna play there though)
We rarely see George Bush on TV, and when we do, he's dubbed in French
No NASCAR!
CONS:
Ethnic restaurants? what? you mean pizza? we do have a Vietnamese snack bar where we can buy egg rolls...Aix and Marseille are close though when we have a craving for sushi
Utter lack of Tex Mex ingredients, unless you count Old El Paso which is not much better than Taco Bell
Gas at $4.75/gallon (but we make up the difference in the lower wine costs!)
Long way from family in the US
no NPR, luckily I listen on the internet at work
Everything is closed Sunday afternoon
Joined: 28 Dec 2005 Posts: 5 Location: South of France
Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2005 12:17 am Post subject:
the south of france
blue sky and perfect light
the seaside closeby
brocantes every weekend
olive oil
colors of provence
simple life
church bells
puff pastry
stone walls
lavender, red poppies, sunflowers, olive trees grapevines, bakeries on every corner, fougasse, melons, wine and people who celebrate food!
it is close to heaven. _________________ Tongue in Cheek Antiques
http://willows95988.typepad.com/tongue_cheek/
Joined: 15 Dec 2004 Posts: 583 Location: Anniston Alabama USA
Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2005 8:54 pm Post subject:
O'kay Tongue in Cheek, you've described heaven, now tell us what it is really like. _________________ ' She says, 'I am the glamorous type.' I said, 'So what?'
tongue in cheek has not described heaven. this is heaven:
I am walking through the streets of Paris. It is raining, but my LLBean jacket efficiently repels the rain, and my shoes are both comfortable and waterproof. My mouth is no longer connected to my stomach, so I can eat at every restaurant that I see without getting full. Due to a banking quirk, my credit card company never bills me...nor does it cancel my card. This is also an advantage when ordering first-class airline or train tickets for my next destination: Octoberfest in Munich, or perhaps the street foods of Bangkok. As a result of an odd extra gene, alcohol has no adverse impact on my brain. Indeed, like a hybrid car, my brain processes alcohol and the result is increased intellectual energy. Naturally, I excel at drinking games, and it is a treat to see arrogant young university students collapse to the floor while their gorgeous female companions stare at me with undisguised admiration. As a result of another odd extra gene....well, that's for a different post. _________________ The goal is to fit it all in.
Joined: 28 Dec 2005 Posts: 5 Location: South of France
Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2005 9:14 pm Post subject:
Oh What is my corner of French heaven REALLY like?
Negatives:
No good Mexican food!
Expensive underclothes.
Twice a year sales.
Crazy young moped riders!
Alot of dyed hair. _________________ Tongue in Cheek Antiques
http://willows95988.typepad.com/tongue_cheek/
Pros: Beautiful, Sunny, 4 Seasons, Great Art, Amazing Food, Great Skiing, Great Shopping. Diverse, Low Cost of Living.
Cons: Culture Clashes, Poverty, Terrible Public Education, Low Wages. Misogynistic local culture. _________________ Life is a flow of love.
Only your participation is required.
Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 827 Location: Oakland, CA
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 6:30 pm Post subject:
Northern California -
Pros - beautiful rugged beachesand stunning coastline, fresh oysters!, Left/Liberal political leaning in general, amazing fresh food, brilliant resaurants - from inexpensive to off-the-charts costly, fabulous theater and wonderful music venues, world class museums,
Cons - Cost of Living, home prices, traffic, terrible public schools (in my town - Oakland, but NOT the town where I teach!), Can feel the slightest bit "Brigadoon-y" politically. _________________ L'appetit vient en mangeant. -Rabelais
C Bear... if I can ever stop laughing it will be good
Now, what does the nearest and dearest think of your idea of heaven? Hmmm? _________________ If you cannot feel your arteries hardening, eat more cheese. If you can, drink more red wine. Diet is just "die" with a "t" on the end. Exercise is walking into the kitchen.
