BS: You Brits have gone too far

Subject: RE: BS: You Brits have gone too far
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 06:03 AM

G'day leeneia,

I'm not sure where you are (nationally) ... and I did grow up hearing a lot of those British food names (they survived well in the Scouts and the Services) but I just stumbled on a yellowing clipping (all right - it is less that a year old ... but newsprint yellows quickly, these days ... almost as fast of the statements of the politicians it reports) describing two American culinary favourites of the camping and picnic set.

These have perfectly acceptable names: "Monte Christo (well, the rogue 'h' is a worry ...) and the cryptic "s'more (short for: some more). I won't give the gastronomic details yet ... I'm hoping to be reassured by some American that they are not quite the "coronary occlusions waiting to happen" that the Sydney Morning Herald's correspondent describes!

Regard(les)s,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: BS: You Brits have gone too far
From: Roughyed
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 05:58 AM

On Oldham market I spotted a new type of biscuit called 'Gary Baldy's'

Subject: RE: BS: You Brits have gone too far
From: alanabit
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 04:55 AM

For bad taste names, I always liked Magenta and Solferino soup. They are both tomato soups, of course, and take their names from bloody battles during the Italian War of Independence. An anecdote which comes to mind concerns one of the above named delicacies. The then junior agriculture Minister, Edwina Currie was visiting a school. She complained of feeling cold. One of the school cooks (unfortunately male) told her kindly, "Don't worry Edwina. You'll feel better with some of my spotted dick inside you."

Subject: RE: BS: You Brits have gone too far
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 04:55 AM

Eiffel Towers :- A Tall [3" aprox] cylindrical sponge cake covered with jam, and then rolled in dessicated coconut
Flie's Cemetery :- Can be either a Garibaldi biscuit [Cookie],or a currant slice.
Empire biscuits :- Two round shortcake biscuits with jam in between, iced on top with plain icing, then half a glace cherry stuck on top. They used to be called German biscuits, but the name was changed due to a small conflict around 1918.
Spotted Dick :- This is a steamed pudding, made with flour, suet, sugar, and currants mainly. Recipe available if required.
Boiled babies heads :- A small steak and kidney pudding. This differs from a steak and kidney pie inasmuch as the pudding is encased in suet pastry, wrapped in a cloth and boiled, whereas the the pie is baked, usually with a puff pastry topping.
Anyway all this food talk makes me peckish.
Heading for the kitchen.....Giok

Subject: RE: BS: You Brits have gone too far
From: RoyH (Burl)
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 04:31 AM

What is wrong with those names?. They are folk expressions. And the food tastes good too.

Subject: RE: BS: You Brits have gone too far
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 04:02 AM

I cannot believe that M C Beaton would have mis-spelled "cemetery" as "cemetary".

Murray

Subject: RE: BS: You Brits have gone too far
From: GUEST,Gurney
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 03:44 AM

How about the famous 'Boiled Baby,' which is a pudding boiled in a stocking. Pink and starchy, served with jam or treacle. Tastes best when the stocking is washed first. Gurney.

Subject: RE: BS: You Brits have gone too far
From: Mudlark
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 01:58 AM

I have a little Devon book with a recipe for Rock Cakes that is absolutely marvelous. It's a very dry kind of sweet biscuit mix, which gives the little cakes a very craggy look...

Subject: RE: BS: You Brits have gone too far
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 01:48 AM

Spotted dick, or spotted dog, a Royal Navy dish from Nelson's time. It's a sort of bread pudding of bread crumbs, beef drippings, raisins (which gave it the "spots") and a few other ingredients. Could have spices such as nutmeg.

Chanteyranger

Subject: RE: BS: You Brits have gone too far
From: Jimmy C
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 01:26 AM

Leenia,

they have a dish called SPOTTED DICK , but I am not too sure just what it is ?.

Subject: RE: BS: You Brits have gone too far
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 01:16 AM

Blackcatter, I'm not sure I understand your remark about irony.

However, it's midnight now, and I'll to catch up with y'all later.

Who else knows any ugly British names for food?

Subject: RE: BS: You Brits have gone too far
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 01:13 AM

John from Hull: what's wrong with Garibaldi? I used to live right near a bar with that noble name.

Subject: RE: BS: You Brits have gone too far
From: Blackcatter
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 01:11 AM

Come on - its got to be ironic that the English give their food unappetizing names...

Subject: RE: BS: You Brits have gone too far
From: Jimmy C
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 01:11 AM

FLY CEMETARIES are probably some sort of bisquit with currants, but it's not their food you should worry about, check this out

Diets & Dying

The Japanese eat very little fat, and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

The French eat a lot of fat, and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

The Japanese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

The Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine, and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

CONCLUSION:

Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you

Subject: RE: BS: You Brits have gone too far
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 01:02 AM

Garibaldi?

Subject: You Brits have gone too far
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 12:45 AM

I'm a great fan of mystery stories - they're my great escape. Over the years, I have started to note and "collect" ugly British names for food. For example: bangers and mash, toad in the hole, train smash (tomatoes and sausage) and the ever-controversial bubble-and-squeak.

Of course, we all know why they do it. It's to show they are Not French.

However, here is an actual sentence from "Skeleton in the Closet" by M.C. Beaton, a Scottish-born dweller in the Cotswolds.

"They strolled into a tea shop of the olde English variety, beams and horse brasses, and cakes that most of the world had forgotten about - Eiffel towers, congress cake, fly cemetaries, empire biscuits."

FLY CEMETARIES!? This has gone too far.