Diet of the drunken English is so bland. Food is better in Soweto, Oliver tells French

[Guest guest]

Jamie Oliver has portrayed the English as a nation of beer-guzzling cultural illiterates who live on a diet of dreary food munched in front of wide-screen televisions.

In an interview with a French magazine, the 33-year-old celebrity chef decries his nation’s materialism, binge drinking and unrefined palates and declares the country’s diet “blandâ€.

The chef’s outburst comes just days after he insulted Germans when he appeared to suggest that it was odd that a nation which had overseen the Holocaust should be upset by scenes from his recent television series, Jamie’s Fowl Dinners, which showed battery chickens being gassed.

In an interview in the latest edition of Paris Match, Oliver laments that, unlike France, England has lost its gastronomic traditions and that he could find better food in an African slum than in an English shop. Commenting on the fact that 80 per of the English no longer sit around a dinner table, Oliver says: “It’s true in the centre of London and in the big northern cities. It’s linked to the new poverty.

“It’s nothing to do with famine or war – quite the opposite. England is one of the richest countries in the world,†he said.

“The people I’m telling you about have huge TV sets – a lot bigger than mine – they have state-of-the-art mobile phones, cars, and they go and get drunk in pubs at the weekend. Their poverty shows in the way they feed themselves.

“I found the cooking of the inhabitants of the slum in Soweto in South Africa a lot more diverse than ours. It’s true! I’m going to be harsh, but I think a lot of English people’s food lacks heart. It’s bland.â€

To the suggestion that the English can’t savour food because they drink too much, Oliver responds: “It’s true. Historically we’ve never produced wine. We have a culture of alcohol and we’re more beer orientated: the only people who drink more than us are the Irish and the Scottish.â€

Asked by the French interviewer Mariana Grepinet how British and French cuisine compared, Oliver says: “In the past, British cuisine was similar to Italian cuisine nowadays, without the pasta and risotto. Steam cooking, grilled meat, herbs, spices – we used to cook fabulous dishes. It’s all in the past.

“Unlike French people, and I regret it, we lost our traditions. In gastronomy, the world evolves and changes.

And right in front of us, isolated from everything, you have France, where nothing changes. It’s not a judgment, it’s an observation. In terms of grand restaurants, it seems to me that only one country competes with France, and that's Japan.†Oliver is planning a new series for French television.

Taste for trouble

— In 2005, Oliver was criticised for slaughtering a fully conscious lamb on one of his television shows

— In 2006, he apologised to dinner ladies for painting them in a bad light in his school meals TV series

— In January this year he said sorry to Sainsbury’s staff after criticising the supermarket for failing to join in a live debate on chicken welfare

— He sparked anger last week with a jocular remark on the Holocaust after German complaints about how he gassed chicks on television

Source: Times archive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have your say

 

 

 

 

it's often forgotten that it was the English taught the French how to cook. the truth is the French don't cook much any more and rely alot on ready meals. a lot of nonesense is talked about French food I had a French wife and she couldn't cook for toffees

 

peter c, devizes, wessex

 

Oh how true. The sooner the majority of people in this country make more effort with food the better. It's all very well complaining that we can'y afford local sustainable sources but we have spent the last 20 years spending a fortune on ways of being lazier. The criticism is fully justified.

 

Stephen McC, Crowborough,

 

As french ,I am shocked by Oliver 's completely fool critics . Has he never been visiting France ? I have lived several years in England and have noticed how better is english cooking and how better respected are culinary traditions in many places in this country .It 's not the case in french ones .

 

francoise, pau, france

 

Peter vvSend instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.

[Guest guest]

weird cuz the few times i saw his show, he emphasized the veggies, one show was all vegetarian...guess just happened to catch the good ones

dinner table...ours is under a pile of books....

Peter VV Aug 25, 2008 9:21 AM Re: Diet of the drunken English is so bland. Food is better in Soweto, Oliver tells French

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jamie Oliver has portrayed the English as a nation of beer-guzzling cultural illiterates who live on a diet of dreary food munched in front of wide-screen televisions.

In an interview with a French magazine, the 33-year-old celebrity chef decries his nation’s materialism, binge drinking and unrefined palates and declares the country’s diet “blandâ€.

