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I was brought up in Canada on your traditional "British of olden days" fare of one meat, one green veggie, and potato and enjoyed many a Sunday dinner comprised of a roast of Beef, drippings of which were used to make the gravy, fresh green string beans, a couple of roasted potatoes from the same roasting pan along with a Yorkshire pudding, with my brother and I fighting over the fry bread done in the rest of the roast drippings that were not used for the gravy or pudding flavouring. We soon grew out of that habitual diet after leaving the nest.
Canada had the proverbial fish and chips stores everywhere into the 50's but they faded and today are rare in that being their only menu item. Modern fish and chips handed over the counter wrapped in ink-jet paper might not have the same cache, if you get my drift?
Haggis is a Scottish historical dish and I would opine that now it would only be offered as a ceremonial offering on an occasion honouring some facet of Scottish heritage.
Fried Chocolate Bars..... You've thrown this third generation Canadian from Anglo-Saxon heritage a loop with that one! Never heard of it and can't say I feel deprived at that omission.
on an aside; father returned from nearly 4 years overseas during WWII to exclaim "no more Mutton"......ever!
This is what some typical "traditional" American dinners consisted of, too, in the "old days". In the 60's and 70's, international cuisine became popular, as well as vegetarianism, to a degree, so home menus really expanded. I think there was a generation that felt that the meat-and-potatoes diet was boring, and maybe not as nutritious as other modes of cooking, so to some extent, that's been discarded, though there are probably people who still eat that way. And various types of casserole were popular then, and still are now, as well. Meat pies are another thing. I hear they were popular, and maybe still are?, in a certain era in England.
I don't know to what extent some of these meal choices are class-based. Not everyone can afford roast beef, for example. Some families relied on meat casseroles, made with cheap ground beef, rotated on the weekly menu with chicken. I don't know if casseroles were ever a Brit thing. Seems like more of a North American thing, IDK.
OK, that's a breakfast! There actually are some American parents, btw, who don't buy sugared cereals for their kids. There are still sugar-free cereals around.
I think Americans have got the wrong impression of European breakfasts, due in part to hotels in the US offering what they call a "Continental breakfast", usually a croissant with coffee, or sweet muffin with coffee. IOW, empty calories + caffeine beverage = breakfast. But I suspect that it's just as much the norm in Europe to include cheeses, or an egg or some kind of sliced meats to go with the bread, with breakfast, as it is to just grab a croissant or roll of some kind, and go. Most Americans aren't aware of that aspect of European breakfasts.
They probably do so if they eat at home, but in Paris and Rome it is common to see people who eat just pastry and coffee while standing by the counter in a cafe.
This is what some typical "traditional" American dinners consisted of, too, in the "old days". In the 60's and 70's, international cuisine became popular, as well as vegetarianism, to a degree, so home menus really expanded. I think there was a generation that felt that the meat-and-potatoes diet was boring, and maybe not as nutritious as other modes of cooking, so to some extent, that's been discarded, though there are probably people who still eat that way. And various types of casserole were popular then, and still are now, as well. Meat pies are another thing. I hear they were popular, and maybe still are?, in a certain era in England.
I don't know to what extent some of these meal choices are class-based. Not everyone can afford roast beef, for example. Some families relied on meat casseroles, made with cheap ground beef, rotated on the weekly menu with chicken. I don't know if casseroles were ever a Brit thing. Seems like more of a North American thing, IDK.
It is also very regional. My mother grew up in Pennsylvania Dutch country west of Philadelphia. She spoke a German-influenced dialect and ate a very German-influenced diet. I'm from a large fishing port that was 70% ethnic Portuguese/Azores Islands. Azores Islands peasant food was always around. It was enough of a melting pot that French-Canadian, Polish, Jewish, .... were staple recipes. Dinner was just as likely to be golumpkis or tourtiere or a Portuguese cod dish as 1960's mainstream US recipes. What we didn't have was much Asian influence beyond Cantonese-American. Wrong side of the continent. I was in my 20's before I was exposed to sushi, Thai, Indian... I was in my mid-30's the first time I had dim sum in Hong Kong. I hadn't really been exposed to much Korean until I worked for a Korean company a few years ago.
In New England, I was also at the end of the supply chain. Growing up, fresh produce was limited. Iceberg lettuce. Rock-hard tomatoes. From the Portuguese influence, I grew up with kale long before kale was cool but the produce I buy today wasn't available then.
