Which country actually makes the best food?

[Barbas]

It's nearly dinner time and I'm pretty hungry. Let's talk about food.

For most of my life, I heard that British food is terrible. I wouldn't necessarily say that, though too much of it is drenched in oil and fat, which kills the flavour. Black pudding and haggis are fantastic, particularly with eggs. I think most of the complaints about British food are as a result of the places in the UK that poorly imitate the cuisine of other countries.

The best food in Britain undoubtedly comes from overseas. I'm not really sure what sort of state I'd be in if there weren't options like Thai, Chinese or Indian ingredients available here. A relative of mine came back from the US a few months ago and told us a lot of stories about the fast food joints. Supposedly, McDonalds, KFC and the like are not really a big deal due to the incredible variety of fast food joints and greasy spoons that do absolutely mouth-watering food. They also reportedly had some pretty amazing curries in Afghanistan, which was a shocker.

What's the best food you've ever eaten, and where did you eat it? It's time to decide which country produces the most delicious food, or, failing that, argue until our faces turn purple.

 

[FalloutJack]

Haggis

Haggis is Scottish, actually.

OT: I would say that if ever there was a country that has taken wining and dining and made it an artform, it's Italy, the other half of my roots. You see, while a stereotype is a stereotype, they usually come from something real that perpetuates the idea. And so, enter the old Italian mother cooking for a large family, the restaurant with the large courses of meals, the many many wines, and so forth. It's true that anything we get in America is hit with varied parts of Americanization, but even still, enough of what makes their food great has survived. The food is generally heavy and certainly filling. You know you've had a meal when you can feel its presence later. There are many great tastes out in the world, but for truly dedicated cooking, go to Italy.

 

[Barbas]

Haggis is Scottish, actually.

Yes, I know that.

The sheer amount of ingredients that goes into a lot of servings in the States must be something to behold, if any of the stuff I see on programs like Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives has any basis in reality. Delectable, but at some cost. I can't believe I forgot about Italian food; almost unforgivable after being lucky enough to have dined at a restaurant called Amaroni's on a couple of occasions when I was in Asia. Even the bread was unbelievable, though I sadly can't remember the proper name for it.

 

[JoJo]

Haggis

Haggis is Scottish, actually.

The Scots are a British people, as are the English and Welsh.

OT: Yeah, unfortunately while I quite like our national dishes here in the UK, they aren't exactly the best in the world to say the least. British food tends to be too mass-produced and prioritising appearance and shelf-life over taste. Myself, I'm quite impartial to Mediterranean food, for example French, Spanish or Greek, you can't beat nice fresh slices of meat, cheeses and warm oven-heated bread, along with fresh salad and Greek yogurt with honey *drools*

 

[FalloutJack]

Haggis

Haggis is Scottish, actually.

The Scots are a British people, as are the English and Welsh.

OT: Yeah, unfortunately while I quite like our national dishes here in the UK, they aren't exactly the best in the world to say the least. British food tends to be too mass-produced and prioritising appearance and shelf-life over taste. Myself, I'm quite impartial to Mediterranean food, for example French, Spanish or Greek, you can't beat nice fresh slices of meat, cheeses and warm oven-heated bread, along with fresh salad and Greek yogurt with honey *drools*

They are a part of the British Empire, they are not British people. Culturally and historically different.

 

[Neonit]

Both pizza and lasagna comes from Italy, so....

it's Italy

im gonna have to agree with this fellow.

And i do enjoy the kitchen from Poland, but a lot of people like food from their own country. It takes something special to be liked by pretty much entire world.

Anyways, if you want countries with good kitchen, id recommend looking for countries which historically had a lot of spices. So either india regions or trading/colonizing countries. England is apparently exception to this rule.

 

[JoJo]

Haggis

Haggis is Scottish, actually.

The Scots are a British people, as are the English and Welsh.

OT: Yeah, unfortunately while I quite like our national dishes here in the UK, they aren't exactly the best in the world to say the least. British food tends to be too mass-produced and prioritising appearance and shelf-life over taste. Myself, I'm quite impartial to Mediterranean food, for example French, Spanish or Greek, you can't beat nice fresh slices of meat, cheeses and warm oven-heated bread, along with fresh salad and Greek yogurt with honey *drools*

They are a part of the British Empire, they are not British people. Culturally and historically different.

Scots live on the island of Great Britain, they're British citizens and they're as descended from the original ancient Britons as the English and Welsh are, if not more than the English. The British Empire doesn't exist any-more, you're thinking of the United Kingdom. The modern British identity developed out of the Union between the Kingdoms of England and Scotland, it makes no sense to exclude them.

 

[FalloutJack]

Haggis

Haggis is Scottish, actually.

The Scots are a British people, as are the English and Welsh.

OT: Yeah, unfortunately while I quite like our national dishes here in the UK, they aren't exactly the best in the world to say the least. British food tends to be too mass-produced and prioritising appearance and shelf-life over taste. Myself, I'm quite impartial to Mediterranean food, for example French, Spanish or Greek, you can't beat nice fresh slices of meat, cheeses and warm oven-heated bread, along with fresh salad and Greek yogurt with honey *drools*

They are a part of the British Empire, they are not British people. Culturally and historically different.