The chef’s outburst comes just days after he insulted Germans when he appeared to suggest that it was odd that a nation which had overseen the Holocaust should be upset by scenes from his recent television series, Jamie’s Fowl Dinners, which showed battery chickens being gassed.

In an interview in the latest edition of Paris Match, Oliver laments that, unlike France, England has lost its gastronomic traditions and that he could find better food in an African slum than in an English shop. Commenting on the fact that 80 per of the English no longer sit around a dinner table, Oliver says: “It’s true in the centre of London and in the big northern cities. It’s linked to the new poverty.

“It’s nothing to do with famine or war – quite the opposite. England is one of the richest countries in the world,†he said.

“The people I’m telling you about have huge TV sets – a lot bigger than mine – they have state-of-the-art mobile phones, cars, and they go and get drunk in pubs at the weekend. Their poverty shows in the way they feed themselves.

“I found the cooking of the inhabitants of the slum in Soweto in South Africa a lot more diverse than ours. It’s true! I’m going to be harsh, but I think a lot of English people’s food lacks heart. It’s bland.â€

To the suggestion that the English can’t savour food because they drink too much, Oliver responds: “It’s true. Historically we’ve never produced wine. We have a culture of alcohol and we’re more beer orientated: the only people who drink more than us are the Irish and the Scottish.â€

Asked by the French interviewer Mariana Grepinet how British and French cuisine compared, Oliver says: “In the past, British cuisine was similar to Italian cuisine nowadays, without the pasta and risotto. Steam cooking, grilled meat, herbs, spices – we used to cook fabulous dishes. It’s all in the past.

“Unlike French people, and I regret it, we lost our traditions. In gastronomy, the world evolves and changes.

And right in front of us, isolated from everything, you have France, where nothing changes. It’s not a judgment, it’s an observation. In terms of grand restaurants, it seems to me that only one country competes with France, and that's Japan.†Oliver is planning a new series for French television.

Taste for trouble

— In 2005, Oliver was criticised for slaughtering a fully conscious lamb on one of his television shows

— In 2006, he apologised to dinner ladies for painting them in a bad light in his school meals TV series

— In January this year he said sorry to Sainsbury’s staff after criticising the supermarket for failing to join in a live debate on chicken welfare

— He sparked anger last week with a jocular remark on the Holocaust after German complaints about how he gassed chicks on television

Source: Times archive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have your say

 

 

 

it's often forgotten that it was the English taught the French how to cook. the truth is the French don't cook much any more and rely alot on ready meals. a lot of nonesense is talked about French food I had a French wife and she couldn't cook for toffees

 

peter c, devizes, wessex

 

Oh how true. The sooner the majority of people in this country make more effort with food the better. It's all very well complaining that we can'y afford local sustainable sources but we have spent the last 20 years spending a fortune on ways of being lazier. The criticism is fully justified.

 

Stephen McC, Crowborough,

 

As french ,I am shocked by Oliver 's completely fool critics . Has he never been visiting France ? I have lived several years in England and have noticed how better is english cooking and how better respected are culinary traditions in many places in this country .It 's not the case in french ones .

 

francoise, pau, france

 

Peter vvSend instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.

 

 

 

 

With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably.

[Guest guest]



Maybe he's right about some people. Personally I don't drink - I don't have a wide-screen telly and am not well off. I do like healthy food, as do most people I know!

 

Jo

 

 

-

Peter VV

Monday, August 25, 2008 5:21 PM

Re: Diet of the drunken English is so bland. Food is better in Soweto, Oliver tells French

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jamie Oliver has portrayed the English as a nation of beer-guzzling cultural illiterates who live on a diet of dreary food munched in front of wide-screen televisions.

In an interview with a French magazine, the 33-year-old celebrity chef decries his nation’s materialism, binge drinking and unrefined palates and declares the country’s diet “blandâ€.

The chef’s outburst comes just days after he insulted Germans when he appeared to suggest that it was odd that a nation which had overseen the Holocaust should be upset by scenes from his recent television series, Jamie’s Fowl Dinners, which showed battery chickens being gassed.

