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Togil
29-12-2008, 16:54
High - End Society are reporting they are busier than ever with early applications for next year's show ( late May ) !

They are saying it shows a return to true values in difficult times :)

Spectral Morn
29-12-2008, 17:05
Hi Togil

With the London show/s ? now in such a mess, it is my opinion that The Munich show is the premium venue for all things audio. Why anyone would bother with the disaster that Heathrow in Sept has become (other than Location ) is beyond me.

Munich is a great city, been there many years ago about 1994. Loved it amazing record shops. Whats with closing at 12.30 on a Saturday ? I was at a friends wedding in the Mountains, fantastic scenery but if I had one major problem it was if you did not speak German you were in trouble. Especially trying to get back to the Airport via the train . No English at all. If it was not for one of the wedding party guests going home on the same day as me. I would have been in real trouble. Has this changed at all ?

Regards D S D L ----- Neil :)

Dave Cawley
29-12-2008, 17:07
I did the Munich High end show this year. It was open for I think 4 whole days. Everyone spoke English. The Russians spoke English to the Germans. I can't speak any other langue at all, but I had a really great time!

Regards

Dave

Spectral Morn
29-12-2008, 17:11
HI Dave/Togil

There were some people who spoke English.

It was the public utilities which had no English. Such as trying to buy a ticket for the railway back to the airport. All automatic machines No ticket buying Kiosk. No English at all. No English Signs Nothing HELP.

Has that changed ?

I loved the city and the Museums were great. Went and saw the Durer paintings and drawings WOW.

Regards D S D L----- :)

Togil
29-12-2008, 17:30
The shops are open all day on Saturday now

The ticket machines are confusing even to the locals ( Munich is my home town ) :)

purite audio
29-12-2008, 17:44
It is a great show, every product you can think of, where else can you hear a pair of JBL Everests , and at least 5 manufacturers of front loaded horns , there is a genuine buzz, so,so different from Heathrow.

Filterlab
29-12-2008, 19:15
Munich, a wonderful city with friendly people and an air of cleanliness and organisation, fantastic place. I must get to the high end show next time it's on.

Togil
29-12-2008, 20:03
An AOS meeting in a Bierkeller might not be a bad idea :barrel:

Dave Cawley
29-12-2008, 20:10
I'm up for that!

Dave

Beechwoods
29-12-2008, 20:22
There's a fantastic bierkeller (http://www.republicbierhalle.com/) in Glasgow which might be easier to get to. I'm not sure how good the Hi-Fi shows are round there. Except when Marco's visiting his ma and pa :)

Filterlab
29-12-2008, 20:26
An AOS meeting in a Bierkeller might not be a bad idea :barrel:

Mmm, could get messy.

:cool:

:glug:

:champagne:

:pub:

:beer:

:piano:

:barrel:

:drinking:

:drugs:

:bum:

:bog:

Togil
29-12-2008, 22:08
Just avoid the Guiness...:)

Beechwoods
29-12-2008, 22:23
http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/emoticon-0159-music.gifOo oo oo... the ring of firehttp://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/emoticon-0159-music.gif

http://img3.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/sick/sick0019.gif (http://www.thescubasite.com/Scuba-Diving-News/)

Filterlab
29-12-2008, 22:23
Curry as well then. :)

Marco
29-12-2008, 23:58
Munich would be a hoot! :cool:

Rob could even don his lederhosen and woo the girls (and boys) - wrong region, I know, but what the hell :eyebrows:

Hans, do you like Currywurst? It's my favourite German junk food.

Marco.

Togil
30-12-2008, 08:23
Actually Currywurst is more of a north-German thing, in Munich we're more into Bratwurst or Weisswurst :)

Mike
30-12-2008, 09:11
Hans, do you like Currywurst? It's my favourite German junk food.

Is that exactly what it sounds like; a curry sausage? :eek:

Filterlab
30-12-2008, 09:19
Bratwurst - yummy yum yum! Being a fan of cheese and bread and meat I have to say that German food is amongst the finest, it's real food, none of that la-di-da fannying about with little scraps of food hidden underneath a sprig of parsley.

Marco
30-12-2008, 10:56
Is that exactly what it sounds like; a curry sausage? :eek:

Indeed; it's a nice big piping hot sausage covered in a spicy (kind of fruity) curry sauce served in a box with chips, available at train stations, shopping malls, etc, for a Euro (well that's how much it was last time I was in Germany 3 years ago) - awesome stuff!

Hans, I've had Weisswurst (similar to what we call 'white pudding' in the UK) and I don't like that, but Bratwurst is superb, grilled over charcoals and served with lots of fried onions and mustard - yum!

You're right about the Northern thing - all my wife's relatives come from around Cologne and Bergisch Gladbach.

