Does anyone work in the food/supermarket industry ?
Discussion
seriously, its one of THE greatest riddles I have ever encountered in 38 years of life
try any one of say the M&S ready meals (i detest them but occaionally sample them as the wife sometimes has them) and they taste NOTHING like the dish they are supposed to be. Take for example the Thai green curry dish they do. It has this bizarre synthetic tang.. this sort of sour sweet hook that is totally M&S, a weird chemical flavour that is to do with M&S ready meals and M&S alone. Its almost like they are reinventing flavours. It takes absolutely NOTHING like a proper thai curry, NOTHING like thai cooking. It is repulsive in the extreme. It tastes like it was synthesized in a laboratory.
So seriously, i rack my brains over stuff like this. Sometimes i feel like dropping absolutely everything in my life and spending 14 hours a day on trying to get to the bottom of this. Who invents these flavours ? How the hell do they get tested or assessed and who the hell is responsible for saying, 'hmm, yes, that tastes good, just like a thai curry.. lets turn it into a real product sell it in our stores. Is the world out there really that average ? Or am I in such a small minority ?
I really cannot understand how this happens. I am no food expert but one can only assume that the people in these jobs know absolutely nothing about food. Either that, or they do know lots about food but dont care and know their market very well. Maybe they are sure that the money will be made because they know that 90% of people who buy this stuff are ignorant, ill-bred, pikeys who wouldn't know caviar on toast from bread and dripping. You could package a dogs turd up with a bit of lemon gass and coconut and they'd still buy it because it has an M&S sticker on it or a taste the difference logo. Is that how is is ?
If anyone has any insight I would really love to know. The food in the UK that is generally available across the board from a simple cafe/pub to the big name supermarkets is absoluetly appaling imo. Unless convinced otherwise I am so far led to believe that the food is that way precisely because the greater proportion of the inhabitants of the UK ALLOW it to be that way !! They put up with it i.e. they haven't got a clue and don't have the first idea what good food should taste like. I am not talking high cuisine here.. just basic fresh food with taste.
try any one of say the M&S ready meals (i detest them but occaionally sample them as the wife sometimes has them) and they taste NOTHING like the dish they are supposed to be. Take for example the Thai green curry dish they do. It has this bizarre synthetic tang.. this sort of sour sweet hook that is totally M&S, a weird chemical flavour that is to do with M&S ready meals and M&S alone. Its almost like they are reinventing flavours. It takes absolutely NOTHING like a proper thai curry, NOTHING like thai cooking. It is repulsive in the extreme. It tastes like it was synthesized in a laboratory.
So seriously, i rack my brains over stuff like this. Sometimes i feel like dropping absolutely everything in my life and spending 14 hours a day on trying to get to the bottom of this. Who invents these flavours ? How the hell do they get tested or assessed and who the hell is responsible for saying, 'hmm, yes, that tastes good, just like a thai curry.. lets turn it into a real product sell it in our stores. Is the world out there really that average ? Or am I in such a small minority ?
I really cannot understand how this happens. I am no food expert but one can only assume that the people in these jobs know absolutely nothing about food. Either that, or they do know lots about food but dont care and know their market very well. Maybe they are sure that the money will be made because they know that 90% of people who buy this stuff are ignorant, ill-bred, pikeys who wouldn't know caviar on toast from bread and dripping. You could package a dogs turd up with a bit of lemon gass and coconut and they'd still buy it because it has an M&S sticker on it or a taste the difference logo. Is that how is is ?
If anyone has any insight I would really love to know. The food in the UK that is generally available across the board from a simple cafe/pub to the big name supermarkets is absoluetly appaling imo. Unless convinced otherwise I am so far led to believe that the food is that way precisely because the greater proportion of the inhabitants of the UK ALLOW it to be that way !! They put up with it i.e. they haven't got a clue and don't have the first idea what good food should taste like. I am not talking high cuisine here.. just basic fresh food with taste.
I think you hit the nail on the head - most people haven't got a clue what food tastes like.
Because of too much salt, sugar, ketchup and too many chips and too much fried food. Overcooked meat and stewed vegetables. After that I imagine an M&S ready meal tastes OK. Never eaten one myself. Problem as I understand it is that these meals contain far too much sugar and, to a slightly lesser extent too much salt, so that it's hard to taste the actual ingredients.
L.F. (Organic beef, lamb and pork producer)
Because of too much salt, sugar, ketchup and too many chips and too much fried food. Overcooked meat and stewed vegetables. After that I imagine an M&S ready meal tastes OK. Never eaten one myself. Problem as I understand it is that these meals contain far too much sugar and, to a slightly lesser extent too much salt, so that it's hard to taste the actual ingredients.
