• @[email protected]
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    252 years ago

    Reminds me of that one bit, might have been on Top Gear, “7 of the 10 best restaurants in the world are in London!” “And what kind of food do they serve?” “French Cuisine.” *laughter ensues

  • kingthrillgore
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    2 years ago

    I recently was in Scotland with friends and we had fish and chips for dinner one night. We did have vinegar but I also brought some 10 varieties of hot sauce with me from the states. I can tell you with all confidence the sauce was gone the next day because it made the fish edible.

    I also had haggis and loved it because it was seasoned, and in general, I noticed all of the good British food was, surprise, not from the English region.

    What are you people doing to yourselves

    • @[email protected]
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      32 years ago

      Best fish and chips I’ve ever had in my life was in a London pub (the kind that still has rooms for rent upstairs) made by South American immigrants. Fucking phenomenal. I still dream about it sometimes.

    • kingthrillgore
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      42 years ago

      It has been [ 0 ] days since a British colony or former border for a British colony has caused some kind of global affair

      • @[email protected]
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        2 years ago

        Yeah, my bad, shouldn’t have mentioned reddit.

        Still, it’s, three or four brain cell required, low hanging fruit, that’s been regurgitated a thousand times in echo chambers very similar to this.

        It’s just a little depressing that this shit still gets lapped up, but I guess that’s social media, and the world, over.

  • @[email protected]
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    192 years ago

    British food is generally shared with Europe. Like, Brits eat Steak, but who can say where that was invented. Steak is eaten throughout Europe. Same with various roasted meats, savory pies, sausages, etc. There might be some slight differences between “bangers”, “chorizo” and “wurst” but it’s fundamentally the same dish. Most food eaten by / prepared by Brits is fundamentally just European food. And even though KFC and McDonalds are American franchises, what they sell is essentially European food, and they’re popular worldwide.

    As for food that nobody except Brits eats, that can be pretty bad. But, often foods that only locals eat is bad. French food is world renowned, but that’s the popular “generic European” food made with lots of butter. Andouillette hasn’t caught on, and probably won’t.

    • @[email protected]
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      82 years ago

      There’s more than slight differences.every country in Europe makes different kind of Sausages,hell in some countries you move by 100km and the food is completely different.

      I moved to another continent and can easily find chorizo at my local deli, I consider it pretty unique. I can occasionally get my hands on German bratwurst at fairest, love it and not even close to chirizo in look, texture or flavour. Boring English Sausages? No idea where to find them noone really sells them here.

      Then I lost you at McDonald’s and KFC selling European food, are we actually talking about food? Have you ever eaten at a local restaurant in Spain, Italy, Greece or even Germany?

      • @[email protected]
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        22 years ago

        hell in some countries you move by 100km and the food is completely different.

        People always say that, but it’s never true.

        not even close to chirizo in look, texture or flavour

        It’s still a sausage.

        Then I lost you at McDonald’s and KFC selling European food

        KFC is deep-fried roasted chicken. Frying chicken in fat was something that people were doing in Scotland hundreds of years ago. The fact that KFC is an American corporation doesn’t mean that it’s not fundamentally making a European dish. As for McDonalds, Frisadelle is basically a hamburger patty, and it’s been a German / Scandinavian dish for centuries. Slapping bread around meat was popularized by the Earl of Sandwich around the 1760s. Maybe the hamburger in its current form is a US thing, but it’s merely a slight refinement of a few European ideas.

        I’ve eaten all over North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. That’s why I know that British food is basically just European food, just as North American food is also mostly just European food.

        • @[email protected]
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          42 years ago

          So I asked someone from Hamburg (Northern Germany) if they liked Käsespätzle (the most beloved southern German dish). They had never heard of it.

          That made me think, so I asked my cousin’s wife from Bavaria (Southern Germany) if they had ever eaten Matjes (a pretty well liked and popular Northern German dish). She also had never heard of it.

          • @[email protected]
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            32 years ago

            Käsespätzle is popular in Switzerland too. It’s very well known except sometimes they call it Chnöpfli / Knoepfle / Knöpfle or Spätzli. It could be that they’d heard of it under a different name? Spätzle is even eaten in Hungary, eastern France and Serbia under local names.

            You can easily find it on the aldi-nord.de website under Spätzle. I mean, it’s possible that there are products that are on sale in local supermarkets that people have never noticed, but then is it really that the diets of the North and South are so different, or is it that some people don’t like variety or trying new things?

            As for Matjes, that’s pickled / brined Herring. It’s no surprise that people far from the sea don’t eat it. But, pickled herring is super common. It’s popular in Germany (apparently only the north), Netherlands, nordic countries, etc. Slightly different versions are popular in the parts of the UK near the ocean, in Russia and Ukraine, even Canada. In fact, it’s pretty common in Minnesota in the US despite them being far from the ocean simply because they had a lot of immigration from nordic countries.

        • @[email protected]
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          12 years ago

          “The Earl of Sandwich” is just the most greatest thing or I am just too high. I hope he has a statue somewhere

          • @[email protected]
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            42 years ago

            What’s interesting is that “The Earl of Sandwich” was just a title like “The Earl of Devon”, “The Earl of Suffolk”, “The Earl of Essex”, etc.

            Sandwiches got their name because that Earl liked playing cards and wanted food he could hold that wouldn’t mess up his cards. So, it’s like calling one of the things he (or his cook) invented “A McDonalds”. But, now, we’re so used to the name “A Sandwich” that the title “Earl of Sandwich” sounds weird. Even though “wich” is a pretty common place name ending, like “Norwich”, “Dunwich”, etc. And, “Sand” is pretty normal as part of a place name, but not as part of food.

