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British food vs Italian food |
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#1 |
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Reading
Posts: 3,604
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British food vs Italian food
I often here people raving on about Italian cuisine (usually Italians). Personally, I think British food is underrated and Italian food overrated.
I know they make such a big deal about Italian food being simple but using the best ingredients, in order to bring out the quality of the food. But doesn't the same apply to any national cuisine, I mean using the best ingredients to get the best results. That's not some sort of secret they are privy to, that's just common sense. Whenever I go to an Italian restaurant, I often leave thinking why did I spend all that money on something I could have cooked myself? What British dishes would you consider just as good, if not better? |
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#2 |
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Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 6,463
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The one thing Britain does do exceptionally well is puddings.
No other country can even compete |
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#3 |
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Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Kent, UK
Posts: 4,252
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Quote:
Whenever I go to an Italian restaurant, I often leave thinking why did I spend all that money on something I could have cooked myself?
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#4 |
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Fort William
Posts: 22,294
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Quote:
You're going to the wrong italian restuarants. Italian food cooked well beats British stodge everytime.
In fact, any food cooked well beats any stodge everytime |
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#5 |
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: The Sunny Side Of The Street
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Quote:
You're going to the wrong italian restuarants. Italian food cooked well beats British stodge everytime.
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#6 |
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Join Date: Jun 2011
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Quote:
Whenever I go to an Italian restaurant, I often leave thinking why did I spend all that money on something I could have cooked myself? Both cuisines have good and bad, a good restaurant is a good restaurant though, you shouldn't leave any decent restaurant thinking you could make better at home. |
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#7 |
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: woking
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I think you can probably make stodge out of any cuisine cooked badly, good italian and good British foods are not stodgy.
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#8 |
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Join Date: May 2012
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Quote:
You're going to the wrong italian restuarants. Italian food cooked well beats British stodge everytime.
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#9 |
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Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Kent, UK
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Quote:
Sounds like you're going to the wrong British restaurants.
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#10 |
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Join Date: May 2012
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Quote:
I don't go to British restaurants anymore (except seafood ones). The food bores me.
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#11 |
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Join Date: Aug 2005
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Why not enjoy what both have to offer? Whether it be the likes of bangers & mash with onion gravy or a plate of pasta - who cares as long you enjoy it!
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#12 |
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 6,118
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I'd say that good British is as good as good Italian but average British is worse than average Italian.
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#13 |
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 3,646
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I was not too impressed with Italian food.
The best Italian food I've had is the Vesta beef risotto. ![]() Give me a good old British chicken tikka maasala any day. |
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#14 |
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Join Date: Apr 2009
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[I]"Whenever I go to an Italian restaurant, I often leave thinking why did I spend all that money on something I could have cooked myself?"[/i]
I think that's the mistake OP. What British food could you not cook at home, anyway? Food in Italian restaurants here doesn't seem to represent the cuisine well anyway. I ate much more variety of foods in Rome, which i have never seen in the UK. |
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#15 |
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Join Date: Jun 2010
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To compare British to Italian is not comparing like with like. They are different styles.
On the one hand there's good British fayre like a good steak pie and on the other there's delectable Italian cuisine like lasagna al forno....but which is best? There's only one way to find out.....FIGHT!!!! |
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#16 |
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Reading
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Quote:
To compare British to Italian is not comparing like with like. They are different styles.
On the one hand there's good British fayre like a good steak pie and on the other there's delectable Italian cuisine like lasagna al forno....but which is best? There's only one way to find out.....FIGHT!!!! ![]() Ok,If I was challenged, I think I would find most Italian pasta recipes fairly simple, just get get fresh ingredients follow a recipe. But to make a great pie, or even a Cornish pasty. A really good one, that takes practise, I would find it much more challenging. I've had some good Italian dishes. But I haven't any to make me think they are so much better than us. I mean constant reliance on pasta, almost like a glorified Pot Noodle. Now French Cuisine, that's a different matter.. |
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#17 |
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Join Date: May 2012
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Quote:
[I]"Whenever I go to an Italian restaurant, I often leave thinking why did I spend all that money on something I could have cooked myself?"[/i]
I think that's the mistake OP. What British food could you not cook at home, anyway? Food in Italian restaurants here doesn't seem to represent the cuisine well anyway. I ate much more variety of foods in Rome, which i have never seen in the UK. |
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#18 |
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Join Date: Feb 2012
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Proper Itialian food is delicious. But a lot of cheap and cheerful type Italian restaurants just serve up gloopy bolognaise, milky carbonara, lasagne flavoured with peppers and other travesties that a real Italian probably wouldn't even recognise.
