Is America the greatest country in the world?

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  • tbergstbergs Posts: 9,876
    Ice cubes in wine! Yuck. Isn't that just a poor man's Sangria or a white trash wine cooler? Cold red wine sounds gross. A nice glass of a deep red warms you right up and is perfect for a cool weather evening.
    It's a hopeless situation...
  • njnancynjnancy Posts: 5,096
    PJ_Soul said:
    njnancy said:
    PJ_Soul said:
    PJ_Soul said:
    I don't even care. I buy BC wines exclusively now, just to support the local economy. Luckily, BC wines are some of the best in the world too. Most Americans wouldn't know that though, apparently. I tried to find some BC wines when I was down there, and there was literally not a single bottle on the shelves in any of the stores I went to.
    There are some good ones and some crap ones, and all tend to be overpriced, with the good ones at the extreme. Most good BC wines aren’t worth what they’re asking. 
    I think they are (the good ones, that is... Luckily my sister is a sommelier, so she knows which winery has a good or bad batch in any given year. One year a wine can be award winning, and the very next year the exact same wine can be crap; that is true for cheap and expensive wines alike; some years the best wine on the shelf might be an $11 bottle, and the next year it could be the $40 bottle (although I would rarely buy anything that costs more than $20 - there is no need to go higher, because there are plenty of great BC wines for less than that) ... But I don't see the BC wines as any "worse" priced compared any other country's wine in BC stores. It's ALL way overpriced. FFS, I bought a couple bottles of wine in the US - the same bottles that would have cost about $15 here cost $6 there! Booze is so expensive in BC, it's insane.
    Could your sister recommend any non-alcoholic wines? De-alcoholized wine. California used to make some decent ones - Ariel - but they don't make them anymore and the other stuff available is shit. Hoping she might know. I'll throw in USA/Canada to be thread appropriate.

    And I put ice cubes in red wine also - it's good for your heart but bad for migraines (the wine, not the ice cubes). 

    Thanks Ali.
    I'm afraid not Nancy. She's never even tried any non-alcoholic wines and doesn't know anything about it. :(
    Thanks anyway. Used to be able to get Ariel by the case each month - then it just disappeared. Demand not high enough, or not profitable enough. 
  • njnancynjnancy Posts: 5,096
    Heathens.  The bunch of you are heathens. 

    :unamused:
    The ice cubes replace the alcohol - that's my excuse.  :)
  • oftenreadingoftenreading Victoria, BC Posts: 12,845
    njnancy said:
    PJ_Soul said:
    njnancy said:
    PJ_Soul said:
    PJ_Soul said:
    I don't even care. I buy BC wines exclusively now, just to support the local economy. Luckily, BC wines are some of the best in the world too. Most Americans wouldn't know that though, apparently. I tried to find some BC wines when I was down there, and there was literally not a single bottle on the shelves in any of the stores I went to.
    There are some good ones and some crap ones, and all tend to be overpriced, with the good ones at the extreme. Most good BC wines aren’t worth what they’re asking. 
    I think they are (the good ones, that is... Luckily my sister is a sommelier, so she knows which winery has a good or bad batch in any given year. One year a wine can be award winning, and the very next year the exact same wine can be crap; that is true for cheap and expensive wines alike; some years the best wine on the shelf might be an $11 bottle, and the next year it could be the $40 bottle (although I would rarely buy anything that costs more than $20 - there is no need to go higher, because there are plenty of great BC wines for less than that) ... But I don't see the BC wines as any "worse" priced compared any other country's wine in BC stores. It's ALL way overpriced. FFS, I bought a couple bottles of wine in the US - the same bottles that would have cost about $15 here cost $6 there! Booze is so expensive in BC, it's insane.
    Could your sister recommend any non-alcoholic wines? De-alcoholized wine. California used to make some decent ones - Ariel - but they don't make them anymore and the other stuff available is shit. Hoping she might know. I'll throw in USA/Canada to be thread appropriate.

    And I put ice cubes in red wine also - it's good for your heart but bad for migraines (the wine, not the ice cubes). 

