Comments on: Negative results of EU integration

By: Romer!can

Romer!can — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 02:12:05 +0000

I can verify that she attended one of those schools.

By: SB

SB — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:25:44 +0000

I know this is an old post but the girl in the pics looks extremely familiar.
So,i want to ask if anyone can verify if she studied in either of these institutions:
-Matei Basarab Highschool(Bucharest),
-Politechnics University of Bucharest.
A simple yes or no will do(doesnt matter in which).

By: mon ami

mon ami — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 16:53:51 +0000

Actually, the French would only be appalled if it were FRENCH wine! Any other wine or concoction thereafter would probably just make them wince.

By: shadowchase

shadowchase — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 15:32:58 +0000

The French would be appalled and disgusted! Americans are probably a bit opened-minded about these issues. After all, we actually can go into a restaurant and order an “Arnold Palmer” (iced tea mixed with lemonade). Then there is a friend who drinks Dr. Pepper mixed with Jack Daniels! So experiment…it’s fun!

By: Csiki Andy

Csiki Andy — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 13:33:05 +0000

I used to live in Porto which as you may know is pretty hot on fortified wine. The reason for it was that the British were there making wine (I know that sounds unlikely but bear with me). (Britain and Portugal have a long historical friendship and never went to war with each other – unlike everybody else). Anyway, they got all these grapes from the Douro valley, brought them down to Porto/Vila Nova de Gaia for the wine making process, and then got a bit stuck. You see wine doesn;t travel that well (or at least it didn;t then) and they needed a way of transporting it to England without it going bad or something, so they hit upon the novel idea of sticking some brandy in the barrels. This apparently halted the fermentation process and allowed them to transport the vats of wine (or, as it had now become, “Port wine”) to the UK, without loss of quality.

So there you go.

By: steeplejack

steeplejack — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 11:13:59 +0000

Hi Romerican:

according to Wikipedia, the wine in question is “fortified” with more alcohol for “preservation” reasons (presumably the preservation of the liquid at the expense of the drinker’s liver):

“A fortified wine is a wine to which additional alcohol has been added, the most common additive being brandy (a spirit distilled from wine).

The original reason for fortification was to preserve wines, as the higher alcohol level and additional sweetness help to preserve the wine (when supplemental alcohol is added before fermentation finishes, it kills the yeast and leaves residual sugar). Even though other preservation methods exist, the fortification process survives, as consumers have developed tastes for wines preserved this way.” (Wikipedia “Fortified wine” entry)

I love the coyness of the last sentence, which must have been penned by an alcohol industry PR man.

Tennents Super Strength is many things, but watered down is not one of them. After two lethal purple tins one becomes a profound stranger to reason.

By: Romer!can

Romer!can — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 10:14:07 +0000

"No matter the technicalities, when it comes down to it we crave some dried leaves, hot water and bovine lactation." It's worth chuckling over a bit more.

By: Csiki Andy

Csiki Andy — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 07:20:07 +0000

Earl Grey is vile. Of that you have my complete support. Mind you Earl Grey is rarely if ever drunk by your actual English people, and is instead sold to foreigners as some kind of symbol of high-class English style. I’ve never met an English person who drinks Earl Grey.

By: Romer!can

Romer!can — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 21:45:40 +0000

Csiki – You almost make a convincing case for shandy, but it still falls short. Beer should never be watered down with nastiness. I’m not opposed to a slice of lemon in my hefeweizen, but clara sounds awful.

Before we get maligning the qualities of delicious iced tea, we should first deliberate all that Earl Grey leaves to be desired…

steeplejack – Thunderbird and Wild Irish Rose? Oh, oh, wrong country.

How can they dare to call it “tonic wine?!” I just have to shake my head in wonder. We all make different choices and I enjoy diversity, but slashing one’s wrists falls outside the bounds of civilized drinking.

I’ve two more queries. If it’s fortified, then what with? And how can Tennet’s be 9.5 ABV, if it’s watered down?

Deep-fried Mars Bars sounds slightly worse than the Texan deep-friend twinkie, of which I’ve eaten… once.

Alina – Thankfully, you and your family and extended circle of friends must come from a proper background! I daresay the justifications of this dilution are alarming, indeed, so I’m happy to see there are cultured folk who reject the insanity.

sunshine – Heretic! Sacrilege! =P

By: sunshine

sunshine — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 20:49:23 +0000

Actually, Cabernet mixed with Pepsi is not that bad.:-P