NationStates Jolt Archive

Chirac jokes about British food (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4649007.stm)

French President Jacques Chirac is reported to have cracked jokes about British food at a meeting with the German and Russian leaders.
French newspaper Liberation says Gerhard Schroeder and Vladimir Putin laughed and joined in the banter.

"One cannot trust people whose cuisine is so bad," it quotes Mr Chirac as saying, within earshot of reporters.

A French government spokesman declined to comment on the report, which comes days before the G8 summit in Scotland.

The three men met on Sunday for celebrations to mark the 750th anniversary of the founding of Kaliningrad, formerly known as Koenigsberg, an exclave of Russia surrounded by Poland and Lithuania.

"The only thing they have ever done for European agriculture is mad cow disease," Mr Chirac said, according to the newspaper's report.

"After Finland, it is the country with the worst food."

A spokesman for Number 10 said: "There are some things that it is better not to comment on."

Problems with Nato

Mr Chirac is also reported to have reminisced about an occasion when Lord George Robertson, the former Secretary General of Nato, had made him try a Scottish dish.

"That is where our difficulties with Nato come from," he said.

The comments come as France and the UK compete to hold the Olympic games in 2012, and are at loggerheads over the EU budget.

On Wednesday Mr Chirac will be flying to Gleneagles for a dinner hosted by Queen Elizabeth II to open the G8 summit.

The menu has not been published, but most of the food, provided by the Gleneagles hotel, will be locally sourced.

"The Taste of Scotland is always to be enjoyed at the Gleneagles Hotel, from morning kippers or a fresh egg from a nearby farmhouse; scones and cream or Dundee cake for afternoon tea in The Bar to Angus beef, Scottish salmon, venison or Highland grouse for dinner," the hotel's website says.

It adds that the hotel's kitchens "benefit from the finest, freshest produce available from Scotland's larder, and from specialist suppliers around the world".

Hamburgers OK

US President George W Bush said in an interview with the Times newspaper that he would not eat haggis at the summit, or wear a kilt.

Liberation says Mr Putin tried to egg Mr Chirac on at the Kaliningrad meeting, asking him what he thought of hamburgers.

Mr Chirac replied that hamburgers were far preferable to British food.

In an interview with Time magazine two years ago, he said he had been a fan of America since spending a summer at Harvard University in 1953, and that he loved "junk food".

France came close to being fined in 2002, for refusing to lift a ban on British beef, in the wake of the BSE crisis.

The European Union issued a worldwide ban on British beef exports in 1996, but lifted it in 1999.





How deliciously ironic, coming from the guy whose countrymen eat snails and frogs. :rolleyes:

Hey! Frog legs and snails are good! And don't forget it!


On a more serious note, this doesn't really matter, ever since Chirac fooked up with the EU constitution; the British and the French have reverted to petty name-calling and insults anyways.

How deliciously ironic, coming from the guy whose countrymen eat snails and frogs. :rolleyes:

That's the be all and end all of French cuisine?

Like french food is better....not that British food is much cop generally, cant beat a roast dinner though...except when you can....like with curry....mmmm

English sausage patties, fried, served in a bun, with HP sauce. At 7 in the morning.

That's how I was welcomed in the UK in 1989.
God saves my poor body.
:gundge:

PS: In order NOT to die, we ate Mars bars for 2 weeks.

Nice. That makes 2 now. Mr. Berlusconi insulted Finnish food couple of weeks ago when opening the European Food Safety Agency. http://www.eubusiness.com/Food/050622183203.wjfvd0w4/view

Apparently our food sucks. Big time. Well, we can only take comfort in the fact that no respectable head of state has insulted our food yet...

considering the french cant cook beef properly I won't take much offence

In order NOT to die, we ate Mars bars for 2 weeks.

There's an Undertones song about eating nothing but Mars Bars. It's actually called "Mars Bars". Great song.

considering the french cant cook beef properly I won't take much offence
How about the British constantly overcooking their meat?

(PS: I still like Yorkshire pudding and lots of British desserts... which I've discovered later... but in 1989, I was quite young & ate what our British friends were cooking.)

Pot to Kettle: "You are black"

How about the British constantly overcooking their meat?

(PS: I still like Yorkshire pudding and lots of British desserts... which I've discovered later... but in 1989, I was quite young & ate what our British friends were cooking.)

thas now a dying trend.

