Quote ="Big Graeme"No britishfood.about.com/od/glossar ... dfruit.htm'" Well, I've learned something from that ... raisins are actually from white grapes, even though the raisins are dark. I never knew that. Quote ="vbfg"Thank you for your input. I feel chastened and am unlikely to confuse the different types of dried grape ever again.'" I believe you are/were a hiking/walking/outdoorsy sorta guy? A pocketful of sultanas, raisins with a few nuts added is dead handy when you're out on the fells. Better than the broken mintcake or the ageing Mars bar that always turn up in my rucksack pocket, anyway.

Quote ="Big Graeme"No britishfood.about.com/od/glossar ... dfruit.htm'" Well, I've learned something from that ... raisins are actually from white grapes, even though the raisins are dark. I never knew that. Quote ="vbfg"Thank you for your input. I feel chastened and am unlikely to confuse the different types of dried grape ever again.'" I believe you are/were a hiking/walking/outdoorsy sorta guy? A pocketful of sultanas, raisins with a few nuts added is dead handy when you're out on the fells. Better than the broken mintcake or the ageing Mars bar that always turn up in my rucksack pocket, anyway.

Raisins are tough rather than particularly chewy and should only ever be eaten on the verge of death.

Sultanas burst in your mouth, taste vile and should never be eaten.

I have never tried a currant.

Very good natural laxative as I found to my cost when I ate a load when I was a nipper that I found in the kitchen cupboard



Nowadays I eat them in moderation.

I eat mine in teacakes.

Our deli/baker has just changed hands and we've finally got a proper baker again, he even knows what I mean when I ask for breadcakes. His teacakes are amazing, they're about the size of a flat cap and he brings them out of the oven at 09.15, so they're still hot enough to butter & eat without toasting. What's more, he only charges 30p too

My stir fry's are the standard fall-back when I walk in the door and ask all three of them "Whats for my tea then?", invariably the answer is a silence so the wok comes out and five minutes later I'm sat with a huge plate of grub and they're all staring wondering where the hell I got that from.

Stir is the classic bloke meal to cook. I even get the feeling I'm eating healthy whenever I do a stir fry too, forgetting the fact I'm pretty much eating about 3 portions to myself..

Been watching Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations a lot the last few weeks. I'd love to go on some travels with him to eat all the different foods he's trying - and generally loving!

Don't bloody start that again

What?

Teacakes have dried fruit in them.

[size=30If they don't they're bread cakes[/size

Tempted, very tempted ... but I'm saying nowt.

Toast Sandwich ... yes, a piece of toast between two pieces of bread, with butter and seasoning. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15752918 The RSC's Dr John Emsley said: "[iI would emphasise that toast sandwiches are also good at saving you calories as well as money, provided you only have one toast sandwich for lunch and nothing else[/i." Wow, a Sherlockian pronouncement to rival the ultimate Robinson standard.

Toast Sandwich ... yes, a piece of toast between two pieces of bread, with butter and seasoning. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15752918 The RSC's Dr John Emsley said: "[iI would emphasise that toast sandwiches are also good at saving you calories as well as money, provided you only have one toast sandwich for lunch and nothing else[/i." Wow, a Sherlockian pronouncement to rival the ultimate Robinson standard.

Quote ="El Barbudo"Toast Sandwich ... yes, a piece of toast between two pieces of bread, with butter and seasoning. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15752918 The RSC's Dr John Emsley said: "[iI would emphasise that toast sandwiches are also good at saving you calories as well as money, provided you only have one toast sandwich for lunch and nothing else[/i." Wow, a Sherlockian pronouncement to rival the ultimate Robinson standard.'" It would be nice battered and deep-fried Mind you, how many will take this advice literally: [i"I would emphasise that toast sandwiches are also good at saving you calories as well as money, provided you only have one toast sandwich for lunch and nothing else."[/i There must be anorexics consuming more than that a day

Quote ="El Barbudo"Toast Sandwich ... yes, a piece of toast between two pieces of bread, with butter and seasoning. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15752918 The RSC's Dr John Emsley said: "[iI would emphasise that toast sandwiches are also good at saving you calories as well as money, provided you only have one toast sandwich for lunch and nothing else[/i." Wow, a Sherlockian pronouncement to rival the ultimate Robinson standard.'" It would be nice battered and deep-fried Mind you, how many will take this advice literally: [i"I would emphasise that toast sandwiches are also good at saving you calories as well as money, provided you only have one toast sandwich for lunch and nothing else."[/i There must be anorexics consuming more than that a day

Takeaway just ordered because cooking is a no-go tonight.

