It does when you grow 50000 of anything using all sorts of chemicals, antibiotics, pesticides, hormones, and other crap. I hate to break it to you, but the ingredients you buy at your local stores are tasteless and terrible. The tomatoes in the US are pathitic and absolutely disgusting, so is non-organix chicken. Don't get me started on the antibiotics they stuff pork with (Denmark has stopped using antibiotics and they are getting superior results in every way) or the way cows are fed and fattened up. It all adds up to the average quality of food in the US being crap because the ingredients are crap.

It should be noted that there are actually 2 Reneissances. The Reneissance of the 12th century and the Reneissance that started in the 14h Century. The Moors contributed greatly to the 12th century one. Their empire was almost gone by the second Reneissance. They did have contribute to the preserving of Greek knowledge though, as they stole many texts from the Byzantines when they invaded their territories, and even expanded on that knowledge.

I do not know why I remember this, but that numeric system actually was made in India not the ME, although I assume based on your post that the Arabs brought it to Europe. For some reason though, I thought that it was adopted as a result of the Crusades.

I am well aware of that, howeer it all still comes down to the fact that the Byzantine Empire preserved the greek knowledge in the first place. The arabic people got their greek knowledge from Byzantium, and I'm happy we agree with that, which they expanded upon. That just further shows my point that the reason culture and knowledge was not completely eliminated during the dark ages was solely because of the Byzantines.

As it stands, the entire West owes its culture, and dominance, solely because of the Byzantines. If the Byzantine EMpire had also fallen like the western part of Rome, then the world would have really been up the shit creek without a paddle.

@homer

It was some guy at the end of the 12th or early 13th century that brough over some book.

Do people in the US really say "Freedom Fries"?

No. Its really a joke.

There may be a few people that make mention of it with a laugh, but no major chain, brand or food ever changed their names. Maybe a few small joints that did it out of jest, but that was it. Besides, no one ever really calls them French fries here....Just fries.

1) Usually after Uni, while at uni you could class it as moving away it's usually after when they get a job and a life that they move. If they didn't go to uni, a bit later still around the same age... 21-22.

2) If people lie, then 16-18, really probably more but that's up to personal preference and need.

3) Football

4) Drinking probably

5) Sadly X-factor.

Meh, over here the most popular TV show is Dancing with the Stars, so I'd say you guys have it better.

What? Here X-Factor is mindless mass drivel of nobodies singing to screaming audiences that the producers can't control.

Strictly Come Dancing (Dacning with Stars) has hot women dressed in very little dancing round a stage.