# Haven't been in the U.S. in three years ... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 27, 2010, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-been-in-the-u-s-in-three-years/537517 "2010-04-27T13:39:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-been-in-the-u-s-in-three-years/537517/41 "2010-04-27T21:38:24Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Oh, he (she?) did not [state that all American beer stinks, because the one style he/she happens to love isn’t all that popular here] Actually, he (she?) did: > [@put\_down\_the\_sabre](#): > > You are mistaken about this. I think American beer stinks. It is cold and fizzy. > > pdts That seems pretty definitive to me. ---
**Author:** ![put\_down\_the\_sabre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/da6949/32.png) [@put\_down\_the\_sabre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/put_down_the_sabre)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-been-in-the-u-s-in-three-years/537517/42 "2010-04-27T21:48:48Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Actually, he (she?) did: > > That seems pretty definitive to me. Athena, you have reading problems, though I admit I could have been clearer. The sentence ‘I think that American beer stinks’ has two readings: - I think that the American beer scene (the quality and availability, and range etc etc) stinks. - I think that every American beer stinks. Though I wasn’t clear in that sentence, I have been very clear that I mean the former, not the latter. Just like someone claiming that ‘British food stinks’ would not be claiming that every single item of British food, anywhere, is bad. Oh, and to go back a couple of posts.. I’m not hypersensitive to object to you using lazy and ignorant linguistic cliches (like that I would have said ‘pip pip’). Firstly, those cliches apply to a different country. Secondly, they aren’t even accurate for that country. Thirdly, such things are a very common way of deligitimising someone’s opinion. Fourthly, you are an asshole. pdts ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-been-in-the-u-s-in-three-years/537517/43 "2010-04-27T21:49:45Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Oh come on, the four people in question are hardly 4 random people. Two are New York Times food critics. Another owns a very highly regarded Belgian restaurant. The fourth guy runs Bierkraft, a place specializing in beer from around the world. None of these guys are going to just blindly pick American beers when asked to do a tasting of Belgian style beers because their tastes are patently American. And of course beer tastes are personal - I wasn’t suggesting that you blindly drink what’s recommended. Take four Belgian ale experts from Belgium. Have them pull beers from a distributor (not hand carried recently bottled, but stuff that may have been sitting on the shelf and blind taste them against local stuff. If the results bear out, then you have something. I’m not saying these are just slobs off the street, I’m saying that they’re influenced by what they usually drink. I don’t doubt that the North American (the Unibroue is from Quebec and to call it just “American” may be misleading) can hold their own, just not sure that they’d win in a fair competition. This was not the Judgement of Paris, and even that result is considered controversial. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the movie “Bottle Shock”, I think that there is a lot of very good stuff in the USA and I’m not saying all American beers are crap. Just that the most commonly found ones are. It’s still a lot simpler for me to find a good beer in Europe. It’s also probably easier to find an excellent beer in the U.S. because there are usually a lot more choices to be found there. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-been-in-the-u-s-in-three-years/537517/44 "2010-04-27T21:59:49Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > This was not the Judgement of Paris, and even that result is considered controversial. Controversial by who, the French? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-been-in-the-u-s-in-three-years/537517/45 "2010-04-27T21:59:53Z")
> [@put\_down\_the\_sabre](#): > > Oh, and to go back a couple of posts.. I’m not hypersensitive to object to you using lazy and ignorant linguistic cliches (like that I would have said ‘pip pip’). Firstly, those cliches apply to a different country. Secondly, they aren’t even accurate for that country. Thirdly, such things are a very common way of deligitimising someone’s opinion. Fourthly, you are an asshole. > > pdts Dude, I’m not the one calling you hypersensitive, nor did I claim you’d say ‘pip pip’. I actually thought we came to a pretty good understanding around posts 15 and 16. The person I took issue with was **Spectre of Pithecanthropus** , because you did say American beers stunk, and he wanted to say you didn’t. You then further clarified what you meant, and I take no issue with that. ---
**Author:** ![put\_down\_the\_sabre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/da6949/32.png) [@put\_down\_the\_sabre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/put_down_the_sabre)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-been-in-the-u-s-in-three-years/537517/46 "2010-04-27T22:02:37Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Dude, I’m not the one calling you hypersensitive, nor did I claim you’d say ‘pip pip’. I actually thought we came to a pretty good understanding around posts 15 and 16. > > The person I took issue with was **Spectre of Pithecanthropus** , because you did say American beers stunk, and he wanted to say you didn’t. You then further clarified what you meant, and I take no issue with that. Sorry! Totally my fault. I apologise. I conflated the two of you. The last point was directed at **Ogre**. I also apologise for being rude to you in the first part of my answer, that was written in light of the last part. pdts ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-been-in-the-u-s-in-three-years/537517/47 "2010-04-27T22:32:18Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > The person I took issue with was **Spectre of Pithecanthropus** , because you did say American beers stunk, and he wanted to say you didn’t. You then further clarified what you meant, and I take no issue with that. You didn’t include that exact part of **pdts’s** remarks; I was going by what you quoted. So even if he did say it, I would rather he hadn’t put it that way. But as a matter of personal taste, he’s entitled to it, especially as he goes on to give some detailed reasons why he doesn’t like it. ---
**Author:** ![mo50](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@mo50](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mo50)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-been-in-the-u-s-in-three-years/537517/48 "2010-04-27T23:17:46Z")
Sorry, couldn’t resist a little vintage Monty Python on the topic ( I guess it’s ALL vintage now): “How is making love in a canoe similar to American beer? They’re both F\*ckin’ close to water!” Admittedly well out of date, from before the craft brew movement in the US. Alright, I won’t quit my day job :smack: “Kids, kids, you can BOTH bring me a beer!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-been-in-the-u-s-in-three-years/537517/49 "2010-04-27T23:31:28Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > In all seriousness though, if you have seasonal allergies, be sure to come prepared with whatever medicines you need to get by. The pollen level in Atlanta is unlike anywhere else in the world. [Atlanta Pollen Count](http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-04-11-pollen_N.htm) You’re a few weeks late. The pollen count today was under 150, and will likely be nonexistant by the time the OP arrives. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-been-in-the-u-s-in-three-years/537517/50 "2010-04-28T03:52:19Z")
