VP Pick

[Mr. Deez]

Normandy was awesome, saw many American flags flying from French homes on the way there

It's amazing being here. Everybody speaks French, but they're openly pro-American and friendly. Tons of American flags (like the 4th of July) and also quite a few British and Canadian flags. Though the French don't seem especially grateful, the people of Normandy very clearly are. Also, the food is terrific.

 

[Mr. Deez]

I'll post more in a travel thread, but I went to Ste. Mere Eglise today. This is where the US paratrooper got caught on the church. Of course, I got to drink a beer in a commemorative cup.

 

[mchammer]

Glad the weather looks perfect.

 

[ViperHorn]

Great picture if the clock. Was there any explanation of the significance of the clock?

 

[OrangeShogun]

Great picture if the clock. Was there any explanation of the significance of the clock?

It's 5:00 o'clock somewhere?

 

[Mr. Deez]

Great picture if the clock. Was there any explanation of the significance of the clock?

Nothing obvious or mentioned.

 

[guy4321]

Also, the food is terrific.

What is it?

 

[huisache]

Also, the food is terrific.[/QUOTE]
It is France

God, I miss that place

 

[Mr. Deez]

What is it?

For starters, the bread is spectacular. Bread all over Europe is good, because it's usually made without preservatives, but actual French bread is an echelon above. Camembert cheese is very big here, and it's not like the stuff you see in the gourmet section at HEB. It looks the same, but the flavour is more pronounced.

As for main food, I'm seeing a lot of steak, shellfish, and salmon. What I've had has been superb. Of course the obvious crêpes and croque monsieur sandwiches are amazing.

This area also has surprisingly good beer - similar to Belgian.

 

[Horn6721]

Thanks Mr D for taking the time to share with HF your unique and emotional experience.
ANY thought observation or pic will be appreciated.

 

[Run Pincher]

So which one of these French cooks is going to be the VP pick?

 

[Mr. Deez]

Thanks Mr D for taking the time to share with HF your unique and emotional experience.
ANY thought observation or pic will be appreciated.

Beer pics? No problem. I've been drinking beer the whole trip.

Some of you might appreciate this as well. I relieved myself in here today in Arromanches, where the Brits built that huge artificial harbour in almost no time at all. What's interesting about it is that it's in the middle of a parking lot and totally open. No privacy at all.

 

[Mr. Deez]

And I bought some of these lovely brews. You ask know I have a sickness, right? It's not alcoholism. It's just an unusually committed adoration if good beer.

 

[Horn6721]

MrD
Since you take the time to learn about each beer the brewery the town and its' history then share it here I think we can you Beer is your advocation/jam.


You mean in WWII the Brits quickly built a temp harbor that is still there and USA couldn't even build a temp harbor in Gaza that lasted more than 2 weeks?

 

[Mr. Deez]

MrD
Since you take the time to learn about each beer the brewery the town and its' history then share it here I think we can you Beer is your advocation/jam.

To me it's like wine. There are very real nuances and differences between different kinds of beers and their regions. By the way, this is what the Biere du 80 looks like poured. (Yes, this means I'm drinking a beer and we speak.)

You mean in WWII the Brits quickly built a temp harbor that is still there and USA couldn't even build a temp harbor in Gaza that lasted more than 2 weeks?

It's not still there, but the remnants of it are. Again, I'll post more later, but you can see some of it here. It's remarkable, and we could do it now. The big difference is that our priorities are in conflict. We want to defeat Hamas, but we want to help their friends. It's weird.

 

[Horn6721]

Well to someone who thinks Shiner Bock is top shelf doesn't see appeal of Stella whatever and still has to stop and think what ipa is I am actually learning things from you. For instance don't drink Coors Lite anymore.

It looks like France has done a good job of presenting history. Are the visitors mostly Americans and Brits?
There is a vid showing a chartered flight of DDay vets landing in Paris getting a heartfelt welcome from the French. I am so happy for those Vets to see they are appreciated.

 

[Horn6721]

I just heard that a group of Congressmen who are Vets will parachute out of a C47 over Mount Saint_Michel on Friday. Including Collin County's Keith Self.

 

[lkainer]

For starters, the bread is spectacular. Bread all over Europe is good, because it's usually made without preservatives, but actual French bread is an echelon above. Camembert cheese is very big here, and it's not like the stuff you see in the gourmet section at HEB. It looks the same, but the flavour is more pronounced.

As for main food, I'm seeing a lot of steak, shellfish, and salmon. What I've had has been superb. Of course the obvious crêpes and croque monsieur sandwiches are amazing.

This area also has surprisingly good beer - similar to Belgian.

Good beer thanks to the Germans spending so much time there.

I agree on the bread. The US has forgotten what bread actually is.

 

[Mr. Deez]

Another good one! And 9 percent alcohol.

 

[huisache]

I spent a few months there and thought the French beer was excellent. Then I drank some of the German beer. Sublime. French food and wine is better imo

 

[Mr. Deez]

Well to someone who thinks Shiner Bock is top shelf doesn't see appeal of Stella whatever and still has to stop and think what ipa is I am actually learning things from you. For instance don't drink Coors Lite anymore.

Baby steps, my friend. If you moved up from Coors Lite, that means you notice a difference in beer and can tell good from bad. That's 90 percent of the battle.

