• @NateNate60
      link
      154 months ago

      Contrary to popular belief, in terms of health, high-fructose corn syrup is not really worse for you than sugar. It’s very unhealthy, of course, but that’s because it’s sweet, not because of its chemical properties.

      That being said, in many things (such as soda), people prefer the taste of sugar over high fructose corn syrup.

        • @NateNate60
          link
          64 months ago

          Just checked now. The loaf of sliced bread in my pantry does not contain high fructose corn syrup.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            -24 months ago

            I guarantee if I look up the biggest selling sliced bread in the US, it’s got HFCS in it, and I also guarantee you’d say, yeah well nobody eats that

            😂

            • @NateNate60
              link
              4
              edit-2
              4 months ago

              Try making sure what you’re saying is correct before confidently talking out of your ass:

              This is the nutrition label for Wonder Bread, the epitome of trashy American sandwich bread. It does not contain high fructose corn syrup. What it does contain, however, is sugar. As I said, high fructose corn syrup is not worse than sugar anyway, and all bread has sugar in it because it’s necessary for the yeast to rise. American-style sliced sandwich bread does tend to be sweeter than the round sort, but that’s not a high fructose corn syrup problem. Even if it did have high fructose corn syrup, that literally wouldn’t change anything about its health value.

              Again, high fructose corn syrup is not worse than sugar. If every product in the world that uses sugar were reformulated to use an equivalent amount of high fructose corn syrup, health-wise nothing would change (but the flavour may be different). Decrying high fructose corn syrup but being okay with sugar is just ignorance of science, full stop.

              If corn were as cheap everywhere else around the world as it is in America, literally every country would have processed foods containing high fructose corn syrup instead of sugar, because it is basically completely the same.

              Edit: And before you make a comment talking about the length of the ingredients list, it’s partially because American food labelling laws are way stricter than elsewhere in the world, requiring manufacturers to label far more ingredients and with far more detail. Sliced sandwich bread sold elsewhere is probably made of exactly the same stuff, but the manufacturer probably just isn’t legally required to tell you about it.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        84 months ago

        What’s bad about corn syrup is how fucking cheap it is (subsidized to hell or not). So they put it in way more things, keep us all addicted to sweet stuff and rake in profits at the same time.

        Also see soy in everything (my wife is allergic so I’m biased, but it’s really nuts how many things (again, bread?) it’s in).

      • Fushuan [he/him]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        34 months ago

        Contrary to popular belief, it’s not that we think that corn sirup is worse, its that we KNOW yall use truckloads of it on everything <3 :)

        • @crypticthree
          link
          24 months ago

          Industry uses it. The only time most anyone uses corn syrup is for pecan pie which is admittedly gross

      • UltraMagnus0001
        link
        14 months ago

        Process sugar is almost as bad for you as Corn syrup.

        • @NateNate60
          link
          34 months ago

          There is no such thing. Sugar is sugar, and it is exactly as bad for you as corn syrup. Sugar is either in short chains (where we call it “sugar”) or in long chains (in which case it is called “starch”)

            • @NateNate60
              link
              14 months ago

              The sweetness from molasses comes from the sugar contained inside it.

              • UltraMagnus0001
                link
                0
                edit-2
                4 months ago

                I agree too much sugar in any way is bad for you.

                Unrefined brown sugar undergoes less processing than white sugar, allowing it to retain some of its molasses content and natural brown color. Molasses is what you get before the refinement and crystallization with animal bones, then you get the processed white sugar. You can turn white sugar back to brown sugar by adding molasses. Neither is healthy in large amounts. Brown sugar gas slightly more minerals.

          • @Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In
            link
            04 months ago

            Corn syrup is easier to consume.

            Disolve equal quantities of sugar and corn syrup in a drink. You will get sated of the sugar version faster than then corn syrup version.

      • @Jumpingspiderman
        link
        14 months ago

        Dietary fructose is worse for you than sucrose. Or glucose

    • oce 🐆
      link
      fedilink
      84 months ago

      In the same vein, putting highly transformed industrial sweets in your homemade bakery to make it cooler.

    • @[email protected]OP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      54 months ago

      ur tragically misinformed if u think individuals think any such thing rather than the use of cheap sweeteners being a decision made by corporate interest

        • @AnUnusualRelic
          link
          44 months ago

          They do put pepper on their day glo mushy peas. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.

        • @[email protected]OP
          link
          fedilink
          English
          2
          edit-2
          4 months ago

          wasn’t talking to brits in this comment, this is a common sentiment from many people groups, cheers!

