Portsmouth Burger
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Being thankful for GOOD food!

by Food Scout

Being a scout, even if it’s for food, can produce a wide-range of stories about the characters that don’t make it.

Think about the tryout scene from the football movie Invincible. Mark Wahlberg, reprising the role of Vince Papale, stands out amid a collection of misfits and has-beens.


 

And so, post-Thanksgiving, it’s good idea to give thanks for quality and what you don’t have.

EUROPEAN FOOTBALL STILL HAS WORK TO DO

There are literally hundreds of professional football (soccer) teams in the UK. Many of these clubs play in small stadia that would make the lowest levels of minor league baseball feel like the majors.

Concessions in these small outfits are often run out of a trailer (known as a “caravan”) or small bar. There are literally Texas high school football stadia with more sophisticated concessions.

This response below of “This is European stadium food” has identified some poor options selected from a range of top and lower tier football clubs. Of course, we need to verify that this is legit, but if it is…wow. Who would gladly pay and walk away from the concession counter if they were handed these food items?!

Portsmouth were once a Premier League team. They captured the FA Cup in 2008 and promptly went through a divisional freefall down the English football pyramid. They currently reside in seventh place in League One, two leagues down from the EPL.

This food item looks so bad, you have to wonder if the photo is altered in some way. My guess is FootyScran, who has a reputation as influencer, wouldn’t go that route. This looks like a breakfast sausage patty on an oversized bun.

The solid, un-melted cheese slice to seems to be a regular occurence as lazy concessionaires slap cold cheese slices on fries, burgers and hot dogs.

WHAT’S ON OFFER AT THE WORLD CUP?

In case you’re wondering what they offer at the World Cup stadiums in Qatar, we present the actual signage. Price-wise…not too bad. The Qatari Rial is worth about 27 cents to the US Dollar, so an item marked at 17.00 is actually $4.67. If that’s in PetroDollars…ouch.

HAVE YOU EVER TRIED SHAWARMA?

In the comical ending to the first Avengers movie, Tony Stark admits he’d like to try shawarma and the end credits show the Avengers eating in a damaged shawarma shop.

What is a shawarma?

According to Wikipedia: “Shawarma (/ʃəˈwɑːrmə/; Arabic: شاورما) is a popular Middle Eastern dish that originated in the Ottoman Empire,[1][2][3][4] consisting of meat cut into thin slices, stacked in a cone-like shape, and roasted on a slowly-turning vertical rotisserie or spit. Traditionally made with lamb or mutton, it may also be made with chicken, turkey, beef, or veal.[5][6][1] Thin slices are shaved off the cooked surface as it continuously rotates.[7][8] Shawarma is a popular street food in the greater Middle East, including Egypt, Iraq, and the Levant.[9][10]”


And here’s a World Cup-grade chicken shawarma being served in-venue in Qatar.

IN CONCLUSION

More and more stadiums and franchises are learning the magic of food. It is the uniter and memory-maker for people. It fills bellies, makes people happy and soaks up beer.

But there is hope. For all the bad prospects, there are zillions of great ones. It seems to be the inverse of the athletic universe. Thing are changing and looking up…even in Thailand!

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