First impression of the UK

[donKey jote]

Donkito (13) is on a school trip to the UK for a week, to practice English and immerse a bit in English culture (no comment :p ). First time abroad without us.
The kids stay in pairs with host families.
I'd warned him they're a strange folk who live in mouldy houses with carpets in the bathrooms and no showers, and not to expect much effort in the way of food apart from maybe the night they arrive, so he'd be prepared for the worst.

Well the first night they had dinner on their own while their "parents" watched TV and played computer games. Undercooked pasta with tomato sauce and off to bed on an old springy mattress on the floor.
At least they showed them where the bus stop was, so they could find their own way into town after feasting on a single slice of burnt toast and some cereal for breakfast, also on their own.

Donkito seems to take it all with a bit of a laugh - we appear to have him well trained and I had warned him- but I just had his mate's mother on the phone and she was beside herself, specially after I jokingly mentioned lice and bedbugs :laugh:

We'll see how they survive the week... with a little luck I might have a good excuse to go over on holiday with him and the rest of the family to set the record straight :D

[SGWilko]

Undercooked pasta with tomato sauce

Motorway services.... dontcha just love 'em? ;)

[ioan]

Donkito (13) is on a school trip to the UK for a week, to practice English and immerse a bit in English culture (no comment :p ).

He'll set your S-Max on fire fist thing he comes back! :D

[GridGirl]

I was in a cafe in Grasmere today having lunch and listening to two different American couples (one lot from Chicago and the other Alaska) having a conversation about where in America they were from, where they had been in the UK and where they were going. Grasmere was the home of William Wordsworth so is quite often, along with Beatrice Potter's house in Far Sawry a stop by many an international tourist on their way up to 'Edinburg'. I absolutely loved listening to their conversation about how twisty and narrow our roads are and how passing places aren't wide enough for vehicles (or noteable the coach that one couple was travelling in) to pass. They also seemed to be a little confused as when to give way. They were having a quick trip to see a graveyard without daffodils and I went and walked up a mountain but they made me smile non the less. :) I should maybe add that it rained for most of the day but neither couple spoke about the weather. They obviously weren't British.

[MrJan]

English culture? I hope he's already worked out the best spots to be sick after binge drinking and eating a doner kebab :D And by the end of the week I'm sure he'll be a racist, right wing bigot too....with a bit of luck :up:

[donKey jote]

he's only 13 so no binge drinking yet, but he knows all about kebabs and vindaloo's as we eat them regularly here :p
Still haven't got him to like marmite though, that's a tough one :D

[tfp]

English culture? I hope he's already worked out the best spots to be sick after binge drinking and eating a doner kebab :D And by the end of the week I'm sure he'll be a racist, right wing bigot too....with a bit of luck :up:

Sniff...Sob...You just brought me right back to my childhood there....Wonderful memories.


;)

[Knock-on]

Errrr He might have a little surprise for you when he gets back.. :p

;)

Look on the bright side. In 9months, we may be celebrating a couple of new Foals on the forum :laugh:

My friend has exchange students in Guildford and I can honestly say they have a great time.

[Mark]

Where in the UK is he?

[markabilly]

great britain.

[SGWilko]

great britain.

East or west, c'mon, narrow it down a bit.....

[Malbec]

Donkito (13) is on a school trip to the UK for a week, to practice English and immerse a bit in English culture (no comment :p ). First time abroad without us.
The kids stay in pairs with host families.
I'd warned him they're a strange folk who live in mouldy houses with carpets in the bathrooms and no showers, and not to expect much effort in the way of food apart from maybe the night they arrive, so he'd be prepared for the worst.

Well the first night they had dinner on their own while their "parents" watched TV and played computer games. Undercooked pasta with tomato sauce and off to bed on an old springy mattress on the floor.
At least they showed them where the bus stop was, so they could find their own way into town after feasting on a single slice of burnt toast and some cereal for breakfast, also on their own.

Donkito seems to take it all with a bit of a laugh - we appear to have him well trained and I had warned him- but I just had his mate's mother on the phone and she was beside herself, specially after I jokingly mentioned lice and bedbugs :laugh:

We'll see how they survive the week... with a little luck I might have a good excuse to go over on holiday with him and the rest of the family to set the record straight :D

As long as your son is more open minded than this guy I'm sure he'll have fun!

