British Literature vs. American Literature

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Originally Posted by G L Wilson

The British could write well if they nuked Oxford and Cambridge.

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Yea, sure killing the finest of an entire generation is alway the way to go when you want to improve your nation. Just ask the russians and their glorious USSR...


On a more comical note your comment reminded me of this funny video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owI7DOeO_yg

[QUOTE=stlukesguild;1065891 Personally, I don't think a majority of Americans... and it may be the same with the Brits... take meals as seriously as other cultures. [QUOTE]

I think you may have a point there but, in recent years, media pundits have cottoned on to the fact and, being the busy little iconoclasts that they are, have been flooding the UK media with an unending number of programmes and newspaper articles about food and cooking. Of course, the TV, radio and newspapers are only too pleased to cover this tedious subject matter because, as with so much else they engage in, it gives them a chance to justify their their existence. But, by any objective standard, chefs belong in the kitchen and should remain there.

I enjoy English literature better but maybe that's just me.

At least the Americans have no sense of irony which helps.

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Originally Posted by stlukesguild

Any moment now I expect Stlukes to come in with Cajun cooking but, think McDonalds: or is that the unthinkable?

Certainly the US has any number of native ethnic cuisines: Cajun, Southwestern and Tex/Mex, African-American, Southern, New-England, New York, etc... as well as the wealth of foreign cuisines as the result of immigration: Italian, German, Russian Japanese, Thai, Indian, Mexican, Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish, Jewish, Polish, Irish, etc... I can find restaurants specializing in any of these cuisines in most American cities. But then we have our questionable native inventions... especially fast food. Personally, I think Jewish cuisine has both the British and Americans beat by a long-shot: Gefilte fish, Lox, quenelles, pickled herring, borscht, pickled eggs, chicken liver... :skep:

I remember reading an article years ago that theorized that Britain and America didn't develop any real cuisine of note as a result of their wealth in natural resources. Having access to so much beef, lamb, chicken, etc... far beyond other countries they didn't need to develop means of making what were often scraps... poor cuts of meat taste good through the use of various herbs, seasonings, etc... The article went on to point out how something like chili was developed on the cattle-runs in the old American South-West. A cow was slaughtered... but it would take more than a few days for a group of a dozen of so cattlemen to finish the beast. In the intense South-Western heat the meat would rapidly turn nasty. The cooks employed various local and Mexican seasonings, hot chiles, etc... to cover up the taste.

Personally, I don't think a majority of Americans... and it may be the same with the Brits... take meals as seriously as other cultures. I had a Puerto-Rican friend in New York who insisted on serving you home-made Spanish coffee or hot chocolate (made from real chocolate and cream!) any time you visited. He declared that in Puerto-Rico this was a tradition. Even if you were coming to talk business... or kill the other guy... you would first have some real coffee or hot chocolate. My Chinese friend is the same. Anytime he wishes to thank someone for something he offers to cook them dinner. As he worked for years as a chef in a Chinese restaurant we have never refused.

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I guess too it depends on what MarkBastable is calling British food versus American. Are we comparing Figgy pudding to Chili? Blood sausage to Southern Fried Chicken? I know which ones I would want to eat in those comparisons. Or are we comparing ethnic foods that are imports or quasi-imports to the countries (as many are fusion/hybrids of a lot of food cultures)?

I would think the Brits have the advantage with Indian food, Middle Eastern food, Ethiopian, while America in general has superior Tex-Mex, Pizza, Barbecue, and Delis. But to imply that America has bad food and a lack of worthwhile culinary traditions is ridiculous. To be honest, I prefer Tex-Mex, Pizza, BBQ, and Deli food over Indian Food.

The same applies to this same debate in literature, both are worthwhile traditions with plenty of works worthy of a reader's time, which goes for the literature of many other world cultures as well. This debate is silly because ultimately it is going to come down to personal preferences more than anything else.

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Originally Posted by Drkshadow03

This debate is silly because ultimately it is going to come down to personal preferences more than anything else.

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That's not the main reason for the debate being silly though.

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Originally Posted by Drkshadow03

Are we comparing Figgy pudding to Chili? Blood sausage to Southern Fried Chicken?
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Figgy pudding? Woah, just got a rush from the sudden reversion to the Victorian era ;) Blood sausage? Do you mean black pudding? Not a fan myself, though quality of black pudding is so varied. If it comes from Bury Market it'll be good though.

Might be a fairer comparison if you chose foods people actually eat :D Maybe Southern Fried Chicken vs fish & chips. Chilli vs Shepherd's pie. We'll hold Yorkshire pudding in reserve for when the battle gets desperate - who can resist a nice Yorkshire pudding?

Smackdown :D

So this thread is turning into British v American culture? Should be fun. There'll be some good mileage with sport - after the cuisine has played out.

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Originally Posted by Drkshadow03

I guess too it depends on what MarkBastable is calling British food versus American. Are we comparing Figgy pudding to Chili? Blood sausage to Southern Fried Chicken?

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Without disagreeing with the principle of your valid argument, I'd like to say that, as an Englishman in his fifties who was brought up by a mother who wrote cook books, I have never eaten, seen, or even heard of anyone who's eaten or seen figgy pudding. I'm not sure I even know what figgy pudding is. If it weren't for one line in a Christmas carol, I suspect that no one would know that such a thing ever existed.

KFC, on the other hand, I'm very fond of. About twice a year, I succumb to the temptation of a bargain bucket, usually accompanied by a bottle of Chablis.

In the battle between British and American theatre, I have to give it to the Americans.

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Originally Posted by kelby_lake

In the battle between British and American theatre, I have to give it to the Americans.

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In the field of twentieth-century poetry, I think the Americans have the better score too, probably because a lot of the potentially great British poets ended up here.

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Originally Posted by MarkBastable

In the field of twentieth-century poetry, I think the Americans have the better score too, probably because a lot of the potentially great British poets ended up here.

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I think that is the sad truth for the British, French and Germans. A major reason why america was more dominant in Modernism. During WWI 25% of all french men aged 18-24 died. The highest number of deaths were not from the common soldier but rather the low level officers (the new and young ones) - for a lieutenant death expectancy was 65%. These 3 nations essentially lost the cream of an entire generation.

Russians though suffered even more due to the revolution as well - there an entire generation was wiped out. Russian lit which at the end of the 19th century was so strong took a huge hit after the war and revolution. And is still far away from its glory days.

So america in that regard was very fortunate.

I don't think that's entirely fair, but it may play a part. After all, the US also produced major female modernist poets like Gertrude Stein, Amy Lowell, Hilda Doolittle and Marianne Moore.

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Originally Posted by Alexander III

So america in that regard was very fortunate.

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It may be a semantic thing, but I don't think it's so much that the Americans were fortunate as the Brits (and everyone else you mention) were unfortunate.

Then again, we can make a forlorn attempt to claim Eliot as kinda-British.

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Originally Posted by MarkBastable

Then again, we can make a forlorn attempt to claim Eliot as kinda-British.

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I thought Eliot was British?