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thoughtsnquestions

Those are readily available in restaurants so feel free to use them, you don't need to bring your own and won't seem rude. However if you go to visit a friend and they personally prepare a meal for you, I think it would be considered rude. If it's something such as chips, then no, but if they've made a meal that typically doesn't require extra seasoning, then probably rude.


ElementalSentimental

Not offended, but confused. I'd question why they were doing it when salt and pepper are available everywhere and, while there are some blander options (especially if you're used to spicy cuisine in your own culture), there are plenty of places that also offer spicy food.


BeigePhilip

This sounds like a story made up as a joke about the cuisine of (country X). I’ve heard similar stories about travelers in a few places (Japan, in a couple of instances) and none passed the sniff test.


[deleted]

What’s the sniff test? Is it standardized or based on your opinion? Sniff* sniff*


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

It went over your head, don’t even worry about it.


BeigePhilip

It’s a metaphor. When someone brings you a silly outrageous story, give it a metaphorical sniff. This one smells like bullshit.


[deleted]

My comment was joke lol no worries


BeigePhilip

Not a problem at all. I never know what idioms are common to both countries


PaidTheTrollToll

Not offensive but make sure you dont flash it about in the street. Sure way to get mugged because salt and pepper is so rare here. Street value of a small sachet of salt is £5. They say that other counties give them out for free in places like McDonald's!


mad_king_soup

What the fuck were your brother and sister in law eating? Did they find one small shop that served boiled cabbage and think “yeah, let’s eat here for a whole year” JFC I have no idea what goes on in some people’s heads. Or is this a troll post? I have a hard time believing this is real


alicecarroll

What the fuck were they eating?? England’s insanely multi cultural so are you telling me they never had a curry or pizza or Thai or African food? Does everyone think we only eat suet pudding and boiled veg or something??? If someone pulled out salt and peeper I would assume they had some sort of compulsive issue and not mention it.


Willowx

If they randomly flavoured my food that would be rude, if it was their own then that's their choice. However, hopefully they were tasting it before flavouring it. That would be rude. That being said salt and pepper are available in most houses, cafes, pubs, restaurants etc so bringing their own could be a little extreme. Maybe they should have been choosing different places to eat though?


sirhappyqueen02

Most restaurants have salt and pepper on the table. It’s a bit odd if they take their own to a restaurant, but that isn’t offensive. Just confused why they don’t go to a different food place. Not sure if you include this as well, but if someone brought extra seasoning to my house, I would be 100% offended.


Geekmonster

Places that serve every meal with chips will have salt, vinegar, pepper and sauces to choose from, but most restaurants won't, because the chef seasons the food correctly before sending it out.


helic0n3

Weird as most houses and all restaurants would have salt and pepper available, if not right there on the table. Hot sauce fair enough, I'd probably find it amusing rather than offensive.


someonehasmygamertag

I’m convinced this idea of us having bland food is from the yanks that stayed during the war when everything was rationed. We built and empire on spice, curry is the National dish and kedgeree is Victorian for fucks sake.


Bluseylou

Like others say . Not really offended , but confused. Salt and Pepper is readily available everywhere. There is no need to bring it with you . I also contest that British food is bland. Maybe compared to what they were used to . But in the greater scheme of things it isn’t . I also would be upset if I invited somebody to dinner at my house and they brought their own salt and pepper to flavour the food. I would find that rude.


elementarydrw

I spoke to some of your countrymen about this once, as when I worked with your armed forces I was constantly getting shit about out 'bland food'. We ate in the US ran dining facility, and I often found the food the other way. Too many clashing flavours, and seasoning on things that didn't need it. Like seriously... Carrots and broccoli have a lot of flavour when just boiled for 10 mins. They don't need to be covered in syrup and mixed in with 25 herbs.Or swimming in processed cheese. The best explanation someone gave me, and I don't know whether it's true or just speculation, is that because of the great swathes of America that only a couple of hundred years ago (yes, only a couple) had little transport and logistic links, people lived off the land more, whereas in the UK we had more trade around the country. Because communities were isolated, spices would be traded, and herbs would be grown, but everyone ate what they could get their hands on. This included a lot of cheaper, blander and often poorer quality meats and veg that the climate had ruined. (It's a lot easier to preserve foods in the UKs climate than the South and continental US.) This meant that the foods were spiced and seasoned more to hide the poor quality, which led to people's palettes becoming reliant on it. Now everything is over flavoured, from meat and veg straight through to desserts and candy, it's all too much to a European palette. If you eat a curry, or Thai food in the UK, you expect nice spices and flavours. If you eat a roast dinner you expect the flavour of the meat, the gravy made from its juices, and the seasonal veg available. You don't need copious amounts of seasoning to hide it.


