Exactly. Plus if someone wants to come here on holiday and is genuinely concerned with the quality of British food, they know they can eat 50 other cuisines while here.
But places with a stronger local food identity that don’t have so many worldly offerings, it’s harder to get people to visit if they perceive your food as crap. People aren’t going to want to spend 2 week in Obscuristan if they think everyone there eats super spicy fermented jellyfish for every meal and there’s no other option. So it makes sense to work at educating and shaking off that image to really show the local food.
This is it. Britain enjoys an insanely large amount of soft power. Our influence on music, film, literature, sport, research, education etc. is hugely outsized for the size of the country.
It would be nice to see food taken seriously, but it pales in comparison to some of the other stuff.
The UK tourism industry is doing absolutely fine out of the existing reasons to come here as a tourist: mostly history and culture (and occasionally the whims of American teens who love Harry Potter/Dr Who etc).
It's near impossible to determine if pouring a load of money into internationally promoting cottage pies would actually draw any additional tourists beyond the millions already visiting. And most of those millions already want to try "authentic" British food while they're here - you can comb this sub and find dozens of posts of people asking for "authentic fish and chips restaurants in London" or "how to make authentic beans on toast".
Plus... Our food just isn't that great. It's not *bad* by any means, it's enjoyable, but I feel like we're in the same bucket as places like Poland and Germany.
Our food is mostly simply made, lightly spiced, heavy on the meat and carbs, and based on traditional recipes that haven't gone away. There are a few exceptions for things like more modern curries, but largely there just isn't a lot of material to work with here, and nothing on the same level as the other tourism stuff we can offer.
Better to put our *best* foot forward and *lead* with the castles and the monarchy. Leave the toad in the hole for later.
As a Brit living in Poland they have some delicious food, pierogi, kotlet schabowy, żurek, placki ziemniaczane, barszcz, pączki. It's kind of a fusion of Slavic, Italian, German and French cuisines. I'd say the main parallel with UK cuisine is more around the drinks with lots of flavoured vodkas as a parallel to our flavoured gins and a thriving craft beer industry
"Plus... Our food just isn't that great. It's not *bad* by any means, it's enjoyable, but I feel like we're in the same bucket as places like Poland and Germany."
Neither is Japanese or Korean food initially. However, both nations heavily innovated on their cuisines by extensively borrowing from other countries to make them world-class.
I mean we already have 1 thing that is absolutely world class, and it's cheese. Almost everyone will know what Cheddar is, and it's (relatively) protected. But the rest of our food doesn't have anything that makes it particularly revolutionary in any aspect. The only thing that's particularly difficult to get outside of the UK is good sausage, but I don't think the vast array of sausages we have, which are all fairly similar, are going to be worth stocking on shelves, or pumping external restaurants with.
The rest of the cuisine is just a matter of good ingredients and care, but it doesn't have any particularly unique thing that makes it taste different. You get plenty of little pubs or Mum and Pop places that do 95% of what you'll get in Britain, as good as you'll get it. With the only hard part being Fish and Chips, because it's a much more complex dish, that requires exceedingly good ingredients, and a complete ignorance to the nutritional facts. It's very hard to replicate what we know it as, because we're such a "small" country with access to fresh fish no matter where you drop a pin, but on the world scale people want "cod and chips", which tastes like crap if the cod isn't still breathing in the fryer. You can't really fix that by throwing money at it.
Yeah, because the reputation of British food is a real governmental priority at the moment. That will put so much right on the world stage - great idea 💡
That's more a trade and commerce issue, than a means to boost British gastronomic tourism and reputation though, no?
I can't imagine someone in rural Saskatchewan saying "by 'eck, that were a nice piece of Wensleydale - I really fancy popping over the pond now for some greasy fish and chips"
I can see your point, it’s fair enough!
To me the problem is that I don’t think it would make a huge amount of difference. We already have some of the best produce in the world (exporting things like shellfish and beef abroad) and some really incredible restaurants and chefs. A good chunk of the 10-20 most famous chefs in the world come from the UK too, and many who have the most accolades such as Michelin stars are based here. In a way, that’s an organic publicity campaign in itself yet people abroad still see the UK as a culinary backwater (admittedly, there’s a huge gap between traditional home cooking and what’s available when eating out). So the trouble with deep-rooted stereotypes is that people will believe them even if or when they’ve been debunked. We’ll just have to be content in the knowledge that we know we’re not as bad as they think!
I'm not sure the government can do anything more effectively than the dozens of celebratory chefs who already provide a good reflection on British food.
Its not even an issue and it doesn't matter.
Whoevers put the ideas in your head is winding you up.
Also, there are tons of fine dining resteraunts that do British cuisine. They do add flare, and they have Michelin stars. Majority of food is just simple food and there is nothing wrong with simple :)
Because it's food, very irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.
