Food

[idun]

I have heard from someone recently that 'food in England is stodge'. An english person living in France said it. And a couple of days ago had said to me by a french person living in England 'ah the food, can't get any decent food'.

What is going on?

We all chose what we eat whereever we are. I can get good and bad food in both countries and how it ends up on the plate is quite up to me and how I cook it. (I usually spend quite some time making sure that I do not buy rubbish).

So exactly what is stodge, is my lovely light pastry on my pies, stodge?or my oven baked rice puddings, beautifully creamy and delicious cold with red fruits.

And how can a french person not have enough about them to cook up a decent meal. There isn't the selection of cheeses ( although it is pretty darned good these days) or saussion or andouillette. However, I can buy everything else I have ever needed as there is such an eclectic range of foods in the supermarkets these days.

[Gardengirl]

I've not had that said to me, but I was totally taken aback to be told that you can't buy bread in England! This was stated quite baldly by a 40+ year old woman who approached us for a friendly chat at a 'meet the neighbours' evening.  It was made worse by her speaking in a very local accent, which I found much more difficult than some stallholders on the local market. So I didn't realise at first that her 'pingggg' (that's the best I can do) was meant to be 'pain', pronounced in many different ways around here. Even a French neighbour and her husband ended up laughing at it all, as they realised what the confusion was. If I had been in a baker's or in a restaurant the meaning would have been fairly clear, but a propos of nothing at all, it meant terrible confusion, as she repeated it 3 times, stressing the word more each time!

When that was sorted out, we moved on to the subject in question - that there definitely IS bread all over UK. I commented that much in sale in the shops wan't to my taste, but people found it cheap and convenient and it lasted well. Also that there is much very good bread on sale, and if a local artisan isn't in the area, decent bread can be bought in supermarkets, or some people make their own. I'm still not sure she believed that any bread could be bought, never mind good bread, and as for somebody making their own ...................!  [:)]

Their son/daughter is off to study in Manchester next Easter, so goodness knows what Mum will want to pack for her - and there might be food (or, rather, bread) parcels winging their way, full of unpronouncable 'pingggggg'; worse - stale pinggggg! [:)]

I must say, she took the teasing from the neighbour and her husband in good part, and stayed chatting for another hour or so, unconvinced by others that her accent was anything other than perfectly normal, like everyone else. The father at least is hoping to visit their offspring in Manchester, and was pleased to have a chat, using his very small amount of English.

I met them in town on Saturday, when the dreaded word wasn't mentioned; I even got 3 kisses!!! Her husband told me he's started an English course at the UP, so we tried chatting a little in English, but he's only done 1session, on top of his little school English. His wife said that he wouldn't be visiting UK until his English is as good as mine; I replied that he's going to be very old, with white hair and a stick, or else he'll have no time for socialising for the next few years. I didn't like to tell them how long it took me to get to my present stage - and I'm now contemplating 1 to 1 classes again; and paying high prices locally! [:(]

[cooperlola]

Yes and we eat enormous fried breakfasts every morning.  Oh, and it rains non-stop. 

I remember a programme a few years ago  (can't remember what it was now) about a family of Americans coming to the UK with a suitcase full of food because they had heard that Brits ate weird stuff and nothing they were used to was available in GB.  Amongst the stuff they brought with them were several boxes of cornflakes, baked beans, and a ton of other everyday stuff which was and still is widely available.  I'm afraid that anybody who doesn't travel widely is prone to stereo-typing, wherever they come from.

In fact I reckon that the choice of food in the UK is possible more eclectic than in almost any other part of the world - but I have no real proof of this, it's just a feeling.

[5-element]

[quote user="idun"] I can get good and bad food in both countries and how it ends up on the plate is quite up to me and how I cook it..[/quote]

 

Exactly. Those stereotypes are ludicrous and only show the level of ignorance in people who frankly, have no idea about food. Full stop.

[andyh4]

English cuisine seems to have a bad reputaion across much of W Europe.  Probably well deserved from my school days when stewed cabbage and the like was the order of the day.

 

Of course things are much different today, but give a dog a bad name .....................................

