Heartache. I haz it.
FULLY aware that in fact, I could make my own salsa, I bought some in a jar anyway. Mostly to make your heads explode but also just because I had to know if there was any chance whatsoever that I could be lazy about this particular life necessity. Why not take the easy way out whenever possible?
Well, this experiment resulted not in a jar of anything remotely resembling “salsa”, but rather a big trough of FAIL. I love England, I really do. But their outrageous betrayal of a poor innocent Texan is truly unforgivable.
It tastes like someone squirted a bottle of ketchup into a jar and then mixed in a few bits of chopped onion, slapped “fiery” and “hot” on the label, laughed until they passed out, and called it a day. Truly a befouling of the Mexican nationality; if I were Mexican, I’d consider this a hate crime.
“Truly a befouling of the Mexican nationality; if I were Mexican, I’d consider this a hate crime.”
Email me your shipping address and we’ll fix you right up!
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:20 amESTHeh, Ketchupy concern……..
I just knew that would be the result once you found some, there is no way in the world that the hottest Salsa available in the UK is anywhere near Taco Bell’s mild sauce.
I think you need to set up a donation fund to import some real Salsa.
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:49 amESTMeh. Throw it out and make some Rach. You’ll get used to it and good at it in short order. Assuming you can find everything you need.
Stiff upper lip and all that. There is a time when each of us must make a stand. Clearly, your time is now.
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:53 amESTThe English sure do have cruelty down to a fine art form, torturing you like that.
I wonder what it would cost to ship a 55-gallon drum of the real thing…?
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:56 amEST(And by “the real thing,” I mean the mass-produced variety of the real real thing: homemade salsa fresca.)
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:58 amESTSo basically I feel grateful for cheap somewhat spicy salsa I get at my local 7-11. Thank you I feel better!
March 2nd, 2009 at 5:02 amESTStay away from Bearnaise sauce made by Epic. I’m pretty sure it’d be an easy product to find in your “neck of the woods,” Rachel. That is, of course, unless you are once again looking for badly tasting “tartare” sauce. It was awful - the Bearnaise sauce. I tasted it, DH tasted it, then I tossed the entire jar.
Oh, sure. I could make my own Bearnaise sauce - just like you can make your own Salsa. Of course, I need to be able to buy butter first…
March 2nd, 2009 at 5:26 amESTI once had Tex-Mex, or what they called Tex-Mex, in Michigan…it was ketchup on ground beef.
Get one of those hydroponic grow systems…you can grow your own jalapenos and cilantro.
March 2nd, 2009 at 5:44 amESTDon’t say you weren’t warned, Rachl Lukis. I’m too lazy to look, but I seem to remember the word ketchup coming up in the comments (probably buried between “hey, you know what? you could make your own salsa” comments.)
And does England have any truth in advertising laws?
March 2nd, 2009 at 5:55 amESTI lived in Blighty for a year+. I could make a list of things you won’t find but it would depress you.
The good news, I found last week, is that you can go to Guacho’s and get a real burger .. for only 14 quid.
The Scottish beef burger at Sticky Fingers is good too.
Whenever I go to England I take hot sauce because there is none there.
-XC
March 2nd, 2009 at 6:26 amESTThis doesn’t surprise me. In general, the British are known for their bland food.
March 2nd, 2009 at 7:04 amESTAh yes. The joys of regional food. I remember arriving in New Hampshire to take up a new job years ago. The first night I was too tired to be fussy or look for a place to eat, so I walked across the street and entered a rather fancy seafood establishment. All seafood restaurants have a land lovers menu item or two, right?
Sure ’nuff. I ordered the spaghetti, the only non-seafood item on the menu, and got back an undrained mass of sticky pasta on top of which the “chef” had emptied a can of Hunt’s tomato sause. It was disgusting. It also turned out to be an omen. I never did have good Italian food again, except on the rare occasions I got to Boston.
Don’t even ask about Chinese– I attended the grand opening of a new Chinese restaurant one fine summer day and the only seasoning that had been allowed to contact anything cooked there was MSG.
So, I do sympathize. The only way out is to look at it as an adventure and an opportunity to experience a whole new way of looking at food.
