Am a British expat, the stereotype is true. Our most famous dishes in the UK are typically stolen from other places like India. And even then, we manage to ruin it. No one can colonise chicken korma more tragically than the British.
Nowadays I live in a European city with every type of cuisine available…heck even the Irish pubs are here. But no sign of British restaurants. Probably because they’d close within a month due to lack of customers.
Nah mate. I don’t know where you come from but if this is how you think about British food then your parents just didn’t know how to cook. Shepherds pie, Roast dinner, Welsh rarebit, meat pies beef wellington, even simple meals like bangers and mash, toad in the hole, fish and chips are really good when you pit a bit of effort in.
Then not to mention desserts, scones, Victoria sponge cake, trifles, apple pie, sticky toffee pudding, tarts, custard, biscuits etc.
And the cheese, we have something like 700 different kinds of cheese in the UK famously including Cheddar, Wensleydale, Stilton, red liecester etc.
Now imagine that count of (granted, good British dishes) multiplied by about 10x-100x and you just got Greek Cuisine, or Portuguese, or even Spanish (so not even mentioning French or Italian).
Mind you, it’s not only the Brits that have but a handful of really good local dishes: from my experience of also living in The Netherlands, they’re about the same in that domain: a handful of good dishes which is but a fraction by of what you would find in the local cuisine pretty any Southern European country.
While it’s just outright deceitful to portray Britain as devoid of good local dishes, the local cuisine in general (both in variety and in terms of what the average person normally cooks at home) isn’t exactly great.
Someone had told me a lot about fish and chips but also said I’ve only eaten fake Swedish versions. Then we heard of a British restaurant supposedly run by British people but by the time we actually went there it had closed.
Of course this was 2020, Brexit had just happened, and the pandemic was at its highest which affected all restaurants.
British is not a race. It’s a nation and a culture
You could say that my country has the most boring music of all time while the Brits have the best one and it wouldn’t make you a racist person but a man of culture.
Now begin a sentence with “white people are…” and I wouldn’t let you finish it.
I mean…the stereotype is that British cuisine is bad…and it is infact bad.
That’s not to say that no Brits can cook, although thai green curry definitely needs to take out a restraining order against Jamie Oliver (context: see YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vksB2S90FVY).
But when it comes to British dishes that aren’t fucking cakes, all there is are various bit of shit that you have to smother in gravy to get any taste, the same way an absolute monster smothers a steak in ketchup.
So no, I wouldn’t call it xenophobic because it’s totally true. It’s certainly not racist because no racial stuff is involved.
Edit: I overlooked some dishes of British origin that can, infact be amazing. I’m still leaving this up, but yeah, turns out I forgot a few things.
Am a British expat, the stereotype is true. Our most famous dishes in the UK are typically stolen from other places like India. And even then, we manage to ruin it. No one can colonise chicken korma more tragically than the British.
Nowadays I live in a European city with every type of cuisine available…heck even the Irish pubs are here. But no sign of British restaurants. Probably because they’d close within a month due to lack of customers.
Nah mate. I don’t know where you come from but if this is how you think about British food then your parents just didn’t know how to cook. Shepherds pie, Roast dinner, Welsh rarebit, meat pies beef wellington, even simple meals like bangers and mash, toad in the hole, fish and chips are really good when you pit a bit of effort in.
Then not to mention desserts, scones, Victoria sponge cake, trifles, apple pie, sticky toffee pudding, tarts, custard, biscuits etc.
And the cheese, we have something like 700 different kinds of cheese in the UK famously including Cheddar, Wensleydale, Stilton, red liecester etc.
I mean this is also pretty true to the best of my memory. My stepmum could cook but she did Turkish cuisine.
I always thought shepherds pie was Irish but I just looked it up and I was wrong. It is infact British.
Never had Welsh rarebit or beef wellington so I’ll take your word on it. They do look tempting though.
The roast dinners I remember weren’t exactly great, but that might just be a me thing.
You’re definitely right about the others though, can’t believe I overlooked them, even if I do prefer Mediterranean fish and chips.
And yeah, you got me good on the deserts, some of those are something special.
You know what? Fair play mate. Consider me schooled.
Now imagine that count of (granted, good British dishes) multiplied by about 10x-100x and you just got Greek Cuisine, or Portuguese, or even Spanish (so not even mentioning French or Italian).
Mind you, it’s not only the Brits that have but a handful of really good local dishes: from my experience of also living in The Netherlands, they’re about the same in that domain: a handful of good dishes which is but a fraction by of what you would find in the local cuisine pretty any Southern European country.
While it’s just outright deceitful to portray Britain as devoid of good local dishes, the local cuisine in general (both in variety and in terms of what the average person normally cooks at home) isn’t exactly great.
A) immigrant. You’re an immigrant like me
B) yeah but I miss the biscuits
yeah that works too. Hello fellow immigrant!
are they that hard to find where you are?
Not if you’re stuck in the 70s and are partial to Lemon Puffs 🤢
Haha oof! I’ll pass!
Expat is when you’re talking from B*ittish context, immigrant when talking from the unfortunate hosting country’s context
Interesting take. I’m an immigrant and an emigrant, who loves my host country and brings value to it
You’re a twat
Relax, I’m having fun on just Brits
Someone had told me a lot about fish and chips but also said I’ve only eaten fake Swedish versions. Then we heard of a British restaurant supposedly run by British people but by the time we actually went there it had closed.
Of course this was 2020, Brexit had just happened, and the pandemic was at its highest which affected all restaurants.
Depending on where you are, Irish bars that serve food also do fish and chips very similarly to the British style.
You can have scones in some cafes in Germany
so true stereotypes aren’t racist?
British is not a race. It’s a nation and a culture
You could say that my country has the most boring music of all time while the Brits have the best one and it wouldn’t make you a racist person but a man of culture.
Now begin a sentence with “white people are…” and I wouldn’t let you finish it.
White people are humans too.
« Listen here you little shit »
no, no, that’s not what I said.
I know what you said
Define racism and you’ll get your answer.
Racism is linking unrelated facts to racial traits.
« White people can’t jump » is racist « French people are grouchy » is not
I mean…the stereotype is that British cuisine is bad…and it is infact bad.
That’s not to say that no Brits can cook, although thai green curry definitely needs to take out a restraining order against Jamie Oliver (context: see YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vksB2S90FVY).
But when it comes to British dishes that aren’t fucking cakes, all there is are various bit of shit that you have to smother in gravy to get any taste, the same way an absolute monster smothers a steak in ketchup.
So no, I wouldn’t call it xenophobic because it’s totally true. It’s certainly not racist because no racial stuff is involved.
Edit: I overlooked some dishes of British origin that can, infact be amazing. I’m still leaving this up, but yeah, turns out I forgot a few things.