Differences in eating habits and eating out between US & UK!

[tiggersmom2]

Well,
After I explain to you what souse is, and you know I eat it, everyone is going to think I am too strange to talk to!

This is how my grandma used to make souse:

Boil a hog's head (After getting the eyes and brains out)
Throw away all the bones
Take all the left over meat and cartilage and put in containers.
Put the container in the refridgerator - it will congeal
Now you can slice the souse because it is congealed
Serve with hot sauce and saltine crackers

See I told ya'll you would think I was weird


P.S. - They do sell this in the local grocery store here!

 

[sha_lyn]

tiggersmom2
thanks for answering that.


The only difference I can think of between the 2 is that traditionally (at least around here) grist were made from hominy, although now I've noticed that packaged grits came be either straight form dried corn, or from hominy corn.
Hominy is corn that has been "pickled" with lye. My grandmother always boiled her own lye from oak ashes.


Another name for souse loaf is head cheese.

 

[betterlatethannever]

Originally posted by tiggersmom2
Well,
After I explain to you what souse is, and you know I eat it, everyone is going to think I am too strange to talk to!

This is how my grandma used to make souse:

Boil a hog's head (After getting the eyes and brains out)
Throw away all the bones
Take all the left over meat and cartilage and put in containers.
Put the container in the refridgerator - it will congeal
Now you can slice the souse because it is congealed
Serve with hot sauce and saltine crackers

See I told ya'll you would think I was weird


P.S. - They do sell this in the local grocery store here!

I watched my gradfather make it once 30 years ago. But in New Jersey, it is/was called head cheese. You put it in a container similar in size to a loaf of bread. You slice it just like any other deli meat and make a sandwich.

Ed

 

[BCV23]

Originally posted by tiggersmom2
Well,
After I explain to you what souse is, and you know I eat it, everyone is going to think I am too strange to talk to!

This is how my grandma used to make souse:

Boil a hog's head (After getting the eyes and brains out)
Throw away all the bones
Take all the left over meat and cartilage and put in containers.
Put the container in the refridgerator - it will congeal
Now you can slice the souse because it is congealed
Serve with hot sauce and saltine crackers

See I told ya'll you would think I was weird


P.S. - They do sell this in the local grocery store here!

Thanks for the explanation. My dad used to love pickled pigs feet for an occasional snack. I didn't even like looking at them!

This week there was a long article in the Chicago Tribune about a renaissancce in cooking with brains, kidneys, and other offal. Some Irish chef was praising the richness of flavors found in those. So you're cutting edge tiggersmon2.

 

[N.Bailey]

I am just loving this thread! Up till now though, I really didn't have a whole lot to contribute, but I have thoroughly enjoyed reading what everyone has to say.

Well I see, Bonzo had piped up with the what's scrapple all about question? I live in Pennsylvania and have (actually had) worked in the restaurant business for 13 years. People would come into our restaurant from all over the country at various times and I can't tell you how many times I've had to try and explain to them what scrapple is. To be truthful with you, I'm not sure where in the states you can get scrapple at, but you can get it here in Pennsylvania. What it is however is it's everything that is left after you butcher a pig I believe, (I don't remember the little farmer girls ever mentioning a cow, but I could be wrong) but it's everything that is left over grounded together. To hear the girls explain it, you'd have to wonder how ANYONE would ever be able to eat it, but....it's very popular in my neck of the woods. On a personal level, I have to be honest and tell you that I have never and would NEVER eat it myself, but my husband buys it all the time and my kids are just crazy about it.

Another thing I wanted to say was, in Germany (my mother in law was born in Germany) they make gummi bears, but when they are packaged for distribution in the states, they have to make them brighter for us to buy them. They say we Americans buy based more on eye appeal than Europeans do. I find that to be silly, but I believe it 100%.

I just love sitting around listening to my mother in law talk about the differences that the US and Germany have. I especially love her story about coming to the US and seeing a pizza for the 1st time in her life. She just thought it was soooooo disgusting. Of course once she tasted it, that disgusted feeling didn't last too long!!

I think it's quite odd too that my husband spreads nutella (readily available in the states now) on bread. My children think this is just wonderful too, but I just can't seem to get a taste for it.

Oh and I think they eat too many wursts in Germany!! LOL My husband just thinks I'm nuts!

