British Highschoolers try Popeyes for the first time

[amirm]

I must say, Popeyes' chicken sandwich is just incredible. I don't know how they managed to get the outside of the chicken so crunchy:

The rest of their stuff is "OK." Interesting that the kids loved just about everything.

 

[Doodski]

Om nom om... Popeyes Chicken! Do all English students wear dress shirts with a tie and blazer? Or is dressing up formally only for private schools like it is in Canada?

 

[amirm]

I always see kids dressed up that way there so it must include public schools as well.

 

[Doodski]

I always see kids dressed up that way there so it must include public schools as well.

Interesting.

 

[badboygolf16v]

Public school means something rather different in the UK. I think where you are saying public school we would say state school. Another British quirk.

 

[antcollinet]

Public school means something rather different in the UK. I think where you are saying public school we would say state school. Another British quirk.

Yep - bizarrely in England and Wales, "Public" schools are the really really posh private schools. (But not in Scotland - so this is not a UK thing)

Public school (United Kingdom) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[antcollinet]

I always see kids dressed up that way there so it must include public schools as well.

Many (or most) state schools will have a uniform policy - though it is becoming common now for that not to include shirt/tie/blazer, for example consisting of polo shirt and sweatshirt or jumper (for winter). Typicaly with school logo on.

 

[Purité Audio]

In the U.K. ‘Public’ schools are really private schools, ‘State’ schools are free, the majority of State schools insist upon uniform.
Keith

 

[dfuller]

I don't know how they managed to get the outside of the chicken so crunchy:

Probably a pretty classic southern fried chicken approach. Seasoned buttermilk or pickle juice (or a mix) for a brine, mix some of the brine with seasoned flour for the craggy bits, dredge chicken, fry.

Like so: https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-southern-fried-chicken-recipe

 

[diablo]

Many (or most) state schools will have a uniform policy - though it is becoming common now for that not to include shirt/tie/blazer, for example consisting of polo shirt and sweatshirt or jumper (for winter). Typicaly with school logo on.

I think that many 'primary' schools (age 6-11 or so) have more casual school wear. Though secondary schools (age 11 and up) in my town still wear proper school uniform. Children from two secondary schools walk past my house on their way to and from school - and they are usually surprisingly smart in their uniforms.

 

[sergeauckland]

In the U.K. ‘Public’ schools are really private schools, ‘State’ schools are free, the majority of State schools insist upon uniform.
Keith

It stems from when the Church was the only provider of education, effectively training boys and young men for Holy Orders. Those (predominantly the sons of wealthy landowners) not interested in becoming clergymen would have to arrange private tutors. The first schools set up to educate anyone who could afford to pay, i.e. The Public, then allowed boys and young men to be educated independently of the Church and became Public Schools.

With various Education Acts, the State took responsibility for educating the masses who couldn't afford to pay, and these became today's State Schools, distinct from Fee-Paying Public Schools.

S.

 

[Killingbeans]

Interesting that the kids loved just about everything.

Traditional northern european cooking is usually something in the vein of boiled cabbage with wallpaper paste as scauce.

Doesn't take much to impress or make us feel at home

 

[Keith_W]

I don't know how they managed to get the outside of the chicken so crunchy:

To get a crispier batter, you need to experiment with different starches. Most people will use wheat flour to make their batter. This gives you a nice soft crispiness, but it has a few downsides - it goes soggy easily - steam escaping from the chicken will make it soggy. For this reason it can not be doused in sauce and expected to maintain crispiness.

For some time now, chefs like Ferran Adria have used Dextran based starch like Trisol. Mix 30% Trisol with 70% wheat flour and proceed as normal. This produces an incredibly crispy result which retains its crispiness despite being doused in sauce. The problem with Trisol is that it is difficult to source it in small quantities. For this reason, I have a bucket of Trisol that I have been slowly using for the past few years.

Asian cooks mix wheat flour with cornstarch, or wheat flour with rice flour to produce different types of crispiness. In fact there is an emphasis on using different types of starches in Asian cooking that seems to be missing in the West. Japanese Agedashi Tofu is a deep fried tofu dish which uses a mixture of wheat flour and cornstarch or potato starch in the batter. It is then served with dashi broth. If you were to use 100% wheat flour, the fried batter would fall off the tofu as soon as you immerse it. Adding cornstarch helps the batter stick to the tofu as well as give a sort of glutinous texture to the batter when it is wetted by the broth.

Maybe we could have a "Food Science Review" on ASR

 

[BlackTalon]

I always see kids dressed up that way there so it must include public schools as well.

That, sir, does not sound very scientific...

 

[Mart68]

I think that many 'primary' schools (age 6-11 or so) have more casual school wear. Though secondary schools (age 11 and up) in my town still wear proper school uniform. Children from two secondary schools walk past my house on their way to and from school - and they are usually surprisingly smart in their uniforms.

Uniforms here but they are mostly quite scruffy with shirts hanging out and collars undone.

In my day you'd get the cane for having your collar undone, and that was at primary school.

Never had Popeye's but looks a lot like Kentucky to me. Makes a change from a lobby of squirrel or badger which is our usual English fayre. No wonder they were impressed.

 

[Doodski]

It stems from when the Church was the only provider of education, effectively training boys and young men for Holy Orders. Those (predominantly the sons of wealthy landowners) not interested in becoming clergymen would have to arrange private tutors. The first schools set up to educate anyone who could afford to pay, i.e. The Public, then allowed boys and young men to be educated independently of the Church and became Public Schools.

With various Education Acts, the State took responsibility for educating the masses who couldn't afford to pay, and these became today's State Schools, distinct from Fee-Paying Public Schools.

S.

That sounds like the progression of Canada's private, public and church provided education. Where I live about maybe 1/2 of the schools are still Catholic.

 

[Doodski]

Traditional northern european cooking is usually something in the vein of boiled cabbage with wallpaper paste as scauce.

Doesn't take much to impress or make us feel at home

I've had Newfy (Newfoundland slang) boiled dinner many times and done properly it is delicious. Boiled dinner is ~ salt pork, corned beef, big bones for flavor, cabbage, carrots, parsnips with cod on the side and a boiled and sweet desert. Can't remember what the boiled dessert is called but it's very nice.

 

[Doodski]

Uniforms here but they are mostly quite scruffy with shirts hanging out and collars undone.

In my day you'd get the cane for having your collar undone, and that was at primary school.

Never had Popeye's but looks a lot like Kentucky to me. Makes a change from a lobby of squirrel or badger which is our usual English fayre. No wonder they were impressed.

Hehe. I was scheduled for a caning(The strap.) on the hand in primary school. I had detailed and firm instruction from my mother that if ever the school was going to give me the strap I was to refuse to comply and state they they are to contact my mother. So they did and they never gave me the strap. I had enough discipline at home and never needed some principle whipping me.

 

[fpitas]

I really like Popeyes chicken, too.

 

[Emlin]

Traditional northern european cooking is usually something in the vein of boiled cabbage with wallpaper paste as scauce.

Doesn't take much to impress or make us feel at home

I take it that you've not been there, then.