Food Idiots (and also: are the Brits bad at cooking?)

aeon said:
Iceberg lettuce at that. And there were marshmallows. Gelatinous moulds, glistening, with mushy fruit. Poor pears. Made fancy with Cool Whip. Early Gen-X horrors.

Shudder,
Ian
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Yes, canned fruit cocktail and marshmallows suspended in Jello. Ambrosia (Cool Whip mixed with marshmallows and canned fruit cocktail) was served as salad, not dessert, too.
I'm not sure how you lucked out and got Cool Whip. Ours always had mayo. But the fruit cocktail mold was tame compared to the savory ones. I'm truly scarred by the ones that had meat, veggies, olives, etc, or were made with some kind of creamy substance and topped with cold, cooked meats. My aunt, an excellent cook, only made the tomato soup one and served it with a creamy, homemade topping on garden greens. Her cooking never disappointed, even when it involved Jello.
 
Asa said:
In the US, it is rude to slurp or lick one's fingers, but in Japan certain slurping is polite. It's rude not to.

Why does British cooking include so many jellied meat recipes? Is there an origin story for this?
In the US, aspic migrated into 1950s savory Jello abominations of every type. I remember some of these from my early childhood (this style of cooking survived until the mid 80s), as well as an attempt to normalize serving canned fruit (usually pears) with mayo on a bed of lettuce as an elegant salad. This is all out of fashion now, though. Thankfully.
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Maybe it's because of their climate. It's rather cold and rough. You need more energy to stay healthy. Other than in mediterranean country with plenty of warm weather.
 
Reason said:
After watching videos of British people do things to food that should get them hanged in any just world I actually started to form a connection in my head between them and what I'd call 'food idiots' here in the states.

For clarification sake: food idiots are people who can take even luxury ingredients and make food that is utterly bland and unappetizing. This obviously differs from food that is less appetizing because of extreme poverty related scarcity or extreme health/ weight loss dieting or some other similar reason.

What are your thoughts on food idiots? Also do you believe the British really have more of them on average than the rest of the world?
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just limbering up
banned ban GIF



joking aside,
Chicken tikka masala, Beans on Toast, Roast dinner with Yorkshire Puddings, Cadbury's chocolate (pretty much any uk chocolate), fish and chips, Hobnobs & Yorkshire tea

Also we have Greggs (not so much in the poncy south though)
 
YvaR said:
Maybe it's because of their climate. It's rather cold and rough. You need more energy to stay healthy. Other than in mediterranean country with plenty of warm weather.
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Good point. I looked it up. Origins @ 1700s. It was invented out of necessity because of the high nutrition and low cost. Eels were plentiful. Similar to salted cod for many countries.
 
Asa said:
Good point. I looked it up. Origins @ 1700s. It was invented out of necessity because of the high nutrition and low cost. Eels were plentiful. Similar to salted cod for many countries.
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Jellied eels are fucking rank though, my sister lives down south now and her family eat it all the time
Vomit Reaction GIF by MOODMAN
 
Asa said:
In the US, it is rude to slurp or lick one's fingers, but in Japan certain slurping is polite. It's rude not to.

Why does British cooking include so many jellied meat recipes? Is there an origin story for this?
In the US, aspic migrated into 1950s savory Jello abominations of every type. I remember some of these from my early childhood (this style of cooking survived until the mid 80s), as well as an attempt to normalize serving canned fruit (usually pears) with mayo on a bed of lettuce as an elegant salad. This is all out of fashion now, though. Thankfully.
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I've never come across much in the way of jellied meat dishes over here. The nearest is jellied eels, which is a traditional London dish going back centuries but pretty well died out now. Our pork pies often have jellied gravy surrounding the meat, which disappears if you reheat them. The main traditional British meal is the Sunday roast - roast beef is the main one, but also from pork or lamb joints as alternatives. Served with fresh veg and roast potatoes - the beef comes with Yorkshire pudding, and the lamb with mint sauce.

We do have some food that we take for granted, but others may not like the sound of. It's best not to look too hard at how haggis is made, for example, or faggots. Baked beans on toast may seem weird to some folks. Maybe kippers aren't to everyone's taste either, but then any smoked fish can be a bit of a turn off. We have some good puddings - crumbles, fruit pies, syrup sponge, Bakewell pudding, Eaton mess, bread and butter pudding, etc. They can be served alone or with custard, or cream or ice cream. Of course surprisingly we are the adopted home of curry as eaten by many in the Western world- most of the food in Indian restaurants was invented by or for the English when we were in India 150 years ago, and there's both good and bad stuff here.

Sadly, we tend to eat a lot of supermarket food that's probably the same the world over - beefburgers, fish fingers, chicken things, oven chips, etc.

There aren't many restaurants that cook traditional English food well. They overcook the veg and they use tough, dry and tasteless cuts of meat all too often. They've often got no idea how to serve a good British pudding either - the portions are too small and often too sweet.
 
