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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsAmerican Food not actually that great
Lobs cornish pasty, then runs back to the UK forum!
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/american-food-not-actually-that-great-2014100291249
As gourmet burgers, barbecued ribs and other diner style foods reach epidemic proportions across the UK, some Britons have noticed that these are just slightly better quality variations on the crap they were eating years ago.
Plumber Tom Logan said: I was at Texas Jacks Barbecue Shack, excitedly chomping through a 28-day-aged Angus ranch burger with Monterey Jack cheese, when I realised it was just a Wimpy with nicer tables. If you look at the menu, everything is just a piece of meat either with or without onions or cheese. Fries are chips, and coleslaw is disgusting, its like cabbage with milk on it. There was nothing for sale there that a child could not cook.
I have tasted America, and it is greasy.
whistler162
(11,155 posts)T_i_B
(14,738 posts)Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)It's not all mushy peas and boiled sheep or whatever the stereotype was.
whistler162
(11,155 posts)Although an Angus ranch burger with Monterey Jack cheese is an afront to all real burgers.
Burger
Cheese - American(White or Yellow)
Bacon
Mushrooms
Sauerkraut
Now that is a proper burger.
T_i_B
(14,738 posts)...but you lost me when you mentioned American "cheese".
Wouldn't it be great if American cheese wasn't known for being such utterly appalling tasteless artificial shite?
Give me Wensleydale or Stilton over that nonsense anyday.
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)It's some sort of oil-based vaguely (vaguely!!!) cheeselike product. Retched, evil, abomination!
That was the kind of crap we had around when I was a kid, but thankfully now our supermarkets are bursting with fabulous cheeses, both domestic and imported. We make some pretty darn good goats cheese and blue (bleu) cheese here in the state of Oregon, for example.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)Right up there with the French and the Italians.
A fine Stilton and a glass of GOOD port is heaven.
"American cheese" is appalling. Which isn't to say that great cheese isn't made in the US, but that's another issue.
T_i_B
(14,738 posts)It's just that all you ever see or hear of the artificial awfulness.
And I've found that a good strong imperial stout works even better with Stilton!
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)A Sam Smith or maybe an Old Rasputin (a US craft brew imperial stout).
T_i_B
(14,738 posts)...for me as a UK real ale drinker, Darkstar Imperial Stout and Bristol Beer Factory Ultimate Stout are the 2 best choices.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)- a refined beast - but a big, BIG beer. Sounds like a match made in heaven to me.
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)On a hot dog, of course. But a burger? And I'm from Bawlmer, where we serve the stuff at Thanksgiving dinner!
lame54
(35,290 posts)I was in a small town and ordered a bacon and egg pastry
they put the bacon and egg in the pastry and baked it - but they didn't cook the bacon first
i was so hungry i was half way through before i realized it was just a hot-pocket full of bacon grease and half-cooked bacon
as hungry as i was i couldn't finish it
i was queasy the rest of the day
not a stereotype to me
Renew Deal
(81,859 posts)It's gross 99% of the time
T_i_B
(14,738 posts)...the current fashion for US style BBQ is quite different from the sort of barbeque gumph us Brits have been brought up on, so that bit of the Daily Mash's screed isn't entirely fair.
But the current fad for pulled pork is becoming quite tiresome.
Renew Deal
(81,859 posts)But ribs and chicken are usually a success. Throw in some for and beans (with bacon or pieces of pork) and you've got a meal.
alarimer
(16,245 posts)In Texas, at most places, brisket is king, along with sausage and ribs.
I am a current resident of North Carolina, where the only "BBQ" is pulled pork. It is vile.
Give me brisket or ribs.
Of course you can start many, many fights on this topic in the US, if you so choose. But do not go to Texas and declare that pulled pork is BBQ.
(I also started many arguments in Texas by declaring that chili should have vegetables in it. In Texas, it does not.)
Food wars are fun!
sharp_stick
(14,400 posts)that the introduction of beans into chili was an invention of the Texas prison system to make it go further.
He may be right but I love beans in my chili.
OriginalGeek
(12,132 posts)Actually I will eat pulled pork but only when we visit my wife's family in Georgia - they will roast a whole hog in a pit and then do all the pulling and sauce making themselves. But I still don't call it BBQ.
BBQ is beef brisket smoked overnight on mesquite wood. That's the way Micky at Webb's BBQ in Duncanville, TX cooked it when I was in High School and that's the way I want it now. If you can throw on some kielbasa from New Braunfels and a bucket of Shiner Bocks on ice you got yourself a meal.
