ICE CREAM

Sigh... Emma, the problem is, Diners are the one GOOD purely American food, while they've only imported the crap Burger Kings and McDonalds and stuff. And where the heck are the Dairy Queens? I mean, honestly... why can't Britain bring over the good stuff?

I am so going to have to get a bottle of special Mexican K using the Sin Fund.

And SNAP, SNAP, SNAP on the diner/soda fountain opinion. It's like my other chief London annoyance: Chinese food does not come in the little white box. I have been saying for 10 years that the first quality C- food takeaway to open up and USE the white boxes in Central London will make a fucking fortune, the public will love it and the style mag set will totally wet themselves. But I digress. Green tea ice cream, anyone? I haven't figured out how to make it alcoh...uhhhh, yes I have. Saké.

Also - if there are any quality Chinese takeaways I have yet to find them. In my experience London Chinese takeaway is always utterly disgusting.

Oh, wait, I was going to make coffee and you distracted me with thoughts of Chinese takeaway.

Mmmm, DIM SUM. Could eat that all day.

Maybe you should start a dim sum thread, I luv it. I like those funny turnip cake things.

What always bugged me, was when they'd show in the adverts... "Part of this nutricionally complete breakfast" where the whole breakfast - including toast, fruit, milk, orange juice - would have been nutricionally complete *without* the Sugarbombz.

...and Toufutti is not the same as ice cream. It never will be. Figgered I'd just throw that out there.

To put it plainly -- the UK *FAILS MISERABLY* at these key factors to ensure culinary survival:

1) Good Mexican food. Scratch that, even *mediocre* Mexican food.

2) Fast food -- as has been said, you've been colonized by The Shit and not The Good. Such are the natures of multinationals, I realize.

I will allow for the fact that we don't have as many Indian places out here as we should. This however will hopefully be changing (and happily we've got a good slew around where I live, so there is further hope).

And Kate, I have pose and preen about B&J, for I am a Mere Male and measure myself accordingly against societal standards. Now if you excuse me, I have to go down to Hooters in my red Ferrari dick car and shout loudly about tits while pounding down Coors Light. That is what people do there, right?

Getting patriotically irritated by US 'our junk is better than your junk' nonsense. This is patently a fact that does not need to be debated since about 75% of Seppos are obese (though we are catching up, even without Taco Bell or Dairy Queen or whatever).

Otis is a big time fucking hippie.

Food has improved here in great big leaps, though. When I moved here the only place that did The Dazs was Harrods Food Hall and I had to buy Ocean Spray from Fortnums to introduce London to the concept of the Sea Breeze. Now, lots of good food (no Mex, but how many of them want to move here?) and as birthdays and family-visit bonus, ALL the poncey restaurants are around my flat.

As far as Southern California goes, everything here is a chain. I go into a nice-lookng, family-owned Greek or Turkish place, everyone there looks the part, speaks the language -- cool right. I flip over the menu and see a list of other "California locations" and "Herb from Texas" walks out of the kitchen with the chef's hat on. Please........

Oh, and their food is good, too. Though you do have to ask them to bring out hot sauces and things.

Taco Bell, however, would be a great addition to the flora and fauna of London's fast food...

xoxo

Yep, that place in Covent Garden is pretty good. Emma passed out in the toilets there once. That's how good it is.

I once fainted at college during a belly dancing class. I banged my head very hard on the floor and all the other girls crowded round and assumed that I was anorexic (well, a curvy anorexic). I had such a bad headache I could not do my essay that week and explained to my tutor. He thought I said 'ballet dancing' and was quite impressed but when I explained that it was belly dancing he was a bit flummoxed.

Kroger's store-brand (Private Selection) ice creams are mind-blowingly good. They're not paying me to post this.

costco carries a generic vanilla icecream that is so FREAKING good.

also on the fancy end of things, Straus Family Creamery's vanilla is the bomb.

I recommend both of these as someone who doesn't even usually love vanilla icecream much at all, but these two are crazy good

Bought the Breyers chocolate/vanilla split 7".

Honestly it's really good. I don't understand why I ever pay for ultra-premium ice cream because I don't think it's all that much better than this.

as far as supermarket brands

it has to be aldens

best so far

Bums me out that half the Breyers flavors are labeled "Frozen Dairy Dessert"

Oh is that really still a thing? I thought they stopped doing that. This one was definitely ice cream.

depends on the flavour i believe

i like breyers a lot, winco almost always has them for half the normal store-price