vainandy said:

I've always found that rule true too. If I go out for Indian or Thai or Ethiopian and the clientele -or worse yet, the staff! -are all palefaces, I'll leave without even ordering. You just know the food's going to be no damn good. You'd be better off just eating at the mall's food court.

CarrieMpls said:

Ebnglish "Chinese" food certainly is an experience.

I've found Chinese food isn't too bad in Germany though, at least in Frankfurt.

When I'm in England I carry chilli flakes in my bag to stave off the cardboard taste.

Also they look at me like a freak or tryhard or something when I ask for chopsticks.

connorhawke said:

I still don't get this. Imago could jump in here and call it patriotism, but it's not, it's just about meat. Like NZ, like Australia, like the US. Meat, potatoes, some veggies, how is this not good food? Sometimes I wonder what on earth people are eating when they go to England. I'd kill for lamb shanks about now and some roast potatoes, while I can still taste it before the inevitable palette-death from excessive over-reliance on chili and seasoning in Thai food kicks in.

ultrablue said:

I don't eat meat

Also the herbs used in English cooking are much more bland than what I'm used to. My mum was english but still i grew up with in sydney with italian, greek and vietnamese food predominately.

connorhawke said:

That's odd as all the ones I've ever eaten in always place down chopsticks and you need to ask for proper cutlery. I don't, I endeavor eating with two sticks. Which is why the Chinese are slimmer obviously.

What is English cooking anyway? Doesn't the rest of the world incorporate foreign influences into its food? I know I sure do.

As for herbs being bland? What tosh. Grow your own and they are far more pungent. I grow basil (my favourite), thyme, sage, coriander, rosemary, bay and a few others and they always pack loads of flavour.

The quality of produce in Britain has dropped but you can grow your own or spend that little bit extra and buy quality meats and veg (usually just avoiding supermarkets will do the trick). Find a decent butcher with rare breed, locally reared, pigs and you'll experience bacon like no other.

Good homegrown potatoes, par boiled in chicken stock, fluffed, let to dry and then roasted with rosemary is heavenly. If you're doing a chicken make sure it's got a lemon, thyme and garlic shoved up its arse and cover it in thick, smoked, streaky bacon so that it crispens and then crumble that over the spuds when you serve them. You can always smear the garlic over the chicken too before serving. English food can be as tasty as you want it to be.

The best restaurants I have eaten in in this country have always taken influence from around the world. The world is the largest herb garden, vegetable shop, dairy and butchers so why not use it?

iloveannie said:

I'm talking Liverpool, though....still slightly backward