# Help me make fun of British food! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 5, 2003, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-fun-of-british-food/205703 "2003-10-05T13:28:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-fun-of-british-food/205703/1 "2003-10-05T13:28:47Z")
I know this seems like it should be easy enough. What I need is a single word to use as a punchline- a specific food item. It has to be funny to a U.S. audience so it should be something that is thought of as British and uncommon in the U.S. but it can’t be unheard of. It should be something that we are familiar with from British T.V. and movies. It also has to be a funny sounding word. I’m thinking my best bets are marmite or kipper. Kipper is a good funny sounding word- it makes for a good punchline but I don’t know if it’s British enough. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-fun-of-british-food/205703/2 "2003-10-05T13:30:43Z")
I know haggis is Scottish – is that geographically close enough? ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-fun-of-british-food/205703/3 "2003-10-05T13:52:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Snooooopy \* > \*\*I know haggis is Scottish – is that geographically close enough? \*\* :rolleyes: Yeah, just like Ohio is geographically close to the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-fun-of-british-food/205703/4 "2003-10-05T14:00:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Snooooopy \* > \*\*I know haggis is Scottish – is that geographically close enough? \*\* This will be a general U.K. reference so haggis is not out of the question but it is a little too Scottish-specific. If it’s interpreted as a Scottish joke it won’t work. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-fun-of-british-food/205703/5 "2003-10-05T14:10:21Z")
Marshmallows on sweet potato pie is the funniest food thing I ever heard…oh wait that’s American. That said, how can you go past toad-in-hole? ---
**Author:** ![clbidy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dbc845/32.png) [@clbidy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clbidy)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-fun-of-british-food/205703/6 "2003-10-05T14:34:42Z")
There’s always spotted dick… …recipe .[here](http://www.compulink.co.uk/~ossystems/rfmbs/spotted_dick.html) ---
**Author:** ![skeptic\_ev](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@skeptic\_ev](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skeptic_ev)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-fun-of-british-food/205703/7 "2003-10-05T14:36:20Z")
By “toad-in-hole”, **calm kiwi** , am I to assume you mean bread with the center replaced by a fried egg? Because that’s one of the yummiest things ever _and_ it is fairly common in the US. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-fun-of-british-food/205703/8 "2003-10-05T14:43:05Z")
Yes it is yummy. But that doesn’t stop it sounding odd does it? And it is British. ---
**Author:** ![BethCro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cdc98d/32.png) [@BethCro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BethCro)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-fun-of-british-food/205703/9 "2003-10-05T14:46:06Z")
Nope, “toad in the hole” is sausages cooked in a Yorkshire pudding batter. Yummy! ---
**Author:** ![BethCro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cdc98d/32.png) [@BethCro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BethCro)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-fun-of-british-food/205703/10 "2003-10-05T14:53:14Z")
Toad in the hole recipe [http://www.steakandkidneypudding.com/meat/toad-in-the-hole.html](http://www.steakandkidneypudding.com/meat/toad-in-the-hole.html) ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-fun-of-british-food/205703/11 "2003-10-05T15:31:02Z")
Can I ask why you want to make fun of British food ? ---
**Author:** ![skeptic\_ev](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@skeptic\_ev](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skeptic_ev)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-fun-of-british-food/205703/12 "2003-10-05T15:55:25Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by BethCro:_ > Nope, “toad in the hole” is sausages cooked in a Yorkshire pudding batter. Yummy! Well, isn’t that interesting! Here in the US, a toad in the hole is a slice of bread with the middle cut out of it and an egg in the hole, all fried in butter. But yours sounds good too. And you’re right, **calm kiwi** , it _does_ sound odd. I just misread the OP and thought we were talking about non-yummy food. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-fun-of-british-food/205703/13 "2003-10-05T16:05:45Z")
skeptic\_ev writes: \> Well, isn’t that interesting! Here in the US, a toad in the hole is \> a slice of bread with the middle cut out of it and an egg in the \> hole, all fried in butter. But yours sounds good too. In some parts of the U.S., perhaps. I suspect that the item you describe is unknown to most Americans. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-fun-of-british-food/205703/14 "2003-10-05T16:06:57Z")
British food is better than it used to be. My parents both moved to Canada from there. I grew up eating this stuff and occasionally crave it (shudder). - Spotted dick and toad-in-the-hole have been mentioned. - Steak and kidney pie - Yorkshire pudding - Melton Mowbray - Lancashire hot pot - Cornish pastie - Fish and chips - Scones with clotted cream (drool) English often eat curry after a night of drinking (yum) I was horrified to hear my cousins refer to the Chinese food often available from fish and chip shops as “Chinky Chuck”, and said so, but this is commonly used. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-fun-of-british-food/205703/15 "2003-10-05T16:43:57Z")
The nice thing about the British is that they’re easy to cook for. On the one hand, they don’t have high expectations. And if worse comes to worse, you can throw whatever you have available into a curry and they’ll love it. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-fun-of-british-food/205703/16 "2003-10-05T16:58:20Z")
“Britain, the land of seventeen religions and _two_ sauces.” ---
**Author:** ![wakimika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f08c70/32.png) [@wakimika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wakimika)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-fun-of-british-food/205703/17 "2003-10-05T17:02:26Z")
As a teenager, I went to an English boarding school, which was called a public school even though it was private. Every morning for breakfast they served deep-fried bread (toast?) and marmalade. It was a greasarama, we were all covered in zits. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-fun-of-british-food/205703/18 "2003-10-05T17:08:48Z")
I’m surprised this thread hasn’t made it this far without a mention of _Mr. Brain’s Faggots_. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-fun-of-british-food/205703/19 "2003-10-05T17:44:21Z")
Blimey. Old stereotypes die hard, don’t they? Believe me, there’s plenty more things you can take the piss out of us Brits for (haven’t you seen our TV? our music charts? our standards of customer service?), but the tired old jokes about the food are neither accurate nor funny anymore. Yeah, I know, I’m opening myself up to criticisms of being humourless here. But is it still that funny to you lot? ---
**Author:** ![benson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@benson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/benson)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-fun-of-british-food/205703/20 "2003-10-05T18:03:38Z")
Jellied eels, anyone? Bleah. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-fun-of-british-food/205703.md?page=2)