# US dopers - what food do us UK people have that you don't? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 29, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208 "2003-06-29T19:56:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**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:** [July 2, 2003, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208/121 "2003-07-02T13:12:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by keithnmick \* > **Vegemite is available in the UK as Marmite - it’s, erm some kind of yeast extract. Spread it thinly on toast. I like it a lot.** Take that back! 🙂 Marmite and Vegemite are completely different beasts and Marmite is the superior one (apologies to Aussies who may disagree). Oh and don’t spread it too thin, doesn’t have the same kick if you do. Try a marmite and cheese or Marmite and chips/crisps sandwich. YUMBO! It is weird reading about lamb being unusual. When I was kid the Sunday roast was always lamb, roast lamb and mint sauce mmmmmm (now I’m all growed up and in a family of 2 Sunday roast has become a thing of the past ☹ ) and lamb chops are a kiwi staple. When I lived in Britain the Sunday roast was nearly always chicken or beef with lamb for special occasions and that took some getting used to, but it seems lamb is even less common in America. Maybe all the sheep jokes are worth it 🙂 Oh can I add something that we have that nowhere else seems to have…Hokey Pokey ice cream. My mum hosts international language students and when they go home they all write back lamenting about missing it. ---
**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:** [July 2, 2003, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208/122 "2003-07-02T13:21:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by keithnmick \* > **Vegemite is available in the UK as Marmite - it’s, erm some kind of yeast extract. Spread it thinly on toast. I like it a lot.** Take that back! 🙂 Marmite and Vegemite are completely different beasts and Marmite is the superior one (apologies to Aussies who may disagree). Oh and don’t spread it too thin, doesn’t have the same kick if you do. Try a marmite and cheese or Marmite and chips/crisps sandwich. YUMBO! It is weird reading about lamb being unusual. When I was kid the Sunday roast was always lamb, roast lamb and mint sauce mmmmmm (now I’m all growed up and in a family of 2 Sunday roast has become a thing of the past ☹ ) and lamb chops are a kiwi staple. When I lived in Britain the Sunday roast was nearly always chicken or beef with lamb for special occasions and that took some getting used to, but it seems lamb is even less common in America. Maybe all the sheep jokes are worth it 🙂 Oh can I add something that we have that nowhere else seems to have…Hokey Pokey ice cream. My mum hosts international language students and when they go home they all write back lamenting about missing it. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208/123 "2003-07-02T13:29:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BrainGlutton \* > \*\*Posted by **everton:** > > Of course, a black pudding is a formidable weapon in the hands of a master of the Lancastrian martial art, eckee-thump! > > (I know kung fu, karate, and 23 other dangerous words!) \*\* Goodies! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![keithnmick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90db22/32.png) [@keithnmick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keithnmick)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208/124 "2003-07-02T13:32:25Z")
Calm kiwi, I actually have a large jar of Promite in my fridge here in the US. I’ll try the cheese sandwich thing at some point. Now if I could just get a creamy pint of Thwaites to go with it it would be perfect and my wife would really think I’ve lost it eating all this wierd stuff. When you but ice cream from a van in the UK it’s a little different as well - along with the various lollys/packaged cornettos…etc you can buy soft serve ice cream on a cone, with a chocolate “flake” bar pushed into the ice cream, with strawberry of chocolate sauce drizzled on the top. Kind of similar to the pre packaged version shown here: [http://www.cadburysicecream.com/products/wrapped.html](http://www.cadburysicecream.com/products/wrapped.html) Doeas anyone know if there is any truth to the rumour that Margaret Thatcher invented soft ice cream? ---
**Author:** ![mogiaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mogiaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mogiaw)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208/125 "2003-07-02T13:34:26Z")
When i visited Connecticut (Ridgefield methinks) a few years ago I was in a store that sold Irish and British sweets and stuff like Lyon’s tea bags. It was all horrendously expensive. $3 for a bar of Dairy Milk. It was kinda strange cos it didn’t seem to have a huge amount of stock. mog ---
**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:** [July 2, 2003, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208/126 "2003-07-02T13:41:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by keithnmick \* > **Calm kiwi, I actually have a large jar of Promite in my fridge here in the US. I’ll try the cheese sandwich thing at some point. > Now if I could just get a creamy pint of Thwaites to go with it it would be perfect and my wife would really think I’ve lost it eating all this wierd stuff.** Then make sure you try a Promite (should be Marmite 😃 ) and chip sandwich too and she will really think you have cracked. It’s a favourite Kiwi kid lunch down here and it really is yummy. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208/127 "2003-07-02T14:53:10Z")
There is an English grocery in Methuen Mass (THWAITE’S) that has the most delicious pork pies I’ve ever eaten! Hot from the oven, full ofjuice, and simply delicious. If you want them, get there early…they sell out fast! ---
