Food wars: UK vs USA

Nov 15, 2011 3:45:22 PM

Andy Murdock
Lonely Planet Author

Note: Javascript is disabled in your browser.
To see the gallery in all its glory, you'll need to enable Javascript.

View gallery

“It looks like we have food travel on the calendar this month, so I was planning to write a blog post on the best of British food,” said my British colleague Laura.

“That will be a very short list,” said I.

“Pardon me? And what would you put on the American list, fake cheese?” said she, and the argument started from there.

Eventually, we came to the conclusion that both cuisines were undeservedly underrated, but we couldn’t agree on which cuisine was better. It was decided that we would both produce a list of 10 reasons why our home cuisine was better the other and let readers decide which argument was stronger.

British food is undoubtedly better than American food because…

1. It is seasonal. Our food adapts to the inclement British weather, there are as many foodie options as our ever-changing weather, a cold blustery day is perfectly complemented by a hearty winter roast dinner and no summer’s day would be complete without strawberries and cream.

2. The English Breakfast, need I say more? There is no better way to start your Sunday than with bacon, eggs and all the trimmings. Especially if the Sunday follows a heavy Saturday night.

3. British food is fairly healthy on the whole, “veg” being a vital component to most meals, no roast is complete without its two veg, and that doesn’t mean fries!

4. Our food is a great way to explore the country as each region has its own speciality; the Yorkshire pudding, the Devonshire cream tea, Welsh Rarebit…the journey need never stop.

5. Our chefs are as interesting as our food; Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver and of course Delia Smith are British institutions.

6. Christmas dinner-the roast is the classic British meal which many families continue to consider an institution in their week, and of course their Christmas.

7. Experience fish and chips at the seaside, strawberries and cream at Wimbledon, tea at the Ritz. There are endless unmissable experiences which involve food in the UK!

8. Chocolate: our chocolate is unbeatable with both a rich history and taste – plus it doesn’t have melting preventers that make it taste gross!

9. British food is deeply woven into the nation’s history, no more so than curry which is now popularly considered our national dish.

10. We invented the sandwich-no better lunch exists!

American food is undoubtedly better than British food because…

1. We have brunch, America’s very best culinary innovation. It’s not exactly breakfast, nor is it lunch: it’s brunch, and it’s the best of both worlds. Plus you can sleep in on weekends and still eat eggs Benedict at 1:00 pm.

2. The US has a diversity of foods, both homegrown and adopted, that simply cannot be matched by the UK. Tacos to clam chowder to key lime pie to barbecue — the US has range.

3. We have a strict policy: jellied fruit not jellied animals.

4. We understand corn. Mistakenly believed to be animal fodder by our British friends, there’s no end of wonderful foods that can be made from corn, from corn on the cob to corn soufflés to cornmeal crust pizzas to tamales to corn dogs to bourbon.

5. Salads. Some may think that Americans only eat fried things topped with bacon, so they may be surprised to find how important the salad is in American cuisine. It’s true, we love salads, and we love salad bars because we can sneak bacon into our salads when no one is looking.

6. Sandwiches: the British may have invented the word sandwich, but we perfected the sandwich itself. Katz’s Deli — ’nuff said.

7. We saved wine. The British tried to wipe it out by introducing Phylloxera to Europe, so we had to come in and save wine for the rest of the world. This may be a bit of an oversimplification, but you’re welcome nonetheless.

8. Tea is okay if it’s supersaturated with sugar (i.e., sweet tea) or mixed with lemonade (i.e., Arnold Palmer), but coffee is where it’s at. Bad diner coffee beats bad diner tea every time.

9. Our beer is cold, and so is our root beer. British beer = warm. British root beer = dandelion & burdock soda?

10. A famous line from Annie Hall captures the American attitude towards food: “Two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of ‘em says, ‘Boy, the food at this place is really terrible.’ The other one says, ‘Yeah, I know – and such small portions.’” If we fall short on quality, we certainly won’t let you down on portion size.

So what do you say, is American cuisine better than English cuisine or vice-versa?

Let us know what you think on Twitter at @lonelyplanet

——————————————-

If food and travel are your passions, then be sure to sample the many tasty offerings served up by the new Lonely Planet book A Moveable Feast, a 38-course meal of food tales from around the world.

