Shocking food news from London!

[martyb]

I had a 1/2 lb burger at the local Red Lobster today for lunch, and ordered it medium. They didn't seem to care how I wanted it cooked, it was up to me entirely. I normally order my steaks medium or medium-well.

[Koolau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meadbh That's easy for an adult to say. What about my three year old godson? Would you hold him responsible for his own kidney failure? What's more, he was the child of very responsible parents who would never knowingly do anything to put him at risk.

I agree with you. The regrettable situation you describe sounds like a clear case of negligence on someone's (not the parents or child) part. I assume there were law suits as there should be.

My point was about those taking known risks from uncooked meat to sky diving. I wasn't talking about children getting (apparently) accidentally undercooked meat from a vendor who should know better.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meadbh I thought the original post was about London, England.

Sorry, that was my way of being "political" without bringing out the pig. My bad.

[brewer12345]

We don't eat beef (I very rarely fall off the wagon for a grass fed steak), so its not an issue for us. Salmonella in poultry, however, is a major concern. After reading in Consumer Reports that something like the majority of supermarket chickens are contaminated, I am very careful about thorough cooking and cleaning prep surfaces.

Maybe the best solution is really simple. We were at my in-laws for dinner with a large group. My SIL asked my youngest what letter her favorite food began with. "S" was the response. Squid? Spaghetti? "Squirrel!" she shouted. DW was not pleased in the slightest, but I find it on land that is not contaminated, I kill it, I process it, and I cook it. Organic and free range, too.

[sanfanciscotreat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelB It does seem burgers are a greater concern than other cuts of beef. I would imagine those other cuts, like steaks, are generally safe once they are seared on the outside even if they are still light red inside.

You also need to be aware that injection marinated meats of any type and cut/formed steaks carry the same risk as ground beef/turkey/pork/chicken/other and should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.

[Alan]

Since it is only central London that the news item refers to (Westminster Council) maybe they are thinking that it would be really bad for tourism if someone got sick or died from a hamburger.

[photoguy]

I sat in on a talk looking at health safety of beef and the speaker basically said that it was unavoidable to get feces on the outside of the meat during processing. Given this, I'm surprised that more people don't get sick from rare/medium hamburgers.

Personally I like any red meat well done (no pink please). But I will happily eat sushi.

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Since it is only central London that the news item refers to (Westminster Council) maybe they are thinking that it would be really bad for tourism if someone got sick or died from a hamburger.

When I go to the British Isles, it's Fish and Chips along with a pint.
Or, Bangers and Mash along with a pint.

[Alan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut When I go to the British Isles, it's Fish and Chips along with a pint. Or, Bangers and Mash along with a pint.

Me too, but it's amazing the number of Americans I know that go there and look for burgers and fries.

[MichaelB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan Me too, but it's amazing the number of Americans I know that go there and look for burgers and fries.

Something I will never understand.

[braumeister]

Too (sadly) true.
With the explosion in the number of really good gastropubs in the last ten years, England's reputation for food has practically done a 180 IMHO. It's not Belgium yet, but I've had some really marvelous meals there, in many different cities and towns. They're in no danger of losing this tourist's custom!

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut When I go to the British Isles, it's Fish and Chips along with a pint. Or, Bangers and Mash along with a pint.

I think I ate a couple of steak and kidney pies there at the height of the mad cow problem in 1991. They didn't know it was the height of the problem at the time! I guess I would know by now if......

I'm just not a burger eater and really don't care for ground beef in any form - it always lack flavor to me. Give me a steak! Actually, I do great steaks at home so I never bother to order them in a restaurant. Well, OK, fajitas - give me fajitas! (arrachera here - awesome!)

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister With the explosion in the number of really good gastropubs in the last ten years, England's reputation for food has practically done a 180 IMHO. It's not Belgium yet, but I've had some really marvelous meals there, in many different cities and towns. They're in no danger of losing this tourist's custom!

Well that is great news. Other than a lovely restaurant in Fotheringhay which was quite reasonable, we avoided the finer dining establishments (famous for being pricey) and ate pub grub on our cross-country B&B forays. It was - edible. But that's OK, we had many fabulous afternoon teas and the desserts were very good.

Had a great fish and chips at a diner in Whitby, but it was the trifle for dessert that made the day!

[Alan]

hmmmm.... trifle... preferably made with sherry

[Bestwifeever]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan hmmmm.... trifle... preferably made with sherry

Now would we call that trifle a dessert or pudding?

[Alan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bestwifeever Now would we call that trifle a dessert or pudding?

Depends where you live. Some call it pudding, some call it dessert, some call it afters, others just call it delicious



Apologies to those Brits whose regional terms I have missed

[Midpack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan Me too, but it's amazing the number of Americans I know that go there and look for burgers and fries.

All over the world sadly. I remember seeing a McDonalds in Nassau full of Americans, and thinking, why come this far to pay a premium to eat a (substandard) hamburger? They're not good hamburgers in the US! I'll never understand...I want to experience as much of the local culture, including local food, as possible when I travel - even in the US (regional culture and food).

[eytonxav]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan Difference being that you have to eat a lot of overly cooked beef for you to increase your chances of cancer. One burger with live e-coli can be deadly. From October this year in N. Carolina. (note that the source of the bacteria was never determined, but is an example of what a batch of contaminated food can do) http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/16/us...d-to-fair.html

Of course, under cook any meat and you could risk having a problem.

What ever we do in this day and age, there are risks and probably over reactions making headline.

[NW-Bound]

I like my steak cooked medium rare to medium, but am too chicken to have hamburger anything other than well done.

About eating hamburgers abroad, we do not eat fast food when in the US, but several times in Europe, would look for a McDonald . Yes, the local cuisine was great, but sometimes left one wanting some "comfort" food from home.

[Midpack]

I don't eat much red meat anymore, and poultry scares me - though we eat more chicken than any other protein. I guess I need to learn to exist on carrots and celery...

Just curious how long it will take, and who it will be, for someone to post a warning about carrots and/or celery?

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan hmmmm.... trifle... preferably made with sherry

Oh, I'm sure it was sherry trifle, and really the best I ever had.

Whitby was a delightful seaside town and the abbey ruins spectacular - what a view! It was cooooooold even in July with that wind coming in off the North Sea, but we totally enjoyed our visit. Venders were out selling cockles - I wasn't brave enough to try those.

The biggest conflict we had with the British culture was wanting our coffee WITH our dessert, not afterwards, LOL! It just seemed so odd to our waiters.