Tourist complains about sight of fish in harbour - Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/8743065/Tourist-complains-about-sight-of-fish-in-harbour.html)

[Mark]

One thing to remember is that London doesn't give any impression of what towns / cities in the rest of the UK are like.

[CaptainRaiden]

he's only 13 so no binge drinking yet, but he knows all about kebabs and vindaloo's as we eat them regularly here :p

Well, I hope he's not under the impression that kebab and vindaloo is British food. :p

[janvanvurpa]

he's only 13 so no binge drinking yet, but he knows all about kebabs and vindaloo's as we eat them regularly here :p
Still haven't got him to like marmite though, that's a tough one :D

[Homer Simpson voice on] Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm Vindaloos Hmmmmm [/homer simpson voice off]

I have NEVER even seen much less tasted Indian food, especially Vindaloos in Fortress America that you couldn't serve to an infant still nursing...

I am so disappoint.

So at least Piquito Burrito gets some value from his trip.


Hmmmmmmm vindaloos...(sigh) (pobre mio!)

[janvanvurpa]

Well, I hope he's not under the impression that kebab and vindaloo is British food. :p


Course not!

It is Food of the Gods!!!

[donKey jote]

Well, I hope he's not under the impression that kebab and vindaloo is British food. :p

I know kebab isn't, but curries are the food I miss most from England :p

[donKey jote]

Where in the UK is he?

on some estate in Hastings, by the looks of it :p

the nearest cafe is the "Muts Nuts", complete with British Bulldog and Union Jack emblem, so I guess if he tries it and survives it might be like what barry said :erm:

[donKey jote]

Errrr He might have a little surprise for you when he gets back.. :p

doup! :p


Look on the bright side. In 9months, we may be celebrating a couple of new Foals on the forum :laugh:

double doup! :laugh:

[CaptainRaiden]

I know kebab isn't, but curries are the food I miss most from England :p

Curries are also not British. :p

Vindaloo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vindaloo)

[MrJan]

Isn't the Tikka Masala often credited as being English (albeit Indian influenced)...something to do with getting a masala and complaining that it didn't have 'gravy'?

[Roamy]

Donkito (13) is on a school trip to the UK for a week, to practice English and immerse a bit in English culture (no comment :p ). First time abroad without us.
The kids stay in pairs with host families.
I'd warned him they're a strange folk who live in mouldy houses with carpets in the bathrooms and no showers, and not to expect much effort in the way of food apart from maybe the night they arrive, so he'd be prepared for the worst.

Well the first night they had dinner on their own while their "parents" watched TV and played computer games. Undercooked pasta with tomato sauce and off to bed on an old springy mattress on the floor.
At least they showed them where the bus stop was, so they could find their own way into town after feasting on a single slice of burnt toast and some cereal for breakfast, also on their own.

Donkito seems to take it all with a bit of a laugh - we appear to have him well trained and I had warned him- but I just had his mate's mother on the phone and she was beside herself, specially after I jokingly mentioned lice and bedbugs :laugh:

We'll see how they survive the week... with a little luck I might have a good excuse to go over on holiday with him and the rest of the family to set the record straight :D

Make sure you get him a beef and kidney pie

[donKey jote]

Curries are also not British. :p

call them what you like... they are now and have been for a while, as far as I'm concerned :p

[donKey jote]

Make sure you get him a beef and kidney pie

we eat steak and kidney pie regularly when we're in Spain visiting my parents :facelick: ... me mom's own recipe, with HP sauce of course too :D

[Roamy]

definitely need the HP :)

[Malbec]

Curries are also not British. :p

Vindaloo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vindaloo)

To be fair they're not really Indian either ;)

[airshifter]

Will the young Donk take part in any rioting, or just spectate? These days I can't imagine a trip to the UK without at least watching the event. :laugh:

[CaptainRaiden]

call them what you like... they are now and have been for a while, as far as I'm concerned :p

I used to cheat on my diet for years during lunch time by ordering burgers, pizzas, hot dogs, rolls, even some damn fine Paella from the nearby food court. Doesn't make them Indian. :p

