A US expat who has been living in the UK for 10 years was disgusted when she tried a popular British dessert she likened to “maggots”. Kalyn, who has lived in the country for around a decade, runs her Girl Gone London channel on YouTube, where she posts videos on life in the UK and shares her honest views on everything from local culture to food.
In a recent video titled “American tries 11 unique British foods that I’ve never tried before!” Kalyn dived into a range of legendary British delicacies, including Weetabix, hot cross buns, Pot Noodles, malt loaf, and potato cakes.
However, she was left less than impressed by one edible treat that many of us will remember from our school dinners. Kalyn explained that rice pudding is also available in the US, but it’s likely more popular on this side of the pond.
Yet, according to Gulf News, rice pudding is actually an ancient dish enjoyed by people across the planet for thousands of years, including in India, the Middle East, and China. In India, rice pudding can be dated all the way back to 6000 BCE, with the dessert even appearing in the Sanskrit epic The Mahabharata.
The YouTuber served herself a portion of the popular dessert in a “fancy little bowl” and, having learned from the tin’s instructions that the pudding can be enjoyed hot or cold, opted to try the UK favourite cold.
She said: “To be honest, this is one of the ones that I’m the most scared of trying because the texture does not appeal to me whatsoever. It’s very gloopy, and it doesn’t really have a smell.
“Okay, I mean it doesn’t actually have that much of a smell, so maybe it won’t be an offensive taste. It’s just it’s gloopy, and it looks a little bit like maggots, but we’re going to try it.”
She added that she’s fine trying cake, but when she approaches a culinary item she’s not sure of, her “food anxiety kicks in”.
At this point, Kalyn theorised that she’d likely receive comments from viewers informing her that she’d eaten the dessert “wrong”, as she opted to enjoy the pudding cold but pointed to the tin’s instructions.
She then tried a spoonful but instantly grimaced as she admitted that it “doesn’t taste good cold” and that she didn’t like it – but it seems that it’s all down to the pudding’s texture.
Kalyn added: “I don’t like the texture. It’s like I’m eating maggots. Okay, it did not work cold, so I am going to try it hot in case that’s the problem.”
Once she heated the pudding up, she revealed that it was “much better”. However, still a bit unsure about the dessert, Kalyn added that it’s “not great” but “could see” how it “could be good”.