Ken Natton
Über Member
New threads eh? Well here’s a thread I had previously thought about starting but wondered if it would be thought quite appropriate. It’s not really a cooking topic just a generally foody topic – but I think that conversations might be interesting and might even contribute to the general understanding…
Anyway. Recently mentioned on this very forum, mushy peas. Never been a fan. Yeah I know some people love them. Believe me some of my best friends… actually some of my family are representatives of the contrary view. But with mushy peas there is nothing more to it than that I don’t particularly care for them.
Pork luncheon meat is a different story. It makes my skin crawl. I’m shuddering thinking about it as I write this. I have never understood why a product invented when meat was in short supply as a way of making what little meat there was go further still has a ready market when the problem that brought about its existence no longer prevails. I used to work at a company where there were several people who would order breakfast sandwiches with bacon, sausage, egg, mushrooms – and spam. Why? Why with all that quality produce on there, why do you still need spam? Why, when you have a choice, why would anyone choose spam? Spam is something you would only eat because there wasn’t any other choice. I’m not sure I would eat it even then.
And the other one that I can anticipate will arouse much indignation is suet. My father is a big fan of jam roly poly and spotted dick and all those sponge puddings that have suet in them. But in whatever form, savoury or sweet, dumplings, sponge puddings or those truly dreadful steak and kidney puddings that Wiganers call a baby’s head (babbies yead), suet makes me gag. I recall a Chinese lady I once knew who worked in one of those Chinese chip shops where they serve traditional English chippy dishes alongside Chinese dishes. She talked about the people who would come in and order, in a polysterene tray, stodgy chips, steak and kidney pudding, mushy peas and gravy, and as she handed it over to them she would look at it and think to herself – ‘and you want to eat that?’ I understood her bafflement.
Anyway. Recently mentioned on this very forum, mushy peas. Never been a fan. Yeah I know some people love them. Believe me some of my best friends… actually some of my family are representatives of the contrary view. But with mushy peas there is nothing more to it than that I don’t particularly care for them.
Pork luncheon meat is a different story. It makes my skin crawl. I’m shuddering thinking about it as I write this. I have never understood why a product invented when meat was in short supply as a way of making what little meat there was go further still has a ready market when the problem that brought about its existence no longer prevails. I used to work at a company where there were several people who would order breakfast sandwiches with bacon, sausage, egg, mushrooms – and spam. Why? Why with all that quality produce on there, why do you still need spam? Why, when you have a choice, why would anyone choose spam? Spam is something you would only eat because there wasn’t any other choice. I’m not sure I would eat it even then.
And the other one that I can anticipate will arouse much indignation is suet. My father is a big fan of jam roly poly and spotted dick and all those sponge puddings that have suet in them. But in whatever form, savoury or sweet, dumplings, sponge puddings or those truly dreadful steak and kidney puddings that Wiganers call a baby’s head (babbies yead), suet makes me gag. I recall a Chinese lady I once knew who worked in one of those Chinese chip shops where they serve traditional English chippy dishes alongside Chinese dishes. She talked about the people who would come in and order, in a polysterene tray, stodgy chips, steak and kidney pudding, mushy peas and gravy, and as she handed it over to them she would look at it and think to herself – ‘and you want to eat that?’ I understood her bafflement.
