---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My father once said there's a correlation…"
description: "\"My father once said there's a correlation between a nation's cuisine and its people: England, nice people, nasty food; France, nice food, nasty people;..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c59/martin-amis-704_character_my-father-once-said-there-s-a-correlatio_1244892.jpg"
---

#  My father once said there's a correlation between a…

![“My father once said there's a correlation between a nation's cuisine and its people: England, nice people, nasty food; France, nice food, nasty people; Spain, nice people, nasty food; Italy, nice people, nice food; and Germany, nasty food, nasty people. And I've always thought that there must be…” quote by Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c59/martin-amis-704_character_my-father-once-said-there-s-a-correlatio_1244892.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c59/martin-amis-704_character_my-father-once-said-there-s-a-correlatio_1244892.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c59/martin-amis-704_character_my-father-once-said-there-s-a-correlatio_1244892.jpg)

> “My father once said there's a correlation between a nation's cuisine and its people: England, nice people, nasty food; France, nice food, nasty people; Spain, nice people, nasty food; Italy, nice people, nice food; and Germany, nasty food, nasty people. And I've always thought that there must be something terribly wrong with the German character - and that there is, really.”

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker uses stereotypes linking national cuisines to perceived character traits, suggesting cultural identity is reflected in food, but also reveals personal bias against Germans.

**In simple terms:** Food stereotypes are used to judge national personalities, showing bias.

Key Takeaway

Question stereotypes and seek deeper cultural understanding.

Themes

culture stereotypes food national identity bias

Mood

wry critical thoughtful

Type

humorous social reflective

When to use this quote

- travel experiences
- culinary tourism
- cross‑cultural workshops
- media analysis
- education curricula

Key Concepts

Cultural relativism social perception humor prejudice

Questions to Reflect On

- How do food stereotypes shape our view of other cultures?
- Can we separate taste from moral judgment?

A Different Perspective

The generalizations are overly simplistic and can reinforce prejudice rather than foster insight.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Nasty people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nasty-people/) [Nice people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice-people/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/)

## Related quotes

> [If I were trapped in one city and had to eat one nation's cuisine for the rest of my life, I would not mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/if-i-were-trapped-in-one-city-and-had-to-eat-one-nation-s-cuisine-for/)

[Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/)

> [People don't know how to deal with stress and depression, so they're nasty to other people because it makes them feel better about themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-nash/people-don-t-know-how-to-deal-with-stress-and-depression-so-they-re/)

[Kate Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-nash/)

> [When somebody is rude to you either in real or cyber world, retaliate with kind gesture and affection, if he/she gives you the worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola-http-wwwamoreloveforlifecom/when-somebody-is-rude-to-you-either-in-real-or-cyber-world-retaliate/)

Kemmy Nola Http://wwwamoreloveforlifecom

> [Unfortunately here in the UK we have got into the habit of being nasty about people in the public eye. It's all so vicious.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-o-porter/unfortunately-here-in-the-uk-we-have-got-into-the-habit-of-being/)

[Dawn O'Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-o-porter/)

> [I like nice people, I don't like nasty people, but I like somebody that's not a pushover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-colin-campbell/i-like-nice-people-i-don-t-like-nasty-people-but-i-like-somebody-that/)

[Lady Colin Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-colin-campbell/)

> [“I like living in my head because in there, everyone is kind and innocent. Once you start integrating yourself into the world, you realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-cornell-michel/i-like-living-in-my-head-because-in-there-everyone-is-kind-and/)

[J. Cornell Michel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-cornell-michel/)

> [One of the worst things about life is not how nasty the nasty people are. You know that already. It is how nasty the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/one-of-the-worst-things-about-life-is-not-how-nasty-the-nasty-people/)

[Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/)

> [The police are people as well. All those nasty people aren't really nasty if they'd realise it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/the-police-are-people-as-well-all-those-nasty-people-aren-t-really/)

[George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/)

> [My dad used to get to the nastiest letters. But somebody had to take the time to type it, stamp it, send it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-buck/my-dad-used-to-get-to-the-nastiest-letters-but-somebody-had-to-take/)

[Joe Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-buck/)

> [Too bad makeup can't cover up the insides of nasty people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/too-bad-makeup-can-t-cover-up-the-insides-of-nasty-people/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Jason settled back on the bench. 'I hate to break this to you, but as a rule, wizards are nasty people. They're powerful, capricious,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cinda-williams-chima/jason-settled-back-on-the-bench-i-hate-to-break-this-to-you-but-as-a/)

[Cinda Williams Chima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cinda-williams-chima/)

> [Evil is a miscellaneous collection of nasty things that nasty people do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/evil-is-a-miscellaneous-collection-of-nasty-things-that-nasty-people/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [“The superior types, he points out, are also sinners. Of course, they are nice church members. They don’t let all their dirty laundry hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-knight/the-superior-types-he-points-out-are-also-sinners-of-course-they-are/)