Hell, the Chinese food you get in India is a highly spiced up and f***ed up version of the "actual" Chinese food. It's still called Chinese food. :p

[CaptainRaiden]

To be fair they're not really Indian either ;)

In modern guise they surely are! Sure the Portuguese or the Mughals gave us the idea, but the stuff eaten today are all Indian inventions. Tikka is a Hindi word, so is Masala, it means spice mixture. Balti means bucket, Jalfrezi is Urdu, Bhuna means roasted etc. etc. :p

The British probably didn't invent frying, doesn't mean they can't take credit for fish and chips. :p

[SGWilko]

fish and chips. :p

The once a week gang won't be happy until we've wiped out the entire Cod population for good........ :dozey:

[SGWilko]

The British probably didn't invent frying

Wanna bet - take a look on any British beach on the (one day of) summer, and you will witness frying aplenty.... :laugh:

[Knock-on]

Fried fish in batter was invented by Jews in Britian working in Fleet Street if I remember correctly.

[Mark]

What does their religion matter? Were they British?

[SGWilko]

What does their religion matter? Were they British?

Their religion does not matter, I think Knocky was just being factually correct......

[Malbec]

What does their religion matter? Were they British?

Its important because they were new migrants to the East End and the Jews had a strong tradition of frying things in breadcrumbs (matzomeal), that wasn't a large part of British culture until then.

Equally Balti IIRC is a British invention but it would be odd not to recognise that the people who actually developed it are Indian or Pakistani/Bangladeshi in origin.

[CaptainRaiden]

Equally Balti IIRC is a British invention but it would be odd not to recognise that the people who actually developed it are Indian or Pakistani/Bangladeshi in origin.

Might be. As for chicken tikka masala, I can remember my father having that aplenty during his time in northern India, specifically a Punjabi area. Some say :p that chicken tikka masala was invented in Punjab because they wanted the barbecued tikka chicken with a gravy, same way Butter Chicken was invented because they decided to put Tandoori chicken in a tomato based gravy, probably to accompany it with roti or other flat breads, because they don't go too well with dry stuff. ;)

[Malbec]

Might be. As for chicken tikka masala, I can remember my father having that aplenty during his time in northern India, specifically a Punjabi area. Some say :p that chicken tikka masala was invented in Punjab because they wanted the barbecued tikka chicken with a gravy, same way Butter Chicken was invented because they decided to put Tandoori chicken in a tomato based gravy, probably to accompany it with roti or other flat breads, because they don't go too well with dry stuff. ;)

I've always found it odd that Punjab and Northwestern food in general is so dry, especially given how Persian food just next door has such a rich tradition of stews.

All this talk about food is making me hungry, and its still midmorning...

[CaptainRaiden]

I've always found it odd that Punjab and Northwestern food in general is so dry, especially given how Persian food just next door has such a rich tradition of stews.

I don't find most of their stuff in India so dry. Probably the menu in Britain is a bit on the drier side, since I'm guessing people prefer more kebabs and barbecued stuff. They've got a large variety of legumes and meat in nice spicy and creamy sauces. :lips:


All this talk about food is making me hungry, and its still midmorning...

Talk about hungry. I haven't had a proper Indian meal in months. :( Been craving it forever. Nothing else even comes close if you're craving some of that spicy goodness. :crazy:

Have to eat "healthy" stuff while on a workout regime. :mad:

[Malbec]

I don't find most of their stuff in India so dry. Probably the menu in Britain is a bit on the drier side, since I'm guessing people prefer more kebabs and barbecued stuff. They've got a large variety of legumes and meat in nice spicy and creamy sauces. :lips:

Talk about hungry. I haven't had a proper Indian meal in months. :( Been craving it forever. Nothing else even comes close if you're craving some of that spicy goodness. :crazy:

Have to eat "healthy" stuff while on a workout regime. :mad:

Maybe I'm thinking of pakistani food in britain then. I've had mughal cuisine several times in india which I love but is either unavailable or very rare in the uk, thats dry too.

I haven't had a curry in months, not since I went to india. My problem is that my wife can't stand the stuff...

[CaptainRaiden]

I haven't had a curry in months, not since I went to india. My problem is that my wife can't stand the stuff...

