To those of you not in the states

Well now, any "beer" that need's some fruit added to it to give it some flavour, is not a beer. Usually the only people that have ordered Corona's from me have been 18-20 yr old's trying to impress someone by showing how cultured they by drinking an "import".
As to the best beer in the world..... i would give equal billing to both Carlsberg elephant and Redback.

 

Well, when I was a bertender, there were some people who liked corona who were over the age of 20: Central and South Americans (forgivable) and girls between 21 and 25 who wear WAY too much makeup and were justy trying to wear down their resistance to going home with some fratboy, as they couldn't soberly make the decision to do what they really wanted (unforgivable on so many levels). I vote for Corsendonk Abbey Doppel(sp?) for the best, BTW.

 

Hmm, we could have run into each other without even knowing then. Did you live in the uni dorms in Ramat-Aviv?

I bet they were happy to have you around. Talking politics seems to be the favourite way of spending free time here. Every friggin bus is a parliament of its own.

I assume you were hanging out with the upper class Israel born folks of European descent. The "profile 21" kind of people, self-proclaimed non-recognized artists and such.

:thumbup:

 

Actually, I was living at Kibbutz Megiddo, because of its proximity to the dig, Har Megiddo. I did, however, visit the dorms in Tel Aviv, but I have no memory of what they were called. Possible, though.

Some were, some weren't. I found it much easier to talk with seculars in general, and found ex-Euros easier than either ex-Americans or ex-Russians (sorry). The Americans were megazionist, and the Russians were a bit too, well, post-Soviet in outlook. I got a lot of angry folks telling me I wasn't a real Jew because every real Jew moves to Israel. Also, I got a lot of people who thought the death of every living Palestinian was the only course to peace. I ride the fence on the dispute, so wingers were hard for me to talk to. I did try, though. Also, remember, that was a more optimistic time than now...

Oh, and I left out a tourist high: Tsafat. Awesome. To many hippie Americans, but the place was beautiful, and though I don't believe in cabbalism, it sure is fun to play those mind games with rabbis.

Some, yes, though I found more of those types in India, actually.

Most of the folk I knew were middle class. Some were Russian, though the vast majority were Israeli-born. Universities in 1996 were like that, I guess.

I'm of Russian-Jewish descent myself, though my family has been American for a century. I don't even know where our shtetl was.

 

*goes off to fix his post-Soviet outlook, whatever it means*

I wouldn't say so. It was a more optimistic time for SOME. For me it was the time when I was forced to phone my family in Russia to calm them down after every suicide bombing- 2-3 times a week. For those rich enough to never take buses it was certainly a better time back then.

You should have been there during the kleizmer music festival. Awesome, really.

Tel-Aviv uni is still like that, and will probably always be, at least the arts/literature/history faculties. Sciences are a lot more balanced demography and politics wise.

Probably somewhere not far from where I lived. Do you at least know the name of that place?

 

My crazy Czech exchange student friends from school insist that American Beer is "Fugcking Pess" compared to theirs'.

Considering the legal drinking age is something like 15 over there, I'd believe them

I also have a hard time believing how recockulously cheap their smokes are. Something like 2 bucks a pack for the most expensive brand. Not that I smoke, but if I did, I'd be outraged.

"Cawona" as I like to say isn't exactly the best beer in the world either. Not like I'm a connoisseur of fine beers, but if you think Mexico has the best beer in the world... wow.

Guinness' Bass is personally the best beer I've ever tried, but considering I'm under the legal age by a few years, I can't really complain.

And as far as Natural Ice, in it's defense it goes down a lot easier than anything else you may find in it's price range.


EDIT: I'm a dumbass who can't finish my sentences.

 

Czech beer is pretty good, though once you can start drinking legally (or before, if you can), I'd check out some of the American craft brews. Czech beer is better than all the big American beers, even maybe Sam Adams, but unlike American beer, all Czech beer is pretty much the same. Since you're from PA, try something from Stoudt's or Liberty. Once you go India Pale Ale or Scotch Ale, you'll never go back.