Give me a good cup of hot tea any day though and I'm more than happy.

Oh yeah, you have great actors in Britain too. I just love Anthony Stewart Head! You could have him extradited back to the states any day!

 

[2BoysMum&Dad]

I have often heard about mass manufactured food/drink having a slight alteration for the US market. Even a famous 1960s British television series had to have another last episode made especially for the American market!

The drink I have recently discovered which is different here (and I was surprised to learn) is Coca Cola. Apparently in the US it is made with some sort of artifitial sweetener, where as we use normal sugar and often Americans visiting the UK will buy British Coca Cola to take home with them!

I have also heard of Americans adding strange things to their coke drinks to make it sweeter. Isn't it sweet enough?!! LOL

2BoysMum&Dad

 

[sha_lyn]

Apparently in the US it is made with some sort of artifitial sweetener

Only if it is diet does it contain artificial sweetener. They do however use corn syrup instead of cane sugar now, although I believe in Europe they might use beet sugar.

I know in some Asian countries artificial sweetener is banned so they use stevia.

I've never heard of anyone adding something to make it sweeter, but it is common to add additional flavorings like vanilla, lemon or cherry.

 

[2BoysMum&Dad]

There are standard variations which the soft drink companies produce here in the UK. I have seen "with lemon" and "with vanilla". Yes, now you that mention it, the artificial sweetener would be the diet variety. I knew there had to be some difference and if it were a different sort of sugar that would make sense.

2BoysMum&Dad

 

[mslangen]

Hi,

We in the Netherlands have Coca Cola, Coca Cola light, Cherry Coke and Vanillia Coke. (Diet Coke is simular to Coca Cola light)
We also have Pepsi, Pepsi Light, and Pepsi Max.
Don't know about the sugar.
Something I know is very different is the water. However I drink tap water in the US, it doesn't taste that good as our tap water home. I know, its because of the chlore in the water.
At home I can actually enjoy cold tap water.

Gr. Marcel.

Originally posted by 2BoysMum&Dad
There are standard variations which the soft drink companies produce here in the UK. I have seen "with lemon" and "with vanilla". Yes, now you that mention it, the artificial sweetener would be the diet variety. I knew there had to be some difference and if it were a different sort of sugar that would make sense.

 

[crisi]

Oh, you can't drink tap water from two ends of the same city in the US and have it taste the same.

I'm in Minneapolis/St. Paul. The water for the two cities is sourced completely differently. St Paul water ususally tasted fishy in the Spring. Suburban water is sourced from someplace else. It all has different chemical/mineral content in it. A lot of people from the US don't like the water at WDW, because they believe it has a strong sulfur taste. My parents - only 20 minutes outside the city limits - had to dig their own well - so no added chemicals (floride, etc) in their water - tastes different. But the neighbors who had a different well half a mile away - that tasted different, too - different aquafur.

 

[sha_lyn]

what timing. Here's a recipe my 2nd cousin sent me

Baked Grits
Easy – great with birds or fish

1 ½ cups grits
6 cups water
2 ½ tsp. Salt
1 stick butter
¼ tsp. Cayenne
3 eggs, beaten
1 pound sharp cheese, grated
1 tbsp. Chopped parsley, (optional)

Add grits to boiling salted water and cook until done.
Add butter, cayenne, eggs and ¾ cheese, mixing well. Pour into buttered 2 ½ quart baking dish; top with
Remaining cheese and bake 1 hour, 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

I Loved reading everyone's replys on this post. My wife and myself will be visiting the UK for the first time in Aug/ Sept , so it was really great to hear different replys.

 

[phillybeth]

Scrapple is made from the scraps left over from butchering, hence the name. It's sort of like pork pudding or white pudding- bits of pork chopped up fine mixed with cornmeal and steamed in a loaf shape. It's then sliced and lightly fried, and usually seved at breakfast.

In America biscuits are like savory scones, or at least they are not sweet. Probably similar in taste to a crumpet, they are rather bland and need something like butter, jam, honey or gravy.

 

[UKDEB]

Originally posted by LglBlonde
Also, I was there for three weeks and to save money, we went to a grocery store to buy stuff to make sandwiches. I remember you could not get plain YELLOW or DIJON or BROWN mustard there.

