Joy and Austin: Switzerland to the Backwoods of Arkansas

[Million Children For Jesus]

On June 28, 2017 at 4:59 PM, SapphireSlytherin said:

American here, married to a Brit. The British pub food is VERY GOOD, but I will say that British sausages are NOTHING like American sausages. I can't eat a Full English because of that. It's a huge difference in texture, and a slight difference in taste. I'm also not a fan of fried tomatoes and baked beans mixed with my eggs. lol

I married a Brit, too. (Divorced now.) The best thing that came from that marriage was a full English breakfast. I think it's genius. 

[Million Children For Jesus]

17 hours ago, ButternutSquash said:

My question to Americans is: What is American cheese?? 

One of the ingredients is plastic and it causes diarrhea, but people like it because it never expires, you can keep it on a shelf, you can spray it from a can, you can heat it up in a huge bag inside snack bars and it pours easily from a spicket onto hot dogs, tortilla chips, or French fries with chili. You can't make this kind of thing up. It's disgusting and people love it. It also comes in slices and blocks. It's not even food. I don't go near it, but it's a staple item at youth sports snack bars and a lot of sporting events. 

[LittleOwl]

American cheese sounds horrific.... 

[Marly]

To those who love American cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches: I really recommend you try matured or old Gouda for a grilled cheese sandwich. Seriously, real cheese makes for really awesome grilled cheese sandwiches <3

[Chewing Gum]

Any Dutch cheese is great, really . 

I schudder to think about the 'cheese' Mcdonalds use. 

[Million Children For Jesus]

1 hour ago, LittleOwl said:

American cheese sounds horrific.... 

Yes. It is almost as orange as our President.

[MadeItOut]

10 hours ago, BlessaYourHeart said:

Yeah it works out around 37-42 slices each time. We separate it into batches of 6 and freeze them and defrost as we need. 

I'm in Londonderry 

Awesome! We have a weekend gig coming up in the autumn. I can sense a stock-up shop coming on.

9 hours ago, Iamtheway said:

 

People eat lots of weird things. And Anna has very limited knowledge of other cultures. I can see why she was worried. 

To be fair, us Brits can tend to play on that too. I met Mr MIO's niece (French) a few months back. The night it was my turn to cook, she asked for "something genuinely English", so I said " Toad in a hole?" ...and she went pale. I'm nice, so I did tell her it's not toad, but I wasn't going to tell her any more and colour her judgement. 

Final verdict: "weirdly nice. It kind of works in a really unexpected way". I'll take that as a win.

[MadeItOut]

6 hours ago, Glasgowghirl said:

This thread is bad for the diet and you will be to blame when I buy a full Scottish breakfast before work. Joke love it really

I've lived near Glasgow my whole life and I've never saw a chip shop that does deep fried chocolate bars at least not advertised. I'm not saying it's a myth but it's not something that most Glaswegians eat. Though we do deep fry anything.

Okay, don't shoot me 'cos I know there's 'a thing' between Glasgow and Edinburgh, but I don't understand what... We had ours in Edinburgh and the friend who introduced us to it said it started there? 

...I'm off to hide behind the sofa until I know I've not just accidentally said something very offensive to Glasgow?

4 hours ago, Shadoewolf said:

Hey if we're talking pork let's not forget the very yummy prosciutto!!

 

Ooooo is that the really thin one? That's lovely!

24 minutes ago, Chewing Gum said:

Any Dutch cheese is great, really . 

I schudder to think about the 'cheese' Mcdonalds use. 

You guys might also like this cheese we found in Austria. Oh man, it was awesome!

It was a little, family dairy. You could tour, but it was a functioning dairy too. Afterwards, you could taste (& then buy) the cheese in five year increments up to about 150 years old. It was amazing! Kinda like having a slider so you could find just the right level of nuttiness. I will never forget that trip.

[Million Children For Jesus]

19 hours ago, HarryPotterFan said:

Wait, there is American cheese that's actually cheese? The monstrosity crap is also sold in individually wrapped pieces. How do you tell them apart?

None of the American cheese items are "real" cheese. They will be labeled as "cheese food," "cheese product," or "cheese spread." They do not look, taste, or feel like real cheese. They are bland, shiny, oily, orange, plastic looking, and melt easily, compared to the matte finish, stronger flavors, lighter colors, and denseness of a real cheese.

The "cheese food" is 51% "cheese ingredients," whatever that means, and all of the others are less than 51%. I'm not sure on this, but I think Kraft Deli Deluxe is a "cheese food," and this is what people call "real American cheese." It's still not actually cheese, but the texture and color will be more cheese-like than anything labeled "cheese product."

"Cheese spread" has to be able to melt.

"Cheese product" and "cheese snack" don't have any minimum standards for having cheese as an ingredient, and you can assume that these are mostly oil, coloring, and chemical additives. There are so many additives that it is illegal in some countries to put the word "cheese" on these products.

"Cheese product" has a texture I would describe as solidified Vaseline. This is the cheese that is commonly used for macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese, and cheeseburgers, unless stated otherwise. I made real grilled cheese sandwiches for  an adult once and he couldn't eat it because he was unfamiliar with the texture of real cheese. Real cheese can be dense and flavorful. People are used to the smooth glide of their teeth cutting through soft plastic cheese food, and they like it. To me, it tastes and feels like Vaseline mixed with orange dye and salt.