Rob, German food is indeed excellent - not only are the sausages the best in the world, but the rest of the food is also amazing: truly superb salads, Sauerkraut, Goulaschsuppe, Grieße Nudelnsuppe, and Wiener Schnitzel mit Jäger soße - all washed down with a nice big glass (or three) of Spaten or Bitburger Pils, or in Cologne, Kölsch! :cool:

I love Germany :)

Marco.

Dave Cawley
30-12-2008, 11:07
So who will organise the trip?

Dave

Spectral Morn
30-12-2008, 11:30
When in Germany on a trip around the art museums and sources of jewelry precious and semi precious stones, when I was at Art College (went to Edar-Oberstein (possibly/more than likely not right spelling ). Near a piano shop was the most amazing confectioner. A massive window full of the most incredible display I have ever seen, amazing(I have a sweet tooth ). Lots of wonderful chocolates etc. This is quite common in Germany and I suppose in other European countries. Makes our similar confectioners (Thorntons etc) look very poor indeed. What to try, sadly a choice I never got to make as we had to get back to the college mini-bus.

One of the other amazing things then back in the late 80's was passing the American/Nato Tank bases. Mile after mile after mile of Tanks wow. Now gone I would suspect.

I would love to go to the Munich show but unless I get/find a job, highly unlikely. I would have to take a rain check on that.Maybe some other time.

Regards D S D L----- Neil :)

Marco
30-12-2008, 11:51
Near a piano shop was the most amazing confectioner. A massive window full of the most incredible display I have ever seen, amazing(I have a sweet tooth ). Lots of wonderful chocolates etc. This is quite common in Germany and I suppose in other European countries. Makes our similar confectioners (Thorntons etc) look very poor indeed.


Neil, I know exactly what you mean because I've sampled such things myself in Germany. Thorntons? Pah - toytown stuff in comparison!

However, the 'crème de la crème' for confectionery is undoubtedly Belgium. You have to witness first hand the skill of a master chocolatier to fully appreciate it. When I was in Brussels I saw the most utterly amazing cake and sweet shops - the items on display were truly works of art in their intricacy; like little minature paintings or sculptures with incredible attention to detail in terms of design and decoration - and the taste - quite simply magnifique! :)

Marco.

Filterlab
30-12-2008, 12:07
Also the Swiss chocolatiers are rather good, I visited one near St. Moritz a few years back, amazing to watch and the chocolate was out of this world. Belgian chocolate is very nice, but it's always wrapped in red tape. :lol:

Marco
30-12-2008, 12:12
Yep, the Swiss are up there, too!

When you've tasted the best Belgian and Swiss chocolate 'Cadburys' whatever just tastes like shit.

For basic good quality Swiss chocolate, I love the Milka chocolate bars with the silver foil and purple wrapper :)

Marco.

Beechwoods
30-12-2008, 12:24
For the sake of forum balance, I'd just like to say that I very much enjoy the taste of Cadbury's Fruit & Nut. Especially the ones that come in industrial sized bars :)

Marco
30-12-2008, 12:33
Yep, the fruit and nuts are needed to give the chocolate some flavour! :eyebrows:

;)

Marco.

Togil
30-12-2008, 12:36
In Munich also try Leberkäse, a kind of meatloaf ( has nothing to do with liver or cheese in spite of its name )

Marco
30-12-2008, 12:40
Sounds interesting, Hans :)

Would you serve it with some Spaetzle? I love those!

Marco.

The Grand Wazoo
30-12-2008, 12:50
However, the 'crème de la crème' for confectionery is undoubtedly Belgium. You have to witness first hand the skill of a master chocolatier to fully appreciate it.

Marco.

I don't know how you guys could have the gall to discuss the relative merits of the various national chocolate industries without thinking to mention the boost that the United States chocolate manufacturers gave to their colleagues in the beekeeping industry, whilst simultaneously making the biggest leap forward in flavour since the dawn of time.

You don't know what decent chocs taste like till you've eaten a candle or two!

Togil
30-12-2008, 13:06
Sounds interesting, Hans :)

Would you serve it with some Spaetzle? I love those!

Marco.

Oh no ! :) Potato salad ( Bavarian style, not what is commonly thought of as potato salad in England )

Marco
30-12-2008, 13:50
I know exactly what you mean - my wife makes it :)

She's from German descent so knows how to make traditional German food; her maiden name was Bischof.

Marco.

Filterlab
30-12-2008, 13:56
For the sake of forum balance, I'd just like to say that I very much enjoy the taste of Cadbury's Fruit & Nut. Especially the ones that come in industrial sized bars :)

I like F&N too, and Cadbury's isn't bad at all for a mainstream choccy. Certainly good value. :)

pure sound
30-12-2008, 14:26
A few years back I spent some time in Mumbai. While there I tried some of the locally made Cadbury's dairy milk chocolate. A very different & much nicer taste than the UK produced item. More like Milka or similar. Its as if Cadburys have felt the need to make the chocolate they sell here ever sweeter & perhaps with a longer shelf life whereas the Indian version maybe tasted like it used to years ago and they hadn't changed the recipe. I find the UK Cadburys to be very sickly with a sharp & unpleasant aftertaste. The Indian version didn't have that and neither does Suchards or Lindt chocolate.

