later days

[Spireite]

I blame it on TV - they showed US TV shows, everyone decided that to be cool involved emulating the US, and the importation of millions of tons of processed cheese slices began. Go into a supermarket in the US and try to find cheese that isn't some form of cheddar..... good luck tracking down anything else. I consider the US influence on Europe and the UK to be worth legislating against. (That might be because I avoid cheddar most of the time for other, tastier cheeses, and cannot abide cooked cheese despite loving the uncooked alternative, I never said my opinions were not driven by personal bias).

The problem with cheese on a burger is that the less cheese content gives the most melt. That means the introduction of milk, and not just any old ordinary milk but milk protein concentrate, absolutely delightful but it's that which partly enables the product to be called American cheese and nothing else apart from American cheese has the same melty, gooey texture and milky, salty flavor that accentuates, but doesn't compete with a burger. Have Smashburgers arrived in the UK yet? Just Google (if at all interested) the deliciousness of a Smashburger.

American food invaded the UK many years ago with pizza. I remember working in London W1 40 years ago when the Chicago Pizza Pie Factory opened off Hanover Square, decked with Chicago street signs etc and the one and only Chicago deep crust pizza pie. A few years ago I was sat in my local Sarasota Brewing Co pub (now closed) chatting to a chap who'd retired down here from Chicago. Turns out he was in charge of Chicago street signs and getting rid of said signs when no longer required, guess where they got sold to - a small World.

Conclusion, partly off track to the above but back to horses - why are there no horses named after food or drinks? Imagine "Mackeson" being followed by "I Love Your Taste."

 

[pete]

Go into a supermarket in the US and try to find cheese that isn't some form of cheddar..... good luck tracking down anything else

Most supermarkets have a decent selection nowadays dave, even in the little podunk towns, but it is a little expensive for the "imported" stuff. The standards are all well represented. Cheddar, swiss, provelone, pepperjack, mozzarella, parmesan, triangles and cream cheese

I'd kill for a bit of Cheshire from time to time.

 

[davejb]

So that's Cheddar, Cheddar with holes, Round cheddar, Cheddar with a different packet, Cheddar that didn't come from a cow, Old Sock contents (finely grated), Cheddar that's like play doh cut into triangles, and Cheddar smashed up and mixed with heaven knows what? Actually many of our own supermarkets seem to think only cheddar is required these days. When I read how popular Cheddar is I cannot but wonder how it could be otherwise when it's quite often all that is on offer!

Cheshire, Wensleydale, Lancashire, Double Gloucester, Red Leicester are the correct cheeses to eat, others like Stilton can be eaten if you have one of those wierd palates that enjoys eating mould, plus all those odd cheeses that get made in sheds in small villages by people who mean well. Once these cheeses have been eaten (in any order) you'll be quite ready to go back and restart the list again.

Cheese triangles should be considered 'slightly cheese ish' for people who can't be bothered to cut cheese properly, while cream cheese is really just for people who think the more you dick about with things the better they get. Oh, there's also Cottage Cheese which has two main uses, one is for people on diets who eat it in the belief it somehow helps them lose weight, and it's also a handy caulking material to seal a leaky pipe joint while you go to the DIY store to get the proper sealant.

Funnily enough the UK shelves in Publix etc where, for a small (compared to the national debt) fee, British delicacies like HP sauce, HP beans, Branston Pickle etc can be obtained by those who find US beans far too sweet and cannot fathom why yards of shelves contain nothing but pickled gherkins (called, confusingly, Dill pickles), have now got their US shelf opposite numbers in UK stores - so for those who quite like Hershey bars, Peanut butter cups, and the like a similarly swingeing fee will produce the US product. We also seem to be getting rather more from the rest of Europe, and Japanese noodle pots and soup for those who find their wallets have too much money in for comfort.

Personally I think there's an opening for some entrepreneur to simply operate a swap service and cut out the markup.

Dave

 

[pete]

Personally I think there's an opening for some entrepreneur to simply operate a swap service and cut out the markup.

Such a place exists online .. however once the mail services have taken their cut, it's easier , cheaper and more convenient to hit one of those previously mentioned supermarket shelves.

 

[davejb]

But what could be more fun pete than to come home and find a poorly sealed box of ripening Cheese hanging from your postbox, especially in this weather, having taken a month or two to make it from the shed in Nether-Wombat-on-the-Clump to Goonsville Illinois due to insufficeent postage?

Dave

 

[pete]

I knew that had this picture somewhere davejb

I took this a few years ago while shopping as I was not sure what exactly I was buying. I'm pretty sure it's not cheese ... But who knows



"American flavored - imitation pasteurized process cheese food"

Is it flavored with Americans?
What does American flavour taste like?
It's an imitation cheese food ... So not cheese ... Or ... ?

 

[mlmrob]

 

[Spireite]

Like most American food, the ingredients are not as good for you as UK food.


