Правила поведения за столом.

Хорошие манеры за столом исключают вульгарность. Все правила поведения за столом созданы, чтобы избе­жать этого. Показывать кому-нибудь содержимое вашего рта — оскорбительно. То же самое касается и шума. Не­аккуратно есть также некрасиво. Поэтому и существуют правила поведения за столом.

Не привлекайте к себе чрезмерного внимания собрав­шихся.

Когда едите, берите, сколько хотите, но съедайте все, что берете.

Никогда не тянитесь через весь стол за чем-нибудь, по­просите соседа передать это.

Берите кусочек хлеба с хлебницы рукой, не накалывай­те его вилкой.

Никогда не читайте во время приема пищи (по крайней мере, в компании).

Когда перед вами поставлено блюдо, не пожирайте его глазами, как будто вы в первый раз его увидели, и не со­здавайте впечатления, будто вы готовы проглотить его.

Цыпленок требует специального способа обращения. Вначале порежьте его, а когда уже невозможно пользо­ваться ножом или вилкой, прибегните к пальцам.

Вежливый способ отказаться от блюда — сказать: "Нет, спасибо" (или согласиться: "Да, пожалуйста"). Не говори­те "Я такое не ем", не гримасничайте и не поднимайте шум, показывая, что вы не хотите этого.

В перерывах между едой не катайте хлебные шарики, чтобы скоротать время, и не играйте с серебром.

Не оставляйте ложку в чашке, когда пьете чай или кофе.

Не опустошайте стакан очень быстро — он будет неза­медлительно наполнен.

Не пейте, если ваш рот набит едой.

Не ешьте с ножа.

Фрукты, картофель, макароны накладываются на та­релку с помощью ножа.

Если еда горячая, не дуйте на нее так, как будто вы собираетесь развести костер глубокой ночью.

Попытайтесь создавать как можно меньше шума во время еды.

И, в конце концов, не забывайте благодарить за каждую услугу и помощь.

COMPARE ENGLISH, AMERICAN, RUSSIAN and MORDOVIAN MEALS

British Food

Have you tried British food? What did you think of it? The truth is that British food doesn't have the best reputation in the world. Why is this? And is it fair?

Yuk!

If you ask most foreigners what they think of British food, they'll use words like "bland","revolting", "tasteless" and "boring". They go back to their countries with stories of truly horrendous dishes such as boiled cabbageand tripe.

And they are often amazed at some of the unusual British eating habits and customs. After all, Britain is the only country in the world that has fruit juice as a starter,where the people throw salt onto everything, and where a chip sandwich (otherwise known as a chip butty) is a national delicacy.

Traditions

Eating in Britain has traditionally been a functional necessity rather than a pleasurable experience. Potatoes are eaten with everything (the average person gets through100 kilos of them every year), and the definition of a good restaurant is one that serves "hot food". Britain is also home to the famous English salad, which consists of half a tomato and a piece of lettuce, with earthand wormsin­cluded for free; and it's the only country in the world where the phrase, "I'm full" is the way you show you are satisfied with your food. In France, people often wish their friends or guests "bon appetit" before a meal, and most other countries in the world have a similar phrase… except in Britain, where there is no equivalent ex­pression.

The Problem

Perhaps the best examples of bad food can be found in self-service restaurantson the motorway.In many other countries, most nota­bly France, they take care to ensure that even this cheap, ready-made food is of the highest quality. But in England, this is where you can find some of the worst food, with dry meat, cold chips and soggyvegetables... and everything covered in gravyto hide the taste. A waiter in France has to know about food and have an understanding about service; and you'll find this excellent quality in even cheap motorway cafes. However, in Britain, you pay a fortune for service and quality like that. But is all British food like that? No, of course not. And things seem to be changing.

Times Change

For a start, British desserts and cakes are some of the best in the world. In fact, they're so good that British school children are often punished with "no puddings" if they don't behave.

And apart from the desserts there are lots of fantastic traditional British dishes, including the famous full-English breakfast, mouth­wateringsandwiches, delicious soups, the wonderful Sunday roast,amazing vegetarian restaurants and all the international food you could possibly imagine including Italian pasta restaurants, Spanish tapas bars, Indian curry houses and Japanese sushi bars.

Times Change

These days, British food is even being recognized on an international level. In a recent surveyof the top chefs and critics, Britain had about 10 of the top 50 restaurants in the world. British chef Heston Blumenstal is probably the hottest chef in the world now; and an­other British chef, Marco Pierre White (from Leeds) is the youngest ever winner of a 3^rd Michelin star.