It is also very regional. My mother grew up in Pennsylvania Dutch country west of Philadelphia. She spoke a German-influenced dialect and ate a very German-influenced diet. I'm from a large fishing port that was 70% ethnic Portuguese/Azores Islands. Azores Islands peasant food was always around. It was enough of a melting pot that French-Canadian, Polish, Jewish, .... were staple recipes. Dinner was just as likely to be golumpkis or tourtiere or a Portuguese cod dish as 1960's mainstream US recipes. What we didn't have was much Asian influence beyond Cantonese-American. Wrong side of the continent. I was in my 20's before I was exposed to sushi, Thai, Indian... I was in my mid-30's the first time I had dim sum in Hong Kong. I hadn't really been exposed to much Korean until I worked for a Korean company a few years ago.
In New England, I was also at the end of the supply chain. Growing up, fresh produce was limited. Iceberg lettuce. Rock-hard tomatoes. From the Portuguese influence, I grew up with kale long before kale was cool but the produce I buy today wasn't available then.
Fascinating! Thanks for posting! Great that you grew up with golubtsy (as Russians call them). E European food is my comfort food. . The Portuguese fare sounds delicious!
I was brought up in Canada on your traditional "British of olden days" fare of one meat, one green veggie, and potato and enjoyed many a Sunday dinner comprised of a roast of Beef, drippings of which were used to make the gravy, fresh green string beans, a couple of roasted potatoes from the same roasting pan along with a Yorkshire pudding, with my brother and I fighting over the fry bread done in the rest of the roast drippings that were not used for the gravy or pudding flavouring. We soon grew out of that habitual diet after leaving the nest.
Canada had the proverbial fish and chips stores everywhere into the 50's but they faded and today are rare in that being their only menu item. Modern fish and chips handed over the counter wrapped in ink-jet paper might not have the same cache, if you get my drift?
Haggis is a Scottish historical dish and I would opine that now it would only be offered as a ceremonial offering on an occasion honouring some facet of Scottish heritage.
Fried Chocolate Bars..... You've thrown this third generation Canadian from Anglo-Saxon heritage a loop with that one! Never heard of it and can't say I feel deprived at that omission.
on an aside; father returned from nearly 4 years overseas during WWII to exclaim "no more Mutton"......ever!
Blame my teachers, despite some people call me a liar.
I was brought up in Canada on your traditional "British of olden days" fare of one meat, one green veggie, and potato and enjoyed many a Sunday dinner comprised of a roast of Beef, drippings of which were used to make the gravy, fresh green string beans, a couple of roasted potatoes from the same roasting pan along with a Yorkshire pudding, with my brother and I fighting over the fry bread done in the rest of the roast drippings that were not used for the gravy or pudding flavouring. We soon grew out of that habitual diet after leaving the nest.
Canada had the proverbial fish and chips stores everywhere into the 50's but they faded and today are rare in that being their only menu item. Modern fish and chips handed over the counter wrapped in ink-jet paper might not have the same cache, if you get my drift?
Haggis is a Scottish historical dish and I would opine that now it would only be offered as a ceremonial offering on an occasion honouring some facet of Scottish heritage.
Fried Chocolate Bars..... You've thrown this third generation Canadian from Anglo-Saxon heritage a loop with that one! Never heard of it and can't say I feel deprived at that omission.
on an aside; father returned from nearly 4 years overseas during WWII to exclaim "no more Mutton"......ever!
Sunday Roast Beef was a staple. Even my French Canadian mother made it..although she was always jealous of my aunts Yorkshire Puddings.
My Irish born Grandmother...brought up though in BC, had an old fashioned wood burning stove. I swear her roast beef, carrots and potatoes all cooked in one pot, were the best EVER made
Getting a bit nostalgic as she died when I was 8. She was a kind lady. She had a special tea service for us kids when we visited. We would take tea on the verandah in wicker chairs. LOL. Oh, my I sound like I'm from another century..oh wait.I am!!
I’ve lived in Portugal and Spain for 6 months. I’ve gone all over the continent and tried different types of cuisines. But one thing I’ve noticed is that the food is significantly worse than in America. It might be more organic and with less preservatives, but that doesn’t equate t actual flavor.
Sunday Roast Beef was a staple. Even my French Canadian mother made it..although she was always jealous of my aunts Yorkshire Puddings.
My Irish born Grandmother...brought up though in BC, had an old fashioned wood burning stove. I swear her roast beef, carrots and potatoes all cooked in one pot, were the best EVER made
Getting a bit nostalgic as she died when I was 8. She was a kind lady. She had a special tea service for us kids when we visited. We would take tea on the verandah in wicker chairs. LOL. Oh, my I sound like I'm from another century..oh wait.I am!!
You might be able to achieve something like that in a large crock pot, on a low simmer.
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You've thrown this third generation Canadian from Anglo-Saxon heritage a loop with that one! Never heard of it and can't say I feel deprived at that omission. 
. The Portuguese fare sounds delicious!
