Misplaced Pages

Hi, Phaedriel! I'm sorry to be missed. I just don't think Misplaced Pages is for me anymore. Real life is proving more fun lately, and, frankly, has fewer unsavoury characters skulking about. —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 15:31, 2 May 2007 (UTC)

I miss my stalker. :( KillerChihuahua 14:08, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

Happy news!

My daughter is going to Europe for a month, and among other things, is compiling a list of Foods Not To Try (as her command of most languages is rudimentary at best) and I was able to point her to Casu marzu, which she found (after some retching) to be very helpful! Not that she's planning to eat a lot of black market foods, mind you, but it was fun to watch her face as she read the article. KillerChihuahua 14:11, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

Lutfisk. Watch out for the dreaded saponification. Bishonen | talk 14:21, 3 May 2007 (UTC).

Ewww, good one. She's not going to Norway, however - is this served elsewhere? She's going to England, France, Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, and since that's seven there is one I am not remembering at this time. KillerChihuahua 14:26, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

Spain? Portugal? I believe the Portuguese gourmet food bacalhau is essentially lutfisk. Is your daughter very rich? A restricted budget would save her from these expensive delicacies. Bishonen | talk 14:58, 3 May 2007 (UTC).

Spain not on list, Portugal also not on list. One month is limited; funds also limited. She's doing the Eurail Pass/backpack/Youth Hostel version of the Grand Tour. KillerChihuahua 15:09, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

I did the two-month version of that grand tour in 1992. Belgium serves the grossest food of all -- mayonnaise-ruined French fries. Be afraid! As far as England goes, best off not putting anything at all in one's mouth there. —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 15:16, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

The flight lands at Heathrow, they have to be there briefly. Also, there is a Friend with an Empty Couch there, aka free lodging for the night. I will warn her to eat only cholocates in Belgium. KillerChihuahua 15:20, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

If travelling one has to be adventurous and eat everything, In England when having an English breakfast I am quite fond of black pudding if you can overcome the thought it is quite nice, and of course so is haggis - not the Chow mein your thinking of BoG, even I am not that cruel. Giano 15:26, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

I agree with "adventurous" but not necessarily with "eat everything". She plans to be adventurous, which is why she is trying to formulate a "short list" of foods she has a strong indication she will not find remotely palatable. I think this is practical; she will only be able to sample a limited number of unfamiliar dishes, and by identifying in advance those which are unlikely to be worthwhile for her, she will be able (on her limited time and budget) to widen her experience of those which are more likely to prove pleasurable - perhaps finding new foods such as your pudding which she can enjoy. KillerChihuahua 16:32, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

• Killer babypuppy, let me tell you something - this is going to shock so sit down, travelling in Europe on a limited budget means the only food she will see will be served in restaurants with not only English translations on the menu, bit probably pictures as well. The little Tavernas and bistros (a la Somerset Maughan etc.) serving Ossobuco and calamari with prunes will be way out of her budget. In France and elsewhere the menu gastronomique is always the most expensive. England has safe food, in most British restaurants the cheapest is Lasagne, Spaghetti Bolognese (in England the same dish but with different forms of overcooked pre-dried pasta) or Chicken Tikha Marsala (cooked from frozen) the only places not to eat are north of Birmingham and south of Edinburgh where the vegetables are always tinned and overcooked - apart from that the food in restaurants is very nice so long as you are prepared to pay approx. £30 to £50 per person, anything less and you are backed the British versions of Italian or Indian food. Best and cheapest place (probably on her itinerary) to eat is Rome or Sicily, although here is nice fish restaurant in Collioure but not exactly cheap. Tell her to save her money and spend in in "Buca Lapi" (Via del Trebbio) Firenze's best kept secret known only to the discerning few such as myself or "Don Camillo" in Siracusa. Apart from that it is chips with mayonnaise, but at least the servings are smaller than you Americans eat. Giano 18:14, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