In an interview in the latest edition of Paris Match, Oliver laments that, unlike France, England has lost its gastronomic traditions and that he could find better food in an African slum than in an English shop. Commenting on the fact that 80 per of the English no longer sit around a dinner table, Oliver says: “It’s true in the centre of London and in the big northern cities. It’s linked to the new poverty.

“It’s nothing to do with famine or war – quite the opposite. England is one of the richest countries in the world,†he said.

“The people I’m telling you about have huge TV sets – a lot bigger than mine – they have state-of-the-art mobile phones, cars, and they go and get drunk in pubs at the weekend. Their poverty shows in the way they feed themselves.

“I found the cooking of the inhabitants of the slum in Soweto in South Africa a lot more diverse than ours. It’s true! I’m going to be harsh, but I think a lot of English people’s food lacks heart. It’s bland.â€

To the suggestion that the English can’t savour food because they drink too much, Oliver responds: “It’s true. Historically we’ve never produced wine. We have a culture of alcohol and we’re more beer orientated: the only people who drink more than us are the Irish and the Scottish.â€

Asked by the French interviewer Mariana Grepinet how British and French cuisine compared, Oliver says: “In the past, British cuisine was similar to Italian cuisine nowadays, without the pasta and risotto. Steam cooking, grilled meat, herbs, spices – we used to cook fabulous dishes. It’s all in the past.

“Unlike French people, and I regret it, we lost our traditions. In gastronomy, the world evolves and changes.

And right in front of us, isolated from everything, you have France, where nothing changes. It’s not a judgment, it’s an observation. In terms of grand restaurants, it seems to me that only one country competes with France, and that's Japan.†Oliver is planning a new series for French television.

Taste for trouble

— In 2005, Oliver was criticised for slaughtering a fully conscious lamb on one of his television shows

— In 2006, he apologised to dinner ladies for painting them in a bad light in his school meals TV series

— In January this year he said sorry to Sainsbury’s staff after criticising the supermarket for failing to join in a live debate on chicken welfare

— He sparked anger last week with a jocular remark on the Holocaust after German complaints about how he gassed chicks on television

Source: Times archive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have your say

 

 

 

it's often forgotten that it was the English taught the French how to cook. the truth is the French don't cook much any more and rely alot on ready meals. a lot of nonesense is talked about French food I had a French wife and she couldn't cook for toffees

 

peter c, devizes, wessex

 

Oh how true. The sooner the majority of people in this country make more effort with food the better. It's all very well complaining that we can'y afford local sustainable sources but we have spent the last 20 years spending a fortune on ways of being lazier. The criticism is fully justified.

 

Stephen McC, Crowborough,

 

As french ,I am shocked by Oliver 's completely fool critics . Has he never been visiting France ? I have lived several years in England and have noticed how better is english cooking and how better respected are culinary traditions in many places in this country .It 's not the case in french ones .

 

francoise, pau, france

 

Peter vvSend instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.

[Guest guest]

You'd be surprised of the number of people who think that eating fried potatoes everyday is part of a healthy mediterrainian diet and wont let anything green come on their plates, 'cause it might start crawling...--- On Mon, 8/25/08, jo.heartwork <jo.heartwork wrote:jo.heartwork <jo.heartworkRe: Diet of the drunken English is so bland. Food is better in Soweto, Oliver tells French Date: Monday, August 25, 2008, 5:51 PM

 



Maybe he's right about some people. Personally I don't drink - I don't have a wide-screen telly and am not well off. I do like healthy food, as do most people I know!

 

Jo

 

 

-

Peter VV

@gro ups.com

Monday, August 25, 2008 5:21 PM

Re: Diet of the drunken English is so bland. Food is better in Soweto, Oliver tells French

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jamie Oliver has portrayed the English as a nation of beer-guzzling cultural illiterates who live on a diet of dreary food munched in front of wide-screen televisions.

In an interview with a French magazine, the 33-year-old celebrity chef decries his nation’s materialism, binge drinking and unrefined palates and declares the country’s diet “blandâ€.

The chef’s outburst comes just days after he insulted Germans when he appeared to suggest that it was odd that a nation which had overseen the Holocaust should be upset by scenes from his recent television series, Jamie’s Fowl Dinners, which showed battery chickens being gassed.