The Czech Republic sure is weird country. I guess I can't about the double whammie that it has about no sexual morals (no, not compared to the puritan US, I mean compared to France) and that about half the women look like supermodels and shun any clothing that hides anything. The skin-tight transparent white pants and black thong combo is just about standard uniform for winter. I don't even want to get into what's worn summer. Actually, yeah I do.

Smokes are cheap. American premiums are $1.75 US, about the same price as they were in the States when I started smoking 10 years ago. And beer is cheaper, about 50 cents a pint if you know where to go. But video games are like $75. Gotta get there priorities straight. Sure, I smoke and drink and I save money there, but, man.

Of course that's just the tip of the Czechburg, but the easiest stuff to convey.

 

First, I'll apologize about the double post, but beer and Israel are completely different topics, so I figured I'd keep them separate.

Solaris, I'd just like to clear up that neither I nor most of the Israelis I knew were overwhelmingly wealthy. I took buses, and so did they. When I said that it was less tense then, I did not mean to imply that it has EVER been mellow in Israel since Israel was Israel. I just get the feeling that things were more optimistic at that time. I'm not belittling the fear you and your family felt then (most justifiedly) or that I'm sure you feel now, unless you've become truly jaded. It's just that, at that time, for various reasons, I felt hope from Israelis of all economic and ethnic groups, as well as Palestinians, that peace was a real option, albeit one far in the future. Now, I am no longer there, but that's not the vibe I get from the news reports or conversations with Israellis I have now.

Maybe that's what I meant by post-Soviet. Pessimism. But I think the feeling was more one of anger and intolerance. The Russians I spoke to more often than not sought a violent solution to problems of the world, were more nationalistic, angrier, and, I hate to say it, hateful. Mind you, this was not always the case, and I understand that Russian immigrants to Israel have in many ways been treated poorly by the establishment there, but it made me uncomfortable. I'd be happy if you'd clear my vision on this.

And, no, I have no idea where my family was from. All I know is that my great-grandfather's second cousin was Leon Trotsky aka Lev Bronstein. The oldies in my family are pretty sure everyone who didn't leave Russia was, er, cleansed, either just before the revolution or under Stalin. But even they don't know where we were from.

 

Back from the hols!

Come to Malaysia. You'll get stuffed so full of good food you'll be too heavy to go back. Hope you like spicy food though. Bring a bucket to join us in crying if you come next month.

 

speaking of spicy food, i LOVE vietnamese food sooooooooo much. i just wish there were more places to get it.

 

we have a couple good thai and viatnamiese restaurants where I live...

 

Matt, Compaierd to Fairfax VA, Belevue WA is an oasis of cultural & ethnic delights.

Jeek, in nearby D. C. EVERY type of ethnic resterant is available. Often with a representative sample for every income class.

For everyone else, a local "other Washington" joke.

"Why is Belevue so different from yougurt?
Yougurt has live culture."

The Belevue Art Museum is located in a shopping mall. But most of Fairfax IS a shopping mall.

 

don't diss on Bellevue! I personally don't live there (I'm in North Bend, and I PITY those of you who have been here), but damn! those Bellechicks have nice tits!! I mean seriously! if you come to the West Coast, go to BelleSquare just to stare at tits!!!

 

Everyone seems to be forgetting the Germans in this. I remember reading the results of a study a while back (2 years or so), and the Germans drank the most beer on average in the world...followed closely be Aussies.

I really find that hard to believe. A 6 pack a day per person?

I still maintain that, on average, the best beer can be found in Australia. Any brew from Australia is pretty much guaranteed to be better than average.

 

Well, I know a guy who, if he has 30 beers, can kill 30 beers in under 24 hours. I know lots of people like that actually. Damn my whole class is full of alcoholics. :/ Ah well, more beer pong .