  • @kippinitreal
    link
    514 months ago

    Its funny how people assume colonization benefitted all Brits equally, and spices, tea (& riches) weren’t hoarded by royalty and the gentry.

    How the hell do you think the East India Company got so rich? It wasn’t by selling it to… shudder … normal and… wretching… poor people. They can stick to their traditional true British spice, Salt & vinegar! /s

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      64 months ago

      But you’d think some of the rich people recipes would make their way to what’s now known as British cuisine.

      • Fushuan [he/him]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        34 months ago

        Recipes, to be used with which spices, huh? If they won’t use them they might as well not exist. Now it’s cheaper but the general population didn’t use them so it doesn’t really count.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          14 months ago

          If rich Brits actually used spices, then what did they use them in? Where did those recipes that use spices go?

          If they didn’t actually use spices, then what did they do with them? Just use them as currency?

      • @kippinitreal
        link
        24 months ago

        Oh Yeah! Like they’d earn all the money and they’d spend it by paying wages & share what they imported with common folk. It’ll all trickle down to the rest of us… eventually, right? /s

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          14 months ago

          What are you talking about? I’m saying some fancy food recipes which were used only by the rich should not be lost to time. Has nothing to do with what you’re saying.

          • @kippinitreal
            link
            2
            edit-2
            4 months ago

            Ok being serious then, the meme (& most people) refer to working class British dishes like fish & chips, beans on toast, bangers and mash which don’t have a lot of spice used in them. Many of them were probably invented, adapted & popularized by working class people during post world war 2 rationing.

            I’m sure authentic British recipes do contain “rich people” food, but memes and pejoratives about their cuisine ignores or doesn’t know about such food.

            Its like a meme mentioning American food as burgers & gravy, while pedants would argue Mexican food is also American. Ignoring why North Americans (mostly poor people) eat fast food and the socio-economic factors that forces them to eat low nutrition food.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          14 months ago

          Also, trickle down economy does work and has always worked - it’s just that the mega rich are subhuman, so everything trickles down to them :P

    • @[email protected]OP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      44 months ago

      ooh valuable insight into how this came to be, thank u for helping me challenge my heretofore unquestioned assumptions :)

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    264 months ago

    We invented one of the world’s most popular cheese, Cheddar, which is actually named after an English village. Also our national dish is Chicken Tikka Masala. I dare you to say we don’t use spices. We invented several varieties of spiced sausage, spiced cakes and fruit bread, even some kinds of spices rum.

    Don’t get me wrong, lots of British cuisine is lackluster for sure, and I don’t think we can compete with the likes of Thailand or Italy. That doesn’t apply to everything we do though, and some of our deserts and cheeses are top tier. Thailand is literally known for diplomacy through food as well, so hardly a fair comparison.

    • Semi-Hemi-Lemmygod
      link
      English
      34 months ago

      Chicken Tikka Masala uses waaaay fewer spices than traditional Indian food. It’s the thing people who don’t like Indian food order in Indian restaurants.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        144 months ago

        It doesn’t actually have less spices as such, it has less chilli and more cream so that it’s less hot. Korma which is legitimately Persian and from the indian subcontinent is more mild than Chicken Tikka Masala. Likewise Makhani and Hydrabaddi are Indian dishes with a comparable amount of cream and hotness. Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely not a hot curry, but it’s not weaker than some of the things coming from India or Pakistan.

      • @HeyThisIsntTheYMCA
        link
        English
        44 months ago

        fuck. I had a weird allergic reaction the last time I got indian and I haven’t gone back because I don’t take risks with allergies. I miss my malai kofta.

          • @HeyThisIsntTheYMCA
            link
            English
            4
            edit-2
            4 months ago

            I have. I need to identify the spice I am allergic to before trying it again. It was hospital bad. Fun fact, allergy tests at allergy doctors don’t have that specificity.

    • Deebster
      link
      fedilink
      334 months ago

      Americans visited the UK during WW2’s rationing and never updated their stereotypes.

      • @almar_quigley
        link
        -184 months ago

        A lot of stereotypes sure, but this one is a valid one. Who the fuck eats beans on toast….?

        • Kabe
          link
          English
          474 months ago

          Bold talk from the nation that eats cheese from a spray can.

          • UltraMagnus0001
            link
            54 months ago

            Here in America we eat freedom cheese, meaning cooperations are free to add whatever they want to our foods unlike in the EU, where certain chemicals are not allowed in your foods. Yay for obesity. We have Pink Slime and chemically sprayed potatoes to prevent black spots on our McDonald’s Freedom Fries.