**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:** [July 2, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208/128 "2003-07-02T14:57:01Z")
Hot pork pies? That is just wrong. Pork pies are always cold. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208/129 "2003-07-02T15:15:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by keithnmick \* > \*\*Doeas anyone know if there is any truth to the rumour that Margaret Thatcher invented soft ice cream? \*\* She did work in the research department of J. Lyons & Co. between 1949-50 and was part of a team that worked on new cake fillings and ice creams. It’s rumoured that her contribution was either a new type of anti-freeze, an application of it to inject air into ice cream during production, or something similar. It’s unlikely that she invented Mr Whippy by herself, but it’s not unreasonable to assume that she may have played a part. She’s always been a bit tight-lipped about her work as an industrial chemist (apparently she was less than popular with her co-workers at Lyons or British Xylonite Plastics), so full details are hard to track down. Best not to think about it if you like 99s. ---
**Author:** ![G.Cornelius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@G.Cornelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G.Cornelius)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208/130 "2003-07-02T15:49:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by calm kiwi \* > \*\*Hot pork pies? That is just wrong. Pork pies are always cold. \*\* Possibly a misunderstanding. There are [recipies for pork pies](http://christmas.allrecipes.com/AZ/PorkPie.asp) other than the traditional British sort. A [British stype pork pie recipie](http://thefoody.com/meat/porkpie.html) requires the meat to be cooked in a rich pastry, the meat filling shrinks, the pie is allowed to cool and then a “jelly” is poured in and allowed to set. This fills up all the air gaps and, presumably, is what gives the pie its excellent keeping qualities. Hence pork pies are an excelent choice following a feast (when you hungry again but cannot face more cooking) or for a picnic. The jelly is liquid when hot, so British pork pie can only be eaten cold. There are quite a few variations on the pork pie theme. These include adding whole boiled eggs, other meats and even fruit. Now I think about it, I rember several non-Brits of my aquantance, finding our liking of cooked fuit odd… ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208/131 "2003-07-02T16:39:43Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by everton_ > **I’ve only ever met one person who cooled his toast deliberately at home** Now you’ve met TWO! 😃 I like toast made from pre-sliced bread to be cold and crispy … but a big hunk o’ real bread toasted is another matter - you _gotta_ let the butter sink in … > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by calm kiwi \* > \*\*Oh can I add something that we have that nowhere else seems to have…Hokey Pokey ice cream. My mum hosts international language students and when they go home they all write back lamenting about missing it. \*\* So c’mon then - _what is it??? Eh? Eh?_ Enquiring minds need to know … 🙂 Julie ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208/132 "2003-07-02T17:44:51Z")
Quoth **eveton** : > [@](#): > > Soda bread is easy enough to get this side of the Irish Sea, Chronos – I think I’ll have some with cheese and pickle for lunch tomorrow. You can make your own very easily too, because it doesn’t need any yeast. Yes, I could, if I had a metric recipe. But the recipe I have is all in pints, tablespoons, and the like, and those are dangerous. We Americans use those same words, but usually we mean something different by them. When I attempted it, it was a disaster, and I’m not even sure which ingredients I got wrong. And since it was mentioned earlier, what Americans call pudding is not just a dessert in general, but a very particular sort of dessert. It’s a dairy product, sort of like condensed milk, only thicker and sweeter, and usually comes in chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch, or tapioca flavors. Another comparison might be non-eggy custard. We also have bread pudding, rice pudding, and plum pudding, which I gather are also known in the Isles, but we would never refer to any of those as just “pudding”. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208/133 "2003-07-02T20:54:45Z")
Posted by **calm kiwi:** > [@](#): > > It is weird reading about lamb being unusual. When I was kid the Sunday roast was always lamb, roast lamb and mint sauce mmmmmm (now I’m all growed up and in a family of 2 Sunday roast has become a thing of the past ) and lamb chops are a kiwi staple. When I lived in Britain the Sunday roast was nearly always chicken or beef with lamb for special occasions and that took some getting used to, but it seems lamb is even less common in America. Maybe all the sheep jokes are worth it Well it’s obvious why, isn’t it? Look at where the sheep are! What are the world’s leading producers of wool? I have no reference book in front of me, but my guess would be New Zealand, Australia, the UK, and the US, in that order. Trust me, when Yanks think of New Zealand (at all) we don’t think of kiwi birds and Maori fire-eaters, we think of rolling green hills covered with sheep. I must admit, I don’t know why there isn’t more sheep ranching in the U.S. We certainly have the space and the pasture for it. Some is done here, but it’s insignificant next to cattle ranching. Curious. In an American restaurant, you will sometimes, on rare occasions, see lamb on the menu. You will almost **never** see mutton on the menu, nor will you find it in the average supermarket. I think the general perception is that the flavor is too strong. Actually, I’m not sure most Americans even know what the word “mutton” means, or that it bears the same relationship to “lamb” as “beef” to “veal.” Since this is also a country where we have animal-rights activists who protest against the practice of raising and eating veal, I guess it’s just as well that lamb is something of which they have not yet taken much notice. A few years ago there was a big TV ad campaign in the States for Australian range lamb. It consisted of nothing but Australian sheep ranchers, standing out on the range, talking about their family tradition of raising sheep. No actual sheep or lambs, alive or dead, were visible in the commercials – just the ranchers and their wide green acres. It’s like the ad execs thought Americans would be too squeamish to eat this stuff if they were reminded of where it came from. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208/134 "2003-07-02T21:14:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BrainGlutton \* > **I must admit, I don’t know why there isn’t more sheep ranching in the U.S. We certainly have the space and the pasture for it. Some is done here, but it’s insignificant next to cattle ranching.** That’s because the cattle ranchers hated the sheep ranchers and ran them off the land every chance they got. I know that’s true 'cos I saw it in a Droopy cartoon. > [@](#): > > \*\*A few years ago there was a big TV ad campaign in the States for Australian range lamb… It’s like the ad execs thought Americans would be too squeamish to eat this stuff if they were reminded of where it came from. \*\* Judging by the general sqeamishness expressed about British food on these boards I’d guess the ad execs are probably right. We buy quite a lot of New Zealand lamb in spite of it being a home-grown product. ---
**Author:** ![Rabid\_Squirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Rabid\_Squirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rabid_Squirrel)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208/135 "2003-07-02T23:01:41Z")
> [@](#): > > _From Shrinking Violet_ > So c’mon then - what is it??? Eh? Eh? > > Enquiring minds need to know … > > Julie [Home make hokie pokie] Get some golden syrup and put a pinch of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)in it. Mix it and heat gently until is begins to bubble. Cool it on a greased pan and allow it to cool in thin sections until hard. It should be a pale yellow and have lots of air bubbles trapped in it. Now bash the crap out of it until it’s about the size of peas. Take a tub of vanillia ice cream. Take hokie pokie pieces. Mix with ice cream. The outside will go nice and gooey with a crisp centre. If you can find it, you can also use a Cadbury ‘Crunchy Bar’ (which is a chocolate covered hokie pokie bar, I’ve heard they have them in Canada) and beat that into tiny fragments instead. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208/136 "2003-07-02T23:13:36Z")
A while back I started a GQ thread: “Do Britishers really have bad teeth?” No poster on that thread mentioned this – but from posts on this thread, I’m starting to get the impression that Brits have an extraordinary fondness for high-sugar foods that rot their teeth! ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208/137 "2003-07-03T01:24:41Z")
We have Wensleydale in the States, layered with Cheddar in something called “Huntsman’s Cheese.” Great stuff. I hear the English eat tomatoes right out of the can. Here, canned tomatoes are usually an ingredient for cassaroles or chili… We have Guinness, you have Guinness. I hear that you keep the good stuff and send us the dregs ---
**Author:** ![wireless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f14d63/32.png) [@wireless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wireless)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208/138 "2003-07-03T01:36:13Z")
Only my favorite candy in the whole world: St. Michael’s (M&S house brand) Fruit Gums Got addicted when I lived in Cambridgeshire in the 80’s. Haven’t had them since I was last in the UK in about 1997. Still dream about them. They don’t sell them on the M&S web site. ☹ (If any UK dopers wanna help me out - I’ll pay!) ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208/139 "2003-07-03T01:55:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zoe \* > \*\*Yorkshire pudding. I finally found a little dish to make it in and then proceeded to lose the recipe. I really like it! \*\* Wait, I’m confused. Is Yorkshire pudding something people can _buy_ in the UK? 😕 I like Yorkshire pudding, but I can’t imagine buying and re-heating it… \ That sounds as odd as buying pre-mashed potatoes, which I noticed stores around here sell. Geez, that’s lazy, how hard is it to make either thing? ---
**Author:** ![Motog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@Motog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motog)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208/140 "2003-07-03T02:22:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BrainGlutton \* > \*\*Posted by **calm kiwi:** > Well it’s obvious why, isn’t it? Look at where the sheep are! What are the world’s leading producers of wool? I have no reference book in front of me, but my guess would be New Zealand, Australia, the UK, and the US, in that order. Trust me, when Yanks think of New Zealand (at all) we don’t think of kiwi birds and Maori fire-eaters, we think of rolling green hills covered with sheep. > \*\* Actually, to a large extent it has been because of US trade policy. The Australian and NZ lamb industry has been trying to get into the US for years but have faced various import quota and other trade barriers. I am not sure of what the current situation is but can easily find out if you’re interested. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-what-food-do-us-uk-people-have-that-you-dont/185208.md?page=8)