chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn wrote:
    > I certainly appreciate that. I just have always found paella in Spain
    > too greasy, and not that flavourful. I suspect it's one of those
foods
    > which is available at a poor level in lots of places,

Indeed. The quality of paella decreases dramatically out of their
'homeland' although close to everyone in Spain will tell that 'their
paella is better than in Valencia'.

In my experience Andalusian and Catalan paellas have been the absolute
worst, with unbelievable ingredients in (chorizo and olives, to name a
few of the worst) and obscenely baroque.


J.

The Reids wrote:

    > Following up to Icono Clast
    >
    >><< Commercial sites and publications should be regarded with extreme
    >>skepticism because they are more likely to recommend those who
    >>advertise with them, regardless of quality,
    >
    > Avoid guides that accept paid entries and advertising, The CAMRA
    > guide for instance, does not.

CAMRA does accept paid sponsorships, such as the Cask Marque
organisation. At least the GBGs are not littered with adverts
throughout their pages.
--
dgs

Arri London wrote:

    >
    > The Reids wrote:
    >
    >>Following up to Deep Foiled Malls
    >>>>In a tourist restaurant away from the part of Spain it belongs,
    >>>>sometimes less than perfect. A Spanish restaurateur said the
    >>>>same. But I have rarely had *any* "atrocious" food in Spain.
    >>>*resists like hell in passing comment once again on the English's
    >>>pallet*
    >>I don't understand? What has UK got to do with paella?
    >
    > LOL look again. The word was 'pallet'. The poster clearly has taken
    > exception to English pallets for whatever reason LOL.

Right. Next, that poster will be taking exception to English fork lifts
and warehouses. (Uh-oh, possible bad assumption: does the American-
English term "fork lift" mean the same thing in British-English?)
--
dgs

Jordi <[email protected]> wrote:

    > chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn wrote:
    > >
    > > I certainly appreciate that. I just have always found paella in Spain
    > > too greasy, and not that flavourful. I suspect it's one of those
    > foods
    > > which is available at a poor level in lots of places,
    >
    > Indeed. The quality of paella decreases dramatically out of their
    > 'homeland' although close to everyone in Spain will tell that 'their
    > paella is better than in Valencia'.
    >
    > In my experience Andalusian and Catalan paellas have been the absolute
    > worst, with unbelievable ingredients in (chorizo and olives, to name a
    > few of the worst) and obscenely baroque.

Interesting you say that, because I've never been to Valencia, and have
only been to Andalucia and the Barcelona area in Spain!

As for everyone thinking their's is better, it reminds me a bit of
Ceviche- various latin american countries assure you their's is the
best. Of course, we know that the Peruvian is the best! :)

--
David Horne- www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

Following up to Tim Challenger

    >> Indeed risotti!
    >> yes, thats the point. dont stir after the start, its supposed to
    >> stick a bit!
    >That's what make risotto creamy, I suppose.

yes, it is.
--
Mike Reid
Wasdale-Thames path-London-Photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

Following up to Jordi

    >In my experience Andalusian and Catalan paellas have been the absolute
    >worst, with unbelievable ingredients in (chorizo and olives, to name a
    >few of the worst) and obscenely baroque.

I plead guilty. I put chorizo in my paella sometimes, but I eat
it behind closed doors with consenting adults. But I do have a
stock of vine prunings to cook one on outdoors sometime.g
--
Mike Reid
Wasdale-Thames path-London-Photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

Following up to chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn

    >> Paella is not cooked like rissoto or eastern rice. I suspect some
    >> of those who think paella in spain is poor, do not appreciate
    >> that.
    >I certainly appreciate that. I just have always found paella in Spain
    >too greasy, and not that flavourful. I suspect it's one of those foods
    >which is available at a poor level in lots of places, a bit like
    >Moussaka in Greece.

I think that's true and Spain does not have one national food
culture. I have yet to see classic paella (the is no seafood in
it) far from Valencia with a couple of exceptions
--
Mike Reid
Wasdale-Thames path-London-Photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

Following up to chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn

    >Interesting you say that, because I've never been to Valencia, and have
    >only been to Andalucia and the Barcelona area in Spain!