Kippers ❤️

Nom Nom,
Ian
 
Reason said:
What are your thoughts on food idiots? Also do you believe the British really have more of them on average than the rest of the world?
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Might be worth trying Swedish fermented fish while you are in Europe. I suspect if you aren't exposed to it from infancy, it's a once in a lifetime experience.
 
Yes, Lutefisk, with that delicate aroma of ammonia. Scandinavian heritage, rise up! Or are you heaving?

Bleargh,
Ian
 
As a result of Ne, ADHD, and social graces, I will always try what is offered me, even if I am put off.

I have had a raw Toucan egg cracked over seaweed and tiny Malaysian anchovy, and fermented cabbage, chicken, and egg with chilies. I have had a bowl of vegetables with tofu and Natto. And I do like cheese with serious microbial funk and the deepest veins of blue. I have had cricket and termite and cicada.

That said, I once went to a little restaurant on curiosity, and once I had entered, I was the only non-Asian, which I took as a good sign. I could not read the menu, but there were pictures, so I ordered a bowl of soup. While I was waiting, a bowl of soup was brought out for another patron, and all around the rim of the bowl were tiny arthropods, clasping with their tiny pincers, and I could hear the clicky snaps. As I had no reference, I thought “crayfish.” Upon receipt, the man plucked one from the bowl, dunked it in the soup, and then ate it, crewing with audible crunch. I don’t think I would do that, save extraordinary circumstances.

The other thing I will not seek out is casu marzu, the Italian grub cheese. Maggots are a no go for me, dawg.

But I would try your jellied eel, surely. :)

Cheers,
Ian
 
Deathjam said:
joking aside,
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And freshly baked scones straight out of the oven, with butter melting on them. Not so many bakers left now that make their own so shop scones can be like eating cardboard. Some cafes make wonderful scones though but you’ve got to go in the morning when they’re still hot.
 
John K said:
And freshly baked scones straight out of the oven, with butter melting on them. Not so many bakers left now that make their own so shop scones can be like eating cardboard. Some cafes make wonderful scones though but you’ve got to go in the morning when they’re still hot.
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Oh and then there’s parkin :hearteyes:
 
John K said:
And freshly baked scones straight out of the oven, with butter melting on them. Not so many bakers left now that make their own so shop scones can be like eating cardboard. Some cafes make wonderful scones though but you’ve got to go in the morning when they’re still hot.
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Given the number of times my mother has referenced her and my father’s trip to London, and the time she had a fresh-from-oven scone with Normandy butter, it is surely a peak experience in food for her. She’s INTP, but in the telling, sounds like an INFP being swept away by wonder.

I believe her, at least because I have had Normandy butter. The cattle of the Channel islands are pure magic in that regard.

Cheers,
Ian
 
aeon said:
As a result of Ne, ADHD, and social graces, I will always try what is offered me, even if I am put off.

I have had a raw Toucan egg cracked over seaweed and tiny Malaysian anchovy, and fermented cabbage, chicken, and egg with chilies. I have had a bowl of vegetables with tofu and Natto. And I do like cheese with serious microbial funk and the deepest veins of blue. I have had cricket and termite and cicada.

That said, I once went to a little restaurant on curiosity, and once I had entered, I was the only non-Asian, which I took as a good sign. I could not read the menu, but there were pictures, so I ordered a bowl of soup. While I was waiting, a bowl of soup was brought out for another patron, and all around the rim of the bowl were tiny arthropods, clasping with their tiny pincers, and I could hear the clicky snaps. As I had no reference, I thought “crayfish.” Upon receipt, the man plucked one from the bowl, dunked it in the soup, and then ate it, crewing with audible crunch. I don’t think I would do that, save extraordinary circumstances.

The other thing I will not seek out is casu marzu, the Italian grub cheese. Maggots are a no go for me, dawg.

But I would try your jellied eel, surely. :)

Cheers,
Ian
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I prefer to be polite as well and I'm weirdly adventurous with food. I'd have my limits for ethical and repulsion reasons even if I did eat meat.
The worst thing about being vegan is feeling rude for rejecting food or hurting the chef's feelings.

Natto is a hard pass for me. It's one of the only vegan foods I find unforgivably disgusting. LOL!

Reason said:
Speaking of food idiots and "savory" gelatin:
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Wow!!!! This is not one of those "two great tastes that taste great together" moments.
 
Asa said:
The worst thing about being vegan is feeling rude for rejecting food or hurting the chef's feelings.
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If I am cooking for someone, I do try to please them and honor their preferences. That said, I would never take it personally if someone refused what I had prepared. Feeding someone may be loving, but just like a relationship, consent is the minimum standard, and I’m all for authenticity.

Best,
Ian
 
aeon said:
If I am cooking for someone, I do try to please them and honor their preferences. That said, I would never take it personally if someone refused what I had prepared. Feeding someone may be loving, but just like a relationship, consent is the minimum standard, and I’m all for authenticity.
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That's a great way of thinking about it!
 
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