L.F. (Organic beef, lamb and pork producer)
What does a Thai curry taste like though?
I like Indian curries. I like chicken pathia, i order it all the time, and i find that it always tastes differently at different restaurants. Which i guess it should, because surely, to taste the same it would need to be cooked by the same chef using the same ingredients in the same kitchen.
My mate has a Thai wife and she enjoys cooking. Tbh, (hope he doesn't see this
) we haven't always thoroughly enjoyed what she has given us because it tastes to us, a bit er, too authentic? Then again, how authentic is it, because obviously she has to buy her ingredients from here in England, at Wing Yip.
I've no doubt whatosever that Indian curries are adapted to the british palate, and i've no doubt the same could be said of Thai food or any other foreign foods. We buy french bread here, but it isn't the same, is it?
I agree with you wholeheartedly about british food, but let's face it, we don't have the time, do we? Because we're dumb enough to work every hour god sends, we simply don't have enough time for food, families, raising kids properly or whatever.
I like Indian curries. I like chicken pathia, i order it all the time, and i find that it always tastes differently at different restaurants. Which i guess it should, because surely, to taste the same it would need to be cooked by the same chef using the same ingredients in the same kitchen.
My mate has a Thai wife and she enjoys cooking. Tbh, (hope he doesn't see this
) we haven't always thoroughly enjoyed what she has given us because it tastes to us, a bit er, too authentic? Then again, how authentic is it, because obviously she has to buy her ingredients from here in England, at Wing Yip.I've no doubt whatosever that Indian curries are adapted to the british palate, and i've no doubt the same could be said of Thai food or any other foreign foods. We buy french bread here, but it isn't the same, is it?
I agree with you wholeheartedly about british food, but let's face it, we don't have the time, do we? Because we're dumb enough to work every hour god sends, we simply don't have enough time for food, families, raising kids properly or whatever.
heebeegeetee said:
I agree with you wholeheartedly about british food, but let's face it, we don't have the time, do we? Because we're dumb enough to work every hour god sends, we simply don't have enough time for food, families, raising kids properly or whatever.
Remarkably cooking food doesn't take that long, it's a bit of a myth really that it does. It's a bit like all those people buying multipacks of crisps in supermarkets and saying they can't afford healthy food. It's rubbish and it's all an excuse. Pasta and a fresh tomato sauce - about 10 minutes depending on which pasta you use, chuck tuna and or veg in it and it still takes the same amount of time. There are hundreds of quick healthy and cheap meals to feed a family on. By batch cooking and making use of a freezer you can cook once and eat multiple times for less time and significantly less money than ready meals and importantly you'll be equipping your kids with practical skills for their futures.
Cooking from scratch and eating healthily don't take hour of time and don't cost a fortune and "don't have time" is usually an excuse made by people to convince themselves that feeding their kids processed rubbish all the time is OK.
Sorry, this sounds a bit harsh but it's one of my bugbears.
...and yes I agree, too many people have no idea what proper food should taste like so they don't notice the synthetic taste and think that's how all food tastes!
heebeegeetee said:
What does a Thai curry taste like though?
absolutely nothing like the meals that M&S sellseriously, i've had hundreds of green/red currys over the years and they have all had a very similar flavour and varied in tatse over a pretty narrow range.
the abomination at M&S is not even close ... not even reminiscent... it doesn't even hint at the proper taste. As stated, its just a mouthful of peculiar chemical tastes.
ready meals are mass produced with pre prepared sauce (how old) fresh vedge and meet stored and transported, then cooked and placed in a plastic container have you ever prepared or put hot water in a new plastic bowl or had a hot drink in a new thermal coffee cup you get residue from the container fuse into the dish also it is then sealed with a hot welding system (have you ever smelt melting plastic) then chilled packed & transported, all of the above are small contributions to the fowl taste
this is my opinion
this is my opinion
Part of the problem is what one person thinks is tasty another rank I like seasoned food but hate adding it, my wife the opposite.
The ready meals will have gone through loads of tastings, whilst not brilliant they wouldnt sell any if they were that bad. The problem is if you stick some meat mix it with a sauce etc, chill it, reheat, it will never taste like freshly prepared produce.
I have to say I tried one about 15 years ago, never again
The ready meals will have gone through loads of tastings, whilst not brilliant they wouldnt sell any if they were that bad. The problem is if you stick some meat mix it with a sauce etc, chill it, reheat, it will never taste like freshly prepared produce.