I am writing a book about my experiences with New Hampshire cuisine called Fear of Flavor …
March 2nd, 2009 at 7:08 amESTIt’s almost worse than not having any “salsa” at all. To get your hopes up like that, and then deliver such epic disappointment is really unforgivable.
P.S. Speaking of condiments in England, I look forward to your upcoming post on the many “areas of concern” regarding Bovril.
March 2nd, 2009 at 7:28 amESTWhat you really need are some habaneros.;-) See if Pepper Joe’s mails seeds to Merry Old. They have all kinds of peppers from “not hot” to “call the poison control centre I think I’m gonna die!!!”. Then you can grow your own.
March 2nd, 2009 at 7:35 amESTDon’t know whether or not garden space is available to you, but I know gardening is HUGE in the U.K.; so fresh produce shouldn’t be hard to get. Making your own isn’t rocket science. If you like it hot, don’t make the mistake we did. We scooped the seeds out of the peppers and ended up with super mild salsa. Still tasty tho.
March 2nd, 2009 at 7:41 amESTAhh, Rachel, Rachel. As one of the Hispanic persuasion (we’re very persuasive) you have my sympathies. I remember the hot stuff from my youth back in the 70s. My mom would make it in a little black stone grinder with a little egg shaped stone. She’d pick the chilis from our back yard and grind away. Some of the most fiery stuff you could put on your food. It went great with eggs in the morning and - Are you crying?! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’ll stop! HEY! How about those chaps from Manchester United! (crap…)
March 2nd, 2009 at 7:46 amESTCurious as to what the British version of Tabasco sauce tastes like.
March 2nd, 2009 at 8:02 amESTRachel,
You have found a brilliant new career. You could be the Paula Deen of Jolly Old England. Homemade salsa..bottle it and wham!!! That British food network will be on it in a flash….
Just sayin’
March 2nd, 2009 at 8:03 amESTThere are some members of my family who hold the quaint notion that food shouldn’t hurt. I honestly question how I could be related to them. Maybe I was adopted.
I used to work with a guy who swore that “ketchup is a spice.” Wimp.
I can almost picture the commercial should a real salsa try to market itself in England. It’s a blatant rip off of an old Pace commercial but it’d still work. A bunch of cowboys are sitting around a campfire at the end of the day. The cook brings out a bottle of British salsa like the one you showed. “British salsa! Get a rope!”
March 2nd, 2009 at 8:17 amESTTL-
March 2nd, 2009 at 8:18 amESTWhere in Michigan? They’ve imported enough pickle-pickers over the years that, in my experience, decent Mexican is fairly easy to get. I first ate Mexican from a trailer at the Croswell Fair. All of the adults were sure I’d die of food poisoning, but I thrived.
If you’re based somewhere in Hampshire (and I’m guessing you are) you should be able to pick some of this up - I’m a big fan of the Chillirissa. This place used to have a stall at Borough market in London, but don’t appear to anymore. Still in loads of [local] shops though.
March 2nd, 2009 at 8:33 amESTIn regards to making your own, I have this sneaking feeling that cilantro may be hard to come by, even if you can locate chiles.
March 2nd, 2009 at 8:40 amESTJeffrey Quick–
I was visiting Ann Arbor about 5 years ago. The weird thing was all of the workers were Hispanic (though I didn’t ask them “are you all Mexicans?”) Don’t know about the owners.
I guess they’d become assimilated or the Michiganders complained about spiciness, because it sucked.
March 2nd, 2009 at 8:43 amESTCilantro is everywhere. We just call it In an ethnic supermarket you can buy whole armfuls for a quid - in a normal super market you buy enough for say two meals for the same. Even my village (population 600 people) shop has bunches (albeit slightly more expensive)
March 2nd, 2009 at 8:45 amESTHow depressing. I had a “taco” in Edinburgh that was made with meat that had been simmered in some sort of barbecue sauce.
Rachel, maybe you should go into the import business.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:03 amESTReading The Salsa Travails just cracks me up. Not to belittle Rachl’s agony of deprivation or anything, but it’s seriously funny stuff.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:07 amESTWell your problem. It’s not Tex-Mex salsa. It is a Californian salsa:
I started Discovery Foods in 1989, we sold just three original-recipe sauces and imported tortillas and tortilla chips from Mexican food companies in California.
