Funstuie

Just watched a commercial advertising a cemetery!!

Yorkieabroad

Met some folk at a barbie last weekend that were bemoaning the cost of summer. Both parents worked, and they had 2 elementary aged kids. They hadnt taken any vacation over the summer, so the kids had been in summer camps the whole time, ranging from 300/ week for a daycamp to almost 3000/ week for a residential camp. All times 2 kids. Piecing together what they were saying their kids had done, we reckoned they had spent upwards of 20k on camps for the kids

Pulaski

What is it about America and broccoli? I don't object to it per se, but why is it the default green vegetable in the US? And why does "Chinese" comprise about 50% broccoli by volume?

And WTF is "stem broccoli" all about? I asked Mrs P about a bunch of stalk slices in the packet of frozen broccoli, and she said "Oh, that's stem broccoli." WTF?

Funstuie

Swiss cheese was a WTF moment to me. It tastes like what I imagine 6 day old dog shit would taste like.

Pulaski

I don't know what they sold you, but if it tastes anything like dried dog $4!t smells like, then it wasn't Swiss cheese.

I've never met a cheese I didn't like.

kimilseung

What is Swiss cheese? What kind of actual cheese is it supposed to be?

Pulaski

Emmental.

kimilseung

Ah right. Ta.

Hang on, I thought Emmental was a bit hard. Is my memory at fault or is it just the US style to have it a bit soft.

Pulaski

I didn't eat a lot of Emmental in the UK, but my recollection is that it was (is) soft in a slightly rubbery way, like Edam and Gouda, but with bubbles like Jarlsberg, actually very similar to Jarlsberg, but with a milder flavour.

kimilseung

I didnt eat much of it either, hence my obvious ignorance. English or French for me.

WEBlue

I think "European" (style) cheeses made by certain American companies tend to have a slightly softer (or more rubberlike) consistency. This applies especially to the packaged cheeses sold in slices.

Pulaski

Agreed, sliced cheddar is (necessarily) softer than British cheddar sold in blocks. The softer consistency seems to lead to a milder, more creamy, flavour, and why I favour buying cheese in blocks/wedges, not square slices whether pre-sliced or sliced to order at the deli counter.

WEBlue

True, we avoid sliced cheeses as much as possible. For cheddar, we mostly go for the supermarket-brand blocks of aged cheddar, which are not (IMO) nearly as tasty as those from British supermarkets... but they'll do.

The American-produced supermarket-branded "Swiss" cheese here seems strange in the blocks, though. Or maybe it's just that our cheese slicer doesn't handle it well. The texture is weird and the taste is too mild. Trader Joe has decent blocks of Emmenthal Swiss, but I believe they're imported, and thus expensive.

Jerseygirl

I gave up on American produced cheese years ago...along with their chocolate and the dross they call deli meats.

Hotscot

Tillamook, I think it, hard cheddar is not too bad a substitute for UK cheese.
However it never ceases to amaze me, and I'm vocal about this to the natives, generally how poor their foodstuffs are compared to the UK.

It's a downright scandal with their crappy yoghurts, chocolate flavoured candy instead of proper chocolate, inedible bacon, tea as strong as warm water etc..

And their supermarkets? Same old same old, they've hardly changed the product offerings in the 15 years I've been here. Stupid frozen cardboard pizzas, one or two drinkable wines, rows and rows of "cookies".

No wonder when I go home I spend hours in Tesco's, Sainsbury's, M&S just checking out the latest food offerings.