JLFS

Thank you for helping educate a non uni graduate.

jimenato

Interesting. Here's the packet though...




Cheek!!!



What gave it away? No pork and chips or the fact that we do fresh vegetables?

agoreira

I believe you, as I said if it's on the packet, I'm convinced!
Whilst looking for something on this, I came across this, which basically says the "badly/ill named arroz salvaje (which is a bad translation of the English term "wild rice") should be "silvestre".

cricketman

Sounds like you've never ventured beyond the cr*p food they serve to tourists!

Carol&John

may wee monsewer! Éclairs
Am I right or meringue?

JLFS

Well, he is British in Spain, so why would he try to be anything else? Dont forget that the menus of the Spanish in the UK refelected their roots, ie Spanish food, that was usually Spanish food adapted to the tastes of the local British population.

This restaurant is only doing the same, and just because it is catering for the tourist does not make it rubbish food.

[QUOTE=jimenato;9033252]Interesting. Here's the packet though...

http://www.arrossaires.com/admin/fot...Bayo_500_g.png




Cheek!!!





What gave it away? No pork and chips or the fact that we do fresh vegetables?[/QUOTE]

to be honest any joint that goes to the bother of doing fresh veg in this day and age of frozen mixed veg crap, deserves a round of allplause.

JLFS

No that is not right, I wanted chocolate covered raisins, as I had had an eccles cake, I thought that raisins or currents were called eccles.

Carol&John

Ah, that would have been my first guess!
Just as well you didn't ask for a flies cemetery.

jimenato

Well I am actually quite proud of our little restaurant and its food and my dig about "Pork and Chips" was slightly tongue in cheek. However it is hard to get fresh vegetables in most Spanish restaurants.

I make no apologies for being a British establishment in Spain. One of the strengths of the British food scene is its cultural diversity - such that I've never seen anywhere else in the world. We don't turn our noses up in the UK at Indian, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Turkish, Polish, Ameri forget that last one. We embrace the best of world cooking into British food, why should we not export the best of British (i.e. truly international) food to Spain?

steviedeluxe

I quite like vegetables found on the home-cooked UK plate eg cabbage, broccoli, sprouts etc. However (and I realise this is possibly down to eating in places with a business clientele) I've never found British restaurants a big promoter of vegetables. Indeed, in Madrid there were always plenty of dishes in the Menu del dia that used vegetables eg Fabada Asturiana, Guisantes con jamon, Chickpea soup, Ensalada de alubias, Pote Gallego etc. Maybe this "lack of vegetables" accusation is more relevant for southern and costal areas, where salads are used more?

agoreira

When we visit Spain, we eat only Spanish food, I can get enough "British" food when I am home, but I'm sure you have researched your market, and if it works for you, why not "British" food (even if they all sound like imports!)
Obviously the expats, or even the locals, have more than enough Spanish choices, so why not something different? How do you find the Spanish take to it? We have Spanish friends, and they don't live in cities, but they have mostly turned their noses up if I ever mention Chinese or Indian food, they don't seem very adventurous when it comes to food. They seem to have embraced the yank fast food though! I think the Brits are far more adventurous when it comes to food from around the world, in the cities or towns you can try food from just about everywhere, much more choice.

JLFS

Obviously you have never spent much time in Galicia.

I think when people talk about veg, they mean a selection of veg to accompany the meat and spuds, not chickpeas or such in callos which is more of an ingredient than a veg.

In Galicia there are a lot of "spoon and one pot" meals, which as you say have beans and chickpeas in the main meal, but they are more pulses rather than vegetables.

There seem to be very few dishes that use vegetables, a couple that spring to mind are "cod and coliflower" a stew, and lacon con grelos, but it would not occur to anyone to eat coliflower with beef or pork and spuds for example.

We are used to eating lots of veg, and when we spend more than a couple of days in Galicia, we really feel as though we need to have veg, as it is very rare to eat any up there.

steviedeluxe

That may be why they're so conservative. You can't move in places like Madrid or Valencia, without coming across a new Chinese, Thai or Kebab place. Even Indian restaurants are starting to spring up in quite a few places.

steviedeluxe

Have to admit I've never been to the place. But judging on the food and drink that comes from the place (Pulpo Gallego, Pote Gallego, Empanada, Albarino wine etc) I'm sure I'm missing out!

JLFS

The Spanish are very conservative in food matters, they may go to eat in a Chinese or Indian and enjoy it, but when it comes to home cooking, they make the same meals are always.

I have never seen anyone make a curry at home for example, or try to make a more exotic soup, its alway "noodles"