Same problem here. :D Although she does like some South Indian stuff like Medu Vada, Idli, Dosa etc. without the accompaniments of course. Give her anything more spicy and it's a dragon breathing fire.

I've seen even Indian females eat lesser spicy food than men. I'm guessing in general females can't handle spicy stuff like men can.

[Daniel]

I hate this thread. I'm off work sick at the moment and can't keep anything but toast down

[SGWilko]

I hate this thread. I'm off work sick at the moment and can't keep anything but toast down

Have you tried lead weights on your food?

[Daniel]

Have you taken a knock to the head? A lot of your recent jokes have been rather unfunny

[SGWilko]

Have you taken a knock to the head? A lot of your recent jokes have been rather unfunny

Boo hoo.

[Captain VXR]

Might be. As for chicken tikka masala, I can remember my father having that aplenty during his time in northern India, specifically a Punjabi area. Some say :p that chicken tikka masala was invented in Punjab because they wanted the barbecued tikka chicken with a gravy, same way Butter Chicken was invented because they decided to put Tandoori chicken in a tomato based gravy, probably to accompany it with roti or other flat breads, because they don't go too well with dry stuff. ;)

Butter chicken is the best curry :facelick:

[donKey jote]

I used to cheat on my diet for years during lunch time by ordering burgers, pizzas, hot dogs, rolls, even some damn fine Paella from the nearby food court. Doesn't make them Indian. :p

Hell, the Chinese food you get in India is a highly spiced up and f***ed up version of the "actual" Chinese food. It's still called Chinese food. :p

I know what you mean and sure, you have a point... of course it is Indian (or pre 1947 Indian :p ) food, but it is also now typical British thanks to the sheer amount of it. Or tell me where else in Europe you can get a half decent curry on any street corner. :facelick:
"Curry" as a loose term of course (no pun intended eh daniel? ;) )

[donKey jote]

Will the young Donk take part in any rioting, or just spectate? These days I can't imagine a trip to the UK without at least watching the event. :laugh:

I told him to leave his hoodies at home, but would he listen ? :p

[Daniel]

I told him to leave his hoodies at home, but would he listen ? :p

I wouldn't worry too much, he's far too old to be rioting :p

[Daniel]

I know what you mean and sure, you have a point... of course it is Indian (or pre 1947 Indian :p ) food, but it is also now typical British food thanks to the sheer amount of it. Or tell me where else in Europe you can get a half decent curry on any street corner. :facelick:
"Curry" as a loose term of course ;)

It really is one of those foods that Britain has taken as its own. You can even get quite decent curries in supermarkets..... Now I'm not suggesting that they're as good as you'd get from a good curry house, but they're still pretty good :)

[Mark]

Some supermarkets are poor but I find ASDA to be the best.

[Daniel]

Some supermarkets are poor but I find ASDA to be the best.

Sainsburys ones are generally good. I have to say I don't like Asda stuff at all :p

[donKey jote]

Sainsburys used to do a good deep filled steak & kidney pie :p

[Daniel]

Sainsburys used to do a good deep filled steak & kidney pie :p

I have to say I prefer Australian pies to British ones.

[J4MIE]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm butter chicken :lips:

Hungry hungry hungry now :(

[donKey jote]

I have to say I prefer Australian pies to British ones.
yeah, you would... I bet you also prefer vegemite :rolleyes: :p

[J4MIE]

Morrisons curries are horrible :( (

[CaptainRaiden]

I know what you mean and sure, you have a point... of course it is Indian (or pre 1947 Indian :p ) food, but it is also now typical British thanks to the sheer amount of it. Or tell me where else in Europe you can get a half decent curry on any street corner. :facelick:

Just like Hamburger, Pizza and Tacos are now American, right? :p

They've been selling Paella and Shawarma in Mumbai for decades now, and I've enjoyed them for years. They're now Indian. :crazy:

[Roamy]

I had a pie when I went to England and I must say it was quite good.

[CaptainRaiden]

I know what you mean and sure, you have a point... of course it is Indian (or pre 1947 Indian :p ) food, but it is also now typical British thanks to the sheer amount of it.

