Bounding Fire 2020 - Blackpool, UK. November 2020

The Magnus

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That's right. Sometimes I delight in watching some Texans enjoying some special Swedish dish... ?
Touché. I have had Surströmming ONCE when I was 19 and a drunk freshman at college. Definitely on my bottom 10 list. At that time - the seventies - it was allegedly banned from being imported to the US for being “unfit for human consumption” after a shipment exploded in NY harbor, but that might be an old wifes tale.

In contrast to the food at Headlands, nobody can claim that Surströmming is bland.

wikipedia:
Surströmming (pronounced [ˈsʉ̂ːˌʂʈrœmːɪŋ]; Swedish for ''sour herring'') is a lightly-saltedfermented Baltic Sea herring traditional to Swedish cuisine since at least the 16th century.

During the production of surströmming, just enough salt is used to prevent the raw herring from rotting while allowing it to ferment. A fermentation process of at least six months gives the fish its characteristic strong smell and somewhat acidic taste. According to a Japanese study, a newly opened can of surströmming has one of the most putrid food smells in the world, even stronger than similarly fermented fish dishes such as the Korean hongeohoeor Japanese kusaya.[2]
 

JoeArthur

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That's right. Sometimes I delight in watching some Texans enjoying some special Swedish dish... ?


von Marwitz
Well - I knew that part of the world loved herring, but I did not know that they had weaponised it........

Great clip von Marwitz - thank you :)
 

Martin Mayers

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Touché. I have had Surströmming ONCE when I was 19 and a drunk freshman at college. Definitely on my bottom 10 list. At that time - the seventies - it was allegedly banned from being imported to the US for being “unfit for human consumption” after a shipment exploded in NY harbor, but that might be an old wifes tale.

In contrast to the food at Headlands, nobody can claim that Surströmming is bland.

wikipedia:
Surströmming (pronounced [ˈsʉ̂ːˌʂʈrœmːɪŋ]; Swedish for ''sour herring'') is a lightly-saltedfermented Baltic Sea herring traditional to Swedish cuisine since at least the 16th century.

During the production of surströmming, just enough salt is used to prevent the raw herring from rotting while allowing it to ferment. A fermentation process of at least six months gives the fish its characteristic strong smell and somewhat acidic taste. According to a Japanese study, a newly opened can of surströmming has one of the most putrid food smells in the world, even stronger than similarly fermented fish dishes such as the Korean hongeohoeor Japanese kusaya.[2]
Funny though it may be within your circle of friends on here. Can you please now shut up about the food at the Headlands? You think you're being funny. But you're not. It's offensive. He's our host twice per year. Both times out of season.

We want to host future tournaments there. I doubt Charles visits this site. But if he picked up on these comments he might well (justifiably) tell us to shove our tournaments up our arses. I doubt it. But if it were me I would.

Edited by moderator to remove profanity.
 
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T34

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I would agree with Martin. The full English at the Headlands is excellent! And the lunch they supply at low price is really good. And even Pete Phillips, with his gargantuan tolerance to alcohol, can afford to get bent at the bar with their low-low pricing. The Headlands is an excellent venue.
 

The Magnus

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Guys (Magnus and Joe). On reflection I apologise for my grumpiness.

M
Thanks for this, Martin.

I had spent time mentally refining my sarcasms in response to your previous mail, but these are now - after you came out of the closet as the true Gentleman that you really are - moot.

I am looking forward to many more Heroes and Double Ones over the next years. And if a miracle happens and there is a sufficient timegap between Albany and Bounding Fire, I would love to attend your Bounding Fire as well.
 

JoeArthur

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Guys (Magnus and Joe). On reflection I apologise for my grumpiness.

M
Thanks Martin. No worries. I hope all is OK in Manchester - these are stressful times.

Looking forward to Bounding Fire - but I might not make it - sharing a house with someone who has asthma and emphysema - it depends on how things go with the virus.

I was talking to Neil Brunger and he will not be going :( for similar reasons. His confirmed attendance on the VFTT website is from way back before things changed.

To all Americans reading this thread - please come to England and spend lots of your dollars :) Whichever tournament you choose to go to..........
 
