PigLick on 1/6/2020 at 00:56
the bit about the lettuce is that you actually mix it into the sauce
and yeh korean food is amazing, in fact I am making korean pancakes for dinner tonight!
Korean food is actually quite popular here in Australia, easy to find a fairly local restaurant, and there are plenty of korean grocers. Korean bbq restaurants are great, kind of like a sukiyaki or steamboat affair, you have a little grill to sear the thinly sliced meats on, and pot of hot broth to dip it into, along with veges and condiments. Not very covid friendly though.
catbarf on 1/6/2020 at 01:59
Quote Posted by SubJeff
I get the impression that a lot of stuff in America that has the same name as stuff in Europe, isn't the same at all. I hear your chocolate is even worse than British chocolate.
Quote Posted by Harvester
As far as American food is concerned, I'm sure they make good cheese there (maybe in Wisconsin) but photos of those huge rectangular blocks with a shade of yellow that's way too bright don't look appealing to me.
What you see labeled as 'American food' is really just the big-corporation, mass-market sort of stuff. We have a lot of alternatives, just generally made on a smaller scale and not as ubiquitous (or cheap) as the big brands. Like, I never buy (
https://c8.alamy.com/comp/CE7EFG/hostess-wonder-bread-CE7EFG.jpg) pre-sliced white bread; I get French-style loaves made on-site at our local supermarket. Hershey's chocolate is garbage, but there's plenty of good quality real chocolate available too from smaller companies. And for cheese, most of what my wife and I consume is in Italian styles (particularly sheep's milk), but I will contend that the bright artificially colored stuff is useful in the very specific context of melting on things like burgers or nachos. I guess you could say that most of our indigenous cuisine is fairly low-brow, but we're good at aping and iterating on Old World styles (eg New American cuisine, which is basically American chefs adapting French with a bit of Italian thrown in).
Globalization has helped a lot as far as availability of imports. I happen to actually like salt licorice, and it's only in the last five or so years that I've been able to easily order it. I mail-ordered surstromming once and thought it wasn't terrible and might actually be palatable in the right context, but as I had opened it outside (at the wife's insistence) I was immediately swarmed by flies like something out of Prince of Darkness and ended up tossing most of it. Pickled herring is great and marginally more socially acceptable, which is to say that my wife tolerates it but I once had a roommate spray me with Febreze as I opened the jar. On the subject of Dutch cuisine, we can also get jenever now, so that's cool.
Re: Kale, kale's an interesting thing because it's a cultivation of the same root plant as broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, and kohlrabi. It just needs to be cooked the right way; bitter salads and flavorless kale chips like the health gurus promote don't do it any favors. On the flipside, collard greens are a Southern staple and those are fairly similar, partly under the principle that everything tastes good with enough lard.
howeird on 1/6/2020 at 03:11
- half of 1 bell pepper
- 1 16 ounce can of chopped tomato
- 1 fresh Roma tomato
- 1/2 onion
- 2 tbsp garlic
- 2 tbsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp parsley
- jalapeno (whatever you can handle)
- 2 tbsp of olive oil (so your guts will say i love you)
Makes about 1 quart - usually disappears if more than 2 people present. can refrigerate for a few days if there is any left. This is good for chips or to place on any Mexican food or any where else you want some heat. Sinful on pizza.
SubJeff on 1/6/2020 at 09:14
I don't see the role of the canned tomato in that. Why not just all fresh chopped tomato? Otherwise, looks good!
Quote Posted by Harvester
I used to get a kick out of reading listicles about countries' weirdest foods, like lutefisk, surstromming (spelling?), stinky Tofu and that illegal Italian cheese with live maggots in it.
Smelly tofu is actually really disgusting smelling, but doesn't taste anywhere near as bad. The Japanese raw fermented squid and French tripe sausage (andoulette) are far more difficult to eat. Never again, either of them!
Quote:
in America, kale is considered a super disgusting food that only hipster health nuts like. In the Netherlands, it's boiled and mashed
with potatoes
Yep, kale is fine if cooked right.
Quote:
And we like to eat raw herring with raw onion bits.
Is this pickled? There are Lithuanian dishes like this. If properly pickled it's nice with dark bread and butter.
Quote Posted by PigLick
Korean food is actually quite popular here in Australia
I expect there is far more immigration due to the proximity. I've met maybe two Koreans (outside of restaurant staff) here in the UK.
Quote Posted by catbarf
And for cheese, most of what my wife and I consume is in Italian styles (particularly sheep's milk), but I will contend that the bright artificially colored stuff is useful in the very specific context of melting on things like burgers or nachos. I guess you could say that most of our indigenous cuisine is fairly low-brow, but we're good at aping and iterating on Old World styles (eg New American cuisine, which is basically American chefs adapting French with a bit of Italian thrown in).
I was amazed that an American friend of mine, 20 years ago now, was so amazed at the cheese counters in our supermarkets. Perhaps it's all changed now though. I think we do an okay job with cheese, having a lot of foreign imports. I'm a massive stilton fan though. It's the best cheese. Change my mind.
I've a can of black beans I don't know what to do with :( Help?
Harvester on 1/6/2020 at 10:15
Catbarf, I get what you're saying about American food. I believe it's the same with American beers. Brands like Coors, Miller and Budweiser have a bad reputation - I've had Budweiser and it doesn't taste bad as much as it doesn't seem to have much of a taste at all, it tastes watery and diluted - but I know there are all kinds of excellent American craft beers available from smaller companies that I'd sure like to try. Even with American fast food, everyone knows McDonald's and its meat that underwent chemical processes to make it last forever. But a friend of mine went to New York and had a burger at an independent joint that's not part of any chain, and he said it was one of the best burgers he's ever had. I'm not one to jump on the 'lol American food is disgusting' bandwagon. That would be weird anyway coming from a Dutch guy. I mean our cheese is famous, but we're not otherwise known for our fine cuisine.
