what's with it with you English and curry?

tokyo vogue · Post by **tokyo vogue** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 5:30 pm

it's like England's devided into three parts: Fishandchiplington, Kebabistan, and Curryville. is curry chicken any less nasty than it sounds? and must the supermarkets sell it in cans?

(and did anyone catch the Self rip-off there?)

and what's up with the prawn puffs? and the pickled-onion flavor chips?

bravo for all the charity shops, though. i nearly cried when the Thrift for Aids shop closed down back home. i picked up a Beatles' single ("Hello, Goodbye") and a Buzzcock's one ("Ever Fallen in Love with Someone You Shouldn't Have"), both for 50p, and Grant Lee Buffalo's Mighty Joe Moon (vinyl) for 1£.
i also managed to find a s-f short story compilation with Gerald Kersh (my Holy Grail of printed material) and Harlan Ellison, among others, for 50p. wheee.

this house has satellite tv. it's amazing. i sat slack-jawed for hours the other day watching live darts and The Vicar of Dibley. if i had this at home, i'd never go outside.

signed,

an American in England (Horsham, for anyone who cares), who's bought six records, one cd, five books, three touristy pencils, countless cans of Tango and Fanta, one notebook, a magazine, and a miniature hurling stick keychain while on vacation.

PlaythingOrPet · Post by **PlaythingOrPet** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 5:38 pm

Prawn puffs as in prawn crackers? A visit to the "chippy" is never complete without a bag of prawn crackers and a pickled egg to accompany your "chips" and saveloy. This was pre-veggie of course. Mmmmm... As for pickled onion "crisps"...mmmmm. Gammon and pineapple flavour crisps I used to love too but could only get them when I went to Newcastle.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 5:41 pm

Fun in Horsham! Chicken Tikka Marsala is supposedly the nation's favourite dish, or is it now jalfrezi. It's a big part of the colonial legacy, and the food most 'Indian' restaurants (often run by Pakistanis or Bangkladeshis) serve is not authentic in origin in terms of type of dish, but more a composite created over here. But it's a fabulous part f the cultural landscape. As long as it's not drunken thugs who've been to the National Front Disco and think it's somehow funny to insult the waiters.

Didn't get the 'Self rip-off'. You mean Will, rather than mademug, I take it? The Fishandchiplington, etc., right?

You got some great souvenirs. I have the self-same. One of my most over-used pieces of vinyl in 1978. Still one of the best singles ever made.

Jackson Doofster · Post by **Jackson Doofster** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 5:46 pm

Hooray for Curry!!!

Big it up for fish and Chips

Hooray for pickles of any description!!

Big cheers for cholesterol in all its dark murky forms!!

Down with meat Mcpatties made of cow earholes, arseholes and testes

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 5:50 pm

And chip shop chips dipped in curry sauce!!!!!!!

PlaythingOrPet · Post by **PlaythingOrPet** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 6:00 pm

Chips, onions, mushy peas, gravy and salt 'n' vinegar. In a plastic foam tray. With a wooden two-pronged fork.

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Fri Aug 01, 2003 3:10 am

But Vogue, you haven't mentioned the candy! I think England's candy is so much better than America's. And you can get Cadbury Creme Eggs all year long!

SweetPear · Post by **SweetPear** » Fri Aug 01, 2003 3:17 am

All I have to say is.......

PIZZA.

stormwarning · Post by **stormwarning** » Fri Aug 01, 2003 4:23 am

And don't forget the Greasy Spoon English breakfast. Impossible to get in Tokyo before lunchtime, might I add.

laughingcrow · Post by **laughingcrow** » Fri Aug 01, 2003 4:56 am

Indian food is one dish that Im really surprised not many people in the US have, it's great! A favourite of overweight men the UK over!!!

Kebabs are more of a thing for post-public house loitering, and seeing who can eat the chilli without throwing up in a bravado thing....they're really horrible, you'd only eat one when drunk.

Did you know that here in Scotland people like to eat battered (as in deep fried!) Mars bars and christmas pudding.....now that's odd!

Speaking off odd foods though....jerky!!! Dried meat you suck until it goes moist...urgh!

I always wondered why the satellite digital system never took off in the US...every thing else is so amazingly geared for the consumer, you'd think that you guys would have the interactive thing going on too.

PlaythingOrPet · Post by **PlaythingOrPet** » Fri Aug 01, 2003 5:02 am

Sign outside a kebab place: "If you can read this, you are not drunk enough to eat one of our kebabs". Absolutely true.

Copenhagen Fan · Post by **Copenhagen Fan** » Fri Aug 01, 2003 5:54 am

huh??? Maybe they don't have curry in Texas or Montana, but of course there is Indian food in the US. Try San Francisco or New York......Must admit that Thai curry is superior to the Indian version.

Poppet · Post by **Poppet** » Fri Aug 01, 2003 9:40 am

crisps! i miss all the freaky flavored crisps from my visits to the UK.

the marmite crisps (marmite-flavored potato chips) were an unexpected hit back home. wish i could get ketchup flavored ones here.

oh, and in indonesia, 'american-flavored' taro chips/crisps are *corn* flavored. wierd.

Post by **BlueChair** » Fri Aug 01, 2003 10:49 am

I am obsessed with Indian food thanks to England's wonderful establishments. If only I could get my friends to go as often here in Canada as I would like

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sat Aug 02, 2003 4:11 am

A fabulous alternative to the regulaar tandoori curry house is a vegetarian one, which tend to serve much more authentic style dishes. There's a great one in Finsbury Paark called the Jai Krishna. Prices are amazingly low. Taste explosions all over the place. Thai has become very popular too, and is fabulous. Walker's Smoky Bacon are unbeatable. Cadbury's Creme Eggs all year round is just disturbing. Deep fried Christmas pudding? That's brilliantly insane. Story froma friend:

Pregnant English woman resident in France: Is it safe for me to eat foie gras and smelly blue cheese?

French doc: Mais bien sur.

PEWRIF: But English doctors say there's a danger of listeria and God knows what!

FD: Oui, but you English also eat Christmas pudding.

Would love to serve that doc a nice portion of sizzling battered Christmas pud.

shabbydoll · Post by **shabbydoll** » Sat Aug 02, 2003 4:32 am

After 21 years here I'm still not in love with Indian food. I still really like Tex-Mex, but the stuff some restaurants call Mexican is sometimes surprising to say the least. My partner and I make it a point to try Mexican in all sorts of locales. The strangest was in the Canary Islands. A German owned Tex-Mex. Served it with saurkraut, two different kinds. The difference in Chinese here and in Texas are interesting also. No prawn crackers in Texas, no sizzling rice soup here.