[Fundie Bunny]

@Million Children For Jesus After Reding that i feel like throwing up 

[Million Children For Jesus]

Just now, Fundie Bunny said:

@Million Children For Jesus After Reding that i feel like throwing up 

Lol, I'm sorry. It really is pretty gross.

Are you in the U.S.? If you want a real cheese, I recommend Amish or European cheeses for hard cheeses. You won't find soft imported cheeses at the grocery store, but you can buy them from artisan shops and online. The fake mozzarella cheese used in frozen pizzas is pretty bad, too, because they want it to melt fast, so it has a nasty amount of additives.  It is hard to find quality soft cheeses in the U.S., but mozzarella is extremely easy to make, and a good use for expired milk. I'm dairy free now anyway, but my kids still eat cheese. 

[Fundie Bunny]

@Million Children For Jesus Nope, spanish here, and I'll probably ask to be buried with goat cheese in my hands 

[Million Children For Jesus]

2 minutes ago, Fundie Bunny said:

@Million Children For Jesus Nope, spanish here, and I'll probably ask to be buried with goat cheese in my hands 

I love that! Haha! My mom's side has been making goat cheese for generations. I will have goats soon, and I won't take any of the baby's milk away from them, but I will use the surplus for goat cheese and soap. 

[Gobsmacked]

8 hours ago, SapphireSlytherin said:

We're flying into Glasgow in September and driving to Fort William to ride the Jacobite Steam Train. Can't wait!!

Bring rainproof clothing, comfy boots and warm jumpers.

[SapphireSlytherin]

6 hours ago, allthegoodnamesrgone said:

This sounds like and Outlander dream trip. 

It's actually a Harry Potter dream trip, but I do want to do the whole Outlander thing at some point, too. I have loved the books, but have only seen part of the first season of the TV series. I've always told my hubby that if Jamie Fraser walks up to me, I'm GONE... lol

Just now, Gobsmacked said:

Bring rainproof clothing, comfy boots and warm jumpers.

Yep. I've experienced the worst (and best!) of UK weather. My boots have hundreds of "it's raining again in the UK" miles on them. lol

[backyard sylph]

This is the ingredient list for Kraft American Cheese slices. Ordinary cheese of infinite variety also abounds in this country; made locally, by large companies, and imported.

Cheddar cheese (milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes)
Whey
Water
Protein concentrate
Milk
Sodium citrate
Calcium phosphate
Milkfat
Gelatin
Salt
Sodium phosphate
Lactic acid as a preservative
Annatto and paprika extract (color)
Enzymes
Vitamin A palmitate
Cheese culture
Vitamin D3

You see that is more than just cheese. But it isn't quite as scary as it is made to sound. It's just a dull melty thing that's inexpensive, and some people are used to it.

 

[Gobsmacked]

1 minute ago, SapphireSlytherin said:

It's actually a Harry Potter dream trip, but I do want to do the whole Outlander thing at some point, too. I have loved the books, but have only seen part of the first season of the TV series. I've always told my hubby that if Jamie Fraser walks up to me, I'm GONE... lol

I'm fighting you for the front of the Jamie Fraser queue !

[Italiangirl]

1 hour ago, SapphireSlytherin said:

It's actually a Harry Potter dream trip, but I do want to do the whole Outlander thing at some point, too. I have loved the books, but have only seen part of the first season of the TV series. I've always told my hubby that if Jamie Fraser walks up to me, I'm GONE... lol

Yep. I've experienced the worst (and best!) of UK weather. My boots have hundreds of "it's raining again in the UK" miles on them. lol

 

1 hour ago, Gobsmacked said:

I'm fighting you for the front of the Jamie Fraser queue !

I'm fighting too. Sorry but i'm on the que from a long time 

[Irene]

Anyone who has a photo of Joys enagment and wedding ring?

[LeftCoastLurker]

Great article on American cheese

http://www.seriouseats.com/2016/07/whats-really-in-american-cheese.html

[allthegoodnamesrgone]

4 hours ago, Marly said:

To those who love American cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches: I really recommend you try matured or old Gouda for a grilled cheese sandwich. Seriously, real cheese makes for really awesome grilled cheese sandwiches <3

Sorry nope, when this American goes looking for the comfort food of a grilled cheese, I don't want nasty grown up cheese (I really hate cheese and to be fair it hates me back I have a low lactose tolerance) I want that processed cheese food in the cellophane wrapper. 

[Four is Enough]

Jamie Fraser? I'll take FRANK.... OMG that voice! those eyes!

[SapphireSlytherin]

13 minutes ago, Four is Enough said:

Jamie Fraser? I'll take FRANK.... OMG that voice! those eyes!

Now see - I really only know Frank through the books. He's by far NOT my favorite...

[Imaginary_Wonderland]

I just started watching Outlander last night so I am liking this thread drift. I have no input just yet on Frank -v- Jamie Fraser after one episode. Now I'm wondering how far ahead is the series in America? Or has there already been more than one season? I have been hearing about the show for a while now.

[Coconut Flan]

4 hours ago, Million Children For Jesus said:

You won't find soft imported cheeses at the grocery store, but you can buy them from artisan shops and online.

It may depend on where you shop.  We have an amazing range of cheese available in this area.

3 hours ago, backyard sylph said:

Ordinary cheese of infinite variety also abounds in this country; made locally, by large companies, and imported.

Definitely.  I've never had a problem finding whatever I wanted once I left the backwoods.