WTF is "British cuisine"?

Meat and potatoes? Tea and crumpets? HAGGHIS?!?! I mean, jesus, man. Come on.

British cuisine still suffers from a relatively poor international reputation, being typically represented by dishes consisting of simply cooked meats and vegetables that need to be accompanied by bottled sauces or heavily seasoned after cooking to make them palatable.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_cuisine

British Cuisine IS fucking horrible.

Faced with mounting contempt at home, Chirac has a pop at the old enemy: Bless him. I think it's sort of quaint, 229 years since the French bankrupted themselves kicking the British out of North America (read a book!) they still haven't learned to forgive and forget. Still, at least their 'navy' had the manners to tow the Chuck D over the channel to remember Trafalgar day. I guess they feel safe now Churchill's dead.

The Brits eat fish with chips.

Its granted that their foods sucks :p

I'd also like to add that "cuisine" is a word of French origin (and rightly so), therefore, I believe the French have the ultimate authority on what is and is not "cuisine."

You know, the absurdity of this whole situation (who really gives a fuck about these guy's culinary tastes? really? I don't. Eat live babies for all I care, just do your damn jobs) made me think this was going to be an article from the Onion... and it just got even more absurd that it's BBC. I'm expecting aliens to show up any day on Earth now, aliens who are allergic to water and susceptible to Macintosh computer viruses uploaded from 20th century communications satellites.

The Brits eat fish with chips.

Its granted that their foods sucks :p

Now now, fish and chips is not to be dissed. Foreigners consider that a delicacy....oh wait maybe thats what we have got a bad rep lol. Very nice though. Curry and chips is better.

How deliciously ironic, coming from the guy whose countrymen eat snails and frogs. :rolleyes:
Well, your whole justification for being offended just went out the window. Hi kettle. Meet Chirac. He's a pot. And you're both black.

"I'd also like to add that "cuisine" is a word of French origin (and rightly so), therefore, I believe the French have the ultimate authority on what is and is not "cuisine." "

So do they, wierdly enough. Have you tried their beer? get a bit of data before you nail your flag to the mast.

Czech beer, Thai food, No contest.

I think the whole thing is quite funny, and shouldn't be taken so seriously.
British cooking is quite strange sometimes...peppermint sauce? For Meat???
French cooking can also be quite strange, although I do prefer French meat dishes to British ones.
Deutsche Küche über alles!!!

"British cooking is quite strange sometimes...peppermint sauce? For Meat???
"

They have to, it's the law.

No, really.

Most English food words come from the French. Even funnier, in some cases, the living animal and the cooked version are named by using different words.

Lamb (Anglo-Saxon) --> Mutton (French "mouton")
Ox (Anglo-Saxon) --> Beef (French "boeuf")

...and so on. :D

British cuisine:

http://academic.scranton.edu/student/BYRNEK2/images/fat_bastard.jpg

"I ET UH BEBE!"

Chirac always resorts to pathetic jibes when he can't get everything his way. Nothing new. Is it any wonder why the British people are so anti-EU with this sort of behaviour?

Fat Bastard is Scottish.

And I happen to like Scottish food.
And Irish food too. A lot!!!! Darn it's good a Guiness stew.
And also, northeastern English food.

But London made me sick.

"I ET UH BEBE!"

I am assured that in Britain, baby is traditionally eaten on the third sunday after lent.

BBC issued a report on this saying:
In response, to Chirac's prejudiced comment, numerous Britons on Nationstates.com have stated, "We fucking hate the French!" In other news, a Scottish man in a pub near Edinburgh died of choking on his own vomit. Apparently, he had ordered a Scotch egg, along with a pint of ale, the pub's special for the day.

"Chirac always resorts to pathetic jibes when he can't get everything his way. Nothing new. Is it any wonder why the British people are so anti-EU with this sort of behaviour?"

Dude, they're pro europe, they've saved the damn place twice in the last hundred years for goodness sakes. It's the Euro-wogs who are hell bent on self destruction.

WTF is "British cuisine"?

Meat and potatoes? Tea and crumpets? HAGGHIS?!?! I mean, jesus, man. Come on.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_cuisine

British Cuisine IS fucking horrible.

