What is it like where you live?

[phill]

I don't mind the rain, we have lots of agriculture and it's kinda handy when things will grow   It's being relentlessly sunny recently though which the animals are enjoying but me not so much.

Yeah there're stereotypes about all of us I suppose, and they wouldn't be stereotypes if they were particularly flattering. They don't even need to be true, but people think they are because...stereotype lol! (for the record, I don't speak like the Queen OR D.ick Van Dyke being a cheeky cockney chimney sweep, my teeth are fine thank you very much, and I don't like cricket. The tea thing is completely true though hahaha).

[Rayd1978]

I suppose I should chime in that Nebraska has a fair share of windmills, but they're a rather different design typically.

[phill]

We have lots of those ones near the middle, the white one with the three sails, in windfarms. We call those ones wind turbines though. Not that popular with a lot of people because they're eyesores especially since they seem to like to put them in scenic areas.   I've never seen the other sort apart from in pictures and in films! 

[jellysundae]

On 5/20/2018 at 12:13 PM, phill said:

I don't mind the rain, we have lots of agriculture and it's kinda handy when things will grow   It's being relentlessly sunny recently though which the animals are enjoying but me not so much.

Yeah there're stereotypes about all of us I suppose, and they wouldn't be stereotypes if they were particularly flattering. They don't even need to be true, but people think they are because...stereotype lol! (for the record, I don't speak like the Queen OR D.ick Van Dyke being a cheeky cockney chimney sweep, my teeth are fine thank you very much, and I don't like cricket. The tea thing is completely true though hahaha).

I like so much about this post.

 

Those Nebraskan windmills definitely make me expect to see John Wayne riding by below them, I think that design is used in Australia too? Probably many other countries, but not that I've noticed in the UK.

I think I'm one of the few weirdos who actually LIKE how wind turbines look, lol. I don't find the sleek lines an eye sore and they're cool to watch. I'd maybe not feel so nonchalant about them if one was going to be built next to my admittedly hypothetical back garden, that could well awaken a hitherto slumbering NIMBY gene, but until that day I've got no problem with 'em.

Quote

That's a lovely looking windmill.  

@Nielo Coming from someone who, being Dutch, is obviously a windmill aficionado, my country thanks you for the compliment!

Incidentally, in my slowly filling shopping basket for my next supermarket delivery I currently have some STROOPWAFEL. I will not allow myself to buy these unless they're on offer, because otherwise I'd buy them all the time and be the size of a house, but fate is smiling in my direction as they are on a twofer offer that coincides with my next shop so happy times.

Lincolnshire incidentally has some very tasty sausages, seasoned with a goodly amount of sage.

*searches Google*

Here's a nice example of a regional UK hot dog!

https://www.lincolnshirelife.co.uk/posts/view-recipe/lincolnshire-sausage-hot-dogs-with-caramelised-onions-in-cider

I'm very hungry now . . .

[phill]

2 minutes ago, jellysundae said:

I think I'm one of the few weirdos who actually LIKE how wind turbines look, lol. I don't find the sleek lines an eye sore and they're cool to watch. I'd maybe not feel so nonchalant about them if one was going to be built next to my admittedly hypothetical back garden, that could well awaken a hitherto slumbering NIMBY gene, but until that day I've got no problem with 'em.

1

Got to admit I'm a little biased. I've know/met more than one person who's got them in their back garden. As in, their families have been ekeing a living for centuries off not very productive hill farms because the land was what they could get rather than the rich peoples valuable lowland arable land, until the day when someone decides that land has a value to them after all and slaps a compulsory purchase order on it.

[jellysundae]

2 hours ago, phill said:

compulsory purchase order

These are very dirty words in humanity's lexicon, aren't they. I suppose the law of averages means there's got to have been some people somewhere who have genuinely benefited from the government stealing their ancestral home, but, yeah . . .

[Nielo]

1 hour ago, jellysundae said:

 

@Nielo Coming from someone who, being Dutch, is obviously a windmill aficionado, my country thanks you for the compliment!

Incidentally, in my slowly filling shopping basket for my next supermarket delivery I currently have some STROOPWAFEL. I will not allow myself to buy these unless they're on offer, because otherwise I'd buy them all the time and be the size of a house, but fate is smiling in my direction as they are on a twofer offer that coincidences with my next shop so happy times.