In case you guys wanna know, last night I went 2 straight games and didn't drink a SINGLE cup. Go ahead tell me I rock.

 

Jar a lot of American alkys do a half a rack a day. That's 12 12oz cans, or over 4 liters. Many do more. Oh for a pay toilet concesion in Checkislovika.

BTW, some european friends were verry pleasantly supprised at the quality of our microbrews here in the US, & at the bar they were at, our best was not available. Some of our best is by the New Belgium Brewing Co. Can you say homage?

And if I am REALLY thirsty, Corona is one of the few blond beers I can put down. People don't look at you funny when you use a lime to kill the flavor.... :lol:

 

No, it's real. The average day laborer starts at 6am and finishes at 3. Until 9pm, he sits with his friends drinking beer at a pub. Usually, he can put down about 12 half liters before stumbling home to pass out. Beer is not considered alcohol here. Children drink it, usually starting at age 6. Until they are 15, usually it's limited to about 2dc (8oz), but they drink it. Drinking beer on the job is not frowned upon.

Man, I've had Aussie beer. Most of it's OK. But there is no bad Czech beer. There is no average Czech beer. There is only good Czech beer. It all tastes the same, but it's all good. And as for Belgium, the very worst beer there is Stella Artois, which is better than any Aussie beer I've had. Now I haven't had every Australian brew, but I've sampled. I'd say the problem is that only the largest companies can afford to export to Australia, so you don't really get the best the rest of the world has to offer. Thus, in comparison, the local stuff seems the best. Also, it takes a long time to ship anything there, so your imports might not be as fresh. I have a Kiwi friend here who says the European beer in NZ is nowhere near as good as it is here. Figure the same might apply to you.

 

whoever said that there are ppl that can put away 30 beers in under 24 hours, i have to go not one, but 21 better. i've put away 30 in 3 hours, but it was all lights (that was all the pub had left) so i cant really claim it, as more than half that time was spent takin a leak - and a goooood leak it was - and i could still see and walk straightish at the end of it.

in my stupidly loud opinion, i would have to say the Australia is the home of all that is sacred and holy about brewing pure beer (no fruit or flavour additives). the best i've tasted is my mates home brew he calls "the nuclear winter" - the cap blew off with a bang when i cracked it, and the liquid was black when i held the bottle to the sun... the smell made me see double, and it burnt my lips, throat, tongue, and was still burning on its way out.

US beer, especially that stuff from that mormon state, is piss. all the Asian beer i've tasted is worse than US beer. Mexican beer is alright, but only when it has lime or lemon in the neck, or after downing a fosters first, but i reckon shit would taste good if u had the taste of fosters in ur mouth when u ate it. European beer is nice, but the best of that stuff is German beer..... *drools*

and all this from a little aussie 17 yr old.....

 

as far as i know light beer just has fewer carbohydrates in it, the alcohol content is the same as far as i know.

my question is why the heck would you want to drink 10 beers an hour for three hours? do you really like the taste of your vomit coming out of your nose that much? :-? :lol:

but seriously man, f you like fosters then throws your credibility out the window. though i do agree that mexican beer is good. that nuclear winter stuff sounds awful, i go by the rule that if its not clear i try not to drink more than one a week (coke, most soda, urine, etc), if its not even TRANSLUCENT then i'm not going to touch it, and it sounds like this stuff could power a car or something. my other rule is that if it hurts (barring spicy food) i dont put it me, what exactly is the point of drinking it? just do a shot of vodka with a little rubbing alcohol and some battery acid in it while having your rectum fitted for the rest of the bottle. you failed to mention how badly your stools and urine burn when you actually secrete/defecate the first time after ingesting this noxious sounding liquid...

anyway, i'm just giving you a hard time, burning all the taste buds out of my sinuses vomiting up nuclear winters sounds like fun! :razz: :lol: