Brilliant observation. And in a classically quiet sort of way. The frustrating thing about such simple, brilliant statements is this: If one does get it, it can be frustratingly difficult to explain it to someone who doesn't. I do not mean this in disparagement of those who don't get it at first reading. Rather, I suppose, it's my frustration at my own skill with language. Or (he says hopefully), it's just not an easy thing to explain. For me, this segues to the McDonald's dialogue scene in "Pulp Fiction". Having been in many McDonald's in metric-system countries before I'd seen Tarantino's opus, I had made the very same observation with/to friends about Quarter Pounders and about all sorts of other "small differences" between countries/cultures - What do they call a 'Belgian endive' lettuce in Belgium? 'Canadian bacon' in Canada? In family-friendly, social-democratic Denmark, why don't they provide a tax deduction for children (as is done in the US)? (Yes, that last one is really nerdy, but that's part of my point.) So, it wasn't the subject matter or the "small differences" theme of the McDonald's scene in "Pulp Fiction" that most-wowed me. The "Wow!" came from Tarantino's presentation of the scene. Its deliberateness. Its pacing. And - Jules' dialogue. (Samuel L. Jackson) Keep every detailed bit of Vincent's (Travolta's) dialogue but take out chunks of Jules'... and (IMO) the scene just ain't what is truly was - Brilliant.

From one nerd to another: I believe in Denmark instead of a tax deduction for children they have what's called Børnefamilieydelse which is a kind of social security payment to all parents or guardians of children.

Teddy, couldn't you at least have started with "SPOILER ALERT"! Yes, I know. When I learned about it, I laughed because it makes so much sense for the sort of government/social policy they have there: Don't provide a tax deduction. Instead, (a) take the money in as a tax, and then (b) send out a check at regular intervals, thereby reinforcing the goodness of the State. (BTW, as you may know, a Danish word for "tax" is skat... which is also a Danish word for honey. Which makes Danish taxes either a sweet elixir or bee vomit. And, among other things, it's odd when an American/non-Danish speaker hears you call your girlfriend "skat".) I also laughed because it's another great example of how one can say something that is quite accurate and yet quite misleading. (Like comparisons between the US and Europe on charitable giving and church membership.) So, for example, a Dane could say to an American, "You mean the government doesn't provide financial support to help cover the costs of raising your children?!" PS: Scott, sorry for the OT on your blog, here.

Whoops! My reply was supposed to go here. Sorry.

Let's go with bee vomit. That seems appropriate ;) The Danes have one of the highest tax rates in the world, but they are the happiest people on earth so they must be doing something right. Oh right, this is a movie blog. Sorry, Scott. Umm... Denmark has a long tradition of making influential cinema and has produced a long line of notable filmmakers such as Carl Dreyer, Gabriel Axel, Susanne Bier and Nicolas Winding Refn.

Teddy - Continuing with that theme (and I'm about 95% certain of my facts here)... In Denmark, education is free, including for the government-sponsored universities. And one of the universities has a Director's Program. Learn to be a film director. The admissions process is difficult, requiring all sorts of submissions and interviews. Written material, a short film. And then they select the new students - again, for a tuition-free education. Here are the kickers: (1) Admissions is opened only once every two years. (2) Only 6 students are selected for each class, biennially. Kinda-sorta like The Quest.