Safe Countries In Europe and American Cheese and Canned Meat Products.

I looked at the list and found it interesting that the US ranks no. 14 in the list of the world's most unsafe countries. But I like that Romania is ranked low on the list of expensive countries, with an average daily budget of only $74 (compared to say, Switzerland at $251). Hungary isn't much higher, with an average daily budget of $75.

I didnt put up the cost to visit list because i dont see how the logic works. Hungary for instance the $75 would be great for Székesfehérvár, but I suspect you would me up about $50 short for Budapest. Romania more so for Bucharest as its sort of a pricy city while the rest of the country is dirt cheap.

I didnt put up the cost to visit list because i dont see how the logic works.

I think that thought can be applied to most of the indexes. I am not sure what value any of this has for the casual traveler. They at least explain the factors they took into account, but I am not sure how military spending per GDP, or the fact that a country possesses nuclear weapons (US, UK, France, for example) severely affects safety, especially for a traveler. Much the same can be said about other criteria.

I looked at the list, and to rank the U.S. right next to Syria and Iran in terms of safety is ridiculous. First of all, the U.S. is a HUGE country, and what you might find in a big city is not anything like what you might find in small-town Kansas.

Paul, I agree. There is another called the Peace Index that is pure social bait.

But, when I see something like this, it does stimulate curiosity and when I have time I look into and maybe learn somehting. So I offered it for that. And to warn people to stay out of Spain ... just kidding. If 100 points was the maximum dangerous, it means every country fully in Europe is in the 50% safest catagory. Maybe thats the best takeaway.

StellaB
I tried to keep it positive so I didnt mention that North Korea was found to be safer to travel in than a substantial part of the world.

For the US, thats always an issue. The US and Europe are about the same size. We look at Europe as individual states and score the states accordingly. If we had to look at Europe as one state what would the score be? Maybe closer to Italy's score? Europe is 50 states (more or less), the US is 50 states, what would the score of New Hampshire be if it were scored solo?

I know I really shouldn't take the bait and engage with these type of indices, but... Qatar 12th safest country in the world? Safe for whom? Certainly not migrant labourers who are dying of heatstroke and living in squalid conditions. "Safe" is such a tricky concept to define and quantify, and as others have said can vary vastly by location- as well as by community. For example, Northern Ireland is generally a very safe place but right now there are terrible riots targeting migrant communities in certain cities. If I were to go to Belfast right now I'd feel extremely safe but if I were a Filipino person in Ballymena I'd be terrified. I suppose the key takeaway is that it's all relative.

Hellosafe, a startup company with a million in seed money that specializes in insurance and finance, has brought forth more than this most definitive list on safe countries for tourists. It also produced an official looking ranking on the best soft cheeses. Surprisingly, Kraft's velveeta topped the list with a 78.14 and beating out famed Camembert by 9.72 points. Shocking upset if you ask me!

Happy travels.

These rankings are usually subjective. How come Japan is not listed on top? Japan is safer than Singapore.

Also, I find Poland to be much safer than any western or northern European country. Denmark is not that safe. I was almost robbed twice in Copenhagen. Switzerland is ok safe, but perhaps it's also because crime is not reported as much as it should be.

Almost every comment above is part of a discussion in which people consider, think, contribute, and evaluate .... that's the only real value to the study.

The institute of soft cheese ranking and safest tourist countries will be producing a new ranking according to my well placed sources. And the inside scoop is this: the safest country for tourism is Cleveland Ohio, which tracks with my personal experience. Also, Veelveta drops below Camembert in the new Official Ranking, which also seems right to me.

Kansas which is notorious for dropping houses on wicked witches has topped out the most improved place since the number of houses it has dropped on witches seems to be in decline.

Happy (and safe) travels!

Almost every comment above is part of a discussion in which people consider, think, contribute, and evaluate .... that's the only real value to the study.

That's what I was more or less going to say. It's not a great study, but an interesting talking point.

I think David is on the money with the soft cheese analogy.