I guess he couldn’t import Mexican food from Mexico? But it gets worse:
In February 2007, I brought in a new partner, a large, family owned Swedish business also involved in producing tortillas, sauces and seasonings
Swedish tortillas… I’m lost for words.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:33 amESTThey’re made with lutefisk!
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:37 amESTI saw this quick n easy recipe and thought of you (and thought of trying it myself, as well):
1 large can diced tomatoes (seriously, use the canned kind. Fresh does not work here.)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp jarred jalapeno peppers (with juice… again, fresh doesn’t work here. Less if you’re a wimp.)
A few fresh cilantro leaves (to taste. I like a lot, like a handfull.)
salt (to taste.)
Put it all in a food processor and blend. You want it slightly chunky but still all mixed in.
Refrigerate at least an hour (better overnight.)
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:39 amESTRachel as you like Hot Spicey Food find a Good Local Indian Restauant and order the Hot Vinderloo.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:46 amESTOn the flip side, Mexicans probably can’t make decent chip butty and bangers & mash. Oh, wait, nobody can.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:55 amESTI second the idea of Rachel making her own salsa and selling it to the Brits. Three flavours. Mild…Hot…and CHINGA TU MADRE!
Start small Rache…just a few jars, passed around to your neighbors (sorry, neighbours) and the word of mouth will get you going. Can you imagine Dame Nawty Gull getting her first taste?
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:55 amESTThey’re made with lutefisk!
The piece of Cod which passeth all understanding.
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:03 amESTIf you’re gonna make your own Salsa, make sure you get your chillis from an ethnic supermarket. They’re super cheap and actually have some heat. I shit you not, I once had a curry from a Palestinian place that made me hallucinate from how hot it was. You can buy birds eye chillis in most regular supermarkets, but their claims of extra hot status are only correct if you’re a total wuss.
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:17 amESTIf you can’t be arsed making your own, try and find a Costco, get one of their giant tubs of fresh salsa and add extra chillis till you get your desired heat. Costco’s also pretty good for finding things like creamer and also hot dogs that actually taste like the ones you get in the US.
I saw a PBS special where chef Martin Yan (of Yan Can Cook, and Wok with Yan) did a cooking tour of England. In Liverpool, he met with a fishmonger and his wife with a cooking setup on the docks to make something with the daily catch, which was crab. He made a crab curry dish in his wok, but the interesting part was when he went through his list of ingredients. The two Brits had never HEARD of garlic - didn’t have a clue what it was. Don’t expect any concept of hot and spicy.
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:37 amESTi must confess, i have never understood the concept of “painful” food. i also happen to DESPISE the actual flavor of jalapenos. leaves me out of the entire burn-your-face-off/jalapeno-in-everything food club.
have you tried clotted cream? 15 years after a vacation in england clotted cream is still her fondest memory of the trip.
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:54 amESTI live in a medium sized town about 45 minutes from Ann Arbor. We have several good Mexican restaurants here. Most of them serve the Tex-Mex style of Mexican cooking but one serves a more Central Mexico style. The salsas offered by these places range from seasoned ketchup to blow off the top of your skull. You just have to ask for something a little hotter, lol.
Sorry you can’t do that in (not so)Great Britain.
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:09 amESTBritish society may be going into the crapper buy when they mess with salsa…well…bastards.
How hard could it be to make a decent salsa and put it in a jar?
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:18 amESTAnother issue is that the “hot salsa” includes lime juice. This is sort of like throwing ice into hot coffee.
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:32 amESTWe know that you know that it is possible to make salsa at home. What you have been slow to realize is that you will have to make your own salsa. That is your fate and there is no sense in trying to fight it. Fresh coriander (cilantro) is widely available in the U.K. from what I am told.
Maybe you could become the salsa queen of the U.K., selling your homemade stuff to the masses and going on to fame and fortune.
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:33 amESTIt’s the Health & Safety madness.
You should hie thee somewhere like and try Dave’s Insanity Sauce, or Scorned Woman, rather than supermarket pap. They also sell American sauces.
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:35 amESTFunny. Brits are big curry fans. Hot curry fans. They know heat. So they should like some decent salsa, I’d think.
Which means there’s a business opportunity for you. Start manufacturing some serious salsa for those poor deprived folks. You’ll be rich and famous(er)!
