British Undeservedly Snotty about American Cuisine

[jimmy olsen]

Fuck Britain.  Simon Schama shouldn't have to apologize for America's culinary culture.  We are fucking China rolled in India served in France compared to Britain's array of boiled-beef pies filled with vegetables whose texture would not be different if the cook had let them stew in his own stomach for a few hours before vomiting them into the the tasteless, fatty crust.

You don't disappoint.

[Sheilbh]

Isn't British food kind of the original terrible fast food? Stuff like Meat Pies and Soda Bread came out of the Industrial Revolution, when meat was increasing in quantity, dramatically decreasing in quality and rapid urbanization and the industrialization of agriculture resulted in really rapid change of the cuisine, damaging it in ways it never really recovered from.

Don't forget fish and chips (originally brought by Jewish immigrants).

American food isn't bad, neither is British, you just have to pay for it.  Though you can pay very little if you want a dirty fry up, which is a joy.  Whereas American food, in my limited experience, can be good at any price range.

Also quality of meat and ingredients don't necessarily matter, especially not for tradition peasant/earthy food.  The great stews, for example, come from cheap cuts of meat because they're peasant food, most Chinese food is also focused on pretty cheap cuts.

[Iormlund]

Ah, culinary cripple fight.

[CountDeMoney]

You don't disappoint.

You don't crop.  Tard.

[Sheilbh]

Ah, culinary cripple fight.

  Fair.  Still it's not as bad as (from my experience) Eastern European food.

[Monoriu]

most Chinese food is also focused on pretty cheap cuts.

I vehemently disagree

[Josquius]

Ah, culinary cripple fight.

  Fair.  Still it's not as bad as (from my experience) Eastern European food.

I find that to be quite surprisingly good. If a bit too....porky. In a sort of cheapish way.
Slovakian is awesome. Czechoslovakian dumplings and goulash is one of the best things ever.

[DisturbedPervert]

most Chinese food is also focused on pretty cheap cuts.

I vehemently disagree

There is no better cut than chicken feet

[Richard Hakluyt]

Slightly related note: Do Europeans make pies? When I was in Germany, I couldn't for the life of me find a pie crust, or frozen fruit pie. Is it just a German thing, or pan-European thing?
Koreans also don't seem to make pies, either. Maybe its exclusively American.

By this I'm assuming you mean fruit pies?

We do have them here in the UK, but I would estimate that about 95% of the fruit pies I've ever eaten have been home made. Most common would be apple pie, but blackberry and rhubarb pies are also common. Of course a lot of people have virtually zero cooking skills nowadays; their pie situation must be fraught indeed.

[The Larch]

Ah, culinary cripple fight.

You copy my thoughts. 

[Sheilbh]

I vehemently disagree

Maybe it's a national price difference (and my personal taste), I associate Chinese food with feet, kidneys, belly pork.  All of which, in the UK, are very cheap cuts.  Similarly, in my experience, the beef is frying steak which is the cheapest cut of beef.

[Warspite]

British food, if done properly, is great.

Of course, visitors to the country in Central London who have no idea where they're going are going to find the tourist holes where everything is stodgy and bland. What they are not going to find are the side-street gems or the clusters of outstanding, experimental and reasonably priced eateries in the outer areas.

I am fine with this: it keeps the hordes of overweight yanks in their bursting chinos and tucked in polo shirts out of the restaurants I go to.

[Monoriu]

I vehemently disagree

Maybe it's a national price difference (and my personal taste), I associate Chinese food with feet, kidneys, belly pork.  All of which, in the UK, are very cheap cuts.  Similarly, in my experience, the beef is frying steak which is the cheapest cut of beef.

Try: Cantonese BBQ pork, Peking Duck, whole chicken dishes, steamed whole fish

[Josquius]

I think with Chinese food is its not so much they go just for the cheap cuts but they make the best of everything they get.
There is of course rich meaty Chinese food (especially in China ) but generally it seems to be about stretching out a small amount of crappy meat and making it appear to be more. Which they're rather good at.
Though I must say I've gone off Chinese quite a bit in recent years.

[Queequeg]

Ah, culinary cripple fight.

We are a really diverse place, and I'd say that our Cajun tradition has some of the greatest dishes native to the Americas.