    Thanks Ali.
    I'm afraid not Nancy. She's never even tried any non-alcoholic wines and doesn't know anything about it. :(
    Thanks anyway. Used to be able to get Ariel by the case each month - then it just disappeared. Demand not high enough, or not profitable enough. 

    Looking around online, I saw this article. It seems to be updated as of October, and they are still listing Ariel, though I didn't actually try to order any, so I don't know if it's still valid. There are a couple of others listed but they may fall into your category of "crap". 

    https://www.wineturtle.com/best-non-alcoholic-wine/
    my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
  • Wine and beer???? Dear  god. Come on mcgruff 
    I drink lots of both and as for wine.  I like some USA wine. But it cannot be no.1 in the world. And I have to say u.k real ale is the king of all beer.lager is just fart water. 
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  • SmellymanSmellyman Asia Posts: 4,524
  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,287
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  • cincybearcatcincybearcat Posts: 16,488
    Wine and beer???? Dear  god. Come on mcgruff 
    I drink lots of both and as for wine.  I like some USA wine. But it cannot be no.1 in the world. And I have to say u.k real ale is the king of all beer.lager is just fart water. 
    UK beer is ok. Some great beers though. But not nearly the diversity of beers available in the USA.  
    hippiemom = goodness
  • eddieceddiec Posts: 3,920
    I've posted this on another thread years ago. An Italian friend of mine lived in New Jersey. He used to say:

    "I love living in America, but I go to the beach and you can't have a beer. That's what you do at the beach!"

    Yes, a small, irrelevant issue compared to some things we face today, but I can't think of another country in the world where you can't have a beer at the beach.
    (I know that isn't true for every beach in the US, but it's fairly common on the east coast.)
  • mcgruff10 said:
    Anyone feeling hype for the new Halloween? Speaking of American things
    I have actually never seen one minute of any Halloween. Are American movies popular over there?
    Just went to the press screening of the new Halloween. Save your date-night with the wife for another movie instead. Or rent the first one.
    "Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
  • my2handsmy2hands Posts: 17,117
    Did somebody say the UK has better beer than Team USA?

    Lol, cute
  • cincybearcatcincybearcat Posts: 16,488
    eddiec said:
    I've posted this on another thread years ago. An Italian friend of mine lived in New Jersey. He used to say:

    "I love living in America, but I go to the beach and you can't have a beer. That's what you do at the beach!"

    Yes, a small, irrelevant issue compared to some things we face today, but I can't think of another country in the world where you can't have a beer at the beach.
    (I know that isn't true for every beach in the US, but it's fairly common on the east coast.)
    Really?  I've never been to a beach where you couldn't have a beer.  I'm trying to remember if I was technically not allowed but it's not like anyone checks and you just pour into plastic cups if needed.
    hippiemom = goodness
  • josevolutionjosevolution Posts: 29,901
    1- Children kidnapped at borders
    2- President sides with known murderer’s 
    3- country is totally divided
    it all adds up to a giant NO !
    jesus greets me looks just like me ....
  • cincybearcatcincybearcat Posts: 16,488
    1- Children kidnapped at borders
    2- President sides with known murderer’s 
    3- country is totally divided
    it all adds up to a giant NO !
    It's interesting that 2 years can swing so much.  Was the USA a great country before Trump?  During Obama admin?
    hippiemom = goodness
  • mcgruff10mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 28,610
    eddiec said:
    I've posted this on another thread years ago. An Italian friend of mine lived in New Jersey. He used to say:

    "I love living in America, but I go to the beach and you can't have a beer. That's what you do at the beach!"

    Yes, a small, irrelevant issue compared to some things we face today, but I can't think of another country in the world where you can't have a beer at the beach.
    (I know that isn't true for every beach in the US, but it's fairly common on the east coast.)
    Really?  I've never been to a beach where you couldn't have a beer.  I'm trying to remember if I was technically not allowed but it's not like anyone checks and you just pour into plastic cups if needed.
    In New Jersey for some reason you can not drink on the beaches.  However you can walk up to the boardwalk and consume all you want at the closest overpriced bar.
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
  • cincybearcatcincybearcat Posts: 16,488
    mcgruff10 said:
    eddiec said:
    I've posted this on another thread years ago. An Italian friend of mine lived in New Jersey. He used to say:

    "I love living in America, but I go to the beach and you can't have a beer. That's what you do at the beach!"