Here in Florida I do have a couple decent places that understand how to do brisket (and quite a number more who think they do but fail miserably) but the overwhelming majority of BBQ places are eastern/Carolina style. I'd rather have dumb pulled pork than someone who thinks they know a brisket but have no idea what they are doing.
My dear alarimer, we must part ways on chili. No beans in my chili. (unless by vegetables you mean a little onion and/or chili/jalapeño/some other hot peppers).
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)and put just a tiny bit of mayo in it to give it a bit of creaminess (again, sorry for that word). It stays crisp and is very flavorful, not to mention pretty healthy.
Renew Deal
(81,859 posts)What else can one ask?
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)Especially if placed alongside an overstuffed pastrami sandwich (with a schmear of good horseradish mustard) and a good kosher pickle.
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)MUCH better!
Dirty Socialist
(3,252 posts)"Easy, stomach!"
Renew Deal
(81,859 posts)So chances are it's not just bad in the UK.
OriginalGeek
(12,132 posts)I'll eat at a convenience store before spending a dime in an Applebee's again.
Xyzse
(8,217 posts)I agree "American Food" that are Burger and Fries are pretty bad, but British food... Oie...
sharp_stick
(14,400 posts)My Grandfather used to eat that shit with a spoon. I still remember the look on my brother's face at the table when we watched him eat it.
T_i_B
(14,738 posts)Meaning that it's something you either really love or really loathe with no middle ground.
And in the case of Marmite, I love the stuff!
sharp_stick
(14,400 posts)Granddad used to try to get us to eat it.
I think he was genuinely upset and kind of sad that neither of us shared his love for that stuff.
T_i_B
(14,738 posts)One of my ex girlfriends disliked Marmite so vehemently that she wouldn't allow it in the house. I used to have to stash it somewhere secret, otherwise it would have been binned.
trof
(54,256 posts)But then I like consomme'.
To me, Marmite is like consomme' squared.
La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)however, some renditions of american food can be pretty gross
but the brits can ruin even indian food, so i think the fault maybe lies with them
Throd
(7,208 posts)Sure, they looked like cheeseburgers, but they sure as hell didn't taste like them.
RebelOne
(30,947 posts)closely followed by food on cruise ships.
trof
(54,256 posts)I've been to Rome and Milan, many times.
NEVER had a bad meal.
Not in a restaurant or in a home.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,368 posts)trof
(54,256 posts)Tears are running down my cheeks.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,368 posts)MADem
(135,425 posts)Can't believe I "missed" him all these years--he was born in BOSTON, MA, grew up in MALDEN, MA and was a relatively young man when he died...such a loss, he was hilarious.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Pinette
A HERETIC I AM
(24,368 posts)He was found dead in his hotel room at the Sheraton Station Square in Pittsburgh.
I was a bit angered to see the Huffington Post's announcement, as they referred to him as "Comedian and "Seinfeld" Actor" which I found ridiculous as he appeared in only 1 or 2 episodes, but he had a wealth of material available and had a good and hilarious career as a touring stand-up act.
As another person who lamented his passing said, "I've never laughed so hard at a stand-up act where not a single curse word was used."
He was a kind and gentle man who made many millions laugh, including myself.
One of my favorite comedians of all time, and he is sorely missed.
MADem
(135,425 posts)anything as sophisticated as FACT CHECK as well to go along with that!!!!
A HERETIC I AM
(24,368 posts)He Did a lot of gigs on Cruise ships and one of his bits he talks about having to take a small launch to an island, which concerned him;
"If it doesn't have a Casino and a Buffet, it isn't seaworthy!"
He was just too funny.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)and the food was mind-blowingly amazing everywhere from fancy restaurants to little bistros in small towns. I think it is a capital crime for a French citizen to open a bad restaurant. And the wine prices were enough to make a grown wine-lover cry. A magnum of a superb Hermitage was $30 in a Lyon restaurant. A restaurant!!
New Zealand was another place I have visited where the food was excellent. Everything was amazingly fresh and flavorful. Best salmon I've ever had was at a friend's home in NZ.
vanlassie
(5,670 posts)and I'll tell you what is good here. Fish and chips. Actually, mostly just the fish. The chips don't come close to the deliciousness of In N Out's.
I'll tell you why the British don't COME CLOSE to matching American food. Mexican Food. There IS none! No corn tortillas. Only pitiful Old El Paso crap. Now, granted, I live in California, so I'm spoiled, but... NO CORN TORTILLAS!!