Personally, I grew up very privileged on beer. When I was a little kid, my parents were broke, so they could only afford crappy beer, but they knew the good stuff. (My dad sometimes drank Löwenbräu in college.) When I was a teenager in the early '90s, he kept pretty good stuff around - some German beer and some smaller breweries back then (like Sam Adams, Celis, and Pete's Wicked Ale). Though he never encouraged me to be a drunk, he didn't mind if I had a beer. His main priority was that I not go out and drink or drink too much, not that I don't drink at all. So by the time I left home, I was a pretty well-polished beer drinker. I'd go to parties in law school, and there'd be cases of Keystone. I wouldn't touch them, but I'd bring a 6-pack of Bitburger or Bass Ale. It has just developed ever since.

As for you, just push the limits a little - not in terms of alcohol consumption but in terms of taste and flavour. Shiner is a significant step up from Coors Lite. Just keep taking steps up. If you like a darker beer like Shiner, try a Köstritzer. It's a darker lager with just a little more flavour and colour. If you want a lighter beer like Coors with more flavour, try a German lager like Paulaner, Spaten, or Hacker-Pschorr or a Czech pilsner like Czechvar or Pilsner Urquell. That's what Coors is imitating anyway. And you just move on from there until you're trying fancy ales made by Belgian monks that are 11 percent alcohol. I still drink German lagers a lot as my go-to beer, but those are what I go to when I want something really special.

It looks like France has done a good job of presenting history. Are the visitors mostly Americans and Brits?
There is a vid showing a chartered flight of DDay vets landing in Paris getting a heartfelt welcome from the French. I am so happy for those Vets to see they are appreciated

My impression of the French people has really taken a step up this week. They have been so gracious and kind not only to the veterans but to us Americans in general - in shops, restaurants, and even just strangers. The stereotype of the America-hating, pretentious tool is a Paris thing. It's not the norm here and wasn't in the Alsace either. These are some of the most pro-American Europeans I've come across. I think it's because they saw our sacrifice first hand and saw it at a time when it wasn't a certainty.

Most of the visitors are Americans and Brits, but I see a ton of French people at the museums and memorials paying their respects. They're probably half of them. I've even seen some Germans. They're fairly quiet, but I recognize the language.

One other thing that's cool, there are a ton of US military personnel from Italy and Germany here as well as civilians in old Army uniforms. Furthermore, there are literally hundreds of WWII Army vehicles driving around. It's like going back in time.

 

[Mr. Deez]

I spent a few months there and thought the French beer was excellent. Then I drank some of the German beer. Sublime. French food and wine is better imo

The French beer varies quite a bit. In the Alsace region, it's basically like German beer for obvious reasons, but it's like a mediocre German beer. Not bad but not stellar. Over here, it's more like Belgian ale - much more nuance and stronger.

 

[Mr. Deez]

See what I mean about the French in this area? They're good people.

 

[mchammer]

The stereotype of the America-hating, pretentious tool is a Paris thing. It's not the norm here and wasn't in the Alsace either. These are some of the most pro-American Europeans I've come across. I think it's because they saw our sacrifice first hand and saw it at a time when it wasn't a certainty.

I suspect it’s the equivalent of rural Trump voters vs urban liberals.

 

[Horn6721]

Thank you. It seems for a few days at least people can come together.
I can't even imagine how meaningful it is to be there.
I wonder what is going through the minds of the Brit and American vets who for many the last time they were there they were scared 16-22 yo kids.

 

[guy4321]

My impression of the French people has really taken a step up this week. They have been so gracious and kind not only to the veterans but to us Americans in general - in shops, restaurants, and even just strangers. The stereotype of the America-hating, pretentious tool is a Paris thing. It's not the norm here and wasn't in the Alsace either. These are some of the most pro-American Europeans I've come across. I think it's because they saw our sacrifice first hand and saw it at a time when it wasn't a certainty.

I think that's mainly a big city thing annoyed with so many tourists; however, I had a positive experience in Paris albeit pre-9/11. I took French is high school and college, and it'd seemed that saying "Hello" and "How are you?" in French made the locals much nicer in response ending with a "We can chat in English."

 

[Mr. Deez]

Thank you. It seems for a few days at least people can come together.
I can't even imagine how meaningful it is to be there.
I wonder what is going through the minds of the Brit and American vets who for many the last time they were there they were scared 16-22 yo kids.

I haven't gotten a chance to actually speak with any of the vets ( though the week isn't over). They're being treated like celebrities, so it's hard to get to them without being pushy. However, they look very proud and don't seem to mind the adoration. It's well-deserved.

 

[humahuma]

I am not doing anything, Trump can pick me as VP,

When I went to England to visit my father's old air base the English treated him like a rock star he autographed B-17 book for a young Brit people bought him several beers it was good to see

 

[Horn6721]

Mr D
Do people come up to you and ask if you are American.

huma GOOD one. This will get back to topic soon. But We are getting a first hand view and it is poignant and great.

 

[Mr. Deez]

I am not doing anything, Trump can pick me as VP,

When I went to England to visit my father's old air base the English treated him like a rock star he autographed B-17 book for a young Brit people bought him several beers it was good to see

Huma, what was his old base?