Some Foods From My Childhood Are As Good As I Remember

and some aren't

[lawman]

Just had some Animal Crackers today. Yummy, just as good as I remember.

On the other hand, as a child I used to think chipped beef gravy on toast was haute cuisine. Now I can't stand the stuff.

[Old_Honky]

English food wasn't always boring.

You must be an American, next you'll be telling us all our teeth are rotten.

It is a big misconception English food has always been good, you are just flowing along with the anti English cuisine tide. I have lived in England most of my life and eaten well. My mother was an excellent (if a bit basic)cook who didn't boil everything to death, so in my early years I was bought up on good English cooking. As I got older and "foreign" food became established in this country I learnt to enjoy French, Italian, Chinese and Indian food. The only "fast food" I enjoy albeit very occasionally now because I have to watch my weight is Fish and Chips. Burgers and Kentucky fried (alleged) chicken just make me heave.

I am a reasonable cook and still prepare traditional English roast dinners, English fried breakfasts (rarely), and ordinary basic food like fried pig's liver and fried onions, meat and two veg, bangers and mash etc. We do not exclusively eat traditional English food as I also prepare stir fries, curries,pasta dishes and chillies regularly. I tend to do most of the cooking because my wife is a "semi" vegetarian and is not as food oriented as I am.

I'm sure you can find poorly prepared food, sub standard food in England just as you can in France, Italy or the USA, but remember there are far more British TV celebrity chefs visiting the USA than US celebrity chefs coming over here, in fact I can't think of one American chef I've seen on TV recently. There was a Chinese guy a few years ago on some of the satellite channels but all he did was stir fry. So who is teaching who how to cook properly?

And what about cheese, if "Monterey Jack" is anything to go by you Americans wouldn't know a good cheese if it came and bit you on the @rse! Our small country has a wealth of cheeses; Stilton, Double Gloucester, Wensleydale the list is endless, and none of them taste like some sort of rubbery industrial by-product.

[lawman]

Oh boy, I had to check to see if this was the thread I started. Why does talking about food make those of you who call England home so ornery.

[piatkow]

I actually liked spam fritters when I was at school. Tried one again in my 30s - once!

It wasn't until I was well into my 20s that a decent range of fresh food became available. In childhood I hated pineapple (tinned), cream (tinned), salmon (tinned) now I love them all fresh although since my heart attack I have given up on the cream.

[graeme_p]

@Lucy, how well did people eat in big Chinese cities back then? As other people have pointed out there always has been good British cuisine, its just that very few people ate it. Britain was a lot more urbanised than China.

@Old_Honky, there may always have been good British food for those who bothered, but what people generally ate was pretty tasteless for a long time. The current high standards are a reaction to that brought about by foreign food raising people's expectations.

@lawman, if you had been brought up on British school meals you would be ornery about food too.

[HelenDev]

Findus crispy pancakes, spaghetti hoops, Birds Eye potato waffles, Iced gems, Super noodles.

Still have super noodles every now and again and they're still delicious :)

[J_RaD]

but remember there are far more British TV celebrity chefs visiting the USA than US celebrity chefs

this probably has to do more with ratings and personality.....remember, ITS - TV! if the best of the best were on TV it would probably be pretty boring to watch. :-P

And what about cheese, if "Monterey Jack" is anything to go by you Americans wouldn't know a good cheese if it came and bit you on the @rse!

it is interesting to see US stereotypes..... we all eat crappy food and drink horrible beer. :-P

[LifeinAsia]

you Americans wouldn't know a good cheese if it came and bit you on the @rse!

Our cheese may be junk, but at least it doesn't go around attacking people!

[piatkow]

@LifeinAsia - Horace doesn't really exist, the Discworld is just a story.

The Archers of course is another matter entirely.

[johnhh]

Birds Eye potato waffles: had some today with fish cakes yummy

anyone watching Rick Stein on Spanish food on the BBC .. interesting watching him trying to be upbeat on a limited menu ...

Have a friend in Hong Kong - never cooks - cheaper and better to eat out..

Just tried a local restaurant under new owners - um - same menu - supposed to be Italian but never heard of grappa.

.. don't get me started on food - I will go on all night ...

Like the pub/bistro place opposite Geneva station , beer you would die for and great regional speciality similar to a real Italian pizza ( not the rubbish you get in the UK)

_{back to the VAT return}

[J_RaD]

Have a friend in Hong Kong - never cooks - cheaper and better to eat out..

veryyyyyyyyyyy true, food over there is DIRT cheap. 3 meals a day for $10 US

[lucy24]

we all eat crappy food and drink horrible beer

Well, it's hard to argue with the beer part. EU rules may have changed this, but it used to be that when you bought imported beer in an American liquor store it was likely to be labeled "export quality". This does not mean it was extra-super-good. It meant it could not legally be sold as beer in its country of origin.

