BS: Baaa Humbug

Subject: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: grumpy al
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 02:17 PM

could it be that sheep really do eat boiled sweets?

Subject: RE: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: Once Famous
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 02:24 PM

What is a boiled sweet?

Sounds rank.

Subject: RE: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: Cluin
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 02:26 PM

A humbug. It's a little candy.

Subject: RE: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: grumpy al
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 02:27 PM

Sorry. Hard Candy

Subject: RE: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: SINSULL
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 02:30 PM

Martin Gibson,
Have you never read The Jewel In The Crown? Boiled sweets figure big in the first book.
Baaa Humbug, indded.
My new $1000 repaired roof is leaking - CRAP!

Subject: RE: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: Once Famous
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 03:02 PM

No, I've not read that book, Sinsull.

But why is it called a boiled sweet if it's a hard candy? Is it really boiled or does it give you a boil?

Subject: RE: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: Rasener
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 03:18 PM

There you go m8teys. Look at this website

http://www.humbugs-chocolates.co.uk/shop/33/index.htm

Subject: RE: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 03:19 PM

Its just called that here. why is New England called that. Its not new, Its not England.

Subject: RE: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: Once Famous
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 03:22 PM

Villan, some of those pictures look like crawling larvae.

New England though was called that because at one time it was new and was an extension of England, until we found out that you have hard candy that look like crawling larvae.

Subject: RE: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: SINSULL
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 07:30 PM

My work required me to learn how to make hard candy and it is indeed boiled and very carefully. Crystallization will ruin a batch. Stirring has to be done carefully and gently or the syrup will splash and a crystal will form and drop back into the mixture - supersaturated - and the whole thing goes cloudy. It is a hot, sticky, thankless job. Lollipops are boiled sweets - nice and clear if done properly. So are Life Savers and lemon drops.

Subject: RE: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 08:12 PM

Well true enough, but then you boil a lot of things. I suppose Martin has a point, theres not much logic in it.

No, we know what we mean by boiled sweets. They're in a jar, the shop keeper gets them out and puts them in a bag, they are usually hard and involve sucking before they get chewable, at which point they damage your teeth.

i don't know why we call them boiled sweets. I suppose its easier than saying I want the ones out of the jar. Its a sort of generic term for that kind of sweet.

Incidentally, they're very good if you get a sore throat and you've got to soothe it. Always worth trying a few boiled sweets before or even simultaneous with the antibiotics.

Merry Christmas all you singers - don't forget to lay in the humbugs, Uncle Joes Mintballs, and Werthers Originals for the festive Season.

all the best
al

Subject: RE: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: Kaleea
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 08:48 PM

SinSull, why don't you just go out into the kitchen & whip up some of those boiled sweets & patch your roof with it? It oughtta turn real hard & keep the rain out.

Subject: RE: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: SINSULL
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 10:04 PM

No - it will dissolve just as quickly. Then I will have sticky, wet floors instead of just wet floors. Now, come closer so I can smack you this side of your head.
SINS

Subject: RE: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 04:49 AM

Does anyone eat American hard boiled gums any more? Are they still made. Did Americans ever eat them. A sort of jube jube, very hard for a jube jube, coated with sugar - the white ones and the red ones had a lovely vanilla flavour?

Subject: RE: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: Leadfingers
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 08:05 AM

When I had the day job , every December I used to check on ALL the Confectionary shops on my route (Seventeen in all) but in twenty years I never found on that actually stocked Christmas Humbugs .
Dickens and Ebenezer must be heart broken !

Subject: RE: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 08:41 AM

A humbug was a nothing, a nonsense.

Subject: RE: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: Pauline L
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 10:58 AM

Sinsull, what kind of job did you have that required you to make these candies? It sounds like it takes some skill.

Weelittledrummer, what are you talking about? "Hard boiled gums" and "jube jubes coated with sugar"? As someone famous once said, the Americans and the English are separated by a common language.

Now, to think harder about roof repairs...

Subject: RE: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: SINSULL
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 11:36 AM

I sold sugar, coloring, and flavors. We were trained periodically in bakery and confectionery applications - like I really was going to get near a vat of boiling sugar syrup.

Subject: RE: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: SINSULL
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 11:40 AM

Although, my "expertise" paid off when a hard candy producer who cooked his candy in a pressurized kettle decided to buy cheap "off shore" sugars. I warned him that the boiling point could be dramatically different because the sugar was not cleaned properly. He found out the hard way that I was right although heeding my advice he had added an anti-foaming agent so at least there wasn't an explosion.

Subject: RE: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: GUEST,Mingulay
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 12:03 PM

Massa Leadfingers, I thought you wuz Christmas Humbug. And Easter and Whitsun etc etc.

Subject: RE: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 04:18 PM

Do you remember the really big humbugs that they used to sell at the rock shop at the seaside along with egg and bacon made out of rock.

I don't know anybody who ever ate a really big humbug. Big as your fist. this is decided me , I'm going to start looking for these things. they're always preserving crap like railway lines and stately homes - undrinkable beers.....

something good and worthwhile like big humbugs....why they've all but disappeared.

Subject: RE: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 07:58 PM

D'you mean gobstoppers?

Subject: RE: BS: Baaa Humbug
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 07:59 PM

I believe there is dearth of gobstoppers right now in the South of England, 'cause some bloke called Steve bought them all as a gift to Lizzie from Sidmouth.