I have to say I tried one about 15 years ago, never again
VTECMatt said:
whilst not brilliant they wouldnt sell any if they were that bad.
thats where we diagree and my fundamental pointthey ARE that bad... its just that you are selling them predominantly to a nation of disorganised primates
perhaps this theory can be used to explain the success or existence of all sorts of other strange phenomena like the Sun newspaper, Ant and Dec, the Black Forest gateaux, football, Mcdonalds, Microsoft windows, BMW's, 'the Shawshank Redemption', the entire contents of Homebase etc..
jackal said:
VTECMatt said:
whilst not brilliant they wouldnt sell any if they were that bad.
thats where we diagree and my fundamental pointthey ARE that bad... its just that you are selling them predominantly to a nation of disorganised primates
perhaps this theory can be used to explain the success or existence of all sorts of other strange phenomena like the Sun newspaper, Ant and Dec, the Black Forest gateaux, football, Mcdonalds, Microsoft windows, BMW's, 'the Shawshank Redemption', the entire contents of Homebase etc..
People don't expect much from a ready meal. They don't expect a KFC to taste great, or an M&S meal to be anything other than a fortnite in the Algharv vs a three week holiday on Bora Bora, or Windows to work flawlesly. They read the Sun because it takes little effort to read a page of straplines and pert nipples look great even on thin paper.
As for Ant and Dec and McDonalds, i'm with you there - completely at a loss
(But don't 'diss' the Shawshank - great movie.)
Jake where in the South East are you? I know of one Organic Beef producer near Rye whilst good it isnt as good as non organic IMHO, they would deliver if the order is large enough. There is also a place just down the road from me who does Pork reared from Berkshire Pigs whilst not 100% organic though we use it at our Hotel.
Edited by VTECMatt on Saturday 22 November 14:38
Piglet said:
Cooking from scratch and eating healthily don't take hour of time and don't cost a fortune and "don't have time" is usually an excuse made by people to convince themselves that feeding their kids processed rubbish all the time is OK.
Sorry, this sounds a bit harsh but it's one of my bugbears.
But we all have our interests. Mine was rebuilding and working on cars, but i must say, it hadn't occurred to me that those who didn't service and maintain their own vehicles chose not to do so because they were lazy and dumb. I just assumed they had other interests...Sorry, this sounds a bit harsh but it's one of my bugbears.
VTECMatt said:
whilst not brilliant they wouldnt sell any if they were that bad.
jackal said:
thats where we diagree and my fundamental point
they ARE that bad... its just that you are selling them predominantly to a nation of disorganised primates
perhaps this theory can be used to explain the success or existence of all sorts of other strange phenomena like the Sun newspaper, Ant and Dec, the Black Forest gateaux, football, Mcdonalds, Microsoft windows, BMW's, 'the Shawshank Redemption', the entire contents of Homebase etc..
Ah, so the thread is actually about snobbery... they ARE that bad... its just that you are selling them predominantly to a nation of disorganised primates
perhaps this theory can be used to explain the success or existence of all sorts of other strange phenomena like the Sun newspaper, Ant and Dec, the Black Forest gateaux, football, Mcdonalds, Microsoft windows, BMW's, 'the Shawshank Redemption', the entire contents of Homebase etc..
Which is something the English excel at, putting food and snobbery together. How is it, that it is virtually impossible to eat supposedly good food in nice surroundings without it almost always all being wrapped up in cloying, middle class pretentiousness. Whereas practically everywhere else in Europe, the local working cafes and bars will serve you excellent local food cooked on the premises without it involving a fiscal bottom raping. And i've no idea what the french word for 'organic' is. What is 'organic' precisely, and how did we survive before we came up with that word?
missdiane said:
Why is organic so expensive... anyone know? No pesticides are used- so surely it's cheaper to produce.
Quite a few reasons why, the first being the ground, it takes serious work and years to get purely organic soil. Then you can not use any sprays etc so there is a higher risk of damage to the product, then there will be the paper work. All the local chaps we use avoid it like the plague due to the extra time and cost.To be honest we dropped it this year our guests were not prepared to pay extra for what was there same as Free Range or Farm grown locally.
I like some Organic prducts particulary the Potatoes from http://www.thepotatoshop.com/wherearewe.html and some of the wines on offer there is a Organic Chilcas Cabernet Sauvignon which is superb and a fab Organic Fonseca Port, but in general I can't tell the difference between good quality local produce and Organic.
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