(after edit conflict) Gianodear, I always sit at my computer, not being able to type standing up (typing as a dog is hard enough.) I will pass along this wisdom to her; however although distinctly limited she is not absolutely poverty stricken. She plans to eat primarily bread, fruit, and cheese from whatever local market is available, on a subsistance diet, and eat one actual meal in each place. I don't think she plans to actually dine in England, merely eat enough of whatever is cheap so that she doesn't pass out from hunger. As she's only in England two days, that shouldn't be much of a problem. I don't know that she's going to Florence or Collioure at all - and do you have any reccomendations for Roma, Venezsia or Milano? She plans to spend most of her food funds there, being a lover of Italian food (but not so much of the French.) And she is reading over my shoulder as I type and suggests that were any kind person to offer a couch somewhere on her itinerary for herself and friend, she would be possibly able to afford more decent meals!!! (That is a hint, feel free to ignore it - but she is serious.) KillerChihuahua 18:33, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

Definitely try a full English breakfast, including black pudding - available in some or other from any greasy spoon or half-decent hotel. The proper breakfast is probably England's main culinary contribution to world cuisine. But hardly anyone makes devilled kidneys any more.

It will not be hard to avoid "delicacies" such jellied eels and tripe. Given the state of the dollar, even modestly decent places like Pizza Express may be out of budget.

Bacalhau is salt cod (I moved our article from the Spanish term - Bacalao - now a phantom island - and edited it back in September 2004 ; happy days). Bacalhau is nothing like lut(e)fisk (well, apart from being preserved white fish) - I mean, who in their right mind eats caustic soda?! Yes, it is well soaked before you eat it, I know, but even so... As for soap fish (!)

On a similar theme, how about surströmming (fermented fish)?

In France, you could try the usual nasties of frogs legs and snails, and in Spain there are things like criadillas (oh! redlink!). But, as Giano says, you are unlikely to stumble across these by accident in low-budget serveries . -- ALoan (Talk) 18:18, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

Thank you so much for the pointers - she's not going to Spain at all, and I think France is going to be stricly bread/cheese/fruit, with possibly some nasty fast-food crap. The exchange rate does suck for Americans traveling right now, but now is when she has the opportunity, so she's going. :) KillerChihuahua 18:36, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

Can I just say one thing, I feel I need to say it, I have simmered on it for ages, so I'm gong to say it, I'm sure this does not aply to Killer's daughter who is a very well brought up person, but in decent restaurants and hotels when indoors (especially in Italy and England) - please - are you ready for this - (I am still young) (ish) would American tourists (male and all too often female) please remove those disgustingly horrible baseball caps! - if you do not, you will find many of the nicer retaurants are full and the mediocre only have tables next to the kitchen or lavatory doors. Giano 20:29, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

PS: Men over 25 may wear then on the golf course and no where else! Giano

Please, just don't wear a cap unless you are participating in an athletic activity at the time. Also, don't wear shorts and keep your hands out of your pockets in churches. And, Killer, I actually do have to basically agree with Giano and say that the best advice I can think of as far as good food goes in Europe when traveling around like that is "don't get your hopes up"... you'll spend enough time and money running around trying to secure a hostel room, finding basic sustenance, finding a decent price for bottled water, getting train tickets, wondering why Nutella is so popular, and seeing the sights. —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 21:00, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

• the only thing I find more amusing than an overweight American in shorts and baseball cap, is a Japanes in one of those enormous sun visor things - have they never heard of ray-bans? Oh and general tip - when in Italy have the right money ready when you get to the front of queue, cos' the lady in the kiosk will be Italian, with no sense of urgency, she will not have the right change and everyone behind will hate you! Giano 21:08, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

Shorts? In church?! <scandalised>

Baseball hats are useless - no coverage for the neck or ears. I love my rather battered straw Akubra. -- ALoan (Talk) 00:38, 4 May 2007 (UTC)