What I need to know about America

[Kama]

So, when a poor though hot Polish girl visits America for 3 weeks in the summer, what advice can you offer to her?

what should I avoid?

should I always carry a gun, or at least a sword?

is running around naked allowed?

where do I eat? where don't I eat?

is it safe to meet people I met on the internet?

is it safe to stay with people I met on the internet?

is it allowed to pay by cash, or is it credit cards all the way?

when I'm asked for my ID while buying a drink, will they accept my passport?


etc, etc... don't let these questions limit you...

[Grey Area]

So, when a poor though hot Polish girl visits America for 3 weeks in the summer, what advice can you offer to her?

None, really.

what should I avoid?

Americans.
should I always carry a gun, or at least a sword?

Carry both.

is running around naked allowed?

Always. Particularly in Northern California. I will provide times and locations at a later date.

where do I eat? where don't I eat?

You eat? I thought you were a program.... :blink:

is it safe to meet people I met on the internet?

Never.

is it safe to stay with people I met on the internet?

Of course it is. Why not fly thousands of miles from home to stay with perfect strangers that only post to lure poor hot polish girls to their doom? Danger is FUN!

is it allowed to pay by cash, or is it credit cards all the way?

It depends on what 'it' is.

when I'm asked for my ID while buying a drink, will they accept my passport?

If there's a photo, they'll probably accept it. As long as you are paying by cash or credit card.

:ph34r:

[GreNME]

Mostly the same things you would avoid there, only magnify them by at least ten.
A sword is dandy, but a gun is quicker.
Only in select areas. Frisco and a few others will be more than happy to instruct you where those areas are.
Avoid fast food. Make some of the people whose places you're crashing take you somewhere exlusive to that area, or make you something themselves (be very careful with the latter)
Not usually.
Not usually.
Cash is usually acceptable, but it's not suggested to walk around with heaping amounts of cash in most metropolitan areas.
If the bartender has seen a passport before and knows what one is, then yes. This does not guarantee that all bartenders will.

[Kama]

you're not being very encouraging...

:huh:

[Nathan Novak]

Heres a few tips from me.

First, definately OK to meet/stay people you met over HATRACK, unless you're better judgement says that they are just creepy anyway. AJ is cool, so am I.

Cash is very nice to have on hand.

With Jamie around, you might want to have a sword or something. ;)

You need to have some Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal. Seriously.

Waffle House has my approval for a midnight snack if you're hungry. IHOP is a good substitute, but be careful about Denny's.

Running around nude, eh? So long as there are pictures, you should be fine.

Country music is really big in America. When driving with Eddie, find a country music station and crank that sucker up!

[Kama]

He'll kill me if I do that!

:blink:

[Kama]

Ugh.

So apparently I don't qualify for a credit card, cause I only have a work contract until March next year.

Now, what I have is a Visa Electron debit card - the kind that's unexistant in America, or so I hear. I know I'll be able to use it at ATM's, and should be able to pay with it in most places (although some won't accept it due to technical reasons). I won't be able to book a hotel room, or anything else for that matter - but I don't think I'd need to do it anyway.

The question is, if I try to pay with it, and the reply is - umm, I've never seen anything like this so I don't think you can pay with it, can I still urge them to try?

I'll be trying to get a regular Visa card - the charge type - but the monthly limit with that will be 500 $, at the most.

The bank people also told me it might be a good idea to get travellers checks. What do you think?

You'd think I live in a civilised country. Gah.

[GreNME]

Traveler's checks are a good idea.

As long as you can pull from the ATM, you should be fine. The bigger worries for paying with the debit card (which is all I use as well) is that some smaller places may not take them. Grabbing from an ATM is usually not a problem, even outside of the cities.

And I was serious before, but not to be discouraging. I'm just warning you to be careful. Frisky I trust, and the same goes with Strider, Bokonon, and a small handful of others (if you didn't hear your name, don't play the "what about me?" thing, please :P ). However, I don't normally trust people I see face to face all the time, so you can expect that I don't go out of my way to trust someone just because they say it.

Besides, people tend to try to come off as way better people (nicer, smarter, wittier) online than they are in real life. Luckily for you, I think you'll be mostly visiting groups of people that you can take at face value.