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RRschultze

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I would agree with Martin. The full English at the Headlands is excellent! And the lunch they supply at low price is really good. And even Pete Phillips, with his gargantuan tolerance to alcohol, can afford to get bent at the bar with their low-low pricing. The Headlands is an excellent venue.
Charles is that you? ?
 

The Magnus

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To all Americans reading this thread - please come to England and spend lots of your dollars :) Whichever tournament you choose to go to..........
All Americans who do not like Asian food should go to Double One. There they can spend £10 on a curry which is a Asian as Prince Andrew remains faithful to Fergie (or was it Charles and Diana, I do not remember. I have been confused ever since Henry VIII). Long live Victoria.
 

Vinnie

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Bounding Fire is a must go. The way the tournament is run is brilliant with the organisers taking the risk of both supplying unpublished scenarios and being willing to judge games that go over time. I cannot express how important thos aspect is as it is not fun when you are stuck waiting for a game to finish before you can play your next one. It is not a fun job and you can never satisfy everyone but it is so important thst players understand thst they will be decided.
The accommodation is great for the cost. The welcome outstanding and the food great value for money.
It's not fine dining but good hearty food. Well suited to soaking up the beer!

The Armenian kebab house is well worth the trip to Blackpool on its own. A take away that has peole queuing in the rain or 40 minutes! It has the cleanest kitchen area I have ever seen in a take away.
Travel to Blackpool is not too bad but will require a train change for most people. If you are flying in, then it may well be you can arrange a lift from a more local player.

Un fortunately, given the current circumstances, I am less and less optimistic of it going ahead this year. Aberdeen has been thrown back into lockdown due yo idiots who failed to adhere to social distancing rules.
 

Martin Mayers

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Bounding Fire is a must go. The way the tournament is run is brilliant with the organisers taking the risk of both supplying unpublished scenarios and being willing to judge games that go over time. I cannot express how important thos aspect is as it is not fun when you are stuck waiting for a game to finish before you can play your next one. It is not a fun job and you can never satisfy everyone but it is so important thst players understand thst they will be decided.
The accommodation is great for the cost. The welcome outstanding and the food great value for money.
It's not fine dining but good hearty food. Well suited to soaking up the beer!

The Armenian kebab house is well worth the trip to Blackpool on its own. A take away that has peole queuing in the rain or 40 minutes! It has the cleanest kitchen area I have ever seen in a take away.
Travel to Blackpool is not too bad but will require a train change for most people. If you are flying in, then it may well be you can arrange a lift from a more local player.

Un fortunately, given the current circumstances, I am less and less optimistic of it going ahead this year. Aberdeen has been thrown back into lockdown due yo idiots who failed to adhere to social distancing rules.
Thanks mate. The cheque is in the post.

I'd say 60/40 in favour of proceeding. Diminishing though. We'll make a call in early October probably. Much will depend on the number Charles needs to make closing the hotel to outsiders and devoting entirely to ASL feasible. My experience of shared space (for ASL'ers or other guests) is not good.

If it doesn't go ahead I then need to suss out if it's viable to move it to vASL. An element of that would be whether people are willing to pay the usual subscription for it (ie. to fund prizes and a donation to the hotel to ease the pain of us cancelling early). I'll give full consideration to all this further down the line.

If Charles is able to accommodate the tournament even on significant diminished numbers then I may think about running a two-sided tournament - live and vASL. Interesting.

Right now though, if the hotel is open, we still intend to run it. Personally I'd rather play ASL face to face at the hotel, with a mask on if necessary, and lots of consideration and a little inconvenience, than not run it at all. Let's see though how the lock downs are as we progress.

Goddamned virus. And I say that knowing that it's impacted me considerably less than the likes of you, and Charles, my friend.
 

Sparafucil3

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FWIW, I have put a stake in the ground to attend. It will depend on how comfortable I am with traveling to the UK and whether there is a protocol forcing me into quarantine on one end or the other. I am hopeful I can make it.
 

Martin Mayers

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FWIW, I have put a stake in the ground to attend. It will depend on how comfortable I am with travelling to the UK and whether there is a protocol forcing me into quarantine on one end or the other. I am hopeful I can make it.
Of course mate. My attendence from only 50 miles away still has similar considerations...currently back under lock down here in East Lancashire for example :(
 
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