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Transplants laugh at the fact people in Fort Smith think its a big deal to go to the Olive Garden or to Red Lobster.
To be honest that just sounds mean spirited.
I'll admit I am slightly amused when I see Thai people eating at KFC trying to use the fork and knife like it is thai food.
I keep it to myself though, I realize KFC is very common for me but for them it may be something special.
I'm not going to read through 25,000 posts but I believe you are a christian consevative. You spent two days looking at houses in the fianna hills area. The real estate agent told you there were some hispanics on the deep, deep northside of town. You ate ate a buffet and some girl told you "everthings good in gods country".
There are some hispanics, mostly on the northside of town, about 10,000 of them. Most of them are probably christians of some sort.
A lot of the Buddhists I know will go to both Christian Churches and Buddhist temples. They might report themselves as being Christians which could skew the numbers. You might not know little things like this without having lived in the area.
you have it aboot 1/10 correct. Yes, we did look a property but our decision had nothing to do with Christian or conservative versus whatever, we just were not impressed with what we saw. No, the agent never mentioned Hispanics. Why would that bother me? My grandson in law is hispanic, my son in law Jewish and I have a foster daughter than is a lesbian and a granddaughter that is agnostic. The realtor never mention hispanics, in fact I, being a X realtor would never even ask the question because if a realtor answers they could lose their lisence. I am as conservative and yes, a Christian, but I am probably one of the least biggoted conservatives I have ever known. I have strong views, that does not make me a racist or bigot. Do you understand??
As for the comment in the buffet again, maybe you need to research regardless as to how many threads it would take cause you have that only partially correct. Yes, we were at Western Sizzler and yes I commented on how good the food was, but the you have what the lady said wrong and I took it pretty lightly. It made a really fun story to tell. What I said was, the food is really good here and her comment was "things are always good when God is standing with us" She said nothing about God's country and I was making a joke when I posted, I should have asked her if he was the chef that day. Lighten up for heavens' sake.
Oh and one more place we looked at homes one day in FT Smith and one in Van Bueran, I don't have any clue where they were, that wa 5 years ago.
Transplants laugh at the fact people in Fort Smith think its a big deal to go to the Olive Garden or to Red Lobster. These places are barely a step above Chili's anywhere else. Anybody thinking of relocating to Fort Smith should be made aware of the cultural differences.
Hey, I don't happen to think they are a step above Chili's but I think that is OK. though I agree with you, when we go out we like independently owned places. we are not big on chains, but there are a few we do like. I think the majority of people in our country are happy with places like Olive Garden, that is why they are so popular and that is something that makes many of us like states like AR. People are just average Americans and happy with the simpler thing in life. What you are saying has soem truths, people do need to know what to expect if anyone can ever know what to expect until they live there.
you have it aboot 1/10 correct. Yes, we did look a property but our decision had nothing to do with Christian or conservative versus whatever, we just were not impressed with what we saw. No, the agent never mentioned Hispanics. Why would that bother me? My grandson in law is hispanic, my son in law Jewish and I have a foster daughter than is a lesbian and a granddaughter that is agnostic. The realtor never mention hispanics, in fact I, being a X realtor would never even ask the question because if a realtor answers they could lose their lisence. I am as conservative and yes, a Christian, but I am probably one of the least biggoted conservatives I have ever known. I have strong views, that does not make me a racist or bigot. Do you understand??
As for the comment in the buffet again, maybe you need to research regardless as to how many threads it would take cause you have that only partially correct. Yes, we were at Western Sizzler and yes I commented on how good the food was, but the you have what the lady said wrong and I took it pretty lightly. It made a really fun story to tell. What I said was, the food is really good here and her comment was "things are always good when God is standing with us" She said nothing about God's country and I was making a joke when I posted, I should have asked her if he was the chef that day. Lighten up for heavens' sake.
Oh and one more place we looked at homes one day in FT Smith and one in Van Bueran, I don't have any clue where they were, that wa 5 years ago.
NIta
Who said you were a rascist or a bigot? I know you like cooking hispanic food from and earlier post that I don't feel like searching for. That wasn't my point at all, my point was that NWA isn't the only place in Arkansas with a significant hispanic population.
Lighten up over what? I've lived in East Asia for the last five months which was one of my major life goals. I also got to see the southwest US and stayed in LA briefly which was icing on the cake.
I've probably spent more time in Fort Smith than any of the other regulars on this board.
But getting back to the OP, yes, in a way, but I think Fort Smith can adapt and keep growing.
I personally like Ft Smith. I think Ft Smith, like any other town, is challenged by the need to constantly redefine itself. The economy and the culture of Arkansas and the US as a whole is in flux, and Ft Smith is working to grow and adapt. The growth of Northwest Arkansas has overshadowed the rest of the state. When you're one of the top ten fastest-growing metro areas in the nation and you're in a state that's predominantly rural, that's what's going to happen. I agree with another poster that I really never thought of Ft Smith as Northwest Arkansas, Ft Smith was the River Valley. When you drive back and forth through the Bobby Hopper Tunnel, it does feel like two distinct and different areas. And before the tunnel, when you drove over the mountain, it felt like two distinct and different areas.
