So why is it orange? It was me that mentioned it originally. I have only ever had/heard of it in one place in the world - The Jubilee cafe in Douglas IOM. It is listed on the menu as ‘white pudding’ and when I asked someone where it was on my plate they said ‘It’s the orange thing’ I didn’t think to ask them why it was orange.
Was it maybe cooked in orange-y grease? Or perhaps they put an orange coloured spice in it. Perhaps some cayenne pepper or they knocked a tiny pinch of paprika in there by accident. I’m sure it’s not supposed to be orange.
Come on people, it was a lame (because I was very tired and bored) attempt to start a food-differences thread, which most people have understood and replied accordingly, please don’t jump to conclusions that I really believe every one of you guys eat PB&J sandwiches! It was meant jokingly, and half of those names were obviously made up (whiz-whiz, cheese wozzer) how can you not see that as a joke). Forbin I think if you hold back the critical post until you realize what’s going on and what the point is - you will be a better person.
I will happily be accused of being lame, but I don’t like being accused of being ignorant. I am one of the most understanding people I know.
I’ve had Black Pudding when I visited Ireland (althoughPepper Mill refused to touch it). It was OK – part of the Traditional Irish Breakfast.
The weird British Food Thing to me was Clotted Cream. I was given a container of his on a British airplane, along with some bread. 'd only read about it in books before that. We generally don’t have anything called “clotted cream” in the U.S., and it sounds like milk that’s been left to go bad. Not appetizing. Of course, the stuff in the plastic container was fine – sort of like unsalted butter. But it’s hard getting past that name.
As for Cheez Whiz and other such “pasteurized Process American Cheese Food Products”, I don’t eat them, and I don’t know anyone who does. A book I highly recommend is The Encyclopeda of Bad Taste, which gives an entire entry to Aerosol Cheese. From this I learn that it is real cheese, i perishable, but doesn’t require refrigeration. It’s big seller during the holidays. But give me real cheese anytime.
It’s not as bad as that. The 355 mL are in cans, and the 590 mL are in plastic bottles. So, I ask my friend to get me a can of Coke, or maybe a small bottle of Pepsi.
</hijack>
Clotted cream is mainly a Devon thing, It is quite rare anywhere else in the UK as far as I know, I had it a long long time ago (in the form of ice-cream) and as far as I can remember it was very nice.
If that is true forbin then I apologise for my last (but one)thread . It seems I jumped to a conclusion.
Anyway, I must say this. This whole thread was meant to be light-hearted, I would imagine that Food habits in America are pretty normal, I find it funny (not in the slightest bit offensive either) the ideas that Americans have about british food.
I do not think of Americans as cowboyhat wearing fatties either.
Dunno. Maybe Francesca’s right about the colour coming from what it was fried in - had they already cooked tomatoes in the pan perhaps? The only times I’ve had white pudding it was a sort of beige, biscuity color. Er, I mean cookie colour. No, I mean biscuit colour.
CalMeacham
I see what you mean about the name, but as far as I know clotted cream is just double cream that’s been thickened by whipping it. Unsalted butter consistency sounds a lot thicker than I’ve had it, but maybe that’s because it was in a little container? Airline food is rarely the best, I’m sure you’ll agree*. Clotted cream is really nice with jam on a halved scone - you just spoon it on in a little hill like egg white that’s been beaten for meringue.
We do have ersatz dairy products in strange containers over here too. Primula™ cheese spread in a toothpaste tube, squirtable “cream” in an aerosol, Kraft™ Philadelphia cheese, square slices and Dairylea, Vache Qui Rit (Laughing Cow) etc.
*'scuse the hijack, but on KLM flights I’ve had something that looked like rice but really big, pointy, yellowish grains. Anybody know what it was?
Y’all have beef jerky over there across the pond? It’s like shoe leather, but tastier.
Well, we have leather chews in pet shops - dogs love 'em :). I’m not sure whether we have beef jerky as such, but in some places you’d find biltong, which is a South African dried meat product that’s very similar to beef jerky.
I think I saw something like beef-jerky, but with a different name, in my local superstore.
I saw, just yestarday - that some places sell real dried pig’s ears for dogs.
What about sour cream? When I visited the UK I asked my friend for sour cream for my baked potato and he said that was an ‘American Thing’ - do you use sour cream in the UK?
Your beef jerky is tastier than shoe leather? What’s wrong with it?
My adoration of British cuisine is limited to an appreciation of marmite and promite, spread over a hot, buttered sconce.
That’s right, a sconce. A small defensive earthwork or fort.
Sour cream is quite common here.
Never had it on a baked potato though.
And what on earth is Promite? I love marmite on toast.
Sorry, it appears to be a purely Australian phenomenon.
Marmite is tastier than promite anyway.
Oh, you are missing quite a treat. Next time you have a baked potato put sour cream & chives on it - yum!
Lobsang, When I read your original post, I wondered if the cuisine on the IOM, with Man’s Celtic and Norse history, differs at all from that of England. (I am an American having Manx ancestry.) Given your responses regarding the food in ‘Britain’ I would assume not.
The best thing about living here is that, at least in the larger metro areas, the food of so many ethnic groups is readily available.
tpayne I haven’t lived here very long so I am not sure. Maybe people use normal ingredients to make special manx dishes in their homes, but the only noteable difference between the IOM and England is in the chippies - Every isle of man chippie sells ‘chips-cheese and gravy’ chips and gravy is normal in England but I have never seen cheese included, and I am quite a chippie-go-to-er.
The thing about the Isle of Man is - there are more non-manx (immigrants) than manx people here. At first glance it is just like an extension of England (and maybe scotland and Ireland, I’m not sure) There are two manx ‘accents’ one is quite distinctly unique, and the other sounds a lot like scouse, but I am told it is not scouse, it’s definately manx, and is more common amongst the young manx people. There is even a manx language (called ‘manx’) but I have never heard it spoken, A lot of rural signs have manx and English on them.
The Islands Celtic and Norse history is not hidden though, it is embraced.
I am far from an expert on the subject though.
I could say more about where I spent most of my life (Accrington) but I wouldn’t want people shooting themselves as a result of depression and boredom.
How often, on average, do you Americans get druk?
Here in britain it is virtually a tradition to get ‘pissed’ (very drunk) at the weekends. But as I understand it, Americans rarely drink to get drunk, but rather to socialize.
And at the risk of making this thread too serious - do us Brits get drunk because we have more reason(s) to be depressed. Do Americans not get drunk because they are generally happier?
Those may be stereotypes, that is why I am showing them, so that they can be dashed or confirmed.
I don’t get drunk because I’m allergic to alcohol. But, and this is purely unscientific and uncorroborated evidence, I’ve noticed that the British posters on another board that I frequent get WAY drunk quite frequently - and they love to post while sloshed.