Just watch out for those "other people" out there. It isn't really any different than it probably is where you live—there are always some people who are looking to take advantage of something, not always honest, or just plain "bad seeds" to begin with. There are also a whole lot of really neat people. Just be prepared for both (meaning don't expect exclusively one kind).

You'll be fine.

[katharina]

people tend to try to come off as way better people (nicer, smarter, wittier) Some of us are worse online just to throw people off.

[GreNME]

And with some you get what you see.

[Nick]

I'm a lot more shy in person than online. You wouldn't even ever see me get as loud in person as I do online. Ever. :)

[Ela]

I have found a lot of Hatrackers to be pretty much the same in person as they are online.

Except for John - he's a teddy bear in person. ;) :P

[jexx]

Oof, Ela, you ain't kiddin'! John is waaaaaaaay nicer in person.

And sexier.

:wub:

And enormous, giggly fun. Ooh, and totally interesting. SUPER polite.

*remembers that she lives about four hours away from John*

*goes to pack suitcase*

*sees husband on bed--thwarting romantic Johnlurv dreams*

*sighs heavily*

Kama--I have no doubt that you will do very well in America. You might be a little too smart for most folks, but they will cover up their insecurity by yelling at you as if you were hard of hearing and do not speak English. It's a coping mechanism. It's not you, it's them. :)

Stick with John, if you can, and ... who else is going to meet you? I should have been following the Kamacon thread, but I was bummed because I am not going to be able to participate. *sniffle* Just follow John's advice about who to trust, and I am sure you will be fine.

Oh, yes, traveller's checks are a great idea. They work (almost) everywhere.

[GreNME]

It's not that I'm nicer, it's that you can tell when I am actually angry or not, instead of just listening to what I say.

For instance, that discussion I had with Eyal (I seriously wonder how he's doing often) may have looked like I was angry if someone had simply transcribed what I was saying, but I don't think anyone else in the room would have thought I was.

On the other hand, when I become silent, then you know I am at least a bit angry. Silence from me is like the worst belligerent screaming from most people. And even then, when it comes to letting it go, I go by the "freely asked, freely given" method of dealing with it.

I just don't feel the need to preface every single thing I ever type with my philosophy of candor and blunt-ness.

But really, this isn't about me.

So yeah, Kama, you'll do just fine here. You're bright enough, and you seem to be taking more time than I ever do before a trip. For instance, I fly out tomorrow morning (for a month), in just over 12 hours, and I have yet to pack.

Speaking of which, I think I should get going... ;)

[Zyne]

-a

[Kama]

jexx - I'll be staying with Eddie, Bok and Strider. Apparently, they are safe ;)

Thanks for the advice, guys :)

[saxon75]

Out of curiosity, Kama, what made you ask about nudity? Do people in Poland often run around naked? Or did you perhaps hear something to that effect about the US?

[Bok]

Yes, safe.

Indeed.
--

I would bring your ATM card (if it has the Visa logo on it, it should be okay in the vast majority of places), and a bunch of travellers' checks. Oh, and some Polish currency, since I want a souvenier (sp). And Polish beer. Mmmm, beer.

In all the places you are going, there will be fantastic (by US standard; likely mediocre by Eropean standards) public transit, except for Philly.

You have to try fast food once, just for the gut-wrenching experience, but I'd generally avoid it.
--

Now how did I get on John's "safe" list? Can I appeal the decision?

-Bok

[Kama]

saxon, the question was a result of one of my conversations with Frisco, in which he suggests the best way to spend time in NYC is to get drunk (mixing vodka with Red Bull) and run around the park naked. No, I honestly have no intention of doing so ;)


--

oh, yay, souvenirs :)

My limit on alcohol I can bring in is limited by Bok's order... I'll be bringing lots of Polish sweets, though, and will try to cook some traditional stuff for the people I'm staying with (if I have enough time and ingredients, that is). But if there is something specifically Polish anyone of you I'm meeting want, let me know. :)

[Frisco]

No, the nudity thing started on your thread at Hatrack when someone suggested that you run naked through Central Park like in The Fisher King.

Not that I wouldn't consider doing so, but don't make me out to be someone who'd bring up nakedness out of the blue. :P

Unless we were going to a beach.

