Wednesday 10 April 2013

On the topic of food

Whenever I come back to the States for a visit, the first thing people ask is, "How on Earth are you coping with that horrible British food?!" Alright they might say it more politely, but the sentiment is the same.

What I want to reply with is, "How on Earth are you coping with your heavily transported monoculture and high-fructose corn syrup?!?" However, I also try to be a bit more polite and explain how I really feel about British food.

First off, British food is tasty, not bland at all. I have yet to have a bad meal. Even better, I have yet to have an only average meal! The bangers and mash seem like a boring meal, but you would be surprised how many varieties of sausages you can get just from the corner shop. And we're talking legitimately delicious sausage. Caramalized onion. Bramley apple. Fresh herb. With fresh mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables? It makes for an excellent meal.

Steak and ale pie is delicious for a hearty winter meal, akin to a big beefy stew on a cold winter's night in the States. Fish and chips are an excellent treat, with much more flavor and umph than any fried chicken I've had.



And the best part? All the food in the shops and restaurants says where it came from. All the meat I've found is British. Most of the produce is too. In such a small country, that means what I'm eating is truly fresh, with pigs, cows, and chickens eating what nature intended them to eat. That means that the food is even tastier and more nutritious when I'm digesting it (cough, cough, corn is actually bad for the animals and bad for you when you're eating those animals).

And going to the market is an even better experience. All the selection I could ever want, all hand crafted.



And yes, I know you've all heard of the horse meat scandal. But might I point out:
1. When you go to Walmart and pick out ground meat that's a $0.05 a pound, you also cannot expect it's the finest beef, or beef at all.
2. Horse slaughter is legal in the United States, you may want to have your own meat checked as the US regulations are much looser when it comes to food.
3. Pink slime.

So how on Earth am I coping with British food? In short, I'm in heaven.

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