Which food did you find the most underwhelming?

[colly]

Yes, some of us like things (like beer) to be a little bit warmer

GAH!!

I'm with you there Madman. Cold beer tastes of ..........well nothing. Room temperature is wrong too.

Cool beer, is fine. It really isn't difficult.

 

[ColinJ]

Trout, no taste at all.

I've only had trout once and I didn't really like the taste of it, not helped by the fact that they'd left the head on so it was staring back at me while I ate it!

 

[theclaud]

As I expected - just about everyone is wrong, except Ian.

Browser almost scored points for mange tout, but then went and spoilt it with that nonsense about beef steak.

Anyway, the correct answer is baby sweetcorn and sundried tomatoes.

 

[smutchin]

Ian H said: ↑

Cornish pasties. A poor substitute for food.​

There are a very few home-made ones that are passable. But the ones that come in plastic wrappers, or out of a factory in Saltash, are grim.

Agreed. I once had a Cornish girlfriend whose mum made fantastic pasties. My biggest regret about that relationship ending is no longer being able to eat her mum's cooking. Aside from that, the only good Cornish pasty I've had was from a stall on the quayside at Polperro.

Most shop-bought pasties are at best disappointing. At worst, they can be deeply unpleasant. I really don't like Ginsters.

d.

 

[srw]

Anyway, the correct answer is baby sweetcorn and sundried tomatoes.

I have had decent baby sweetcorn - from a local high-street greengrocer. Very sweet, and a lovely crunch. They were packaged with good-quality sugarsnaps.

You are just wrong about sundried tomatoes - a little bit of the Med to brighten a cold winter's day. Admittedly it's fairly difficult to find good-quality ones over here that aren't in oil - we've just finished a packet bought in a market in Provence.

 

[col]

I've only had trout once and I didn't really like the taste of it, not helped by the fact that they'd left the head on so it was staring back at me while I ate it!

The one and only Trout I tried sort of had a soily taste, not very pleasant I thought, as I love haddock or the normal chip shop sort of fish. But my brother in law loved it, unless he was just pretending, as he boasted how good Trout were?

 

[asterix]

Rollmop Herring. Why do it?

 

[srw]

Rollmop Herring. Why do it?

To keep a very tasty and healthy fish, which doesn't freeze well, longer than a day or two.

 

[smutchin]

I once had dinner at Sketch, possibly the most expensive restaurant in London. All I can say is I'm glad I wasn't paying. The meal for two people, including a fairly modest bottle of wine, came to about £300. Now, I don't believe any restaurant meal is worth that kind of money, but this really was over the odds and then some. The worst thing is that I can't remember any of the food. Presentation was quite artistic but most of it didn't really taste of anything. It wasn't particularly good service either.

I've also dined at Nobu, which came to well over £200 (again, I wasn't paying), but at least the food from that occasion lingers in the memory - the scallop sashimi with ginger and the black cod in particular. Definitely not underwhelming.

d.

 

[theclaud]

I have had decent baby sweetcorn - from a local high-street greengrocer. Very sweet, and a lovely crunch. They were packaged with good-quality sugarsnaps.

You are just wrong about sundried tomatoes - a little bit of the Med to brighten a cold winter's day. Admittedly it's fairly difficult to find good-quality ones over here that aren't in oil - we've just finished a packet bought in a market in Provence.

I'd take this more seriously if you hadn't blown it with your opening line...

 

[Paulus]

Back in the 80's, anyone remember Nouvelle Cuisine? Left me cold. Small plates of food type stuff that looked artistic but tasted of not much , and left you wanting more after 3 courses.

 

[col]

Back in the 80's, anyone remember Nouvelle Cuisine? Left me cold. Small plates of food type stuff that looked artistic but tasted of not much , and left you hungryy after 3 courses

The biggest con in food, still is. I think its similar to the" only go to m and s" dilerium.

 

[Maz]

Anyone else for strawberries?
Some taste nice, but the biggest, reddist-looking ones are, well, bland and a complete let-down, and I feel duped.

 

[col]

Anyone else for strawberries?
Some taste nice, but the biggest, reddist-looking ones are, well, bland and a complete let-down, and I feel duped.

The nicest are the belgian ones, dearest too but taste like real strawberries. Cant remember when the season is for these, but somewhere during the summer?

 

[smutchin]

- asparagus? Cooked to perfection, within 10 minutes of harvesting, - to die for! [Same's true for sweetcorn]

Homegrown new potatoes straight out of the ground are nice though.

These points underline a general principle that holds true for most fruit and veg. Asparagus is a special treat that's only worth eating when freshly picked in season (which lasts about three weeks). Preferably from your own garden or allotment. Of course you're going to be disappointed if you've only tried supermarket asparagus, especially the stuff that's airfreighted from South America out of season. Same goes for strawberries.

But even something as mundane as a potato is elevated to a different level when it's fresh out of the ground. Same for carrots, beans, cabbage... Apples too. We have a cox's tree in our garden and a fully ripe fruit straight off the tree is a sublime taste experience. It's easy to forget just how good an apple can be when your tastebuds are jaded by the mediocre experience of supermarket fruit.

d.