    Yes, a small, irrelevant issue compared to some things we face today, but I can't think of another country in the world where you can't have a beer at the beach.
    (I know that isn't true for every beach in the US, but it's fairly common on the east coast.)
    Really?  I've never been to a beach where you couldn't have a beer.  I'm trying to remember if I was technically not allowed but it's not like anyone checks and you just pour into plastic cups if needed.
    In New Jersey for some reason you can not drink on the beaches.  However you can walk up to the boardwalk and consume all you want at the closest overpriced bar.
    Wow, crazy.  I understand banning glass from a beach (bottles) but this just seems stupid.  Do they really check coolers or have people walking around seeing what people are drinking?
    hippiemom = goodness
  • mcgruff10mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 28,610
    mcgruff10 said:
    eddiec said:
    I've posted this on another thread years ago. An Italian friend of mine lived in New Jersey. He used to say:

    "I love living in America, but I go to the beach and you can't have a beer. That's what you do at the beach!"

    Yes, a small, irrelevant issue compared to some things we face today, but I can't think of another country in the world where you can't have a beer at the beach.
    (I know that isn't true for every beach in the US, but it's fairly common on the east coast.)
    Really?  I've never been to a beach where you couldn't have a beer.  I'm trying to remember if I was technically not allowed but it's not like anyone checks and you just pour into plastic cups if needed.
    In New Jersey for some reason you can not drink on the beaches.  However you can walk up to the boardwalk and consume all you want at the closest overpriced bar.
    Wow, crazy.  I understand banning glass from a beach (bottles) but this just seems stupid.  Do they really check coolers or have people walking around seeing what people are drinking?
    oh yeah!!!
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
  • josevolutionjosevolution Posts: 29,901
    1- Children kidnapped at borders
    2- President sides with known murderer’s 
    3- country is totally divided
    it all adds up to a giant NO !
    It's interesting that 2 years can swing so much.  Was the USA a great country before Trump?  During Obama admin?
    It def felt different when Obama was in office, did he publicly embrace known dictators? 
    We’re kids being separated at the border in the same fashion as what happened this past summer ? But you know what my 403 was killing it before this latest set back so all is great in America..
    jesus greets me looks just like me ....
  • rgambsrgambs Posts: 13,576
    eddiec said:
    I've posted this on another thread years ago. An Italian friend of mine lived in New Jersey. He used to say:

    "I love living in America, but I go to the beach and you can't have a beer. That's what you do at the beach!"

    Yes, a small, irrelevant issue compared to some things we face today, but I can't think of another country in the world where you can't have a beer at the beach.
    (I know that isn't true for every beach in the US, but it's fairly common on the east coast.)
    Really?  I've never been to a beach where you couldn't have a beer.  I'm trying to remember if I was technically not allowed but it's not like anyone checks and you just pour into plastic cups if needed.
    Most public spaces prohibit alcohol, it's just that most of us ignore the prohibition.

    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • Spiritual_ChaosSpiritual_Chaos Posts: 30,564
    edited October 2018
    1- Children kidnapped at borders
    2- President sides with known murderer’s 
    3- country is totally divided
    it all adds up to a giant NO !
    It's interesting that 2 years can swing so much.  Was the USA a great country before Trump?  During Obama admin?
    No.

    But it had a leadership that wasn't crazy and unqualified and actually could look past "USA! USA!" to find what was actually needed to move forward - like public healthcare, care for the environment etc.

    That's my take atleast. there was:


    Post edited by Spiritual_Chaos on
    "Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
  • cincybearcatcincybearcat Posts: 16,488
    rgambs said:
    eddiec said:
    I've posted this on another thread years ago. An Italian friend of mine lived in New Jersey. He used to say:

    "I love living in America, but I go to the beach and you can't have a beer. That's what you do at the beach!"

