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Post by mossie on Jun 21, 2016 20:43:42 GMT
I guess they got the name French fries to distinguish them from proper English chips, of which they are a poor imitation.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2016 21:55:10 GMT
So the English have give the name to the potatoes of the rest of the world as an insult?
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Post by mossie on Jun 22, 2016 14:26:44 GMT
That is our nature unfortunately, going to be interesting to see what happens tomorrow and if the rest of the world forgives us, whichever way it goes.
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Post by lagatta on Jun 22, 2016 15:35:42 GMT
Mossie, have you had Belgian chips (friet)?
Sadly in a lot of places, the default has become tasteless frozen chips, and I'm ashamed to admit that the largest producer is Canadian; McCain.
I love the NAMES of many British foods.
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Post by onlyMark on Jun 22, 2016 20:19:06 GMT
E.g. onomatopoeic bubble and squeak?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2016 0:57:42 GMT
Spotted dick!
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 26, 2016 0:33:07 GMT
Years ago I read that what gives Belgian fries their particular flavor is that they're fried in kidney fat. Don't know if that is still true. Reading up the thread, I am glad to see that Lizzy knows her plaice. Now, let's see if you all are as outraged as I was: they tried to tell me this place is aimed at tourists. Cynics! In other food news, this is what I ate at the Tower of London. The menu board said haddock, but the very tall Florentine who served me said it was cod. Because of his accent, I at first thought he was warning me that the fish was cold. He liked me and gave me massive portions. Sadly, the fries were rather awful -- too chewy. And this was the fish cake I had at Kew Gardens yesterday. Sorry about the blurry picture, but I was almost faint with hunger when I finally ate. You can see I fanged into the food before remembering to take a photo. The nice Portuguese man who served me went back in the kitchen & found some siracha for me. That's wonderful Earl Grey tea in the cup, don't know why it looks so dark in the picture.
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Post by onlyMark on Jun 26, 2016 8:22:05 GMT
Bixa, I want to take you away from all this, to protect you. I want to come to Mexico and you show me round all the good food as I am itching to do the same for you. Seriously. Good places to eat and good food as opposed to the opposite is not unique to any one city or country. In your home there is a mixture of quality as is in London and UK. The point I'm making, and I know your main focus is, and should be, on other things and this is an added bonus for us, is that I think you are hitting one or two not so good places.
Munchkins - if you get a chance, look up the reviews for it on TA and/or Yelp. I know you can only generalise from the reviews on there but when the scale goes from excellent to terrible and the 'pyramid' of reviews is heavy on the bottom end, i.e. terrible, then I don't think you will have a good experience. The chips were chewy because they were old. Too old. I see there are three little crappy plastic things with ketchup, mayo(?) and what else? Honey? maple syrup? Surely that's not how they serve vinegar? With herbed/garlic bread? Huh? Batter too thick on the fish as well.
The 'fishcake' - with coleslaw? Too American. Is that tartar sauce flowing across the plate or something else? Far too much of it whatever it is. The fishcake, seems to look ok but I bet when you got near the middle the consistency went to mush. I could be wrong but probably long time frozen. I'll give you one thing though. The tea as it is in the photo looks the right colour. Thanks for taking the time to post.
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Post by tod2 on Jul 12, 2016 17:13:59 GMT
Oh dear Bixa - just saw this post now. I'm afraid so much of tourist cuisine is exactly what you showed us. Terrible fish - Cod is so tasteless, wrapped in what looks like nice batter but is just a greasy explosion of flour and fat. Eeeewww! These places are to be avoided like the plague but when one is on the move and your stomach says "I'm seriously hungry" what dulls the brain are these tempting places.
Not only does this happen to me in UK but in Paris as well. This then unfortunately leads to a somewhat regimented tour of wherever you are with restaurants already picked out.
I don't know about Belgian fries except what I've eaten at the chain Leon de Bruxelles...Not bad but I've eaten better even here in S.A.
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Post by lagatta on Jul 12, 2016 17:18:54 GMT
I've had excellent Belgian frites ... in Belgium. And some decent ones in the Netherlands (though in general food is much better in Belgium, with the same weather and foodstuffs).
