Part the second—Food
Jul. 1st, 2004 05:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cosmolinguistThe first thing I ate in England was ice cream. My first afternoon here, Andrew and I went to Jodrell Bank--an observatory where they have a radio telescope and also some science-museum type stuff for kids--with his mom and his niece, and Andrew's mom bought everyone ice cream there. Nothing was quite familiar to me (she took us grocery shopping later, and there I confirmed the fact that food in England is mostly like food in America; a lot of it's analogous to something I'm used to, but most of it's not quite the same), so I picked up what Andrew had because he said there was coconut in it. It turned out to be very tasty; I marvelled for the first time--but not the last--at how much I like the chocolate here. 'Of course,' Andrew always tells me. 'Because it tastes of chocolate, and not just of sugar!' Andrew makes a hobby of criticising everything American, but this particular point seems to be a favorite of his.
He's right, though. We went to Subway last week and the bread tasted very strange to me, much sweeter than I'm used to. I found myself wishing we'd had some-random-meat and chips, like we'd originally planned. I guess I'm being indoctrinated after all.
Fish and chips was something Andrew made me try almost as soon as I got here. I played along, understanding the importance of the activity even though I don't really like fish and that was another of the days it was too hot to eat. I've since discovered that I like sausage and chips very much, though. Sausages are good here because there's real meat in them. Even the cheap hot dogs we bought were edible--and I don't usually like hot dogs.
Oh, I suppose I should also mention that 'chips' doesn't mean here what it does in America; chips here are what we call fries, nnd what Americans think of as chips are called 'crisps.' But I don't like potatoes very much, so that sort of linguistic difference is not very interesting to me.
Which reminds me, actually, of talking with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
setharoo a couple of days ago. I told him the only thing I'd eaten that day, to speak of, was chocolate biscuits. So he asked if chocolate biscuits were the same as chocolate cookies. I tried to explain that, while American-style chocolate-chip cookies are available (I've seen them called 'cookies,' even...also labelled 'American-style'), what people call biscuits here are same in function but not in form. I told him they're called 'chocolate digestives' too, which of course sounds weird to people who aren't used to hearing about them.
I told him what Andrew had told me about them a couple of days earlier (I don't know why we were talking about chocolate biscuits, but it's more plausible than talking about the inevitability of getting raped by a horse): they were probably supposed to be 'good for you' at one point...in the same way Coke and Pepsi wee once thought medicinal, and graham crackers were supposed to keep people from masturbating (Andrew told me corn flakes had that same original raison d'etre). But, like all of those things, the addition of sugar is enough to make people forget they ever had such diabolical purposes as being good for you.
Edit: I am attempting to write these things down semi-coherently, if only for posterity or so I don't forget, so here are a couple more variations on the theme of English Food.
First, the fact that even cheap food is decent here. If I didn't know the chicken kievs were made in the microwave, they might pass for ''real food' where I come from. That sort of thing. This goes along with the cheap hot dogs bit; it's not just the hot dogs but a general phenomenon I've noticed. Of course, all food is more expensive here, but that bit about the numbers being the same does help lure one into a false sense of security...
Second,textivore mentioned Scotch eggs. He claims, in fact, to be a whore for Scotch eggs...an interesting and perhaps exploitable? state. Andrew was eating one at some point while IMing me, so he told me about them. Scotch eggs are hard-boiled eggs covered with sausage and bread crumbs; you eat them cold. I believe my response was 'Ew.' Andrew said he always hears that from Americans, but wanted to get one to actually try a Scotch egg some day. I ended up being that one, as he tossed some in our cart the first day I was here, saying 'Holly needs to try Scotch eggs.' It actually didn't taste bad at all, but he offered them (i.e. he was going to eat the rest himself) just after I'd actually eaten, so I only had half of mine and he ate the other three and a half in about as much time as it took me to eat that. This is about the normal rate of food consumption around here.
He's right, though. We went to Subway last week and the bread tasted very strange to me, much sweeter than I'm used to. I found myself wishing we'd had some-random-meat and chips, like we'd originally planned. I guess I'm being indoctrinated after all.
Fish and chips was something Andrew made me try almost as soon as I got here. I played along, understanding the importance of the activity even though I don't really like fish and that was another of the days it was too hot to eat. I've since discovered that I like sausage and chips very much, though. Sausages are good here because there's real meat in them. Even the cheap hot dogs we bought were edible--and I don't usually like hot dogs.
Oh, I suppose I should also mention that 'chips' doesn't mean here what it does in America; chips here are what we call fries, nnd what Americans think of as chips are called 'crisps.' But I don't like potatoes very much, so that sort of linguistic difference is not very interesting to me.
