Question for adl
® Pseud (in the United Kingdom) 29 Dec 2004 at 22:43 GMT

What's so special about Canadian pizza that we're now being flogged it in our supermarkets?
Is it the same con as Dutch pancakes whereby you only know it's dutch cos it said so on the sign outside or is there a real, tastable, difference?

Re: Question for adl
® malb (in the United Kingdom) 29 Dec 2004 at 22:46 GMT

I guess it means it has something approximating to real bacon on it as opposed to the "American" crap that is more like frazzles(?)

Re: Question for adl
® Pseud (in the United Kingdom) 29 Dec 2004 at 22:50 GMT

So will there not be any vegetarian options?

Re: Question for adl
® adl (in Canada) 29 Dec 2004 at 23:07 GMT

Pseud - geez, sorry, but I've never heard of Canadian pizza. We don't have it in my part of the country. Maybe Dave has heard of it.

You say it's being flogged in supermarkets - is it a McCain frozen pizza? The McCains are a very successful food conglomerate. The family started with a potato farm in the 1950s. The sons took it over and built a multi-billion dollar company off frozen french fries. Frozen pizzas and orange juice are newer additions to the company. Maybe that's it. But as far as I know there's no Canadian pizza style or list of ingredients.

It's certainly not a taste trend here - we're all going for original, less-is-more Italian-style pizzas.

Re: Question for adl
® Pseud (in the United Kingdom) 30 Dec 2004 at 08:48 GMT

Thanks for the info, adl. You confirmed my suspicions.
btw we make our own with anything we find in the fridge or freezer, and jolly lovely they always are too!

Re: Question for adl
® Dave(Guyslink) 30 Dec 2004 at 08:53 GMT

I suspect it's just a marketing ploy as I have also never heard of Canadian pizza. Along similar lines I'm frequently amused by various products here that are advertised here under the tag of "European" - even though I never heard of them in Europe.

As for bacon, I'm afraid that Canada has only two varieties on offer - the American all fat (heart attack) bacon, and peameal bacon which is what would be known in the UK as gammon - but regretably there's no real British bacon.

The major problems with the Canadian food industry are the lack of proper bacon, jam roly poly pudding and steak puddings, but a plentiful supply of over-sized, genetically mutated and utterly tasteless vegetables from the US. To compensate, we have excellent beer, steak and maple syrup at a sensible price. I've found that most other things, including pizza, are pretty much the same either side of the Atlantic - although somewhat cheaper here.

Re: Question for adl
® Pseud (in the United Kingdom) 30 Dec 2004 at 13:19 GMT

Yes, I found on my trip to Canada several years ago that food was nowhere near as expensive as I'd been lead to believe. In fact, I managed to afford to dine out for almost the entire month I was there.
Btw, Dave, British bacon tends not to be British but Danish.

Re: Question for adl
® h™ (in the United Kingdom) 30 Dec 2004 at 13:48 GMT

Or Dutch, but the real Brit stuff is there is you look for it.

Re: Question for adl
® Lad (in the United Kingdom) 30 Dec 2004 at 13:58 GMT

It is, and the 'dry cure' variety is the best, if you can get it. I usually buy mine at a local butcher's, rather than the supermarket. Well worth the extra cost..

Re: Question for adl
® chinewrde (in the United Kingdom) 30 Dec 2004 at 14:06 GMT

even the germans admit that our pork and bacon is better than anything they can come up with. there's a fab farmers' market in alexandra palace every sunday morning - a brisk walk and some superb bacon purchases and you're ready for the sarnie when you get home

Re: Question for adl
® adl (in Canada) 30 Dec 2004 at 14:56 GMT

Dave - I know you live in the GTA (I'm guessing North York or Thornhill), so you may not be able to get to them, but are there any farmers' markets in your area? That should help with the fresh (local) veg and fruits and meat. It's probably a hassle for you, but the Kenningston Market used to have a good butcher and fish monger in it.

Re: Question for adl
® Dave(Guyslink) 30 Dec 2004 at 16:43 GMT

Indeed, good local fruit and veg is also available. By way of example, my greatest detestation is with US tomatoes, which are the size of apples and without even the smallest hint of any taste. In contrast, Ontario tomatoes are excellent, as are European imported ones, so I always buy either of those by preference. Regrettably, for most of the year the Canadian ones are $4.99, as opposed to $1.99 for the US ones, so taste comes at quite a premium.

As for bacon (British vs Danish vs Canadian), I'm not sure it matters so much where the pig is born and brought up - although diet may be significant. But I suspect one of the most important factors is how it is chopped up. Bacon everywhere has a strip of fat about 1cm wide next to the rind. In the UK, the cut is such that there is also a decent sized strip of meat varying in width from 2cm to 6cm - whereas American/Canadian bacon is cut such that the strip of meat is no more than half a cm wide. Not sure what they must do here with all the meat that doesn't make it into the bacon packet. They probably feed it to the pigs.

Re: Question for adl
® adl (in Canada) 30 Dec 2004 at 16:49 GMT

I just learned that there is a Florida Tomato Board which governs how tomatos look. It doesn't concern itself with taste!

As for bacon, I rarely eat it because most of what you see is just fat. If I buy it, I buy it at a butcher or famer market or in Halifax we have an Italian market which is great for bacon and other specialty meats.

Re: Question for adl
® h™ (in the United Kingdom) 30 Dec 2004 at 17:12 GMT

I'm horrified! Decent bacon is a staple here. There was a time (in the forties and fifties) when almost pure fat bacon was the norm in Yorkshire particularly, but most of the saner parts of the country preferred (and still do) Back or Middle cuts. The modern trend to ultra-lean, however, is counter-productive.

Re: Question for adl
® chinewrde (in the United Kingdom) 30 Dec 2004 at 17:19 GMT

couldn't agree more, h. you need a certain amount of fat to get the frying pan going and to release the flavour of the meat...mmmmmmmmmmmmm bacon...sorry, erm, very lean bacon with little or no fat is a waste of time and danish bacon is nearly as bad as american.

Re: Question for adl
® h™ (in the United Kingdom) 30 Dec 2004 at 17:29 GMT

I wouldn't go quite that far, but it's certainly worth seeking out British bacon from non-intensive sources, and dry cured or smoked.

Even Denmark can produce some half-decent bacon, but as with all things in farming if you want quality you have to be prepared to pay for it.

Re: Question for adl
® mouse (in the United Kingdom) 30 Dec 2004 at 17:45 GMT

And yet he complains about how much money he spends on me!
You just can't satisfy some people!

Re: Question for adl
® tartwithaheart (in the United Kingdom) 30 Dec 2004 at 19:10 GMT

all this talk about bacon? i thought this was a pizza thread, which for those of you who dont know is not american, hawaaian indian portugeuse canadian or any other country, but








ITALIAN

Re: Question for adl
® h™ (in the United Kingdom) 30 Dec 2004 at 20:57 GMT

Indeed, tart, but I thought we came to that conclusion a little way back, so the digression is well in order! After all it stayed on topic far longer than most!

Re: Question for adl
® Tintin (in the United Kingdom) 30 Dec 2004 at 21:28 GMT

Dave's description of American tomatoes could easily apply to Dutch produce. Horrid.

Re: Question for adl
® h™ (in the United Kingdom) 30 Dec 2004 at 22:38 GMT

Or for that matter almost anything produced down to a price for supermarkets.