Haggis is from Scotland! Everyone in the world knows Scotland is an unhealthy place to live! (and it's spelt Haggis, BTW) I mean, the Scots eat fried Mars Bars, EWWWWWWWW (those be caramel Milky Ways to any Yanks, since I know Mars Bars are like, Snickers or something T.T)

Our cuisine isn' bad, it's just that we're adventurous enough to try things from different cultures on a daily basis! XDDD

(And personally, after going to the States, I much prefer stuff in the UK, ESPECIALLY stuff like chocolate... Hersheys is a bit cheap and nasty to my tastes, Galaxy is much much bettor!)

Yeah, there is no such thing as 'British' cuisine since we're like, three different countries with differnet traditions; then you start splitting the countries into Regions... for instance you won't get a good Cornish Pasty in Glasgow, you won't get a decent Yorkshire HotPot in Devon... um... yeah!

(I stick by Maerican food is worse, and French food is a load of pizzle. ITALY IS THE WAY TO GO!!!)

Oh, and about the guy in a puddle of his own vomit? PUB. DRUNK. Oh well! We just drink a heck of a lot more then anyone else!

"(I stick by Maerican food is worse, and French food is a load of pizzle. ITALY IS THE WAY TO GO!!!)"

Go to Thailand. Not only do they love the Brits as they helped them sort out the Burmese in the late 19th century, but their food is great and the people likewise.

Or Malaysia.

Chirac insults British food
holy Guacamoly

let the FlameWars Begin...
http://members.aol.com/creepcolony/darkarchon.gif


First Im going to insult the French cheese :D

This shows the difference between British & Amercan culture: 100 years ago, the British ran the planet and stole ebveryone elses' cuisine to the point where the most commonly eaten meal in Britain is curry. Now, the US runs the show, and stuffs hamburgers down everyone's thoats.

I hope the Chinese treat us all better when they get their turn at the wheel.

Probably a rebuttal to the insults the British IOC team(whatever) made about the French stadium.

Though, to be fair, French cuisine is pretty much the best I've had, minus my encounter with bloody steak. Duck is possibly the best meat I've ever had, however.

I hope they feed Chirac kidney pie at the dinner. That pompous bastard. One thing about the French, they don't like anyone except the French and they aren't to sure about that. :eek:

Steak Tartare is fantastic if you get good cow, I recommend Lassiters. (Colorado)

Haggis is from Scotland! Everyone in the world knows Scotland is an unhealthy place to live!
It is a part of Britain though...

And what's so bad about French cheese? Don't other peoples eat Cheese? I know I do. Why are the French the Cheese-eating surrender monkeys?

"One cannot trust people whose cuisine is so bad," it quotes Mr Chirac as saying, within earshot of reporters.

This made me laugh, considering he said it to the Germans and the Russians, probably the two least trustworthy European nations of the last century. France haven't exactly got a sparkling record on that either.

It is a part of Britain though...
Nope. Part of the UK.
Careful, or you'll get the Scots kicking your balls.

And what's so bad about French cheese? Don't other peoples eat Cheese? I know I do. Why are the French the Cheese-eating surrender monkeys?
I dunno. I like their cheese.

Nope. Part of the UK.
Careful, or you'll get the Scots kicking your balls.


I dunno. I like their cheese.

Actually Scotland is part of Great Britain. The term "Great Britain" was first used by James I of England (also James VI of Scotland) to describe the nation of Scotland, Wales and England.

Nope. Part of the UK.
Careful, or you'll get the Scots kicking your balls.

.....
Nope. Part of Britain. Which in turn is (the largest) part of the UK.

You're confusing Britain with England. Which really will get the Scots kicking your balls. ;)

This made me laugh, considering he said it to the Germans and the Russians, probably the two least trustworthy European nations of the last century. France haven't exactly got a sparkling record on that either.
Well that was unnecessary.

Nope. Part of the UK.
All right, that does it!
Define to me the following concepts:
England
Britain
Great Britain
The United Kingdom

It is a part of Britain though...


Not really. They have their own Government and have different laws to England. Though England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are part of the UK, we are each very protective of our national identities.

Teh UK man, teh UK!!! I don' know anyone living in the UK who still calls it GB! XD

....

Teh UK man, teh UK!!! I don' know anyone living in the UK who still calls it GB! XD
Apart from 99% of Daily Mail readers?