And finally, I'll note that my English friend told me that things like Mike's Hard Lemonade, or Smirnoff Ice type flavored alcoholic drinks were outlawed there because it seemed they were marketed to kids

Things have moved on a bit now, LglBlonde. Our supermarkets sell every kind of mustard imaginable! The TV food programmes (the kind which create celebrity chefs) have created a huge demand for higher quality and more diverse produce. The British public has also become very demanding with regards to health issues - it's possible to buy virtually anything in organic and sugar and salt free varieties, and there's a huge backlash against GM foods.

Drinks like Smirnoff Ice are still available and are identical to those you have in the States. The ones which were banned were those which were dubbed 'alcopops' because they were blatently targetting kids with the names, label designs and colours.

 

[LglBlonde]

Deb,

That's great to know if I ever make it back over there! This was exactly ten years ago, so not surprised on the progress.

On the alcohol, I can't remember exactly which flavored malt beverages it was, except that when Jess was here and we went to the grocery store, she was surprised to see it sold here.

Jenni

 

[sconnell]

One thing that contributes to the flavor of the Coke is the water. I think some of the different places in the states that bottle Coke produce a slightly different taste because of the difference in the water. Coke is always better when it is good and cold and from a glass bottle. However, being a Georgian, I love Coke anyway! When I have traveled abroad, I have truely enjoyed trying everything the way the locals eat it, including Cokes! I found that I occasionally like a Coke that's not ice cold, and in Paris I got a slice of lemon, not a wedge, in the bottom of my Regular Coke. Has anyone ever been to the Coca-cola Museum in Atlanta, GA? They have a very interesting area where you can taste the different products that they sell around the world! If you ever have a layover in Atlanta, check it out!

 

[UKDEB]

We're planning an eastern road trip next April. The current plan (although it will probably change a few hundred times!) is to fly into Philadelphia, then on to Washington DC, spend a couple of days driving Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway, on to Charlotte, NC...then we're wondering whether to go straight to Charleston, SC, or whether to take a diversion to Atlanta. What do you think, sconnell? Or are there better places in Georgia we could visit? What I'd really like to do is spend some time in Augusta for The Masters, but I understand tickets are almost impossible to get hold of.

 

[sconnell]

Masters tickets are pretty hard to get, unless you know someone. However, if you can get some, go. It is wonderful! As for the rest of Georgia, there is a lot to see and do. If you are into history or historic places, Georgia is full of it. The city of Atlanta is great, as far as cities go. There is plenty to do and great places to eat. Since you are going to Charleston, I would drive a little south to Hilton Head Island, Disney has a resort there I believe, or Historic Savannah. Savannah is the oldest city in GA. A walk down riverstreet is a nice treat, it's cobblestone and filled with shops and history. There are carriage rides and trolly tours. There are museums and other points of interest, you can find more about them on the web. (There are numerous sites about visiting Savannah.)
I'm not sure what kind of trip you are planning, but Georgia has some of everything. Beaches, Mountains, Farms, and Cities. If you want some adventure there is Six Flags Over Georgia and White Water (a water park) both near Atlanta. There is great shopping in Atlanta.
Well, I guess what I am saying is that where you want to go in Georgia depends on what you want to do while you are here. Charleston probably is a lot like Savannah (historically). So if you are wanting to do something different, visit Atlanta. There is something there for all ages, all cultures, all frames of mind.
If you want to ask anything else, go ahead. I would love to help you come up with things to do!

 

[UKDEB]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. We're definitely into history and we'd like to experience as much diversity as possible. What I didn't mention is that, after Charleston, we intend to carry on to Savannah and then down the coast (stopping at a few places - probably St Augustine for one) and finishing the trip with 10 days or so at WDW. That means that Atlanta is a bit of a diversion, but we'll probably include it, time permitting.

Sorry for hijacking the thread, guys. Please resume the original topic!

 

[daisax]

For what it's worth, I saw a Food Channel or Discovery Channel show on table manners and interestingly, the American habit of switching the fork from left to right IS the traditional "proper" English way of eating. That's the way English folks ate at the time of colonization.

After the split, the Brits eventually switched to keeping the fork in the left hand, while the Americans stuck with the "old" ways.

So what seems like a lot of useless fiddling with silverware is just retained archaic manners on our part!

kassa