While Traveling About Europe...
Submitted by crimfan on Sun, 07/26/2009 - 2:56pm
So I've been traveling to professional conferences, one at the University of Cambridge and now another at the University of Amsterdam. I haven't cooked a damn thing since I left the US, though I'm staying in one of those "suite" hotels in Amsterdam so there's a small stove and fridge, but no pots or pans.
I've had English food ("oh, joy" for most of it, though some good) for a week. Now in Amsterdam I've had:
-Rather "meh" spaghetti, red sauce and veal meatballs with beer.
-Excellent croissant with excellent coffee and smoked gouda and smoked sausage.
-Nice bread roll, olive oil, green olives, more smoked gouda and smoked sausage, apple, and, of course, more beer.
-Indonesian beef curry thing with fried noodles and a glass of arak.
My Australian friend insisted on going to Coco's Outback (as a joke), but the beer was cheap and good and the food is ridiculously large. You could probably eat one meal for the entire day there. http://www.cocosoutback.com/ This in Rembrandtplein, aka "Vegas in Amsterdam" as it has a bar themed for each culture there, along with super-cheesy tourist hotels.
I shudder to think about weight I might be gaining.
BTW, if you take the trains in Europe---unless it's much more expensive---it is WORTH the first class ticket. Unless you enjoy the whole "rubbing shoulders" thing that is.
Comments
Of course, only the English
Of course, only the English would think of matching up two overcooked eggs, half a fried tomato, dubious hash browns, limply sauteed mushrooms, baked beans(!?!?), a thoroughly overcooked sausage, and---thankfully---really good bacon in the "traditional English breakfast." Comes with a side of cold toast in "white or brown?"
http://www.seriouseats.com/20
http://www.seriouseats.com/2007/02/in-defence-of-british-food.html
But I just don't really see a defense of:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2007/10/serious-sandwiches-the-chip-butty.html
Essentially a poutine
Essentially a poutine variant... and THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.
Really.
Poutine....
Poutine....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine
So you like poutine? I didn't know that (or maybe I just suppressed it). I've never actually HAD poutine but there are sufficient ingredients I would much rather pass on (gravy, cheese curds) that I'll skip it. Cheese curds are nasty and, generally, so is gravy. I don't see the two hooking up in my monde gastronomique.
If you don't like the
If you don't like the ingredients, you're unlikely to like the end product.
I'm a fan of cheese curds. Gravy can be good or bad.
Poutine, in my mind, is one of the ultimate comfort foods.
If you don't like the
If you don't like the ingredients, you're unlikely to like the end product.
Though sometimes there are those alchemical transformations....
I'm a fan of cheese curds.
I grew up in Wisconsin. There's just no friggin' way I'm eating more of those but then again I won't drink milk either.
Gravy can be good or bad.
Mostly bad, but a good jus on the other hand.
Poutine, in my mind, is one of the ultimate comfort foods.
Huh. Wouldn't touch it with a 10' pole. I've had enough of the variants of gravy-on-fries to extrapolate and cheese curds are definitely no help.
About the only things I put on fries: hot sauce, malt vinegar, steak sauce, worster sauce, or very occasionally ketchup. I almost never eat more than half of what I'm given, as well.
Oh, stepped on the scale
Living on coffee and alcohol had one benefit: I *lost* weight.
Maybe I should switch to this diet at home.... Coffee in the morning, beer for lunch, coffee in the afternoon with a side of sambuca, beer for dinner followed by more coffee and brandy. Skip the solids entirely.