And that's not all. Bray, a tiny village in Berkshire, England has just 5,000 inhabitants, but two 3-star restaurants; and Ludlow, another small village in England, has three Michelin-starred restaurants. So, you see, there is good food in Britain. You just need to know where to find it.

The Public Talks

What do you think of British food? If you've been to Britain, we're sure you've got an opinion. We asked the general public for their ideas, and this is what they said. Do you agree with any of the comments?

Against British Food

“No matter where you stop to eat in France, you are guaranteed good food. Even the more basic meals such as steak-au-poivre or chips and salad are always great. The same cannot be said of Britain; and it's normally a surprise if any cheap meal in this country is de­cent”. Graeme, England.

“Traditional British food gives me indigestion”.Tina, Norway.

“I don't want to hurt anyone but English food is boring if you compare it with French food. There is a real lack of imagination and creativ­ity”. Paula, Italy.

“I went to England for 3 months and I found that English products are without any taste. All foreigners complainabout English food. It's famous”. Elena, Russia.

“I'm aScotsman who is married to aFrench lady and I can honestly say that there is not a lot of difference between everyday French foodand everyday British food. However, the big difference is that most motorway service stations in France serve better food than is served in restaurants in Britain!” Jim, Scotland.

“Traditional British cooking is unappealing,unimaginative and unappetizing.As has been said before: “The French live to eat; the British eat to live”. Sam, Lichtenstein.

“Talking of British Cuisine is like talking about German humour, French generosity; Italian self-control; and American modesty”. Mark, Canada.

“The service that is provided in restaurants and cafes must be the world's worst”. Lee, China.

In Favour of British Food

“Well, if British food is bland compared to the rest of Europe – at least its safe to eat. The French for example have an extremely bad reputation for hygiene”. Jim Brunton, Wales.

“OK, so British food isn't great, but what great contributions have other countries made? Germany? Sauerkraut and sausages! France? Horse meat, snailsand frogs'legs! Eastern Europe? Boiled meat and potatoes!” Sandra, Spain.

“People's opinion of British food is all based on ignorance. They as­sume that we eat potatoes with everything. But did you know, you rarely get a cheap meal anywhere in Europe that does not come with chips, especially France. The difference is that we don't boastabout our local cuisine”. Michael, England.

“The British are much more adventurous when it comes to food – and that's why they have one of the most varied selection of inter­national restaurants anywhere. When I was in Britain, I once went to a pub in the East End of London that was serving Columbian tapas!”Paula, Luxembourg.

“British food is great. When I'm in England I can wake up and have an “English” breakfast, a slice of “Italian” pizza at lunchtime, “Indian” curry for dinner and a “Turkish” kebab on the way home from the club. What more could you ask for!” Kenneth, Mongolia.

“I first went to England as a student many years ago and I remember that all the food had no spices. You had to put black pepper and salt on everything. However, all those cheap dinners of fish and chips and baked beanskept me alive and healthy during my days as a student, and I'll never forget it”. Bobby, USA.

“There's no country like England for a good, healthy nourishing bowl of thick soup”. Crac, Ireland.

“Having just finished a lunch of meat pies, I can honestly say that I enjoy British food. Oh French cuisine is fine, but I just find it difficult to hold my nose for any length of time”. Juice, USA.

‘The best thing about visiting the UK is traditional British food. The best breakfast I've ever had is served at the bus station in Exmouth for 3,75 British pounds. So to blazes with the French!And pass the brown sauce please”. Peter, USA.

“Anyone who says they don't like British food hasn't tried roast gammon inciderwith fresh vegetables”. Shirley, Switzerland.

“Who gives a damnwhat the French think of our cooking!” Jeanette, England.

“Britain has the best choice of foreign and ethnic restaurants in the world.” Pauline, Canada.

BAKED BEANS

What do you have when you're hungry but you don't have time to cook? A sandwich? An omelette? The British are different, of course, and their favourite meal is a plate of baked beans on toast. Why are the British so obsessed with these little white beans in tomato sauce? And how can you enjoy your very own plate of baked beans?

Popularity

There's no doubt that beans are popular in Britain. Every day, hungry Brits eat 1.5 million cansof them. They eat them with their bacon for breakfast, they eat them over a jacket potatoal lunchtime, and they eat them on hot toast for dinner.