Well, I guess that's fair enough. I hope other European countries also adopt it, so that I'm never far from diving into a hot plate of curry while traveling. :crazy:

This thread is bad for people with no access to Indian food! :mad:

[Daniel]

I'm not a fan of really hot food as my taste buds just don't appreciate it. Its funny most of the girls I know can handle hot food but the lads can't? I wonder if there's a link there? Anyway I like to taste my food and eating extra spicy stuff just isn't enjoyable to me.. :)

Surely you can tolerate something like a Korma or a tikka masala though? :)

[gm99]

Well the first night they had dinner on their own while their "parents" watched TV and played computer games. Undercooked pasta with tomato sauce and off to bed on an old springy mattress on the floor.

Kind of reminds me of how I went to the States on an exchange programme when I was about 15. I had expected a nice welcome or at least a tasty dinner by my host family the evening of my arrival. It turned out my host parents weren't even home, and their kids were totally immersed in watching cartoons and sit-coms on tv, so they barely took any notice of me at all. After a while, they could at least be bothered to show me my room and give me the advice to help myself to anything in the freezer, which I duly did ("anything" consisting mainly of de-caf diet coke and something that might have been a chicken in its previous incarnation). In the end, I did have a nice time there after all, but I was a bit underwhelmed by the first evening.

[donKey jote]

Just like Hamburger, Pizza and Tacos are now American, right? :p

They've been selling Paella and Shawarma in Mumbai for decades now, and I've enjoyed them for years. They're now Indian. :crazy:

Are you being obtuse on purpose ? :crazy: :p

[Daniel]

I can handle anything up to a Jalfrezi and love Indian food, but I don't like anything hotter than that as I don't enjoy my mouth being on fire. I'm not a fan of a creamy Korma but don't mind a Masala, Balti or a Bhuna. :)

Fair enough. I'm in the same boat as you but I love Korma's :) Hottest I can eat is a Rogan Josh.

[Mark]

I had a Jalfrezi tonight! Can't eat Vindaloo or Madras, just too hot! Curry night at Wetherspoons.

Sainsburys does a good line in fresh pizzas.

[Steve Boyd]

Hell, the Chinese food you get in India is a highly spiced up and f***ed up version of the "actual" Chinese food. It's still called Chinese food. :p
What makes you think that highly spiced food isn't eaten in China? Ever tried Sichuan "Hot Pot"? I know I've left local restaurants in Chengdu with a mouth number than after a visit to the dentist because of the spices used. Maybe it was just that the food you had in India was Sichuanese rather than the much less spicy Cantonese that's more prevelant in the UK.

[Gregor-y]

My first impression was an article in the form of a letter from Hunter S Thompson to Ralph Steadman from somewhere in the early/mid 80s. In it Thompson informed Steadman there was nothing wrong with the latter's son's tendency toward delinquency. Anyone living in the UK that didn't have the urge to smash plate glass windows and draw horrible pictures of Thatcher would have something wrong with them.

My most lasting impression is from a trip to the Highlands, just west of Tongue. I had raced with a oncoming lumber truck on a one lane road to reach a passing point and after the stress of getting there made the mistake of acting on the instinct of every pilot, ship captain, sidewalk pedestrian and driver in the rest of the civilized world and turned to the right to avoid a head on collision between us. Luckily the little Daewoo could be snapped back to the left once I'd realized the truck driver wasn't any of the things I mentioned above. :eek:

[Malbec]

What makes you think that highly spiced food isn't eaten in China? Ever tried Sichuan "Hot Pot"? I know I've left local restaurants in Chengdu with a mouth number than after a visit to the dentist because of the spices used. Maybe it was just that the food you had in India was Sichuanese rather than the much less spicy Cantonese that's more prevelant in the UK.

One of my Indian mates was talking about Indian Chinese food, saying it was the best Chinese food in the world including China.

When I went to India and had some I have to say its certainly different. It isn't Szechuanese at all, in fact the stuff on the menus sound similar to what you find in British takeaways but not what you find in China, and its exactly as CaptainRaiden describes, its a spicy version.

Its actually quite good if you forget that its Chinese...

