Slick Fast Food
Tonight while in London I had the interesting experience of going to a Nandos outlet in Victoria. We were on our way to see Billy Eliot, a most interesting show which I should talk about, but not here. Victoria is being reconditioned, to say the least, and the new glass towers are home to an assortment of the chain restaurants that are all but taking over our towns. Companies such as Zizzis, Bella Italia, various Mexican outlets and, or course, Nandos. The sudden growth of these kinds of food outlets could be explained in several ways, but certainly they are trying to fill a space between MacDonald’s and the high quality independents. But are they doing more than that?
The one thing that is fast becoming obvious is that many people from our islands really would not know good food if you banged them round the face with it. Instead they rely on being told what counts as good food – erm, by the retailer.
So, Nandos boast on their menu that all their chicken is grade or class A – wow! But what does that mean?
The A/B Classification of chicken refers to what the dead bird looks like. A Class A chicken should have a good shape with no broken bones and very little blemishes or bruising.
- Can it be injected with water? Yes.
- Can it be bred in cramped conditions? Yes.
- Can it be factory produced? Yes.
- Can it come from a low quality hibred breed? Yes.
- Can it be tasteless? Yes.
And this is all possible because the grading or classing is to do with the PHYSICAL quality of the carcass only. all the cheap chicken you buy in Tescos, you know that stuff that tastes like blotting paper, that is class A.
This is a story that is true right across the restaurant world. More and more chains are opening up, often themed like Nandos, but what they are serving is not the authentic, loved cuisine from a region of the world, but a mass produced, sanitised version.
A couple of days ago we dined at the new Sam and Maxies in Milton Keynes – in one of the newer districts of the town centre. Apart from the fact that the service was awful, the ribs were dry, the calamari would have made one of those rubber super balls look useless and fries were dead on arrival. A chap across the Aisle sent his squid back, and I don;t blame him.
The trouble with these places is they are “cooking by numbers” formula food. Much of the food like sauces, some of the cuts, etc is prepared centrally. The cooks then have to assemble the food using instructions. They need little training for this, they just have to do it.
The trouble is, when it does not go perfectly to plan there is no fully trained, highly experienced chef to solve the problem, or even spot the problem – and it goes out as rubbish. Often quite expensive rubbish.
We tried Giraffes a few weeks ago. I went for the scrambled eggs and smoke salmon which was rather nice. The others went for the hamburgers costing 8 pounds. I tried a little. It was not quite as good as the hamburgers I make at home out of cheap minced beef – though it was more salted.
Even Wagga Mamas, one of the more reputable chains, falls for the same tricks. I had one of their curries at one time. (Later I saw the chap get the pre-packed curry sauce out of the fridge!) You could taste the powdery texture of less than fresh spices in the curry sauce, which is quite unacceptable. But this curry cost the best part of £10.
These outlets are invading our shopping malls, airports and town centres. They will pay way over the odds for premises and pay months in advance making them very popular with local planners and at the same time, driving out the independents. If we blame Wimpy and McD’s and others for lowering the culinary tone of our high streets, these abominable outlets are finishing the job.
We are turning into a nation of the bland, and we are just letting it happen.
Related posts:
- Fast Soup
- Piri Piri Chicken
- Junk Food Advertising
- The Need to Protect Traditional Food
- What the food manufacturers DONT tell you
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