Lincolnshire incidentally has some very tasty sausages, seasoned with a goodly amount of sage.

*searches Google*

Here's a nice example of a regional UK hot dog!

https://www.lincolnshirelife.co.uk/posts/view-recipe/lincolnshire-sausage-hot-dogs-with-caramelised-onions-in-cider

I'm very hungry now . . .

Ooh, enjoy your stroopwafels! (I'm pretty sure they're one of our more popular (and tastier) export products.)

Mmmm, those hot dogs look way better than any hot dog I've ever seen/tasted! Now I'm hungry too...

[Kute]

On 5/19/2018 at 6:11 PM, ladyblack said:

Phill, I do live in the city of São Paulo. 

I like to live here, because there's always something happening (I am one of those people who love the big city craziness lol). I usually hang out around one of the main avenues, where there are parks, shopping malls, museums, etc. The traffic is kinda terrible, but I find it relatively easy to reach anywhere by public transportation. I guess the worst thing is the poverty, homeless people (although it happens in every big city I've visited) and drug addicts. I live in the "nice" part of the city, but I know some places are not that nice. 

São Paulo received (and still receives) a lot of immigrants, so we have a rich culture that mixes people from all over the world. We're considered the most multicultural city in Brazil. We have lots of immigrants (and their descendants, including myself) from Japan (we're home to the largest Japanese diaspora in the world), and also Italy, Portugal, Lebanon, etc.

Anyway, it is my hometown, and one of my favorite places in the world.

I am very interested in Brazil right now because I just binged the show 3% on netflix. I think Rodolfo Valente is sooooo beautiful with his dark hair and light colored eyes. It made me wonder if so many people from Brazil are like this????? I looked on wiki to read that almost half of the population is white . I found this a very strange statistic for south america??? I really truly did not know that it was such a mixed population.  Anyway now I want to visit Brazil because I was so ignorant of such an interesting place. 

 

ALSO

@jellysundae  that looks delicious!!!!! What are some traditional UK foods???

[jellysundae]

1 hour ago, Kute said:

 

  that looks delicious!!!!! What are some traditional UK foods??? 

Hmm!

Neopets is full of traditional UK foods, thanks to Adam and Donna!

Fish and Chips! The backbone of Friday teatime for many a decade! And yes, evening meal is teatime! It's only if you're a snooty person that you haven't called it teatime since you learnt to talk/shove food in your mouth! "What's for tea, mum?" A common answer to which might also be . . .

Beans on toast *happy nostalgic sigh* our baked beans have a bright orange tomato sauce as you see here, a pretty accurate rendition from the Neo artist there, and undoubtedly taste entirely different to those eaten in the US.

Let's see now . . . how would you like a meal of toad in the hole served up with some bubble and squeak? Sound good? Does to me! It would make excellent use of those Lincolnshire sausages for a start. Toad in the hole's a bizarre name for sausages baked in batter, not that easy a dish to photogragh and have look good, as Google is attesting to as I search . . . lol.

I'd dig into this one

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1231/toadinthehole-with-red-onions-and-thyme-batter

I suspect bubble and squeak could be even harder, let us see! *dives back in* This'll do, check out that browning!

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/164622/bubble-and-squeak

It's just left over potato and cabbage fried up until they're nicely browned, and it's SO tasty, and I want some right now D:<

 

[Kute]

mmmm im not picky so that all looks really good. @jellysundae. Although I'm not too sure about beans on toast???? Is that for breakfast or what?  THat potato cabbage stuff looks like a pizza !

I couldnt really think about traditional US foods since we mostly borrow from everyone else, but I did think about Thanksgiving holiday. 

The stores go crazy when this time comes. People go crazy shopping to make all the foods. Mainly a whole turkey. Sometimes a ham, maybe both. butter rolls, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie! I think everyone has their own dishes they traditionally have but the main thing is turkey with gravy and potatoes. 

[jellysundae]

1 minute ago, Kute said:

mmmm im not picky so that all looks really good. @jellysundae. Although I'm not too sure about beans on toast???? Is that for breakfast or what?  THat potato cabbage stuff looks like a pizza !

