Unlike France and Italy, England is not really known for its cuisine. If anyone talks about it at all, it is in negative terms. I've been in England for close to three weeks now, and I thought I'd give my impressions of the food here, as well as advice for anyone who ends up coming here. I'll try to be brief.

The bad reputation English food gets is somewhat deserved. There is not a very strong culinary culture here, and most pubs will have only a handful of dishes to choose from (mostly sausages, potatoes, and various pies). If you go to England for the food, you're an idiot. Wine aficionados might be justified traveling to Burgundy or Tuscany, but no one has ever gone to Yorkshire to check out all the various methods of mashing potatoes.

With that in mind, if you are going to England, do eat the food! Go to pubs and get traditional English dishes. In any of the big cities, you will see plenty of American, Italian, and French restaurants, and one might easily avoid eating any real English food at all. This is a mistake. For one thing, most any place that serves food in England will color all its food with a distinctly English flavor. Mayonnaise and cheeses, less flavor and, if you're in London, higher prices. It's possible to get food sans Englishness, but it limits your choices a great deal.

For another thing, the food here is actually pretty good. It will be easiest if I just list some bright spots:

- Breakfast. If you like eggs, rolls, and sausages, then traditional breakfasts here are hard to beat. There isn't a lot of variety, but you shouldn't really want it.

- Breads. Plenty of places do bread better than England, but that doesn't mean England is bad at it. I love bread very much, and being here has only bolstered my affection for wheat and flour. There is bread everywhere, and you should eat it as often as possible.

- Desserts. Since coming here, I've actually found that all the ice cream I've had has been wonderful. Besides that, the English do a lot of good things with pastries and honey and jam and syrup and all that good stuff. It's worth the extra course.

- Sausage. The English make great sausage. Bangers n' mash is actually one of the best meals I've ever had. It's so simple, and so beautiful.

- Street vendors. It's a city thing, but I've seen it a lot more over here. Almost all of them make great food for cheap. It's not unique to England, but, in my opinion, the street chefs here have proven themselves just as worthy as anyone else.

- Sandwiches. This goes with bread, but the sandwich shops are everywhere, and most of them make a pretty good little meal. It's also the fastest meal you can get here.

All this to say, English cuisine may not be the best, but it isn't the worst either. There's nothing to be afraid of.