Earlier quoted context omitted.
"A generation or two ago" roughly corresponds to the Tamagotchi era too.
Or two? Why do you have to be like that?
Like what ??
World conker champion found with steel chestnut, cleared of cheating
501–510 of 601 posts
Re: World conker champion found with steel chestnut, cleared of cheating
#502Re: World conker champion found with steel chestnut, cleared of cheating
#503Earlier quoted context omitted.
Football/soccer is a British import likely 'invented' somewhere else
How do you know?
Re: World conker champion found with steel chestnut, cleared of cheating
#504Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not sure where you've been eating, but even Birmingham—my unfashionable British hometown—has nine Michelin star restaurants within a short drive. I grew up in the UK but I've lived for 15 years all over the US, and it's always confused me that Americans are convinced that British food is bad. On a whole, British supermarkets have far better produce, in both quality and diversity. UK restaurants run the gamut from cut…
I think the trope is that British cuisine , that is, dishes that are uniquely British, are bad. Not that there isn’t good food there. Being a rich country, an empire, and part of Europe means you can have many, many different cuisines there though, and like you said many are very good.
It's a trope for sure, but it doesn't really make sense: a lot of American dishes are traditional British foods. Roast dinners with stuffing and gravy, apple pie, pancakes, biscuits/scones, fried fish and potatoes, meat pies. Thanksgiving dinner is an ancient British harvest feast with some New World ingredients; Christmas dinner is the same format.
And since most American food has also made its way to the UK, there's really not a great deal of difference.
Re: World conker champion found with steel chestnut, cleared of cheating
#505Earlier quoted context omitted.
As someone that played it over 60 years ago, there is quite a bit of technique involved - for example, aiming to hit the opponent's conker accurately and hard.
Wouldn't that newton's-second-law your own conker just as hard though? As the aggressor you get to choose the points of contact, which must be where the accuracy comes in. If you can strike your opponent downwards you're more likely to knock them off the string and lead to Stamps.
> Wouldn't that newton's-second-law
Contradict/confirm/what? Please clarify.
Re: World conker champion found with steel chestnut, cleared of cheating
#506Earlier quoted context omitted.
As someone that roasts and eats chestnuts, it's kind of odd to play with them. I suppose you ate many and also played, or are they simply not eaten there?
The ones used for conkers are horse chestnuts (typically round in shape), not the same as the ones that are eaten which are spanish chestnuts and normally have flat sides.
That makes sense-- thanks!
Re: World conker champion found with steel chestnut, cleared of cheating
#507Earlier quoted context omitted.
Here's a video that explains it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLGuZZraIqg And one from the championship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5t6ej8Jzew And here I was thinking that curling was the most ridiculous-looking sport in the world. I stand corrected.
I don’t think conker players pretend it’s a sport. It would ihmo be more accurate to call it a game.
s/sport/organized competitive activity/
Re: World conker champion found with steel chestnut, cleared of cheating
#508Earlier quoted context omitted.
Football wasn't spread (just) through conquest. The UK never conquered Argentina or Brazil yet if you'd look at football fans in both countries you'd think Argentina or Brazil not only invented football itself, but they also built an entire cult around it :-p
Football/soccer is a British import likely 'invented' somewhere else
A quick look says that Wikipedia disagrees with you. It's homegrown.
If you claim otherwise (and claim that Wikipedia is an inadequate source), that's fine, but show your evidence.
Re: World conker champion found with steel chestnut, cleared of cheating
#509Re: World conker champion found with steel chestnut, cleared of cheating
#510Earlier quoted context omitted.
> conquer countries 10x your size > invent 20 sports the entire world plays I mean, the two are kind of related, causally...
Football wasn't spread (just) through conquest. The UK never conquered Argentina or Brazil yet if you'd look at football fans in both countries you'd think Argentina or Brazil not only invented football itself, but they also built an entire cult around it :-p
The UK's relationship to Argentina was not conquest, true. But it was as close to colonial as you can get without stepping over the line.
There's a school called St. Andrews in Buenos Aires. If you know, you know.