British Rail’s short experiment with travelling pubs

Re:British Rail’s short experiment with travelling pubs by pjc50 on Thursday April 16, 2020 @09:37AM (#22889206)

This is a classic example of taking a genuine point (some things especially tomatoes really are better in Italy) and going too far with sweeping claims; London has always had fresh fish. The fishing industry is not what it used to be but the catch is still landed from the North Sea, driven to Billingsgate in the early morning and eaten that day.

If you happen to select veg that is actually available local and in season, you can get it fresh. That means you have to be a bit selective; the most premium example is probably asparagus. Lots of UK veg growing is in nearby counties like Kent.

The British reputation for disastrous food is mostly a legacy of rationing combined with a slightly colder temperate climate, and ceased to be representative in the 90s.

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Re:British Rail’s short experiment with travelling pubs by barrkel on Thursday April 16, 2020 @10:26AM (#22889680)

I think it's because many British people culturally don't value food much. Supermarkets are particularly poor. You need to go out of your way to get nice things.

It may not be as bad as it was in the 90s, but I still find nicer stuff in supermarkets in Spain, France, Germany.

Of course I'm not usually shopping at the equivalent of Tescos on the outskirts of town when I visit a supermarket on the continent, but I'm not exactly searching hard either.

Food in London is great, and varied. I don't much enjoy most Asian food, but London has a lot of it, in a way that e.g. Paris isn't as good at. OTOH I've had a much better hit rate, and at cheaper prices, in Barcelona for great food in restaurants, ethnicity aside.

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Re:British Rail’s short experiment with travelling pubs by fnord123 on Thursday April 16, 2020 @04:12PM (#22893014)

>It may not be as bad as it was in the 90s, but I still find nicer stuff in supermarkets in Spain, France, Germany.

Sainsbury and Tesco are on par with Carrefour and Mercadona. Waitrose is on par with or better than Albert Heijn. But the Chinese supermarkets through Europe have the best value and range of ingredients for cooking, imo.

>I don't much enjoy most Asian food

I'm so sorry. :(

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Re:British Rail’s short experiment with travelling pubs by JoeAltmaier on Thursday April 16, 2020 @10:27AM (#22889694)

You said it. The culinary tour of British fine dining is non-stop.

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