pasties, meat pies, pastries: this place had it all...

As you know, we recently got back from a month or so in England. Aaron spent that time as a Traveling Academic (it sounds so romantic, doesn't it?) and oversaw a group of undergrads in a research lab at the University of Birmingham. And I couldn't pass up the opportunity, so I went along for the ride. It was a wonderful experience and a great chance for us to see how we would react to being together in a foreign country for that long (success). We learned some things about each other (Aaron hates tourists to an extreme. He'd rather not do/see something than have to be around/become one. I wonder what he learned about me).

The best parts for me were Wales and the Lake District. Really, really beautiful. I could live in Wales.

Also: Pasties. For those of you in the know: oh yeah, pasties. For those of you not in the know: a pasty is like a calzone, but with meat and potatoes and no cheese and it is probably the #1 traditional food where I come from in Michigan because it's a miner's food; it's one of my favorite food items. I really wanted to go to Cornwall, but it was just too far away to justify a trip just to eat a real, live, traditional Cornish Pasty. However, there were pasties everywhere, anyway. I don't remember there being so many when I went several years ago (of course, I wasn't pub-hopping that time, either), but I think it might be possible that the U.K. is experiencing the same Comfort Food surge we are? I don't know. Seems like what they do best is comfort foods (and they do everything else pretty poorly). But everywhere you went there were pasties, and I kept telling myself that I didn't need to try every single one. They even had fast food pasties in the gas stations and convenience stores...the equivalent to a frozen burrito here.

Though I didn't go to Cornwall to have the pasty of all pasties, I did notice some differences between the ones I know and love, and the ones I had there. First, their definition of "pasty" is a little more loose. Most notably, there were endless kinds of fillings and it seemed really natural and not at all novelty to have something like cheese and onions, or chicken, or even a curry pasty. Second, very often it would be a flaky puff-pastry crust, rather than the heavy pie-like crust. I have to admit, this was a little disappointing, because pasty crust is the best part of the pasty. I don't think all are this way, though. I think it is a time-cutting technique, but it was nation-wide. Third, they didn't use ketchup. I didn't notice them using any sauces because most of them were more moist than what we're used to. Fourth, the third reason is probably because of this: all of the pasties I had, even the "Oggy" (traditional Cornish style) used huge, real hunks of steak or pot roast that were so moist and soft. Also, English potatoes are a whole new world. I hate to break it to you, but we are eating sub-par potatoes, here, people! Fifth, in proud, Midwestern fashion, our regular sized pasty is closer to their "family size."

The best one I ate was a Steak and Stilton pasty. I loved it in every way. It married comfort and class, which is my favorite thing to do!


Also: meat pies. Pubs in England serve some of the best beer I've ever tasted (see Real Ale) and some of the best food. It isn't at all like "bar food" here. Pub food is kind of quaint and comforting, something dear ol' ma would make for you or something. I imagined a kitchen wench in every one, planning the day's meal according to what she could find to make into a pie. And there were all kinds. Steak and Ale. Game Pie. Pheasant. Everything. We took every opportunity to eat meat pies and came home feeling a little like meat pies ourselves.

On our last night there, we drove all the way to Wolverhampton so that Aaron could eat a 4lb. steak pie. He finished it and ate what was left of my human-sized pie.

There was something I should mention that we were really let down about, though. And that's Indian food. Britons themselves say that the National Dish has become curry. Birmingham has a huge population of Indian immigrants (it was a colony, after all) and they pride themselves on having the best Indian food outside of India. They even invented a new British-Indian food called Balti. (Yes, there were balti pasties, even.) There is a section of town called the Batli Triangle that has dozens of Indian restaurants.

We tried five. Five different Indian restaurants. Ones recommended by friends as "the best ever." We really gave it a good go, but it was disappointing. It just wasn't as good as the Indian food we could get in Boston. There was something different about it. The naan felt a little like pizza dough and the sauces didn't feel quite as fresh as Namaskar in Davis Square and Cafe of India in Harvard Square (Whoa, did you know that Cafe of India is owned by the same people as Diva? Why is the food so much better at CofI?). It wasn't even as good as our old local, Punjabi Dhaba. The samosas weren't even as good as that weird Indian-Irish market thing in Davis.

Aaron and I really thought about the reasons why this could be and came up with a few good arguments: 1) If you live in a snooty place, you get snooty results. The demand for the highest level of quality is so huge in the Boston area that you would be run out of business if you didn't meet the standards. 2) Perhaps Indian food is a little like Mexican or Chinese food here. Personally, I find it hard to get really good Mexican food at all in the US, even though it's everywhere, because it's just so saturated into our culture and what we're eating isn't Mexican at all but some kind of American-"Mexican," Tex-Mex/Spanish thing. If I want greasy Mexican, I can go to a number of places even here in Morgantown and get something pretty decent. However, if I want something a little more refined, I've only found one restaurant: Ole in Inman Square. You need to get the guacamole. So, what I'm saying is, maybe it's too close to the heart to maintain a level of quality.



Geez, I've only talked about food from the trip! Argh. Here are some pictures of the rest.