In what seems to be next up in the long-running culture war between America and Britain, it’s time to discuss a culinary classic.
We’re talking about crisp butties, of course.
It seems to be every couple of months or so that Americans hop on social media to either slag off our cuisine, or to try and claim something Brits that would consider to be quintessentially British as theirs own.
Case and point – you might remember the internet erupting last year when Americans had a few choice words to say about our classic fry-up breakfasts, and even tried to recreate their own. Or when over on Reddit, Americans just couldn’t seem to believe their eyes when they discovered what British “face meats” were – also known as Billy Bear Ham to us.
And now, it seems like the New York Times is trying to make it out like it’s just discovered the art of putting crisps – or chips, as Americans call them – on a sandwich.
Emblazoned over a picture of a rather posh looking crisp butty, the post then expands on the initial statement, and goes on to explain why “putting chips” in a sandwich is a good idea, adding that: “Beyond crunch, chips also add stability, holding the fillings in place as you eat.”
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Posted over a week ago now, the post on the NYT Cooking Instagram has amassed well over 80,000 likes and thousands of comments.
Comments under the post – which is all to promote a Tuna Crunch Sandwich recipe by New York Times bestselling food author, J. Kenji López-Alt – range from people seeming impressed at the concept of “chips” on a sandwich, to others sarcastically calling the publication out for their “groundbreaking” idea, and, of course, from Brits confused as to why Americans think crisp butties are their creation.
America seems to ‘think they invented’ crisp butties and Brits can’t believe it / Credit: MuhamadIksan (via Pixabay)
“Chips? In sandwiches? Groundbreaking,” one comment reads on Instagram.
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Another person sarcastically commented: “What’s next? Dip a cookie in milk?” while a third added: “Omg such a revelation. So brave to post such a thing. Next up, bacon on just about anything,” and a fourth person said: “Really? We’ve been doing this since the 80s.
“Up next, we have discovered the secret to the ultimate peanut butter sandwich – it’s jelly,” another comical comment read.
One person went on to ask the question everyone was thinking: “Is this meant to be something new? We’ve been doing this since we were 6.”
On top of American confusion, Brits also took the opportunity to poke fun at the situation when a now-viral repost of the picture was shared by popular Twitter comedy account No Context Brits with the caption: “Americans thinking they invented the crisp butty.”
“I don’t know why they’re pretending that’s a new idea,” one person commented.
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Another confused comment reads: “I’ve been doing this since I was able to make my own sandwiches”, while actual Walkers Crisps got in on the action too.
‘Nothing is eternal’: Is Pep Guardiola hinting at the end of Manchester City’s supremacy?
Danny Jones
Pep Guardiola looks to have suggested that more than a decade of Manchester City’s supremacy and Premier League dominance at the very least might be coming to an end.
Speaking in his post-match press interviews after City were knocked out of the Champions League by serial European Cup winners Real Madrid, Guardiola cut a somewhat more deflated figure than usual following the 3-1 defeat.
A Kylian Mbappe hattrick which was closed out within an hour of play was enough to stretch the aggregate score to 6-3 over the two legs and Madrid doubling their lead across the tie proved yet again why, not unlike City domestically over the last decade, they’re the kings of the continental competition.
In contrast, however, Pep seemed to accept the loss much more easily than perhaps we’ve seen in the past and rather than appearing familiarly frustrated or defiant in the press conference; instead, he seemed rather reflective, responding to one reporter: “Nothing is eternal”.
🗣️ "Nothing is eternal" – Pep Guardiola.
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Insisting that they have to decide whether a significant rebuild is needed to keep competing at the very top level consistently as they have done since the 54-year-old arrived back in 2016, he argued that it is only with that they’ll be able to determine what comes next.
As for the result itself, he made no bones about Carlo Ancelotti’s side having “deserved it”, stating simply that “the best team won” and that fans and players alike have to “accept the reality: they were better.”
Having been a familiar foe for Pep long before he arrived in Manchester, both at Barcelona and Bayern Munich – not to mention City having faced Los Blancos a dozen times before Tuesday night since 2012 – there have been less surprising outcomes for supporters to come to terms with.
“With time, the club and everyone is going to accept what it is but for now we have 30/40 games for the Premier League next season to try and be here [in the Champions League] and to improve. Nothing is eternal”, said the Catalan coaching genius.
On the other hand, he also went on to add that it was merely a reflection on the night itself and not what his team have achieved in recent years.
He went on to remark that “when we were playing outstanding it hurt more” to be knocked out of the UCL when he felt they deserved to stay in it, but still insisted: “We have been unbelievable and we have to try step by step to get better from today.” Tonight just wasn’t the night.
Who knows? Perhaps it was just some more melodrama from a manager with an undeniable flare for pageantry and playing into/in the face of narratives when he doesn’t come out on top – which hasn’t happened all that often until their dip in form this season.
Plus, there’s certainly still plenty for him and the fans to be positive about; not only has the arrival of their ‘Egyptian Prince’ and the media’s Mo Salah successor, Omar Marmoush, got plenty of people excited – especially after that first-half hattrick against Newcastle – but so too have the other January signings.
In fact, for all of his downplaying in this particular presser (which you can hear in full HERE), it felt like there were only upsides after their victory over Newcastle, even going so far as to dub new signing Nico Gonzalez a ‘mini-Rodri‘.
You can watch the highlights from the game down below:
Pep is right, nothing is eternal – but sometimes you just come up against talents like Mbappe and there’s very little anyone can do about it.
Shepherd’s pie named among classic British dishes that could be ‘extinct’ within the next decade
Emily Sergeant
Shepherd’s pie has been named among the classic British dishes that could be ‘extinct’ within the next 10 years.
From a hearty roast dinner on a Sunday, to a slap-up full English breakfast to start the day, classic British dishes have become staples on dinner tables across the nation, all known and loved for their comforting flavours and cultural significance… but apparently, Google searches for ‘shepherd’s pie recipe’ are down 55% in the past year, indicating that less and less people looking to create this traditional dish at home.
So with this in mind, air fryer giants Ninja Kitchen decided to carry out a new study by surveying 2,000 people and studying search trends for popular British dishes to uncover which meals are still loved, and which might be nothing more than a distant memory.
Shockingly, the new study revealed that shepherd’s pie could be facing extinction from early as 2027, with several other favourites dying out within a decade.
Shepherd’s pie takes the fifth spot on the top 10 list, as according to the study, the dish is experiencing a 0.76% weekly decline, and due to the fact only 5% of Brits would name it a ‘favourite’, this classic risks extinction by 2027.
Shepherd’s pie has been named among the classic British dishes that could be ‘extinct’ within the next decade / Credit: Dennis J Wilkinson | Steven Depolo
Another shocker on the list has to been the beloved veggie dish cheese and onion pie, which takes the ninth spot thanks to its 0.41% weekly decline in searches.
However, the majority of the other dishes making up the top 10 list tend to be regional delicacies or dishes that are popular within certain dietary preferences, such as Glamorgan sausage – which takes the number one spot, with a 2% weekly search decline – Tatws Pum Munud, a nut roast, and a vegan roast dinner.
57% of the nation would be sad to see British staples fade away, according to the study, but 31% do appreciate the evolution of food trends.
The study also revealed that the growing popularity of takeaway and convenience food is the leading reason why people are moving away from traditional classics such as shepherd’s pie, with nearly half (46%) of respondents citing it as their main reason.
Emily Sergeant -
4th May 2023 
