(Laughing silently so as not to provoke another chapter.)

“90% of the time it comes well done, while the other 10% of the time it's as tough as shoe leather probably is.”

Most people would realize after the second steak that they should probably order it “rare” from then on, and leave the “medium” out of the equation . . .

I was told by a server in London that they can't serve steaks rare, because of a mad-cow law. So I ordered something else.

I get my steaks rare every time I order one...if it comes med rare or med I send it back. But I only choose steak at decent steak restaurants as I find I am disappointed after growing up on Alberta beef cooked properly back at home.

Mad cow may have been an issue years ago during the break out but I have been in London over 7 years and never heard that in a restaurant here.

"Then of course there is the whole driving on the wrong side of the road pet peeve. Why they can't learn to drive on the RIGHT side I'll never understand."

Probably for the same reason "you" can't learn to drive on the LEFT.

I used to stuggle with the French about steaks before i stopped eating meat, they will chatter on about "Bleu" as if beef came in blue. :-)

This happened in December 2013. Actually, I don't think she mentioned mad cow, she just said it was against the law to serve beef raw, and I interpolated the mad cow.

I just googled it, and see that there is apparently a new crackdown by local inspectors that is pushing restaurants to cook everything well done, not just beef, but also poultry and other meats, and the putative risk is food poisoning, not mad cow.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...s-demands.html

The article is from August 2013.

I was told by a server in London that they can't serve steaks rare, because of a mad-cow law. So I ordered something else.>>

well, bvl, IMO that's a load of bullocks.

if there is a crack down as reported by that well-known reliable organ, the Daily Mail, then it's not reached these 'ere parts.

<<This happened in December 2013. Actually, I don't think she mentioned mad cow, she just said it was against the law to serve beef raw, and I interpolated the mad cow.>>

and of course, rare is not raw. perhaps it was your accent!

I have never heard of that sort if crackdown. I eat rare steak regularly at decent steak restaurants in London and no one has ever batted an eye! Many have steak tartare on their menus, an example below...

http://thehawksmoor.com/wp-content/u.../GH-DINNER.pdf

Daily Mail, says it all

"Personally, I sometimes feel almost exhausted when I am finally done with the ordering procedure in the US - and I feel that I should get a 10% tip for navigating through the trillions of options that seem to be necessary to order a steak with fries and salad."

Personally, I think you need to do what the rest of us in the US are willing to do: forget the navigation and simply say, "I want a steak done___________with fries and a (house, perhaps?)salad."

It's not against the law to serve raw meat, otherwise every restaurant serving carpaccio would be in trouble.

Well, if we've moved on to tipping cows, that's a whole different story.

I notice that Hawksmoor say that there is a voluntary service charge of 12.5% all of which goes to the staff.

Btw, i have breakfasted at many British hotels, great and small. Big ones often have toasters, so you make your own toast. The little ones always ask "White, brown or mixed".

<<But would Victoria Wood being a Brit have asked for 'brown toast' do you think?>>

She would - we don't have "whole wheat bread". It's brown (usually wholeMEAL but possibly malted) or white. If you just ask for toast, you'll get a mixture.

Our eggs come fried, poached, scrambled or boiled. You can ask for "over easy" or "sunny side up", but don't expect the waitress to have a clue what you mean.

Then there is the whole 'corned beef' issue. For those who don't know, here is what a corned beef sandwich should look like. http://www.rogerstv.com/page.aspx?si...kN7NI.facebook

In the UK, corned beef comes in a can.
https://www.google.ca/search?q=corne...A&ved=0CCgQsAQ

I thought I'd cracked it once when I found they had a corned beef sandwich on the menu at Selfridges and the server assured me it was not out of a can.

Well, yes and no. It was essentially, proper corned beef, but not properly cut. The bread and pickle were subtandard as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corned_...548367167).jpg

ah, going abroad, I guess you find things different there?

<<But would Victoria Wood being a Brit have asked for 'brown toast' do you think?>>

2mins 30 sec into this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_vePgkkDDQ

Sojourntraveler- half a bullock spilling out of two slabs of bread is not my idea of "what a corned beef sandwich should look like".

"Then there is the whole 'corned beef' issue. For those who don't know, here is what a corned beef sandwich should look like. http://www.rogerstv.com/page.aspx?sid=6110&rid=83&lid=237&videos&gid=20809 8#.U6QnlWkN7NI.facebook"

God, I wish I hadn't watched that, it's obscene. Why would you want to eat a sandwich that big, is it to get some kind of "street cred"?