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The cheapest vodka here is Monopolowa (which is Austrian, despite the Polish name), $10 a liter at
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Hot, with cinnamon and lemon, sounds worthwhile. I think that's traditional somewhere in Central Asia.
The distinctive thing about Zubrowka is the bison grass infusion. It has a vanilla flavor as a result. Bison grass is another of those cross-cultural ingredients. In North America, the same herb is called sweetgrass, and the natives who still practice the old ways use it as a sacred herb, as incense or medicine, or to stuff pillows to keep away bad dreams.
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:cheers:
Dill pickles FTW. It's delicious with pickles, which bring its flavor out.
I just put up a batch of canned pears. When those have had a chance to mellow...
Agreed, vodka+pickles is great combo...One ukranian girl teach me that 10 years ago :spell:
California, because of the politically important wine business, has unusually liberal rules and low taxes on alcohol sales
California, because of the politically important wine business, has unusually liberal rules and low taxes on alcohol sales
Alabama < Almost anywhere else in the world.
There has to be something fun you can only do in Alabama. When you know what it is, tell us.
So I was wondering, is there any other country here that has a holiday surrounding St. Nicholas these days (5th/6th of December)? Like a proper holiday. I already heard about some countries having traditions similar to what we have here in The Netherlands, so I was wondering how that is for you guys. I’ll tell you how things go here, in case anyone’s interested (spoilered for length):
So yeah, I was wondering in which way our tradition/holiday is similar to the way it's celebrated in your countries.
You might have heard about it, but here in The Netherlands St. Nicholas (Sinterklaas) is a huge tradition. It’s way bigger here than Christmas compared to how Americans do it, probably because Santa Claus is merely a derivation of St. Nicholas (I'm sure everyone can tell the similarities). It has been adapted slightly over the years to fit our culture and time period, but the essence has always remained the same. How the story is currently, is that about 4 weeks before the 5th, Sinterklaas and his paid helps, Zwarte Pieten (Black Petes), get over here on their steam ship full of gifts for every single child in the country. Supposedly he lives in Spain for the rest of the year (why Spain I honestly don't know, though I read about it once). The arrival looks something like this:
Then until the 5th of December, children put their shoe at the chimney at night once a week. When they do that, they sing some of the Sinterklaas songs we have as a way of saying thanks, put notes to Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet in their shoe and add some water or apples for Sinterklaas’ horse. His white horse, Amerigo, can run on any rooftop so he can reach every child. Sinterklaas and some of his helps will then climb down the chimney (or will always find another way when there is none) and exchange whatever is in the shoe for gifts and sweets.
Supposedly the Zwarte Pieten can hear what children say wherever they go, which may sound creepy, but it was “invented” to keep children behave. If you’d say naughty things, Zwarte Piet may hear you and tell SInterklaas you don’t deserve anything (like what happened to the kid on the left of this painting).
[Het Sint-Nicolaasfeest, Jan Havicksz. Steen, 1665 – 1668]
Sinterklaas, making children cry since foreverjust kidding.
Of course, in more recent years parents have stopped giving their children a hard time, so it’s gifts only. Nowadays Sinterklaas only writes wishes in “the great book of Sinterklaas”, and the worst children get is a warning. He can even tell you in person on tv, since there are a handful of daily tv shows including the Sinterklaas News. There’s always a “main” Sinterklaas actor who appears in most of these, with the same Pieten.
Then on the evening of the 5th of December, families gather together and wait for Sinterklaas to arrive at their house. A Zwarte Piet will knock on the front door, and when children open them there are bags full of gifts awaiting them. Then Sinterklaas and his Pieten go back to Spain on their ship.
Then until the 5th of December, children put their shoe at the chimney at night once a week. When they do that, they sing some of the Sinterklaas songs we have as a way of saying thanks, put notes to Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet in their shoe and add some water or apples for Sinterklaas’ horse. His white horse, Amerigo, can run on any rooftop so he can reach every child. Sinterklaas and some of his helps will then climb down the chimney (or will always find another way when there is none) and exchange whatever is in the shoe for gifts and sweets.
Supposedly the Zwarte Pieten can hear what children say wherever they go, which may sound creepy, but it was “invented” to keep children behave. If you’d say naughty things, Zwarte Piet may hear you and tell SInterklaas you don’t deserve anything (like what happened to the kid on the left of this painting).
[Het Sint-Nicolaasfeest, Jan Havicksz. Steen, 1665 – 1668]
Sinterklaas, making children cry since forever
Of course, in more recent years parents have stopped giving their children a hard time, so it’s gifts only. Nowadays Sinterklaas only writes wishes in “the great book of Sinterklaas”, and the worst children get is a warning. He can even tell you in person on tv, since there are a handful of daily tv shows including the Sinterklaas News. There’s always a “main” Sinterklaas actor who appears in most of these, with the same Pieten.
Then on the evening of the 5th of December, families gather together and wait for Sinterklaas to arrive at their house. A Zwarte Piet will knock on the front door, and when children open them there are bags full of gifts awaiting them. Then Sinterklaas and his Pieten go back to Spain on their ship.
