National cuisine is a wonderful thing. I remember having dinner with some Americans in Leicester Square once and as it was an Indian I suggested the British invention the Chicken Tikka Masala. The other day someone told me a Chinese dish was actually English too but I forget which one (probably half the menu in reality). However, much as I imagine those colutures cringe at how we create food in their style I think the Americans are guilty of something far worse - they lie!
About a week back Cathy made Toad In The Hole for dinner. It was quite tasty but something wasn't quite right, it just wasn't the Toad In The Hole my mum fed me when I was younger. A couple of days ago I found the recipe she'd used and all became clear - it came from an American website! Worse still it had the opening that warns of doom "Traditional English"! Yep, it was one of those recipes which takes the name and basic premise of an English meal, changes it around until it has a vague connection to the original and labels it "Traditional English". Nice food, but not Toad In The Hole and most certainly not a traditional English recipe.
It happens a lot. I remember an American chef explaining Traditional English Bangers & Mash to me once and it was nothing like any Bangers & Mash I've ever eaten in this country. Of course it's not just food (and in reality it's not exclusively Americans guilty of this either) that this applies to. Take the automobile, as one of my favourite Englishmen will tell you, the reason Jaguar is in such bad shape today is because they keep building cars for Americans.
They're owned by Ford who want to build quaint British cars for Americans to drive; even if the world they really come from was a 1950s Ealing comedy. But why us? Ford don't insist on Volvo making cars like a crazy Swedish stereotype. Mazda make decent cars (in fact the MX-5 is basically a Lotus Elan for the modern day) not just random Japanese stereotypes too.
I love national character as much as he next unpatriotic, borderless world dreamer (possibly more so infact), but I dislike misrepresentation. I can accept the Chicken Tikka Masala as a cultural hybrid, for whilst it lives with more genuine Indian food offerings it doesn't mock me. It doesn't look out of place - it knows how to act and dress in more authentic company. The "Traditional English" label however should be treated with care. It typically represents a sham and a hoax being pulled. "Traditional English" rarely fits in with England; either of today or yesteryear.