[Kama]

oh well :P

[GreNME]

Actually, Kama, I'm going to be interested on what you think of most food made in the US, since America uses mostly corn syrup instead of sugar, which is more popular over there. Not that corn syrup isn't used in various places all throughout Europe, but it's not as pervasive in everything like it is in the States. At least, that's what friends and family who have been across the Atlantic tell me.

Example: the reason European chocolate (and other sweets) taste so much better is because they use sugar, not mostly high-fructose corn syrup. I know this from experience as well as academically (my bro brings chocolates from Zurich and Paris when he comes back from business trips).

Oh, and Bok: I said you were safe as in "no physical danger," not that you aren't a depraved commie liberal. ;)

[Zalmoxis]

Yeah, corn syrup sucks.

Once you've had soda made with sugar instead of corn syrup, you'll be ruined for the standard stuff. I think that's why the Coke in Romania is better than here. Although stay away from the Pepsi -- it's all bootleg. A lot of it literally made in bathtubs. During on of my regular hospital visits I met a young woman who was there because she drank a bottle from a 'bad batch.' I'm not sure what was specifically wrong with her, but she didn't look well. It cured me of any curiosity I had about any sodas not produced by the local Coke bottler.

[Anna]

GreNME : If you love good chocolate, try Belgium chocolate if you can have some. Most delicious on the planet, IMHO.

[Kama]

Eek, Anna, Belgian is too sweet :wacko:

[GreNME]

Oh, heck yeah, Anna. The chocolate my brother usually brought back was Belgian. It was too rich for my mom, which means I was able to steal a little.

Mmmm... chocolate.

[Noemon]

The best chocolate I've found is Venezuelan, I think. Absolutely magnificent stuff. 71% cocoa, all from the same species of bean. Dark chocolate bliss. Wish I could remember the brand name; I'd link to their website.

[GreNME]

71 percent? Holy crap. :blink:

[Noemon]

Yeah, it's *fantastic*. I'll buy a bar this weekend and link to the website on Monday.

[Noemon]

Chocovic (http://www.chocovic.es/home1.htm)! That's the brand. I hoped it would come to me.

Looks like the English language portion of their site is down at the moment though.

[Kama]

Lindt makes chocolate with lots and lots of cocoa. Bitter. Bleah.


And did I mention I'm allergic to chocolate? My nose gets all runny. Bleah.


And I looooooove bubble chocolate. MMMMM.

[Noemon]

Bubble Chocolate? What's that?

Allergic to chocolate huh? That's the first time I've heard of someone with that particular food allergy. Do you like the taste (not of good, high quality dark chocolate, of course, but of more mild milk chocolate)?

I bought a bar of that chocolate over the weekend--the Ocumare. Fantastic stuff. The description of the flavor, as printed on the back of the wrapper, reads as follows:

Smooth perfumed aroma with tones of exotic wood, nuts, and dried fruit as well as spicy nuances. Refined and lasting taste, balanced and round at the same time. Also, aspects of cedar, tobacco, and dried plums are particularly noteworthy.

:rolleyes: It's a damned good chocolate, but please, what utter crap! I mean, come on, I'm a bit of a chocolate snob, I'll admit, but using wine tasting babble to describe the chocolate? It just seems like a bit much.

[Kama]

Chocolate filled with air bubbles. What else?

http://www.hipernet24.pl/sklep/img_items/b/045/4565.jpg

I love the taste of chocolate, and cocoa, but I can't have too much if I don't want to sneeze all the time. Which I do anyway. :blink:

[Frisco]

Silly Europeans. Always copying us. ;)

http://www.hometownfavorites.com/pop-rocks.jpg

[Kama]

nonono, this is different. no explosion, no popping. Just bubbles.

[katharina]

It's a damned good chocolate, but please, what utter crap! I mean, come on, I'm a bit of a chocolate snob, I'll admit, but using wine tasting babble to describe the chocolate? It just seems like a bit much.Agreed. And that's how I feel about using the same language to describe wine. *grin*

The local classical music station takes "wine breaks" evening just as I go home from work. I could probably sling some BS around and sound like I know what I'm talking about. I'm sure wine tastes fine, but who's the posuer/marketing genius that put wine on the same artistic level as Mozart?

