Larian Studios Forums General Chat Chat (Anything) Can the French still cut la moutarde?

As a side note, after my son returned from a trip to Europe, he said he wouldn't like to live there because you can't get good Tex-Mex food. As an example he told me that when he bought some tacos in France, they made them with cream sauce.
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Edinburgh Evening News
Sat 13 Aug 2005

Can the French still cut la moutarde?

WIL MARLOW

LAST month French leader Jacques Chirac reportedly ripped into British cuisine. The president apparently told fellow leaders at a summit in Russia that, "you can't trust people who cook as badly as that".

Immediately TV chef Rick Stein was on the defensive.

"I'd actually cooked for him at Downing Street a few years ago," says Stein, "and he drank beer all night. And not just French beer but German beer.

"When that story came out my response was that, as someone who likes to drink beer all through a banquet, I wonder if he's the right person to comment."

Thats disgusting and revolting. =(

give me an example a typical French dish?...

I've been in England, and yes their kitchen is nothing worth mentioning, didn't see anything english other than "Fry Up" or more as we foreigners say, English Breakfast, the idea was revolting, the taste wasn't bad at all, but my stomach idd didn't like it to much. Other than breakfast I've eaten lotsa beans and toast, and every evening something foreign, The kitchen of england may be nothing to brag about but you'll eat well when over there. And they have a cooking channel on TV.

I once went to Canterbury for my honeymoon, and the hotel we stayed was really bad. Allthought we slept in the "honeymoon suite" there was nothing "suite" about it. The bed was in such a bad shape, there was a big hole in the wall, covered behind a tall mirror, the shower didn't gave enough water (just a tiny bit) and the labrador of the owners pooped right in front of our door. The breakfast was really bad too, the bacon was liked cooked, and the eggs were floating in the butter. If we are ever going back to England, I think I would choose a hotel that has a banquet, so you can choose what to eat! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> At least I get to see the Canterbury Tales and the Cathedral of Canterbury. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

Strangely enough some of the best Chef's (meaning qualified Cooks, not managers as in the euro term) are English <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> True they use the Classic French bases for their cooking ... but then again if you don't have a French Base for cooking what have you got ??? Italian cuisine that's what <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

I've never been to France, but there used to be, and perhaps still is, an excellent health food/vegetarian restaurant in London named Crank's. On the other hand, the word I hear from friends is that it is hard to find vegetarian food in France.

Cuisine hasn't so much to do with chefs, more what the crowd cook, Chefs use influences from over the world, but the true national cuisine is what you'll find in the kitchen of john doe.

I noticed in england that cooking isn't a big deal, just go out, heat pre prepared dishes etc. While in other countries cooking is a major part of their life. In England, what I heard there, not sure if it's really so... to the point is that someone who can cook is awed, for example over here ppl look down on you if you can't cook. If you can cook really well then ppl will know u for it. My English cousins who have a Belgian dad can cook, unlike any of there friends... Explaining my conclusions.

If you go to a restaurant you don't go to eat the same things you eat at home, you'll try other things, mostly foreign or inspired by foreign dishes. Out eating seemed to me more popular in England than here, maybe because no-one can cook over there? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/silly.gif" alt="" /> I rarely go to restaurants, special occasions I do, In england we went to restaurants, (indian, thai, french...) without any other reason than, not cooking yourself.

If my conclusions from what I've been told by my cousins and other english, and my trip, it's not a bad cuisine in England, but lack of. (except for baked beans and bangers)

If you don't like France, don't come for visiting it.

France love it or leave it.

There are several vegetarian restaurants in Paris.
I guess there are also vegetarian restaurants in the biggest french towns.
But it's impossible to find this kind of restaurant in the small villages, not enough customers.

People who travel and who want to do the same things and to eat the same things like in their home are not openminded people.
Travelling is discovering a lot of new things, the cooking for exemple.

BTW i agree with Jacques Chirac, the traditionnal english cooking is awful.


Sorry the italian cuisine is pretty good.
Most of the people think that one can eat only pasta and pizza in Italy, but it's completely untrue.
Italian cooking is good and tasty.

