Question to Brits

[Walsingham]

Ironically, historically England has done well for cooking. Right up until WW1...

 

Simple food doesn't need to be lacking in flavour you just need good meat and fresh rough grown vegetables. Roasted grass fed lamb, nutty boiled potatoes, garden peas, a dab of mustard...

 

Anyway, that aside, I guess it really depends on what you are like as a person. What's your perfect day, and how does it go for your family?

[Humodour]

Pidesco doesn't appreciate good food.

 

[Nepenthe]

At least you have Burger King, unlike Finland.

[Darth InSidious]

Apparently we also invented lasagne.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasagna

 

Wikipedia tells me that's an urban legend. Hah!

This lasagne says that wikipedia is an urban legend.

[Syraxis]

At least you have Burger King, unlike Finland.

 

Finland's better off without it.

[Nepenthe]

At least you have Burger King, unlike Finland.

 

Finland's better off without it.

 

You should see what we DO have.

[Monte Carlo]

I think we invented lasagne, just a sort of flour-and-water gruel version with bits of pork floating in it.

 

To be honest, classic British cooking is pared-down Italian - simple seasonal food that relies on the provenance of the ingredients - i.e. game, roasted meat, cheese etc. Italian food is better because of the climate and Monica Bellucci.

[Raithe]

It all depends on which period you talk about.. back in Henry VIII day, England was the grand cuisine center of the known (european) world... The Victorian era had a lot of wide influences brought back.. but it's really been the 20th century that's seen us slide back to the view of bad food by the rest of the world...

[Nightshape]

At least you have Burger King, unlike Finland.

 

Hesburger > Burger king.

[Nightshape]

The whole England and bad food thing is a pile of crap.

 

Bad food, look to the French.

[Tigranes]

I'm seriously considering the UK for my PhD - I'm still scoping things out because I don't know much about UK unis, but what are your impressions about the following unis, and more relevantly, how it is to live around there?

 

-> Westminster

-> Warwick

-> LSE

 

I really only know Oxbridge, to my shame, so I'm doing a lot of research, but the top 2 are said to be great for my field.

[Monte Carlo]

Westminster - slap bang in the middle of London, it's probably a funky place to be an under-graduate student but as a deadly serious scholar actually seeking to work? Uh-oh. Plus, hideously expensive. on the plus side, it's where I live and I will happily buy you a beer.

 

Warwick - a pretty town in a pleasant part of the country but for me a tad provincial and I can't comment too much on the Uni, but it is seen as a credible academic institution.

 

LSE - Seen as a hot-bed of shouty, radical student politics, our friend Lord of Flies would be very happy here. Extremely credible academically, it's still slap-bang in the middle of London thus humungously expensive in terms of living costs. Then again, if you are going to live in the Uk for a couple of years why not reach for the stars and live in one of the world's genuinely bat**** crazy 21st century metropolis?

 

What subject are you studying? British university cities are generally provincial but having said that I don't know anybody who went to Manchester who didn't absolutely love it. Personally, if I had to study again tomorrow I'd be heading West (Bath, Exeter, Bristol) for the scenery and chiled out vibe or to York (fabulous walled city, historic, scenic, lots of friendly and attractive local chicks).

 

Cheers

MC

Edited August 4, 2010 by Gorth
Spelling errors

[Tigranes]

Media studies. Academically I'm pretty sure I have a good shot at admission to just about anywhere that teaches it, but the big stickler is funding - I'm not rich and my family isn't either. I passed on a MA at NYU because I couldn't afford it and the bastards offer basically nothing to internationals. I'm going to apply to about a dozen places and see if anybody will give me enough to eke out a living.

 

Due to the nature of the degree, and I've been in NZ forever, I wouldn't mind London or NY or some other horrendously noisy metropolis, if not for the cost.

 

I'm still checking unis out so no doubt a lot more names will float up in the future. Of course, I'm using the bloody Guardian rankings to go by...

[Monte Carlo]

OK. I also suppose it depends on what you want to do with your degree. If you want to work in media then go to London. End of. Period.

 

My wife worked in the industry for fifteen years, London is to Uk media what the West Midlands used to be to UK manufacturing industry. If you are serious I will provide advice as to where to live etc, within a modest scholarly stipend.