For food, as I said, look at any 17th-centry cookbook. They're simply speaking a different culinary language. Rumor has it the English have finally overcome their deadly fear of garlic, but it was a hard battle.

I read a British novel (you could tell it was genuinely British because they committed horrible blunders like using "Californian" as an adjective) where the characters went to an American restaurant. Not a restaurant in America. An "American" restaurant, as you might go to an Italian or Chinese place. They ate
:: digging into memory ::
well, it was something like: clam chowder; fried chicken; peach cobbler.

The next day they went to an Indian restaurant, where they had rasam sambar, tandoori chicken and finally bhapa doi. I made up that part.

What's wrong with Jack cheese? Every country has its generic light cheese. Possibly you're thinking of American cheese. (That is its actual name. It comes in individual plastic-wrapped slices. You eat the plastic and throw away the cheese.)

[lawman]

Ha, a cheeseburger wouldn't be a cheeseburger without american cheese.

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

it is interesting to see US stereotypes..... we all eat crappy food and drink horrible beer.

I have been in the USA several times and I find most of the beer is dreadful. However last time I was there, there was a move towards micro breweries where the beer actually tastes like something. Is that continuing?

I am not suggesting that the bog standard, popular UK beers are any better by the way. Actually my opinion is that the most "popular" beers all over are brewed to be as tasteless as possible (taste being seen as subjective and hence a risky feature for the product).

I would say that the fact that beers like John Smith's, Boddington's and Carling are amongst the top sellers in the UK proves that popularity with beer is more down to marketing than either quality or taste. :(

I started drinking beer about 45 years ago when I was just out of my childhood. This was just when "real" beer was transitioning from casks to the pressurised keg cr@p they serve up to the mass market nowadays. When I drink proper cask conditioned ale nowadays I often get flashbacks to the beers of my youth.

Personally I have got to the point where if I cannot have a pint of real ale in a pub then I would rather sit at home and drink it from a bottle.

Here's why [camra.org.uk...]

Here endeth the sermon. ;)

[edited by: lawman at 4:18 pm (utc) on Jul 16, 2011]
[edit reason] Fix Link [/edit]

[J_RaD]

Well, it's hard to argue with the beer part. EU rules may have changed this, but it used to be that when you bought imported beer in an American liquor store it was likely to be labeled "export quality". This does not mean it was extra-super-good. It meant it could not legally be sold as beer in its country of origin.

huh? its actually not hard....when is the last time you purchased beer? :-(

I have been in the USA several times and I find most of the beer is dreadful. However last time I was there, there was a move towards micro breweries where the beer actually tastes like something. Is that continuing?

atleast where I live that section of the brews is much larger then the watery section, actually in some stores the garbage isn't even for sale woohoo :-)

its to a point where the US micro brews are putting the EU brews that WE GET HERE, to shame! If i do pick one up its from the UK or belgium......belgium most of the time.

[lucy24]

when is the last time you purchased beer? :-(

Quite a while ago, thanks to boring prescription contraindications, but you may have misunderstood. Western Europe has-- or used to have-- stricter rules about what could and couldn't go into a beer. The other stuff would be, let's say, "grain-based vaguely alcoholic beverage" in your language of choice. Slap on the Export Quality label and you can ship it off to the US and call it beer. That doesn't mean you can't also sell good beer. It means that it doesn't legally have to be good to be called beer.

[J_RaD]

Ha, a cheeseburger wouldn't be a cheeseburger without american cheese.

for some reason this post has made me want to put cheese whiz on a burger! skip the mayo and mustard.... cheese whiz! MmmmmMMmmMm

[lawman]

Isn't cheez whiz made from polyester? ;)

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

its to a point where the US micro brews are putting the EU brews that WE GET HERE, to shame!

In my experience the US micro brews are generally excellent.

The reason why they put our stuff to shame is that you will probably be getting the popular imitation beers from over here punted to you as being typical (which I regret to say, they are).

[J_RaD]

yea we have a pretty limited view, I always pick up whatever I've never had before anytime I see it. Some places have a really nice EU selection but then those places always have this huge microbrew selection....my eyes get crossed, head spins :-P

I'm glad to see real beer taking over here at last! I don't have to bring my own beer when visiting friends as much haha.

[J_RaD]

back to topic.... veggies, i was never a big fan of them as a kid. Once I grew up and started cooking my own food, I love them all, i eat 75% less meat and 75% more veggies!

Then as I got older....my sweet tooth fell out, I don't have the desire for any sweet food at all.