United Kingdom: Prosperous Entertaining - Part 3
From ExecutivePlanet.com
Some final tips
British cuisine is not what it was. Fortunately this erstwhile gastronomic desert has been transformed in the past twenty years and some of the best restaurants on the planet can be found in the UK. Unfortunately the best are also the most expensive and they are concentrated in London and the Home Counties or, at least, in the major cities. It is possible to eat well in the boondocks but it may require some research to find a suitably decent restaurant. The advent of the 'gastropub' - a pub serving food of restaurant quality but at lower prices - is a distinct blessing and these can afford excellent value with fresh local produce. Otherwise the provinces may offer little beyond standard pub fare (often spelled 'fayre' and usually not served after 9:00 p.m.) and Indian or Chinese restaurants that are open later but may be full of refugees from the pub desperate for solid sustenance.
Sadly, though, British cooking has become distinctly international in flavour and there are relatively few traditional dishes left. Haggis is a famous Scottish delicacy (sheep’s stomach stuffed with suet, oatmeal, seasoning and sheep’s innards) traditionally served on Burns’ Night (25 January) and laver bread (seaweed) is an ideal accompaniment for scallops or cockles in South Wales. Otherwise seek out the best local produce, whether meat or vegetables, cheese or fruit, and, if a name is unfamiliar (it is as likely to be in French as in English), do not be afraid to ask for a description of what is on the menu.
Interminable books have been written on the subject of dining etiquette in the UK. Most of the rules are archaic and downright silly. Good manners are founded in respect for your fellow humans and are largely universal (or at least prevail throughout any given culture); they do not require instruction manuals. The only sensible rule is to behave in such a way as to cause neither embarrassment nor annoyance (at the risk of seeming hypocritically prescriptive, this might include making an effort to eat and drink at the same pace as the rest of the group, not speaking with one’s mouth full, not stretching across the table, not waving one's cutlery about and not licking one’s knife). If you are a guest, follow the host’s instructions and/or lead; if you are the host, whatever you say goes. Act with confidence and, however bizarre your behaviour, the worst that can happen is that your British companions will regard you as an eccentric foreigner.
Submit a Comment on this Article
