Did my ears deceive me?

When visiting relatives in Texas we were asked why so many Brits eat offal. There followed a long conversation about its merits and that is was one of those things you either love or hate. One American told me he would never eat "all that rubbish and musclely stuff". I asked him what he thought steak was but was adamant it had nothing to do with muscle. It was just lean meat!

He was also mightily affronted when I said that the best steak I had ever eaten in my life was in Argentina.

My parents were sticklers for table manners. As children, we were taken to restaurants, hotels and regularly ate out, sometimes at regimental dinners (army family) and formal 'occasions'.

We were taught about the correct cutlery, which wines went with what, and how various food should be ordered and presented. Even so, with the benefit of all that etiquette education, I've never eaten lobster either. Wouldn't know what to do with it. Just goes to show, you can't hope to cover everything.

Well if she had a brain she'd be dangerous.

Fillet is tasteless - I much prefer ribeye.

I do love Wagyu but it's so expensive!

IMHO you can't beat a piece of good rump it has great flavour and it's tender but like all meat it does need to rest after cooking and I always buy it from the butchers the last ribeye had was as tough as old boots

I am hooked on Wagyu beef at the moment, having a steak for dinner tonight. The marbling of the fat makes it very tasty.

If I have steak when we are out, it is generally always rib eye, "shown the flame"! This has been extensively discussed on another thread ?. If I buy steak for a beef stir fry or boeuf stroganoff, Aldi sirloin is delicious and very tender. On one of our postings we had some American friends who invited us for Thanksgiving and served steaks. I was presented with a plate upon which there remained no room for any accompaniments, such was the size of the steak. I've never seen so much meat! I thought it was going to be cut up and shared around, but no; each of us had the same. When I said I didn't think I could eat it all, our host said, ”oh don't worry, what you don't eat the dog will have!" I asked if they always ate such large steaks and he said yes, pretty much, as meat was very cheap in their commissary. The dog did very well out of me, I must say.

I had a fillet steak a short while ago (pub lunch) it was so wonderful that I ate the whole thing ( only small of course) first, and the veg later, something that I never normally do!
Sirloin, is veined with fat ( marbled) and is considered tastier.

Fillet is usually tasteless, and expensive! (Although I used do the occasional beef Wellington many years ago when we had "dinner parties")

Mr P and I are very partial to Lidl ribeye, excellent value at about £5.40 for 2.

The best steak is fillet IMHO followed by sirloin.
The best steaks come from an Aberdeen Angus!

Once went to a restaurant with a group of work colleagues and one girl ordered halibut steak and was amazed to be served fish!

When I met my now husband we were just nineteen. He took me to a restaurant and asked the waiter for "white campari". Apparently there is no such drink. The waiter kindly said "we only have the red campari". So, we had that, and I was none the wiser!

And then there's the one about the bloke in a restaurant who asked the waitress for a "quickie".




He meant the Quiche.

someone asked me once would I like some Chevron, I hadn't a clue what it was, turns out it is goat meat & what's so funny is I used to breed goats, had over 50 at one time lol mind you I wouldn't sell them to be slaughtered only as milkers, I suppose they could eventually have gone for meat but ignorance is bliss lol

Bf was more experienced, sophisticated about food than I was. Proudly took me to an oyster bar for my first taste. When asked 'brown or white?' I looked helplessly for bf to tell me which kind of oyster I should have. The barman was asking about the accompanying bread and butter. ?
Another time we went down steps to a basement bar. I thought it was called 'Club Orange' (with a French pronunciation!) and later was telling friends where we'd been. Much laughter from bf. Apparently it was a neon advertisement I'd seen ??

Well said Lilyflower.

When we were a young couple we were at a dinner, my DH had to order the wine. I pointed to the graves, he asked for a bottle of graves as in grave stones. I was a bit more worldly and was mortified at his gaff.

The essence of good manners is to make the other person feel at ease. Anyone can commit a gaffe and it's up to their companions to ease their situation.

From the name, I would guess that a ribeye steak comes from inside the ribcage and the sirloin is the soft bit outside the rib cage along the spine. Having been an au pair with well-to-do families in several countries, I was patiently trained in many odd eating methods as a young girl, which has often been a help in later life. Colleagues looked on in awe as I filleted a trout on my plate.

When I was in the 6th form, though, I was out for a meal with my parents and some hotelier friends of theirs and asparagus was ordered for all of us as a starter. Asparagus is properly eaten with the fingers, so a finger bowl (a dish of warm water with a piece of lemon in it) was also provided. In my innocence, I thought the lemon was for eating (not for wiping fingers to remove smell/grease) and took it out of the bowl. The friends were very patient and explained to me what I was supposed to do.

What a great thread - I have loads of stories about this sort of thing.

I once, as a very young 19 year old, asked for a martini in a pub.
I was asked whether I wanted sweet or dry.
Hadn't a clue so I said "oh, medium I think"

Of course she is not daft, she did not know! There is a difference, and in my opinion she should not be mocked for not knowing. Quite honestly if I were to order a steak, of whatever kind, I would not know when it arrived what kind it was, except a Tbone, which of course come with the bone, or it used to; can't remember the last time I had steak.

We never could afford stakes when I grew up it would be cottage pies and stews and maybe a Sunday joint occasionally When I was married money was so short it was mince ( the things I did with mince from spaghetti to curries to pies) we even had giblets or chicken livers now as an older lady meat is not that important and nor is names.... and yes there are all sorts of steaks around now I bought some osterich steaks for my grandson to try the other week so the lass maybe not be as daft as some think

I agree that ribeye has more flavour than other cuts of steak. I do feel for her. When we were at school, we were taught in domestic science lessons about the different cuts of meat and what to do with them and it is something that always stuck with me. I also learned these things from watching my mother cook. I don't think they are taught anything of the sort these days and if this poor girl couldn't even relate it to the animal should we be surprised? A lot of us must have suffered a foodie embarrassment at some time or other. Mine was when, as a relatively new housewife in our first posting in they Far East I ordered some king prawns from the grocer and sent them back when he delivered them because they were the wrong colour - they were grey and not pink! I had never cooked, or even seen, fresh prawns before and didn't know that they change colour when they are cooked!!

When King James stayed in Lancashire at Houghton Tower he enjoyed his loin of beef so much that he knighted it and so it became known as sirloin. This is well known in these parts, they tell you the story when you visit the tower.
I don't watch the programme but I remember the feeling of embarrassment on a visit to a restaurant when I was about 20 and I didn't know what a carafe was.

I've had sirloin as a joint, it doesn't take long to cook.
We rarely have steak, but did a few weeks ago. No idea what cut it was.
I fried lots of shallots to go with it - it was delicious (mouth watering now!)