 

The point that usually brings the foreign misconception back to reality is when I ask them which city they think has the most Micheline stars - London or Paris?*

 

 

* It is London.

Of course many of the London Micheline chefs are French, but that is by the by.

[ebaynut]

[quote user="idun"]I have heard from someone recently that 'food in England is stodge'. An english person living in France said it. And a couple of days ago had said to me by a french person living in England 'ah the food, can't get any decent food'. [/quote]

Possibly they had been shopping in Aldi or Lidl, and most likely that it was "stodge".

If they had been to a proper store such as Waitrose M+S or Sainsbury they may have found it different.

And when you compare French supermarkets and their goods to English, well if they cant see which has the better, brighter, cleaner fresher goods and better prices, then good food would be wasted on them anyway.

[Jonzjob]

Meat i the U.K. is very often a lot better than the very wet meat here. That is because it is hung in the U.K. and against the law to do so here.

To try to fry meat here is not a good idea as it finishes up boiling instead. We had a chat with our butcher, one of the best reputations in the Carcassonne area, and he was surprised that meat could be hung back there. He agreed that it would make it better tasting and more tender.

We did an experiment by buying a lump of steak and just keeping it for 4 days on a rack in the fridge. It was certainly drier and we liked it better too. So why is no hanging meat here, any ideas.

As for stodge. Well that can be got wherever you are can't it! From what we can see now, if you want to avoid non GM food the only way to do so is either to grow it yourself or to buy proper bio stuff and even then there is no real guarantee  that it will be free of that Pandoras Box?

[idun]

The english person has lived in France for well over twenty years, lived their first 25 years in the UK and goes back regularly.

The french person has lived in England for 16 years and goes back to France regularly.

So really there is no excuse for either to sound so obtuse about food. What they are both saying is french is best. Something that annoys me, ofcourse there is good french food, but that doesn't make all french food, or should I say all the food that is eaten in french homes, automatically 'the best'.

The daily diet of lots of people I know in France is odd. Is a plate of dry rice and fish fingers with ketchup or plain pasta and slice of ham both served with dry bread not stodge? An interesting gastronomic delight it ain't.

[Richard51]

This idea that French food is superior is a complete fallacy.   Maybe years ago there was some merit but not now.  We have a far more varied choice of restaurants, cuisine and ingredients in the UK that we can get in France.  On several occasions we have had French dinner guests joke that their (French) friends had wished them well when hearing they were having dinner with 'les Anglais' - without exception they have been surprised and very happy with the quality of food they were served.

Mrs R51

[crossy67]

Possible the most stodgy meals I have ever eaten was Castolet (spelling?).  One bowl and you don't need to eat for a day but I love it, mmmmmm, castolet.

[Patf]

Perhaps the complainers were talking about what's known as junk food, and fast food which is apparently the diet of many young people in both countries.

From what I've seen of that it IS stodgy.

But MacDo's are everywhere in France now, so perhaps the french will soon be as overweight (and constipated) as the brits.

[crossy67]

We are not constipated, we are anally retentive lol

[Jonzjob]

Toooo much info there 67???

One of my French neighbours thinks it's hilarious that I call them McDooDoos. Well, if it looks like c r a p, smells like c r a p and tastes like c r a p then it probably ain't foie gras?

[Gardener]

[quote user="Jonzjob"]Toooo much info there 67???

One of my French neighbours thinks it's hilarious that I call them McDooDoos. Well, if it looks like c r a p, smells like c r a p and tastes like c r a p then it probably ain't foie gras?

[/quote]

The only thing I have had which fits that bill is andouille. A friend of mine said when you eat it you think it tastes like sh*t and by the time you have finished it you wish it was.

[Clair]

[quote user="Jonzjob"]Meat i the U.K. is very often a lot better than the very wet meat here. That is because it is hung in the U.K. and against the law to do so here.

To try to fry meat here is not a good idea as it finishes up boiling instead. We had a chat with our butcher, one of the best reputations in the Carcassonne area, and he was surprised that meat could be hung back there. He agreed that it would make it better tasting and more tender.

