[Sca-cooks] OOP-French View of English Food

[JIMCHEVAL at aol.com]

It's interesting that right off this is an echo of Roman accounts of the  
Germanic groups mainly eating meat and dairy products; it might in fact be  
considered a descendant of it. Also interesting that the English cared so 
much  that their beef be fresh (and that the French apparently were less  
demanding).

Otherwise, I've never seen field peas called gray peas  before:
"The Common people feed much upon Grey Pease,"
 
I also wonder if this is an early reference to British vegetarians  (who 
seem to have been the first to be at all organized):
 
"I was told the English were Fantastick, as to Herbs, and pulse; that one  
Trade, or Society of Men, fancied them and Cowcumbers"

(Some French  actually distrusted cucumbers; one doctor's house was said to 
have been built  through them.)

Jim Chevallier
www.chezjim.com

Les Leftovers:  sort of a food history blog
leslefts.blogspot.com

In a message dated  11/18/2013 4:29:49 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, 
alysk at ix.netcom.com  writes:
The blogger (from 
Australia) notes that he saw a "great  difference in the relative 
consumption of meat and vegetables".