[saxon75]

Having never tasted wine, you don't think it's a teensy bit presumptuous to say that it's all BS?

[katharina]

The classical music station is taking wine breaks. The only reason they would go together is because someone decided they were part of the same lifestyle. You don't have to drink the product to recognize amusing self-importance.

The only reason the chocolate label is amusing is because the meme-spreading project is still in the infant stages.

[celia60]

I'm not sure katie understood the question.

[katharina]

Yes, I did. In my own infinite wisdom, *grin*, I think all that effort and education and vocabulary to describe the finer distinctions between wines is...done mostly for the audience, and the vast majority of the audience only thinks its important because their local classical music station says it is.

It's an industry that inspires this (http://slate.msn.com/id/2067055).

[celia60]

I don't think the rolleyes smilie is large enough to contain my eye rolling at this moment.

I'm sure wine tastes fine, but who's the posuer/marketing genius that put wine on the same artistic level as Mozart?

I don't think I can find an analogy to something you could taste that would have the level of distinction of flavors possible in wine. It is an art. The sampling of which I take a good deal more pleasure in than I do listening to Mozart. Maybe my tongue is more discerning than my ears.

And maybe you're getting on my nerves because I spent part of the last weekend at a wine festival discussing the nuances of different wines with makers from all over Indiana. Which I didn't do because some critic told me to, but because I enjoy and appreciate a good wine.

----------

I tasted a lot of crap. I'm so glad that the rules of propriety include spitting and dumping out a glass during a tasting. Then I don't have to make anyone feel bad about thier product. Especially since I know my particular tastes aren't in step with the vast majority of Hoosiers. They seem to like wine a good deal sweeter and less concentrated. It's also like a little adventure to find the winery with the dry red that says something more than "dry" when you taste it.

The woman at Satek was one of the women who gave me a tasting when I bought Bill a case for Christmas last year. She actually recognized me and was all excited about getting me to try the semi-sweets that they hadn't been tasting when I had visited. They are, by far, the best Indiana vineyard. Or, at least, the best to our tastes. I also got to chat with a woman from Oliver (which is probably the most widely distributed in the state). They have a summer concert series! We're going to have to find time to fit both tours in now. If only they weren't on opposite sides of the state.

[saxon75]

It's quite possible that most people who are into wine are only into it for the snob factor, and that most wine enthusiasts only buy whatever wines their favorite critics like. However, many people like wine because they like it. For example, me. And if you drink enough wine to be able to taste the difference between different vintages, it's useful to have a way to describe it to other people who like wine that is more specific than "good" or "bad." You really do get other flavors in wine. Of course there is the overarching "wine" flavor, but in addition to that there are subtle differences from wine to wine, and the easiest way to describe them is by saying what they remind you of. It's not disingenuous or snobby to say that this cabernet tastes like tobacco or this sauvignon blanc tastes like pears if that's really what you taste in it. And if by reading a description you can compare a new wine with one you've had before, you can have a better idea of whether or not you'll like it before you spend the money on it. Same thing could be said of beer or liquor. Sure, you know you tend to like porters better than pilsners, but how do you know which porter to buy? And if you can extend the utility of flavor description to other drinks, why not to other types of foods? How would you describe the difference between chocolates besides "good" or "rich" or "bitter"? Or do you simply disagree that there is utility to specificity?

Edit: OK, that's it, celia. We really need to hang out in person.

[celia60]

:)

We'll have to carve out some time at Kamacon. Bobble and I already have cocktails if he makes it, but I don't think I have any set plans besides CT's museum trip.

[Noemon]

I don't know guys; I mean, I hear what you're saying, and I agree with you, Mike, that it would be useful to have a good vocabulary for describing tastes and odors, but it seems to me that those senses are too...hmmm...I'm drawing a blank on the word I'm wanting.

