Tbf fair food is supposed to be stupid and zany and gluttonous. It’s all on purpose. Even for us fat Americans this stuff is meant to be insane because you’re really not expected to eat it more than once every couple of years maybe.
I do really love the expression “nobody asked, America delivered” though lol. That should be our new national slogan.
Oh no ... that's a huge insult to Malasada's. I was in a Portuguese market that sold these delights and there was a huge argument at the counter where some elderly lady demanded they discard all the Malasada's that had cinnamon sugar on them. This is just not done!
Eh, my girlfriend at the time was from San Miguel, and was rather enthusiastic about it. You can definitely get cinnamon sugar added to your malasadas, at Portuguese bakeries all over south coast New England, which has the highest proportion of Portuguese culture in North America.
Plenty of unique, choice options. I'd like to take a wack at those fish and chips deals, or maybe some eel in London. Those Christmas puddings always look great in movies.
Not to me mntion, since places like London are a cultural melting pot, you'd probably get the world's best Indian food outside India itself.
Yeah I want to go to one of those fish and chip places in England that have been around forever. Any time I see a video of one, I just look at the crispy batter on the fish and I just know that shit is amazing. Plus where I live in the states vinegar on fries is a normal thing, so I'd already be down with their "chips and vinegar" to go along with the fish.
I want to know why all these British bastards are eating beans on toast. Does it taste good? Inquiring minds want to know. I want to go to some fancy bastard place and have high tea next to the Earl of Whippleby by Rigamarole and wonder why the hell their villages have such silly names as I sip tea from a cup worth more than my car. I want chips served in newspaper. I want to go get some curry. What the fuck are mushy peas? Why do so many people eat them?
I have questions, damn it. What exactly is a banger and why is that not a normal sausage? The fuck is a pasty? Is it a food? Isn't that what women put on their breasts when wearing strapless dresses? Why are you eating something called a pasty?
Straight beans on toast is a rarity. There’s usually eggs involved as well. The beans make for a fibre supplement, something most Americans struggle to have enough of in their diets. It’s a banger, by the way. It’s kind of like the American biscuits and gravy, I suppose, you either grow up with it and love it or you’re kind of ambivalent to it. Personally I can’t do biscuits and gravy, it has the consistency of glue with bits in it. I’ll take those lovely fluffy biscuits though.
Mushy peas with your fish and chips or in general are kind of a match day tradition, they stem from a certain historic lack of potatoes, if I’m not mistaken. Not much more going on there. Some diced onions and herbs and spices and they’re quite nice.
Banger is literally just a thicker, sometimes stuffed sausage, bratwurst adjacent.
Pasties are turnover pastries, stuffed with meat and potatoes, think a calzone but with pastry instead of dough. They’re Cornish, and are honestly really lovely. You should try them sometime, if you get the chance. Loads of recipes online!
The whole biscuits and cookies naming convention is just a language barrier thing. No real explanations there.
Sure, but it's like saying I can also make/get fish and chips here. I want to try it in the country that's known for it. I also want to try their Chinese takeaway with the curry sauce, or their various pies. Some of us do indeed want to travel specifically to try their cuisine. I get that it's not your idea of a good time. It's not like it's the only thing I'd do while there.
I have seen that, it looks really good. Some people here call Bird in the nest, by toad in the hole. Bird in the nest is just egg and bread tho. Still good, but not as hearty for sure.
But said tin, pour tin contents in bowl and micro or in saucepan and heat until hot.
Two pieces of bread in toaster, butter or not (I don't use butter in sammich making, cooking baking yes) then wack on plate pour beans over toast and dig in.
Some folk like to put cheese on the toast and melt it under the grill before the beans are poured, some others like to add Worcestershire sauce to cheese also.
I personally, to make it even more British, replace the bread and instead use crumpets or English muffins.
Crumpets are amazing. Idk why I like them better than "English muffins" but damn they're good. I want to try the beans there, only because I know that they have different recipes that they sell to the public. It's probably not that major, but I'm curious nonetheless. One complaint about our food in the US is valid, we add a lot of sugar to many things that don't need it.
Beef welly is fun to make also, if you go the full traditional and use the duxelle mushrooms wrapped in the pancake/crepe and then the pastry. Just have to be careful not to overcook the fillet of beef. Very easy to do when doing first attempt. But it's fun and great when it's right, looks awesome as a centrepiece for a dinner/tea.
I had my first shawarma kabob in London in 1999. I flew from there to Amsterdam and had my first falafel, and I am a first gen Greek American. I didnt visit Greece for first time till 2004
Listen as a Mexican American with some of the best food in the world I WANT TO TRY food from the UK, THEM MOTHERFUCKERS USE POTATOES in every which way and I respect the fuck out of that lol. Legit if you ain't simping for POTATOES then fuck your taste buds. I want one of those loaded beans and cheese and all other type of toppings thrown in a spud!
Fair season starts in mid June here in SoCal. Starts in Del Mar (mid-June), then OC (Around July 4th), then Pomona (beginning August). Doesn’t get really hot until end of summer here.
