When did you first eat.......

[onlyMark]

Sometimes there is food that has been around for quite a while wherever you live or been but you've never had it.
What did you think of it when you did?
For example, I never tried cheesecake until I was early twenties and I'd never had a McDonald's until I was mid-twenties.
A Chinese was easy enough as there was a local restaurant in my town, but not an Indian. That was many miles away and I never though of going for one until, again, I was mid-twenties.
Donor kebab? Probably in my early thirties.

I can say all were ok but it took a while until I appreciated a good whatever it was when one was served. You never know what a good one was until you had it, you just accepted what you had had before as standard.

[kerouac2]

I didn't have cheesecake until I was an adult because the name repels me. I think it tastes good, but the name still repels me.

[onlyMark]

We all have our foibles.

[bixaorellana]

I don't remember having pizza until I was in my late teens. As far as I can remember, in much of the country (US) at that time Pizaa Hut was the only pizza.

[onlyMark]

Funny I don't remember having my first pizza..
I do remember having my first proper pate and that was in a cafe in Matlock Bath. I used to take girlfriends there on my motorbike to impress them.

[lugg]

Great idea for a new thread Mark. Re Cheesecake .. I had eaten all the various packet/ uncooked versions in the 70s and even some home cooked ones but it was only in 1982 that ate a proper cheesecake in York based on an Elizabethan recipe . Never looked back since ... now love it but it has to be the proper baked version that is reminiscent of its ancient origins.

[cheerypeabrain]

Even as a baby I wouldn't eat meat or poultry...my first taste of chicken at 14 was on a whim.

When I was a student nurse I was ALWAYS hungry and never had any spare cash...spent it all on clothes of course..I was 18 and had never had money before. So we students would raid the leftovers after we had dished up the patients' food....hospital food was not good.

Ate my first lasagne in Guy's Pizzeria in Luton High Town at 19...still my favourite food.

Had my first curry (meat biryani) at 20 at the Taj Mahal restaurant also in Luton. It was stupendous and my first taste of lamb.

First cheese burger at Wimpeys in Dunstable at 20. McDonalds doesnt really measure up, first McDonalds when I was about 30 after taking the children to see a Superman film...they were terribly impressed.

[bixaorellana]

Jun 4, 2020 20:47:50 GMT onlyMark said:

I do remember having my first proper pate and that was in a cafe in Matlock Bath. I used to take girlfriends there on my motorbike to impress them.

That would be impressive. Ritzy!

In one of Fran Lebowitz's books she has a section purporting to provide definitions of regular people stuff to classy people. She defines meatloaf as "a kind of marvelously rough pâté".

[mickthecactus]

Jun 4, 2020 19:43:36 GMT onlyMark said:

We all have our foibles.

I didn't have a foible until I wad 18. Had it with chips.

[questa]

Was that a foible or a furr-ball, Mick?

[bixaorellana]

Good one, Mick!

A sublime day in my life was the day I first had clotted cream, late June of 2016. ❤️

[onlyMark]

lugg, yes there is a lot of bad cheesecake and baked is the best. It has to be for me a word that I know of but I don't think is widespread, it has to be 'clarty' which has a few interpretations but means that it sticks to the roof of your mouth.
And no, I don't need a layer of strawberry jam on the top or whatever other crap.

Cheery, I was engaged to a nurse who was doing her training at the QMC. She was always happy when I brought food with me or I took her out for a meal.

bixa, never gotten on with meatloaf, but I don't think I've had a good one yet. Clotted cream I read has now been made with jam in it, or at least with the strawberry/raspberry flavour so there is no need to argue about what goes on the scone first. Sacrilege. (And no matter who is right or wrong, the word scone always comes out of my mouth in its long form, not like 'scon' but as in 'own')

huckle, for many years until I knew different I wondered why 'halal' food didn't taste any different. I expected there to be a special taste but never was.

The thing about foibles is there is no standard recipe. Everyone has there own variations.

[kerouac2]

When I was in university, I was invited several times by the parents of a friend. They were nominally Jewish "but bacon doesn't count" -- which is exactly the same thing I have heard from all of my Jewish friends/acquaintances over the years, so clearly I have not interacted with many orthodox Jews. Anyway, they would throw steaks on the barbecue and it was mentioned that they had been "koshered." But that seemed to refer to some sort of marinade that had been done, which did taste different from any other steaks that I had eaten. The beef was certainly the same beef that non-Jews eat, because the father worked part-time at a supermarket (and full time for an aircraft manufacturer, not quite the American dream in terms of salary, apparently). Anyway, it certainly wasn't a kosher supermarket. The steaks were good, but I have never tasted whatever marinade flavour it was ever since.

Now I'm wondering if it was some kind of 'reformed Jew' gimmick to allow them to eat non kosher food with a clear conscience, perhaps herbs prayed over by the rabbi?

[mickthecactus]

I think the first foods that really stick in my mind both came on school trip. The first I was about 13 and had pizza in Venice which I thought the most delicious thing ever and it was the basic tomato and cheese but like a large soft cake.

Next year we were in the German part of Switzerland and had fried chicken and Chips (French fries), again, surprisingly, something I hade never eaten at home.

Something I have never eaten however are eggs - fried, boiled, scrambled etc. OK in cakes etc but that's all.