tongue in cheek has not described heaven. this is heaven:
I am walking through the streets of Paris. It is raining, but my LLBean jacket efficiently repels the rain, and my shoes are both comfortable and waterproof. My mouth is no longer connected to my stomach, so I can eat at every restaurant that I see without getting full. Due to a banking quirk, my credit card company never bills me...nor does it cancel my card. This is also an advantage when ordering first-class airline or train tickets for my next destination: Octoberfest in Munich, or perhaps the street foods of Bangkok. As a result of an odd extra gene, alcohol has no adverse impact on my brain. Indeed, like a hybrid car, my brain processes alcohol and the result is increased intellectual energy. Naturally, I excel at drinking games, and it is a treat to see arrogant young university students collapse to the floor while their gorgeous female companions stare at me with undisguised admiration. As a result of another odd extra gene....well, that's for a different post.
My wife's idea of heaven: Instead of my mouth no longer connected to my stomach, my male member is no longer connected to my brain. Instead, my brain responds only to stimulations sent by my wife. She's not just the most attractive female in the world; she's the only attractive female in the world. If she has an idea or a suggestion, it's not just brilliant; it's the only idea or suggestion my brain can consider. Several other normal male brain functions are disabled: sarcasm, love of televised sports, bathroom humor, impatience, fear of excessive spending on female wardrobes or the house, abhorrence of chores. Some functions that are not normally standard equipment on a male brain are enabled: thoughtfulness, being tidy, being interested in gossip about neighbors or celebrities, loving and bonding with in-laws, and insisting on vacationing with wife's parents. _________________ The goal is to fit it all in.
C Bear, you are fabulous! I am sitting here laughing myself silly and have just read your original and revised (wife's) versions of heaven to my husband..... he is with you on all points.... myself, I am laughing too hard to slap him
Thank you for that laugh. We have had a really tough 2 weeks with my husband very ill. His idea of hell is visiting rural China and being stricken by a gastroenteritis bug while miles from hospital facilities..... his idea of heaven was arriving back in France.... I am just glad he is starting to recover and felt like laughing! .... although the insurance money was looking pretty good last week... (just joking) _________________ If you cannot feel your arteries hardening, eat more cheese. If you can, drink more red wine. Diet is just "die" with a "t" on the end. Exercise is walking into the kitchen.
Well.. I live in Northern Italy, more precisely Turin, the town that's hosting this years' winter games..
The things I like about living here are
the chocolate (hehe, my town's known for being the first one in Italy to have gourmet chocolates in the past century)
the rather elegant and at the same time cozy atmoshpere
the historical and cultural background (it was the capital during Italy's formation and had great interaction with France, as shown by its architecture)
good local and typical food
quite a bit of nice restaurants, bars, clubs, night life
pretty decent museums
pretty cheap by European standards. Also by Italian standards, if compared to Milan, Rome, Venice and Florence!
Things I dislike:
the cold winters
the BAD University system (yeah, I know there's this sterotype about Italy giving a good classical educaton, but that's only true until high school. The University pretty much sucks, and I'm experiencing it myself)
the rather snobby and stuck up people (not as much as in Milan, but here they have this irritating attitude.. right-minded people who never want to have "too much" fun, who never show a "wilder" side, who're too easily scandalized by what is commonly judged "not convenient", and such) _________________ I always give myself such good advice, but very seldom follow it. -Alice in Wonderland
Joined: 08 Dec 2005 Posts: 224 Location: kingston, ny
Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 1:35 am Post subject:
Saugerties, NY
Pros: fairly good schools (lots of advanced placement classes), GREAT homemade chocolate shop, convient grocery store, Dallas Hot Weiners and cheese fries, located in the mid-upper Hudson Valley so there's access to just about every north american fruit known to mankind 2 hours north of NYC, so its a good day trip, but maybe not for a run-of-the-mill dinner (although you never know). the actual site of Woodstock '94, garlic fest and the best garlic hamburger ever, lots of history.
Cons: the great migration of city folk up to "the country," sky-rocketing real estate (although its calming a little bit), the highest tax base in the county aided by the charm of living in a quaint little town. too far away from Edinburgh to get me my fix of hot dog sauce.
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