Paella Valenciana
Meat and beans replace the seafood of the marisco version (it is
worth remembering that paella may contain almost anything).
There is no sofrito in this version, just tomatoes.
Beans, both green (french beans) and white (garrofó) with rabbit
or chicken and possibly snails; rosemary, saffron and sweet
paprika (pimenton dulce).

Surprised?
--
Mike Reid
Wasdale-Thames path-London-Photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

Following up to Arri London

    >LOL look again. The word was 'pallet'. The poster clearly has taken
    >exception to English pallets for whatever reason LOL.

pallets, food and the weather. I'm surprised they bothered to
build stonehenge, its so cloudy here!
--
Mike Reid
Wasdale-Thames path-London-Photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

The Reids <[email protected]> wrote:

    > Following up to chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn
    >
    > >Interesting you say that, because I've never been to Valencia, and have
    > >only been to Andalucia and the Barcelona area in Spain!
    >
    > Paella Valenciana
    > Meat and beans replace the seafood of the marisco version (it is
    > worth remembering that paella may contain almost anything).
    > There is no sofrito in this version, just tomatoes.
    > Beans, both green (french beans) and white (garrofó) with rabbit
    > or chicken and possibly snails; rosemary, saffron and sweet
    > paprika (pimenton dulce).
    >
    > Surprised?

Sounds nice!

--
David Horne- www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

Following up to dgs

    > (Uh-oh, possible bad assumption: does the American-
    >English term "fork lift" mean the same thing in British-English?)

In England it describes the american habit of eating only with
the fork. OK. I lied, its a electric truck that lifts pallets.
--
Mike Reid
Wasdale-Thames path-London-Photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

On Sat, 09 Apr 2005 10:58:28 +0100, The Reids
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >Following up to Arri London
    >>LOL look again. The word was 'pallet'. The poster clearly has taken
    >>exception to English pallets for whatever reason LOL.
    >pallets, food and the weather. I'm surprised they bothered to
    >build stonehenge, its so cloudy here!

It's time it was renovated, or demolished to make way for a Happy
Chef. It looked like a ruin, the last time I was there.

On Sat, 09 Apr 2005 10:59:48 +0100, The Reids
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >Following up to dgs
    >> (Uh-oh, possible bad assumption: does the American-
    >>English term "fork lift" mean the same thing in British-English?)
    >In England it describes the american habit of eating only with
    >the fork. OK. I lied, its a electric truck that lifts pallets.

not to be confused with a 'kin lift.

The Reids wrote:
    > Following up to Edmund Lewis
    > > I have never actually seen a chip buttie,
    > >
    > >Crikey! How can you live in the UK for umpteen years and not......
    > 56 years, not a sniff of one :-)

    > >I think it was appreciated to some extent pre-industrial Revolution,
at
    > >least among the more well-to-do. However I think what we are seeing
is
    > >a re-emergence of that appreciation.
    > There are books written on it, the causes are legion. Protestant
    > work culture, WW2 and rationing, anglo saxon culture, anti
    > catholicism, anti eurpoeanism, early industrialisation and so on.
    > Certainly, somehow, by victorian times, the young Mrs Beeton was

I've got a book about it somewhere
I'm probably a little too young to have seen the full force of the
change, but I've grown up thinking that food as late as the 1950s
conformed to all the worst British food stereotypes- boiled everything,
shoe-leather meat etc. This is based on what people of that era have
told me as much as anything else.

    > > and like
    > >> the US, food has changed drastically over the last 30 years. It
    > >> hasnt reached the bottom of the pile yet, hence Jamie Oliver and
    > >> his school dinners campaign.
    > >
    > >Came 25 years too late for me :-)
    > Sounds like your mum cooked like mine :-)

She cooked OK actually- it's school food I was primarily on about. And
don't get me started on hospital food either (didn't Oliver target that
as well?) :-0

Edmund

It's not only rice, other ingredients too. Compared to the paella in
Newark, NJ, the ones in Spain look not only dry, other ingredients like
shrimps, mussels, spanish sausages and the like are also skimpy. Maybe
the ones I had in Spain are all in tourist places. Surley someone can
point to some links if there are good paella in Spain. Don't get me
wrong. Like I said, I've never had bad dining experience in Spain,
with the exception of paella. Having had paellas in Newark, New Jersey
first, others are just tough to measure up.