Prawns on toast with sesame seeds.
Peking spare ribs.
Special house curry with fried rice.

Doorstep delivery, bring it on.

an MSG supper!

never eat food that you can see your reflection in.

Shoite, I would agree, but enjoyable shoite all the same.

don't get me wrong, I used to really enjoy Chinese Food but MSG seems to make me unable to sleep now so I tend to avoid it, we had a local Chinese Restaurant/Take Away that used to pride itself on not using MSG at all, but they've changed that recently.

Don't get me started on Chip Shop Peas and Curry Sauce

I was reading somewhere recently that one of the issues with some processed and junk food is the amounts of MSG in them - far more than in soy sauce. Apparently, at high levels, it can 'switch off' the body's ability to tell itself that it's sated.

I haven't had a Chinese takeaway or been inside a Chinese restaurant in years.

Whereas many "Indian" restaurants, for example, have upped their game in terms of quality, service and ambience, the Chinese ones seem to me to have (in general) stagnated, remaining generic, dull and price-led.

I blame these buffet places, one or two opened up and must have done well because very soon they all turned into them.

I went to one once and it wasn't pleasant, people hung about like vultures waiting for the fresh meat to be brought out, the food was the saltiest things I've ever tasted (and I've swallowed a bit of Dead Sea, and no, that isn't a euphemism) and gluttony was all around.

I woke up at three o'clock in the morning with a mouth like the Gobi Desert.

Someone told me about one recently that's £4.99 for as much as you can eat. What on earth can possibly be in that and what are they paying the poor buggers manning the woks for that?

The first of those self-service Chinese buffet places I ever visited was in the early nineties in Strutton Ground, Westminster.
It was still there and was packed to the rafters last time I passed, a couple of months ago.

I was amused to get a bill there which included a 10% service charge.
For use of the crockery and cutlery presumably.


Anyone been to Cleator Moor, Cumbria?
It's a tiny place consisting of not a great deal more than a couple of terraces of houses.
I drove through it about 20 years ago and was amazed to see it had a Chinese takeaway.
I wondered how they had decided to open up there, of all places.
I mused whether they had looked at a map of Britain with all the Chinese takeaways on it, seen the big gaps in distribution in Cumbria and thought "Aha, a gap in the market, it's Cleator Moor for us !!"

Longtown in Cumbria had an Indian takeaway staffed by two white lads who couldn't see over the counter. I've always regretted not trying it. I did get one from up the road in Gretna once though. Bloody awful it was, almost as bad as the crap they sell in Leeds.

In Leeds you should be eating [url=http://www.sourrain.com/2009/05/09/safran-traditional-persian-cuisine/Persian[/url

mmmmm..... cheap jar olives and anchor butter pats on the plate. Nice.

I'd agree with that - went to Max's original restaurant (behind the Kirkstall Rd fire station) the other week and have to say I was disappointed with it, the food was good but not outstanding but the decor was much the same as it was ten years ago and the whole experience no more than eating a good takeaway on the pavement outside after a pub session on a Friday night - apart from the cost that is, £20 for what was a sweet & sour chicken and some spring rolls for starters is a tad heavy on the wallet.

There's quite a few Persian joints opened up in Leeds recently, must try one of them soon.

Have a butcher's at episode two of [url=http://www.channel4.com/programmes/jamies-great-britain/4od#3251660Jamie's Great Britain[/url. Not only does he partake of Persian in Leeds, he also visits a Leeds micro brewery, owned by an Indian family, with a 26 year old head brewer from Mombai