The top is the typical ingredients list from a "Cheese Product," a term that is only vaguely defined, and is not restricted by the government. Most "cheese products" are thus labeled because they bulk up their real milk with a large amount of "Milk Protein Concentrate"—a much cheaper ingredient than real milk or real cheese, and one that is not allowed in any product labeled "American Cheese" according to the FDA.

Real "American Cheese," like Kraft Deli Deluxe slices must be made up of at least 51% actual cheese (hence, "cheese" will always be the first ingredient on the label). It has a distinctly higher melting temperature (i.e. it stays solid longer) than "Cheese Products" bound with gelatin, and this makes sense. Cheese products contain a higher percentage of milk proteins, along with a few emulsifiers in there that help them stay softer and melt at a lower temperature.

Take a look at the difference in some daily foods, even ketchup - Food in America compared to the U.K. (Why is it so different?)

 

[markfinn]

Like most American food, the ingredients are not as good for you as UK food.

View attachment 135093
The top is the typical ingredients list from a "Cheese Product," a term that is only vaguely defined, and is not restricted by the government. Most "cheese products" are thus labeled because they bulk up their real milk with a large amount of "Milk Protein Concentrate"—a much cheaper ingredient than real milk or real cheese, and one that is not allowed in any product labeled "American Cheese" according to the FDA.

Real "American Cheese," like Kraft Deli Deluxe slices must be made up of at least 51% actual cheese (hence, "cheese" will always be the first ingredient on the label). It has a distinctly higher melting temperature (i.e. it stays solid longer) than "Cheese Products" bound with gelatin, and this makes sense. Cheese products contain a higher percentage of milk proteins, along with a few emulsifiers in there that help them stay softer and melt at a lower temperature.

Take a look at the difference in some daily foods, even ketchup - Food in America compared to the U.K. (Why is it so different?)

All down to Money - any one fancy the old “bleached chicken “ the Trump was keen to offload on the unwary or the fruit syrup that the yanks used to poison the ? Islanders - not me - never even had a hot meal in the US always tepid

 

[Spireite]

All down to Money - any one fancy the old “bleached chicken “ the Trump was keen to offload on the unwary or the fruit syrup that the yanks used to loosen the ? Islanders - not me - never even had a hot meal in the US always tepid

All down to money is correct but you may only be touching the edge of the problem markfinn . The drug market is huge here, the amount of drugs prescribed to keep people alive, the adverts on the friggin tv for drugs, the local adverts and billboards for the hospitals. Oh did I mention the amount donated to politicians from the drug manufacturers......I've lived here since 2002 and the hypocrisy eats away at me more and more. Back to the UK beckons at some stage

 

[markfinn]

All down to money is correct but you may only be touching the edge of the problem markfinn . The drug market is huge here, the amount of drugs prescribed to keep people alive, the adverts on the friggin tv for drugs, the local adverts and billboards for the hospitals. Oh did I mention the amount donated to politicians from the drug manufacturers......I've lived here since 2002 and the hypocrisy eats away at me more and more. Back to the UK beckons at some stage

Be careful what you wish for - street drugs public indifference are taking a corrosive hold over Europe

 

[Spireite]

Be careful what you wish for - street drugs public indifference are taking a corrosive hold over Europe

I know markfinn , I visited Chesterfield in November, a dump compared to when I left. My wife's from a small coastal village south of Aberdeen, a nice place apart from the gentle north sea breeze and flat beer

 

[davejb]

As we age we become convinced that the world is going to the dogs. Unfortunately is does seem that we might actually be correct nowadays!

 

[markfinn]

does seem that we might actually be correct nowadays!

We are

 

[Spireite]

As we age we become convinced that the world is going to the dogs. Unfortunately is does seem that we might actually be correct nowadays!

Apart from possibly moving to my wifes place, we're thinking of living on a cruise ship for six months a year, no heating bills in the winter and no washing up As for the way of the World these days, bring back national service, make the wasters do something for a living, too many softies both being soft and allowing soft.

 

[davejb]

Being ex RAF I have to contest the traditional 'bring back national service' argument, although the cost of doing this would totally swamp the defence budget anyway.. The armed forces need fairly decent material through the door, as most jobs entail being able to learn quite technical things and being able to read, write and do basic maths is pretty much needed for anything these days. National service lasted 2 years, which would be seen as insufficient time to 'get back' the resources and energy expended on training - not wishing to cast aspersions on the Army, but it's about the only service barring the Cub scouts that can still make use of less well educated material in any number..... the RAF has about 20 planes these days, the Navy about a dozen ships (ok, some exaggeration, but not that much) so there's no kit to put people on after training anyhow.

Of course if you were to create a post school alternative to further education that involved making the kids work on roads and construction etc whilst also spending some of the time encouraging them in sport, healthy living and building cameraderie rather than conflict it might do a decent job of changing what seems to be a dubious path for our children as they grow past their teens..... let me see, there was a chap in Germany who had a big thing about that sort of idea 90 years or so back as I seem to recall......

