Folklore: Myths about English food

Subject: RE: Folklore: Myths about English food
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 24 Feb 25 - 11:19 AM

There's a dividing line in England, North-West to South-East, roughly coinciding with Watling Street; it separates what used to be Danelaw from the Saxons. Only to the North-East of this line can one get decent fish-and-chips.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Myths about English food
From: Raggytash
Date: 24 Feb 25 - 01:16 PM

I'm always slightly bemused when people rave on about "Whitby Cod". There hasn;t been a commercial landing of cod in Whitby for around 25 years.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Myths about English food
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 24 Feb 25 - 01:24 PM

Why would anyone rave on about cod from anywhere when they could be eating haddock. One of the best things about moving to the east coast from the North West was that "fish and chips" meant "haddock and chips" rather than "cod and chips".

DC

Subject: RE: Folklore: Myths about English food
From: Raggytash
Date: 24 Feb 25 - 06:12 PM

Can't fault your argument Dave, I would choose Haddock every time !!

Subject: RE: Folklore: Myths about English food
From: Raggytash
Date: 24 Feb 25 - 06:13 PM

Sorry Doug !!!!!!

Subject: RE: Folklore: Myths about English food
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 25 Feb 25 - 04:12 AM

To each, his own. Fortunately, I like both cod and haddock so I’m happy. And, for that matter, I’m rather partial to a nice piece of Dogfish (a.k.a. ‘Rock Salmon’ or ‘Huss’) so I’m happy when visiting South Coast haunts too.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Myths about English food
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 25 Feb 25 - 05:26 AM

Herself can't stand dogfish, after having to dissect it for Biology at school: it makes her think of nematodes and the smell of not enough formalin. It distressed her more than somewhat that my late father did like rock salmon.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Myths about English food
From: gillymor
Date: 25 Feb 25 - 07:56 AM

Where I occasionally have my fish and chips they claim to serve Icelandic cod. It is excellent, can't say the same for the mushy peas.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Myths about English food
From: Donuel
Date: 25 Feb 25 - 08:28 AM

The beer-battered cod fish and chips downtown is 3 inches thick.
Hercule Poirot can not hide his distaste for English food and drink.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Myths about English food
From: The Sandman
Date: 25 Feb 25 - 04:29 PM

Agathie Christie died 49 years ago, so her opinions via Poirot, are out dated

Subject: RE: Folklore: Myths about English food
From: leeneia
Date: 26 Feb 25 - 11:00 PM

How do you explain baked beans on toast?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Myths about English food
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 27 Feb 25 - 02:00 AM

Easy - toast the bread while the baked beans are heating up on the stove. Butter the toast, put the hot beans on the toast. Brown sauce on the beans if you wish. Eat - yum!

Subject: RE: Folklore: Myths about English food
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 27 Feb 25 - 02:03 AM

Should have said that the beans have to be Heinz - substitute brands simply will not do.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Myths about English food
From: The Sandman
Date: 27 Feb 25 - 02:51 AM

Baked Beans on toast is an extremely cheap and efficient way of getting protein

Subject: RE: Folklore: Myths about English food
From: BobL
Date: 27 Feb 25 - 03:16 AM

BB in Menuspeak: "A generous helping of tender oven-baked haricots smothered in a delicious sauce made with sun-ripened tomatoes and exotic spices, served on a doorstep of locally-baked fresh bread toasted to perfection."

Subject: RE: Folklore: Myths about English food
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 27 Feb 25 - 05:16 AM

@The Sandman - for once, we agree 100%! ;-)

@BobL - coffee came down my nose when I read that ‘Menuspeak’! :-)

Subject: RE: Folklore: Myths about English food
From: Raggytash
Date: 27 Feb 25 - 05:21 AM

Backwoodsman, at one time I would have agreed with you that the beans have to be Heinz, However, since the food police got them to cut down the sugar and salt content their beans are a mere shadow of the former quality.

These days I go for Batchelors or Branston.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Myths about English food
From: gillymor
Date: 27 Feb 25 - 06:31 AM

I hope a side of Beano is a menu option over there.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Myths about English food
From: Raggytash
Date: 27 Feb 25 - 07:44 AM

Beano over here is a childs comic

Subject: RE: Folklore: Myths about English food
From: Jack Campin
Date: 27 Feb 25 - 07:58 AM

There is a bit on one of Celine's early books where, as an antisocial little git, he gets packed off to a school in England for a term in the early 1900s. After a trip on the cross channel ferry where most of the passengers get seasick in the most spectacular vomiting scene in world literature he arrives at the school determined to hate every minute of it and not wanting to speak a word of English. But he does go for cheese on toast. Nothing in French food could compare with that combination of melty pungency and and carbonized crumbliness.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Myths about English food
From: gillymor
Date: 27 Feb 25 - 08:32 AM

Clapton made Beano, the comic. famous over here.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Myths about English food
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 27 Feb 25 - 01:20 PM

Grenade: I used to like baked beans, but then I grew up.

I remember reading a newspaper column in the late 1960s with the headline Beanz Meanz Silenz: it claimed that Heinz were attempting to produce a bean which didn't produce methane when digested. Whether anything came of that project, I know not.