Pretentious moi ?

Champ (creamed potatoes with scallions [spring onions]) is now a cheffy dish apparently. It was a cheap, quick supper when I was a child in Ireland.
Foam - yuck!

Oh merlotgran I'm going to a gastro pub tonight for husband's birthday ! I can't unthink the worming quote ?

We had a works meal out at a newly opened restaurant. There were some unusual sounding food combinations that we wrongly assumed had been tried and tested! So much food wasted and got very heated when the not insignificant bill was questioned. We were not too surprised when it closed down soon after.

Although quite happy trying most foods (although lemon potato might be an exception) the cheffy descriptions really annoy me. 'Twice-cooked' means leftovers to me! And don't get me started on 'pulled' meat - cheap cuts, slow cooked, doesn't sound so appetising on a menu I guess!

So many witty observations on this thread have made me laugh out loud! Thank you!

As for the lobster shells we all have lying around, (I have millions, darling..) that reminded me of Delia's tip, to freeze leftover wine. ]wine]

Who is she kidding?

I have been known to eat some combos that sounded awful but in fact tasted wonderful! I usually do prefer any sauces . jus or dressings in separate bowls/dishes just in case I do not like it ..then the whole plate is not spoiled. I have enjoyed some tasting menus which are mere mouthfuls but were very delicious and after 5 or 6 'courses' I was full! Food is a bit like reading for me..sometimes I want a good favourite, other times just a magazine and occasionally I want to try a book genre I have never read before.

God save us from poncey food.

And of course, we all have 6 lobster shells hanging around in our freezer Lobster is my favourite food and I have occasionally splashed out but second mortgage?

Left over wine ye gods!

Still wrestling with 'microplaning' a lemon

Jamie is my hero. Bish bash bosh and not too pretentious for eating in.

Eating out, try to avoid (but can't always) nasty, rip off, tiny pretentious portions of sub standard muck.

Day6 - who on earth has left over wine????

I’m actually not averse to foam, what I absolutely hate is when olive oil is poured over a dish. Ugh?

I hate the smears - what's the point?

I'm with you there Hilda - smears and foam both put me off the meal.

Reading this I was overjoyed to find out that I wasn't the only one to think 'cheffy' food is rated highly only by chefs!!! Time to make a stand methinks ladies, let's all ask for normal food when we go out.

Must admit though the only places I tend to eat out are in my village and all three pubs serve proper grub, only grumble is that they tend to be huge meals but they are all happy to serve kid's portions to us olduns.

A microplane is it the little grater with a handle on you use over a dish? I have one but hadnt a clue what it was called, thanks for the info.

Showing my ignorance, what on earth is this foam everyone is talking about, I dont live in the UK this new language for food needs to be explained please.

This is a three Microplane household, fine, medium and coarse! Oh, not forgetting the gadget which stops me taking the tops off my fingers when grating that last bit of cheese, chocolate etc!
I've had them for many years though, and they're still super sharp, so they don't owe me anything!
I can't be doing with 'smears' of nothing much on my plate though, and as for 'foam' it reminds me of 'frogspit/cuckoospit' which you see on plants......eugh!
If mashed potatoes need anything apart from best butter, it has to be cheese or fried onions for me!

Here in the States, the latest “thing” at our local restaurants is to drizzle balsamic vinegar around the edge of the plate. My DH HATES vinegar of any kind, and we always have to send it back and request the meal without the balsamic. We try to remember now to ask ahead of time if anything is going to be added to the dish which is not stated on the menu. Drives us crazy!

I am enjoying this thread as it is about food! I am having a piece of cod wrapped round with pancetta for dinner tonight and will just be squeezing a bit of lemon over it. When grating a small amount of anything I use a small longhandled cheese grater I acquired when my DS had a Dutch girlfriend and it keeps my fingers away from the sharp bits. I agree with Artois about balsamic. It is appearing here in the form of a glaze which you can't really avoid if it is "drizzled" all over the food. The only time I enjoy it is when it is with "smashed" avocados and "roasted" baby tomatoes on toast. It's a great combination - well, for me anyway.

Goodness, Juggernaut, I didn't realise that we have 2 microplanes! You learn something new every day.

So that's a microplane Juggernaut? I've got one of those and thought it was a little hand held grater! Every day's a school day on GN!

I just call it a grater too!
I used to have one especially for my nutmeg as well- it came in the jar with the nutmeg but then it broke. Presumably that would have been a nanoplane

So why is this object I have had, and assumed was a grater, for a while, so named?

Jalima
If your grater broke, it's more of a 'Nonoplane' now!

A "NoNoPlane" sounds like something to scrape away unwanted facial hair.

Ooh, sounds painful!

The nutmeg is so old it wouldn't grate anyway!

Sorry but to me there is a difference between a plane and a grater.