          • @almar_quigley
            link
            -234 months ago

            Don’t be mad we actually make better cheddar than the UK.

            Also, not gonna lie, cheezwhiz has its place. It’s just not the height of culinary cuisine.

            • Kabe
              link
              English
              29
              edit-2
              4 months ago

              Ha! Don’t make me spit out my tea. Your cheddar is cheese-flavored plastic in comparison.

              • @[email protected]
                link
                fedilink
                84 months ago

                Hey now some of us grew up on Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product that can’t really be called cheese on it’s own.

              • @gdog05
                link
                -74 months ago

                To that I say, you must not have heard of Wisconsin.

                • @KISSmyOSFeddit
                  link
                  154 months ago

                  I lived in Wisconsin for a year. Most supermarkets had 3 types of cheese:
                  yellow, orange and mixed. They all tasted the same.

                • @undergroundoverground
                  link
                  5
                  edit-2
                  4 months ago

                  What you call cheese cant be sold under the label “cheese” in the UK or the EU, due to it being so shit and lacking in actual cheese.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          124 months ago

          And what goes into beans on toast? That’s right: cumin, paprika, garlic, onion, pepper… Spices

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          64 months ago

          Three bean salad with croutons, hummus on pita bread, vegetarian burritos are all technically beans on toast

        • @gmtom
          link
          24 months ago

          Who the fuck eats peanuts in coca cola?

    • Nougat
      link
      fedilink
      -14 months ago

      I am amused by the fact that the word “distinct” sounds similar to “Dis stink!”

    • UltraMagnus0001
      link
      -34 months ago

      If it’s curry it’s Indian, just like American Chinese takeout is American but still Chinese and Pizza is American but still Italian. The flavors derived from those specific cultures to spice up the bland food people were used to. Tea was mostly a Chinese tradition and the Indians stole it to trade with Britain, because it was cheaper.

      • Kabe
        link
        English
        3
        edit-2
        4 months ago

        True, but I would argue that American Chinese food is a distinct cuisine in its own right, just as Anglo-Indian is.

        If the argument is that the British Empire didn’t incorporate seasonings and spices into its own traditional cuisine, then I’d argue that none of the European powers did. French cuisine is still undeniably French and spice-less, despite their colonialist history in Africa and the Caribbean.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    234 months ago

    I’m not going to let a country that thinks spraying more cheese on something makes it better.

    Leave our beige food in a brown sauce with overcooked veg alone.

    • @samus12345
      link
      English
      13
      edit-2
      4 months ago

      You’re not going to let a country that thinks spraying more cheese on something makes it better…what? What aren’t you going to let it do?

    • @[email protected]OP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      54 months ago

      Leave our beige food in a brown sauce with overcooked veg alone.

      don’t worry this has never not been my plan 😸

  • UltraMagnus0001
    link
    23
    edit-2
    4 months ago

    I remember John Oliver jokingly said on Steven Cobert that his favorite British food is a good curry.

    • @gmtom
      link
      84 months ago

      That’s not really a joke though? There are lots of curries that were invented in the UK and the British are actually the ones that introduced curry to most of the world and the curries you get pretty much anywhere outside of South Asia are British curries or based on British curries.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      3
      edit-2
      4 months ago

      That’s what Padme wants in this image macro though

      Brit’s do pies though, anything in a pie then it’s British. A curry pie then there you go

    • @undergroundoverground
      link
      24 months ago

      You think that’s bad, wait until you hear Americans trying to claim apple pie or pizza.

      • @Jumpingspiderman
        link
        64 months ago

        To be honest, pizza in its best known iteration originally was from Naples and parts South. When Italian-American GI’s (most were descended from immigrants from Southern Italy where they had pizza) were helping to rid Italy of Nazi’s during WWII, they were aghast that places North of Naples didn’t have pizza. These formerly pizza-free zones then started making pizza to sell to the GI’s and thus to this day you can find pizza even in places as North as around Lake Como. So pizza is more American in Northern Italy than it is Italian.

        • @undergroundoverground
          link
          44 months ago

          I mean, not being that popular in the place it was invented doesn’t mean Americans can claim to have invented it which is the subject at hand.

      • @samus12345
        link
        English
        24 months ago

        Italian pizza is pretty different than American.

        • @undergroundoverground
          link
          14 months ago

          British curries are very different to Indian ones. Far more different than “more cheese and bread”, like American style pizza.