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:48 amESTThese discussions always bring back bland recollections of a pizza that was served in a Redhill establishment one evening, lo, these eighteen years ago. Mr. Hill is half Italian, so naturally, when we saw the option on the menu, we ordered the “extra garlic.”
*sigh*
I can only assume that what they did was hold their delicate noses while someone carefully uncapped the scary garlic, waved it at the pizza — twice instead of once! — and quickly capped it again before it contaminated the premises (had to be dried — fresh would probably have necessitated special handling equipment, followed by ritual cleansing with Yorkshire pudding).
The Tandoori place in the same town, however, rocked!
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:01 pmESTDude, You can’t get good salsa anywhere outside of NM. Seriously. We have better chili than anywhere.
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:15 pmESTThe chili in Mexico sucks, and it probably is what you got in England. We just got back from Cancun, and the stuff they said was liquid fire was put on my scrambled eggs with a tablespoon. Didn’t even get a runny nose. The waiters all freaked out, and literally were watching me to see if I would pass out.
We are spoiled in NM and TX, but even TX doesn’t have the good stuff.
We have a restaurant here called Los Cuates, that has sweet hot chili salsa. Let me know if you need a jar shipped out to you. It is hot though, enough so that you feel high after you eat from the endorphins, and the flavor, OMG so good.
While in 1989 California was still considered part of the US, thing have changed since then.
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:27 pmESTSeriously, try those mexican food import websites I posted in the last salsa post. There are places that will ship in real mexican food to england. The prices weren’t even all that bad.
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:29 pmESTMrs Hill, I feel your pain.
Nearly 30 years ago I ordered a pizza at a shop off the high street in Oxford.
I was amused when the waiter placed a knife and spoon before me.
Then the pizza arrived….
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:31 pmESTYou and I are on the same page. I’ll quote my husband: You shouldn’t be fighting with your food.
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:32 pmESTJust wait until you order nachos in a pub! Sigh. I lived in Britain in ‘07 before my husband got out of the Royal Marines and let me tell you, they have no clue how to make Mexican food! My parents would ship me the ingredients :o)
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:36 pmESTI wonder if that ketchupy arrangement could be used as a base, though. Add a little of this and that? It’s all very well to be able to DIY, but quick and dirty has its own virtue at the end of a long day!
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:43 pmESTHeh. You were warned. For future salsa making sessions get scotch bonnet chillis, they are the hottest ones on general sale, though you can get hotter speciality chillis on the net.
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:48 pmESTI have to disagree with Hank. The Brits love curry, but they don’t usually favor the really hot kinds. The most popular curry over there is Chicken Tikka Masala, which is very mild. Usually, Brits only eat hot food when they have been drinking too much. In restaurants in London, waiters will often warn Caucasian patrons that a particular dish is very hot.
As for eating ‘painful’ food, I like food that puts up a bit of a fight. A good curry should hurt you once, but not twice. Think about it.
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:56 pmESTAnd to Andrea Harris and Squid: I’d rather eat Soylent Green than lutefisk.
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:58 pmESTWHAT!?? There’s no Costco with a large overstock of Pace Picante sauce?
So, why do I always hear about what a “civilized” place England is? No Costco and no Pace Picante. Sounds downright hillbilly to me! NO. NOT hillbilly. At least, hillbillies KNOW how to make barbeque! REAL barbeque!
Barbarians. Yes, that’s good.
And, I bet you can’t find a decent BBQ place in Angloland, either. Kidney pie and bangers and mash. Puhleeeze!
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:07 pmESTLutefisk. Have you ever met a ruder fisk?
Sorry. A little takeoff from My Fair Lady. I couldn’t help myself.
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:14 pmESTHey! Does it mean that “lutefisk is people” ?
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:17 pmESTCoriander are the seeds, they go well in Easter Bread and other sweet rolls. Cilantro is the greens it tastes like soap and should never be used on anything.
Just saying…
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:25 pmESTWhat you need to do is find a friend on one of the US military bases in England, and have them buy you a case of Old El Paso from their commissary. And some Tostitos to go along with it.
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:29 pmESTLMAO at the disillusionment over English hate crimes against Latino staples. I myself question the viability of existence without daily doses fiery liquids putting life into my food. It is possible that English neighbors who get a taste of authentic Texicana may get hooked. You could become pepper pusher, and transform the culture!