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 12, 2016 19:46:55 GMT
I reeeeeally needed to use the rolling-eyes emoticon or some other thing indicating sarcasm, but it never occurred to me that anyone would not understand immediately that my post about the restaurant in #306 was sarcasm. Gimme some credit, folks!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2016 21:03:12 GMT
I got you, bixa. I think for us worldly, cynical bunch we need far better emoticons - eye rolling, crazy-making, sexy times. Get on that, will ya?
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Post by tod2 on Jul 13, 2016 16:25:17 GMT
Ooooh, I took you at THE word....mistake! I guess when we sit down and scroll away we've had a bad day!
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 15, 2016 20:41:58 GMT
Gawd, Lizzy ~ visions of nsfw emoticons dancing in my head! Tod, I guess I just wasn't clear enough when I posted the photos of that restaurant, which amused me with its OTT come-on to tourists.
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Post by onlyMark on Sept 11, 2016 19:51:39 GMT
I was in Spain. Then I was in Germany for the last two weeks. I've had to slip across from the continent to Blighty in order to sort out numerous things in advance of going to Zambia for a few years. I've been and will be rushing around like a blue arsed headless chicken fly for a couple of days, but I did have time to pause for a meal. I'm averse to taking photos of the food and displays in a busy place but I will say it was good. You'll have to take my word for it. I had enough food for lunch and dinner combined.
I went without breakfast today so I could call at a pub and have a carvery. It was really good. There was a choice of turkey, gammon, beef, pork, lamb, chipolata sausages and steak pie. Vegetables were mashed, roast and new potatoes, yorkshire pudding, stuffing, peas, carrots, swede, parsnip, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. There were two choices of gravy plus bread sauce and other sauces. Late afternoon I stopped at a farm cafe and had a cream tea. Tonight I ate nothing. Apart from the biscuit supplied with the tea and coffee in the hotel.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2016 20:20:14 GMT
A meal of that heft should have most certainly satisfied your hunger.
I have yet to sample kidney pie or Yorkshire pudding which are at the top of my list for desired British food.
I trust that I have had decent enough fish and chips (and, it was cod) and properly prepared by a gent here who spent significant time in teh UK knew what he was doing. (the type of person who never does anything half assed).
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Post by onlyMark on Sept 11, 2016 22:06:57 GMT
Casi, if you are posting on the British thread you need to understand we use 'arse' rather than 'ass'. Half-arsed, couldn't be arsed, arsehole - these are all acceptable. Being an arse, as I am now, is also acceptable. I had a terrible dilemma today as well. I had to choose between the meal mentioned or a proper serving of Yorkshire pudding. It was plate sized and within were the vegetables, gravy and meat. Nestled nicely and bounded by the crispy yet moist walls of the pudding. I went for the carvery as I hope to have the Yorkshire dish later. I really do hope. Kidney pie you refer to is actually steak and kidney pie, or pudding, depending on the covering. I could be wrong, maybe. It's not something I'd have as I don't eat meat from animal organs. I find it tastes offal. Hah!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2016 4:50:03 GMT
Looks like you have been craving quite a few proper British dishes, Mark, but I'm sure you'll wonder why once you have moved on to Zambian food.
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Post by onlyMark on Sept 12, 2016 7:30:27 GMT
I might stocking up on British food because I know it will be quite a while until I get it again. The food in Zambia, as shown in the link, is heavily based on mealie meal, aka nshima/pap, which unfortunately the British (I think) introduced. The saving grace may be crocodile which I do like. I'd not seen that link so thanks for that and I will send it to Mrs M who I'm sure will fail to like most of it. We've been talking recently to a couple who moved there a couple of months ago and food was a subject that came up. The situation might be a bit dire for local stuff but there are lots of other cuisines there and plenty of fruits.
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Post by lagatta on Sept 12, 2016 23:36:30 GMT
Is the mealie meal a mainstay only in Southern African countries with a British background? Of course it came from the Americas... Bob Marley sings of sharing "cornmeal porridge" with his love in "No woman no cry"... Is the diet in the Portuguese countries very different?
