The Food Thread ...

[PigsnieLite]

... In which we shall post all our stomuchy thoughts.

Wid this is mind .. READ & LETS ALL MOVE TO SCOTLAND!

Ah, Scotland! The Moors, the Braes, the Fried Pizza
By LIZETTE ALVAREZ

LASGOW - As dinner sizzled and popped inside a vat of grease at Jaconelli's Fish and Chips, Deborah Ski, a customer eyeing the thick macaroni and cheese, did not mince words about Scotland's poor health.

Smoking is one reason for Scotland's "sick man of Europe" tag, she said. But another was staring her in the face: deep fried pizza, covered in a coating of batter for added crunch, sometimes doused with salt and vinegar or soupy gravy.

"It soaks up the grease like a sponge," Ms. Ski said. "It's heart attack material there."

The smorgasbord of Scottish indulgences goes on: fried fish, fried sausage and fried hamburger, also encased in batter. There was fried haggis (sheep stomach's bag) and fried black pudding (boiled pig's blood in intestines). If vegetables are required, French fries, or chips, are on offer, the saltier the better. For dessert, the fried Mars bar can be ready in no time, although not at Jaconelli's, where the concoction is ridiculed as a media-hyped fad.

"We're brought up on rubbish and, as parents, we give our children rubbish to eat," Ms. Ski said at the fish and chips shop, known as a chippie, in Mary Hill, a working-class enclave of Glasgow. Life today is a mad rush, she said, and few people have time for a proper sit-down dinner. "There just isn't anywhere to go to get something quick that isn't rubbish."

Paul Jaconelli, the owner, grimaced when he spoke of the 100 fried pizzas he sells a week, or the fact that there are 10 chippies on one stretch of Mary Hill road, not to mention the Chinese and curry take- outs. "To eat healthy costs more money," he said, "and there is a wee bit of laziness, as well. People are not as active as they should be here and they don't cook as much at home."

It does not help that Scotland also enjoys its cigarettes (nearly 30 percent of adults smoke) and despises its exercise, either because people lack time, money or motivation. In Glasgow, the situation is even worse. Glaswegians, as a whole, are viewed as the unhealthiest of the lot, mostly because they are among the poorest.

Twice Glasgow has been named the "fattest city" in Britain by Men's Fitness magazine. Its obesity rates are fast approaching those in the United States, and its rates of heart disease and cancer, while improving, still rank among the worst in Western Europe. "People are living on French fries up here," said Matt Qvortrup, a professor of sociology and public policy at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.

Calling the state of his country's health "lamentable," First Minister Jack McConnell, the Labor leader who heads the Scottish government, has made the issue a priority. Trying to improve Scots' health has also given him a chance to show how the country's five-year-old government can take the lead on social issues, rather than shuffle behind England.

There is certainly plenty of room for improvement. While noting that Scotland's health is slowly getting better, a 2003 study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that from 1991 to 1995 the mortality rate in Scotland due to all causes was the worst in Western Europe among people of working age, and lung cancer mortality rates have been the highest in Western Europe since the 1950's, with few exceptions.

In a chart that ranks Scotland among 17 Western European nations, the country led in heart disease deaths from 1991 to 1995, the most recent comparable figures available, and came in second for stroke and lung cancer deaths.

In 2000, life expectancy for men was 72.8 and for women 78.3.

"If the countries of the United Kingdom were regarded as separate entities, then life expectancy in Scotland would, for women, be the lowest" in Western Europe, "and for men, the second lowest after Portugal," the report's introduction said.

Mr. McConnell's riskiest move in his new campaign came when he announced he would introduce a bill by Christmas to ban smoking in all public places, including pubs. The legislation, which will fine lawbreakers from $97 to $4,800, would take effect by April. If the law passes as expected, Scotland will be the first country in Britain to ban smoking from all public places (except nursing homes and prisons), despite surveys that show most people here oppose an outright prohibition. Ireland became the first European country to ban smoking in public places earlier this year, and England is proposing a less stringent ban for 2008.

Scotland has also taken steps to fight obesity, particularly among children. Last year, it greatly increased financing for lunches at schools, most of which dole out atrocious fried kiddie meals, soft drinks and junk food. A number of schools now offer more fruits and vegetables, although getting the children to eat them is another matter.