So yeah, I was wondering in which way our tradition/holiday is similar to the way it's celebrated in your countries.
It is, isn't it?
Well, the only information about Alabama I've had for years was this...
Of course they are!Sergio Bonelli editore :unworthy:
Zagor, Dylan, Mister No-heroes of my childhood...Are they still popular in Italy? It's their homeland after all
Speaking of sales, Dylan is still kicking arses since 1986. But it's not on Tex level, this is sure. Zagor is still around, though I have not read a single issue, but Mister No's story saw its ending 8 years ago, but they kept publishing annual stories, until Sergio Bonelli's death (2009), may he rest in peace.
Sergio Bonelli editore is going through a new expansion process: new comic books, new media, and so on...but we have to see what they will offer. Dylan Dog for example is under phase 2, Tiziano Sclavi is only the name behind the character, and he sits into the shadows, as he did for more than 10 years, someone misses his dystopic, weird, dream-like stories.
Anyway Dylan's stories were a bit bad in this last period, so the character needed new life, new stories, new good supporting characters and villains. Sclavi knew this thing had to be done so he passed the baton over to Roberto Recchioni. Now he's the new curator... and by the way he went to Serbia a lot of times if I'm not mistaken.
We shall see...
Bloch has retired. Dylan got arrested, his old Scotland Yard ID is gone, and now he will have to go on without it. and maybe he'll get a mobile phone for the first time.
Something changes... and I like it. Though some loyalists don't agree... but hey "old Dylan is like your childhood, nothing will bring it back because is in the past now.", to say he cannot stay in 80s or 90s anymore.
Sorry for this wall of text.
So I was wondering, is there any other country here that has a holiday surrounding St. Nicholas these days (5th/6th of December)? Like a proper holiday. I already heard about some countries having traditions similar to what we have here in The Netherlands, so I was wondering how that is for you guys. I’ll tell you how things go here, in case anyone’s interested (spoilered for length):
You might have heard about it, but here in The Netherlands St. Nicholas (Sinterklaas) is a huge tradition. It’s way bigger here than Christmas compared to how Americans do it, probably because Santa Claus is merely a derivation of St. Nicholas (I'm sure everyone can tell the similarities). It has been adapted slightly over the years to fit our culture and time period, but the essence has always remained the same. How the story is currently, is that about 4 weeks before the 5th, Sinterklaas and his paid helps, Zwarte Pieten (Black Petes), get over here on their steam ship full of gifts for every single child in the country. Supposedly he lives in Spain for the rest of the year (why Spain I honestly don't know, though I read about it once). The arrival looks something like this:
Then until the 5th of December, children put their shoe at the chimney at night once a week. When they do that, they sing some of the Sinterklaas songs we have as a way of saying thanks, put notes to Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet in their shoe and add some water or apples for Sinterklaas’ horse. His white horse, Amerigo, can run on any rooftop so he can reach every child. Sinterklaas and some of his helps will then climb down the chimney (or will always find another way when there is none) and exchange whatever is in the shoe for gifts and sweets.
Supposedly the Zwarte Pieten can hear what children say wherever they go, which may sound creepy, but it was “invented” to keep children behave. If you’d say naughty things, Zwarte Piet may hear you and tell SInterklaas you don’t deserve anything (like what happened to the kid on the left of this painting).
[Het Sint-Nicolaasfeest, Jan Havicksz. Steen, 1665 – 1668]
Sinterklaas, making children cry since foreverjust kidding.
Of course, in more recent years parents have stopped giving their children a hard time, so it’s gifts only. Nowadays Sinterklaas only writes wishes in “the great book of Sinterklaas”, and the worst children get is a warning. He can even tell you in person on tv, since there are a handful of daily tv shows including the Sinterklaas News. There’s always a “main” Sinterklaas actor who appears in most of these, with the same Pieten.
Then on the evening of the 5th of December, families gather together and wait for Sinterklaas to arrive at their house. A Zwarte Piet will knock on the front door, and when children open them there are bags full of gifts awaiting them. Then Sinterklaas and his Pieten go back to Spain on their ship.
So yeah, I was wondering in which way our tradition/holiday is similar to the way it's celebrated in your countries.
In Bulgaria we have Никулден (Nikulden) on the 6th, which celebrates St. Nicholas' Day. People with the names Nikolay, Nikolinka, Nikola etc. celebrate their name days and it's also tradition to eat fish on Никулден. It's a fairly big holiday, but not big enough to, say, get a day off from school, for example.
Here, in Romania, on the night of the 5th kids would leave their boots at the door, and check in the morning if they got something. Either nuts/fruit or a stick (If they're naughty). It's sorta like a mini-Christmas, but in no way celebrated on the scale that it is celebrated in The Netherlands.
Here, in Romania, on the night of the 5th kids would leave their boots at the door, and check in the morning if they got something. Either nuts/fruit or a stick (If they're naughty). It's sorta like a mini-Christmas, but in no way celebrated on the scale that it is celebrated in The Netherlands.
Did... did you often get a stick?
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