Could make an interesting pizza base option, lol. Irish pizza, maybe? xD

I'm gonna say beans on toast is an anytime light meal, really. Definitely something you eat a lot more of as a kid than as an adult, though both are components of the Full English Breakfast, gotta give that proper noun status, lol.

Looking at that closely though, that's not toast you see there, that's honest to god FRIED BREAD, I didn't think anyone dared cook that any more for fear of an immediate coronary. >_< I don't think I've eaten it since the 70s but OMG is it good!!

[phill]

Our beans have a lot less sugar than US beans. I didn't understand why North Americans would urgh at beans on toast until I realised their versions of beans are very much sweeter.  I wouldn't want to eat sugary beans on toast either.

 

We are an Island, so we have a lot of traditional seafood dishes obviously.  Same as anywhere else really, we have a lot of regional variations on similar dishes. Sausages have been mentioned, there are many varieties and styles up and down the country and all are 'the best ones'. we call them 'sausages'...despite me being emphatically assured once by a North American that no, I was wrong...we call them 'bangers'  . Jamie Oliver and London tourist pubs might call them bangers, but rarely anyone else.  Cheeses, we have hundreds of variations on regional and artisan cheeses. There are so many more cheeses than the boring (imo :D) cheddar. (and fun fact, the cheese rolling game on neopets is a real traditional event from back when there was no tv or internet hahaha). So yes, preserved meats, hams and the like. Same as most places in Europe but with different names.  Pies are traditionally popular, you can put anything in a pie. Pork, rabbit, venison, beef, fruit, cheese, mixture of the above, lol. I don't know how to do pictures or I would.  Honestly, I don't really know where to start with traditional foods, theres so much.

 

Steamed puddings are also traditional.  Yes, they are fattening stodge, and yes they are delicious.  When you are in the middle of a cold grey rainy winter a little bit of stodge with custard does you the power of good  Treacle or syrup pudding are types, you've probably heard of Spotted D.ick because iit has a comedy name, but actually contains dried fruit like currants, it's good.  Sussex Pond pudding has a whole lemon in the centre, crazy but crazy good.  Or you can have savoury steamed puddings like steak.

[jellysundae]

25 minutes ago, phill said:

We are an Island, so we have a lot of traditional seafood dishes obviously

Jellied. eels.

Maybe you really have to be from the East End of London to look at those and not want to flee.

I'll admit I only ever call sausages bangers when it's bangers and mash being talked about, no other time.

Our traditional grub is all good solid stuff, but if it's well made with good ingredients it's really good. And of course once you've got through that plethora of savoury pies and cheeses that phill mentioned, plus a metric ton of pickled onions and so forth, then there's . . . PUDDING.

We are the doyens of what Mr. Pratchett likes to call "stodge and custard".

This is Spotted [word I can't say on here!] obvs the only steamed sponge example I could possibly have chosen. Though all kids' favourite will be treacle! Though why do we call it treacle sponge when it's golden syrup? who knows!

Not dessert though, this is important, not ever dessert, we don't call it that, not unless we're in a restaurant, at home it's only ever called pudding.

@phill you can post pics by right-clicking on an image and selecting "copy image location" and then pasting into your post. Though that's also hot-linking and bad internet manners because you're using up the host's bandwidth. If you're a good girl you then use a hosting site like Imgur but . . . I'm past explaining this right now, my brain's had enough and wants me to go to bed. I shall go to sleep and dream of custard I think.

[phill]

4 minutes ago, jellysundae said:

Jellied. eels.

Maybe you really have to be from the East End of London to look at those and not want to flee.

 

Begone, thou foul beast!!!! hahahhaha!

 

I figured it out by saving the pics then dragging them. Is all good.

[Kute]

What is treacle? And I have heard of bangers before but I didnt know thats what it was.  We have what you call steamed puddings but we call them pot pies.  Usually with chicken and veggies. Sometimes ive had them with beef. 

[phill]

Pot pie and steamed puddings are different beasts.  Its a type of suet pastry that you steam for hours.

 

Treacle is a byproduct from sugar refining. It can be a light coloured syrup when it is called Golden syrup, or dark, which is pretty much like molasses.  Good for treacle toffee and parkin which is a traditional Northern type of gingerbread.

[jellysundae]

Yeah our black treacle definitely seems to be the same as black strap molasses, but I don't think there's a US equivalent to golden syrup because US syrup's made from corn?

