>The old common misconception that British food is rubbish. Do people think that we go to restaurants to eat "pie and mash"? We have some of the top restaurants in the world and most of us eat Chinese or Indian for a "take-away". A good number of restaurants over here are now also the American imports: e.g. TGI Friday, Fatty Arbuckles, Pizza Hut and, of course, the upside-down yellow "W", so nuff said about that. OK for convenience our kids might get chicken drummers and smiley-face potato things, at home, but I think the States aren't much better on that score. And have you ever been to a French supermarket? they have tins of "cassoulet" - some insipid "stew" with white haricot beans in it. For all their talk of fine eating, they eat french fries by the bucket-load (most ordinary restaurants serve these as the vegetable) and a typical meal might be pate with bread, followed by horse steak and fries. Not all French eat at gourmet places.
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>Chirac speaks sheer cack.

What's more, whenever he comes over to Britain he only ever eats at the Palace, or Tony's crib! What would HE know of British cuisine. I don't know about Finnish fare - Shark's Finn Soup? Finndus Fish Fingers?