[Mark]

My first impression was an article in the form of a letter from Hunter S Thompson to Ralph Steadman from somewhere in the early/mid 80s. In it Thompson informed Steadman there was nothing wrong with the latter's son's tendency toward delinquency. Anyone living in the UK that didn't have the urge to smash plate glass windows and draw horrible pictures of Thatcher would have something wrong with them.

My most lasting impression is from a trip to the Highlands, just west of Tongue. I had raced with a oncoming lumber truck on a one lane road to reach a passing point and after the stress of getting there made the mistake of acting on the instinct of every pilot, ship captain, sidewalk pedestrian and driver in the rest of the civilized world and turned to the right to avoid a head on collision between us. Luckily the little Daewoo could be snapped back to the left once I'd realized the truck driver wasn't any of the things I mentioned above. :eek:

That can be a particular issue on single track roads and not just amongst those who are used to driving on the right. Those we aren't used to single track can have the tendency to drive into a passing place on their right when of course the correct procedure is to stop opposite the passing place and let the oncoming driver go around you. As with all things there are exceptions; eg if there is a massive lorry approaching who would have trouble driving around the passing place then stopping on the right is sometimes the most prudent action.

[CaptainRaiden]

What makes you think that highly spiced food isn't eaten in China? Ever tried Sichuan "Hot Pot"? I know I've left local restaurants in Chengdu with a mouth number than after a visit to the dentist because of the spices used. Maybe it was just that the food you had in India was Sichuanese rather than the much less spicy Cantonese that's more prevelant in the UK.

Never been to China, even though they're our neighbors, but have eaten in "authentic" Chinese restaurants around the world, in US, France, UK and other parts of Europe. Sichuan cuisine, or Schezwan as it is called in India, is pretty hot, but it gets hotter in India, because we are whores for spiciness.

Indo-Chinese cuisine is what's prevalent in India - Indian Chinese cuisine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Chinese_cuisine) - which is a combination of Chinese and Indian cuisine. They've invented some stuff like Chicken Manchurian and Chilli Chicken etc. and a lot of other stuff, which you'll find in a number of Chinese restaurants in India. That probably traveled to Britain as well. The Chinese cooks living in India invented this stuff because the initial Chinese food sold in India wasn't spicy enough. :p

[Knock-on]

What does their religion matter? Were they British?

I would assume they were british :confused:

The religion is not only important, it is crucial.

Fish on Friday started because Jews cannot cook on Shabbat as it is creative and therefore not allowed. They aren't supposed to work either but I assumed they got around that one because the papers on Fleet Street had to go out Saturday morning. Therefore from Sunset Friday to Sunset Saturday, part of the diet would be fish which they couldn't cook so it had to be kept fresh. This was done by frying it in batter and eating cold on Saturday.

[MrJan]

That can be a particular issue on single track roads and not just amongst those who are used to driving on the right. Those we aren't used to single track can have the tendency to drive into a passing place on their right when of course the correct procedure is to stop opposite the passing place and let the oncoming driver go around you. As with all things there are exceptions; eg if there is a massive lorry approaching who would have trouble driving around the passing place then stopping on the right is sometimes the most prudent action.

Round here we have real problems with 'grockles' that don't know how to drive on narrow lanes (the 'fast and close' method is preferred by the locals). I frequently pass the faces of angry drivers that don't seem to grasp the fact that I'm aware of how wide my car is, unlike them. My real favourite is seeing people try to inch past buses, they nearly always fail to realise that the wing mirror is the widest part of the car and if it has 6 inches of space then they'll probably be fine.

[Mark in Oshawa]

First off...all this talk of cuisine in the UK is more like Mumbai!! Secondly, Donkey's boy seems to be adapting quite well from the sounds of it. Thirdly, hearing how these exchange kids are often treated is perplexing. I never did the exchange thing, but my brother in law's 3 girls were always involved with exchange students growing up and he always made sure the kids were shown all the courtesy he would want his kids to have overseas or wherever. To this day, the girls are now adults, but the oldest daughter speaks 6 languages and has been moving around the world and has brought home a Mexican boyfriend and later on a Korean one. Both guys were shown the best of Canada, that is, our food..lol...our beer and indoctrinated into enjoying hockey and football....and yes, being made one of the family.