Marco
30-12-2008, 18:35
A few years back I spent some time in Mumbai. While there I tried some of the locally made Cadbury's dairy milk chocolate. A very different & much nicer taste than the UK produced item. More like Milka or similar. Its as if Cadburys have felt the need to make the chocolate they sell here ever sweeter & perhaps with a longer shelf life whereas the Indian version maybe tasted like it used to years ago and they hadn't changed the recipe. I find the UK Cadburys to be very sickly with a sharp & unpleasant aftertaste. The Indian version didn't have that and neither does Suchards or Lindt chocolate.

Guy, I completely agree. Why does the UK always seem to be the 'poor relations' when it comes to food standards? I guess that in general Brits are less discerning than people in other parts of the world when it comes to foodstuffs...

Apart from chocolate, I can think of numerous other examples - Knor packet soup in French supermarkets tastes completely different from the version sold in the UK (it is almost like home-made soup!), as does Fanta orange. Have you ever tasted the Fanta sold in Spain or Italy – it’s a totally different ball game and much more 'orangy' with big bits of orange flesh floating inside it. Orangina in France is also the same compared to what’s sold here. Buitoni pasta sauce is another case in point - the UK version is vile in comparison to what's sold in Italy. It’s ridiculous! Quality should be standardised throughout production and identical no matter where in the world food products are exported to.

I think it's sad that the UK seems to be treated as second-class citizens by major food manufacturers, as if we can't tell or appreciate the difference, or perhaps even sadder, don’t really care.

Perhaps that's the case… :(

Marco.

Togil
30-12-2008, 18:47
Same with the ghastly continental lagers brewed under licence in Burton on Trent or wherever...:(

Marco
30-12-2008, 18:50
Yep, there's another one! Why oh why do we accept it... :confused:

Marco.

Beechwoods
30-12-2008, 19:01
As with everything in this country you have to scrape beneath the surface - the micro-brewers, the delicatessens, the farmers markets and the artisan producers. There are some great things to be had, just not in your main supermarkets. I'd like to think we in the UK excel in some areas - baking particularly, bread, savouries...

Marco
30-12-2008, 19:41
I totally agree. Britain undoubtedly has some of the finest produce in the world (seafood, beef, lamb, etc) - the trouble is most of the natives don't know what to do with it, so therefore the majority of it is exported abroad to those who appreciate it and know how to cook it! :mental:

The fact that you have to "scrape beneath the surface" to find high quality produce here (and I agree that there is some wonderful things to be had) confirms that the demand amongst the majority of people isn't there. When you visit a French supermarket, for example, the produce on sale to the masses is of similar quality to that sold to a niche market by the farmers and artisan producers you're referring to in the UK - 'nuff said.

There's an old saying which goes: 'People either live to eat or eat to live'. I suspect that, sadly, for the majority of people in Britain the latter is more accurate...

Things will not improve in the UK until 'Joe public' changes his or her attitude to food, chooses quality before quantity, and sees it as something to enjoy, savour, and be passionate about, rather than just simply sustanance or 'fuel' to keep them alive.

Marco.

Spectral Morn
30-12-2008, 20:29
Yes I know what you mean about soft drinks. I am constantly both amazed and shocked at the difference in taste of say Coke, Pepsi or as you say Fanta. It would seem there is no standard for these either. You can perhaps blame different water, depending where it is made, but its usually a difference in texture,sweetness and flavour. To big to be just water ? this difference is not just international but national too. These drinks bought here in N I taste different to those bought in Scotland or the south of England, never mind Spain

Yes the Europeans don't regard UK chocolate to be that, words like S---e, did come up once on a TV show about business. A UK company were trying to launch their Chocolate in a European confection show. The comments were not good. I prefer Dark chocolate or white to the poor light brown stuff we are offered here.

I don't know why we residents of the UK accept crap food and everything else,probably because as a nation we have become sheep in most things and don't complain enough.:steam:or are cultured enough either. Just look at our Government
as an example of the kind of crap we will put up with. (Not that I have a vote in regard to Westminster mind you )

Regards D S D L ----- Neil :)

Marco
30-12-2008, 20:37
I don't know why we residents of the UK accept crap food and everything else,probably because as a nation we have become sheep in most things and don't complain enough.


Too bloody right, Neil. Shops and restaurants are a prime example. People here are usually too busy queuing (a seemingly favourite British pastime) to complain! :lol:

More on this very interesting subject later - I'm off to listen to some music :)

Marco.