In an interview in the latest edition of Paris Match, Oliver laments that, unlike France, England has lost its gastronomic traditions and that he could find better food in an African slum than in an English shop. Commenting on the fact that 80 per of the English no longer sit around a dinner table, Oliver says: “It’s true in the centre of London and in the big northern cities. It’s linked to the new poverty.

“It’s nothing to do with famine or war – quite the opposite. England is one of the richest countries in the world,†he said.

“The people I’m telling you about have huge TV sets – a lot bigger than mine – they have state-of-the- art mobile phones, cars, and they go and get drunk in pubs at the weekend. Their poverty shows in the way they feed themselves.

“I found the cooking of the inhabitants of the slum in Soweto in South Africa a lot more diverse than ours. It’s true! I’m going to be harsh, but I think a lot of English people’s food lacks heart. It’s bland.â€

To the suggestion that the English can’t savour food because they drink too much, Oliver responds: “It’s true. Historically we’ve never produced wine. We have a culture of alcohol and we’re more beer orientated: the only people who drink more than us are the Irish and the Scottish.â€

Asked by the French interviewer Mariana Grepinet how British and French cuisine compared, Oliver says: “In the past, British cuisine was similar to Italian cuisine nowadays, without the pasta and risotto. Steam cooking, grilled meat, herbs, spices – we used to cook fabulous dishes. It’s all in the past.

“Unlike French people, and I regret it, we lost our traditions. In gastronomy, the world evolves and changes.

And right in front of us, isolated from everything, you have France, where nothing changes. It’s not a judgment, it’s an observation. In terms of grand restaurants, it seems to me that only one country competes with France, and that's Japan.†Oliver is planning a new series for French television.

Taste for trouble

— In 2005, Oliver was criticised for slaughtering a fully conscious lamb on one of his television shows

— In 2006, he apologised to dinner ladies for painting them in a bad light in his school meals TV series

— In January this year he said sorry to Sainsbury’s staff after criticising the supermarket for failing to join in a live debate on chicken welfare

— He sparked anger last week with a jocular remark on the Holocaust after German complaints about how he gassed chicks on television

Source: Times archive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have your say

 

 

 

it's often forgotten that it was the English taught the French how to cook. the truth is the French don't cook much any more and rely alot on ready meals. a lot of nonesense is talked about French food I had a French wife and she couldn't cook for toffees

 

peter c, devizes, wessex

 

Oh how true. The sooner the majority of people in this country make more effort with food the better. It's all very well complaining that we can'y afford local sustainable sources but we have spent the last 20 years spending a fortune on ways of being lazier. The criticism is fully justified.

 

Stephen McC, Crowborough,

 

As french ,I am shocked by Oliver 's completely fool critics . Has he never been visiting France ? I have lived several years in England and have noticed how better is english cooking and how better respected are culinary traditions in many places in this country .It 's not the case in french ones .

 

francoise, pau, france

 

Peter vvSend instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger .

[Guest guest]

I had the same impression and I found his initiative to make kids eat more veggies just laudable. Interestingly the grown-ups were not always that cooperative.--- On Mon, 8/25/08, fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote:fraggle <EBbrewpunxRe: Diet of the drunken English is so bland. Food is better in Soweto, Oliver tells French Date: Monday, August 25, 2008, 2:39 PM

 

 

weird cuz the few times i saw his show, he emphasized the veggies, one show was all vegetarian.. .guess just happened to catch the good ones

dinner table...ours is under a pile of books....

Peter VV Aug 25, 2008 9:21 AM @gro ups.com Re: Diet of the drunken English is so bland. Food is better in Soweto, Oliver tells French

 

 

 

 

 

Jamie Oliver has portrayed the English as a nation of beer-guzzling cultural illiterates who live on a diet of dreary food munched in front of wide-screen televisions.

In an interview with a French magazine, the 33-year-old celebrity chef decries his nation’s materialism, binge drinking and unrefined palates and declares the country’s diet “bland”.

The chef’s outburst comes just days after he insulted Germans when he appeared to suggest that it was odd that a nation which had overseen the Holocaust should be upset by scenes from his recent television series, Jamie’s Fowl Dinners, which showed battery chickens being gassed.