I've certainly had steak and kidney pie, and Yorkshire pud.
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Post by onlyMark on Sept 13, 2016 7:49:44 GMT
lagatta, the Zambian version is called nshima bit it is known throughout a lot of Africa. In Europe we know it as polenta. According to wikipedia - This dish is eaten widely across Africa where it has different local names:
Nshima or ubwali - Zambia Nsima - Malawi Sadza - Zimbabwe Chima - Mozambique Ugali - Kenya, Malawi & Mozambique (Yao language), Tanzania (also called ngima in Kenya, and nguna in Tanzania) Poshto - Uganda Ubugali - Rwanda Bugali - DR Congo Meliepap/Pap - South Africa Tuozafi (or t.z) - Ghana Saab - Upper West Region of Ghana Sakoro - Northern Ghana Sakora - Northern Nigeria Couscous de Cameroon - Cameroon
As for the diet in ex-Portugese countries, I have no idea though I think this maize meal is probably a staple there as well. I also think they would have a lot more fish considering Zambia doesn't have a coastline at all.
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Post by lagatta on Sept 13, 2016 15:37:23 GMT
Yes, the only fish I remember on that site was tilapia, which has been reared in Africa since ancient Egypt: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaculture_of_tilapiaI didn't find a single article (googling very quickly) on Luso-African cuisines, but of course they are strong on maize porridge, and Angola also cassava - both of these are also staples in Brazil. There is a rather elaborate wiki article on Angolan cuisine. I don't know the exact timeline, but since it is much closer to Portugal by sea, I presume it was colonised before Mozambique? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angolan_cuisine
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Post by lagatta on Sept 13, 2016 15:39:48 GMT
Yes, the only fish I remember on that site was tilapia, which has been reared in Africa since ancient Egypt: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaculture_of_tilapiaI didn't find a single article (googling very quickly) on Luso-African cuisines, but of course they are strong on maize porridge, and Angola also cassava - both of these are also staples in Brazil. There is a rather elaborate wiki article on Angolan cuisine. I don't know the exact timeline, but since it is much closer to Portugal by sea, I presume it was colonised before Mozambique? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angolan_cuisine Yes, they have a lot more fish, as well as prawns.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2016 15:45:22 GMT
Well, here are four recipes from Mozambique. Unfortunately, the one for the salad is in Arabic.
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Post by onlyMark on Sept 28, 2016 15:49:13 GMT
Tea time in Spain but of a British theme. We had, tea of course but proper English PG Tips tea, cucumber sandwiches, salmon sandwiches and ham sandwiches on white sliced bread and butter (without crusts), banana and mango on sticks drizzled/dipped with dark chocolate, plain Devon scones, Cornish clotted cream, strawberry jam and raspberry jam (Hartley's, from the UK). It was eaten outside in partial shade at 30 deg Celsius on our back patio. We both put the jam on the scones first and then the cream. The scones were warmed in the oven.
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Post by patricklondon on Sept 28, 2016 17:50:44 GMT
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Post by onlyMark on Sept 28, 2016 18:57:12 GMT
Two thousand three hundred kilometers the tea came, in kit form, from the UK in my car to southern Spain. I doubt the National Trust would perform that level of service. I could ask them though.
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Post by tod2 on Sept 30, 2016 11:21:42 GMT
A gorgeous spread Mark! There is something wonderful about a Devon scone with strawberry jam and Cornish clotted cream I wondered if they had raisins in the scones? - that's the way we were served them at the Soar Mill Cove Hotel in Devon.
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Post by onlyMark on Sept 30, 2016 18:42:37 GMT
Hi Tod. Nope, no raisins in the scones. You can buy them with or without. I prefer without as I'm not keen on them anyway. Nor is Mrs M. So it's an easy choice. I've just Googled that hotel. Looks good. I might have to pay it a visit if I'm down that way sometime.
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Post by tod2 on Oct 1, 2016 5:41:12 GMT
Mark, getting to it is another story. Travel down Soar Mill Cove Road with Google and you will see what I mean. The two teas and scones set us back 20 pounds (sorry don't know how to make British pound sign).
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