      • @[email protected]OP
        link
        fedilink
        English
        24 months ago

        very possible for a region to validly claim a certain iteration of a food, even if it originated elsewhere.

        for example, anglo-indian food would not exist without british influence. in the same fashion, american pizza, hamburgers, american-italian beef and US “chinese food”, while not utterly distinct from their precursors, are iterations of the cuisine that would never have come about in their countries of origin.

        • @undergroundoverground
          link
          14 months ago

          Youre kind of making my point. My point was much more “if you think that’s bad, you should see this” as opposed to “it can’t be done.” For example, the curries from the UK are very different to anything youd get on the Indian sub-continent.

          Claiming apple pie is a outrageous though.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        24 months ago

        They can keep whatever that shit they do in Chicago is though. Nobody else wants credit for that.

    • FenrirIII
      link
      14 months ago

      Do you mean Stephen Colbert?

  • @johannesvanderwhales
    link
    194 months ago

    American here, but I think a lot of Americans have not actually been to Britain and eaten their food.

    • @samus12345
      link
      English
      54 months ago

      I have, but I don’t actually remember the food. That must mean it was fine since I don’t remember anything being bad.

      • @johannesvanderwhales
        link
        34 months ago

        London seemed like most other large cities to me, in that there was a wide variety of food from different cuisines available. It’s not like every restaurant was all jellied eels and boiled meat.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    174 months ago

    I can’t seem to find it, but this reminds me of a greentext that’s stuck with me for years. The gist of it is that most of British history can be summed up as sailing around the world looking for something good to eat.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        204 months ago

        That’s not the one I was thinking of, but I’m happy that you posted it as it’s pretty great.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          34 months ago

          Are you sure it’s a greentext and not this old saying “The beauty of their women and the taste of their food make brits the best sailors in the world.”.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            14 months ago

            It definitely parallels that saying but I’m almost positive it was a greentext. Though, given that I can’t find it, I suppose I could be mistaken.

  • Davel23
    link
    fedilink
    174 months ago

    Britain conquered the world for spices, then decided they didn’t like any of them.

    • no banana
      link
      15
      edit-2
      4 months ago

      Britain is a little bit autistic. Loves order. Hates sensory overload.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    94 months ago

    I’ve been to the UK and I found out this stereotype/meme is kinda true…

    Some foods are a little bland.

    • @cynar
      link
      English
      74 months ago

      We’ve been completely screwed over by the supermarkets on this one. A lot of our base ingredients are now bland and tasteless. This has had a knock on effect.

      Good, traditional English food is far from bland and tasteless.

        • @cynar
          link
          English
          104 months ago

          I was more thinking of a properly made Sheppard’s pie, or a beef roast with trimmings.

          If you really love our jellied eels though… 🤷‍♂️

          I’m fairly sure they only still exist to prank tourists.

  • @Aceticon
    link
    9
    edit-2
    4 months ago

    I’m from Portugal, who together with Spain started the so-called “Age Of Discovery” back in the late 14th century and for a long time had sugar plantations in Brasil.

    Not only does the local culinary have an insane variety of cakes and sweets (I suspect that, whilst monks in convents in other countries were finding new ways to brew beer, the ones in Portugal were just inventing new desserts) but most traditional culinary dishes use one more spices that do not grow locally or at least did not originate locally (you also see a similar effect when it comes to other ingredients: for example the frequent use of tomato that originate from the Americas or Oranges that originate from China)

    I also lived in both England and The Netherlands, both countries which were much more successful at trade with and conquest of the “discovered” lands than Portugal, and the local culinary tradition in both is way smaller and blander.

    • @Aux
      link
      44 months ago

      The problem with food traditions in the UK is that fuck all grows there due to climate. And all the cool imported stuff was traditionally very expensive, thus only accessible to the rich. Portugal has a much better climate for growing food, so back in the days you could import some seeds, plant them locally and exotic stuff became cheap and available to everyone. Brits couldn’t do that really, so exotic stuff was rare and mere mortals didn’t know about it.

  • @Jumpingspiderman
    link
    84 months ago

    Well the popularity of Indian food kind of puts the lie to this. Though I suppose it makes more sense to simply switch to Indian food, rather than to try to tart up the wretched crap that passed for food in the UK before colonialism.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    74 months ago

    You joke but today Curries are one of the most popular takeaway options in the UK. Only took us til after decolonisation.

    • @Agent641
      link
      24 months ago

      Some of them were invented in the UK. Unheard of in India

      • TheEmpireStrikesDak
        link
        fedilink
        24 months ago

        As a second gen Indian in the UK, so much of my family’s dishes are based on sauces with tomatoes and chilli, many of them have potato. But none of these are actually native to India, these would have been brought over after the colonialisation of the Americas.