In an interview in the latest edition of Paris Match, Oliver laments that, unlike France, England has lost its gastronomic traditions and that he could find better food in an African slum than in an English shop. Commenting on the fact that 80 per of the English no longer sit around a dinner table, Oliver says: “It’s true in the centre of London and in the big northern cities. It’s linked to the new poverty. “It’s nothing to do with famine or war – quite the opposite. England is one of the richest countries in the world,” he said.

“The people I’m telling you about have huge TV sets – a lot bigger than mine – they have state-of-the- art mobile phones, cars, and they go and get drunk in pubs at the weekend. Their poverty shows in the way they feed themselves.

“I found the cooking of the inhabitants of the slum in Soweto in South Africa a lot more diverse than ours. It’s true! I’m going to be harsh, but I think a lot of English people’s food lacks heart. It’s bland.”

To the suggestion that the English can’t savour food because they drink too much, Oliver responds: “It’s true. Historically we’ve never produced wine. We have a culture of alcohol and we’re more beer orientated: the only people who drink more than us are the Irish and the Scottish.”

Asked by the French interviewer Mariana Grepinet how British and French cuisine compared, Oliver says: “In the past, British cuisine was similar to Italian cuisine nowadays, without the pasta and risotto. Steam cooking, grilled meat, herbs, spices – we used to cook fabulous dishes. It’s all in the past.

“Unlike French people, and I regret it, we lost our traditions. In gastronomy, the world evolves and changes.

And right in front of us, isolated from everything, you have France, where nothing changes. It’s not a judgment, it’s an observation. In terms of grand restaurants, it seems to me that only one country competes with France, and that's Japan.” Oliver is planning a new series for French television.

Taste for trouble

— In 2005, Oliver was criticised for slaughtering a fully conscious lamb on one of his television shows

— In 2006, he apologised to dinner ladies for painting them in a bad light in his school meals TV series

— In January this year he said sorry to Sainsbury’s staff after criticising the supermarket for failing to join in a live debate on chicken welfare

— He sparked anger last week with a jocular remark on the Holocaust after German complaints about how he gassed chicks on television

Source: Times archive

 

 

 

 

 

Have your say

 

 

 

it's often forgotten that it was the English taught the French how to cook. the truth is the French don't cook much any more and rely alot on ready meals. a lot of nonesense is talked about French food I had a French wife and she couldn't cook for toffees

 

peter c, devizes, wessex

 

Oh how true. The sooner the majority of people in this country make more effort with food the better. It's all very well complaining that we can'y afford local sustainable sources but we have spent the last 20 years spending a fortune on ways of being lazier. The criticism is fully justified.

 

Stephen McC, Crowborough,

 

As french ,I am shocked by Oliver 's completely fool critics . Has he never been visiting France ? I have lived several years in England and have noticed how better is english cooking and how better respected are culinary traditions in many places in this country .It 's not the case in french ones .

 

francoise, pau, france

 

Peter vvSend instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger . With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably.

[Guest guest]

On the BBC text it reported this as Jamie Oliver portrayed the ~UK~

etc. So I think not just the English!

 

JO

 

, Peter VV <swpgh01 wrote:

>

> Jamie Oliver has portrayed the English as a nation of beer-guzzling

cultural illiterates who live on a diet of dreary food munched in

front of wide-screen televisions.

> In an interview with a French magazine, the 33-year-old celebrity

chef decries his nation’s materialism, binge drinking and unrefined

palates and declares the country’s diet “blandâ€.

> The chef’s outburst comes just days after he insulted Germans

when he appeared to suggest that it was odd that a nation which had

overseen the Holocaust should be upset by scenes from his recent

television series, Jamie’s Fowl Dinners, which showed battery

chickens being gassed.

> In an interview in the latest edition of Paris Match, Oliver

laments that, unlike France, England has lost its gastronomic

traditions and that he could find better food in an African slum than

in an English shop. Commenting on the fact that 80 per of the English

no longer sit around a dinner table, Oliver says: “It’s true in

the centre of London and in the big northern cities. It’s linked to

the new poverty.

> “It’s nothing to do with famine or war †" quite the opposite.

England is one of the richest countries in the world,†he said.