I’d like to apologize to **pdts**. The “Pip pip…” comment was meant to be a joke. A joke with a sharp edge, sure, but not mean spirited. Reading back over it, I can see how it would appear to be straight assholery. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![put\_down\_the\_sabre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/da6949/32.png) [@put\_down\_the\_sabre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/put_down_the_sabre)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-been-in-the-u-s-in-three-years/537517/51 "2010-04-28T14:34:43Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > I’d like to apologize to **pdts**. The “Pip pip…” comment was meant to be a joke. A joke with a sharp edge, sure, but not mean spirited. Reading back over it, I can see how it would appear to be straight assholery. Sorry. **Ogre** thank you, apology accepted. Lord knows I’ve made such remarks often enough! Sorry for derailing the thread everyone… pdts ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-been-in-the-u-s-in-three-years/537517/52 "2010-04-28T14:47:59Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > This is extremely misleading, as seem to be many other things published by the Times lately. If you read the link, four Americans, or people from America, try 20 beers selected more or less at random, with half of them being relatively local, and the other half traveling across an ocean. Then the four Americans find that they prefer American beers. Color me shocked! How about a British [beer expert declaring Goose Island IPA one of the best beers in the world.](http://beeradvocate.com/news/973189) (This is especially odd to me, as Goose Island is hardly my favorite IPA, and their IPA is hardly their best beer. Their IPA is solid, but there are so many better IPAs on the market.) > [@](#): > > In his March 28 article printed in The Guardian, Roger Protz, recipient British Guild of Beer’s first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award, wrote that Goose Island India Pale Ale “may just be the best beer in the world.” Anyhow, American beer is fantastic and, as an avid beer drinker, I don’t think there’s any place in the world better to be than here in terms of quality and sheer variety. I, too, prefer certain styles of beer to be served at cellar temp out of the engine. Luckily, I can find a number of pubs around here that do that, should I have a taste for it. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-been-in-the-u-s-in-three-years/537517/53 "2010-04-28T18:51:17Z")
> [@put\_down\_the\_sabre](#): > > **Ogre** thank you, apology accepted. Lord knows I’ve made such remarks often enough! > > Sorry for derailing the thread everyone… > pdts Let’s hash it out over a beer sometime. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-been-in-the-u-s-in-three-years/537517/54 "2010-04-28T20:48:28Z")
> [@put\_down\_the\_sabre](#): > > **Ogre** thank you, apology accepted. Lord knows I’ve made such remarks often enough! > > Sorry for derailing the thread everyone… > pdts And Lord knows, some of us have over-reacted, including most definitely myself, for which I too apologize. Maybe your user name has turned out to be very apt for joining a mostly American message board, because you never know when we won’t pull the saber out. (I think there are lots of cultural and historical reasons for American/European prejudices and defensive postures on both sides, which are definitely a subject for another time). ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-been-in-the-u-s-in-three-years/537517/55 "2010-04-28T20:52:18Z")
> [@Oliveritaly](#): > > I am looking forward to a bit of the history channel though too … I think you’re going to be greatly disappointed. The History Channel has become nothing more than reality shows about lumberjacks, pawn shop dealers, and UFOs. ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-been-in-the-u-s-in-three-years/537517/56 "2010-04-29T16:11:28Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > The History Channel has become nothing more than reality shows about lumberjacks, pawn shop dealers, and UFOs. That may be, but they’re beginning production of the US version of _Topgear_, so there may be some hope after all. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-been-in-the-u-s-in-three-years/537517/57 "2010-04-29T16:18:31Z")
> [@put\_down\_the\_sabre](#): > > And the KFC double down! > > pdts Which is owned by Taco Bell. As a result of the Franchise Wars, all restaurants are Taco Bell. Guess what movie I saw parts of again the other night. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-been-in-the-u-s-in-three-years/537517/58 "2010-04-30T15:36:57Z")
> [@3waygeek](#): > > That may be, but they’re beginning production of the US version of _Topgear_, so there may be some hope after all. Have you seen the selection of “talent?” One can hope, but like in Red Sox baseball, it’s usually for naught. That said, I do like the lumberjack/pawn shop shows. Though I’d agree that the former isn’t history, but the latter often is… in an entertainment format. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-been-in-the-u-s-in-three-years/537517/59 "2010-04-30T19:46:48Z")
Some guy named Osama got elected president Some pilot had to make an emergency landing in the East River and he’s now a hero Various pilots have been caught goofing off in plane cockpits, playing minesweeper, sleeping, etc. Various white females, young and old, have gone missing. One recent married young mother was found with her lover in a crappy motel in FL Taylor Swift won every award evar Three Men and a Half Man is inexplicably still on the air Some football guy was mean to dogs, but he’s real sorry John Edwards DID have sexual intercourse with that woman. They got a kid now. It was a helluva winter with several major snowstorms and it’s still not over in the NE and Rockies. Some sort of health insurance legislation was passed. Not sure what the hell it will do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-been-in-the-u-s-in-three-years/537517.md?page=2)