American food sucks

The Spectator (U.K.) ^ | 08/21/04 | Ella Windsor

[Heavyrunner]

Coming from a country that puts corn and BBQ sauce on their pizzas, smothers frech fries in curry sauce, and considers blood pudding a delicacy, I'll take the criticism as a compliment.

Has a point with Nacho "cheese" though. I think my family refers to it as Nuclear Ooze.

They have us hands down on beer, though the US has come a long way in the last 20 years with microbrews.

[Xenalyte]

Whereas in England we would have an aisle of grains and jams and cereals, Americans will dedicate an area the size of a tennis court just to varieties of bread: loafs of every shape and shade, bagels and buns, waffle mix.

Apparently she didn't make her way to the condiment aisle, where jams can be found in abundance, or the breakfast aisle, where exists every variety of cereal known to man.

My grocery store, unlike the one the Brit frequented, has only a bread aisle, not a bread tennis court.

[Don Simmons]

That bitter swill that Europeans call "beer" tastes like ass juice to me!

Gimme a weak, watered-down domestic beer that pleases the human pallette any day of the week!

[axel f]

Whenever my family hosts Europeans, we always take them to Buffalo Bob's BBQ in Lawrence, KS. It is hilarious watching their faces as the food is delivered--platefuls of fries, huge portions of BBQ, and half-gallon glasses of pop. They always look so amazed at the amount of food and drink they get.

[alnitak]

I just got back from a trip to the US, and I have to say the food portions are enormous. For lunch one day we want to "Black Eyed Pea" (I had the pot roast) and one of my friends ordered the chocolate cake for dessert. When it came it was the biggest piece of chocolate cake I had ever seen in my life. He ate some, then passed it round the table and 5 or 6 people took healthy spoonfuls.....and it WAS SO BIG THAT IT DIDN'T LOOK ANY SMALLER. He eventually had to get a doggy bag.

[Sir Gawain]

On my trip to England the B&B we stayed in served us breakfast every morning. The ONLY THING that was edible was the toast.

Yep. The Brits don't know jack about breakfast. Beans and ham? :-/

[steve8714]

Fishing or noodling?

[The Great RJ]

She is right in that US has some terrible junk food and mainstream American beer has a lot in common with a bodily fluid of a similar color. However, she apparently never sampled some of America's best cuisine. Out here on the prairie incredible steaks are common and well prepared buffalo is a treat. American BBQ in its many variations is surely a better choice than "bangers and mash" and blood puddings.

I have heard it said that in hell the English are the cooks, the French are the engineers and the Germans are the police.

[steve8714]

English food was crap before socialism.

[television is just wrong]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=19257&item=5511332680

Have you tried some of this???

[sarasota]

Chicago deep dish pizza at Uno's or Due's is killer pizza. Never had a NY pizza myself but saw a special on the Travel Channel about a competition between the two. Don't know about thin crust...?

[Xenalyte]

"May be considered bland?" MAY BE? British "food" is the blandest I've ever eaten, and I've eaten boiled rice.

[dirtboy]

This from a country where the difference between medium and well done is how long you boil it...

[x1stcav]

Good God! I had completely forgotten about Spotted Dick.

Great stuff as I recall.

Of course you couldn't tell polite company over here that you'd ever had it.

[oyez]

I wonder what they do with good part of the cow?

[AnAmericanMother]

Roast beef at Simpsons on the Strand was dry and tough.

I was told that English beef is grass fed while American beef is feedlot (grain fed), that would seem to be a major difference.

Not only preparation but the quality of the ingredients is an issue. I never found anything in the UK like the whole Italian-style tenderloin of beef that I make at home - rolled in pepper and rock salt, then roasted very briefly (20 min.) at 550 degrees or as hot as your oven with go without putting it on "clean", then sliced ultra-thin and served hot or cold. Simple and delicious, served with a fresh romaine salad and rice pilaf or polenta, but you have to start with a prime grade, well marbled cut.

[Kerfuffle]

"Have you ever tried an American apple? They look perfect — enormous, red and shiny — but have the consistency of cotton wool."

Have to agree here. Our supermarket apples, particularly, are huge but flavorless. But across the pond, I've survived what the British call a "sandwich" (think slices of used flypaper between white bread).

[steve8714]

light beer ain't beer. Try a real Bud or even MGD.

[AmericanMade1776]

It does sound "offal". My Niece just returned from a summer study program in London and she was sure glad to be back in the United States. There is NO PLACE LIKE HOME!

[Hemingway's Ghost]

The envy practically oozes out of this piece. British food plain sucks. British beer? That's a different story.