That the USA was the 14th most dangerous country to visit last year is a surprise. That it is less safe than Bangladesh and only a little safer than Syria is even more surprising.

I know the USA is not a safe place to visit compared to more advanced countries in western Europe, NZ or Canada, etc., but I also suspect its position as one of the most dangerous places is nonsense.

Define safe? Thats always the problem. Murder? 75% involved other criminal activity. 50% of the time the victim and assailant are known to each other. So, if you don't know anyone in the US and you aren't breaking the law LOL.

Well, if David doesn't appreciate Velveeta it's his cultural short coming. You get a 4 quart sauce pan, fill it half way up with water. Then using old leftover aluminum foil you form a sort of double boiler. Add one brick of Velveeta and one 16oz bottle of original Pace Picante sauce (HOT). Heat, melt, stir, bring tortilla chips and life is good.

GerryM, sorry. I never mean to offend. I apologize. I do have a warped sense of humor, which i realize can be taken the wrong way, and i am not always the greatest communicator. This time, I was supporting the previous post. None of us, people, or nations is perfect.

If you send me a PM with a link to the post that bothered you, I will fix it.

No worries dude. All good. Sent you a PM.

"Well, if David doesn't appreciate Velveeta it's his cultural short coming. You get a 4 quart sauce pan, fill it half way up with water. Then using old leftover aluminum foil you form a sort of double boiler. Add one brick of Velveeta and one 16oz bottle of original Pace Picante sauce (HOT). Heat, melt, stir, bring tortilla chips and life is good."

Not appreciate? Why that's my goto food when I travel to France! The Eiffel tower, the Orsay, and a bubbling pot of nacho sauce!

But it's not "safe". After a couple quarts of that delicious stuff, I get the wind something awful! A bio-hazard in the extreme.

Now if comments like mine don't get the attention of the moderators, golly, they are really asleep at the switch!

Happy travels.

"You get a 4 quart sauce pan, fill it half way up with water. Then using old leftover aluminum foil you form a sort of double boiler. Add one brick of Velveeta and one 16oz bottle of original Pace Picante sauce"

Wow, that seems horrible. I know America has a reputation for bad food, but do they really eat water, a brick (!) of fake "cheese" and some peppers? I thought Andalucian cold tomato soup with an egg was grim, but the USA seems to be a dining disaster!

"do they really eat water"

The water is just to heat the "cheese" at an even temperature. It is not mixed in. And I've always wondered what Velveeta actually was, so I looked it up. It was originally made from cheese scraps and other salts, etc to extend the life of cheese. But yes, by today's standards with 20 French cheeses at the local grocery store, Velveeta is a brick of "wth is that." It is the opposite of a culinary delight but it serves its purpose on Super Bowl Sunday. Perhaps it does contribute to the safety rating for the US. ;)

"Now if comments like mine don't get the attention of the moderators..."

You have my attention, but I don't ban folks for wind references or goofy jest. ;)

This is not dining. Thats a different social class and French. We just eat.

Calling Pace "just peppers" is like calling Tapas, just snacks!

By the way, I love these posts. Never offense taken.

No ban for wind comments? Wow!

I guess I'm gonna have to take it up a notch!

Happy travels!

I got a PM from the OP who said the posts were OK.

Re Chili Con Queso....Velveeta is the best for that, along with Pace medium picante. But try cutting it in chunk, add a splash of milk with the Pace, and heat in a bowl or large measuring cup in the microwave. Less chance of losing some cheese into the makeshift double boiler. Long live Velveeta and Pace for enjoying your chips.
(And I speaks as someone who appreciates the difference between true Roquefort and Amana blue cheese.)

And this is travel... it's about exploring cultures.

Microwave? The only folks that have those are the ones who have color TVs and European cars.

Missing where I now live are good bacon and good Polish sausage. Of course, no Velveeta.
What does a Texan know about Polish sausage? Where do you think Texans came from?

