Post by Henrik on Jan 13, 2003 11:26:10 GMT -5
I was thinking while reading the latest weakest link nominations that maybe we can make some food links combined with travelling here. A specific issues came to mind, thus the title of this thread.
The first time I travelled to England in my adult life, and spent more than a day there, was shortly after I had begun working for a Japanese bank, who's headquarter was at Finsbury Circle. I was to spend a week there, staying at a hotel not far from the office (I think it was the Great Eastern if any of you are familiar with it), and arrived on a Sunday.
So, the first evening, I'm thinking I'll just have a lazy dinner in the hotel rather than walk around endlessly in a city I was unfamiliar with in search of a restaurant. There was one dish available, roast carved from the trolley served with Yorkshire pudding. Oh well, I suppose an English roast on a Sunday evening is okay, especially since I had no choice.
On the Monday, I went to the office and began spending time with my Emglish colleagues. As time draw towards lunch, I began to get hungry. So, around noon, I ask them if they want to go for lunch.
"Sure, great idea! Let's head down to the pub on the corner."
We get to the pub, and the first round of pints is ordered. After the second pint has been downed, I'm beginning to get slightly buzzed, as I came there on an empty stomach, and by now I am absolutely starving. So, as a fool, I ask them if we should not order something to eat.
"Sure, let's have another round of pints!"
I'm on my third pint now, at lunchtime, and still no food is in sight. At this point I’m beginning to get a bit desperate. So I slip away from the gang, and head for the bar. There I’m able to get a sandwich so as to get some solid substance in my craving stomach. Back at the table, the third round is waiting for me…
We had one more round before heading back to the office, and I was the only one who had actually had something to eat. I also seemed to be the only one to be affected by the alcohol. It made for an interesting afternoon, but I also learnt my lesson that they don’t eat lunch in the City, they drink lunch!
At night, I was exhausted (and perhaps just a tad hung-over), and so was again too lazy to go anywhere for dinner, and so it was back to the hotel restaurant. One dish available, roast carved from the trolley served with Yorkshire pudding.
Okay, two days in London, and it seems people drink lunch, and eat roast with Yorkshire pudding ever evening. Needless to say, I avoided the “gang” for lunch on Tuesday, and went to find a deli where I could get a decent sandwich on my own!
Luckily for me, the next day I was introduced to a Chinese girl from Hong Kong. She took me out to a real Chinese restaurant in Soho that night, and considering the quality of Chinese food in Geneva, I was able to finally eat some proper Chinese cooking. It was absolutely delicious, and it was then that I began to realize that there is good food in England, only it is not English!
That realization was later confirmed as I had Indian on another evening, another cuisine that is absent from the Geneva culinary scene, followed up with Thai.
So, I say there is great food in England, just avoid lunch at the pub and dinner at the hotel!!
The first time I travelled to England in my adult life, and spent more than a day there, was shortly after I had begun working for a Japanese bank, who's headquarter was at Finsbury Circle. I was to spend a week there, staying at a hotel not far from the office (I think it was the Great Eastern if any of you are familiar with it), and arrived on a Sunday.
So, the first evening, I'm thinking I'll just have a lazy dinner in the hotel rather than walk around endlessly in a city I was unfamiliar with in search of a restaurant. There was one dish available, roast carved from the trolley served with Yorkshire pudding. Oh well, I suppose an English roast on a Sunday evening is okay, especially since I had no choice.
On the Monday, I went to the office and began spending time with my Emglish colleagues. As time draw towards lunch, I began to get hungry. So, around noon, I ask them if they want to go for lunch.
"Sure, great idea! Let's head down to the pub on the corner."
We get to the pub, and the first round of pints is ordered. After the second pint has been downed, I'm beginning to get slightly buzzed, as I came there on an empty stomach, and by now I am absolutely starving. So, as a fool, I ask them if we should not order something to eat.
"Sure, let's have another round of pints!"
I'm on my third pint now, at lunchtime, and still no food is in sight. At this point I’m beginning to get a bit desperate. So I slip away from the gang, and head for the bar. There I’m able to get a sandwich so as to get some solid substance in my craving stomach. Back at the table, the third round is waiting for me…
We had one more round before heading back to the office, and I was the only one who had actually had something to eat. I also seemed to be the only one to be affected by the alcohol. It made for an interesting afternoon, but I also learnt my lesson that they don’t eat lunch in the City, they drink lunch!
At night, I was exhausted (and perhaps just a tad hung-over), and so was again too lazy to go anywhere for dinner, and so it was back to the hotel restaurant. One dish available, roast carved from the trolley served with Yorkshire pudding.
Okay, two days in London, and it seems people drink lunch, and eat roast with Yorkshire pudding ever evening. Needless to say, I avoided the “gang” for lunch on Tuesday, and went to find a deli where I could get a decent sandwich on my own!
Luckily for me, the next day I was introduced to a Chinese girl from Hong Kong. She took me out to a real Chinese restaurant in Soho that night, and considering the quality of Chinese food in Geneva, I was able to finally eat some proper Chinese cooking. It was absolutely delicious, and it was then that I began to realize that there is good food in England, only it is not English!
That realization was later confirmed as I had Indian on another evening, another cuisine that is absent from the Geneva culinary scene, followed up with Thai.
So, I say there is great food in England, just avoid lunch at the pub and dinner at the hotel!!
Don't Die Before You Live...
: truth is- thats bottom of the barrell stuff...