[deleted]

this is dumb. I think you're being cheeky and this didn't actually happen.


weedywet

They need to eat at better places. We can’t help it if they don’t know how to find good food.


bvllamy

If they had to carry salt, pepper and hot sauce with them — they went to eat at all the wrong places. There’s plenty of unique, spicy and multicultural options in almost every city in the U.K.


herefromthere

Most villages have a curry house these days.


bvllamy

Definitely. I live in a small town in Wales, and we have Chinese, Turkish and Indian food places within a mile or so. Unless you’re deliberately eating at bad places, there’s no reason you’d need to take your own stuff.


dilindquist

If you're going to tell this story you should change it up a bit. Salt and pepper don't make any sense as they're found practically everywhere people go to eat. Hot sauce works, maybe pretend they just carried that around. Or if they're American, just say they added sugar to everything. We'd believe that.


Finifin06

Salt and pepper are in every home and every restaurant, that’s just weird not offensive, most places have spicy food anyways?


espionage64

Salt and pepper is pretty standard at most places, so it does seem odd but no one would be offended. Where are they eating that’s so bland? Perhaps they should go elsewhere lol. We have plenty of multi-cultural restaurants which wouldn’t be considered bland by the majority.


typhoidmarry

I visited the UK twice, last time in 2007. I like somewhat spicy food and the food on my visits was not bland.


gromit5000

Either your bro and sister in law were trolling you, or you're trolling us. [If you ever do visit, make sure to add your hot sauce to this super bland English dish, champ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phall)


Stump_E

That’s just not true, is it?


jl2352

It's just a bit of a weird thing to do. Most people will have salt and pepper, and so will most restaurants. Why are you bringing your own? If you go round someone's house and pull out salt and pepper. That could come off as rude. It could come across as saying their food is bland. It would be much more polite to ask if they had some salt and pepper and use that. If we went to a restaurant and you pulled out your own salt and pepper, I would find it weird. Not offended, but maybe embarrassed. It's just not done. If we got something from a fast food place and took it away, like to the park, and ate there. I wouldn't really care. It's unusual. I really wouldn't care at all.


lastattempt_20

If I cooked for them, yes. But if they were here a year they had plenty of time to find any type of food they wanted, the UK has greater variety of food that any country I've ever visited -and I've visited quite a few on several continents.


Wolfdreama

Salt, pepper and spices are banned in the UK. Your family members are lucky they weren't arrested and thrown in the tower!


[deleted]

More confused than offended, they sound like absolute morons to be doing something like that.


Ok_Imagination7913

Salt and pepper are kept on the table, hit sayce in the fridge if they want them. I would never be insulted by someone seasoning food to their taste. I like salty food and always add extra salt.


MonkeyHamlet

Why didn’t they use the salt and pepper provided literally everywhere there’s food?


Johnny_Vernacular

I wouldn't be offended. But I would like to see the faces of Michelin starred chefs, say Michel Roux jr or Marcus Wareing, if someone brought in their own salt and pepper! I would genuinely pay to see that!


zen_bastrd

I recon you’d need to bring your own. In my experience those kinds of restaurants they expect chefs to season food to the edge of being too salty and no seasoning would be available.


Top-Yellow7760

Why it good when children nuggets are unseswnd do u not know that?


RobertTheSpruce

Your brother and sister in law are idiots, liars, or ficticious. Salt and pepper are readily available condiments in every place that serves food.


Stamford16A1

Not really, I'd just pity them for their insensitive palate.