Just Say No

Don't blame the business, they just respond to what consumers want.

When I travel, I vow never to eat anything I could eat at home. I look for small local cafes or eat from the grocery store. I was in Dublin one evening after the restaurants had closed and it was McD's or nothing, so I ordered a McVegie happy meal. The cashier looked at me in horror when I ordered it. Definitely among the worst things I've ever eaten (including what I ate in Air Force survival school). It came with a wind-up toy from a cartoon I'd never seen so all wasn't lost.

I see so many tourists that want to eat only at McD's or equivalent when they travel, what a shame.

Ugh! What a shame. Sooner or later, you know, every place of unique interest or history or beauty will look exactly like every other place...we'll leave home to see home, if something doesn't give. However, I think this is more about the dollars Venice stands to make than the US economy: cities that, as Rick Steves says, "survive on the artificial respiration of tourism" alone are always trying to find new revenue streams, especially when the global economy is making such places nervous about a significant decline in travel. To me, the questions are: what other source of income can Venice generate for itself to ensure that tourism isn't its only life source? And who, ultimately, will pay to ensure that Venice doesn't become a wet Italian Disneyland...or simply vanish into the sea? Given those two options, the sea looks mighty attractive.

"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need but not every man's greed."

Gandhi

"The world is a college of corporations, inexorably determined by the immutable bylaws of business. The world is a business, Mr. Beale."

From Paddy Chayefsky' s Network

Just look at what you see when you walk up to Windsor Castle from the train station. Pizza Hut, Burger King, etc. Throughly disgusting but money talks.
Always has and always will.

It reminds me of my first time in Budapest, thinking, "oh, cool! I'm in the old Soveit Union!" (1999), when I saw the concrete block housing... Then I saw the McDonald's advertisement pasted on it. :( bleh.

500 million Euroes is spent annually in Venice to repair damaged schools - damaged by vandalism. So it's doubly tragic that money needed urgently for restoration of a beautiful city goes to repair senseless violation. Berlusconi has also reduced money to the arts. It is all so sad.

We have been horror stricken by the increase in junk food vending machines all over Europe. Each year for the past 5 we have spent 2-3 months travelling throughout Europe and each year we have seen more vending machines and coincidently, more obese residents. It really bothers me that when I look at many of my European photos, there is a North American food chain rest. in the background! Now we have to be very careful when photographing anything! I can't understand why one would frequent such a place when there are reataurants everywhere serving wonderful local cuisine.