Something Hot in a Cold Country - Part 2 continued By Jane Foster

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I blame the bland food trend on the invention of refrigeration in the Western world. Think about it. At one time long ago, our fruit and vegetables had to grow in their natural season, and when they were picked - in bulk - there were lots left over which had to be kept edible in some way. So things were preserved by pickling or being kept in sugary solutions or made into jam. The result was food that tickled the tastebuds. Some of this tradition remains today, but too often we have come to rely on food of the frozen variety - of which I fear there is sometimes more taste in the packaging than in the actual product.

It's ridiculous. We force fruits to grow out of season. Exotic vegetables are transported thousands of miles to Tescos just so we can be victims of the latest culinary fashion and impress our pretentious dinner party cronies. Without a thought of the poor bloody people who had to grow the things and probably got paid about a penny an hour to do it.

And when we're not taking part in this exploitation just so we can pretend to like mange tout, we're boiling our own dear vegetables to within an inch of their lives. Who was it said that the French have vegetables but the English have veg? It's true, a fact that anyone who had to suffer school cabbage will confirm.. Hang on, I hear you say, we're eating curry now aren't we? But I fear, it's more often a treat than a regular meal in our country. Because we have to buy it (expensively) from a take away and don't know how to make it at home for nothing. I'm being a bit harsh here, I admit. How can we make it at home when there's no-one to teach us? We've lost our tradition of making decent home made English food, never mind Indian. You need someone who knows what they're doing to show you the way..

I have been briefly lucky in this respect, having once had the opportunity to learn this elusive craft..having had an Asian boyfriend, whose mother often saw him off from home visits with little frozen portions of authentic dishes that you don't see in the shops..there's nothing like the real thing from the hands of mama. And going back to the old green chillies phenomenon..there seemed to be something going on there, and I'm saying no more..

Maybe that was just coincidence, maybe he would have been the same if he'd been a bland British taty eater and not the ethnic inclination he was ( eeh.. that sounds so politically correct I should give myself a smug, liberal pat on the back). Having briefly gone back to where he came from (Leeds) I hear he's now meandering around 'ull somewhere. So, he might be reading this, and be inclined to rush round to my house faster than you can say butter my chapatti. I wouldn't complain.. but then I've had some green chillies today..

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