Any country wanting to identify itself with having good food has already fallen into laughing-stock territory, by definition - Real countries are more interested in serious things that matter.
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I wish I could remember where I saw it, but there are a few people trying to do this for our cheeses, and the general comment from them was that the government didn't give them any support so it's like a few guys going to food events in Europe with a bit of cheese.
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Under rule 10 please don't comment about foreign wars, disease outbreaks, or other similar crises that aren't strictly covered by 'No Politics' or 'not UK focused'. There are many other places to discuss these events.
"Many people look past Japanese atrocities because Japan has a vibrant entertainment industry and a well-respected cuisine, due to their government making gatrodiplomacy efforts"
It's a fair point. I became completely indifferent to the Rape of Nanking after I had some blinding tempura prawns one time.
Lol why are you all so aggressive towards this idea? It's basically just celebrating a bit of British culture.
Anyway my thoughts; when I think of British food I tend to think of things like Sunday roasts, bangers and mash, Cornish pasties and other meat filled pastries etc.
It's all delicious stuff but it sits heavily in the stomach.
I'm not saying that's a bad thing but it might be something that makes for a harder sell against French or Italian food which, at first glance, appear to be "lighter" in comparison.
It's really bizarre that this idea, which basically amounts to "let's point out that British food isn't crap", has been met with total hostility. We're our own worst enemy sometimes.
It's a good question. Improving the reputation of our cuisine would increase our soft power, which is undeniably a positive thing. Certain British foods do have a good reputation abroad, such as our whisky, cheese, and baked goods, and this is beneficial to the UK. Other British foods, such as fish and chips, seem to be considered novelties rather than a serious cuisine.
Because nobody cares? The perception of British food abroad isn’t a concern to anyone. Nothing rides on it.
It's just a stupid stereotype, it doesn't actually do harm to us. Some people just get offended by it, that's the worst that happens.
Exactly. Plus if someone wants to come here on holiday and is genuinely concerned with the quality of British food, they know they can eat 50 other cuisines while here. But places with a stronger local food identity that don’t have so many worldly offerings, it’s harder to get people to visit if they perceive your food as crap. People aren’t going to want to spend 2 week in Obscuristan if they think everyone there eats super spicy fermented jellyfish for every meal and there’s no other option. So it makes sense to work at educating and shaking off that image to really show the local food.
This is it. Britain enjoys an insanely large amount of soft power. Our influence on music, film, literature, sport, research, education etc. is hugely outsized for the size of the country. It would be nice to see food taken seriously, but it pales in comparison to some of the other stuff.
The UK tourism industry is doing absolutely fine out of the existing reasons to come here as a tourist: mostly history and culture (and occasionally the whims of American teens who love Harry Potter/Dr Who etc). It's near impossible to determine if pouring a load of money into internationally promoting cottage pies would actually draw any additional tourists beyond the millions already visiting. And most of those millions already want to try "authentic" British food while they're here - you can comb this sub and find dozens of posts of people asking for "authentic fish and chips restaurants in London" or "how to make authentic beans on toast". Plus... Our food just isn't that great. It's not *bad* by any means, it's enjoyable, but I feel like we're in the same bucket as places like Poland and Germany. Our food is mostly simply made, lightly spiced, heavy on the meat and carbs, and based on traditional recipes that haven't gone away. There are a few exceptions for things like more modern curries, but largely there just isn't a lot of material to work with here, and nothing on the same level as the other tourism stuff we can offer. Better to put our *best* foot forward and *lead* with the castles and the monarchy. Leave the toad in the hole for later.
As a Brit living in Poland they have some delicious food, pierogi, kotlet schabowy, żurek, placki ziemniaczane, barszcz, pączki. It's kind of a fusion of Slavic, Italian, German and French cuisines. I'd say the main parallel with UK cuisine is more around the drinks with lots of flavoured vodkas as a parallel to our flavoured gins and a thriving craft beer industry
"Plus... Our food just isn't that great. It's not *bad* by any means, it's enjoyable, but I feel like we're in the same bucket as places like Poland and Germany." Neither is Japanese or Korean food initially. However, both nations heavily innovated on their cuisines by extensively borrowing from other countries to make them world-class.