Wacht Am Manchester Ship Canal does't have the same ring to it somehow....
Dave

 

[Spireite]

Being ex RAF I have to contest the traditional 'bring back national service' argument, although the cost of doing this would totally swamp the defence budget anyway.. The armed forces need fairly decent material through the door, as most jobs entail being able to learn quite technical things and being able to read, write and do basic maths is pretty much needed for anything these days. National service lasted 2 years, which would be seen as insufficient time to 'get back' the resources and energy expended on training - not wishing to cast aspersions on the Army, but it's about the only service barring the Cub scouts that can still make use of less well educated material in any number..... the RAF has about 20 planes these days, the Navy about a dozen ships (ok, some exaggeration, but not that much) so there's no kit to put people on after training anyhow.

Of course if you were to create a post school alternative to further education that involved making the kids work on roads and construction etc whilst also spending some of the time encouraging them in sport, healthy living and building cameraderie rather than conflict it might do a decent job of changing what seems to be a dubious path for our children as they grow past their teens..... let me see, there was a chap in Germany who had a big thing about that sort of idea 90 years or so back as I seem to recall......

Wacht Am Manchester Ship Canal does't have the same ring to it somehow....
Dave

I agree with you, I was thinking of the Army. A friend of mine here, when he was a kid was a tearaway, stole cars, dropped out of school etc., at the time he was given a choice, go sit in jail or join the army. He did the latter, rose through the ranks in Special Forces, saw the wrong parts of the World, met some bad people, a movie was made portraying him and his mates, Black Hawk Down, he was in the second helicopter going in.

As for that chap in Germany 90 years back, only this weekend some of my "fellow countrymen/women" where remembering him, another reason for me to move back, this Country is dangerous - Florida Nazis spewed anti-Semitic hatred during horrific racist rally

 

[davejb]

Yeah - contrary to popular opinion about inter service rivalry, I think the armed forces are very good, no matter what the cap badge, and I have a lot of respect for all of them. Of course that doesn't stop me calling the ex-army guys I meet pongoes, I respect them but there's no need to gush about it! Lots of naughty people who were fortunate enough to end up, by whatever means, in the forces came out with character they had previously been unaware of, a variety of skills (admittedly knowing exactly where to slide a knife to kill silently isn't all that transferable, I was really thinking more about technician training and similar) and a much better attitude to life that let them get on with other people rather than snarl at them.

I entered the RAF as a fairly shy, weedy bit of a dickhead and left full of self confidence, bags of leadership style abilities, and 3 stone heavier - and not too unfit, mind you I WAS still a bit of a dickhead, but nobody is perfect. Hardly ever left my home town until I joined, I was in Germany via Norway a year later, then proceeded to go all over the med repeatedly, the USA a number of times, Brazil, West Africa, Norway a fair bit, ditto Iceland..... loads of places. There's a great deal in favour of the forces if you are unable to decide what you want to do with life, especially if you can pick a job that will involve lots of travel and fun but is unlikely to involve being shot at or bombed.

Blackhawk Down - I probably have it here somewhere, my ex wife gave it me for a present a long time back. Watched it once, but it's a film that just reminds me of how, sometimes, the forces get put into bad places with one hand tied behind their backs and I simply found it too much to want to see it again. I tend to think in black and white about that sort of thing, if some bit of the world is mired in chaos and corruption then by all means send troops in, but don't send them in to be glorified policemen - troops should be deployed when you either want to apply violence to the bad guys, or if you are happy to do so should they continue to be naughty. I'm not really a foaming at the mouth Right wing nutjob, I just hate seeing our troops getting killed for a matter of political expediency.... just so some bloody politician can go on TV and say he's doing something when what's probably required is really a low yield nuke.

Dave

 

[Kraldrew]

Brylcream guy whats the word Pongoes never heard that before lol

 

[davejb]

'Brylcreem boys' was more a civilian nickname for the RAF, other servicemen refer to us as Crabs. (Allegedly a reference to the blue colour of the uniform and the colour of an ointment used to treat a case of pubic lice). I think the reference to the hair product was possibly more acceptable in polite company....

Dunno about the origin of Pongo....
Dave
Lots of terms of endearment (let's call them that) for other members of all the services, my personal favourite was always the name for officers that, I believe, originated in the Army, which was Rupert. It conveyed a certain tinge of long suffering disdain I always felt, which was often needed when our exalted betters were about - I found very few officers who wouldn't make life uncomfortable for all if it allowed them to gain, usually very temporarily, a pat on the head from anyone senior. I particularly enjoyed a skipper who volunteered us for all sorts, including gladly accepting 8 hour flights on both Christmas Day and Boxing Day when I was fairly newly married, Given that with briefings these became 10 am to 11pm -midnight jobs they did little to encourage the Christmas spirit in my house - my Christmas dinner was stone cold on the table when I finally got home, and my wife had taken herself off to bed.....