I'd forgotten about the suet pastry puddings! I was only thinking of the steamed sponges, where's a nice shot of a treacle sponge . . .

*cough*

Seriously though, as a kid, I ADORED these! I'd plead for them, lol.

I wonder if it is our generally soggy winters that lead to the development of some many puddings that are at their absolute best smothered in a silky shawl of piping hot custard

. . . Comfort food at its finest!

I DID think of something actually informative to add to this thread, but I've forgotten what it was now.

[phill]

2 hours ago, jellysundae said:

I DID think of something actually informative to add to this thread, but I've forgotten what it was now.

 

Me too, when I was making a cup of tea...!  Afternoon Tea, High Tea, and Cream Teas.  There's a difference. Afternoon Tea is the one people think of, with the ribbon sandwiches and delectable fancies.  That's the posh one that started off with the upper classes.

High Tea was originally the working class version because us hoi-poloi wanted in on the action. This was originally more substantial and less fancy. More an evening meal for the working man than something dainty for ladies who lunch. Many people abroad get the two mixed up and call Afternoon Tea 'High Tea' instead, but when you look at the menu it isn't High Tea, it's an Afternoon Tea.  The 'modern' high tea has the elements of an Afternoon Tea but it will have some additional savoury elements like Welsh Rarebit (other Rarebits are available, lol. And it's delicious by the way).  When I say 'modern' it's because the upper classes saw the working mans rougher version, thought 'What a jolly good idea' and fancied it up quite a lot. To make things more confusing, sometimes in tourist places you will find places offering afternoon tea but deliberately mis-calling it high tea to get the tourist traffic, because we know people get the two mixed up and don't care that much as long as you come in and spend your money hahaha  

Oh, and to make it more confusing again, the working mans version is still called 'tea' (especially in the North), and is just an evening meal. Typically there are no ribbon sandwiches or delectable fancies and tea may or may not be drunk. It depends where you live and the time of day, you may have dinner or supper or tea. 

Now, the Cream Tea is your basic entry level affair   Typically you've got tea, naturally, and scones (like North American biscuits in appearance, but our biscuits are cookies), various jams (jellies), lemon curd, and clotted cream.

If you haven't had real clotted cream you haven't lived. If you have had real clotted cream you've probably not got long to live, lol!

There are fierce and heated debates in Cornwall and Devon about whether you put jam or clotted cream on your scone first. Seriously serious stuff. I don't think anyone else cares. I don't care as long as I've got a scone with jam and clotted cream on it, I'm happy whichever way up it is.  

[jellysundae]

YES to the cream or jam first thing, I've read about that. Personally I go jam first because I can't imagine being able to spread jam on top of clotted cream without making a horrible mess!

I see high tea mentioned in books of a certain era, generally ones involving kids that say gosh a lot, and "oh, I say!" etc.(I have just started re-reading Swallows and Amazons for the umpteenth time, lol) but they never seem to go into specifics about what's actually being eaten for that particular meal, despite Arthur Ransome's habit of going into detail quite often and describing some a VERY baked goods-heavy meals! One that springs to mind involves bunloaf spread with marmalade, then pemmican sandwiches, then seed cake, followed by bananas, and then chocolate to "fill up the corners".  That's one one carb coma-inducing belly-busting tea! And marmalade BEFORE corned beef? I bet that didn't make the sarnies taste odd at all, nope.

30 minutes ago, phill said:

If you haven't had real clotted cream you haven't lived. If you have had real clotted cream you've probably not got long to live, lol!

[phill]

You take your jam spoon and whack a dollop of jam on top of the cream. Job done. 

 

I used to read those books, and Enid Blytons stuff too. They drink a lot of Ginger Beer too. Gallons of it. Have you ever had it? Nasty stuff, lol. Well, I think so anyway.

[jellysundae]

I like ginger beer, well, there was some I had once that I liked, good punchy stuff that made me cough, lol, most I've tried out of a can tastes like dish water though. Oh and it's lashings of ginger beer. I love the language from that era. I dunno if I'd want to read Enid Blyton again now, I devoured the Famous Five etc. as a kid, but they don't appeal to me now. I guess I should explain at this point that because my brain is broke due to me having MS I find kids' books easiest to read, I can follow them a lot easier than a book that's new to me from an adult author.

