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Posted on 07/04/2013 2:33:44 PM PDT by PJ-Comix
Okay, we sort of know which countries have the best food. Nations like Italy, China, and Japan. But here is an unusual question: Which country has the worst food and why?
Until recently I would say that the British Isles has the worst food. Boiled and overcooked is NOT the way to prepare most food since it cooks the flavor right out of it. However, in recent years food has reportedly improved in that part of the world.
So which country NOW has the WORST food in the world? And please give reasons for this if possible.
I’ll eat anything in the PI except balut. A man’s gotta know his limits.
I’ve been to a LOT of countries... Without doubt, the BEST food was in Italy. I loved everything.
Worst food? REALLY hard to say. There are good things, and bad things pretty much everywhere.
I’m NOT a big fan of sushi... so, for me, the worst place might be Japan. But, even there... I’ve learned what I like and don’t like. Some things (like skiaki) are excellent.
Korea is just slightly better.... at least, they cook most everything. But, kimchi is PRETTY HIGH on my list of horrible things to eat. Also, cold seawater soup. yuk.
China has mostly delicious food... just always TOO much of it. And, you can always count on at least one dish that is rank... like, Chicken feet.. or fish with a million tiny bones.
If I had to nominate a country/culture with the WORST overall?? I think I’d say Germany. You got schnitzel, chicken halves, and pretzels... that’s about it.
EVERYTHING there, is designed to go with BEER. Which, BTW, they absolutely, hands down have the BEST of. The white asparagus there is also very very good. But, it’s only available a few weeks, so that doesn’t count.
When I go to Germany... I eat EVERY kind of food EXCEPT German. That has to count for something??
“Philippines has Balut, embryonic Duck egg, boiled and served with vinegar...”
That was probably the wierdest thing I ever ate; it tasted good, but the consistency was strange (the duck has started to grow insode the egg - instead of feathers it has what looks like fine hairs coming in). You drink the liquid first, which tastes like cold chicken noodle soup.
Great Britain has pretty lousy food. Mexico has lousy food. Italian food is among the best. Cajun food (ala Louisiana) is superb.
“Italian food is among the best.”
Spanish/Iberian food puts Italian food to shame; their sausage (chorizo) is better, their garlic shrimp much better than scampi, and they use saffron rice instead of pasta so you don’t have to nap afterwards...
You're describing the McDonalds down at the corner. I refuse to eat there, but friend "treated me" to their drive through a couple of weeks ago. Had an alleged Chicken WRap. No way was there any chicken in those imitation meat hunks. Unless perhaps ground up and extruded beaks, wattles, eyeballs and cloacas. Disgusting.
Therefore, I'm voting for the USA as having the worst food. Close the fast food joints, is all I can recommend.
“I saw an article in the WSJ about 20 years ago claiming Glasgow, Scotland had the “unhealthiest” food.”
Fish & chips are particularly unhealthy. In my town (Kearny NJ) when I was growing up we had five different fish & chips places (and 2 pipe bands); now there is only one fish & chip place left. While it is fast food “over there”, here they were charging nearly $15 for a platter. For that much money you could get too many other things that tasted a lot better.
Thankfully Arthur Treachers is back around (they have apparently been aquired by Nathan’s - where you see a Nathan’s one section of the menu is dedicated to Arthur Treachers). They have the Union Jack on the menu, and the condiment pumps are ketchup, mustard (for the Nathan’s dogs), and tartar sauce...
The deep south has the worst food, IMHO. At least the Dakotas have walleye.
The first time I went to Ireland, in the 70s, my host advised me to eat the full Irish breakfast (eggs, sausage, bacon, black pudding, white pudding, fried tomatoes, toast) and then just drink Guinness the rest of the day. It was good advice.
But by the time I returned in the late 80s, the food in both Ireland and the UK had gotten a lot better. I think joining the Common Market gradually gave both places access to more ingredients and improved their cuisine.
Probably Tapeworms...
Ethiopian Chicken
1 chicken, cut into pieces or 3-4 lbs. chicken pieces
...
1 T. paprika
1 t. each cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic powder, salt and ginger
1/2 t. allspice
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. flour
3 T. oil
2 large onions, sliced thin
1 c. tomato sauce or 2 c. stewed tomatoes
1 c. chicken stock
Combine spices with flour in a plastic bag. Add the chicken a few pieces at a time and shake to coat. Set aside. Add onion to hot oil in large skillet and cook until onions are browned. Add chicken pieces and brown on all sides. Add sauce and stock. Cover and simmer 35 minutes, adding water if sauce gets too thick. Serve with a cooked grain such as rice, millet, quinoa, wheat berries etc. This dish is also good served with lentils and cooked greens. Serves 4.
That’s what’s great about food disputes: Everyone is right, because taste is wholly subjective.
I know; my Spanish wife loves Italian (which I think can be tasty, but is too filling) while I prefer the Iberian stuff. Friends who visited Italy liked the food but were shocked at how small the portions were (in a good way). They said there were few fat people there, and the plates were half the size that we have in Italian restaurants here in the NYC area.
I’ve had a few bad meals in three trips to the isles, but overall I’d have to say the food there is pretty decent. Can’t beat the British fish and chips, shepherds pie, and I also love the Cornish pasty. Ireland had surprisingly good food in their restaurants and pubs as well. If you travel to Ireland and want to save a little money when dining, eat in the pubs. The fare is a little plainer, but it’s still pretty good and cheaper than restaurants. The pubs are often attached to the restaurants, so you have a choice.
Your husband was correct...the food there is pretty decent.
My wife es una Gallega; from the seafood I like garlic shrimp (the paella has too much mystery stuff in it, and octopus has a wierd consistency though it tastes good). There mammals are great (rabbit, lamb, steak, pork), though they don’t eat turkey. When my mother-in-law gave it a try, it was incredible: she laid strips of bacon across the top of the turkey to trap moisture, and the bacon and the turkey were absolutely delicious.
From Turkey I liked kabob and some of their desserts.
Raw shrimp tastes exactly like cooked shrimp.
Those pasties are good; we have a couple of places in North Jersey that sell them, and they fly off the shelves (I believe they only open Tuesday through Friday, and those things aren’t cheap). I saw one on the news out in NW Jersey (where there was mining in the 19th century - they were a miners’ lunch that would “keep” for hours), and people still liked them 150 years later.
Love that Chicken from Popeyes
New Orleans food is spectacular
Memphis Barbecue is Very Good, competing with Texas
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