Like this? Sign up to get our best articles by email

Comments

27 October 2010 9:49PM crossy33 Report this comment
Uk food everytime. Theres a couple of "non truths" in that US list, the stuff of legend if you like, warm beer doesnt exist, nor have I ever known it to.
29 October 2010 10:59PM kwikslipgirl Report this comment
USA saved wine did it!! The english and french involment has obviously been lost in history...again!! hahaha! UK food wins everytime. You only need to watch some of the tv shows about American restaurants and food to see that, even with all their diversity, it's basically too big a portion of sub standard fayre! And brunch? How about the All day breakfast! :)
30 October 2010 1:27AM tomstar86 Report this comment
UK food every time! No competition. American food is grease filled and fattening. Just look at the obesity statistics - says it all, really. The Americans take food from other countries, double the size and double the calories. Quantity doesn't equal quality in the case of US "cuisine"!
31 October 2010 3:36PM treasureseeker Report this comment
American food hands down. Due to the freshness of the vegetables, seafood, meats and the variety alone should win. You have 50 states that offer different styles of food. With this much variety and options of course Americans are obese, everything is to die for :)
31 October 2010 9:06PM b4huxley Report this comment
hmmm is this about what tastes better or what is healthier... Strictly speaking the United kingdom is one of the least flavorful places I would pick in europe, the only other area that ranks lower on flavor would have to be the scandanavian region. The Mediteranean is clearly the culinary gem of the European continent, featuring Italy, Greece, Spain, France, and then we throw in germany and bosnian food as well.. The united kingdoms food in comparison to the rest of europe is bland unenticing poorly seasoned and boring.. The UK has some good deserts however and the scones can be good, but the useage and concept of sauces and spices are near pathetic. The united states does have some of its own food, but it wouldnt be what anyone would consider American cooking because well most people havent had real american cooking.
31 October 2010 9:25PM b4huxley Report this comment
Ehem to elaborate further, most people have never even had american food.. American food is things like.. Cajun or creole food, Southern soul food, Hawaiian food, New england food, Cal-Mex, Tex-Mex and Northwestern food, ie Halibut, Salmon the good kind not atlantic, Moose and reindeer. buffalo. Americans utilised corn more then any other culture. America brought the world the turkey as well as gator, aside from that in the us we have other things that are only from the US.. Maple Syrup, Blueberries, Strawberries, and good lord the steaks their are so many different variations its rediculous. And all that about the US taking other peoples cooking.. The arguement for the UKs food mentions curry come on people..
4 March 2011 7:45AM katbuck Report this comment
British is best. I think we English eat a lot healthier than a lot of other countries because the choices are so varied. After 2 weeks in the states I never wanted to eat again, I felt so full and fat - but not in a good way. I felt like I'd shaved 10 years off my life expectancy. It's fine for a couple of days, but at the end I'm always desperate to get back for my Mum's veggie lasagne!
http://travelling-kat.blogspot.com
7 January 2012 10:14PM vegplot Report this comment
There's a great deal of diversity in both and grass roots movements in both countries are to be applauded. Main stream food on the other hand is another matter but on the whole British food wins the day.
We don't taint our milk and meat with growth hormones. We don't have a powerful lobby group trying to outlaw home grown and organic food. We had fish and chips. Tea far out rates coffee. Quality is much more important than quality. We live longer.
Warm beer is full of flavour - cold beer is tasteless. US beer is canoe sex beer (except the micro breweries).
We have puddings and pudding to die for (I'm not talking about spotted dick either).
As for spirits well the US has Jack Daniels and ?
15 February 2012 11:23PM purplepanda Report this comment
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Biscuits-and-gravy.jpg
Nuff' said.
I was reading a Patricia Cornwell novel and she mentioned 'steak and cheese biscuits'. I didn't even know what a steak and cheese biscuit was, as here in the UK it's a sweet treat that we dunk in our tea. Mmmm, tea. Tea solves everything (and it won't mess your nerves up like coffee). I look online and find, to my horror, that it's a kind of scone (which again, in the UK is a sweet treat enjoyed with delicious strawberries and clotted cream) with a load of fake cheese and a lump of steak on it. YUK.
Sorry USA, I love you and everything, have grown up watching your shows and know Times Square like the back of my hand as a result. I feel like I've been to your lovely country and someday I will. But I will never eat your food.
Louise, UK
26 April 2012 6:49AM car0l Report this comment
The southern states eat a lot of fried food, but that is not the whole picture. In the Pacific Northwest we eat lots of seafood and locally grown seasonal fruits and vegetables.
My least favorite aspect of USA food is fast food - and it is on every corner. We have natural and organic foods but often must go to a specialty store to purchase it.
I believe it does not matter if you are dining in the USA or in the UK it is about being selective and making health choices. Quality meat is more abundant in the UK but fruits and vegtables are typically much fresher in the USA.
In Oregon we have seen a big increase in micro brewed beers. We now have a very substantial selection of quality beers. But when it comes to scenery I would prefer to sit almost anywhere in England to enjoy a beer. I can't wait to return.