I don't like comparing food to books. Books can be bought by anyone. But gourmet is a luxury. Plus, a lot of people don't live in cities where one can fine 4 star restaurants. Some people are lucky if they can go to a chain restaurant like Logan's or apple-bee's more than once a week. I'm a lower middle class dude myself.
OK. I'm curious. What specific works are you referring to when you say "far better literature"?Originally Posted by stlukesguild
Bloom is referring to The Wind in the Willows or Alice in Wonderland, but I wonder what you have in mind.
My blog: https://frankhubeny.blog/
Specifically fantasy. Listing the hundreds of major works is too easy.
I really don't see fast food as crap. I see it as fast. You seem to look down on it because it's common and prefer any Italian or Chinese restaurant regardless of their quality for the sheer novelty. There is nothing wrong with American food. If you must inject some sort of foreign experience into your meals just remember that pizza comes from Italy and Hamburgers come from Germany and whenever you sample that fare you are being oh so sophisticated and European. Dim sum is full of saturated fat and salt and is a Chinese peasant dish invented as a snack for farmers. It's their equivalent of the doughnut. And what is so special about your Italian bistro? Are you going to have some spaghetti? How is that better for you than a bowl of chili? One is foreign peasant food and the other is local peasant food. How is Teriyaki better than regular deli meat? Ramen is no better than our native chicken noodle soup, and pho was originally sold on street corners the same as our hot dogs. There are so many stuck up people who would never dream of eating American fast food but routinely sample the fast food of other cultures and feel so superior for doing so.
When I talk about gourmet cuisine, I'm not talking about traditional foreign peasant food. I'm talking about foie gras pates, lobster, escargot, truffles, caviar, filet mignon, and pinot noire. And for all the people saying that fast food is unhealthy, do you think these fine cuisine's aren't full of calories and fats?
"So-Crates: The only true wisdom consists in knowing that you know nothing." "That's us, dude!"- Bill and Ted
"This ain't over."- Charles Bronson
Feed the Hungry!
Also, McDonald's* is a darn fine equity, which has made El Sancho beaucoup bucks over the years.
*Disclaimer: El Sancho is long on MCD.
Uhhhh...
That wasn't even the point of his post. You did notice the part where he showed how silly your analogy was, yes?
Also, what's "Confunded"? Is that an HP word, or a misspelling of "confounded"?
I made up the word. It means "Boy who died because eat a poisoned frog despite the advice of the authorities to not do so."
I really don't see fast food as crap. I see it as fast. You seem to look down on it because it's common and prefer any Italian or Chinese restaurant regardless of their quality for the sheer novelty.
No... I recognize that for the most part fast food tastes like crap. It's a fast and cheap alternative to food that is much better. McDonalds burgers don't taste anywhere near as good as burgers from any number of bars, most sit-down restaurants, or the backyard grill. Taco Bell's cuisine is no where near the same as what I can get in a real Mexican restaurant. Domino's or Marco's or Cici's pizza tastes like cardboard compared to what I can get at a better Italian restaurant or pizza-shop. The Chinese take out at one of those ubiquitous China King shops falls far short of what I can get in the local restaurants in Chinatown. hell... you probably going to tell me that Budweiser and Lite taste as good as Samuel Smith, Chimay, Duvel, or Aventinus or that suggesting that Budweiser is pi**-water is somehow un-American.
Beware of the man with just one book. -Ovid
The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.- Mark Twain
My Blog: Of Delicious Recoil
http://stlukesguild.tumblr.com/
I would suggest that Alice in Wonderland most certainly is an example of "far better literature".
Beware of the man with just one book. -Ovid
The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.- Mark Twain
My Blog: Of Delicious Recoil
http://stlukesguild.tumblr.com/
I think Alice in Wonderland is a lot of whimsical crap. When I read it as a kid I liked it at first, till about the mad hatter's tea party, and then gave up because it was just one damn bizzare thing after the other. The Harry potter books, for all their Confundo charms and invisibility cloaks and other flights of fancy, are still firmly rooted in reality.
Of course, this is only me. I'm sure there are lots of kids out there who like Alice (though I haven't met any), and it's been around for more than a hundred years. Well, I'm pretty sure the HP books will also be around for that long - just give it enough time. Owners of first editions - hold on to your copies!
Last edited by mona amon; 10-10-2012 at 12:58 AM.
Exit, pursued by a bear.
I've enjoyed Alice in Wonderland, stlukesguild, and I am re-reading it now because of this thread. It is different, but I don't think it is any better than Harry Potter. I know we will disagree on that and that is fine. Uniformity of tastes is very boring. I have no authority to force you to accept my position and I do not want any such authority. Luckily for me, I try my best not to accept anyone's authority to force my tastes either.
After reading Carroll, what else should the young person read? Or should they just keep re-reading it?
Last edited by YesNo; 10-10-2012 at 01:03 AM.
My blog: https://frankhubeny.blog/
Alice is deeply rooted on reality. Dreams are real and mathematics too.
The burton movie is not so far away, even with the weird reading, it is undeniable that it is quite fresh for a book written 100 years ago. As Italo Calvino would say, a classic that still has things to say.
And maybe yes, maybe not in 100 years HP will still be there, but that is not the only card of Alice. It is undenyable original language-wise and has be direct influence for heavy weights like Joyce, Borges or Guimaraes Rosa.
Alice's books can be talked in the same breath as Moby Dick, Quixote, Bovary, etc. You do not need to like it - but really, that is why Bloom does not say much about, the credentials of those books are too impressive.
Oh please!Alice's books can be talked in the same breath as Moby Dick, Quixote, Bovary, etc.I've read Moby Dick, Quixote and Bovary, all absolutely magnificent books, and Alice is simply not in the same league, either in language, complexity or scope or stature. It isn't even fair to compare them, or any other children's book with some literary giant.
To me it seems like you'll say anything, however ridiculous, just to try and prove the HP books are trash.
Exit, pursued by a bear.
The word "silly" is silly. It doesn't describe what you did not like about the analogy which I would be interested to hear.
I understand that McDonald's and White Castle are too similar. I should have picked some more expensive, fancier place that serves other cultures' peasant foods at jacked up prices for Bloom to promote. I think I got the point, but I was using your restaurant choices, Mutatis-Mutandis, not mine. You said you did not like McDonald's but you did like White Castle. Pick another restaurant, as fancy as you want, that you do not like and replace that with McDonald's. When Bloom plays the authority card, the point of the analogy still works since by assumption you do not like that fancy restaurant.
Regarding the Confunded Charm referenced in my signature, I liked the way Rowling made Snape summarize very briefly what happens when people are most confused--they become most certain. I thought it was a good line from the book.
My blog: https://frankhubeny.blog/
Actually, thanks to the internet, and who knows how advanced it will be in the future, I think Harry potter has a good chance of surviving 100 years from now.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