    • Captain Aggravated
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      132 years ago

      I think steak is kind of like fire or the knife…it wasn’t really invented so much as discovered, and by an earlier species of hominid than us. Like you start the game with that tech unlocked.

    • @[email protected]
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      22 years ago

      Boiling is pretty rare here. Pretty much the only consistently boiled thing I’ve had are potatoes.

    • @[email protected]
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      252 years ago

      I see this a fair bit, but like our main things are Full English (fried), Fish & Chips (fried), and Roast Dinner (roasted, shockingly), so where does this come from?

      • @[email protected]
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        2 years ago

        Like the entire “hurr British food bad” meme in general, it was just made up by Americans who have very little knowledge of the going on of things outside North America. I’m gonna get crucified for that statement, but it’s true.

        You’re right, British foods are typically baked, fried, or roasted. I really don’t know where this idea of boiling stuff comes from.

          • @[email protected]
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            2 years ago

            Yes, because the stereotype was started by Americans.

            Another common stereotype is bad teeth, despite British teeth being healthier than that of the US (or Italy) by a fair margin.

            Because of the US’s ability to publish media globally, they dictate a lot of stereotypes in media.

        • @[email protected]
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          82 years ago

          during the rationing period I think boiling was more common. not sure why, but my gran would boil the hell out of sprouts. rendering them awful. always thought I hated them.

          • The Infinite Nematode
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            62 years ago

            My granny would boil cabbage until white, that was her way of telling it was done. I used to hate cabbage.

            Then I found that you can fry it with butter and bacon and black pepper. So good… although I’ll admit that boiled was probably healthier 😁.

          • @[email protected]
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            22 years ago

            I think in the 70s and 80s in the US people were boiling the shit outta vegetables as well. I don’t know who thought turning every vegetable into watery mush was a good idea, but it’s no wonder kids from that time grew up hating peas and brussel sprouts

          • @[email protected]
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            42 years ago

            They did used to taste worse as well though, the ones you buy in the shops now are a different variety to the ones back in the day

      • @[email protected]
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        132 years ago

        Chicken Tikka Masala

        I could go on and list dozens, because the joy of British food is that it’s often a mix of different cultures and techniques. Britain is one of those rare places where they’ll steal food from everywhere, while also being one of the best places to get “authentic” versions of another country’s cuisines.

        • @[email protected]
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          2 years ago

          Just like how all the good Chinese food was invented in America.

          EDIT: I apologize but I was partly joking, I love Shaoxing Wine and real Soy Sauce for cooking. There are clearly some good dishes from the many vast cultures of China.

          • @[email protected]
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            22 years ago

            Honestly as someone who grew up with lots of Chinese immigrants friends real Chinese food maybe is a bit odd the first couple of times you eat it but after that it beats the pants off of any American Chinese food.

        • @[email protected]
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          12 years ago

          This is still the stupidest, most disingenuous response. I don’t even have time to go into the like 10 things wrong with this response.

          • @[email protected]
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            22 years ago

            You don’t have time because it’s widely accepted by many that chose to make Britain their home, and you’d spend your time arguing with what is essentially established truth at this point.

            As for it sounding stupid, well, it’s not on us to make you understand it. Do some critical thinking, and come back when you have the time.

  • @[email protected]
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    22 years ago

    I recall reading somewhere that a lot of prepared food in the UK has to be packaged to be bland due to food health and safety laws. I know the laws are a lot stricter but on preservative and additives but does this include more general spices as well?

    • @[email protected]
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      22 years ago

      Idk where you got that from. I suppose it depends on your standards, when I visited the US I found everything suuuper sweet, so I guess it isn’t like that. But most food here isn’t as bland as it’s reputation and there certainly aren’t laws on how many spices you can put in packaged food lmao

  • @[email protected]
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    162 years ago

    The meme is funny (it is!) until people take it too literally.

    Yes there are things in traditional English cuisine that are atrocious (from difficult times for some of them) but I believe what counts as English food is what you can find in England today.

    If you want cheap then you have Indian, Chinese etc in addition to the usual fast food places. Fish and chips is good but you have to let go off your prejudices. The fish is super crispy outside and flaky inside but bland. It’s meant to be eaten covered in salt with tartare sauce or your vinegar soaked chips.

    True the cheap traditional food can be meh compared to Italy or France. If you want really nice English food you’ll have to pay more. Gastro pubs, genuine fancy “British cuisine” restaurants are everywhere but you need to be ready to pay the price.

    In addition many other countries also have soso traditional food (I think NL, DK etc according to their own citizens). But the problem obviously is that the UK are more fun to target, because the UK wants to be perceived as a superpower in other aspects as they once were. So yeah let’s make fun of their food.

    • @[email protected]
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      122 years ago

      because the UK wants to be perceived as a superpower in other aspects as they once were.

      And because they colonized a lot of countries and pillaged their spices, and then proceeded to do absolutely nothing with them.

      • @[email protected]
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        132 years ago

        Common misconception, as well. Take for instance our sausages: Lincolnshire and Cumberland being the most popular, both well seasoned. Or Pork Faggots (which are a type of meatball and gravy/sauce dish).

      • @[email protected]
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        32 years ago

        I do that a lot in games, I collect all the collectibles and weapons and potions, but I proceed not to use them.