Re: Free Cup of Tea (AND a Sticky Bun???)
 

American "gravy" is actually a roux sauce, which the French consider to be one of the "mother sauces" on which French cuisine is based. It is flavored with sausage meat, pepper, and salt, and for whatever reason the Americans call it "gravy", when it really has nothing in common with British-style meat juice gravy. ..... Americans call that "au jus gravy", using a faux-French pronunciation.

"Gravy" is actually rather good, especially with fried chicken or steak, but some Brits like to get snotty and superior about it. :rolleyes:

Re: Free Cup of Tea (AND a Sticky Bun???)
 

I have not read through all your posts, but I gathered you like small towns... a beautifully small town is Fairhope in south Alabama. Its 20/30 minutes from the i10 and is often ignored by tourists passing from Florida to New Orleans.

Fairhope Alabama

Re: Free Cup of Tea (AND a Sticky Bun???)
 

You probably like chicken and dumplings as well

Re: Free Cup of Tea (AND a Sticky Bun???)
 

Only British dumplings, made with suet. American dumplings are like overcooked pasta noodles cooked in wallpaper laste. :sick:

Re: Free Cup of Tea (AND a Sticky Bun???)
 

What IS it with all the "you don't like this food, therefore you must be being snotty and superior" posts lately?

Wasn't it you who just said you don't like biscuits? And that British dumplings are better than American ones? Does that make you snotty and superior? Or does it just mean that different people have different tastes? :rolleyes:

Re: Free Cup of Tea (AND a Sticky Bun???)
 

The distinction I was trying to make, but didn't fully explain is that American "white gravy" is nothing more than a roux sauce, which is the same sort of sauce as used for mac & cheese, cauliflower cheese, fish, scalloped potatoes, and used extensively in French cuisine, as well as in the cuisines of Germany, eastern Europe, the balkans, turkey and Japan.

Unless someone is claiming to not like the use of a flour-roux sauce in any of those applications, then I would contend that my perception of the undertones of "bleugh, that nasty American gravy" is a put-down based on perception of the sauce being unattractive in appearance, and the peculiar habit of drowning a "biscuit" in gravy.

FWIW I will eat biscuits, they just aren't my preferred bread-like roll.

Re: Free Cup of Tea (AND a Sticky Bun???)
 

Personally, my dislike is because I've tried it a few times and it's always been too salty for my liking.

Trust me - I used to eat (and, as I recall, enjoy) Fray Bentos pies and Heinz canned Mac & Cheese. I'm not in a position to be looking down on anybody else's food.

Re: Free Cup of Tea (AND a Sticky Bun???)
 

Fair comment. It certainly can be too salty, but so can, say, soup.

It seems a pity that a food/dish gets dismissed as garbage just because sometimes it isn't made properly. That said, if I had something several times and it was consistently unpleasant for the same reason, I would probably give up on it too.

Re: Free Cup of Tea (AND a Sticky Bun???)
 

I saw canned Mac & Cheese in Walmart the other day. I used to enjoy the canned Mac & Cheese also.

Re: Free Cup of Tea (AND a Sticky Bun???)
 

:sick:

sorry, that's all I can muster......

I can, and have, eaten all manner of things but I really don't get this US obsession with mac and cheese. Just the look of it... yeuch.

Re: Free Cup of Tea (AND a Sticky Bun???)
 

Sorry, but the concept of "White Gravy" - without being snobby about it - just turned my stomach but WHITE SAUCE is wonderful! I think it's all down to the "trunk/boot", "fanny/ladies bits" differences in the languages!

I want to try chicken and dumplings, BROWN gravy, biscuits, white SAUCE and lots and lots of Barbecue (but maybe not American dumplings as I'm not keen on wallpaper paste!) and I have been known to occasionally have some food with my salt so that's not a problem!

Again, thank you all for your tips and advice - nick.simpson19 I have added Fairhope to my list as anywhere ignored by tourists is my kind of place!

Anyone else on my (ever growing) route want to meet up or can offer a few nights cheap accommodation or knows of any "gems", FAR away from the beaten track, do please let me know??

Re: Free Cup of Tea (AND a Sticky Bun???)
 

Brat (sausage) mac & cheese I had recently
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5ebetwiv.jpg

Delicious

I read on another thread (may have been this one) you also don't like bbq, one wonders about your pallet or lack thereof

Re: Free Cup of Tea (AND a Sticky Bun???)
 

I always thought semolina tasted more like wallpaper paste. Maybe US wallpaper paste tastes different.

Re: Free Cup of Tea (AND a Sticky Bun???)
 

I'm not keen on semolina either but I was only going on what Pulaski said about American dumplings Mrken30?

Re: Free Cup of Tea (AND a Sticky Bun???)
 

I really like it when it's baked. My kids, on the other hand, prefer it when it's straight out of a packet. Philistines :lol: