31 Days in Europe: Food!

Image credit: Got My Reservations

One of the many things I have learned over the past three years of visits to England is that the day of bad food is over (if that was actually ever true or just a tourist stereotype). Travelers can find healthy, fabulous cuisine in every largish town and city, and within close driving distance of every small town. While there’s nothing bad about the occasional pub visit, don’t give in to the stereotype. Search out the great restaurants using tour guide books. Even better, ask the locals.

The famous fish and chips meal can be a gastronomic treat if you know where to find it. Although I ate this beautifully prepared piece of fish at the Tate Modern art museum, local fish and chip take-away places can offer sublime versions of a British favorite. Once again, don’t be afraid to ask the locals.

Image credit: Got My Reservations

Say you can’t find a gastro-pub or are not in a position to ask someone who lives there. If you don’t want to blow your whole travel budget on a fancy restaurant, you generally can’t go wrong with Indian food in England. After all, one and half million Indian Britons have to find somewhere to eat their native cuisine.

Image credit: Got My Reservations

And then there’s always the breakfast of champions. British ale makes Miller Light pale in comparison, both figuratively and literally.

Image credit: Got My Reservations

7 thoughts on “31 Days in Europe: Food!”

I would be all set…I’m fond of trying the fish and chips every new place go…

I want to eat this post. One day you and I will travel somewhere together and eat lots of yummy things.

I want all my friends and family to travel with me. Please — it’s always fun to have friends to meet up with at the end of the day.

I can assure you that when I was a child, food in England was a horrific experience. Well except that we didn’t know any different.

Plus of course my parents were born in the ’20s, and my learned to cook during the wear when whale meat was a treat.

I first encountered:
between 17 and 19
Yoghurt that wasn’t strawberry flavoured.
chinese food
coffee that wasn’t instant made with all-milk
in my 20s
Olive oil for anything except ear-ache.
Fish that wasn’t cod or tinned.
Vegetables beyond peas, cauli, carrots and potatoes.
bread that wasn’t factory white or brown.
duck
Indian food
later
Tuna not in a tin.
Goat’s cheese

I encountered less variety of food and flavours before I was 22 that you can find on any pub lunch menu today.

Funnily enough, although Chinese people eat in UK Chinese restaurants, British Asians are often very disparaging about UK Indian restaurants.
I think that’s because the proprietors are largely from one small area of the subcontinent, which isn’t even in modern-day India, but Bangladesh, and what they give us is an anglicised version of their local cuisine. It’s a bit like going to India, and finding it full of European restaurants, then finding that they serve a bent version of the local food from one small area of Turkey.
On top of that, it’s meat-oriented, when most local food in India is 90% or 100% vegetables.

Sometimes you can find one which is a mom-and-pop place, serving the local food from where they actually come from.

Having said all that I like what is on offer, but I prefer what my vegetarian business partner from Delhi makes at home!

Jennie – can you bring the British Ale home – I’m thirsty just looking at it! Anything over here in the states that compares? Is it stout like a Guinness?

Thank you for such encouragement and for your regular visits – love chatting with you! I added you to my book list, forgive my oversight – I have swooned over your Kipling post many times. Yes, it is that dreamy! 🙂

I use photo scape for my pictures – if you google “photoscape” the free download page should pop up. I use it for all of my photo and quote layouts, and it is super easy to use. If you have any issues, just email me – I’m just learning and would love to have a library loving friend that is using it as well.

So shocked to hear about the lack of a library in what should be an educated town. I heart towns that still put their library in the middle of the town – ours is right in the center – and it truly is the focal point of the downtown area. The big lawn in front of it hosts weekly music nights and occasional festivals – such a treat to hear all the lively activity going on outside while enjoying the peacefulness of the library.

xoxo michele