Scots live on the island of Great Britain, they're British citizens and they're as descended from the original ancient Britons as the English and Welsh are, if not more than the English. The British Empire doesn't exist any-more, you're thinking of the United Kingdom. The modern British identity developed out of the Union between the Kingdoms of England and Scotland, it makes no sense to exclude them.

I was kinda' making a dig at Britain's expansion and such which led to the current state of things. Anyway, my point is that they're two different people. It's not where you live, but what you came from. And the food is definitely different.

 

[Queen Michael]

Mexico. Tex-mex rules. Not debatable.

 

[FalloutJack]

They are a part of the British Empire, they are not British people. Culturally and historically different.

That makes zero sense. Despite what you may have heard Scotland has and always will be part of Britain. Britain is the name of the island. If you wished to say not all people in Scotland (& England, Wales) are British then you could be technically correct. Shetlanders are Scottish and could technically be classed as non British (although most Shetlanders I know would say there are British.)

On Topic. I don't know that I could say any one country makes the best food. I've travelled a lot and generally always go for traditional food from local sources.

That IS what I said. They live there, but they're not the same people. Same with Wales. The Welsh are not culturally and historically the same as british people. It's more significant than the difference between London and Hull. They are another people. If I go up north and talk to an Inuit (and possibly chew the fat, as well), does he consider himself Canadian or (if in Alaska) American?

Now, let's calm ourselves here. This is just about food. And if I had to answer your conundrum about one being better than the other, let me remind you that I am also Irish. One side of my heritage is superior to the other in the cooking department.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

It's probably France. And I was only there for like 5 days.

 

[DefunctTheory]

Mexico. Tex-mex rules. Not debatable.

Tex-Mex is American, I'm afraid. Texans (The Tex) took Mexican food (The Mex) and applied American flavors and cooking methods. Inspired by Mexican food, but American made.

To answer the question... the United States. Part of our whole 'melting pot' thing is our propensity for taking the best of every culture we assimilate (Including their food) and meshing it with what we already have. Pizza, spaghetti, sandwiches, rice, sauces, breads... America has altered all of these to our own purposes, and most of those foods are completely unrecognizable from the original - American pizza, no matter what style you pick, is vastly different from Italian pizza, while spaghetti with meat sauce is an entirely American idea. We've made hundreds of our own sandwiches, bred our own versions of rice, modified and created new sauces... American Asians have even created an entire new class of food, commonly called in the US 'Chinese Food' (Its barely recognizable to the Chinese for the most part).

And of course, American food has the most financial penetration worldwide. But that's fast food, and I doubt anyone thinks that counts for anything.

 

[FalloutJack]

Snip

I don't think my father would agree, in regards to the food. I'll ask him some time. As for Haggis, this would be the appropriate time and place for such an explanation. So, if you can clear that one up, that would be fine.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

... America has altered all of these to our own purposes, and most of those foods are completely unrecognizable from the original.

Therein líes its problem, I think. Unless you're sampling NYC, I'd say American food isn't very good. Or healthy. It looks the part but it never tastes like it.

 

[DefunctTheory]

... America has altered all of these to our own purposes, and most of those foods are completely unrecognizable from the original.

Therein líes its problem, I think. Unless you're sampling NYC, I'd say American food isn't very good. Or healthy. It looks the part but it never tastes like it.

My point, of course, is that it doesn't taste like 'the part.' Otherwise it would just be ethnic food.

If you think one city has a complete monopoly on good food in a country of over 250 million, well... I actually have no idea how to respond to something so preposterous.

 

[FalloutJack]

I don't think my father would agree, in regards to the food. I'll ask him some time. As for Haggis, this would be the appropriate time and place for such an explanation. So, if you can clear that one up, that would be fine.

Haggis and other tripe based foods have existed since early humanity. The old tribes of pre-Roman Britain were known as Britons (basically were the word Celt would be used). After the migration of the Angles and the Saxons (and then expulsion by the Normans) the majority of the Britons remained in the west and north of Britain. The only known evidence of haggis before Burns wrote a poem in 1787 has always been found in northern English cookbooks [http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/lcc/parallel.html#q120].

The books were written around 1430s in Northumbria, one of the ancestral languages of Scots (not Gaelic).

Actually quite interesting stuff. A further examination (googling for haggis history) uncovers that there is some contesting as to who really originated haggis, and one page in particular claims that haggis originates from Rome itself to feed the soldiers, and that it simply caught on after they were gone.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

... America has altered all of these to our own purposes, and most of those foods are completely unrecognizable from the original.

Therein líes its problem, I think. Unless you're sampling NYC, I'd say American food isn't very good. Or healthy. It looks the part but it never tastes like it.

My point, of course, is that it doesn't taste like 'the part.' Otherwise it would just be ethnic food.

If you think one city has a complete monopoly on good food in a country of over 250 million, well... I actually have no idea how to respond to something so preposterous.

(You don't have to)
NYC has that melting pot appeal where you can eat "ethnic" (not American) food for weeks and not repeat. And that's awesome.
The problem with American food, for me, is the taste. You don't have good produce, or at least not the kind I'm used to. The beef is no good, dairy is usually chock full of chems and fruits/veggies taste... Unnatural, what can I tell you. Plus all things fast & diet are somewhere between disgusting and unhealthy. Hence the skyrocketing obesity, on a personal aside.
The thread is about tastes, so no point in lamenting their multiplicity.