During my university years, I had the chance to visit a pub nearby which served what is known as the Ploughman's Lunch. This simple lunch consists of a quality cut of farmhouse Cheddar, a home-baked bread roll, pickled onions, and a pint of your favourite stout (which was usually Guinness).
Being of Chinese descent and having been raised on Chinese feasts, my first thought at having this served to me was "What the hell kind of lunch is this?" However, as I started to pick away at the meal slowly, I began to realize that its very simplicity was its prime quality. This was a meal for a hard-working man, given its namesake...after a hard day ploughing the fields, it was best to partake in a meal which consisted primarily of the best that the farm had to offer. Plus, it was a welcome respite from the usual fried foods that are so prevalent in the UK.
Not that I would know what hard work was at the time since I pretty much slacked off at the pub all the time instead of studying.
Anyway, I hope to visit the UK again some day for a real Ploughman's Lunch...most of the servers at the so-called pubs here in Ottawa have no clue what I'm talking about when I ask for one.