megmet

[QUOTE=Domino;9515875]which goes to prove they are laughing up their sleeves at us for accepting the crap they serve as "fast food".

countries like Spain, Italy, India, Pakistan who we know for "fast food" actually go to alot of trouble to make up a table of separate dishes with separate spices and feed in a more relaxed manner, with people sharing servings.

was it us or them that started this dump it all in the one pot then dump it all on one plate rubbish we currently get ??[/QUOTE]

I guess the fast food outlets in the UK are cashing in on the fact that after a night on the town most of their punters are too drunk to even know what they are eating!
The others catering for the more civilised are putting on the menu what they think people want...even if it is not in the least bit authentic.
Take for instance samosas, a genuine one is delicious, even for those of us not keen on spicy food, in contrast the bought out variety nearly blow your head off.....what's that all about?

jackytoo

If you have ever been to india you will find that food is all dumped in one pot as it is/was in most countries. In Spain paella was always eaten out of a communal pot as were other dishes. They didn't have the luxury of having lots of side plates, it was a chunk of bread and dig in.

Some parts of India and Pakistan have very hot curries. They even eat the stuff for breakfast to warm themselves. There are lots of stuff on the menu in Indian restaurants that are not hot. A good sign is when the Pakistanis/Indians whatever are eating there.

Lynn R

I've certainly been to some Indian restaurants (although they are nearly all run by Bangladeshis or Pakistanis, actually) where you can't taste any individual ingredients in the food and the sauce looks and tastes as though they just make one big pan and ladle it over everything, no matter what kind of sauce it is meant to be - but I don't go to them twice! In a good one, yes I can taste the prawns in a prawn jalfrezi (which is only medium hot, I don't like really, really hot foods as I agree it isn't pleasant just to have your mouth burning and not be able to taste what you are eating). As for how it compares to the tast of prawns not cooked with a curry sauce, I wouldn't know how to compare it - just like I couldn't describe a plain grilled steak compared to steak au poivre, or grilled sole compared to Sole Veronique, for example. Sometimes I like to eat the plain variety, sometimes I prefer it with a sauce. But to be able to enjoy the choice is the main thing.

Things have certainly changed for the better since I was growing up. My parents refused to eat anything even slightly "foreign" - even spaghetti! I was about 21 and had left home before I ever ate salmon or pineapple that hadn't come out of a tin. Salads in our house consisted of lettuce and tomato, served absolutely plain, even Heinz salad cream wouldn't have been countenanced. As for olive oil, that came from the chemist shop in a tiny bottle, and was only used for treating earache not for eating!

megmet

The stuff on menus in both Indian and Pakistani restaurants is a far cry from what is served up in there homes, where in fact food was and still is served in many dishes!

Rosemary

Hey you stole my childhood, I had forgotten about the olive oil for earache.

Graham

megmet

My mother still uses it for that!

Domino

warmed up a little I would hope

megmet

Everything is warmed up for my mother, inside her house makes our Andalucian summer feel positively cool!

jackytoo

The Indian restaurants we have been to always bring everything seperate. It depends on what you order as to how many dishes you get. Both UK and Spain's Indian places have mild dishes, some not even with curry. If you only order chicken curry with rice that's what you get

I once visited an Indian restaurant in Birmingham and we all ordered so many different tasters they wouldn't fit on the table. Then there is the famous curry house in Bradford where people travel long distances

Lynn R

If the famous curry house in Bradford you mentioned is the Kashmir (always known locally as the Kash), I wouldn't bother. It is one of the ones I referred to where all the sauces look and taste exactly the same. It was the first one to open in Bradford and has one virtue only IMO - it is incredibly cheap. We once went there with 6 members of the OH's family and the bill came to £27 for 8 of us. But the food is still rubbish!

On the subject of food served in restaurants not being "authentic", you could say the same of food from many different countries. What is served in Italian restaurants outside of Italy doesn't bear much resemblance to the dishes served within Italy, or how they are eaten - pasta for example is never served as a main dish, but as a separate course between the anti pasti and the main course of meat or fish. Pizzas in Italy are mainly a base with only a thin smear of topping (and I don't think you would ever find pineapple served as a pizza topping in Italy) and pasta is served with only a spoonful of sauce.
I actually prefer it the way those dishes are served outside Italy, what a philistine! Except for spaghetti carbonara - outside Italy it always seems to be made with cream which is horrible.

Domino

I am not surprised, and they still made 50% profit. how much were the drinks or were they included ??

isnt that the type of situation where dodgy mad cow meat was pushed out to ?
saw tv prog where some guy had warehouse full of chicken carcasses, no climate control and it stunk to high heaven - but he still wanted to ship it to his customers.
a good strong curry can hide anything

Rosemary

Suggest pineapple to an Italian chef and I think that you would be guaranteed an instant heart attack.
I have to disagree with you over pizzas in Italy, I love the really thin tasty bases they have there and hate the thick oversalted thick crappy ones sold in the UK.
After travelling in Italy I was surprised at the lack of fresh pasta used and just how expensive decent quality dried pasta is, or was.
You said about pasta being the second course, out of interest one of the best tasing second courses I ever had was lemon juice into a pan heated and mixed with a little parmesan then poured over your choice of pasta. It freshens the mouth perfecly ready for the next course.

Graham

Domino

Dr Oetker = a currently well selling and much advertised pizza in the Uk but made in.............
Germany

paintermujer

Yes, In my opinion the best pizzas come from.......Italy, no surprise.

Rosemary

Sorry what does that have to do with my post.

Graham