[George R. Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-knight/)

> [..when I say that "he's a truly nasty man," I mean he has so thoroughly renounced everything good that he might have inside him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/when-i-say-that-he-s-a-truly-nasty-man-i-mean-he-has-so-thoroughly/)

[Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/)

> [I don't know why I'm suddenly playing nasty people. It is very fun, though, and it isn't real, at the end of the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-don-t-know-why-i-m-suddenly-playing-nasty-people-it-is-very-fun/)

[Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/)

## More by Martin Amis

> [“Yeah,' I said and started smoking another cigarette. Unless I inform you otherwise, I'm always smoking another cigarette.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/yeah-i-said-and-started-smoking-another-cigarette-unless-i-inform-you/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [“barrios; each barrio has two or three gangs, and all the gangs are theoretically”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/barrios-each-barrio-has-two-or-three-gangs-and-all-the-gangs-are/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [I'm not interested in making a diagnostic novel or a concern. I'm 100 percent committed in fiction to the pleasure principle - that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-m-not-interested-in-making-a-diagnostic-novel-or-a-concern-i-m-100/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [“If we all downed tools and joined hands for ten minutes and stopped believing in money, then money would no longer exist. We never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/if-we-all-downed-tools-and-joined-hands-for-ten-minutes-and-stopped/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [When I see a lot of young faces in the audience, it's just sort of sinking in how important that is. Because you're old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/when-i-see-a-lot-of-young-faces-in-the-audience-it-s-just-sort-of/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [“I was informed by my viscera that now was the time to put my arm around her shoulders. I ignored them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-was-informed-by-my-viscera-that-now-was-the-time-to-put-my-arm/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [You use a different part of your heart with girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/you-use-a-different-part-of-your-heart-with-girls/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [It's becoming clearer and clearer to me that the world is there to be celebrated by writers, and in fact this is what all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/it-s-becoming-clearer-and-clearer-to-me-that-the-world-is-there-to-be/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [In her final months Princess Diana was being shat upon by the tabloids -- basically for sleeping with an Arab. When she died, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/in-her-final-months-princess-diana-was-being-shat-upon-by-the/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [If you feel you have a strong constituency among the young, you can really die happy, because the great unanswered question, the only valid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/if-you-feel-you-have-a-strong-constituency-among-the-young-you-can/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [My life looked good on paper - where, in fact, almost all of it was being lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/my-life-looked-good-on-paper-where-in-fact-almost-all-of-it-was-being/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [I say, 'If I had a serious brain injury I might well write a children's book', but otherwise the idea of being conscious of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-say-if-i-had-a-serious-brain-injury-i-might-well-write-a-children-s/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [The future could go this way, that way. The future's futures have never looked so rocky. Don't put money on it. Take my advice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/the-future-could-go-this-way-that-way-the-future-s-futures-have-never/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [Each life is a game of chess that went to hell on the seventh move(...)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/each-life-is-a-game-of-chess-that-went-to-hell-on-the-seventh-move/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [ “There exists a subterranean world where pathological fantasies disguised as ideas are churned out by crooks and half-educated fanatics \[notably the lower clergy\] for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/there-exists-a-subterranean-world-where-pathological-fantasies/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

[Explore all 393 Martin Amis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

## More Character quotes

> [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/)

[Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/)

> [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/)

[Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/)

> [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/)

[Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/)

> [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/)

David Hudgins

> [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/)

[Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/)

> [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/)

[Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/)

> [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/)

[Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/)

> [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/)

[Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/)

> [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/)

[Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/)

[Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/)

[Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "My father once said there's a correlation between a nation's cuisine and its people: England, nice people, nasty food; France, nice food, nasty people; Spain, nice people, nasty food; Italy, nice people, nice food; and Germany, nasty food, nasty people. And I've always thought that there must be something terribly wrong with the German character - and that there is, really.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Martin Amis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/my-father-once-said-there-s-a-correlation-between-a-nation-s-cuisine/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Character"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/my-father-once-said-there-s-a-correlation-between-a-nation-s-cuisine/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c59/martin-amis-704_character_my-father-once-said-there-s-a-correlatio_1244892.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c59/martin-amis-704_character_my-father-once-said-there-s-a-correlatio_1244892.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c59/martin-amis-704_character_my-father-once-said-there-s-a-correlatio_1244892.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My father once said there's a correlation between a nation's cuisine and its people: England, nice people…” — Martin Amis",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Martin Amis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "My father once said there's a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/my-father-once-said-there-s-a-correlation-between-a-nation-s-cuisine/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/my-father-once-said-there-s-a-correlation-between-a-nation-s-cuisine/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
