The Zoo Food Dilemma
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@TeaLovingDave So, which Dutch zoo had the best tea in your opinion?
I think Burgers' should receive extra points as there were red-rumped caciques screeming in the background. You didn't see those in the Amersfoort restaurant did you?
I think Burgers' should receive extra points as there were red-rumped caciques screeming in the background. You didn't see those in the Amersfoort restaurant did you?
@TeaLovingDave So, which Dutch zoo had the best tea in your opinion?
I think Burgers' should receive extra points as there were red-rumped caciques screeming in the background. You didn't see those in the Amersfoort restaurant did you?
Burgers' wins automatically on the basis that I was able to get freshly boiled water for my cup of tea
sooty mangabey
Well-Known Member
It's a truth universally acknowledged that it is impossible to get a decent cup of tea overseas. The USA is even worse than mainland Europe: a cup of fairly warm water, and a wooden box of teabags from which to choose (by which time the water is even less warm). Not good.
And regarding food in Czech zoos: not great, except for where the wonderful Czech speciality of fried cheese can be purchased. There's a wonderful corner of Prague zoo where it's possible to eat your cheese and chips, looking out at the view across the city, including an impressive football stadium.
And regarding food in Czech zoos: not great, except for where the wonderful Czech speciality of fried cheese can be purchased. There's a wonderful corner of Prague zoo where it's possible to eat your cheese and chips, looking out at the view across the city, including an impressive football stadium.
Well if the Falklands are to be considered overseas, they make a very good British cup of tea, but that is to be expected as it seems like some British politeness has washed up in a landscape not unlike Iceland, but then with tons of penguins and even further away from anywhere else....
I’m sold! I love fried cheese and I love chips! I’ve just been out and done a shop for ‘diet food’ as I’m serious about getting my weight under control now and plan to try to lose at least a stone by living off soup and water up until the time my trip comes around in April. But my diet is definitely going to have to go on the back burner while I’m away! This sounds too good to miss.
Welsh Zootographer
Well-Known Member
Some of the best cuppas I've had were on a 14 hour stop over in Sri Lanka .
In the subcontinent they often like to drink tea from saucers rather than cups.
Welsh Zootographer
Well-Known Member
That's how I used to drink it when I was very young, grandmother would have a cuppa and give me some to drink from the saucer!
sooty mangabey
Well-Known Member
Unfortunately, there is an inherent contradiction in these two statements.....
And that’s my eternal struggle summed up in just one sentence!
Well it depends, what is your definition of good. But usually it´s same in every Zoo - fried chicken breast, potato pancakes, potato dumplings stuffed with meat, halušky (because we still miss our Slovak brothers), hot dog and other fast-food stuff. It´s not completely terrible, just average and you eventually get tired of it so now I´m usually preparing some small snacks because let´s be honest, who´s got time to eat in zoo?
But there are awesome restaurants in basically every bigger city, so when you come hungry from zoo you can always buy a great dinner to balance it. Well, Prague and Pilsen (the restaurant in the farmhouse, the one next to Madagscar house is the typical "average zoo restaurant" I described higher) are certailnly welcomed exceptions. Otherwise the food is still I think one of the biggest downsides of visitor experience in Czech zoos, although it seems that most zoos adressed that and plan to build new restaurants or they´re improving the existing ones.
It doesn’t sound so bad. I actually really like fast food (hence my expanding waistline). I like fried chicken. I like hot dogs. And I’d probably give the potato pancakes, the potato dumplings stuffed with meat and the halusky a go, anyway.
Is it possible that I will find varenyky while I’m there? I absolutely love them! That would be a real treat for me.
Is it possible that I will find varenyky while I’m there? I absolutely love them! That would be a real treat for me.
In zoos? Certainly not.(Or at least I don´t know about any zoo)
Somewhere in the cities, maybe, but as varenyky and stuffed potato dumplings are very simmilar, the latter option will be probably prefered as being more "local"
Yeah, you certainly should. It´s one of my favourite meals, the only downside is that it´s served with sauerkraut which I don´t like at all
Yeah, you certainly should. It´s one of my favourite meals, the only downside is that it´s served with sauerkraut which I don´t like at all
Oh, I’m a fan! I’m starting to look forward to my trip more and more all the time!
FunkyGibbon
Well-Known Member
Parts of Asia are pretty good for tea, although it's usually served without milk. I've gotten very accustomed to this now. There's also a huge variety of flower and herb teas which are vastly superior to their equivalents in the UK. Recently Taiwanese milk-tea has become very popular, imagine a regular cup of tea in a large soft drink cup with extra sugar.
As you probably know Prague has the world's largest stadium by area, a gymnastics arena the size of nine football fields!
This is an issue I've been mulling over for several years now as food at the three Bay Area zoos is terrible, and Sacramento is about the same. The quality of the food has improved gradually over the years, but it's still the same offerings -- burgers, fries, pizza, and deli sandwiches. I can get better for less money in the immediate vicinity of the zoo.
I suspect that a lot of it stems from the fact that food services is contracted out to a third party, and they're not interested in making the zoo a loss leader. Part of solution, and this ties in with the whole localism movement, is contracting with local restaurants. Not indefinitely, but, say, on a monthly basis. Zoo provides staff and facilities, and the restaurant provides the menu, ingredients, and maybe somebody to oversee preparation. There's more, but the rest is details.
Finally ZooChat is having a discussion about something that really matters! Cheese crisps and tea without milk - now we are getting somewhere!
So answer me this mind-numbing conundrum: Why can't I get iced tea in Europe??? And yes I am including UK as part of Europe. I mean seriously, what is the matter with you people? You can walk into any scale of restaurant, from sidewalk cafe to zoo shop to upscale establishment and get twenty kinds of hot tea. Would you kill you to throw some ice in one?
For the record, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum has a prickly pear (cactus) iced tea that is delicious.
So answer me this mind-numbing conundrum: Why can't I get iced tea in Europe??? And yes I am including UK as part of Europe. I mean seriously, what is the matter with you people? You can walk into any scale of restaurant, from sidewalk cafe to zoo shop to upscale establishment and get twenty kinds of hot tea. Would you kill you to throw some ice in one?
For the record, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum has a prickly pear (cactus) iced tea that is delicious.