> “The people I’m telling you about have huge TV sets †" a lot

bigger than mine †" they have state-of-the-art mobile phones, cars,

and they go and get drunk in pubs at the weekend. Their poverty shows

in the way they feed themselves.

> “I found the cooking of the inhabitants of the slum in Soweto in

South Africa a lot more diverse than ours. It’s true! I’m going

to be harsh, but I think a lot of English people’s food lacks

heart. It’s bland.â€

> To the suggestion that the English can’t savour food because they

drink too much, Oliver responds: “It’s true. Historically we’ve

never produced wine. We have a culture of alcohol and we’re more

beer orientated: the only people who drink more than us are the Irish

and the Scottish.â€

> Asked by the French interviewer Mariana Grepinet how British and

French cuisine compared, Oliver says: “In the past, British cuisine

was similar to Italian cuisine nowadays, without the pasta and

risotto. Steam cooking, grilled meat, herbs, spices †" we used to

cook fabulous dishes. It’s all in the past.

> “Unlike French people, and I regret it, we lost our traditions.

In gastronomy, the world evolves and changes.

> And right in front of us, isolated from everything, you have

France, where nothing changes. It’s not a judgment, it’s an

observation. In terms of grand restaurants, it seems to me that only

one country competes with France, and that's Japan.†Oliver is

planning a new series for French television.

> Taste for trouble

> †" In 2005, Oliver was criticised for slaughtering a fully

conscious lamb on one of his television shows

> †" In 2006, he apologised to dinner ladies for painting them in a

bad light in his school meals TV series

> †" In January this year he said sorry to Sainsbury’s staff after

criticising the supermarket for failing to join in a live debate on

chicken welfare

> †" He sparked anger last week with a jocular remark on the

Holocaust after German complaints about how he gassed chicks on

television

> Source: Times archive

> * Have your say

> it's often forgotten that it was the English taught the French how

to cook. the truth is the French don't cook much any more and rely

alot on ready meals. a lot of nonesense is talked about French food I

had a French wife and she couldn't cook for toffees

> peter c, devizes, wessex

> Oh how true. The sooner the majority of people in this country make

more effort with food the better. It's all very well complaining that

we can'y afford local sustainable sources but we have spent the last

20 years spending a fortune on ways of being lazier. The criticism is

fully justified.

> Stephen McC, Crowborough,

> As french ,I am shocked by Oliver 's completely fool critics . Has

he never been visiting France ? I have lived several years in England

and have noticed how better is english cooking and how better

respected are culinary traditions in many places in this

country .It 's not the case in french ones .

> francoise, pau, france

>  

> Peter vv

>

> Send instant messages to your online friends

http://uk.messenger.

>

[Guest guest]

I suppose they do :-|

 

I'm a great believer in broccoli (or cauliflower, cabbage, brussel

sprouts, swede or turnip) every day.

 

Jo

 

, Beatriz <searchingalight

wrote:

>

> You'd be surprised of the number of people who think that eating

fried potatoes everyday is part of a healthy mediterrainian diet and

wont let anything green come on their plates, 'cause it might start

crawling...

>

>

>

> --- On Mon, 8/25/08, jo.heartwork <jo.heartwork wrote:

> jo.heartwork <jo.heartwork

> Re: Diet of the drunken English is so bland.

Food is better in Soweto, Oliver tells French

>

> Monday, August 25, 2008, 5:51 PM

>

>

>

>

>



>

>

> Maybe he's right about some people. 

> Personally I don't drink - I don't have a wide-screen telly and am

not well

> off.  I do like healthy food, as do most people I know!

>  

> Jo

>  

>

> -

>

> Peter VV

>

> @gro ups.com

> Monday, August 25, 2008 5:21

> PM

> Re: Diet of the

> drunken English is so bland. Food is better in Soweto, Oliver

tells

> French

>

Jamie Oliver has portrayed the English as a nation of beer-

guzzling

> cultural illiterates who live on a diet of dreary food munched in

front of

> wide-screen televisions.

> In an interview with a French magazine, the 33-year-old celebrity

chef

> decries his nation’s materialism, binge drinking and unrefined

palates and

> declares the country’s diet “blandâ€.

