h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Greg! I just noticed Bryson has a piece in the Aug. National Geographic. There is an excerpt at http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0008/fngm/sydney.html . I haven't read _In a Sunburned Country_ so I am not sure if the article is an excerpt from that, but I think the editor would have to say so if it is, right? And I have a sneaking suspicion that you probably already knew about the NG article

Actually, I didn't. Although now that you mention it, I seem to recall running across something by him in one of the magazines. But I only get NG Traveler and NG Adventure, not the main NG mag, so I dunno where I saw it, or if I'm just inventing it because you just mentioned NG. The article's probably separate, as I don't think NG would find it necessary to print a simple excerpt, but I'm sure it draws from the same material as the book. And of course, Bryson is Bryson.

There's not the same sort of connection there that would allow me to keep track of all that's going on with Bryson. It would be interesting if there were, I suppose, but can you imagine him contributing to his own site? I mean, he can't do anything without falling all over himself. It's too bad there's not a real site, though, rather than just the publisher-run site.

I've just finished reading 'A Walk in the Woods' and I really enjoyed the article on Sydney. The interesting part for me was the section where he talks about food. I think it would be fair to say that in the 50's and 60's the British only ate British food, but we too have become much more cosmopolitan in our diet. I think this is as much a result of people travelling more and therefore experiencing different cuisine, as it is a result of incoming cultures.

I seem to recall reading somewhere Bryson is not a huge fan of the Internet. But, yes...I can imagine him contributing to a Web site...the same way he travels. Bumble in, ill-prepared (though he is *great* with maps...he would design a wonderful site map, but all the links would go to the wrong places ) and just figure it out in *his* way. Perhaps we should make a pilgrimage to Hanover and convince him to give it a shot. His experiences with web design would make a great book

Notes from a small website? A walk in the Web?

In the most recent Let's Go UK guide.."Beware of the British salad...," "vegetables, often boiled into a flavorless, textureless, colorless mass...," desserts exceedingly sweet and gloopy..." Not the most appetizing of descriptions. But...it does say "extensive imperialism" (gee...think this guide was written by Americans ) has lead to a broader range of ethnic foods. Anyway...I think the tales of bad British food are just that...tales...urban legends that take a tiny truth and expand it to impossible extremes. I swear on this here page to not contribute to those tales if I visit UK.

I have to pull out Bryson's _Notes from a Small Island_ and reread it. I know he comments on British food, but I don't think it is negative at all. Though...Bryson looks like a man who wouldn't disparage food of most any sort

_Another Tongue_?

LOL! "extensive imperialism"? I think we lost the empire long before we got Indian restaurants . If you travel widely enough in the UK I'm sure you will come across some culinary horrors, but no more than you might elsewhere. And remember, you will always have H2G2 researchers to call on for recommendations .