    Yes, a small, irrelevant issue compared to some things we face today, but I can't think of another country in the world where you can't have a beer at the beach.
    (I know that isn't true for every beach in the US, but it's fairly common on the east coast.)
    Really?  I've never been to a beach where you couldn't have a beer.  I'm trying to remember if I was technically not allowed but it's not like anyone checks and you just pour into plastic cups if needed.
    Most public spaces prohibit alcohol, it's just that most of us ignore the prohibition.

    Yeah this is what I was getting at...is it really enforced.
    hippiemom = goodness
  • cincybearcatcincybearcat Posts: 16,488
    1- Children kidnapped at borders
    2- President sides with known murderer’s 
    3- country is totally divided
    it all adds up to a giant NO !
    It's interesting that 2 years can swing so much.  Was the USA a great country before Trump?  During Obama admin?
    It def felt different when Obama was in office, did he publicly embrace known dictators? 
    We’re kids being separated at the border in the same fashion as what happened this past summer ? But you know what my 403 was killing it before this latest set back so all is great in America..
    So then, in 2 years in your opinion, snide comments aside, America has gone from a great country to a bad one?
    hippiemom = goodness
  • mcgruff10mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 28,610
    @njnancy
    I am not sure where you live in nj but every liquor store that I have been too in monmouth county (howell area) has a non-alcholic wine section.  I think "frei" is one brand.
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
  • PJ_SoulPJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 49,987
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  • There has always been this thing, comparing Sweden and the US again, about us having "Systembolaget" (a government run chain of stores having monopoly on selling alcohol above 3,5%) that is like "unique" or odd or whatever.

    But when i was in Philadelphia it seemed to the be the same system, with only certain places (Wine Store?) being allowed to sell Wines and hard liquer. And Beer being sold in separate stores. Isn't that a pretty similar system...
    "Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
  • mcgruff10mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 28,610
    There has always been this thing, comparing Sweden and the US again, about us having "Systembolaget" (a government run chain of stores having monopoly on selling alcohol above 3,5%) that is like "unique" or odd or whatever.

    But when i was in Philadelphia it seemed to the be the same system, with only certain places (Wine Store?) being allowed to sell Wines and hard liquer. And Beer being sold in separate stores. Isn't that a pretty similar system...
    That is a Pennsylvania thing, Each state has their own rules. In New Jersey you can go to a liquor store and get wine, beer and vodka. 
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
  • 23scidoo23scidoo Thessaloniki,Greece Posts: 19,316
    mcgruff10 said:
    23scidoo said:
    mcgruff10 said:
    I do think America is the best in:
    wine. (Napa cabs are superior imo)
    craft beer. 
    Bbq
    vodka. (Tito s)

    our national park system is also great.  From what I have seen in Canada I think their national park system is comparable. 
    In wine??..come on Mike!!..not even third on the world..
    What is one and two?  I think French wine is way overrated.  I do love Italian whites but to me California cabs are the best reds out there. 
    Argentina, Chile, Greece and the new power on wine is Georgia..love Italian rose and Bourgogne wines are classics..


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  • Spiritual_ChaosSpiritual_Chaos Posts: 30,564
    edited October 2018
    mcgruff10 said:
    There has always been this thing, comparing Sweden and the US again, about us having "Systembolaget" (a government run chain of stores having monopoly on selling alcohol above 3,5%) that is like "unique" or odd or whatever.

    But when i was in Philadelphia it seemed to the be the same system, with only certain places (Wine Store?) being allowed to sell Wines and hard liquer. And Beer being sold in separate stores. Isn't that a pretty similar system...
    That is a Pennsylvania thing, Each state has their own rules. In New Jersey you can go to a liquor store and get wine, beer and vodka. 
    Yeah i know, in NY it was different. But then it's not unheard of. I was surprised by it. Going from NY to Philly too, and having to re-adjust my liquor-buying ways. Bought my mom some wine from Pennsylvania, and my dad some american light beers. Haha.
    "Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
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