It is inconceivable to me to invite a kid to come live with you and not show them your best side. TV off, talk to them, make them feel wanted and give them your attention.....but then again, most of these families wont do that for their own kids......sad...

[donKey jote]

Well Donkito had a ball and would do it again without second thoughts, his English grandmother was relieved to hear :D .
Apparently there is a difference between what exchange students (not this case) can expect and (very) basic lodging which is what they got here.
Heck a couple of girls in the class (remember: 13-year olds, the sort Markabillies would go for, and first time in a foreign country!) were simply given the key and told to let themselves in and make their own supper.
... their host-mother was a 25-year old with an 11-year old kid, so at least she was typical English :erm: :andrea: :arrows: :p

[ioan]

Reading through the this thread it's obvious that in the UK you can eat lots of Indian and Chinese food, and that's pretty much it, no British food ever existed.

[donKey jote]

Yes, well, along those lines... is there any Romanian food worth mentioning apart from plenty of garlic ? ;) :vader: :p

[ioan]

Yes, well, along those lines... is there any Romanian food worth mentioning apart from plenty of garlic ? ;) :vader: :p

Yes, there is.

Given that there isn't really much Indian and Chinese food available in Romania, there must be something what Romanians cook themselves. ;)

[Malbec]

Reading through the this thread it's obvious that in the UK you can eat lots of Indian and Chinese food, and that's pretty much it, no British food ever existed.

A lot of traditional British foods didn't survive the war because strict food rationing carried on for a decade and a half into the 1950's, many households simply forgot or got used to cooking simpler things instead, including new foreign foods brought home by soldiers like pasta and pizza.

People are starting to rediscover traditional English cooking with restaurants resurrecting a lot of meat, game and fish dishes and developing new recipes. Its not easy to find but its well worth finding places that do them!

[Knock-on]

It was once mooted to me that England was once the culinary centre of Europe, far exceeding France, but during the Victorian reign, it became stagnated and boring. After all, didn't escargot, garlic and other franco-associated foods originate over here.

Or I may be completely wrong :D

[DexDexter]

It was once mooted to me that England was once the culinary centre of Europe , far exceeding France, but during the Victorian reign, it became stagnated and boring. After all, didn't escargot, garlic and other franco-associated foods originate over here.

Or I may be completely wrong :D

That must have been a very long time ago. :D People always discuss pros and cons of immigration and I must say that the best example of what good immigration can bring is the case of UK and curry.

[ioan]

That must have been a very long time ago. :D

Long before any written evidence of it could be produced! ;)

[Knock-on]

That must have been a very long time ago. :D People always discuss pros and cons of immigration and I must say that the best example of what good immigration can bring is the case of UK and curry.

You need to remember that the UK was a centre of trade and culture. Different races influenced the cuisine of this country and we benefited from access to spices and ingredients that other countries were not.

Is it so strange this rubbed off on us?

Then we had a period of extreme boredom and stability during the Victorian reign and the 1st and 2nd world war which rather stagnated us.

[Malbec]

You need to remember that the UK was a centre of trade and culture. Different races influenced the cuisine of this country and we benefited from access to spices and ingredients that other countries were not.

Is it so strange this rubbed off on us?

Then we had a period of extreme boredom and stability during the Victorian reign and the 1st and 2nd world war which rather stagnated us.

To be fair, English cooking differed a lot between social classes. The lower and middle classes didn't have a particularly refined diet. There are letters from early colonialists in America begging for hardbaked oatmeal biscuits to be sent out because their supplies had run out and they were having to survive on a terrible diet of oysters, lobsters, duck and wild game...

Its only the nobility that really had the money and taste for good food and what a taste they had...

Still its a shame that Brits are more interested in learning about other cuisines rather than exploring their own rich heritage. I hope that changes. There are quite a few local specialities that are in danger of dying out because people are losing the ability to cook.

[Mark]

Quite, the UK has excellent food and dishes, they're just not that easy to find!

[Knock-on]

Well, I recently found out via Facebook that my Campsite BBQ, which at times could have been confused with a battlefield mess tent, is internationally recognised :D :laugh:

In my opinion, UK is more serious than US, while your both countries doesn't have much difference for us.

[donKey jote]

Welcome to the forum :wave:

I gather from your name that you're Chinese :p