So why are they so popular? Some say it's the perfection: every bean is the same shape, and the sauce always has that familiar creamy consistency.And there's always a perfect ratio of bean to sauce (51% to 49%) that hasn't changed since baked beans were first invented.

Others say it's the wonderful contrast between the blandbean and its sweet sauce. And still others say it's the attractive design of the black and turquoise labelthat has a sense of timelessnessto it. British people love that: it's traditional, changeless and it's been with them for decades... and hopefully won't ever go awayor change. This gives the British a sense of reassurance.

Perfection in a Can

Of course, there's so much more to baked beans than just that. On toast they are pure heaven.The best thing is to start eating just as the sauce starts soaking throughthe hot buttered toast, so that you get slightly soggybread.

Then there is the speed at which your meal will be on the table. It's just a question of opening the can, heating upthe beans and there you have it.

Baked beans are healthy too. For every 100g of baked beans, there is 7.7g fibre, 0.4 percent saturated fat, and 4.7g of protein. There are also no artificial colours, no flavourings, and no preservatives; and they're OK for vegetarians, or those on a gluten-free diet. And all that for a mere33p a can (about 50 euro cents).

The Downside

Of course, as with everything else in life, beans have their disadvantages. For a start, half-eaten cans of beans placed in the fridge have a tendency to “disappear”. And they won't reappear until months later when you find them at the back covered in a layer of mould.

In addition, beans have a habit of going missing. Every time you open a can of them, one of two of them will certainly fall out and hide awayin the carpet,or behind the sofa or even in your bag.

You'll find them later, when they're dry and white, and have left a reddish stainon your carpet. Beans are notorious for producing excess gas too. In fact, schoolchildren love eating them for precisely this reason.

Beans also have high sugar content (over 25 g in every can – which is the equivalent of eight sugar cubes). Lastly, no matter how quickly you eat your beans, they're always cold by the time you get to the last forkful.And there's nothing worse than cold beans: only weirdoeseat cold beans... oh, and beware of anyone who eats cold beans directly out of a can. That's really, really weird.

The Start

So, what's the most popular brand?And how did it all start? For most Brits, the number one brand of beans is Heinz. As the 1967 advertising slogan said, “beanz meanz Heinz”. The British are more loyal to Heinz Baked Beans than they are to any other brand. The company was founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1875. The founder, Henry James Heinz, made his first overseas sale in Britain in1886. He eventually established his first factory, in Peckharn (southeast London) in 1905. In the Sixties and Seventies, the British subsidiaryaccounted for more than 50 percent of the firm's business; and continues to do very well to this day.

A Cultural Phenomenon

Baked beans are considered an important part of British culture. They've been used to raise charity (someone once sat in a bathtub full of them); and they're even in the Guinness Book of Records forthe “Number of Baked Beans Consumed in Five Minutes Using Only a Cocktail Stick”.

In a survey carried out in 1998, Heinz Baked Beans were chosen as one of the products that best represents Britain. And in another survey, British people chose Heinz Baked Beans to put in a special time capsule.

The sight of a can of baked beans can create feelings of nostalgia for many Brits. After all, baked beans have been part of their lives for so long. As children they had them for tea, then as students they lived offthem because they were so cheap and filling.So, older generations often associate their childhood and student days with baked beans. So, will you be having some baked beans next time you're in Britain?

FAT America

Americans are fat, and that's a fact. More than half of adult Americans are overweight, and about 54 million of them are obese, says a recent study. Is it the genes? The inactive American lifestyle? The hamburgers and soda?

by Laura Warrell (US English spelling)

Let's Be Politically Correct

Obesity is a big prob­lem in the US. It ran cause premature death, heart disease and diabetes. Hundreds of thousands of Americans die every year because of dis­eases related to obesity. Medical experts make a distinction be­tween being over­weight and obese Overweight people, they say, have a body weight that's too big in proportion to their height. Obese people have an excessive amount of body fat in relation to their body mass.

“Fat” people in general prefer to be called “persons of size”, which is the politically correct term.These days, no one uses the term “fat”, except adolescent boys on the playground who throw dirtat fat girls.

Haagen Dazs Ice Cream

Doctors are seriously worried about obesity. After all, they see what happens to obese people.

Medical officials want obesity to be considered a public health crisis. If it isn't, they say, the country will have a variety of problems, includ­ing a decrease in labor productivity, high medical insurance costs and a nationwide shortageof Haagen Dazs chocolate chip ice cream.