[cheerypeabrain]

A colleague and I were sent to Hamburg in 1992 to learn to run an Olympus automated blood grouping machine. We ate out every night, enjoying the market food more than the restaurant food although both were lovely. We had a sausage platter between us with three different types of sauerkraut. Not eaten any since even tho I enjoyed it. Everything went well with the superb lager type beer.

During the day we ate at the staff canteen which really was excellent, and free! One thing that we noticed was the fact that bottled fruit juice was offered with every meal and during the day too, where we would have had tea or coffee at home.

[onlyMark]

And it would have had to have been 100% fruit juice in Germany probably.

[whatagain]

Mick.
There are no french fries. These fraudsters after mocking us for years try to get the credit for it.
These are belgian fries. Like belgian chocolate and belgian cartoons and belgian beer. No other competes with us on those.
Thus is not chauvinusm these are facts. Let us make belgium great again. I ll sell boxers with the logo soon. MBGA. (Ma bite grandit anormalement could be an alternate translation, appropriate on boxers).

Back on that nice thread :
I had my first cheesecake last year actually...
I had my first andouillette some months ago. Not bad but i cant say it has been a revelation.
I remember discovering vacherin some years ago. That was superb and made a raclette-like dinner so much easier.

[cheerypeabrain]

At the risk of upsetting Whatagain...

My parents bought me a box of Lindt chocolate bunnies one Easter, I think that I was about 4 because I couldn't read the little story booklet (blue print on thin white paper). Oh the joy of my first taste of that chocolate...the aroma...no chocolate (even Belgian) has ever come close to that first taste of Lindt. I still adore it.

[cheerypeabrain]

Living so close to Melton Mowbray...the home of the pork pie..I can honestly say that I have never even nibbled a bit of pork pie. The smell makes me gag so I don't think that I ever will. Husband loves it so I buy it for him...our sons don't like it either...

[mickthecactus]

I only said french fries for the benefit of our American friends because their definition of chips is our definition of crisps.

[kerouac2]

The French have never called them french fries anyway so are completely innocent.

However, many people don't understand that "french" has a meaning as a verb.

transitive verb

to cut in thin lengthwise strips before cooking

[cheerypeabrain]

Oooh...you learn something new everyday on anyport don't you?

[mickthecactus]

Jun 5, 2020 17:38:57 GMT cheerypeabrain said:

Oooh...you learn something new everyday on anyport don't you?

Indeed! What a fount of knowledge that Kerouac is.

[whatagain]

Yes but should it not be frenched fries ?
French are always stealing our ideas !
US are even more stupid on that account calling fries liberty fries ...

Most of the French dont even know Simenon is belgian... pffff.

Lindt us very good chocolate imo. But i ll deny it under torture.
Some cartoonist from France are good too. Goscinny for one. I ll deny it too.

[bixaorellana]

In my admittedly not extensive time in France, I have always been amazed at how popular frites/pommes frites/batonnet-cut deep fried potatoes/french fries/fries/chips/frieten/french-fried potatoes are in that country. They seem to automatically accompany many foods and you can even order a great heaping serving of them in a restaurant with no one thinking anything of it. These fries tend to be quite good.

It must be said that through most of my life I've never been a big fan of fries, although like most people I will compulsively eat through a pile of them if they're set in front of me.

However, in Belgium Kerouac turned me on to Belgian fries (frites/frieten) and I almost passed out from joy. They really and truly are better and certainly seem to be treated with respect in that country.

As to cuts ~ "french cut" is usually considered to be a julienne cut, so quite thin. I suppose shoestring potatoes (<-- US term) could be considered french fries or frenched fries.

But, my guess is that if fries have been as popular for many years as they are now in France, it might well have been American servicemen who brought the term "french fries" to the US.

[lagatta]

I assure you that in Québec we know Simenon is Belgian,as well as the authors of many if not most bandes dessinées. And heartily agree with the perfection of Belgian frites/friet. I have friends in Ghent and hope to be able to take a Dutch course there - I do hope that there is summer lodging for "mature students". Friends speak (at least) French,English, German and at least some Spanish as well as Flemish. They taught in the UK.

[whatagain]

Gent is fantastic.

If you havent yet you ll get your first waterzooi. It originates from there. It is a meal based on fish (any kind) in a bouillon wit potatoes carrots and cream and some more.

[lagatta]

Yes, it was originally fish, but there is also a poultry-based version now. Both are very good. I ate it in Amsterdam, though. Prepared by my friends from Ghent (En) Gent (Flemish/Dutch) Gand (Fr). Especially monsieur, who is a more dedicated cook.

[kerouac2]

Jun 5, 2020 22:10:11 GMT whatagain said:

Yes but should it not be frenched fries ?

Yes, it should be frenched fries, just as it should be iced cream. Back to the sloppy grammar thread!

[whatagain]

Jun 6, 2020 10:38:55 GMT lagatta said:

Yes, it was originally fish, but there is also a poultry-based version now. Both are very good. I ate it in Amsterdam, though. Prepared by my friends from Ghent (En) Gent (Flemish/Dutch) Gand (Fr). Especially monsieur, who is a more dedicated cook.

Nothing you can learn from me then !
I always use flemish spelling, since these are flemish names.
My daughter got corrected by her teacher who asked her what the capital of China was. She answered Beijing partly because i always say so but her teacher said, no, you are wrong it is Pekin. I hold ghe teached in highest regards.