All right, that does it!
Define to me the following concepts:
England
Britain
Great Britain
The United Kingdom

England - A country. For all intents and purposes. Runs the show because it took over the other ones a couple hundred years ago
Britain and Great Britain - hail-back to Great Brittania, from the days of yor where the UK ran the show. We took over a bunch of countries and stuff. Thank you, Queen Victoria!
The UK - what we call ourselves. We are like, four countries united under one Monarchy - one Kingdom. so we are United. Though, most the time we don't act like it!


eeeeeeks, I don't know any Daily Mail readers! I stand corrected, The White Hats!

"All right, that does it!
Define to me the following concepts:
England
Britain
Great Britain
The United Kingdom "

As far as I know:

England is a country. It has borders You'll find it on many maps.

Britain is a bunch of ilands in the north atlantic.

Great Britain comprises the larger part of those islands, with the exception of Eire, but also includes various other places like Las Islas Malvinas and Bermuda.

The United Kingdom is England, Wales, and Scotland. I don't know if Norther Ireland is included in this bunch, as I think it's just a province.

I now expect you to tell me where I'm wrong.

...


eeeeeeks, I don't know any Daily Mail readers! I stand corrected, The White Hats!
You're a lucky person.

But Britain is also a geographical entity apart from any political identity.


Back on topic:

Snails - yum.
Frogs legs - meh.
French cheese - first among equals.
British pies - best of class.

England
Britain
Great Britain
The United Kingdom

England - A country, capital city - London.
Britain - The little island I'm sat on, comprising of England, Scotland and Wales.
Great Britain - Britain and Ireland I believe, known as Great Britain to distinguish it from Brittany in France.
The United Kingdom - Another country, made up of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales (technically a principality of England).

Not 100% on Britain/Great Britain, but what can ya do...apart from study, yes.

I'd also like to add that "cuisine" is a word of French origin (and rightly so), therefore, I believe the French have the ultimate authority on what is and is not "cuisine."

Seeing as how what is generally considered "French Cuisine" was first cooked up by an Italian Chef... I'll have the lasagna :)

I can't see what is wrong with British food it is no worse than most European cuisine. I just think it is too easy to have a go at British food because of its poor and largely unfair reputation. It is not all fish and chips and roast beef.

:rolleyes:

I have a problem taking seriously anyone whose last name sounds like a villain from a Bugs Bunny cartoon (Black Jacques Shellac from the 'Gold Rush Bunny' or some such episode.)

And Putin has a nerve to laugh about someone being untrustworthy. He who basically stole the Superbowl ring from Bob Kraft. (They can spin it anyway they want to. The incident was not unlike someone who asks to borrow your pen and then pockets it and walks away fully knowing what they did.)

Thanks everyone.
I keep getting into trouble for using these terms indiscriminately, and apparently inappropriately.
But it seems like Scotland is part of the Island Britain, yes?

heh. This amuses me. That's all. I happen to quite like British food. Haggis is tasty, as are our soups and fish (not necessarily battered, but the smoked stuff). Cheddar is a really nice cheese, and roast beef, yorkshire pudding is beautiful if you cook it right. Lamb and mint sauce... is that British? I don't much care. That's good too.

Chirac, according to Le Monde and several French jurists, is simply a trial away from sentencing, but that's another matter. French fine cuisine was taken mostly from the Italians, which isn't to say that the more "rural" fare is anything to scoff at. Honestly, haggis, done properly, is very good, and far better for you than some hot dog, whatever that might be made out of. True, the British had long been condemned for boiling things down to nothingness and having only two sauces (Voltaire), but that which British and Irish cuisine did well, they did very well. Chirac is purely a big-mouthed arsehole who likes to believe he's Charles de Gaulle, another famous French egomaniac.

WHO CARES???

I always get severely annoyed when people make a big deal about some small insensitive remark that a politician makes. The politician's supporters know he's only human, and the opposers? Dude, if this guy is SUCH a screwball in big decisions, you'd think little snips would be the least of your worries.

Politicians are people too. Cut a little slack, or if you're not inclined to do that, at least pick your battles. Either way, shut up.