Nick, we have a city that had a German language newspaper until 30 years ago. My favorite Friday night was at the Slovack SPJST Lodge that's been around 100 years. I lived 30 miles from a town where Alsacian is still spoken. The major historic district in my home town is the King William District after a German. We have another town where you can get great Kolach. The largest ranch near my home town was settled by Ukrainins. All of this dates to 1800 more or less.

I could move to France, speak perfect French, get French citizenship and I would still never be French. We are all Americans and all Texans here. Doesn't matter where we were born.

One of my proudest moments was when I traveled with a young Iranian lady. She had just gotten her citizenship, and it was her first time entering the US on her US passport (from Iran, no less). When I got through immigration behind her I found her crying. I asked if the inspector had been inappropriate .. she said that he said "welcome home ma'am" and for the first time she knew she was an American.

Spam!!! The national dish of Hawaii!! Nothing beats a fried Spam sandwich.

Sorry, for a good grilled cheese you need Sharp Cheddar. Something else near impossible to find here.

I see the OP amended the thread title.

Do you think the predominance of the car in the US adds to the
strangeness (or scaryness) of just walking around cities and using
"third places"?

GerryM in a word, YES.

And most Americans have never used any sort of public transportation.

Wait a minute. Switzerland is $251 a day and the US is $249. Not a chance. The Big Mac index is laughing at Hello Safe. Norway is $159? Maybe for a half a day!!!

Threadware, the problem is that you can't do a country average. Small towns will be significantly different than cities so tmyou have no idea whatvthe number represents.

GerryM. Same in the US.

I got a PM from the OP who said the posts were OK.

Hahahahahahaha

I'm sure most of those posters from Europe and other realms do not know the joys of growing up on Velveeta, or for that matter Cheez Whiz or Easy Cheese. All of the above, by the way, are not usually described as 'real' cheese but rather as 'cheese product'. Just the same they all have their niche in the cheese world. And having lived most of my life in Minnesota (the home of Spam) I don't know anyone who grew up without Spam sandwiches in their school lunch box. :) :)

Spam is awesome. Long live Loco Moco!

Talk about dangerous though. Whose finger didn't get bloodied back when Spam cans came with that opening key?

..and what you might find in a big city is not anything like what you might find in small-town Kansas.

When I read "small town Kansas", I immediately think of In Cold Blood.

The beginning of the cultural decline of the US can be traced to the exact same date that the decision was made to replace the key with the coke tab top which incidentally was the exact same date that Velveeta put a low-fat version on sale. Was this coincidence? We know better than to believe this. Both events are referenced in Nostradamus' works.

Spam is still revered in Hawaii cuisine. Here are a couple of good recipes
https://onohawaiianrecipes.com/recipes/spam-musubi/
and
https://balancewithjess.com/spam-loco-moco/

and in Korean culture (for the same reason)
https://mykoreankitchen.com/spam-egg-rice-bowl/

Velveeta on the other hand is a closely guarded American delicacy.

I see the OP amended the thread title.

What I wouldn't give for a LMAO emoji right now.

With regards to Velveeta, that was the only cheese I would eat as a child, and now is the only cheese I will not eat. Although I've never tried it your way, Mr. E, so I may wind up with a new culinary concoction.

I have spam in my cupboard as I type. Yummy. And I miss the opening key. And I still use a church key on beercans.

hoisted on my own petard!

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave,/ When first we practise to deceive!"

Here I thought making fun of this bogus ranking generated by this speck of a company to obviously generate clickbait viral noise by comparing it to soft cheese rankings would put this thread out of its misery! Not so. Not only did Mr E take the bait, he retitled the thread and added spam (appropriately I might add-- dare I say brilliance) to the title and generated an exceptionally popular thread!

So getting back to basics: Flight-by-night-safety ranking by nobodies combining with veelveta and spam is not a good diet for a serious travel forum!!! (Oh look at me, getting stuffy! A good sign I'm full of it.) Oh, never mind!

How about this ranking? What country has the best bread? (After the US of course. Is there anything better than wonder bread?)

