Posted on 08/20/2004 1:39:00 AM PDT by BritishBulldog
Like 'Pushy' mother, like daughter By REBECCA ENGLISH, Daily Mail
08:30am 20th August 2004 Tall, Blonde and statuesque, Lady Gabriella Windsor has clearly inherited her mother's looks. In addition, Princess Michael of Kent appears to have passed on her tendency to rub the Americans up the wrong way.
Months after graduating from university and starting work as a writer, 23-year-old Gabriella has already run into a spot of bother.
In an article on food for the Spectator magazine, she describes British fare as 'bland' and consisting of 'warm beer, grey curries and unidentifiable soup'.
Her real venom, however, is saved for cuisine in the U.S., where she has spent the past four years studying. 'American food is overrated, unhealthy and revolting and the sooner my friends wean themselves off it, the better they will feel,' she says, writing under the name Ella Windsor.
The biggest purveyor of junk, she says, is the popular family restaurant chain the Cheesecake Factory. 'Grotesque' is the word she uses to describe its slices of dessert the size of bricks.
'It must put a strain on family life, having to watch your nearest and dearest eating this gunk,' she says. Ella singles out for attention the Tons of Fun Burger, described as: 'Double patties, double cheese, triple sesame-seed bun and secret sauce served with fries'.
She writes: 'A pastrami sandwich comes with a good six inches of meat in the middle - how do you get your mouth around something that is bigger than your head? After a few attempts, any appetite you might once have had is gone.
'Have you tried an American apple? They look perfect - enormous, red and shiny - but have the consistency of cotton wool. 'It's the same with the meat: huge, juicy-looking steaks and chops, perfectly grilled, pink inside, but tasting of wet paper.'
Back in the UK, however, Lady Gabriella, who is 30th in line to the throne, still isn't happy. 'I flew back from America looking forward to shepherd's pie and pints of beer only to be confronted by an upsurge in American fast food in London.'
It is not the first time that the outspoken royal has risked the wrath of her friends in the U.S.. Shortly before graduating from Brown University on Rhode Island she wrote a 'searing exposé' of her fellow students' alcohol abuse, drug taking, sexual licentiousness and all-round bad behaviour.
And recently her mother - dubbed Princess Pushy for her regal airs - caused a storm on both sides of the Atlantic when she allegedly told a group of black American diners to 'go back to the colonies'. In an interview to rebut the claims she stirred up even more trouble by using the world 'half-caste' and referring to black South Africans as 'these adorable people'.
Ella's attack on U.S. food was greeted with disdain by experts.
Sally Clarke, of Clarke's restaurant in London, credited with bringing Californian-style cooking to London, said: 'Fast food is bad food wherever you go in the world and unfortunately she seems to have lumped it together with every other type of American cuisine.
'I can honestly say that I have learnt more about food in America than anywhere else. In terms of quality, freshness, seasonality and taste, the restaurants there are second to none.'
Drink England's beer, pass on the boxed milk!
"I like english muffins. when McDonalds makes them and calls them McMuffin with egg, cheese and sausage"
Interestingly enough, what you describe is regarded here as an American product. In fact I have seen these on sale here as "American Muffins". I think most Brits would think of "muffins" as the sweet ones made with Blueberries, chocolate chips or whatever.
American muffins??
"Some of the food in post #12 I have heard of but I don't know what all of it is. My mom would know. I ate the tame stuff: shepherds pie; yorkshire pudding, roast beef and potatoes, raspberries and clotted cream, fish and chips. What's the name of the icecream over there--Walls? Another thing I really liked were the ham sandwiches that you would get at the train, coach stations or the shops. My mom's a big fan of marmite. I never could get into that. What part of England are you in?"
I'm in Essex, just outside of East London. Jellied eels are very much an "Eastend" thing, I don't think you'd find them much outside of London, Essex & Kent.
Walls Ice-cream used to be one of the biggest brands and it's still around. When I was growing up it was the main mass produced brand and was pretty crap really. Nowdays they have various premium ice cream products and they compete with Haggen Daz, Ben & Jerries and plenty of other brands. But you can't beat freshly made Italian style ice cream in my opinion.
Ham sandwichs on trains? They are a national joke here! Everyone hates them!
Marmite? Yuk! Give me Bovril every time!
Otis Spunkmeyer makes good chocolate muffins
The top selling brands where I come from are usually regional. Mrs. Bairds Bread (now owned by a Mexico company named BIMBO), Dr. Pepper (now pretty big and owned by a British? company), Blue Bell Ice Cream, Borden Milk and Ice Cream and other things.
"??
American muffins??"
Yes, as it happens I used to work in the food industry and one of my customers was a bakery that made these Muffins. They were sold as just Muffins and didn't do very well. Then they changed the name to "American Muffins" and put them in a packet based on the Stars & Stripes and their sales took off. I suppose it's all about perception.
What's that gunk that brits put on their toast. I've heard it tastes like wallpaper paste.
"yorkshire pudding"
MMMMMMMMM....yorkshire pudding! Haven't had that in a long time. I'll have to have hubby make it for the holidays this year. It is THE BEST!
"What's that gunk that brits put on their toast. I've heard it tastes like wallpaper paste."
Not sure.
Margarine? (not really used on toast much)
Lemon Curd? (bllody horrible)
Dripping? (beef fat - again not used a lot now days)
I think most people have toast with butter and maybe jam (think you call it jelly - which we call your "jello") or marmalade. Some people but Marmite on it but you always get weidos don't you.
But you can't beat freshly made Italian style ice cream in my opinion.
That sounds good.
Ham sandwichs on trains? They are a national joke here! Everyone hates them!
Well when I was a kid visting in the 70's I loved them. Guess I'm the only one. Maybe they are waiting for me to come back?!?
And marmite and "toad in the hole."
I've heard my dad make fun of the drippings on toast thing--mom must have eaten that at one time.
That's it. There was a whole thread about that stuff on FR.
A huge slab of brisket wrapped in foil has to cook a very very long time to be perfect. With baked potatoes, ranch style beans, corn on the cob.... and a big jug of sweet iced tea!!
Grocery store apples are generally bad ones.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