[Tigranes]

I am very serious, intent is to land for the 2011 year, as my masters is nearing the finish line. I'll apply to the 3 listed above, and a few others - I'm checking out King's right now.

 

I'm not a journo / TV producer kind of media person, more a research/analysis deal, but yes, I want to work as consultant / analyst / etc., not bloody go into professorship straight off the bat. London would probably be the best, though a professor here who worked in the UK (De Montfort) mentioned a few other places - East Anglia, Sussex, Reading. None are too far away, from my memory? There's Leeds but that's bloody miles out.

 

My only requirements in living environments are that (1) I can afford it, (2) I can play some football, (3) there bloody well better be some real Indian food to be had. If I can go watch the Arsenal all the better.

[Gorth]

bloody

bloody

bloody

bloody

Your UK English is getting bloody good!

[Walsingham]

I don't want to pee on your chips, Tigs, but there's feth all funding for PhDs knocking around. Or at least those which can't prove some serious industry or scientific credibility.

 

I think it would be awesome to have you come over. But you need to be told about the money.

[Tigranes]

I guess you'd know all about this, Wals. Yeah, funding's the bit I think is the big big problem, and with PhD you're competing with all the bloody fourty year olds with experience and credibility trying to do theirs - uh, no offence.

 

At least I'm NZ, so part of the commonwealth. Where're you doing yours and how excruciating was getting funding? Or that's too much personal detail?

[Walsingham]

:)My example isn't really applicable because

 

a) I've been invited to do a PhD by the university

b) my tutors have committed to getting me funding from their own contacts

c) I have my own contacts I'm hitting up

d) In extremis I could probably self-finance

e) I'm likely to end up doing it part time

 

~

 

The best advice I can give is to clarify both your objective and method as far as possible, then look for industry partners who will benefit directly from the work. Many seem more interested in technical work that they can understand using information technology. If you work a technical angle in it is also possible you can get EPSRC funding.

 

A very good university I've had dealings with is Bath University, and they are quite famous. I've also just been doing some work with professors from Brunel University which is a lot less famous, but could be a bargain.

[Nepenthe]

At least you have Burger King, unlike Finland.

 

Hesburger > Burger king.

 

The impossibility of that equation had me stuck in a time/space continuum loop for a week.

 

Random droppings from an outhouse coated with too much mayonnaise = Hesburger

[Nightshape]

At least you have Burger King, unlike Finland.

 

Hesburger > Burger king.

 

The impossibility of that equation had me stuck in a time/space continuum loop for a week.

 

Random droppings from an outhouse coated with too much mayonnaise = Hesburger

 

Haven't had a single decent burger from Burger King, I honestly can't think of anywhere that I've been in the world that despite location deals up crap food like Burger King. Hesburger really is superior.

 

Which reminds me, the last Burger King I had made me ill.

[Hurlshort]

I had a Fat Burger awhile back, that was a good burger.

[Monte Carlo]

Wendy's was the best, the used to serve square hamburgers in the UK which is wacky but in a good way. Especially if you like geometry and processed meat snacks.

 

Talking of which, the UK took the doner kebab to it's dangerously cholestorol-choked heart. Forget burgers, the traditional apres-beer repast of the proud Englishman is a large doner, extra-strength chilli sauce and chips.

[Nightshape]

Wendy's was the best, the used to serve square hamburgers in the UK which is wacky but in a good way. Especially if you like geometry and processed meat snacks.

 

Talking of which, the UK took the doner kebab to it's dangerously cholestorol-choked heart. Forget burgers, the traditional apres-beer repast of the proud Englishman is a large doner, extra-strength chilli sauce and chips.

 

I was always more of an A&W man, but you could never get those in the UK... Anyways... You're right about the doner kebab, I get cravings but I have them under control.

[Nepenthe]

Haven't had a single decent burger from Burger King, I honestly can't think of anywhere that I've been in the world that despite location deals up crap food like Burger King. Hesburger really is superior.

 

Which reminds me, the last Burger King I had made me ill.

 

As did the last Hesburger product I had to eat.

 

Strange, it's hardly gourmet, but in my personal experiences Burger King has beat whatever we have available on the fastfood burger market. Of course, there's really nothing like a Hilton Bacon Burger, but at 20 euros + drinks, it's not exactly in the same ballpark.

 

Guess it's just the greener grass and all that.