The medical profession launched several marketing campaigns to show Americans how to oat healthier. In one advert, they explained that ketchup is not actually avegetable.

Doctors spend a lot of time determining patients' body fat. They do this by measuring a patient's waistand counting their folds of skin.“Every morning, I wake up eagerto get to the office and measure folds of skin,” says Dr. Lionel Dunn of Buffalo, New York. “I ask myself, “how many will there be? Five, six, seven?” Once, I found ten folds on an Idaho woman. That's the kind of day that makes me glad to be a medical professional”.

Virgins & Cheese Products

So why are Americans so fat ? Some say it's because they spend too much time on the sofa watching television and playing video games. When given the choice between exercising and lying on the couchthrowing potato chipsin their mouths, most Americans choose the latter.

Health groups think that junk foodis the main culprit.Processed foods and snacks, which are high in preservatives,chemicals and unhealthy fats, form the basis of the American diet. In other coun­tries people eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. But in the US this is rare. Take American cheese as an example. The most popular kind is a glowingorange tube full of chemicals and strange fats. Americans put this “cheese food” on everything including hamburgers, piz­zas and ice cream.

In 2004, Americans spent $110 billion in restaurants like McDonalds, Burger King and Wendy's. In fact, studies show that McDonalds' logo, the yellow M-shaped French fry known as the “golden arches”, is more recognizable to American children than the Christian cross. Some children have even been seen wearing the arches on a gold chain around their necks.

Fat People Unite

In the US, no oppressed or minority group exists without an organiza­tion to support it. For obese people it's the “American Obesity Asso­ciation”. This group aimsto change public perceptions about obesity. The American Obesity Association wants people to realize that fat­ness is a disease, not a lifestyle choice.

“Fatness is all about genetics”, says Mara Shell. “We were just born that way. Many people think we choose to stufften bags of chocolate cookies into our mouth and wash it down with a liter of Coca Cola. But this isn't true. By the way, are you gonnaeat that choco­late cookie?”

Obesity organizations have lobbiedcongress about obesity issues. They want to focus on the following areas:

1. Education

2. Research

3. Prevention

4. Treatment

5. Eating cheesecake

Fat People Fight Back

Years ago, there were lawsuitsagainst the tobacco industry. These days, fat Americans are suingthe companies they think are respon­sible for obesity. They argue that McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and Kentucky Fried Chicken misledthem by enticingthem with greasy,salty and sugary food and not admitting, how unhealthy if was.

“The fast-food industry has wreckedmy life”, said Caesar Barbar, 125 kilos, one of the plaintiffs.Mr. Barbar said he regularly ate fast food until 1996 when his doctor said if he continued, he would ex­plode. He had had two heart attacks and suffered diabetes by the time the lawsuit came to court.

“Of course I thought it was good for me”, said Jennifer Mackei, 150 kilos, another plaintiff. “Besides, why would McDonalds lie?”

Crying Infants

In June 2002, Southwest Airlines, a major American airline, caused a national scandal. They announced that they would start forcing fat people to buy two seats on airplanes. Obesity advocates protested.

There were publicity campaigns and the protesters lobbied congress to change the rule. Overweight Americans admitted that a “passenger of size” can inconvenienceother people, but argued that people using cell phones,trying infants, old people and people with disabili­ties can also cause inconvenience to other passengers.

In a press release, the American Obesity Association said, “the airline industry and its passengers have a history of accommodating the elderly, parents with strollersand persons with wheelchairs.So why not accommodate fat people?”

“It's very easy”, said an anonymous airline employee. “Old ladies don't take up two seats”.

Both casesare still in court.

And The Winner Is...

So what does the future look like for overweight people? Many people are fighting hard to eliminate obesity discrimination. And these days obesity is being seen as a disease, and fat people as the victims. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen. Either way, “persons of size” have nearly succeeded in making Americans see them as ordinary people… who are just a bit larger.

Hamburger Heaven

Hamburgers! Mm... Delicious/ The hamburger is one of America's favourite foods and has helped make the USA one of the fattest countries in the world. Hamburgers are everywhere in America and no matter where you go, you'll probably be no further than 100 meters from somewhere that sells these tastypieces of cow meat. This month, Hot English's very own Jeff Fenyo takes a look at America's insatiable appetitefor burgers.

