I love the way threads go so far off topic....and improve because of it.
I was based in London for 10 years or so, loved it but as for British food.....Fisk and Chips was as about as quintessential as the cuisine got. I despised malt vinegar on fish and chips at first, but like so many food groups, such as Guinness and warm beer - it grew on me.
But Jellied Eels, Whelks, Black Pudding and Lambs Fry.......just were not in my edible category. Food is about look and smell first...then taste.....those three missed out on every front.
But London is a foodies heaven with all cuisines available.....some quality places rivalling the best in the world..........................,and some diabolical eateries catering for the drunks leaving the local watering holes.....dodgy Scottish eggs, dubious kebabs . dried out pies that taste like cardboard with a dehydrated filling and day old fish and chips that missed the lunch time rush.
The last time I was back in the UK was a number of years ago now, the East End was beginning to go upmarket and the locals were getting squeezed out. I am not sure I liked where it was going.....but change is inevitable.
The wheelers and dealers were being replaced by the new age folks.......
A far cry from the days when I would pop along to Upton Park when I was in town to watch the Hammers invariably get humiliated.....followed by a few pints to commiserate the loss....followed by the obligatory trip to one of the above-mentioned dives after the pub closed (barring when you got locked in).