The government is legislating on others fronts, as well. I In a bill that few politicians opposed but many columnists lampooned, Parliament recently wrote into law a mother's right to breast-feed. While the rate is increasing, Scotland still has among the lowest levels of breastfeeding in Europe; in some pockets of the country only 26 percent of mothers nurse their children. Many mothers try to nurse at birth, and some stick with it for a while, but by 45 days only 35 percent are still nursing. Eighty percent of mothers in Norway, the country with the best rate, are still breast-feeding after six months. In the United States, the six-month rate is 32 percent.

At Harvey's Bar, across the street from Jaconelli's chippie, the pub is thick with smoke. The regulars - smokers and abstainers - sit around with pints or the odd whiskey, agreeing to disagree on the merits of the government's efforts to improve their health.

"If the nanny state doesn't look after us, who will?" said Charlie Mackay, 55, a nonsmoker who guffaws at the idea of seeing all the pub smokers puffing on the sidewalk. "I don't like the government decreeing things, but sometimes it's for our own good."

Angie Ralston, who sat smoking at the same table, said she would stay home more. "I will miss the social aspects but I definitely won't come here," she said. "Why should I come here and pay to drink when I can't smoke?"

A few smokers said the measure might persuade them to cut back or quit. But most wondered whether it would even be enforceable. "People will defy the law," said John McLeod, 39, who sat puffing and drinking with friends. "There's not a law in Glasgow that doesn't get broken."

[PigsnieLite]

Why does my stumach rumble after I just had 8 slices of sausage, 2 cups of fruit juice, 3 slices of French bread & a coffee mocha drink? Shouldnt yer stumach rumble only if youre hungry?

[Avril]

Hmm, could it be....in protest?

Just a guess.

[PigsnieLite]

[readert]

It seems your tongue and stomach are enemies...

[PigsnieLite]

Heres somethin cheerful from a Britoosh institution! Fortunately we are more adventurous than roasted parsnips. Didnt realize the mulled wine had so many calries though. Eeek.

CHRISTMAS DINNER: Total = 956 calories, 48g fat

Roast turkey (90g) = 149 calories, 4g fat
Roast potatoes (85g) = 127 calories, 4g fat
Stuffing (100g) = 231 calories, 15g fat
Bread sauce (45g) = 42 calories, 1g fat
Roast parsnips (90g) = 102 calories, 6g fat
Boiled carrots = 14 calories, 0g fat
Boiled brussels = 32 calories, 1g fat
Gravy (50g) = 17 calories, 1g fat
Cranberry sauce (30g) = 45 calories, 0g fat
Pork sausage (20g) = 62 calories, 5g fat
Bacon (40g) = 135 calories, 11g fat

EXTRAS
1 slice of Christmas cake (70g) = 249 calories, 8g fat
1 portion of chocolate log (30g) = 101 calories, 3g fat
1 portion of cheese and biscuits = 394 calories, 27g fat
1 portion of mixed nuts (40g) = 243 calories, 22g fat
1 portion Christmas pudding (100g), custard and brandy butter = 587 calories, 22g fat
1 mince pie and double cream = 368 calories, 25g fat
1 glass of mulled wine = 245 calories, 0g fat

Source: British Nutrition Foundation

[Tyler]

A few days ago, late at night before I lay asleep in my manger, I started watching a show about Her Royal Majesty's food.. and how chefs prepare for her, etc.

Nothing surprising came about.. but a couple interesting things to note.. one guy said something about... the proper English tradition or curtosy when eating is to always eat everything on your plate, and if you're still hungry, ask for more.. so that is why they serve small portions.. is this true?

The Queen and other stupid royals are pretty rude when visiting other places.. they bring their own food with them all the time, and when other countries cook for them, lots of times they refuse it because they are stupid...

[PigsnieLite]

I think Prince Charles or his two sons are not like that -- they eats whut other countries prepare for them -- Prince Charles in particular is a pretty good diplomat. Now Prince Philip can be incredibly rude & ignorunt -- calling foreigners rude names. Im not sure about the how the Queens foreign dining habits -- I do believe she is quite limited in her foodie tastes, preferring plain ENglish fare.

We always get small portions here in Europe -- only America serves those gargantuan platters filled wid potatoes, steaks, chickuns & more potatoes. Not that thats bad, mind you. Heheh.

[readert]

I think pLite belongs in some bistro in Disneyland, CA.

RT

[PigsnieLite]

If its a European style bistro, then they will haf small portions too. [PLite delicately picks away at his fish taco.]