I've only been in London for two weeks, and already I've encountered a slew of rather interesting cultural food decisions. Admittedly, some of the food I've tried has tasted better than others. Here are the 5 most memorable dishes I've consumed!
1) Chips. I don't mean potato chips; no, I'm talking big, thick steak fries. Chips in England are generally very large and not as salty as most Americans are used to. They are absolutely delicious, however, and way better than most fries served in the US.
2) Yorkshire pudding. Which is, by the way, not real pudding. It's essentially a sugar-less donut in both look and taste... until you realize it's served with meat and covered in gravy. Perhaps my own personal distaste for gravy stunted my ability to enjoy this good, but I most confess that the Yorkshire pudding wasn't really to my taste. Give me English chips over Yorkshire pudding any day!
3) A cheese plate. Not so unusual, right? After all, we serve this in the states as an hors d'oeurve or an appetizer. In England, however, you're far more likely to see a cheese plate listed as a dessert, and not just in the posh restaurants. They serve you three or four really strong cheeses with crackers and biscuits - aka shortbread cookies. I've never eaten cheese on a cookie before, but I must admit that it was better than expected.
4) Scones. Again, we have these in the US, but we tend to stick with simple flavors: blueberry, chocolate chip, plain... I stumbled across a mint and green pea scone with basil and cream cheese on top. Let me tell you, you have not been adventurous until you've tried something that out of the box. It was interesting (certainly better than the salmon and walnut scone, but I dislike fish), however the flavors were almost too overwhelming.
5) Rabbit. Yeah, I ate little bunny foo-foo. I was given a rabbit's leg - on the bone - and a stew with kidney beans and vegetables. The rabbit itself wasn't bad; it was a little tough in texture, and it tasted like a chewy chicken. That being said, it was a weird experience, especially since we have such a perception about rabbits in the United States to be adorable little creatures. The entire time I was eating, I couldn't get over the fact that in the US, we might have made this bunny someone's pet. The meal was delicious, but I don't think I'll be ordering it again.