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:56 pmESTWell, there is Salsa like you know it, and there is salsa for people with more adventurous tastes. Where is the adventure in salsa that is salsa-like when you could have salsa that tastes like someone squirted a bottle of ketchup into a jar and then mixed in a few bits of chopped onion?
March 2nd, 2009 at 2:01 pmESTI suggest you try Old El Paso Hot Chunky Salsa, or Walkers Doritos Hot Salsa Dip, both of which should be much higher on the pepper and jalapeno content. The Old El Paso should be chunkier. Both should be easy to find in Tesco or Sainsbury. The Tesco own brand hot might have the right flavor, but it will be runny compared to California-style salsa.
Yes, “Old El Paso” and “Doritos” do not sound adventurous, but you must remember, grasshopper, that you are living the adventure and this is your comfort food.
Strangely enough, the dive of a Mexican Restaruant that is near my office here (and which is often full of real mexicans) has salsa that is noting like Pace Salsa Picante and very like Tesco “Hot Salsa Dip” which may or may not still be about 75p.
I remember a “Prairie Home Companion” sketch with Garrison Keillor talkin about Swedish “Yallapeenoes”.
Another tip: stay away from the TGIFriday’s near Covent Garden. It’s full of homesick Americans exclaiming over the Gulden’s mustard etc.
March 2nd, 2009 at 2:11 pmESTI almost agree but I do like just a teeny little bit in salsa, but nothing like some of the places around here make it. I prefer the fresh salsa I make myself but in the winter or just when I’m lazy I can pick up a bag of tortilla chips and a styrofoam cup of fresh made salsa from one of the Mexican restaurants around here for about $2.50 or a large for $5.00
March 2nd, 2009 at 2:14 pmESTYou need to order online, try ; some of the best hot sauce ever made.
March 2nd, 2009 at 2:46 pmESTRachel, please consider learning to appreciate that epitome of English national food: Indian take-away! You can be in Upper Tenpin Bowling on the Yorkshire Moors where the nearest paved road is half a day away, and there will be an Indian restaurant there whose food would make Mahatma Gandhi cry with joy. Seriously, you need to give it a go. And if you crave spicy food then I suggest a good Vindaloo, as noted in a comment above.
You wouldn’t really be betraying Mexican food — what happens in Old Blighty stays in Old Blighty.
March 2nd, 2009 at 3:30 pmESTi must confess, i have never understood the concept of “painful” food.
Food should have real flavor. Sometimes, it should bite back - perferably on the way in more than the way out. Tastes vary - I personally don’t like the flavor of curry, it isn’t because some of it is hot.
March 2nd, 2009 at 3:36 pmESTRachel, haven’t read the entire thread, so apologies if this has been covered, but couldn’t you add salsa to your Amazon Wish List, and then people could buy it for you and you could still maintain your anonymity. Just a thought.
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:57 pmESTRachel,
A word of warning - DON’T eat Old El Paso or Doritos in Blighty; they’re made over here under license, and have almost certainly been watered down to meet British sensibilities.
From the accents, I reckon you’re somewhere in the West Midlands - try “Indian” (Bangladeshi) or Caribbean cooking, instead.
March 2nd, 2009 at 6:55 pmESTOuch! Grooaaan!
March 2nd, 2009 at 7:09 pmESTWell it certainly is a culinary crime !
And not one limited to the UK.
It is Very disappointing to buy something here in the U.S. that’s labeled HOT, and you can’t detect any heat in the product.
March 2nd, 2009 at 7:18 pmESTThe heat of hot barbeque sauce in the U.S. can range from non-detectable to “burn you twice.” I had the owner of a popular joint come out to make sure I knew what I was getting into by ordering the hot sauce. “Son, it’ll set yore paints on fur.” I got my order to go, and when I tasted it back at my office there was absolutely no heat at all. I can only assume he decided that I was too much of a girly man to handle the hot sauce, so he must have given me the mild to keep my pants from catching fire.
March 2nd, 2009 at 7:34 pmESTI sympathize with your pain (or your lack of it, given the lack of spice in the salsa). It’s not just the British, though. I remember once, when I was in the Navy, we had a “Mexican food night” in the mess. Two types of salsa were available, labeled “mild” and “hot.” I, of course, went for the “hot.”
