For my pals over the pond

[kimmer]

I have a strange question. Okay, so it's strange to me.  

I enjoy watching British mysteries via Netflix. One thing I've noticed is that the main police guy (rank varies) often has a wife who:

1. is a bad cook—sometimes she knows this, sometimes not.
2. or she is a decent cook but always creates awful gourmet meals, which leaves us with the running gag of him trying to pour the soup in the plant, spit food in napkin and stuff in his pocket, etc.

This results in:

• police guy sneaking meals at the cafeteria.
• police guy winds up gaining weight.
• police guy then becomes the butt of jokes and winds up on a diet (which he always tries to ignore).

Maybe I'm missing something, but is this some fact of British life? Or is it just a running gag that this American cousin doesn't quite see as funny?

[Paddy]

QUOTE(kimmer @ Oct 26 2016, 06:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have a strange question. Okay, so it's strange to me.  

I enjoy watching British mysteries via Netflix. One thing I've noticed is that the main police guy (rank varies) often has a wife who:

1. is a bad cook—sometimes she knows this, sometimes not.
2. or she is a decent cook but always creates awful gourmet meals, which leaves us with the running gag of him trying to pour the soup in the plant, spit food in napkin and stuff in his pocket, etc.

This results in:

• police guy sneaking meals at the cafeteria.
• police guy winds up gaining weight.
• police guy then becomes the butt of jokes and winds up on a diet (which he always tries to ignore).

Maybe I'm missing something, but is this some fact of British life? Or is it just a running gag that this American cousin doesn't quite see as funny?

Hmmm. In the past year I've binge-watched (and loved) Broadchurch, Happy Valley and the Fall. Can't recall this happening in any of those. Which shows are you watching?

Vera is also on my to-watch list.

[kimmer]

QUOTE(Paddy @ Nov 15 2016, 11:40 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hmmm. In the past year I've binge-watched (and loved) Broadchurch, Happy Valley and the Fall. Can't recall this happening in any of those. Which shows are you watching?

Vera is also on my to-watch list.

First noticed it in an old Hitchcock movie, "Frenzy" which takes place in England, where the inspectors wife did all this weird cordon bleu cooking with things floating in the soup and such. HAHAHA  This meant we had the running gag of spitting food in napkins, etc. The comedic side of a dark serial killer movie. Only Hitchcock could get away with this.

I've recently started watching "Midsomer Murders" and Mrs. Barnaby can't cook worth beans and knows it, but their daughter can. DCI Barnaby is often found in the cafeteria feeding on all the unhealthy foods he can afford. HAHA

There are other examples which have now slipped my mind since I first posted this thread.    They were shows/movies I was watching back mid to end of October and now I couldn't tell you what they were. HAHA

I wasn't nuts about Broadchurch. I've not watched Happy Valley, the Fall, or Vera. I'll watch for them.

[Frances144]

I know that when overseas students come to stay with us in previous years, they have dreaded "English cooking" and I hope are pleasantly surprised that I can cook better than most.

Also, if you watch the Vicar of Dibley, the old lady, Letitia Cropley, cooks appalling combinations of things like Marmite cakes, lemon curd with ham and cheese, and a bewildering concoction of chocolate with cod's roe.  She was known as the Queen of Cordon Bleugh!

But, having said that, I have not noticed this in recent British detective series.  Certain cooks in Agatha Christie adaptions were a bit suspect but that was usually after the war so not much choice for ingredients.

(NoteL I have just read out your OP to my OH who says no, he has not noticed this and he watches everything).  British cops tend to be losers, ex-alcoholics or damaged (mentally) people.  Pretty grim but salt of the earth, basically sound.