And I need to add, it's really invigorating reading the Arkansas threads, because people aren't wishy-washy in their opinions in this forum, they carve out their opinion so that there's no mistaking where they stand.
I think the majority of people in our country are happy with places like Olive Garden, that is why they are so popular and that is something that makes many of us like states like AR. People are just average Americans and happy with the simpler thing in life.
Nita
This is where I'm coming from, Nita. I have never even been to Olive Garden, Chili's, Applebee's, Outback, Copeland's, any of the many steak house chains, etc., ....we don't eat out much at all. It's just not a part of our lifestyle. We are, indeed, happy with the simpler things in life.
When people on here start talking like some of them have, they just end up sounding like pretentious snobs to me. It's like they're saying that people who enjoy Olive Garden only do so because they're not smart enough to know better.
So, some people may actually like Ft. Smith for its conservative, family-oriented atmosphere and its close proximity to outstanding outdoor activities. For the record, I would actually like it if someone next to me in line at a restaurant said something nice about God to me. It would make me smile. Others who are like me may actually enjoy living in a place where something like that would happen on a regular basis.
I didn't like the part I've seen simply because it was so flat. I'm sick of flat, lived in flat all my life, and I want to see "hills and hollers" when I'm in Arkansas. But that's just me. I liked Van Buren (right next door) better.
Last edited by Luvvarkansas; 09-19-2011 at 09:35 AM..
This is where I'm coming from, Nita. I have never even been to Olive Garden, Chili's, Applebee's, Outback, Copeland's, any of the many steak house chains, etc., ....we don't eat out much at all. It's just not a part of our lifestyle. We are, indeed, happy with the simpler things in life.
When people on here start talking like some of them have, they just end up sounding like pretentious snobs to me. It's like they're saying that people who enjoy Olive Garden only do so because they're not smart enough to know better.
So, some people may actually like Ft. Smith for its conservative, family-oriented atmosphere and its close proximity to outstanding outdoor activities. For the record, I would actually like it if someone next to me in line at a restaurant said something nice about God to me. It would make me smile. Others who are like me may actually enjoy living in a place where something like that would happen on a regular basis.
I didn't like the part I've seen simply because it was so flat. I'm sick of flat, lived in flat all my life, and I want to see "hills and hollers" when I'm in Arkansas. But that's just me. I liked Van Buren (right next door) better.
For those of us who are not excellent cooks, we do kind of like the ability to purchase very good food.
It all goes back to what you are accustomed to. I don't think that anyone has said those that enjoy Olive Garden like it because they are not smart enough to know better. The fact is that the Olive Garden and Red lobster (both owned by the same company) use prepackaged food that they heat up.
It always comes back to what you are accustomed to eating and where you have been accustomed to shopping. Just because you like the "simple life" does not make a person...well, simple. However, just because people like something a little better than Olive garden does not make them pretentious.
The olive garden was a big deal when it first opened, for about a month or so, then it just became part of the scenery. Red Lobster has been there for as long as I can remember, over twenty years in the same place. I heard they moved the Boom-a-rang diner to the west end park after it burned down. It's supposed to be pretty good. R landrys is supposed to be pretty good, I've never ate there but someone brought me some take away once.
The Carls Jr by my hotel in LA was always packed. I saw people dumpster diving in LA. When I took a tour of the city my tour guide said a lot of the people there work their butts off so they can enjoy those finer things.
The olive garden was a big deal when it first opened, for about a month or so, then it just became part of the scenery. Red Lobster has been there for as long as I can remember, over twenty years in the same place. I heard they moved the Boom-a-rang diner to the west end park after it burned down. It's supposed to be pretty good. R landrys is supposed to be pretty good, I've never ate there but someone brought me some take away once.
The Carls Jr by my hotel in LA was always packed. I saw people dumpster diving in LA. When I took a tour of the city my tour guide said a lot of the people there work their butts off so they can enjoy those finer things.
Thes are all low end resturaunts. Landry's is a good middle of the road resturaunt, but the point is that there are no very good high end resturaunts. The best that they have is doe's and is nothing but a nice cut of steak with little of anything else on the menu.
Thes are all low end resturaunts. Landry's is a good middle of the road resturaunt, but the point is that there are no very good high end resturaunts. The best that they have is doe's and is nothing but a nice cut of steak with little of anything else on the menu.
Well she'd have to be pretty hot. I've got the job done with a lot less.
I can cook though. I can make a pretty good pizza without even using a proper pizza stone. Maybe one day I'll get a stone and see what I can do with it.
I'm a pretty hands on guy I like to know how things work rather than pay someone to do it for me. Even though I have been teaching English wearing shiny shoes and a tucked in button up shirt, never went so far as wearing a tie though.
No Burmese places in Fort Smith, I've discoverd thats some good stuff. Turkish kebabs are Ok.
When I'm back in the states it's Mexican foood I'm gonna be grubing on.
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