OK, that does it, I think we should just invade. The French have had it coming for a while. :)



Define to me the following concepts:
England
Britain
Great Britain
The United Kingdom

And as for the above.
England - a country
Britain / Great Britain - both the same thing and comprise England, Scotland and Wales
The United Kingdom - to give it it's full title it's the 'United of Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'

Nice. People voted for these guys, you know. It puts the whole 'Bush is a moron' thing into perspective, really. He's actually the most mature and intelligent of the three at the moment... why doesn't Chirac just pull Blair's hair and call him a 'girly pants' and get it over with?

Anyway. Let's think. The French eat frogs and snails amongst a variety of other things that nobody else will eat. And bread. Bread's OK, if you like your food to have no taste whatsoever. Cheese is good, but it's hardly what I'd call a 'meal'.
What DO Russians eat, anyway? I know so little about their culture it's almost amusing.
I'm not particularly bothered by Americans insulting our food at all, as they don't actually eat food at all. And yes, I've been there, to your so-called 'steak houses'. What do you feed your cows over there? Grass or plastic? Plastic grass? Whatever it is, change it, 'cause it doesn't make much of an impression. Mexicans know how to make food, it's just so damned HOT.

Having sampled all of these, I have to say that some food that actually tastes nice, doesn't remove the lining from your throat and isn't taken from the dregs of the food chain is a welcome respite. I'll keep my British food, thanks. I'm partial to Italian food too, though. They can insult us if they want.

If we want to get technical, the healthiest meals around are to be found over in the far-east. Now those guys know how to make food that doesn't kill you. Not too bad to eat, either.

Like french food is better....not that British food is much cop generally, cant beat a roast dinner though...except when you can....like with curry....mmmm

Curry tops anything to ever come out of England. I'm convinced that the entire driving force was a quest by the English to find something decent to eat. Nothing to do with population pressure or any of that shit. Once they realized that the Scotts and the Irish eat the same stuff the English eat they had to go further afield.

That's why the British Empire fell into irreperable decline after Ghandi came along. By that point it had been conclusivly demonstrated that England couldn't possibly hope to conquer any place with better food than India, and since all the good Indian food was in England, what the fuck did they want an empire for? I used to work with a guy from Bombay, and he told me that when tourists ask where they can find good authentic Indian food they're told "London."

BTW, the name of this thread "Chirac insults British food." But he called it better than Finland's. To call England's food better than anyone's is crass flattery.

How deliciously ironic, coming from the guy whose countrymen eat snails and frogs. :rolleyes:
I wonder... How is it more tempting to eat a cow than a frog?
- I would've thought eating a frog was more tempting. It's bite-sized, easy to kill and probably really tender. I can't imagine how anyone ever came up with the idea of eating a cow. They look about as delicious as cement trucks

Politicians are people too. Cut a little slack, or if you're not inclined to do that, at least pick your battles. Either way, shut up.
Yes, politicians are people, too. And if they are charged with crimes, as Chirac had been in France -- for fraud involving very large sums of public money (ELF, anyone?) -- and quite honestly, the statement that politicians are "people, too" is very pat. They have been elected to positions of responsibility, so why not expect them to behave responsibly? Considering all the perks they get (such as immunity from prosecution, a law which Chirac's party introduced during his tenure specifically so he could avoid those and several other charges, including certain international ones), and considering they are engaged in a career involving publicity, they must expect some scrutiny (and, no, I'm not advocating hunting through bins for receipts and whatnot).

For crying out loud...

Okay, I know cooking, I know politics and I know what's a big deal...

French cuisine is good, and it's not only snail and frog legs (minding you, escargot tastes great). I've eaten in French restaurants. Their portions are not small, and the food is excellent.

British cuisine is not bad. Baked potatoes are a really good meal. Steak with peppermint sauce doesn't taste bad. However, no, it doesn't have the same cuisine quality as, say, France and Italy do.

German cuisine is very good. It's a tad too "stuffing", but I've eaten from it. A restaurant named Donisl, in Munich, is great.

Russian cuisine includes salmon, strogonoff, and, basically, warm meals with a big diversity. It's really good, even though, nowadays, it's lost some tradition due to the economy.

Now.

