Preparing for Uncertainty and Self Reliance

[C-Mag]

Every year I hear about save the animal farms that get busted with starving and diseased animals, puppy mills, crazy cat ladies and horse rescue farms are the worst.

I'd love to see some news stories about this issue.

Dead horses, dozens more near death, found on Va. 'horse rescue farm'
http://wjla.com/news/local/dead-horses- ... escue-farm

[Kath]

Oh look, people who have never been to the UK talking about something they know nothing about.

I didn't think it was a secret. A friend of 17 years is 1st generation American. Her parents were English. She's had many opportunities to visit. Her comment is along the lines of, "it's easy to taste why they have that reputation." No claim the food was terrible, it's just not on the same level. Now, she's always acknowledged that great food can be had; just not with the regularity as we have in many places, here.

[SuburbanFarmer]

We definitely envy the "English/Irish Pub" here. We can't have that, due to the absolute dominance of our megacorps.

Give the UK credit for Shepherd's Pie, if nothing else. Scottish and Irish festivals are eternally popular here in the Midwest, despite the food being a disgusting ripoff of meat pies and fried cod.

[Okeefenokee]

Americans take a lot of flak for McDonald's and perhaps its deserved to some degree but when is the last time you drove by an English fast food chain on the highway? Never. Why?

I don't think anyone visits the UK for the food.

Oh look, people who have never been to the UK talking about something they know nothing about.

[Kath]

Give the UK credit for Shepherd's Pie, if nothing else. Scottish and Irish festivals are eternally popular here in the Midwest, despite the food being a disgusting ripoff of meat pies and fried cod.

I think Gordan Ramsay has done a fantastic job of resetting the UK's reputation regarding food. I do love fish & chips, with the vinegar, peas, and all of that. Not being a mashed potato fan, no love for Shepard's pie. Just not a ton of memorable dishes; bubble & squeak is just potatoes & cabbage.... not all that interesting. The stuff Ramsay makes is not uniquely English. I give them beef Wellington, though; good stuff, that.

[Speaker to Animals]

Ramsey I think was trained as an Italian chef, though.

Italy and France dominate European food as far as I can tell. The others are spin offs from those two with a few regional dishes mixed in.

It's pretty much the same here. We just take French and Iralian inventions for granted.

[Montegriffo]

Ramsey I think was trained as an Italian chef, though.

Italy and France dominate European food as far as I can tell. The others are spin offs from those two with a few regional dishes mixed in.

It's pretty much the same here. We just take French and Iralian inventions for granted.

Ramsay worked first for Marco Pierre White and then Albert Roux but he claims his mentor was Guy Savoy. All were French cuisine chefs.

Traditional British cuisine is different from Italian or French although modern British fine dining takes inspiration from all over the world.

The reputation for poor food comes from the 1950's when Britain still had food rationing from the war (until 1954). This stereotyping still persists despite being 60 years out of date.

Like France and Italy, Britain has a strong tradition of regional foods. There are for example over 700 cheese varieties in the UK which exceeds France's contribution to fromage.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_cheeses

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_dishes

BTW apple pie is as American as double decker buses... first recipe recorded in 1390 in the Forme of Cury a cookbook from the kitchens of Richard II.

[C-Mag]

The reputation for poor food comes from the 1950's when Britain still had food rationing from the war (until 1954). This stereotyping still persists despite being 60 years out of date.

Didn't rationing in the UK last from like 1940 to 1960 ?

[Montegriffo]

The reputation for poor food comes from the 1950's when Britain still had food rationing from the war (until 1954). This stereotyping still persists despite being 60 years out of date.

Didn't rationing in the UK last from like 1940 to 1960 ?

Food rationing was from 8th Jan 1940 to 4th July 1954.

My mother was born in 1940 so virtually her whole childhood was under rationing. That meant no sweets and a really restricted diet. To this day she
has sweets and chocolates all over the house and enough food in her cupboards to last several months.

[Montegriffo]

Remember that project to test different types of thatching straw I mentioned?
Well it's all thatched painted and ready to go