I mean we already have 1 thing that is absolutely world class, and it's cheese. Almost everyone will know what Cheddar is, and it's (relatively) protected. But the rest of our food doesn't have anything that makes it particularly revolutionary in any aspect. The only thing that's particularly difficult to get outside of the UK is good sausage, but I don't think the vast array of sausages we have, which are all fairly similar, are going to be worth stocking on shelves, or pumping external restaurants with. The rest of the cuisine is just a matter of good ingredients and care, but it doesn't have any particularly unique thing that makes it taste different. You get plenty of little pubs or Mum and Pop places that do 95% of what you'll get in Britain, as good as you'll get it. With the only hard part being Fish and Chips, because it's a much more complex dish, that requires exceedingly good ingredients, and a complete ignorance to the nutritional facts. It's very hard to replicate what we know it as, because we're such a "small" country with access to fresh fish no matter where you drop a pin, but on the world scale people want "cod and chips", which tastes like crap if the cod isn't still breathing in the fryer. You can't really fix that by throwing money at it.
Yeah, because the reputation of British food is a real governmental priority at the moment. That will put so much right on the world stage - great idea 💡
tbf, the export of British cheese to Canada is a real roadblock at the moment for any trade agreement.
To block a road would require an enormous block of cheese!
That's more a trade and commerce issue, than a means to boost British gastronomic tourism and reputation though, no? I can't imagine someone in rural Saskatchewan saying "by 'eck, that were a nice piece of Wensleydale - I really fancy popping over the pond now for some greasy fish and chips"
This is really dumb on several levels.
Because we don't really care. What actual benefit would we get from people having a higher opinion of our food?
It'd force the yanks to come up with a new joke, I suppose.
It's not the yanks making these jokes. Looking at you Asia 🤣
I'd suggest outside of what you read on social media people are generally indifferent to our food
Us pigs are fine with the shit we're rolling in thanks
I can see your point, it’s fair enough! To me the problem is that I don’t think it would make a huge amount of difference. We already have some of the best produce in the world (exporting things like shellfish and beef abroad) and some really incredible restaurants and chefs. A good chunk of the 10-20 most famous chefs in the world come from the UK too, and many who have the most accolades such as Michelin stars are based here. In a way, that’s an organic publicity campaign in itself yet people abroad still see the UK as a culinary backwater (admittedly, there’s a huge gap between traditional home cooking and what’s available when eating out). So the trouble with deep-rooted stereotypes is that people will believe them even if or when they’ve been debunked. We’ll just have to be content in the knowledge that we know we’re not as bad as they think!
I think wherever you live you eat according to the weather.
I'm not sure the government can do anything more effectively than the dozens of celebratory chefs who already provide a good reflection on British food.
Its not even an issue and it doesn't matter. Whoevers put the ideas in your head is winding you up. Also, there are tons of fine dining resteraunts that do British cuisine. They do add flare, and they have Michelin stars. Majority of food is just simple food and there is nothing wrong with simple :)
Because it's food, very irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Any country wanting to identify itself with having good food has already fallen into laughing-stock territory, by definition - Real countries are more interested in serious things that matter.
The fuck are you on about?
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Sorry mate, but we have a blanket ban against politics in this sub, so we have removed this post. Rule 1: No politics We do not allow mention of political events, politicians or general political chit chat in this subreddit. We encourage you to take this content to a more suitable subreddit. You **will** be banned if you break this rule. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot us a modmail.
I wish I could remember where I saw it, but there are a few people trying to do this for our cheeses, and the general comment from them was that the government didn't give them any support so it's like a few guys going to food events in Europe with a bit of cheese.
Enjoy the one day ban, I hope it makes you happy. Dear lord, what a sad little life, Jane. You ruined our subreddit completely so you could post politics, and I hope now you can spend your one day ban learning some grace and decorum. Because you have all the grace of a reversing dump truck without any tyres on. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CasualUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
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Under rule 10 please don't comment about foreign wars, disease outbreaks, or other similar crises that aren't strictly covered by 'No Politics' or 'not UK focused'. There are many other places to discuss these events.
"Many people look past Japanese atrocities because Japan has a vibrant entertainment industry and a well-respected cuisine, due to their government making gatrodiplomacy efforts" It's a fair point. I became completely indifferent to the Rape of Nanking after I had some blinding tempura prawns one time.
Lol why are you all so aggressive towards this idea? It's basically just celebrating a bit of British culture. Anyway my thoughts; when I think of British food I tend to think of things like Sunday roasts, bangers and mash, Cornish pasties and other meat filled pastries etc. It's all delicious stuff but it sits heavily in the stomach. I'm not saying that's a bad thing but it might be something that makes for a harder sell against French or Italian food which, at first glance, appear to be "lighter" in comparison.
It's really bizarre that this idea, which basically amounts to "let's point out that British food isn't crap", has been met with total hostility. We're our own worst enemy sometimes.
It's a good question. Improving the reputation of our cuisine would increase our soft power, which is undeniably a positive thing. Certain British foods do have a good reputation abroad, such as our whisky, cheese, and baked goods, and this is beneficial to the UK. Other British foods, such as fish and chips, seem to be considered novelties rather than a serious cuisine.