America does have the reputation of adding sugar (or high fructose corn syrup) to everything, but maybe that's also mainly the big brands. I've had Hellmann's mayonnaise and I don't see why mayo needs to taste so sweet.
Quote Posted by SubJeff
Is this pickled? There are Lithuanian dishes like this. If properly pickled it's nice with dark bread and butter.
There's pickled herring in jars available at any supermarket of a decent size and at fish stores. But the most popular herring is prepared like the herring you see on (
https://www.vanoostenvoorvis.nl/haring/) this page. It's prepared for you like this when you order it at a fish store or market booth. I imagine when you start working at a fish store it takes a bit of training to prepare it the right way and do it fast. At birthday parties it's often cut up in pieces and served on rye bread.
howeird on 1/6/2020 at 14:35
Quote Posted by SubJeff
I don't see the role of the canned tomato in that. Why not just all fresh chopped tomato? Otherwise, looks good!
You need a basis juice for the salsa to be salsa. Perhaps salsa in 5 mins is a better way to say it. You could use fresh ground tomato its just easier (and cheaper) from a jar or can. I do know if you substitute any ingredients it won't taste the same. I perfected this recipe over several years. Make sure you use extra virgin olive oil. Should have said makes 4 to 5 cups or 2 1/2 pints
catbarf on 1/6/2020 at 15:08
Quote Posted by SubJeff
I was amazed that an American friend of mine, 20 years ago now, was so amazed at the cheese counters in our supermarkets. Perhaps it's all changed now though. I think we do an okay job with cheese, having a lot of foreign imports. I'm a massive stilton fan though. It's the best cheese. Change my mind.
I've a can of black beans I don't know what to do with :( Help?
Stilton is excellent, no argument there. Proper English cheddar is pretty good too and beats the heck out of our orange blocks. As much as English cuisine gets mocked, I think you guys get the simple things- bread, cheese, beer, pickles- just right, and there's a lot to be said for that. Also, gin.
What blew
my mind when I last visited London was how good the curry was. Like, frozen pre-packaged meals at the grocery store rivaling what I get at restaurants back home. It was incredible.
Re: Black beans, I'm fond of black bean burgers- mash them with spices and a bit of finely chopped onion, form into patties, grill or pan-fry, serve on a bun with lettuce and tomato. Can also go the extra mile and make guacamole and/or pico de gallo.
Quote Posted by Harvester
Catbarf, I get what you're saying about American food. I believe it's the same with American beers. Brands like Coors, Miller and Budweiser have a bad reputation
Oh yep, great example, that didn't even occur to me. I don't drink any of the big brand lagers when there are five or six microbreweries within ten miles of my house, and their products (as well as those of other microbreweries all across the US) are readily available in supermarkets and on restaurant menus.
(
https://www.portcitybrewing.com/the-taplist/) Here's the taplist of one of the local ones, if you're curious.
Quote Posted by Harvester
I'm not one to jump on the 'lol American food is disgusting' bandwagon. That would be weird anyway coming from a Dutch guy. I mean our cheese is famous, but we're not otherwise known for our fine cuisine.
America does have the reputation of adding sugar (or high fructose corn syrup) to everything, but maybe that's also mainly the big brands. I've had Hellmann's mayonnaise and I don't see why mayo needs to taste so sweet.
You know, I hear a lot about Dutch cheese, but my most memorable food experiences in Amsterdam were variations on pickled herring and fried cod. Unfortunately globalization has yet to bring lekkerbekjes to the US.
The American reputation for putting sugar in everything is well-deserved, and it drives me nuts. Mayo has sugar, bread has sugar, and then the things that
should have sugar (eg soda) have HFCS instead. That said, you're right that it's mostly the big brands that do it, and no-sugar-added alternatives are usually readily available, especially with the growing health food market.
Also, beyond just what goes into the ingredients, Americans in general are accustomed to a sweet palate and recipes follow suit. So for things that are supposed to be sweet we go really overboard (most European chocolate is considered 'semi-sweet' here), we often have sweet variants of things that would otherwise be more savory (like making sugary pancakes, then drowning them in syrup and sweetened whipped cream), and even savory dishes often have a touch of sweetness (sugary barbecue sauce, sweet pickles on burgers). When I cook at home I often find myself omitting sugar from recipes that call for it because it's just too much.
Harvester on 1/6/2020 at 15:50
Lekkerbekjes, yeah, good one. Licorice and herring are not for everyone but I think most tourists who visit the Netherlands will like lekkerbekjes and kibbeling. I also know that many Americans who try stroopwafels (wafers with a grid pattern with syrup in between) are also quite fond of it, it’s perfect for a sweet palate like you guys have.
caffeinatedzombeh on 1/6/2020 at 19:31
Quote Posted by SubJeff
I'm a massive stilton fan though. It's the best cheese. Change my mind.
It does rather depend on what you're doing with it but for eating it as is there's not a lot that'll beat a decent blue Stilton (I am not a fan of the white stuff) though the (
https://www.isleofwightcheese.co.uk/isle-of-wight-blue-cheese) locally made blue cheese here is bloody awesome if you like something a little softer.
Other cheeses have their place particularly for being melted onto stuff though and I'm not sure you'd really get away with Stilton on toast :)
Gryzemuis on 1/6/2020 at 20:33
lol American food is disgusting