Kebabs and other 'junk food'

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Posted at 10:05AM, 02 January 2008 by Gregg Wallace - TV presenter, greengrocer

Why are kebabs synonymous with a bad diet? I'm not a fan of the big torpedo-shaped variety, dripping with fat but raw veg, salad, pitta bread, chilli salsa and chargrilled pieces of lamb?

A while back, I remember Paul Gascoigne being pilloried in one of the red tops for his consumption. Apparently (shock! horror!) he'd been out with friends, and was spotted eating one!

Heaven forbid, but dare I say, could it be a class thing? Would the newspapers been as titillated if Mr Gascoigne had been in a posh restaurant eating fois gras, or perhaps a pomme purée made with a kilo of butter?

Healthy or not, it seems a lot less socially acceptable if what you're eating could be referred to as 'junk food'. I recently filmed a series for the BBC about the food we eat. One of the programmes was about so called 'junk food'.

We looked at McDonalds and KFC. Both of these companies have plenty of information regarding the amount of fat and salt in their products. Both have this info on table mats, and one has it on the packaging as well. I'm not naming names, but next time you go to the supermarket, compare the salt and fat with some other items perceived to be healthier.

We took KFC on to the streets of Kensington in London. We did admittedly put it on a plate with couscous. I asked people if they would like to try it. Virtually everybody agreed. It was moist, well seasoned and rather tasty. I went on to ask how much people would be prepared to pay for it. Some went as high as £13. Snobbery aside, the bottom line is, it tasted good!

You see, we like fried food, it tastes good. If it didn't, there wouldn't be as many big companies selling it. We also as humans enjoy the taste of salt and sugar. I enjoy a bit of 'junk' food, I go to the movies with the kids and have something fried after. So don't beat yourself up, look at the labels. All things in moderation, oh and try to get some exercise. Kebab anybody?

Comments

stelios

2 January 2008, 2:25PM
stelios

I really liked this fair comment you have wrote gregg, in my fish and chip shop in the midlands we are currently testing our own home made lamb kebab made from minced lamb from our local buthcer who only buys british lamb and the best quality at that. I believe that some fat food outlets do take advantage of what you mention about about social classes and some offer alot less quality, however the operators should let people know about their ingredients and the customer should make their choice in quality.

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yummy

2 January 2008, 5:39PM
yummy

You can get posh kebabs in some restaurants but the snobbery is about the meat on the stick that you see in kebab and some cip shop windows. As a kebab connoiseur in my uni days, you can tell by the look of the meat if it's very fatty and of a lower quality. Chicken kebab is generally healthier or what about some good old masala fish. hmmmm

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dave williams

2 January 2008, 11:49PM
dave williams

As with any other food, the odd doner ( even the torpedo) isnt going to do you any harm. If you want it, eat it. So long as you dont do it every week, what is the worst than can happen? Yummy, I agree, a chicken kebab is probably healthier but hey, occasionally, nothing beats a dirty doner with a sauce that ruins your best top for evermore with the slightest drip. Having said all that, fair play to Stelios for trying to offer something a bit local and a bit different. But, dont anyone kid themselves that anyone buying a kebab is looking for anything more than a post-pub snack (wondrous though it is). Which is probably where Gregg came in :-)

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stelios

3 January 2008, 1:42PM
stelios

question for you all. If i went out of my way (which we are doing) to source top ingredients to make home made every day would it be classed as a dirty donner still. Were looking at three to four ingredients only and all fresh at that. Look forward to all your opinions Stelios

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noodlepie

4 January 2008, 9:47AM
noodlepie

All things in moderation exactly. Look at the French, reportedly the world's largest consumers of McDonald's outside the US and they're hardly the lardiest of European nations. And they do very good kebabs in France, way better than the UK in my opinion. For a really scary kebab, see this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAeO9ul-kbU

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Carolyn

5 January 2008, 11:21AM
Carolyn

I live in Cyprus and the kebabs that are most widely eaten here cannot be described as junk food. Freshly grilled pork on skewers served in a pita bread with salad, a sprinkle of salt and a squeeze of lemon....

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Naomibrook

5 January 2008, 7:02PM
Naomibrook

I haven't had a Kebab in ages - probably about 2years. And this is because there just aren't any good places to go. Where i was before there was a Turkish restaurant and take-away that we used to go to and they had much better quality meat that you usual run-of-the-mill fast-food places. And being a student and being fussy about your fast food isn't always easy you know!

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Kelvin

7 January 2008, 2:18PM
Kelvin

I agree with Greg, too many people are prepared to criticise without trying first, but then we are a nation of bigots

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lipstick

8 January 2008, 11:41AM
lipstick

Just refer to it as a souvlaki and no-one will bat an eyelid!

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squizita

9 January 2008, 1:08PM
squizita

Yes, it is interesting that the same thing from a Greek restaurant in a 'nice' area is percieved as a world away from a 'dirty kebab'. Usually they are the same! I've never trusted Doner, but shish is lovely!

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Barney

9 January 2008, 2:18PM
Barney

Kebabs, giros, souvlaki, shawarma, brochette, doner, kofta � call them what you want I love them in every form. To many people think of them as guilty pleasure which is nonsense because, when made properly, there is nothing to feel guilty about. My favourite has to be the same as Carolyn the Greek pork souvlaki which as well as the fresh grilled pork, red onion, tomato and tzatziki I personally think needs a few chips stuffed into the pitta bread � maybe that�s where the guilt comes in?

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Jen

17 April 2008, 1:43PM
Jen

I agree with Gregg, a kebab when well made (as with any dish) is a healthy and tasty meal. I pity dave williams' experience of kebabs if the best he can do to describe them is "a post-pub snack".

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