Which reminds me, actually, of talking with
setharoo a couple of days ago. I told him the only thing I'd eaten that day, to speak of, was chocolate biscuits. So he asked if chocolate biscuits were the same as chocolate cookies. I tried to explain that, while American-style chocolate-chip cookies are available (I've seen them called 'cookies,' even...also labelled 'American-style'), what people call biscuits here are same in function but not in form. I told him they're called 'chocolate digestives' too, which of course sounds weird to people who aren't used to hearing about them. I told him what Andrew had told me about them a couple of days earlier (I don't know why we were talking about chocolate biscuits, but it's more plausible than talking about the inevitability of getting raped by a horse): they were probably supposed to be 'good for you' at one point...in the same way Coke and Pepsi wee once thought medicinal, and graham crackers were supposed to keep people from masturbating (Andrew told me corn flakes had that same original raison d'etre). But, like all of those things, the addition of sugar is enough to make people forget they ever had such diabolical purposes as being good for you.
Edit: I am attempting to write these things down semi-coherently, if only for posterity or so I don't forget, so here are a couple more variations on the theme of English Food.
First, the fact that even cheap food is decent here. If I didn't know the chicken kievs were made in the microwave, they might pass for ''real food' where I come from. That sort of thing. This goes along with the cheap hot dogs bit; it's not just the hot dogs but a general phenomenon I've noticed. Of course, all food is more expensive here, but that bit about the numbers being the same does help lure one into a false sense of security...
Second,
textivore mentioned Scotch eggs. He claims, in fact, to be a whore for Scotch eggs...an interesting ![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 10:39 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-02 10:40 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 10:50 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 10:54 am (UTC)Our black licorice is not as good as other black licorice, either. Whenever I go to Trader Joe's I buy these little tubs of Aussie licorice. One or 2 pieces and you're good for the whole day. The stuff is oh, so good!
It's a shame you don't like fish because I'd like to know how the fish here compares with over there. Should I ever make it to England, the FIRST meal I'm going to have will be fish & chips, eaten properly, all nice & suffocated in malt vinegar & extra salt. I LOVE fish & chips! In fact, we just had some a few nights ago.
Chocolate digestives, huh? Interesting title. LOL!
(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 11:06 am (UTC)And it was indeed soaked in vinegar (which I don't like much; Andrew thinks I'm crazy for that) and salt. There's no other way to eat such a thing!
One of the things I forgot to mention (I may just go back and add it, actually) is that even cheap food or 'fast food' here would pass for decent-quality stuff in the states. Which is great if you're poor like we are and can only get cheap food! Of course cheap food here isn't as cheap as in the states, but still...
I'm not a fan of licorice myself (I always thought it was exactly like chewing on plastic), but I see your point about American food being shoddy compared to other countries', definitely.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 11:08 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 11:15 am (UTC)But you'll LOVE IT!
Date: 2004-07-01 12:03 pm (UTC)http://www.simplyoz.com/closeup.php?8260:1
Is to die for. It's not like plastic at all, and the flavor is MMMM!
As for the sausage, I didn't have anything to do with that. LOL! Sausage is one food I can't eat. Who knows what's in it?
(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 05:15 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 07:04 pm (UTC)Black licorice is one of those odd flavors you either like or don't. Seems like there isn't any 'in between'.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 11:02 am (UTC)Kebab meat and chips.... mmmmmm wonderful stuff that, horribly evil for your body though.
Have you tried ice cream with a flake bar yet?
(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 11:06 am (UTC)Donner meat and chips is the food of the gods.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 11:21 am (UTC)Of course, the English tend to keep that sweetness to their candies, while the USers will put sugar in just about everything.
And yes, I need meat and chips. Stat!
(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 11:22 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 11:24 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 11:24 am (UTC)And I have had European chocolate. I know what cocoa tastes like. :-)
(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 11:12 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 11:15 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 12:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 05:17 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 11:19 am (UTC)Its goodness. Think very thin, flakey chocolate all wrapped up around itself (with air space in between) into something resembling a bar.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 11:26 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 11:58 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 11:05 am (UTC)I have an American-English/English-American "dictionary". It's quite funny, even though that's not the intent.
Have you encountered "jacket potatoes" or "pudding" or steak & kidneys? (OK, so that last one is self-explanatory, but it sure is yummy.)
(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 11:09 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 11:10 am (UTC)That's great. I want one. And it seems funnier, to me, since funniness is not the intent.
And yes, I am a geek, but it wasn't exactly my idae to visit, as I was sleep-deprived and almost comatose at the time. :-) I did enjoy it, though...and not just the ice cream.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 11:25 am (UTC)Also, Coke Light, which is more of a continental product than an English one but is available in England, is truly the nectar of the Gods. The European aversion to aspartame means they use something else to sweeten it, and it's much sweeter than Diet Coke and absolutely delicious.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 11:32 am (UTC)The Coke, on the other hand, is a good point. I don't do diet soda but I love the regular Coke (and the Mecca Cola I happened to grab the last time I was at the chippy) precisely because they do use sugar in that, rather than high-fructose corn syrup. I may have been spoiled to anything else, in that case. :-)
(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-02 01:59 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-02 03:18 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-08-04 04:04 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 11:51 am (UTC)You can forget the cucumber sandwiches, though.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 05:29 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-02 02:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-01 01:40 pm (UTC)