Chirac was making a joke. Inappropriate? Yes. Unthinkable? No. Not only France and England hold a grudge for a LONG while now, but English cuisine has a bad fame regardless. Will that spell the doom of Anglo-French relations? Not by a long shot. Bush's poodle has other things on his mind, and so does Chirac. The British Government isn't really that trustworthy now, but not because of the food: Because of the Downing Street Memos. Chirac needs points at home, he knows the whole Europe was against the war and knows that the DSM hurt England's credibility. That simple. Germany and Russia opposed the war in Iraq, so did France. England favored it. So, the joke is understandable. Wether or not it's a good move, remains to be seen. Is it a big deal? No. It would be a great world if THIS was a big deal.

By the way, best food in the world: Japanese.

And no, I'm Brazilian, not Japanese.

Curry tops anything to ever come out of England. I'm convinced that the entire driving force was a quest by the English to find something decent to eat. Nothing to do with population pressure or any of that shit. Once they realized that the Scotts and the Irish eat the same stuff the English eat they had to go further afield.

That's why the British Empire fell into irreperable decline after Ghandi came along. By that point it had been conclusivly demonstrated that England couldn't possibly hope to conquer any place with better food than India, and since all the good Indian food was in England, what the fuck did they want an empire for? I used to work with a guy from Bombay, and he told me that when tourists ask where they can find good authentic Indian food they're told "London."

BTW, the name of this thread "Chirac insults British food." But he called it better than Finland's. To call England's food better than anyone's is crass flattery.
the US never felt the need to have a Large empire... our quest to find something decent did not need to go very far...

can you say Tacos con Enchilada?

:D :D

Considering the pathetic state of native British cuisine, Msr. Chirac's cooments may be inappropriate for one if his standing to make in public, but they are entirely too true. Yorkshire pudding is great, but thats about as far as it goes.

Why can't the English just admit that while they are amazing at many things, there are some things the REALLY suck at doing? Like making food with flavour that isn't a recipe stolen from another nation (and the English version of Curry is horrible IMHO) or making cars that run for more than a couple weeks straight.

the US never felt the need to have a Large empire... our quest to find something decent did not need to go very far...

can you say Tacos con Enchilada?

:D :D

Mexican food never made it big in England. My first cousin from England came over for my wedding, and on the night before a few friends, my brother, he, and I went to a bar in Manhattan. We got a bit hungry and forgot what a rip off food in bars was. So looking over the menu he asked me:

"What are nachos?"
Tortillas with meat, cheese, and vegetables.
"What are Fa-Jeeeeet-Taz?"
Uh... That's tortilla, with meat, cheese and vegetables.
"and what are enchiladas?"
oh! those are tortillas with meat, cheese, and vegetables.

At this point he noticed my brother vibrating with suppressed laughter and realized the answers he was getting.

The observation is a Jim Gaffigan joke, but the story is exactly true as I told it.

Well the brits were the first country to turn the michellin stars back. So what do the french really know?

We brits have the Cornish Pasty. That makes us the best cooks in the world.

*drools*

*shrugs*

I happen to be half-French, half-British (living in France). I personally favour British food, but that's because I prefer simple food (British food is anything but the epitome of haute cuisine, but I prefer it that way), and because I'm a vegetarian (French cuisine is extremely meat-orientated).

Having said that, each of you will be used to the food of your country of origin, so it's rather silly to criticise what people eat in other countries.

Answer

All right, that does it!
Define to me the following concepts:
England = The land of the Engles (Anglo Saxons) ends at Hadirnes wall and the Welsh Borders
Britain = Originally the Land of the Britons which is most of what is now Britain i.e. the whole main island
Great Britain = the island of Britain and all the colonies and protectorates except northan Ireland
The United Kingdom = the joined political body of the three kingdoms of Ireland (only the northern part now) Scotland and England , with the Principality of Wales. Sometimes irroniously includes all the colonies and protectorates.

I think we seem to have things just about right - nothing can beat a good Sunday Roast and it seems to be better then France, where you can have 7 courses and still have eaten barely enough to feed a sparrow, or America where you'll not want to eat for a week after only one meal. What does Bush know anyway? America's only national dish would be MacDonalds which is hardly anything to be proud of.

OK, that does it, I think we should just invade. The French have had it coming for a while. :)
http://fapfap.org/angryscotsman.jpg
"I'll brek ento that bastud Chirac's hoose lat et neet, an tear em abeich from uz beed, un spank um lak theh wee French dwarven, devil-child he uz! Then ah'll force-feed um hagghis an whiskey TIL HE VOMITS LAK AN IRISHMAN ON ST. PATRICK'S DEE! Aye, you canna trust THUH FRENCH cuz thar fewds's TEW GEWD. It's black magic, ah tell yew. Bloddeh snails and frogs aren't meant to taste gewd."

