>I commented on that months ago. When has HE ever eaten with the common folk, and not at 10 Downing St. or Buck House. So how would HE know what we're all scoffing in out own kitchens. Besides, the French I've known whilst on holiday all seem to be stuffing themselves with french-fries by the bucket-load. :-)

While it's been some years since my last visits to the UK, I got the feeling the spread between the quality of high priced and low priced restaurants is more marked and somewhat shifted in the UK. You can get great food at prices not horrendous, but elevated - especially if you decide to try something other than pig. But the other food can be horrendous to continental taste buds which are used a lot of things from all over the globe: at a fish and chips shop the chips were fried in the fish oil. Seeing the propriator frying the chicken the next guy ordered in the same oil made me reconsider any plans to eat something there <g>. Or a pizza consisting of nothing but sauce bolognese and some cheese in the middle. Even in the chinese and indian food shops the quality difference between "good" and "lousy" felt more marked than in other countries.

my 0.02 EUR

thomas