David, you sent the thread down a path that is good for us.

I tried to keep it positive so I didnt mention that North Korea was
found to be safer to travel in than a substantial part of the world

Hmmm....well if the DPRK is "safer" to travel in that might only be because travel there is so limited and restricted. You can't stray off the beaten path on your own, and you are closely monitored while you're there. Not sure that is an apples to oranges comparison to countries where you can come and go at will and take your own risks.

Wonder Bread, it is as American as sliced bread. Oh ... wait ... yup.

Aah, food from my childhood that I once loved and now feel like it's akin to stuffing a tasteless marshmallow in my mouth. :-)

Who gives a rat's bum about bread?
The important question is which country has the best ice cream?

Sorry, this is the RS forum, and gelato can be discussed, not ice cream. As in flavors, authenticity, and all the way to Spagetti Eis.

I realize this is controversial but I just ate some of the best gelato I have ever had in the tourist central area of Madrid.

Not discussing ice cream either…..ha! (Although what I had in Hobart might top the list.)

The Italians that run the Gelateria Cafe I go to every morning, make all their own Gelato. Middle of Frankfurt Alt Stadt.
Favorites are always a Spagetti Eis or Hazelnut or Dark Chocolate.

Gelato is the principal cause of the touristifaction of Italian working class neighborhoods, which is why I won't eat it.

Gelato is the principal cause of the touristifaction of Italian working class neighborhoods, which is why I won't eat it.

This is how I feel about Spam.

Velveeta, on the other hand, with a can of Rotel tomatoes and a bag of tortilla chips? Sublime. But good gelato or ice cream from Van Diemens Land Creamery - one could live on these…..

This is going to lose me some RS brownie points, but I actually prefer ice cream to gelato. There is no insult to Italy, but I just think helado in Spain or Devon ice cream in England are both nicer. Also, Poland seems to be top stars (apologies, I can not remember what they call it).

Oddly, perhaps, I think Scotland is the best. A mixture of Italian immigrants and local ingredients seem to have perfected the food.

Its oay Nick. Nothing was better than what we made at home.

Numbers 1 and 3 Iceland and Denmark, very safe by most measures, but I do feel that you could get punched in the face. More than most places I visited, in both I've picked up on some aggressive vibes in the local male pecking orders.

Hank, I understand the guys in Iceland. Imagine living in a land that looks like the surface of the moon .... Gotta make you a bit bonkers. https://jasmineandtea.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/IMG_7574.jpg

The US has area that are not very safe, mostly in large cities that don't prosecute crime well.
Americans tend to know where the unsafe places are and avoid them.

The area that I live has a very low crime rate and police that prosecute, even crimes like shoplifting.

Posted by TexasTravelMom TX, USA

Velveeta, on the other hand, with a can of Rotel tomatoes and a bag of
tortilla chips? Sublime.

Make mine a bag of Fritos scoops or chicharrones.

Scoops only for Fritos Bean Dip (gwad i miss it), but chicharrones, heck yes!

And they do chicharrones good here. Anything involving dead pigs is exceptional here.

Frito bean dip. That is haut cuisine! Even the finest French chefs in Paris have yet to match it! And Texas BBQ, need I say more? WOW!

Of course the murder rate for the whole state of Texas is like double NYC and ten times Dublin. Not to mention that Dublin has Guinness. So in terms of safety and beer, I’d tempted to go to Ireland. Still it’s hard to say no to BBQ and bean dip! Say, do they sell Guinness in Texas? And can i get one of those vests that John Wick had that repel projectiles?

Bullet proof vest, spam, veelveta, bean dip, BBQ and imported Guinness in Texas! Can there be anything finer?

My mouth is watering!

I mentioned above that the thread, while it veered way off path did serve a purpose which is why I changed the title.

In these times with so many difficult issues that divide us, it was fun to have a thread where everyone (almost) was able to put the meanness and pettiness aside and just goof off and even make and take a few good natured jabs.

I think it was fun and healthy. Thank you.