> The chef’s outburst comes just days after he insulted Germans

when he

> appeared to suggest that it was odd that a nation which had

overseen the

> Holocaust should be upset by scenes from his recent television

series,

> Jamie’s Fowl Dinners, which showed battery chickens being

gassed.

> In an interview in the latest edition of Paris Match, Oliver

laments

> that, unlike France, England has lost its gastronomic traditions

and that he

> could find better food in an African slum than in an English

shop. Commenting

> on the fact that 80 per of the English no longer sit around a

dinner table,

> Oliver says: “It’s true in the centre of London and in the

big northern

> cities. It’s linked to the new poverty.

> “It’s nothing to do with famine or war †" quite the

opposite. England is one

> of the richest countries in the world,†he said.

> “The people I’m telling you about have huge TV sets †" a lot

bigger than

> mine †" they have state-of-the- art mobile phones, cars, and

they go and

> get drunk in pubs at the weekend. Their poverty shows in the way

they feed

> themselves.

> “I found the cooking of the inhabitants of the slum in Soweto

in South

> Africa a lot more diverse than ours. It’s true! I’m going to

be harsh, but I

> think a lot of English people’s food lacks heart. It’s

bland.â€

> To the suggestion that the English can’t savour food because

they drink too

> much, Oliver responds: “It’s true. Historically we’ve never

produced wine. We

> have a culture of alcohol and we’re more beer orientated: the

only people who

> drink more than us are the Irish and the Scottish.â€

> Asked by the French interviewer Mariana Grepinet how British and

French

> cuisine compared, Oliver says: “In the past, British cuisine

was similar to

> Italian cuisine nowadays, without the pasta and risotto. Steam

cooking,

> grilled meat, herbs, spices †" we used to cook fabulous dishes.

It’s all in the

> past.

> “Unlike French people, and I regret it, we lost our traditions.

In

> gastronomy, the world evolves and changes.

> And right in front of us, isolated from everything, you have

France, where

> nothing changes. It’s not a judgment, it’s an observation. In

terms of grand

> restaurants, it seems to me that only one country competes with

France, and

> that's Japan.†Oliver is planning a new series for French

television.

> Taste for trouble

> †" In 2005, Oliver was criticised for slaughtering a fully

conscious lamb on

> one of his television shows

> †" In 2006, he apologised to dinner ladies for painting them in

a bad light

> in his school meals TV series

> †" In January this year he said sorry to Sainsbury’s staff

after criticising

> the supermarket for failing to join in a live debate on chicken

welfare

> †" He sparked anger last week with a jocular remark on the

Holocaust after

> German complaints about how he gassed chicks on television

> Source: Times archive

>

>

>

Have your

> say

>

>

>

> it's often forgotten that it was the English

> taught the French how to cook. the truth is the French don't cook

much any

> more and rely alot on ready meals. a lot of nonesense is talked

about French

> food I had a French wife and she couldn't cook for toffees

>

> peter c, devizes, wessex

>

> Oh how true. The sooner the majority of

> people in this country make more effort with food the better.

It's all very

> well complaining that we can'y afford local sustainable sources

but we have

> spent the last 20 years spending a fortune on ways of being

lazier. The

> criticism is fully justified.

>

> Stephen McC, Crowborough,

>

> As french ,I am shocked by Oliver 's

> completely fool critics . Has he never been visiting France ? I

have lived

> several years in England and have noticed how better is english

cooking and

> how better respected are culinary traditions in many places in

this country

> .It 's not the case in french ones .

>

> francoise, pau,

> france

>  

>

> Peter vv

> Send instant messages

> to your online friends http://uk.messenger .

>

[Guest guest]

He is an omnivore, and loves his meat, but he does believe we should

all eat a lot of vegetables. He grows his own, and he gives good

hints and tips in his programme. I think he's worth having on the

telly - better than Delia Smith, and that horror Gordon Ramsay.

 

Jo

 

 

, Beatriz <searchingalight

wrote:

>

> I had the same impression and I found his initiative to make kids

eat more veggies just laudable. Interestingly the grown-ups were not

always that cooperative.

>

>

> --- On Mon, 8/25/08, fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote:

> fraggle <EBbrewpunx

> Re: Diet of the drunken English is so bland.

