international

I've been living in London since last September and, trust me, the food did not bother me at first. I had my first ever Nandos, and occasionally went to Pizza Hut and Pizza Express (I am not even mentioning the numerous take-aways we have had in my flat but I still get daily promotional emails from many of them). And I am soon to pay a visit to Jamie's Oliver.

However, I like French food; I have realized it now. It is so tasty, expertly prepared and requires an expert knowledge for presentation.

I have heard many critiques of French cooking. First and foremost, every time I mention that I am French, people automatically assume that I come from Paris (wrong guess France is not limited to Paris), and that I eat snails and frog legs (many of my friends even call me frog legs or French-fries knowing that fries are not even French and that English people refer to them as ‘chips'). 

For your information, these are only stereotypes- just as I am aware that English people do not eat fish and chips on a daily basis! However, the cliché I heard about beans on toast was correct (I am afraid), as was the one about tea. I am going to refrain from negative comments, though I have to mention that I mostly buy a sandwich at my university as I am not a fan of English food.

A new investigation into animal cruelty has recently been conducted on Chinese fur farms exposing new information and spawning some extremely disturbing videos. In response, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has published a related video, narrated by actress Olivia Munn (link at bottom). Until a few days ago, I had been unfamiliar with this issue, until I saw the previously mentioned video. I had heard that the fur "industry" was being attacked constantly by animal rights activists but that was the extent of my knowledge on the topic.

The Video In Question

If you haven't watched the video yet or do not wish to view it at all, you should at least know its contents even if only through words.

Here is the scene:

The video starts by showing Raccoon dogs being slammed on the floor, beaten by steel rods, breaking their necks and heads all while very much alive. Some are tied and hanged on hooks then sliced through by knives, still alive and screaming. Afterwards, their skin is peeled off much like one would tear open a bag of crisps or peel off a tomato skin (if you don't believe me, watch the video). The soundtrack throughout the video of course is the terrified squeals and screams of both, the animals being skinned as well as those watching and waiting their turn.

A prisoner has enlisted the help of an unusual source at a Brazilian prison to smuggle in contraband. A white cat was caught crossing the main prison gate with everything needed for an escape taped to its body.

Guards at the jail in Arapiraca city, on the east coast of Brazil, were alerted when they noticed the unusual sight. The cat had strapped to it a mobile phone and charger, earphones, drills, batteries, a memory card and several small files.

A spokesman for the prison has since been quoted by a local paper, saying: "It's tough to find out who's responsible for the action as the cat doesn't speak". However, it appears the cat's name has been cleared after the feline was taken to a nearby animal centre, unharmed after its role in such a daring plot. 

Brazilian prisons are notoriously tough, forcing visitors to come up with more and more ingenious ways to make their lives that little bit easier.

Erik is a university graduate from Slovakia who is currently living in London. In the third and final part of a mini-series, (see part one and part two) he reacts to an article about the differences between Slovakian and 'Western' life. Each quote is a reference to Slovakian life:

Bread & Soup

Quote: "Always start a meal with soup, but make sure you have bread with it."

I had a friend back in London. He worked as a chef at one of Gordon Ramsey's restaurants in Knightsbridge, so he had some background in cooking. He would run me down every time I started to heat a cup of soup, telling me that soup is only for cold, winter days. It is enough to eat something small, like fruit or salad to kick-start your digestion. Some people, however, classify soup as only the starter, which then as gives them the excuse to cram it with bread, pasta, cream and any other excess calories.

"Brake" the Alcohol

Quote: "Most Slovak bartenders couldn't make a decent cocktail to save their lives, but that's just because Slovaks take their alcohol straight up."

A recent report placed Finland and South Korea as the best two education systems in the world. Student writer Jacqueline looks at these two very different school systems:

The Finnish education system is far from demanding of its students and adopts an emphasis on development instead of competition. The relaxed system possesses principles of comfortable learning and provides merely a play date for students, leaving them with a lack of preparation for the real working world. The 6 hour school day is acknowledged as the "least number of hours in class per week in the developed world" which is hardly comparable to South Korea's intense 13 hour school days which push their students to extremes to achieve astonishing results whilst robbing them of their childhood.

The Impact of Culture

Culture is a large contributor to the success of an education system and its chosen teaching styles. The South Korean system is based on strong Confucian ideals including high culture, hard work and social relations between the young and old. After evaluating the recent learning curve report, the Times Higher Education presents the argument that "promoting a culture that is supportive of education is more important than the amount of money invested".