Shepherds pie and kidneys.

[ThorFull]

Reading a Danielle Steele book, where 2 Americans have dinner in a London restaurant. Both order shepherds pie and Kidneys- it was the specialty of the restaurant.

I just love this, it’s seems so British, but is actually so incredibly wrong.

Reminds me of the time when the cook, Barefoot Contessa came to London and made mashed potato using an electric whisk. It looked like porridge, but was obviously the great British classic, bangers and mash, just as the British eat it.

This must happen with authors and films from all over the world making up bizarre details about other countries and cultures. What have you come across that’s stopped you in your tracks, and made you think “whaaaat?!”

That whisked potato must have been just like a bucket of wallpaper paste!

I was really worried this is what you’d been served for dinner!

Someone went to London and ordered a ‘banger sandwich’, can’t remember the book but it made me laugh

I think that sounds quite tasty

The myth that Scottish people actually eat deep-fried mars bars.

It was a fad with school children for a couple of months back in the early 90's. Now, certain chip shops advertise it purely to take more money out of the pockets of gullible tourists, yet people in other countries still regularly bring it up as if it's some sort of long-standing tradition and a staple part of Scots diet.

There are far worse things eaten on a regular basis in Scotland.

I always make mash with a whisk! It's what Deliah recommends, and it's smooth and creamy and delicious

I still remember a Point Horror book from when I was young. Set in America, but one family (rich, evil) had an English butler. The heroine (poor, good) went round there and was astonished to be served tea with cream in it. Butler explains that "it is the proper way to drink it, miss" (author presumably heard about cream teas, and made an assumption).

After the evil family got their comeuppance, butler was all sad and lost so the heroine's family agreed that he could come and be their butler Because apparently English ppl = all butlers.

Every German says 'Mein Gott' und 'Jawohl'.

JesusInTheCabbageVan

That was April Fools wasn't it? It was one of my favourite Point Horror books.

@SpangleBug I have no idea, I only remember that one bit! Did I remember it right?

I have a copy, but it's behind a few layers of books so I can't look right now but yes that's definitely April Fools. You have an excellent memory.

I remember it partly because it had me convinced for a bit that 'proper' Brits did drink tea with cream! I even went so far as to try it. It was... interesting.

“Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” - thanks to its take on Indian food, so many children at my school were convinced that I must eat snakes, cockroaches, eyeball soup, and chilled monkey brains at home 🤬 - and to add insult to injury, I’m vegetarian! 😆

(Admittedly, that was a deliberate rather than honest “mistake” but still!)

Not a book, but I find similar with meals abroad.

In Egypt we went to a Chinese reasturant and their chow mein noodles had beetroot in it!!!

(I'd never normally eat food that isnt a local cuisine, but MIL insisted!)

@XDownwiththissortofthingX
But I was under the impression that the Mars bars was 'piped in' on Ronnie Burns night? Along with Tatters and Sheep'
Was I lied to at the Andy Stewart Youth Club?

ThorFull

Oh don't listen to the barefoot Contessa! She did not even know what a pork pie consisted of! She had gone to London and obvs did not research it!

Tbf it works both ways i used to read a lot of teenage American in the 80,s and had no idea what twinkies ,M&M,s Pretzels etc were and could only imagine what they might be ,imagine my light bulb moment when I realised what a peanut butter and jelly sandwich actually was 🤣

Books*

@JesusInTheCabbageVan I'm pretty sure I have read Victorian novels in which people have cream in their tea.

Can't remember which ones, of course. I'll have to see if I can find some evidence.

I have just found some evidence of cream in tea in a number of Trollope novels, so I suspect it used to be normal and perhaps the Butler was correct!

To be fair OP whipping mashed potatoes is standard USA practice

The last time I visited the US office, they had a large selection of 'tea', including a few sad Liptons bags. The only thing available to put in it was little pots of half&half.

However, the details of tea aren't the only cultural mistake.

The one that used to get me (I think it's dying out now) were station scenes set in the U.K. which had steam trains, even though the drama was set later than the steam era.

Nope nope nope, butler is NOT correct