Viv Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 The post yesterday about Brits 'refusing ' to eat French food got me thinking.I love cooking and buy French produce but do I eat French cuisine? No I supposed I don't. I do eat British style food as well as making my own curries and pasta dishes. I eat a lot of fish and slightly less meat.I cooked beef borgy-whatsit in the UK and I do it here too, also gratin pomme de terre. I really don't know what French housewife cuisine is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Katie Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 When people talk about French food, I get a little confused. I mean they have their beef bourgy watsit and coq au watsit and we have our specialities too, but all in all I think both cuisines are very similar such as steak or fish with salad and veg except they chuck a bit of garlic in.Twinks does a full french housewife cuisine (taught by her mother in law at a young age). She hasnt a clue how to make gravy or yorkshire pudding. I told her not to put cherries in her clafautis et voila?Am I talking rubbish again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saddie Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 I seem to go around the med depending on what is available. I am considering stuffed vine leaves today, fiddly but as part of a Greece meal very good. Along with fried courgettes with skordalia, menemene (sp) , houmous - Ok for purists it's actually Turkish - and maybe mousaka. I don't think I ever cook according to where I am at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 I had French fish fingers today - batons de colin pané. Very nice, too. Real comfort food. Unfortunately the gas bottle ran out halfway through frying them so they cooled down in the pan and got a bit oily. Never mind, real French cuisine... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 You don't arf know how to live it up, Dick, none of those poncy sauces on three peices of veg for you, shame about the gas.Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexis Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 I don't make gravy now. About twice a year I fail at making Yorkshire puds - it is the milk - and about six times a year I make dumplings. He thinks both of these last two are bread...More often than not I just do veg, no potatoes, with the main course.We usually have a starter. We usually have lettuce and vinaigrette. He has cheese and a dessert.He loves trifle. Even though it is completely forbidden to eat hot puddings - or so he says - he likes a crumble too. I could murder a nice chocolate sponge with chocolate sauce...I actually cooked beef bourguignon earlier this week. It was tasteless and I'm going to convert it to a chilli. Good job I had done six dumplings[;-)] Don't tell the other dieters though.I can say that when I first came to live here and there wasn't all these English shops, stalls and supermarket sections, I used to cart loads of UK stuff back from visits but now I rarely bother - not that I don't tour the supermarkets there, you understand - but I really only 'need' tinned manderins for his trifles and Hellemans for him also. I've got enough suet in stock for quite some time yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony F Dordogne Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 We eat whatever takes our fancy, though neither of us are really red meat eaters - upsets us both, tummy wise.As I'm head chef (and bottle washer) we stick to the local veggies, stuff from the garden, seasonal fruit from supermarche, med/north african style food, chicken and fish, lots of fish.If I do cood red meat (like for lunch parties) I usually braise it but buy direct from the local butchers as far as we can.BUT, we do bring stuff back from the UK, OH brings cereal back (can get it here but so expensive), Danish bacon from Sainsbury's (breakkie for me sometimes though we have found a local English woman who makes organic UK style bacon and sausages which are just superb) and her favourite Sainsbury's own brand mint tea rather than green tea with mint in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosebud Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 We don't really eat 'French' or 'English' for that matter. Loads of pasta, homemade curries, salads, thai food, stir fries, you name it. Having said that, wherever we roam, I will always have a few tins of Heinz baked beans. You just can't beat them on toast with some grated cheese.....mmmmmmmmm [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 [quote user="Dick Smith"] I had French fish fingers today - batons de colin pané. Very nice, too. Real comfort food. ........ Never mind, real French cuisine... [/quote]As a kid in the little village where I grew up, the school meal in the cantine every Friday was : salade macédoine, batons de colin pané, riz à la tomate, camembert et pomme. The macédoine was from one of these catering size tins you may have seen in your local supermarket, fish fingers - you all know how they come to be on the plate, camembert and apple - easy-peasy, so really the diner lady only had to cook a large pan full of rice enough for 60 hungry brats - how difficult is that?... - and squeeze a few tubes of tomato purée into it....Real French Cuisine!... Jamie Oliver eat your heart out!!Looking back on it I admit to have fond memories of it all and do occasionnally eat fish fingers with a bowl of rice and a squeeze of tomato purée for sheer nostalgia but can't get the macédoine here in Wales... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerise Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 A bit of everything and loads of fresh veg - really can't cope with the idea of tinned peas and frozen beans which is what most of my French friends seem to serve as veg. In the B & B a right mixture - last night roast chicken with provencal potatoes, ratatouille and spinach - often do English puds which French guests prefer whilst the English long for crème caramel and chocolate mousse. Tomorrow night is Indian night both for the Brits and the Parisiens who say they are sick if the sight of duck and long for a curry - however will be followed by chocolate mousse with raspberries by popular request (Indian husband says that is not traditional with curry but what the heck). Strangely, more often the French who ask if I can do Indian food than the English - and contrary to what I expected they all enjoy it.Round here restaurant food is duck, fallowed by duck and more duck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexis Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Do any of you watch the french cookery programmes? I found them helpfull when I first arrived here - it was some years before I had a telly though - as the lack of cream jiggered me up for puds at first. I didn't know how to cook fois gras or other regional dishes and I picked up quite a few tips. I also discovered gelatine[;-)]It was Mâite I seem to remember who was the star then...Now, of course, I'm in love with Joel but must admit I don't watch much in the summer. He is soooooooo slow! He has some pretty top guests though. The one on a Saturday is on at a bad time for me and I HATE her on the gardening programme.I like cookery programmes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJT Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 [quote user="Cerise"] Round here restaurant food is duck, fallowed by duck and more duck.[/quote]Same where we are in the Dordogne. I am sick to death of seeing duck, duck and more duck and all related gross products like fois gras in the restaurants[:)]. The locals must be fed up to their back teeth as well with the lack of choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viv Posted August 10, 2006 Author Share Posted August 10, 2006 bit like spam, spam, spam, duck and spam? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWINKLE Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 [quote user="Just Katie "]Twinks does a full french housewife cuisine (taught by her mother in law at a young age). She hasnt a clue how to make gravy or yorkshire pudding. [/quote]Will you make me Sunday dinner when you're here - never mind if it's not Sunday[:$] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Head Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 The latest taste, at the farmers insistance is ragondas, a bit like a cross between lamb and chicken!Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWINKLE Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Do you mean 'ragondin' Chris? Yuck![+o(] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Head Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Yep that's the one twinks. I can't write in french, I just write it as I talk it! I put a small bore round in its head from about 120m, after the farmer had stopped dancing around and congratulating me we picked it up and then we cooked it, accompanied by alot of aperos and it was just fine!Chrispp, don't look at this!Chris (the other one) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Katie Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 [quote user="TWINKLE"][quote user="Just Katie "] Twinks does a full french housewife cuisine (taught by her mother in law at a young age). She hasnt a clue how to make gravy or yorkshire pudding. [/quote]Will you make me Sunday dinner when you're here - never mind if it's not Sunday[:$][/quote]Yep, lamb and mint sauce. And you can sit there and read our local rag 'cos I have just bought it for you. Or you could go down the pool and watch the Benidorm Bashers doing polar bear impressions and eating frogs legs[+o(] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tresco Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Did you really shoot a little critter from that far away? I have no problem with people catching/killing their own lunch. It makes a lot of sense, but i suspect you're having us all on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Head Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 I'm shocked that you would doubt me tresc.....and there was me hoping for a good nights sleep, I might now have to join you lot in the insomnia post later....Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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