Food is better in Soweto, Oliver tells French

>

> Monday, August 25, 2008, 2:39 PM

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

weird cuz the few times i saw his show, he emphasized the veggies,

one show was all vegetarian.. .guess just happened to catch the good

ones

> dinner table...ours is under a pile of books....

>

>

>

>

> Peter VV

> Aug 25, 2008 9:21 AM

> @gro ups.com

> Re: Diet of the drunken English is so bland.

Food is better in Soweto, Oliver tells French

>

>

>

Jamie Oliver has portrayed the English as a nation of beer-guzzling

cultural illiterates who live on a diet of dreary food munched in

front of wide-screen televisions.

> In an interview with a French magazine, the 33-year-old celebrity

chef decries his nation's materialism, binge drinking and unrefined

palates and declares the country's diet " bland " .

> The chef's outburst comes just days after he insulted Germans when

he appeared to suggest that it was odd that a nation which had

overseen the Holocaust should be upset by scenes from his recent

television series, Jamie's Fowl Dinners, which showed battery

chickens being gassed.

> In an interview in the latest edition of Paris Match, Oliver

laments that, unlike France, England has lost its gastronomic

traditions and that he could find better food in an African slum than

in an English shop. Commenting on the fact that 80 per of the English

no longer sit around a dinner table, Oliver says: " It's true in the

centre of London and in the big northern cities. It's linked to the

new poverty.

> " It's nothing to do with famine or war – quite the opposite.

England is one of the richest countries in the world, " he said.

> " The people I'm telling you about have huge TV sets – a lot bigger

than mine – they have state-of-the- art mobile phones, cars, and they

go and get drunk in pubs at the weekend. Their poverty shows in the

way they feed themselves.

> " I found the cooking of the inhabitants of the slum in Soweto in

South Africa a lot more diverse than ours. It's true! I'm going to be

harsh, but I think a lot of English people's food lacks heart. It's

bland. "

> To the suggestion that the English can't savour food because they

drink too much, Oliver responds: " It's true. Historically we've never

produced wine. We have a culture of alcohol and we're more beer

orientated: the only people who drink more than us are the Irish and

the Scottish. "

> Asked by the French interviewer Mariana Grepinet how British and

French cuisine compared, Oliver says: " In the past, British cuisine

was similar to Italian cuisine nowadays, without the pasta and

risotto. Steam cooking, grilled meat, herbs, spices – we used to cook

fabulous dishes. It's all in the past.

> " Unlike French people, and I regret it, we lost our traditions. In

gastronomy, the world evolves and changes.

> And right in front of us, isolated from everything, you have

France, where nothing changes. It's not a judgment, it's an

observation. In terms of grand restaurants, it seems to me that only

one country competes with France, and that's Japan. " Oliver is

planning a new series for French television.

> Taste for trouble

> — In 2005, Oliver was criticised for slaughtering a fully conscious

lamb on one of his television shows

> — In 2006, he apologised to dinner ladies for painting them in a

bad light in his school meals TV series

> — In January this year he said sorry to Sainsbury's staff after

criticising the supermarket for failing to join in a live debate on

chicken welfare

> — He sparked anger last week with a jocular remark on the Holocaust

after German complaints about how he gassed chicks on television

> Source: Times archive

>

>

>

Have your say

>

>

>

> it's often forgotten that it was the English taught the French how

to cook. the truth is the French don't cook much any more and rely

alot on ready meals. a lot of nonesense is talked about French food I

had a French wife and she couldn't cook for toffees

>

> peter c, devizes, wessex

>

> Oh how true. The sooner the majority of people in this country make

more effort with food the better. It's all very well complaining that

we can'y afford local sustainable sources but we have spent the last

20 years spending a fortune on ways of being lazier. The criticism is

fully justified.

>

> Stephen McC, Crowborough,

>

> As french ,I am shocked by Oliver 's completely fool critics . Has

he never been visiting France ? I have lived several years in England

and have noticed how better is english cooking and how better

respected are culinary traditions in many places in this

country .It 's not the case in french ones .

>

> francoise, pau, france

>  

>

> Peter vv

> Send instant messages to your online friends

http://uk.messenger .

>

With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech

censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied,

chains us all irrevocably.

>