Hamburger Nation

There was once a time in the United States when people didn't eat hamburgers. US president Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) never had the pleasure of eating a double bacon cheeseburger. But then in 1904 something happened that would change the world forever. On a warm Saturday morning, at the 1904 World Fair in St. Louis, Thomas Puckerbutt arrived at his hot dog standat 10:06 AM to prepare for the day's hungry crowd of visitors. To his horror, he was informed that there was a transport strike,and that no hot dogs would be delivered for at least another week. He was horrified, shocked and desperate. He would be ruined! He sat down in front of his stand, crying inconsolably. Then, all of a sudden, Puckerbutt began to smile as he developed a plan to save his business. At 11:23 AM the first “hamburger” was born. The crowd went wildover this delicious creation. By the late 1930's, the ham­burger had become one of the most popular foods in the country.

Billion Burgers

Americans eat an incredible quantity of hamburgers. Ac­cording to a leading hamburger researcher, the average American eats nearly 14 kilos of hamburger a year. This means that around 38billion burgers are eaten annually. At­tempts by mathematicians to calculate how many cows must be sacrificed each year to make all these ham­burgers have ended in failure. The problem is that no one is certain what percentage of the cow actually goes into making the hamburgers served in fast-food restaurants. Do the hamburgers include the cows' tongues? The tails? The ears? The organs? Or are they 100% top-quality meat? Until the big fast-food restaurants reveal their secret recipes, the true number of cows used to make hamburgers will remain a mystery.

Hamburger Eating Contests

Americans love sport, and they've invented some re­ally strange sports that hardly anyone knows about. One of these is “Hamburger Eating” and “Hamburger Eating Competitions”. These competitions are normally organized by hamburger restaurants or meat manufac­turers and attract contestants from all over the country. It's a serious spot and the professional contestants spend months training their stomachs to absorb huge amounts of cow meat in very short periods of time.

The competition itself is as tactical as chess match and as spirited as a game of American football. Here's how it works the contest­ants slowly take their seats at the eating table andcarefully observe their opponents, searching for any signs of weaknesses or nervous­ness. As the pilesof hamburgers aге placed in front of them, it isn't unusual for the competitors to laugh in asinister way in order to intimidate the other competitors. When all is prepared, the compe­tition judge points the starting gun in the air. Ready, set… go! The gun is fired, and the contestants dive intotheir hamburgers and shoveas many down their throatsas possible before the judge signals the end of the competition. The contestant who eats the most hamburgers, and is still conscious and breathing at the end of the event, is the “Hamburger Eating Champion”.

Spectators

It's an exciting event, but it's also disgusting.Just imagine these sights and sounds: competitors stuffing their faceswith so many burgers that the grease flows out of their mouths and tricklesdown their hands, arms and necks; loud and objectionable sounds coming from the competitors' abused bodies; participants turning green from hamburger overdose and becoming violently ill in front of the spectators. And the contestants aren't exactly the sort of people you get on Baywatc! It's vile,it's repulsive, but the people love it. There's still no television contract to broadcast these contests, but the demand for quality television is so high in America that the or­ganizers are confident that millions of viewers will soon see the competitions live on TV.

Hamburger Consequences

Hamburgers are popular, but they're also making the United States one of the fattest countries in the world. Americans give the im­pression that they're obsessed with health and fitness,but the truth is that most people are in terrible shape and have no interest in taking care of themselves. These days fitness magazines conduct surveyseach yеaг to see which city will earn the title of “America's Fattest City”. It's an award that no city wants. In case you're curious, the cities selected in 2005as America's fattest were Detroit, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Chicago. Big cities with very big bellies.

No matter what the health consequences, Americans will never stop eating hamburgers – they are too addicted to them.

American Drinks

What do you drink in the morning? Some tea, perhaps, or a cup of coffee, or just water. And what do you have during the day when you're feeling thirsty? More water. Now what about the Americans? What do you think they drink? Like most things in the United States, Americans have a big choice when it comes to drinks. There's coffee, milk, juice, soft drinks and special “diet drinks” (made with enough chemicals to exterminate a small village), and beer. So what do Americans pre­fer? And when do they drink it?

by Laura Warrell (American English spelling)

Soda

Americans are well-known sodadrinkers. Pepsi and Coca-Cola domi­nate the soda industry, though there are smaller companies trying to compete. There's the basic brown cola, plus an endless supply of other flavors, including orange, lime, grapeand cherry.Then there are crystal-cleardrinks like Sprite and 7-Up, and a lesser-knownproduct called Crystal Pepsi.