It wasn’t. Not even the slightest hint of heat. I complained to the Supply Officer, who was in charge of the mess. He responded that many people didn’t like hot food. I said that was understandable, but I’d presumed that having two salsas labeled as having different heat levels, they’d actually have different heat levels.
When he told me that some people liked spicy salsa that wasn’t spicy on their food, I just looked at him. I mean, what on earth can you say to that?
March 2nd, 2009 at 8:12 pmESTMy, my, my. Little did you know that you live in the country that has the hottest pepper in the world. It comes from the city of Dorset. Look:
if that link doesn’t work, try this shortened version, going to the same place:
I’m surprised in a country with such a large Indian population that there is a lack of hot pepper. You’re not going to find Mexican food there any more than I’m going to find Haggis in Chicago. But I’m sure you can find some spiciness from the Indian community or other EU products. Croatia makes some hot sauce that’ll make your eyes water.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:14 pmESTIn regards to making your own, I have this sneaking feeling that cilantro may be hard to come by, even if you can locate chiles.
Not if you look for CORIANDER, which is what it’s called in the UK.
Also, speaking of food UK-US definitions
UK Endive = US Chicory (and vice versa)
UK Aubergine = US Eggplant
UK Corn flour = US Corn Starch
And please be wary of the following:
UK jam = US jelly (NOT the US Jello gelatin)
UK jello (NOT the US Jello gelatin) = US jelly
UK Mince(d) meat = US ground beef
Good luck!
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:37 pmESTOn the flip side, Mexicans probably can’t make decent chip butty and bangers & mash. Oh, wait, nobody can.
Not even the Brits (at least the younger generation.)
More translation advice for Rachel:
Chip butty - A sandwich consisting of buttered bread, filled with chips (US Fries, except the fat kind)
Bangers & Mash - leftover mashed potatoes fried up with sausage, butter, and seasoned to taste…yum!
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:40 pmESTSeriously, you need to give it a go. And if you crave spicy food then I suggest a good Vindaloo, as noted in a comment above.
I would suggest she start with madras or masala first, just to be sure…I think even the vindaloo would take her by surprise at first.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:45 pmESTAnd, this weekend, she must get drunk and go for a kebab…then, she will have arrived in Britain.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:45 pmESTYou’re not going to find Mexican food there any more than I’m going to find Haggis in Chicago
Actually, you CAN find …though I freely concede it might be just as truly haggis-like as English salsa is truly salsa-like.
IMHO, a perfect heat is one that brings on a forehead sweat a bit before you notice your mouth is on fire. The other way around and you’re not getting the real flavor because the heat overwhelms it.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:46 pmESTRachel:
I am not a Texan. I only visited Texas 2 or 3 times.
However, I did read Lonesome Dove and AFTER reading that masterpiece, I bought the DVD miniseries.
Get onto the “American” Amazon site and order the commemorative library binding edition (big hardcover) of Lonesome Dove and have it shipped over to Liberal Shariah Hell (the country formerly known as England) so that whenever somebody tries to tell you what life is like in the US, you can take your great big Lonesome Dove hardcover and club the stupid bastard like a baby seal.
Gus and Woodrow would be proud!
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:29 amESTI lived in Michigan for a year decades ago. Having come from California, I was determined to find Mexican food. One restaurant advertised chile rellenos in the yellow pages. I looked forward to eating there all week, anticipating spice & heat. Sadly, after driving for about an hour, I ordered & imagine my dismay when presented with a piece of American cheese melted over a steamed bell pepper! AND, they had no idea it wasn’t even close…
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:52 pmESTYou should try making your own.
March 4th, 2009 at 11:35 amESTThe wrong packaging. Buy the salsa that comes in little plastic tubs, the refried beans in cans and the jalapeño peppers in jars.
It’s a British thing - all the sauces in jars are terrible.
March 4th, 2009 at 12:20 pmESTRach
You are the chemist
I see a business opportunity in UK for you: Make and sell the real Texas cuisine
Either
1) Start a restaurant
2) Make small batches and sell it locally (local market, American areas, then small stores)
3) Get a buncha money and make it in bulk.
Good luck with guvment regulations there though
March 5th, 2009 at 9:52 pmEST