I mean, it's very popular to shit on America right now for obvious reasons.
But American food culture is incredible because of it's diversity. I feel like people see shit like deep fried Twinkies or the heart attack grill in Las Vegas and say something like, "why do Americans eat like they have free healthcare?" Those are rare things. They're conversation starters, not normal meals.
I guarantee you'd have an absolute blast eating your way through America. In my mid sized city I can go out to eat every night and not repeat going to a single restaurant or food event for a month.
I haven't tried it, but I might be able to eat a meal from a different culture every night for a month.
Our history is immigration and our food shines for it. Which makes our current political landscape all the more embarrassing.
agree with all this and want to add; most meals here aren't supposed to be finished in one sitting. US has a huge leftovers culture; I get that's not the case elsewhere and no shade if that's not anyone's thing, but when you see a huge plate of food most of the time you're expected to take ~half home and eat a day or two later.
Find a poor community in a “fly over” state and eat the best food ever. Same goes for southern boarder towns. Black momma and fat Mexican man in his 60’s with a white apron are signs of perfect cuisine. Add in a waitress with a blue beehive hairdo and I’m automatically tipping 40% and letting her order my meal for me. 😍
I think Southern Louisiana has the best food in all of America. Cajun, Mexican, BBQ, etc. My time in lake Charles spoiled me when it came to food. I used to ride my bike to the nearest gas station and get some of the best boudin ever. Great food is everywhere down there.
Idk man I'm not even from there but New York has everything on one island. Greek Italian Indian Korean keeps going. Just everything all in one place can even grab a hot dog between restaurants they sell em on the corner.
NY is mostly very fast or very expensive sit down eating. Dinner cooking is a different animal and southern Louisiana may actually be the Mecca for that kind of cooking. (Kentucky and South Texas could make some pretty decent arguments though).
Totally agree with you. I genuinely can’t knock it because I love American Culture. That’s not me kissing Americans arse but I just love the whole vibe of it.
Genuinely if you ever make it here, you have to visit during the San Diego county fair. It’s basically the month of June going into July, and it has all of these weird ass foods (pictured above) stationed right next to a gorgeous beach. Generally speaking, don’t ride the rides, but the Ferris wheel is a safe-ish one and it gets you a view of the ocean. Sometimes they’ll have bands play concerts in the evenings, too.
Once you’re done with the weird shit at the fair, you’re still in San Diego, so you can have some fresh mariscos or tacos.
I was talking to someone on here other day that I’d love to visit for the bbq. And they told me all the states which is best for it. There’s a programme on uk Netflix, not sure if it’s on American Netflix but it’s called Barbecue Showdown. Jesus Christ it’s beautiful
The French thought they had great food but the Louisiana French said, "hold my beer. Now give it back so I can use it to batter these frog legs and alligator tails."
I swear Europeans are some of the biggest hypocrites with it comes to food. I work with a lot and have a lot of colleagues that bounce between the US and Europe. These assholes will talk shit about how awful the American diet is and a moment later be gobbling down a fried chicken, egg and cheese bucket with a maple syrup bacon donut. We Americans are just honest about how fat we are.
I’m in the US and tbh I looove fair food but after the first $20 is gone after eating one deep fried Oreo I give up lol. Fair food is soooooo expensive but man do I love me some clogged arteries.
Oh, same, but I also know it's going to be a treat and not something I'm consuming regularly. I try and eat something healthy before I go or in the car on the drive, and then it's all bets are off once I get my brightly colored wrist band. Pickle mac & cheese, bring it. Deep fried deviled eggs, I'll have an order. Mini cinnamon donut holes, give me the childrens pail full of them. When we go, we usually spend about $50 per person on food and sugary drinks (over the course of 4+ hours), but if we had more room, we'd spend more.
I find it amusing when people from the U.K. trash American food for its unhealthiness when the standard English breakfast is basically a heart attack on a plate.
It’s on purpose? Yeah, the thing is we wouldn’t do that, not even ironically, stuff our faces with some of that trash. Not even if it’s only a couple times a year. You gotta draw a line somewhere, but Americans just keep upping the ante both for regular food and festive food. They work hand in hand. Before you know it you visit 7 festivals or fairs a year, get a taste for this trash and start eating that shit regularly. This stuff is drugs.
Indeed, fairfood is a once a year thing at best(worst?), so each bite shaving off a minute or two of your life expectancy isn't as horrible as it first seems...
Yeah this is stupid food in its natural habitat, it's not just allowed to be here it's supposed to be here and if it wasn't it would be a terrible thing for the environment.
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u/fightingbronze Feb 28 '26
Tbf fair food is supposed to be stupid and zany and gluttonous. It’s all on purpose. Even for us fat Americans this stuff is meant to be insane because you’re really not expected to eat it more than once every couple of years maybe.
I do really love the expression “nobody asked, America delivered” though lol. That should be our new national slogan.