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Original poster

We really are BONKERS about food in this country, aren't we?

38 replies

hunkermunster · 16/10/2006 01:21

Why is this?

There's wall-to-wall cookery shows on TV, chefs are celebrities for making a bit of chicken and some potatoes and leeks look nice in a tower on a plate, we have more "choice" than ever - and there's so much ill-feeling about food, what we eat, what we feed our children...

"Oh, I really shouldn't..."

"It's naughty of me, but I can't resist..."

"I am allergic/intolerant/on a diet/cutting out carbs/eating protein/only having sausages on even days/on a grapefruit and flaxseed only diet"

Mental, isn't it?

OP posts:
welliemum · 16/10/2006 01:42

Interesting point - because my initial reaction was, "Of course we're interested in food, we're biologically programmed to be".

But in countries like Italy with a very strong food culture, they seem to just get on with enjoying food, without this need to agonise about it endlessly.

Maybe it's a reflection of the general direness of food in the UK (and its ex-colonies) ?

Original poster
hunkermunster · 16/10/2006 01:48

I absolutely agree - it's imperative we're interested in food because it's necessary for us to survive and it's nice if it tastes good, looks nice, etc, etc.

But food shouldn't really be such a massive industry with glossy people banging on about it and such enormous profits being made from it - should it?

Just, like, eat decent fresh stuff, cooked well, maybe?

What gets me is that I know that all these celeb chefs are cooking stuff on TV being watched by loads of people eating ready meals.

That's just barking, right?

OP posts:
welliemum · 16/10/2006 02:19

Yep, barking.

However, decent fresh stuff, well cooked, is about as rare as hen's teeth. It shouldn't be, but it is.

I think we hang a lot of our neuroses and preoccupations on food - it's kind of handy for that purpose.

Agree though, the need (amongst people who have plenty of it) to talk about food all the time is very weird.

Erm, hang on.

Raggydoll · 16/10/2006 07:55

when my dad pops in at the weekend he always put on one of the food channels and we watch together. its usually rick stein cooking up a delicious whole fish or something - and you're right hm - i usually have a bit of stale bread and a pot noodle to choose from

Pruni · 16/10/2006 08:35

Message withdrawn

NotQuiteCockney · 16/10/2006 08:37

Both his books are very good.

Although I don't totally buy his pro-msg argument, saying msg is the same as glutamate. Certainly some people on here with much better knowledge of chemistry than me (i.e. anyone with any knowledge of chemistry) have dismissed that out of hand ...

NotQuiteCockney · 16/10/2006 08:38

Oh, and yes, the food thing here is weird. I never watch cookery programs, but I do cook, all the time.

Maybe if you watch cookery shows while eating scary ready food, you get distracted from the horribleness of the ready food?

Pruni · 16/10/2006 08:40

Message withdrawn

NotQuiteCockney · 16/10/2006 08:51

I don't remember that one, and probably have it confused with an anti-bag-salad essay ... (I think that book has been loaned to someone and not returned, come to think of it ...)

Pruni · 16/10/2006 08:56

Message withdrawn

NotQuiteCockney · 16/10/2006 08:57

Yes, I think I remember that one ... I quite like the "train yourself to like something" method ... I've used it successfully on myself a couple of times now ...

Pruni · 16/10/2006 09:00

Message withdrawn

NotQuiteCockney · 16/10/2006 09:13

Ah, see, I already liked snails. One of my first memories is of eating periwinkles with a pin. I must have been 5.

Blood sausages are ok. I haven't got organ meats working, though.

I trained myself to eat lamb, and am mostly ok with non-watermelon melons now.

Original poster
hunkermunster · 16/10/2006 10:41

Er, are you talking about food on my "we're barking for talking about food all the time" thread?

OP posts:
Pruni · 16/10/2006 10:42

Message withdrawn

Mirage · 16/10/2006 19:58

Tis true,I love cooking & rarely if ever eat ready meals.I have never sat & watched one of those cookery programmes.It does seem as if everyone has a cookery book out at the minute.Perhaps I should jump on the bandwagon too.

How do you train yourself to like something?I feel that I should like a few things like rabbit & cous cous,but just don't enjoy it.

FillyjonkthePumpkinEater · 16/10/2006 20:03

ah yes, food is wonderful. I do like talking about food.

Original poster
hunkermunster · 16/10/2006 20:04

Pruni, that would be fab - I'm going to have four uninterrupted tube journeys a week during which I can READ now - can't wait!

Do you have my address or shall I email you?

I love couscous - I dice an onion and a few tomatoes and some red pepper, fry them with herbs and loads of black pepper and then add the steamed couscous (just put it in a bowl, cover with boiling water, cover with a saucer then leave it for five minutes), then slice some cheese (I like mozzarella on it) and grill it till the cheese bubbles and some of the couscous is crunchy. I don't think this is to everyone's taste though And not a rabbit in sight!

OP posts:
drosophila · 16/10/2006 20:12

I do get a little defensive when allergies are trivialised. DS has 5 serious allergies backed up by blood tests and food challenges in hospital (this where you are given suspected allergen in a controlled environment) and when I hear people cast doubt in his allergies cos 'there are just sooo many allergies today' (in other words you are misguided) I get cross.

Perhaps if people who doubted the existence of allergies came to hosp and witnessed one of these challenges you might be a little more cautious when trying to discredit allergy sufferers. When you see a child's blood pressure drop and see their tongue swell so that he finds it difficult to breathe you do have a fu*ked up attitude to food.

tribpot · 16/10/2006 20:25

It's worth saying that Italy is much more clued-up to coeliacs that we are here (at least so I have heard) - in France and Spain I've been treated with utter contempt for explaing about dh's wheat intolerance. Anyone who thinks it's him being fussy about food wants to be outside our bathroom after he's eaten pizza for a gluten tolerance test, quite frankly

In some ways we are very lucky in this country that food is so well labelled, that it's possible to eat out and be able to find out what's in each dish (depending on where you go, obviously) but I think there is a general trend towards wanting to watch cooking but not actually do it, whereas our Latin brethren have it more the other way around.

ScareyCaligulaCorday · 16/10/2006 20:28

I think it's like everything though, you could say the same of sex, clothes, furniture, etc. Where there's money to be made by taking a basic need/ commodity by slapping on some expensive label and putting it on the telly, someone will make money.

Dros, agree that real allergies are serious, but I think people on this thread are talking about people who are just faddy or daft. (I have a friend who claims to have all sorts of dietary complications, when he's drunk 10 pints of lager the night before he talks about how eating that steak has played havoc with his digestion system. Those are the allergic people I have no truck with, but real allergies are something different and of course they exist and are growing.)

Emod · 16/10/2006 20:29

god it drives me mad

that saturday kitchen programme espeically

am so borrrrrrrrrrrrred of it all and think I may have to throw all Jamie Oliveer books away because if I see him anymore I will go mad

I think 90% of food intolerances are bollocks and people get bad stomachs because they don't chew their food proeprly

but then you get threads like the one about not letting your kids have macdonalds - I can't undersatand even discussing macdonalds with your kids

cod · 16/10/2006 20:30

Message withdrawn

Emod · 16/10/2006 20:31

no I mean that thread where mums explained to their children what was so bad about macdonalds

jesus

here is is 'can we go to macdonalds' 'no'

or sometimes 'yes'

ScareyCaligulaCorday · 16/10/2006 20:34

Is Emod Enid in disguise?