Edible Expectations

         When going to London I didn’t expect the food and restaurants to be too different considering the history of our nations. After Spending a few days in the country, I found out that I was mistaken. In London, I immediately noticed the lack of ice in every drink we were served. Ice would only be given on request. In the United States, if you were to order a drink at any given restaurant, it would be served with ice. The water served in London was usually room temperature and occasionally, if you were lucky, it would be served cold. This is one cultural difference that I found strange. Personally, I can’t stand water that isn’t ice cold, so I guess it’s a good thing I’m not British.

 Along with no ice, restaurants also did not have salt on the tables. This detail did not bother me. Instead the complaints from everyone at my table, due to the lack of salt were the bother. In the States, salt would be found in excess on most foods along with being on every table at a restaurant. The presence of salt was rare, and when encountered, we were greatly discouraged from using the salt for fear of offending the restaurant personnel. We were informed by our lovely tour guide, Cornelius, that using salt is considered offensive, because it means that the chef didn’t prepare the dish well.

Another unusual thing I noticed was when ordering water the question flat or bubbly was brought up every time. Sparkling water was offered at every restaurant we ventured off to on our free time. Also, if you don’t specify you want your water from the tap when ordering, you will be brought bottled water which is quite costly. A few of us were taken advantage of as tourists and ended up paying over six pounds for water, because we were unaware that you had to specify you wanted your water from the tap. Even though our experience was bad at said restaurant, I did admire the seating style. In most cafés or restaurants located along the street, the seating is set up so both people at a table are facing the street. I greatly admired the seating style, considering I love to people watch.

At home, I go to coffee houses and cafes frequently and take advantage of the free Wi-Fi. I was shocked in London to find that free Wi-Fi is rare. I found free Wi-Fi only at Starbucks and scattered restaurants. The thought of having to pay for internet in public places was shocking to a diverse group of teenagers.

 One difference I appreciated, was the higher quality and more diverse selection of food at the McDonalds. As an international chain, I knew the fast food restaurant would be located on the streets of London, but I was unaware that it would surpass the American standard. At first I criticized the people in my tour group for not venturing out and trying new foods, but ended up finding myself in the McDonalds a few days later only to be amazed. They had foods like teriyaki chicken burgers and macaroons that not only looked good but tasted good too. I was amazed by the culinary differences between London and the United States. Though some things were small, they were equally noted.