We did an experiment by buying a lump of steak and just keeping it for 4 days on a rack in the fridge. It was certainly drier and we liked it better too. So why is no hanging meat here, any ideas.

As for stodge. Well that can be got wherever you are can't it! From what we can see now, if you want to avoid non GM food the only way to do so is either to grow it yourself or to buy proper bio stuff and even then there is no real guarantee  that it will be free of that Pandoras Box?

[/quote]

Is it illegal?

I have asked my butcher about hanging meat and he says he hangs his for 1 week at the abattoir and two weeks in his frigo.

We have tasty and tender faux-filets, which I grill and serve saignants... No boiled steak in sight!

[cooperlola]

Yes, Clair, I've heard this said before but don't know its origins - which law?

Our butcher in the village has stated to me quite categorically that he hangs his meat, and it is certainly very reliable and has an excellent reputation around these parts.

[NormanH]

[quote user="gardengirl "]

Io, unconvinced by others that her accent was anything other than perfectly normal, like everyone else.

[/quote]

Of course it is normal locally.

The odd one out here is you. How can you judge what is normal when you obviously can hardly understand the spoken French of the place you have decided to have a flat in?

[Russethouse]

That's a bit harsh as it seems to have been one person only.

[Gardengirl]

[quote user="NormanH"][quote user="gardengirl "]

Io, unconvinced by others that her accent was anything other than perfectly normal, like everyone else.

[/quote]
Of course it is normal locally.
The odd one out here is you. How can you judge what is normal when you obviously can hardly understand the spoken French of the place you have decided to have a flat in?
[/quote]

Norman, I see you're back to making nasty comments; obviously you never learned that if you can’t say something pleasant, not to open your mouth (or take to the keyboard) unless very necessary!

I mentioned one person I met, whose one particular word I couldn't understand, over the period of a long conversation; as explained, that word was totally out of context. But it seems that you interpret that as me being hardly able to understand the spoken French of the place I've decided to have a flat in – what an odd view of life you must have! 

I've never made claims to understand every single word said to me locally, but usually manage to keep up a conversation, sometimes extremely long involved ones! The accent locally isn't anything like that which most people have learned in UK, but apart from a few people in markets I have little problem. Of course, the same can still be said in some areas of UK, conversations which even you might have occasional problems with.

There are people, maybe like you, who are totally perfect - language-wise, anyway. May it bring you much joy. I do the best I can, and it certainly brings me much joy and friendship.

 

[5-element]

[quote user="NormanH"][quote user="gardengirl "]

Io, unconvinced by others that her accent was anything other than perfectly normal, like everyone else.

[/quote]
Of course it is normal locally.
The odd one out here is you. How can you judge what is normal when you obviously can hardly understand the spoken French of the place you have decided to have a flat in?
[/quote]

Hmmm....as much as I hate to say it, there are local people here (my next door neighbours for instance) whose language I really can't understand, except for the odd word or two in one given sentence. When there is a group of them (large family) there is a lot of "Ouais" and "putain" and "fait chier" - which I can understand. As for the rest, sometimes whole conversations can pass me by. And that is after being here 8 years, and in spite of French being my native language. How could a non-native French speaker EVER understand some of the locals, I really don't know, so I am not at all surprised by Gardengirl's experience!

 

 the ***** word, very commonly uttered around these parts even by 5-year olds, is p u t a i n. Seems to be part of the local dialect.[:)]

[Etoile]

Back to the subject, there is one type of food you can buy in France - French food. In the UK you can have what you like, it is clean, fresh and inexpensive.

I look forward to trips back to the UK to catch up on eating out. Certainly here in the Charente all the restaurant food is much of a muchness, that is if you can attract the attention of a member of staff willing to serve you. One of the problems is that France is so hard up now - even the supposedly smart restaurants are pushing the eleven Euro three course lunch. My last meal out was moules and you could hardly find the little buggers in the shells. When you buy mussels in the UK they fill the shells.

The supermarkets here, particularly Intermarche, are experts at confusing/trick special offers and out of date food, but are not experts at cleaning, tidyness, nor especially mopping up water spills in the frozen food area.