IMHO i feel that all types of food r good. I love a good roast but i also love 2 eat escargot and frogs legs. on the other hand, i also love a stir fry, paella, lasagne, spaggettii dish, whatever. my parents brought me up 2 b very open minded in everything.

that said, every1 is entitled to they're own opinion and is allowed the freedom to express said opinion. after all we live in a free and fair world (or at least sum of us do and those who dont we need to help to be free).

The French eat what the Brits give to their dogs. The French eat horse meat! *me gags*

Perhaps someone should point out to our Gallic chum that, if it weren't for us badly fed Brits and our friends from across the Atlantic, fine French cuisine would be limited to sauerkraut and bratwurst ;)

j/k.

Originally Posted by The Holy Womble
How deliciously ironic, coming from the guy whose countrymen eat snails and frogs.

That's the be all and end all of French cuisine?

yeah, then there's those f*cking baguettes and the wine. thats about it. :mad:

I'm from Finland, btw. :rolleyes:

PS: In order NOT to die, we ate Mars bars for 2 weeks.

We can't get Mars bars here at the moment due to an extortionist threat on them and Snickers bars.

The French eat horse meat! *me gags*

No, I don't. Nor do most French people.

yeah, then there's those f*cking baguettes and the wine. thats about it. :mad:


Thank you for publicly displaying your ignorance. It's always amusing to see someone make a fool of themselves.

...
Define to me the following concepts:
England
Britain
Great Britain


I'll try my best.

England
1) The largest country of the United Kingdom, the successor to an ancient Kingdom of England (to put it more precisely, the successor is a legal entity called 'England and Wales').
2) Sometimes England is incorrectly used to refer to the United Kingdom as a whole or to the Island of Great Britain.

Britain
1) The island of Great Britain which comprises England, Wales, and Scotland.
2) The UK as a whole (not very correct, but IMHO an acceptable short version - I don't want to call the state 'UK' all the time, and 'UKOGBANI' is technically correct but weird).
3) A Roman province.

Great Britain
1) The biggest of the British Isles.
2) Again, the UK as a whole. Acceptable but inaccurate (because it excludes Northern Ireland, and these two words are longer than just 'Britain').

The United Kingdom
A country in Europe which consists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

As has been said,

England is England, Capital London. Scotland lies to the North and Wales to the West.

Together England Wales and Scotland make up Great Britain, sometimes just abbreviated to Britain.

Add Northern ireland and you get the United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, usually abbreviated to The United Kingdom, or the UK.

Colonies, islands and protectorates (Falklands, Gibralter etc) are NOT included in GB or UK.


As far as food goes it is (if you'll pardon the expression) "horses for courses". Who determines waht is tasty and what isn't? Things that are considered a delicacy to some are abolutely vomit inducing to others.

Good British food is the equal of good food produced anywhere else in the World, and bad British food is equally poor as bad food produced anywhere else in the World. The importance is usually the quality of ingredients. A traditional British stew made with lovely fresh veg and some nice meat is just as nice as a a meal a French, Italian, or any other nationality chef would produce with teh same produce.

Having said all this, the place where I have most reliably found delicious food from light snacks to posh evening meals is Italy. On the whole I find their attitude to food, and their joy in seeing you eat it unsurpassed.

As far as food goes it is (if you'll pardon the expression) "horses for courses". Who determines waht is tasty and what isn't? Things that are considered a delicacy to some are abolutely vomit inducing to others.




I have 2 say i agree.

What's ironic is that according to an article I read in the paper a couple of weeks back, England has more Michelin star restaurants than any other country in the World.
So much for lousy English food.
I think Chirac's just jealous and annoyed 'cause his beloved French cuisine isn't viewed as the epitome of cooking any more.