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#19 |
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Join Date: Aug 2006
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Quote:
![]() Ok,If I was challenged, I think I would find most Italian pasta recipes fairly simple, just get get fresh ingredients follow a recipe. But to make a great pie, or even a Cornish pasty. A really good one, that takes practise, I would find it much more challenging. I've had some good Italian dishes. But I haven't any to make me think they are so much better than us. I mean constant reliance on pasta, almost like a glorified Pot Noodle. Now French Cuisine, that's a different matter.. I love great British food too! |
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#20 |
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Join Date: Sep 2010
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British, because I'm not that keen on pasta itself.
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#21 |
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Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 684
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Italian cuisine is not just pasta dishes or pizza, tired of hearing that we just eat pasta and pizza, tomato and basil as my british boyfriend says.
There must be a reason why british cuisine is not as famous worldwide :P, no offence, you don't find british restaurants in other countries serving typical british food, isn't that right? You find thai, indian, chinese, italian, and so on. I can't comment on french cuisine as I haven't tried it. That said, I don't mind your cuisine at all even if I don't understand this habit of sticking butter everywhere and don't like your bread that much; in Italy we have lots of different types of bread and I miss that. Please don't think I am being snobbish . When I try to replicate some british dishes at home in Italy they don't come out the same as when I make them here, so if you eat Italian food prepared here by non Italians, it's never gonna be like the real thing, that's my opinion anyway.
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#22 |
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,287
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Quote:
Italian cuisine is not just pasta dishes or pizza, tired of hearing that we just eat pasta and pizza, tomato and basil as my british boyfriend says.
There must be a reason why british cuisine is not as famous worldwide :P, no offence, you don't find british restaurants in other countries serving typical british food, isn't that right? You find thai, indian, chinese, italian, and so on. I can't comment on french cuisine as I haven't tried it. That said, I don't mind your cuisine at all even if I don't understand this habit of sticking butter everywhere and don't like your bread that much; in Italy we have lots of different types of bread and I miss that. Please don't think I am being snobbish . When I try to replicate some british dishes at home in Italy they don't come out the same as when I make them here, so if you eat Italian food prepared here by non Italians, it's never gonna be like the real thing, that's my opinion anyway.
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#23 |
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,031
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It's very rare I have pasta in my house as I find it too stodgy, but I love having it in an Italian restaurant, it's always better. I like British food too, a roast pork dinner is the best meal ever. Food cooked well is food cooked well, doesn't matter what sort of cuisine it is
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#24 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 684
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Quote:
Loved real Italian bread when I lived over there. A nice loaf of Pane Salato with some provolone piccante. Lovely stuff. The burger buns and hotdog rolls the supermarkets sell were rubbish though!
![]() , I am not being sarcastic btw.
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#25 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Body in Cardiff, Mind not sure
Posts: 666
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Quote:
Italian cuisine is not just pasta dishes or pizza, tired of hearing that we just eat pasta and pizza, tomato and basil as my british boyfriend says.
There must be a reason why british cuisine is not as famous worldwide :P, no offence, you don't find british restaurants in other countries serving typical british food, isn't that right? You find thai, indian, chinese, italian, and so on. I can't comment on french cuisine as I haven't tried it. That said, I don't mind your cuisine at all even if I don't understand this habit of sticking butter everywhere and don't like your bread that much; in Italy we have lots of different types of bread and I miss that. Please don't think I am being snobbish . When I try to replicate some british dishes at home in Italy they don't come out the same as when I make them here, so if you eat Italian food prepared here by non Italians, it's never gonna be like the real thing, that's my opinion anyway.As for the pasta thing, an excellent lasagne or arrabbiata dish is the highest realm of heaven for me. |
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