Here's the thing: the way I relate to the way things taste or smell is pretty unique. Usually, I perceive flavor, odor, and--physical sensation in terms of color, light, pitch, texture, and age, among other things. For example, I just popped a piece of this absolutely exquisite chocolate in my mouth. I'd describe it as dusky, almost twilit, with a flavor like the rustling of autumn leaves, and a sense of great age, accompanied by a mild orange (as in the color, not the fruit) electric buzz. It's pitch is definitely low, just on the verge of imperceptibility, right on the boundary between the sonic and the sub-sonic. Silly as all that sounds, it means something to me, but I can't imagine that it would really help to communicate to anyone else what they could expect from one of these chocolate bars. It wouldn't really have much utility if I were to use this description to tell you what the Ocumare tasted like, would it? It's the same way for me with wine, or any other food with a a rich, nuanced flavor.

Heh. I have to say, that description of the flavor of the chocolate has to be one of the most pompous sounding things I've ever written on a forum. :lol:

[saxon75]

I'm wondering, do you actually experience synesthesia, or is it more of an impression? To me, it makes perfect sense to say that the way a certain food tastes makes you feel the same feeling you get when experiencing a color or sound. Although, for me impressions like that are more scenic; a taste may remind me of a summer afternoon in the park across the river from my mom's house, or something like that.

I don't really get what you're saying here, though:
but it seems to me that those senses are too...hmmm...I'm drawing a blank on the word I'm wanting. Although, it doesn't seem like you're completely clear what you mean either. For the purpose of communication, it seems to me like describing a flavor in terms of other flavors makes the most sense. I am assuming that when you say you experience flavors in terms of other senses, that you are talking about a more emotional or psychological experience than the actual physical sensation. So even if the major component of your experience in terms of importance to you is this quasi-synesthetic thing, you still experience a flavor as a flavor on some level. So if someone offered you some mystery goo that tasted like grape jelly, you'd say "This tastes like grape jelly."

In the event that you are actually a synesthete, my argument breaks down for your case, but I still think it makes the most sense in general, as most people wouldn't have that experience. Except that I would also assume that you would tend to describe one flavor in the same terms if you experienced it multiple times. So if you had some coffee, let's say, that you could also describe as "dusky, with a flavor like the rustling of autumn leaves" that you might say it reminded you of Ocumare chocolate. Or am I just way off base?

But there's more to describing a flavor than just communicating it to someone else for the purpose of helping them decide whether or not to buy a wine or chocolate or whatever. I think part of enjoying a wine or scotch or even a song or painting is trying to identify how it affects me, trying to understand how and why it evokes a certain response from me. Describing a wine is one way of doing that.

[Noemon]

You know, I'm not sure whether I have synesthesia or not. I wonder about it some time. Some of these things seem more like impressions, and some don't. I guess I'd say that they're incredibly vivid, consistent impressions.

I don't really get what you're saying here, though:


but it seems to me that those senses are too...hmmm...I'm drawing a blank on the word I'm wanting.

:) Probably because I kind of let the thought trail off. I was going to go back and edit that out, but I forgot to.

Sure, I can say "this purple goo tastes like grape jelly", but if you ask me what grape jelly tastes like, it seems as reasonable to me to say that it's really high pitched, maybe even a little shrill, as to say that it's really sweet. Of course, I know that most people won't know what the hell I'm talking about if I say that, and will in the future cross the street to avoid saying hi to me, so I generally refrain from that kind of comment. :)

I would also assume that you would tend to describe one flavor in the same terms if you experienced it multiple times. So if you had some coffee, let's say, that you could also describe as "dusky, with a flavor like the rustling of autumn leaves" that you might say it reminded you of Ocumare chocolate. Or am I just way off base?

Nope, you're not off base at all. My perceptions are relatively consistent, so if A and B both tasted "dusky, with a flavor like the rustling of autumn leaves", I could say that A and B tasted alike, at least in part. That works better for comparing relatively simple flavors though.

[Zalmoxis]

It's probably a good thing that I have the alcohol restriction considering I have the snobbish soul of a critic.

I'm already bad enough with my rhapsodizing over ginger beers and ales and potato chips and the perfect men's semi-causal pant [low-brow, high-brow -- I don't care about genre -- I care about being discriminating in whatever genre I'm in]. If I was in to wine and spirits, I'd be even more insufferable and in debt.

Incidentally, it seems to me that like with any special interest group, it wouldn't be that hard to distinguish between those who share a real love for the topic and those who are just there to pose or fake knowledge they don't have.

Also: FWIW, I have a feeling that in an alternate reality, I'm really into Scotch.