Perhaps the Dutch have the right idea; bring all your food with you in a car.

[5-element]

Steady on...now the balance has really tilted the other way, i.e. UK food = good, and French food = bad. [:P]

Both extremes are cobblers, IMHO: if you really do know about food, and if you are not too rigid in your views, you can get great food on both sides of the channel, for reasonable prices. On the other hand, if you are stuck in your opinions, then you can find focus on the bad on both sides. Really easily.

[Gardengirl]

[quote user="5-element"]

if you are not too rigid in your views, you can get great food on both sides of the channel, for reasonable prices. On the other hand, if you are stuck in your opinions, then you can find focus on the bad on both sides.

[/quote]

I agree with that. I tend to shop seasonably and locally in UK and France, enjoy most fruit and veg, don't eat a lot of meat/chicken/shellfish nor cakes or biscuits. I find good food in both countries, sometimes on the market, sometimes in local shops.

It all works out , but I do find I'm in a bit of a rut sometimes; salmon cooked in the Remoska, fish stew on one of the days the fish van calls, quiche hot once a week then cold for lunch another day. Lots of salads in summer, lots of stews in winter, bulked out with pulses. But I seem so busy that I don't get caught up in cooking as I used to.

 I suppose if I hadn't been looking at the stars so long in the night I'd have had the energy to start a delicious meal ready for lunch after we've been out with friends this morning - if I'd been to get the meat or whatever yesterday! I think advance level laziness has set in!  [:D]

[YCCMB]

[quote user="Etoile"]........ Certainly here in the Charente all the restaurant food is much of a muchness, that is if you can attract the attention of a member of staff willing to serve you. One of the problems is that France is so hard up now - even the supposedly smart restaurants are pushing the eleven Euro three course lunch. My last meal out was moules and you could hardly find the little buggers in the shells. When you buy mussels in the UK they fill the shells. [/quote]

I live not a million miles from you in France, and TBH I can name, without much effort, at least five or six places I can eat well. Some cheap, some more expensive.All, though, quite varied. I've eaten moules all over the place, from our local football club annual bash, to the coastal restos at Marennes, Royan and L'Eguille, and some are big, some are small, some are meaty, some are tiny. It can depend on the day and the place.

Saying that the food in a particular area is "much of a muchness" is like saying "English food is stodge", as per the OP. There's good and bad (and I've had my share of bad) in both countries, but one man's meat and all that.

I quite approve, in some respects (NOT all!!) of being able to buy "French food" in France. Certainly it can make a difference with some (big emphasis) fruit and veg., for example. Sure, you can buy loads more exotic fruit more regularly in the UK, but I have almost given up eating UK tomatoes as they are a triumph of cosmetic appearance over flavour. French ones are usually tomato-flavoured. Conversely, I can buy things like avocados in the UK without taking out a mortgage, and/or waiting a fortnight for them to ripen, which has been my usual experience in France. Although this year the avocados in France seemed better quality and cheaper than I've known them in the past.

Norman: I'm as close to bilingual as I'm possibly ever going to be, which still leaves scope for learning and improvement, but there's one bloke in our village I have real trouble understanding, even after seeing him regularly for over seven years. Should I sell up?

[cooperlola]

[quote user="5-element"]

Steady on...now the balance has really tilted the other way, i.e. UK food = good, and French food = bad. [:P]

Both extremes are cobblers, IMHO: if you really do know about food, and if you are not too rigid in your views, you can get great food on both sides of the channel, for reasonable prices. On the other hand, if you are stuck in your opinions, then you can find focus on the bad on both sides. Really easily.

[/quote]Oddly, 5E, although I think you can eat as well in both countries - and as badly- I do find it quite hard to define what British food is, especially when I defend it to people who don't know any better who ask me what we eat in Britain.  I reckon this is because we are now so used to food from all corners of the globe and have adopted/adapted many cuisines into our repetoire.  I don't think this makes British food superior to French, just different.  Any generalisation is daft - food is food, some of it's good and some of it's bad.  And some of us like stodge, thanks very much![:)]