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Re: [tlug] [OT] French cuisine



On Wed, 30 May 2012 06:57:13 +0900, Nick Bikkal <ipod.bikkal@example.com>
wrote:

> > If you put traditional UK pub grub and your typical bistrot meal in a
> > bar in France side by side, there is no comparison possible. I'd take
> > the food in the UK pub any day of the week.
>
> Awesome. Factoid worth passing along. Why do you think that is? Economy?

Firstly, people are much more health-conscious than they used to be and
would now much rather eat something carefully prepared than a bowl of salty
fat.

Secondly, economy does play an important part in that independent pubs (not
many big chains, sadly) tend to champion local produce, which very
frequently they source directly from the producer, ie. the farm down the
road. This means that you end up with quality fresh ingredients on your
plate rather than a frozen, mass-produced stew that's thrown into a
microwave, that looks and probably tastes like someone has already eaten it,
and that has never been within a country mile of a piece of beef.

Thirdly, and someone else pointed this out, there is a massive "ethnic"
influence. People want variety. You can get all sorts of ethnic foods in
this country from all continents. Of course you'll find places that alter
the preparation to "suit" local tastes (such as someone's "sushi with no
raw fish" - although I'd like to point out that the name "sushi" actually
refers to the rice and you can put what you want on it, it doesn't have to
be raw fish at all), but you can also get the real McCoy over here. About
the only authentic ethnic food you can get in France is North African.
Everything else is tamed down beyond recognition, if you can find it in the
first place.

The French have always had a reputation for excellent cuisine, and it is a
well deserved reputation. The problem is that France has not been looking
outside her own borders. The French have always been so convinced of their
(at one time perfectly justified) culinary superiority and just dismissed
everyone else that the thought that another country might have good food and
wine has only just started crossing their minds in the past decade or so,
and it has been a rude awakening. Some still don't accept it. Other
countries have overtaken France because France has sadly become complacent.

There are still plenty of traditionalists here in the UK who would rather
have their bowl of salty fat than any of that "foreign muck", so you'll
still see traditional British fare such as fish'n'chips, steak and ale
pies, scouse, hotpot etc. for sale over here. I'll indulge in that
particular guilty pleasure from time to time as well. They are, however, no
longer the only kind of consumer over here, nor are they even a majority
any more.

-- 
Godwin Stewart <gstewart@example.com>


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