Many people blamethis high sods consumption for most of the country's social problems, including obesity, heart disease and an inability to drive. Apparently, in 2004, more than 95 billion litres of soda were consumed...which means at least one canper day for every man, woman and child.

Milk

What do you give your guests when they come to your house? Aglass of beer, or wine? Or some tea or coffee, perhaps?

Foreigners in the States are often surprised when they sit down to dinner with an American family and are offered milk. But this is perfectly normal as many Americans, especially children, have milk with nearly every meal.

At present, there's an aggressive campaign to get Americans to drink even more milk. It's healthy, they say, and prevents bone diseases such as osteoporosis. The milk industry also scaresconsumers by say­ing 88% of women and 60% of men aren't getting enough calcium in their diets, and how 28 million people already have bone diseases. Then, they push old ladies to show how easy it is to break a limbwhen you're not drinking enough milk.

For a long time, there was a series of television adsas part of the “Got Milk” campaign. They showed famous people wearing a “milk mustache” (a line of milk above their upper lip)and saying something meaningfulabout the drink. Some of the people who have appeared in the videos include Britney Spears, director Spike Lee and Sarah Michelle Cellar.

Coffee

Coffee is the number-one hot drink in the US. Apparently, 52per­cent of Americans over 18 drink a cup of joe (coffee) regularly. The average coffee drinker drinks 3.3 cups every day; and many Ameri­cans can't start their day without it. Regular coffee is basically a weak coffee with hot water that some say tastes like mud.

“Gourmet” coffee is what they drink in European countries such as France, Spain and Italy, and has become more popular in the States with the rise of cafeslike Starbucks. These cafes have introduced the average American to things like cappuccino and espresso, as well as exotically flavored coffees. They have also managed to convince Americans to spend four dollars, instead of the 50 cents they used to pay, on coffee mixed with things like chocolate syrup, caramel and whipped cream. For many, sitting in a Starbucks is like sitting in a McDonalds except that it's green, the chairs are more comfortable and it smells like coffee instead of meat.

Alcohol

Americans have a poor attitude towards alcohol. They don't drink for pleasure as the French, Spanish or Italians do. They drink to get wasted, trashed, annihilated, bombed, wreckedor just plain drunk.

Although 21 is the legal drinking age in most states, many Americans begin drinking in high school because of pressure from their friends. University is the place where most Americans start their relationship with booze.At fraternity parties,young people like to drink until their blood is replaced by alcohol and they can no longer speak or walk. The real fun comes the next morning when they can complain about their massive hangoversand entertain their friends with sto­ries about how they “got totally wasted and pukedall over the place”. Once they leave school and enter the workforce, Americans can enjoy “Happy Hour”. During Happy Hour, restaurants and bars offer cheap drinks and food between five and nine, when the workday ends. Business executives and other professionals think of Happy Hour as an opportunity to relax after work, get thoroughly drunk and start casual relationships with colleagues.

Spirits & Cocktails

More sophisticated Americans enjoy cocktails. There are thousands of fancynames for them, but some of the most popular are Bloody Marys (vodka and tomato juice) and Screwdrivers (orange juice and vodka). Also popular are Daiquiris, which are made with ice and rum, and come in strawberry, lime and other flavors. Pina coladas are coconut flavoured, and mudslides are made with rum, kahlua, chocolate and ice cream.

Americans also love to “do shots”. A shot is a small glass of alcohol that you drink in one quick gulp.Typical shots are made with tequila, whiskey or rum. One of the most powerful shots is the "Kamikaze", which is made with vodka, triple sec and lime juice. Its green color looks wonderful on car upholsterywhen you puke it up hours later.

Beer

The most popular alcoholic drink in America is beer. In fact, the average American drinks about 100 litres of beer a year. Americans are as loyal to their beer brands as they are to their foot­ball teams. There are “Beer of the Month” clubs, beer collectiblesand even a beer cookbook, which has reci­pes with beer, and recipes for foods that go well with beer.Beer compa­nies attract customers with provocative ads that usually include Swedish models in bikinis, or gorgeous girls who decide to sleep with dorkssimply because of the beer they're drinking.

One of the most successful beer com­mercials was from Budweiser. In it, a group of friends greetedeach other by happily yelling, “Whassup?” There were many versions of the ad, including one in a karaoke club and another with Italian mafiosos. This helped Budweiser sales, and led to an increase of idiots crying “whassuuuuup” every time some­one said hello to them. So what will you drink on your next visit to the States?