Barta

Gee . All I do is say I have never been to France and have heard from friends (French friends, by the way, who are also vegetarians) about vegetarian food in France, and you jump on me.

No i am not jumping on you.
You don't have to go in a vegetarian restaurant for eating vegetarian food.
In any french restaurant you can ask for dishes without meat or without the things you do not usually eat.
About tacos in my own opinion, they are more tasty in Mexico than in California.

Barta

Oi!!! Barta's Back <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/XmasJump.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/XmasJump.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/XmasJump.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/XmasJump.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/XmasJump.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/XmasJump.gif" alt="" /> (still no plain jumpies <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/disagree.gif" alt="" /> )

aside from that I totally agree with you in regards to Italian cuisine, after all it is the Italian De Medici's who introduced things like Dessert in its present form <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Oh and BTW we at " The Fishy Affair " have a French Chef, oh OK I'll admit he's from Alsace but Oh my gods he's French.... he even weares a "white" beret in the Kitchen, 1 day when I get the change I shall but a photo of him on the website <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

@ mea -> having the chef's pix is nice. but having your pix is WAY WAY WAY BETTER!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" /> the beard would like to see the moustache. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

@ cleg & barta -> maybe the words seem aggresive hence the tense feelings. but overall what u both said are true; u can't get good Tex-Mex (i have no idea what it is) food unless u're in texas. & u can't really have great authentic food unless u go to the country where it's native. just like what my friends told me; malaysian food in england sucks because it has to cater to english taste buds so it's just very weird for malaysians to eat modified version of the local malaysian food. but i heard at least indian food there is authentic enough. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/think.gif" alt="" />

Many Asian immigrants in England, explaining the vast amount of Asian (chinese, thai...) restaurants there, but I liked those, not sure how authentic they were.

@ Mea
You know what ? I love you.

@ Janggut
I would like to try the malaysian cooking but i did not find malaysian restaurants in Paris.
Could you give me adresses of this kind of restaurant in London ?
BTW i know indonesian restaurants. Is the malaysian cooking a lot different from indonesian cooking ?

Barta

@ mea -> i'm so jealous of u. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/suspicion.gif" alt="" />

@ barta -> malaysian restaurant in london? i have to ask my friends there for address. hope u don't mind waiting. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

anyway, indonesian food is quite different from malaysian one as indonesian is a big country & different places have different specialty; for example the island of sumatera, particularly a place called padang (which in malay means field) is famous for Nasi Padang (Padang rice), which is actually rice with many combination ala buffet style. u get to choose the combination u want (fish, meat, vege etc) then enjoy. there are lots more but i can't recall. the island of jawa is also famous for its own cuisine.

come to think of it, malaysian food has a lot of external influences due to history. we have combo of indian, thai, indonesian, chinese etc. but that does not mean we don't have our originals. take my state (Sarawak) for example, we have something similar to japanese sushi which is called umai (u sounds like oo in moo, ai sound like ai in thai), fresh raw fish together with its sauce (grounded chili with lime juice or something as sour such as tamarind, & garlic with some sugar to taste). the fish has to be really fresh (as in freshly caught) & deboned & cut into strips. don;t really know more on the preparation but that's as far as i can remember. this fishy delicacy is a specialty of a tribe that lives by the sea called Melanau. another delicacy is called Pansoh Manok (never mind the pronounciation), which is chicken cooked in bamboo. yep, that means the bamboo has to be big enough to stuff chicken in & then cook. i cannot remember the ingredients but will tell u once i know.

sounds good jangg! Ummmmmai

Heh said the man who put his picture up, and had all the girls on the forum drooling with wanton feelings <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

well they haven't seen my morning fresh from bed look. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin1.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" /> terrifyingly handsome. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devil.gif" alt="" />

come on, mea. it's about time u show us yours ....... your pix i mean. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

erff a thread about french cooking...

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" />

<span class='standouttext'>Spoiler : </span><span class='spoiler'> come on, mea. it's about time u show us yours ....... your pix i mean. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> </span>

I did several times ... although it is a cartoon of me, rather than a true photograph, reason
A) I dont have a digi Camera hell I dont have any camera
B) I dont like have a real picture of me on the net anyway <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />