Dinners - are Brits only ones that make international food for dinner

[o9yhke89]

Was chatting with an Italian and Spanish friend about kids dinners - and mostly they just make whatever they grew up with i.e. Italian and Spanish food and really treasure their family recipes. Most of my English friends always try to have food from different cultures and this is seen as much more sophisticated and worldly. I've lived all over but was wondering whether the Brits just don't value their own cuisine especially when it comes to family meals.

But maybe thats the difference. Am not British and just don't feel confident to try out cooking lots of different cuisines. In fact, I have the same thing with British food, I love them but feel very daunted making an actual pie. Seems very complicated

Maybe the British are very ready to try out cooking other countries' cuisine because so much of our cuisine is influenced or just downright stolen from other cultures. Like our language and museum contents.

We also have a long history of appropriating other countries' workers. Hence the best foreign cuisine restaurants always used to be in port cities, before we decided we loved the bland uniformity of large chain restaurants.

"British food" and the food that lots of British people are seen to eat are 2 very different things.

There isn't the same breadth of passion though, or even interest in food, that is very prevalent in some parts of Europe. The widespread availability (and appreciation) of nice quality products at reasonable prices is something that has happened since I moved to this country in the 80s

If it's only British people....what do you think Irish people eat? Just potatoes? Stew?

There was a time when Brits abroad were notorious for not wanting to eat foreign food (you can see it in older sitcoms, for example).

I think we've changed and become more multicultural. It's not about whether traditional British food is good or bad (it's fine - esp the puddings, and a stew is a stew whatever seasonings you put in it or whether it's in a pastry case), but we are actually pretty open to learning from our neighbours now and also learning about British immigrant communities by eating food influenced by them. And that's a good thing.

Also as more women work outside the house, there's more interest in meals that can be cooked quickly or with little intervention, so stews and stir fries work really well with modern habits.

I just like spicy food and British food is quite plain and far from spicy

It isn't spicy, but it's only plain if you make it badly. There's plenty of flavour in it if you do it right. Food isn't just spicy or plain.

We used to offer accommodation to teachers from all over Europe, some of whom came back every year and loved British food, sometimes asking for their favourites before they came.

What isn't lovely is everyday British food in cafes and restaurants.
I can't think of any reasonably priced "British" place to eat out.

We're Kiwis, and make Italian, French, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Moroccan, Mexican, North African, Indian, English, American, and Kiwi/Australian (there's always a war over who invented which with our Antipodean family), plus South African, routinely.

Tonight we are having kofta kebabs with pitta bread and salad (Greek)

Tomorrow we will be having smoked haddock fishcakes, tatare sauce and broccoli (British).

Both will be equally tasty.

Can I just say I'm South Asian, born and bred, but been in the UK for 30yrs and I bloody love British food. Love it love it love it. Fish and chips, sausages and mash, toad in the hole, fish pie, cottage pie, all the pies, cooked breakfasts, I'll have all of it thanks!

At home I cook a different cuisine every day, but British is one of my favourites.

Would bet money that person is actually American and has barely spent any time in the UK!

I've been living in Poland for 2 years now. There are many pizza restaurants here and kebab places although I've yet to find a good Chinese restaurant unfortunately (we're quite rural). I've found the majority of people eat traditional Polish food though - which is a little tricky for me sometimes as I'm a vegetarian.

I expect the person you're responding to is American, and they seem to assume that there are only two types of food - spicy or flavorless.

Somehow, there are plenty of very popular and revered cuisines that do not typically include spicy food - French, Italian, Spanish and Japanese come to mind - yet only British food gets shit for this!

Honestly, if you can only enjoy food if it is packed with chili then it says a lot about the quality of the raw ingredients or the quality of your tastebuds.

My Italian family love a curry. When we visit it’s the thing they ask for us to bring, a vindaloo.

But herein lies the problem. British regional food is not celebrated in the way that, say, French regional specialities are

William Black's wonderful book The Land That Thyme Forgot studies this in some detail, and the findings are quite tragic.

I have thought about this exact thing.

I concluded that British people are less connected to their food culture than other nationalities. There is a history to this involving industrialisation, both partners working, convenience goods etc.

Also we're more adventurous. We love trying other cuisines. It's not that British food is crap, more that we get bored easily. We're creative and innovative and open minded!

I still like some of the recipes my granny then mum passed down. Scones, Scottish pancakes, tablet, plus roast dinners, shepherd's pie, fish pie, meat/two veg meals. I just like to mix it up a bit for variety.

Hi

Please just try to specify “English cuisine” and you will have your answer.

Roast dinner? If not enough that you have it every single Sunday ? ….then call it Christmas dinner ?

Or, let’s see … Full English ? Nah….Fish and chips ?
….
I believe that it’s a bit limited here and boring really.
I also don’t think that is anywhere posh cooking recipients from abroad, is just more interesting and tasty ! Thing that English food, especially if you are one of those that don’t season your English meal at all, is not at all. Sorry !

I also go with foods of the world always !

:)

It's an interesting question. Why did the British bring new food ideas back from the colonies and the French not? Or did they? Has Masterchef ever had a contestant who cooked nearly all British food?

@anon666 "We're creative and innovative and open minded!"

Not characteristics that spring to my mind particularly when I think of the British....

I think standard Anglo Saxon Fare were turnips cooked fifteen ways. Hence why we got very excited when spices were available from abroad.

Not much different from the Brits who moan about American food and have never stepped foot in the States or went to one region and decided that was representative of the whole country.

Bought a copy!
Maybe I'll try my hand at some of the stuff he mentions

Traditional British food is very heavy particularly in Summer when everyone wants to eat like they are somewhere in the med.

I would also count Curry as British food now as it has become part of the culture. Obviously for many - that’s the British version.

I wouldn’t say British food is bad at all but it is probably quite old fashioned. Cottage pie, stew and dumplings and fish and chips are all great foods but …..

Funnily enough I think we are. Our fashion has always been out there, music, creative arts, and pre-1950s our science was too

I think British eccentricity is well documented. We've got some of the most liberal attitudes in the world.

And although we have a long way to go before we eradicate racism, we're better than a lot of places in the world for integration.

I think we get a bad rep if that's what you think.