T_i_B
(14,738 posts)Up in Sheffield this is the current trendy thing. http://www.streetfoodchef.co.uk/
Although I may not be the best person to judge how authentic any of this really is.
vanlassie
(5,670 posts)T_i_B
(14,738 posts)or is that a reason to run & hide and hope for better Mexican food?
vanlassie
(5,670 posts)kwassa
(23,340 posts)as anything but ... simple, has little to criticize with.
Is there any memorable English dish?
and Wimpy makes the worst "hamburger" that I have ever had anywhere. It was not anything recognizable as a hamburger, but was similar to Spam.
Now, I had great Indian, Chinese, and Middle-Eastern food in England. Just not Brit food.
T_i_B
(14,738 posts)Last edited Fri Oct 3, 2014, 07:47 AM - Edit history (1)
....there are plenty of worse burgers out there. McDonalds for starters.
I think the main attraction of Wimpy was that they had proper crockery, as opposed to the other fast food chains where you eat your food out of cardboard and polystyrene packaging.
kwassa
(23,340 posts)and I never liked McDonalds, either.
Wimpy's food was slightly better, and it was a much much nicer place to eat then McDonalds as well.
Mind you, it's been a long time since I've been in a Wimpy, as there are plenty of alternatives these days. Nando's for starters.
kwassa
(23,340 posts)Where do you live?
At one time I lived near Santa Monica, CA, which is a magnet for British ex-pats, and has multiple English pubs. Many illegal Irish at the time, too.
Now here in Maryland we have Nandos, but also many great Peruvian chicken places.
T_i_B
(14,738 posts)And whenever I come across a Nando's it usually seems to be rammed.
I'm based up near Sheffield.
avebury
(10,952 posts)It is all in the sauce. It can either be really really good or really not so good.
CanSocDem
(3,286 posts)...simple is better. When I had to 'eat out' in a different café everyday and often in a different state, I could always depend on the regional equivalent of Bisquits & Gravy to take away the hunger pangs.(which, you might have guessed, is my only reason for eating)
Chicken Fried Steak is another staple found on truck stop menus across the country. Though not a personal favorite, it was always comforting to know there was some leftover cutlet somewhere that could be re-done into something that could be called "a steak".
Overall, I find the American Restaurant Industry superior in one regard.... and that is marketing.
.
T_i_B
(14,738 posts)Biscuits are very different
Gravy is very different
And it's a matter of common sense not to put the 2 together under any circumstances.
In fact it's hardly unknown for Brits visiting America to come back quite shocked by what the Americans call biscuits and gravy.
And while most American food can win British converts fairly easily (especially the ones who watch all the repeats of Man v Food), I've yet to see any of my fellow countrymen say anything nice about what the Americans call biscuits and gravy.
vanlassie
(5,670 posts)CanSocDem
(3,286 posts)...I was raised on my British mothers food. I only knew brown gravy and scones. Until that fateful day when a friend and I needed breakfast to calm our raging hangovers.
"White gravy and soda biscuits???" She assured me it would do the trick and it did.
I never could convince my mother of its' merits.
Previously, I forgot to mention Red-Eye Gravy that some southerner told me he was raised on.....mmmm gravy.
.
mainer
(12,022 posts)What he ate is hardly a comprehensive sampling of American food.
T_i_B
(14,738 posts)....based on what's currently trendy over here.
We've started getting programmes like "Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives" on British TV and it's inspired quite a lot of this current trend.
Here's another Daily Mash article about something even more annoying then big burger challenges.
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/everybody-really-hates-the-slate-thing-chefs-told-2014072188774
kwassa
(23,340 posts)I think they would be highly offended.
MADem
(135,425 posts)Bad fish places don't do very well, but good places? You're knee-deep in people ahead of you in line!!!
That's one thing they do well. It almost makes up for that abomination served at breakfast, FRIED BREAD...(gag). I won't even go into BLOOD PUDDING (choke)!!
Anyone who thinks that hamburger=American food doesn't know USA food, though--that is certainly accurate!
MADem
(135,425 posts)some other Brit is griping about it!
The beauty of American food is that it comes from EVERYWHERE. That's what makes it so delicious. Americans take the best, and leave the rest!
I have never been to a "Texas Jack's Barbecue Shack." I doubt they'd survive in BBQ country, never mind the farty corners of USA where BBQ is viewed as "exotic food."