The Idiots Guide to the United Kingdom

England

This (for future reference) is the country of England:

Map of England (http://www.pmfgolfguide.com/england/_derived/map.htm_txt_england_map.gif)

This is its flag:

The Cross of St.George (http://www.teezz.co.uk/images/flags/england-flag-092.jpg)

Now England is only one section of the country known as the United Kingdom (or Britain or Great Britain or Great Britain and Ireland). It has several regions and like in any other country has regional dialects and accents. The Cornish for example actually have their own language, although I think the last Cornish speaker died a few hundred years ago. When you refer to "England", you are refering to this. Although English people like to think they are the most important part of the Union, they should have a closer look: the Prime Minister was born in Scotland, the Chancellor is Scottish as is the Health Secretary and the leader of the Liberal Democrats. The leader of the Conservatives is Welsh by birth.

SCOTLAND

Map of Scotland (http://users.ox.ac.uk/~peter/workhouse/map/scotland.gif)

St. Andrews Saltire (http://www.scottishgolfhistory.net/images/Saltire05.JPG)

This is the little nobbly bit on the top (sorry Scots but I am in the process of dumbing down) of England. They too have their own accent (see Sean Connery) and contribute a great deal to Britain as a whole. They were an independant state until the Act of Union 1707 which was passed by both Scottish and English Parliaments and joined them together. However they have maintained their own legal system. Ever since, Scotland has been represented in Westminister, London but recently Scots have been offered the chance to electe Scottish Members of Parliament to a Scottish Parliament situated in Edinburgh. Remember when you refer to Scotland, you are refering to a part of the United Kingdom (Great Britain). They do, on occasion, wear kilts but I would not advise any tourists to look up - the sight is unpleasant to say the least.

WALES

Map of Wales (http://www.studyabroad.com/content/portals/maps/wales_map.gif)

The Red Dragon flag (http://areciboweb.50megs.com/fotw/images/g/gb-wales.gif)

Wales is attached to the westward side of England. It has been a part of England since the 1200s and has actually spoken English for most of that time. However due to a bout of resurgent nationalism, everyone in Wales has decided to speak Welsh and so we now have to print road signs in Welsh as well as English even though a large proportion of the Welsh population only speak Welsh in front of English people so to confuse them. It too is a member of state of the United Kingdom (Great Britain).

NORTHERN IRELAND

Map of Northern Ireland (http://www.southtravels.com/europe/northernireland/gifs/map.jpg)

Flag of Northern Ireland (http://www.mantaway.com/northern%20ireland.gif)

Northern Ireland (also known as Ulster) too is part of the Union of states that forms the United Kingdom (Great Britain). Northern Ireland has voted to remain part of the Union and as such they still contribute Members of Parliament to Westminister. Southern Ireland gained independence in the 1920s I believe (but I am probably wrong as to the date but hell you can find that out yourselves).

THE UNITED KINGDOM, GREAT BRITAIN, BRITAIN, GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND ETC ETC

The map of the United Kingdom (http://www.retreats.org.uk/images/map1.jpg)

Union Jack (http://www.patrimoinecanadien.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/images/union-jack.gif)

And when you put all the parts together (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) you get the United Kingdom/Britain. All have the same head of state (Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II), the same currency (pound sterling), the same head of government (the elected Prime Minister), the same national anthem (God Save the Queen) and the same army/navy/airforce. The official language in all is English except in Wales who have two languages: Welsh and English.

And that is the end to my brief, insanely idiotic guide. Any Scots, Englishmen, Welshmen, Ulstermen or Americans wishing to pelt me with rotten food stuffs are asked to form an orderly queue.

I won't say UK food is the worst...but it's not the best, either.

That said... I have a penchant for scotch eggs. YUM! :D

I'm British and personally I prefer Mexican and Indian to British or French food.

People like different food. What's the big deal?

If you want to try and find some kind of objective way of looking at it, french cuisine probably takes more skill and talent to produce.

Also, just like to point out that lots of British food comes from other cultures. Roast dinner was brought to us by the Romans for example.

Good British food is the equal of good food produced anywhere else in the World, and bad British food is equally poor as bad food produced anywhere else in the World. The importance is usually the quality of ingredients. A traditional British stew made with lovely fresh veg and some nice meat is just as nice as a a meal a French, Italian, or any other nationality chef would produce with teh same produce.

Well, I grew up with English food, and I was under the impression that the key to making a good stew, (or a good chili, or any other 'peasant cuisine' for that matter) is slightly inferior meat. Cut it up into little chunks and boil it. Stews were designed for inferior meat, that's why you hardly ever see steak in a stew, and if you do, it sucks.