The ones I have I've had since I got them as a kid so my brain can cope with them no problem. I know exactly when I got this copy of Swallows and Amazons because I did the "this book belongs to" thing on the back page and I got pretty specific, gave my age as 11 years and 23 days.

Dollop's a lovely word, isn't it? Oh well now! I just Googled it because I was completely convinced it would be of English origin, but it turns out it's probably Norwegian!

Origin

 

late 16th century (denoting a clump of grass or weeds in a field): perhaps of Scandinavian origin and related to Norwegian dialect dolp ‘lump’.

  

 

So something new learnt today!

Now I probably need to do some "research" into the cream vs. jam first situation, don't I, and hone my dolloping skills.

[ladyblack]

On 5/21/2018 at 4:59 PM, Kute said:

I am very interested in Brazil right now because I just binged the show 3% on netflix. I think Rodolfo Valente is sooooo beautiful with his dark hair and light colored eyes. It made me wonder if so many people from Brazil are like this????? I looked on wiki to read that almost half of the population is white . I found this a very strange statistic for south america??? I really truly did not know that it was such a mixed population.  Anyway now I want to visit Brazil because I was so ignorant of such an interesting place. 

 

ALSO

@jellysundae  that looks delicious!!!!! What are some traditional UK foods???

@Kute almost half of Brazilians declare themselves white, but most of them wouldn't be considered white in other countries (most are black or what you folks call "latinos"). Most Brazilians are a mix of native-americans, africans and europeans, but we usually say anyone with light skin is white (I'm sure there is a historical explanation for this, but I don't know it.)

I agree with you, Rodolfo Valente is really handsome. In some parts of Brazil (specially the south), there are many people with light colored eyes, but most Brazilians have dark eyes (and hair). 

Please, come to Brazil! 

(Since English is not my 1st language, please let me know if I've misspelled something or if you can't understand what I say)

[Kute]

11 minutes ago, ladyblack said:

@Kute almost half of Brazilians declare themselves white, but most of them wouldn't be considered white in other countries (most are black or what you folks call "latinos"). Most Brazilians are a mix of native-americans, africans and europeans, but we usually say anyone with light skin is white (I'm sure there is a historical explanation for this, but I don't know it.)

I agree with you, Rodolfo Valente is really handsome. In some parts of Brazil (specially the south), there are many people with light colored eyes, but most Brazilians have dark eyes (and hair). 

Please, come to Brazil! 

(Since English is not my 1st language, please let me know if I've misspelled something or if you can't understand what I say)

I do understand perfectly! Thank you for your reply. I find that so interesting what you said about the light skin. I do really want to come. What do you think is a must see in all of Brazil? That place is HUGE.

[Kute]

On 5/21/2018 at 3:39 PM, phill said:

Pot pie and steamed puddings are different beasts.  Its a type of suet pastry that you steam for hours.

 

Treacle is a byproduct from sugar refining. It can be a light coloured syrup when it is called Golden syrup, or dark, which is pretty much like molasses.  Good for treacle toffee and parkin which is a traditional Northern type of gingerbread.

 

On 5/22/2018 at 1:25 AM, jellysundae said:

Yeah our black treacle definitely seems to be the same as black strap molasses, but I don't think there's a US equivalent to golden syrup because US syrup's made from corn?

I'd forgotten about the suet pastry puddings! I was only thinking of the steamed sponges, where's a nice shot of a treacle sponge . . .

*cough*

Seriously though, as a kid, I ADORED these! I'd plead for them, lol.

I wonder if it is our generally soggy winters that lead to the development of some many puddings that are at their absolute best smothered in a silky shawl of piping hot custard

. . . Comfort food at its finest!

I DID think of something actually informative to add to this thread, but I've forgotten what it was now.

oh okay thank you for clearing that up . Then I guess we dont have those here, but maybe we do somewhere else in america and I just havent tried it yet? Treacle comes in a can? This is interesting. I should purchase some. 

[phill]

On 5/22/2018 at 2:21 PM, jellysundae said:

 

 

 

this is a random quote that the forum wanted me to make ^^^^ weird.  And now it's deleting my writing...whats happening!!!!!   Sometimes you can buy golden syrup in worldmarket, definitely in squeezy bottles at least. It's better in tins though, its thicker but very sticky and messy.