We now have English owners!

[boyfriday]

There used to be a van driving around with the slogan, 'You've tried the cowboys, now try the Indians'. Could this be classed as a racist slur on British builders?

I don't know, were the owners Indians or was it a play on words? Did they say British people couldn't build and they were superior?

What about signs stating 'Polish Builders', what does that conquer up in your mind?

 

Very clean construction workers

[byeo]

"You're travelling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind"....

 

I love the Twilight Zone...

[boyfriday]

Of course it wouldn't. Similarly if I'm a white guy (as indeed I am) would my dhal (made to my Pakistani friends recipe) taste any different than if she'd cooked it herself?

 

No.

 

Good point H, in fact in 90% of the Indian restaurants I eat in the tarka dall is always of uniform colour, taste and consistency..I've thought for a long time it's been created from a packet only Asians have access to

[byeo]

There used to be a van driving around with the slogan, 'You've tried the cowboys, now try the Indians'. Could this be classed as a racist slur on British builders?

What about signs stating 'Polish Builders', what does that conquer up in your mind?

 

I find it funny and about as racist as a glass of water.

[JanetJ123]

The race of the cook is unimportant. Perhaps the cook can be of any nationality but must understand how we (fish and chip eaters) like them. If someone cooks them differently using the same ingredients it doesn't mean they're no good. Just that they're not what we're used to...

[WeX]

So can only (indigenously) English people cook proper fish & chips?

 

No, but if you are dining at a French,Chinese,Italian,Indian restaurant, you expect chefs from these countries. Its not essential, but its odd for them not to be.

 

---------- Post added 30-08-2013 at 13:06 ----------

 

There used to be a van driving around with the slogan, 'You've tried the cowboys, now try the Indians'. Could this be classed as a racist slur on British builders?

What about signs stating 'Polish Builders', what does that conquer up in your mind?

 

I think that's pretty funny tbh

[poppet2]

The race of the cook is unimportant. Perhaps the cook can be of any nationality but must understand how we (fish and chip eaters) like them. If someone cooks them differently using the same ingredients it doesn't mean they're no good. Just that they're not what we're used to...

 

The race of the cook is important in some respects.

If I wanted a Curry, Chinese, or Thai take-away,my first instinct would be to buy from cooks of this nationality, because I expect them to be more familiar with this food.

However, if I discovered that other nationalities were cooking the same food better, I would buy from them.

 

Now if this man had said 'Traditional fish & chips' meaning cooked in dripping, there wouldn't be this fuss.

[boyfriday]

No, but if you are dining at a French,Chinese,Italian,Indian restaurant, you expect chefs from these countries. Its not essential, but its odd for them not to be.

 

We're really talking about English fast food here though Wex, the popularity of Domino's illustrates that English (and other nationalities) can cook pizza without being Italian, KFC shows that not just Americans from the south can fry chicken etc etc.

 

If I want to have high cuisine fish & chips then the Seafood Restaurant in Padstow can't be beaten, but I suspect the man in the DM article couldn't really hold a light to Rick Stein.

 

---------- Post added 30-08-2013 at 14:36 ----------

 

Now if this man had said 'Traditional fish & chips' meaning cooked in dripping, there wouldn't be this fuss.

 

Absolutely, but he's created the fuss by claiming non English people can't cook fish & chips and his customers have an expectation of being served by someone English.

 

Mr Bradbury says customers "want to know they are going to be served by somebody English".

 

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/425422/Now-under-new-management-English-owners-Chip-shop-ordered-to-take-down-racist-sign

[Jeffrey Shaw]

Mr Bradbury says customers "want to know they are going to be served by somebody English".

1. Do they? How does he know?

2. If they do, why?

3. And surely it's only the ownership of the shop that's supposedly 'now...English'; who said anything about the waiting-staff?

[JanetJ123]

The race of the cook is important in some respects.

If I wanted a Curry, Chinese, or Thai take-away,my first instinct would be to buy from cooks of this nationality, because I expect them to be more familiar with this food.

However, if I discovered that other nationalities were cooking the same food better, I would buy from them.

 

Now if this man had said 'Traditional fish & chips' meaning cooked in dripping, there wouldn't be this fuss.

 

What I meant, in a muddled way, is that if the cook is say of Indian ancestry, but has lived here many years and is, to all intent and purpose, English, then they would have an idea what "traditional" food tastes like. Therefore, the fact that they are Indian by birth would make little difference in preparing English food, because its what they are used to.

 

Then say if a Pole, who is white and the same race as white English, arrived to cook fish and chips for the first time they would be less skilled than the Indian frier...