english food

Burger King CEO Thinks His Food Is Better Than England's
Food News

Burger King CEO Thinks His Food Is Better Than England's

I wonder what Prince William and Kate Middleton would say about this zinger.
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I wonder what Prince William and Kate Middleton would say about this zinger. Burger King's CEO, Bernardo Hees, is in deep water over calling English food "terrible" and British women "unattractive." Hees told a group of University of Chicago students: "The food is terrible, and the women are not very attractive (in England). Here in Chicago, the food is good, and you are known for good-looking women."

Burger King spokespeople countered that the statement was merely a "humorous anecdote to connect with his audience," but the gaffe has British gastronomes up in arms. Some of the country's culinary authorities have spoken out against the statement, including Michelin-starred Marcus Wareing, who remarked that the CEO's comments were "an insult to British gastronomy."

From a marketing perspective, it never seems wise for restaurants to voice controversial opinions. Still, for the first time ever, British food and drink exports topped more than £10 billion. Looks like England is enjoying the last laugh.

pot pie

English Food is Not a Joke - Steak & Ale Pie

English food is not a joke because... Any cuisine that combines meat with ale gets gold stars in my book.
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English food is not a joke because...
Any cuisine that combines meat with ale gets gold stars in my book.

That's the answer I'm giving for Sam's Fish & Quips challenge. She's asked food lovers everywhere to help her prove that English food does not have to be a joke. After reading about it, I immediately wanted to participate. I lived there for almost a year and had plenty of amazing food (I have crazy fond memories of the cheese guy in my local outdoor market), however I couldn't come up with one dish that I wanted to make. So I called in the brigades - actually I just IM'd my friend Johnny and asked what he thought I should make:

me: What is your favorite British meal - like quintessential British?

Johnny: Meat pie! Like steak and onion pie!!!
I think this is a nice idea, a nice project - British food has a huge inferiority complex for a few reasons.

me: So what should i make?

Johnny: You should try steak and ale pie if you can manage it. I think it is pretty easy really and tastesome.

me: Why'd you choose that dish?

Johnny: It is the thing I like best that is "English"
Make a nice round pie - with leaves on the top of course.

me: Of course

Hrmm... a steak and ale pie. Funny, I never actually had one of those while I was out there - but I figured it was the time to start. So I hunted down a few recipes and cobbled together a pretty decent pie. I cheated and used puff pastry, but I didn't forget the leaves on top.The end result was pretty tasty, like a stew with an added pastry crust - and it was definitely not a joke. To see what recipe I used, and to see a bunch of step by step pictures, read more