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 A tentative blog to test the temperature. |
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Ten years ago I was writing several blogs on various subjects - F1 motor racing, Music, Classic Cars, Great Romances and, most crushingly, a personal journal that included my thoughts on America, memories of England and Africa, opinion, humour, writing and anything else that occurred. It all became too much (I was attempting to update the journal every day) and I collapsed, exhausted and thoroughly disillusioned in the end. So this blog is indeed a Toe in the Water, a place to document my thoughts in and on WdC but with a determination not to get sucked into the blog whirlpool ever again. Here's hoping.     |
| Bland Schmand One subject thatāll get the oldies crowding around your blog, trying to get their say in, is food. Itās absolute meat and drink to us wrinklies, if I may coin a phrase. Just express a liking for a particular favourite food and the geriatric world will be lining up to tell you what they prefer. Youāll probably get instructions on how to prepare it correctly and recipes as well. So, when Lilli Munster š¦ ā  asks in Question of the Day!  what I could not go a day without, my mind turns immediately to food. And thatās when I realise that thereās nothing I must have to survive. Be it food or otherwise, Iāve been without everything at some time in the past and yet Iām still here. Itās a much more difficult question than I thought.Youād think that, with the Brit reputation for eating only bland, tasteless food, it would be easy for me to single out something in the New World to tempt my palate and insist upon regular infusion into my eager alimentary system. The problem is that the reputation is totally wrong. Yes, itās true that we like fairly ordinary stuff like roast beef and veg or fish and chips, but thatās ignoring the sauces we put on such things. Like mustard for instance. Ohoh, I hear you cry, we have mustard in America! And I must beg to differ. Real mustard comes in a small, yellow, metal container with a plastic top and Colemanās written on the side. Flip off the lid and youāll find a yellow powder inside. Take a tiny amount (we actually have miniature spoons for this operation), put it in an egg cup (remember them?) and mix to a paste with carefully administered drops of water. Leave to produce its magic for at least a minute, then spread sparingly on ham or a hot dog. Donāt go mad and slather it all over the place - this is real mustard and youāre about to find out that the Brits donāt eat only bland food. This bright, cheery, yellow paste will eat your mouth off, if youāre not careful. You think your Tex Mex concoctions laden with chillies are hot? Thereās a reason why Indian curries are now the favourite take away food in Britain. Weāre trained to the job by things like mustard. Personally, I lick the spoon after making a batch of Colemanās mustard but Iām not saying that isnāt painful. Iām accustomed to the job thanks to a father who lived in India for years and loved a good, hot, eye-watering curry. And itās not just mustard. Thereās also this thing called horseradish sauce. Yes, I know itās possible to get it in the States but youāll have to hunt for it. At this very moment I am looking at a bottle of Bookbinders Horseradish bought in an American store and not in the exotic foods section. Never seen a Statesider use the stuff, however, and I can understand why. If youāve not come across it before, handle with care. Spread it on lamb (I know you guys donāt eat lamb but I can dream, canāt I?) or pork or even beef as sparingly as if it were English mustard. Thatāll kick your taste buds into life. I put it on cheese sandwiches as well and suffer the searing, tongue-scalding pain when I hit a bit where itās spread a little too generously. But I love it! Thatās a couple of examples to show that the Brits donāt just love bland food. Sure, weāre a bit conservative when it comes to trying new foods, but our sauces prove that we can cut it with the hottest things out there. Itās also true that I can live without them. But only just. Word count: 637 |
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