In Defense of English cooking.

[ShahdagMountains]

I’ve just bought Orwell’s book.

We have heard a good deal of talk in recent years about the desirability of attracting foreign tourists to this country. It is well known that England’s two worst faults, from a foreign visitor’s point of view, are the gloom of our Sundays and the difficulty of buying a drink.

Both of these are due of fanatical minorities who will need a lot of quelling, including extensive legislation. But there is one point on which public opinion could bring about a rapid change for the better: I mean cooking.

It is commonly said, even by the English themselves, that English cooking is the worst in the world. It is supposed to be not merely incompetent, but also imitative, and I even read quite recently, in a book by a French writer, the remark: ‘The best English cooking is, of course, simply French cooking.

In Defence of English Cooking | The Orwell Foundation

"A simple, rather heavy, perhaps slightly barbarous diet... hot drinks are acceptable at most hours of the day".

www.orwellfoundation.com

 

[ShahdagMountains]

^
First of all, kippers, Yorkshire pudding, Devonshire cream, muffins and crumpets. Then a list of puddings that would be interminable if I gave it in full: I will pick out for special mention Christmas pudding, treacle tart and apple dumplings. Then an almost equally long list of cakes: for instance, dark plum cake (such as you used to get at Buzzard’s before the war), short-bread and saffron buns. Also innumerable kinds of biscuit, which exist, of course, elsewhere, but are generally admitted to be better and crisper in England.

Then there are the various ways of cooking potatoes that are peculiar to our own country. Where else do you see potatoes roasted under the joint, which is far and away the best way of cooking them? Or the delicious potato cakes that you get in the north of England? And it is far better to cook new potatoes in the English way — that is, boiled with mint and then served with a little melted butter or margarine — than to fry them as is done in most countries.

Then there are the various sauces peculiar to England. For instance, bread sauce, horse-radish sauce, mint sauce and apple sauce; not to mention redcurrant jelly, which is excellent with mutton as well as with hare, and various kinds of sweet pickle, which we seem to have in greater profusion than most countries.

 

[1srelluc]

 

[fncceo]

John Cleese was once asked on American TV,

"Why does British Food suck?".

He thought about it for a moment then replied,

"Well, we had an Empire to run".

 

[rightwinger]

I’ve just bought Orwell’s book.

We have heard a good deal of talk in recent years about the desirability of attracting foreign tourists to this country. It is well known that England’s two worst faults, from a foreign visitor’s point of view, are the gloom of our Sundays and the difficulty of buying a drink.

Both of these are due of fanatical minorities who will need a lot of quelling, including extensive legislation. But there is one point on which public opinion could bring about a rapid change for the better: I mean cooking.

It is commonly said, even by the English themselves, that English cooking is the worst in the world. It is supposed to be not merely incompetent, but also imitative, and I even read quite recently, in a book by a French writer, the remark: ‘The best English cooking is, of course, simply French cooking.

In Defence of English Cooking | The Orwell Foundation

"A simple, rather heavy, perhaps slightly barbarous diet... hot drinks are acceptable at most hours of the day".

www.orwellfoundation.com

When asking “Where should we go to dinner?” I hear Italian, French, German, Chinese, Mexican….

Never hear anyone say…..let’s do British

 

[ShahdagMountains]

Not true.

Chicken Tikka is the national dish. With chips.

And Saturday night is curry night.Or used to be.

 

[ShahdagMountains]

John Cleese was once asked on American TV,

"Why does British Food suck?".

He thought about it for a moment then replied,

"Well, we had an Empire to run".

I’ve noticed you sell spotted dick and marmite in your supermarkets.

 

[fncceo]

I’ve noticed you sell spotted dick and marmite in your supermarkets.

You can only buy them with EBT

 

[ShahdagMountains]

You can only buy them with EBT

Whatever that is.

 

[1srelluc]

Not true.

Chicken Tikka is the national dish. With chips.

And Saturday night is curry night.Or used to be.

LOL....Maybe the Muslims will spice things up for you food-wise like they have your politics.

 

[ShahdagMountains]

When asking “Where should we go to dinner?” I hear Italian, French, German, Chinese, Mexican….

Never hear anyone say…..let’s do British

I went to a British themed restaurant in deepest Virginia once. It had bubble & squeak on the menu.

 

[rightwinger]

I went to a British themed restaurant in deepest Virginia once. It had bubble & squeak on the menu.

Bangers and Mash

 

[Natural Citizen]

English cuisine, like so many other aspects, reflects the same gloominess and boringness of England itself.

That part of the world has never and will never be on my bucket list.

 

[ShahdagMountains]

0

LOL....Maybe the Muslims will spice things up for you food-wise like they have your politics.

They have already. And it’s started in Germany. A Halal restaurant has opened in the city centre.

 

[ShahdagMountains]

English cuisine, like so many other aspects, reflects the same gloominess and boringness of England itself.

That part of the world has never and will never be on my bucket list.

Well you would say that. Being a gloomy and boring sort of bloke yourself.

 

[ShahdagMountains]

Bangers and Mash

Yes.They had that too.

 

[Darkwind]

English cuisine, like so many other aspects, reflects the same gloominess and boringness of England itself.

That part of the world has never and will never be on my bucket list.

Well. I enjoy castles, and England has a plethora of them. Best ones are in Scotland, but don't tell the Brits that. They'll get even by importing another 50 Imans.

 

[Zincwarrior]

My theory is that most conquerors did so because their cuisines were crap. Of course French and German empires dispute that, but it sounds good anyway.
Mongol
Russian
British

 

[Natural Citizen]

Well. I enjoy castles, and England has a plethora of them.

Yeah, Some of them are neat.

I think about the ony place in Europe that would interest me would be Denmark. I like the cobblestone street villages/towns and storefronts.

 

[ShahdagMountains]

Well. I enjoy castles, and England has a plethora of them. Best ones are in Scotland, but don't tell the Brits that. They'll get even by importing another 50 Imans.

Windsor Castle, the best. William the Conquerer built it.