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Post by cheerypeabrain on Apr 17, 2019 15:57:49 GMT
We watched the series with our mouths open largely because of the mother's desperation when faced with having to cook. In the earlier series the family had a cook and ate sumptuous meals, but middle class families stopped having domestic servants around the 1900s, especially with the advent of WW1. The look of terror in the eyes of the wife as she walked into the kitchen.....
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 17, 2019 16:14:06 GMT
I think that was one point the show failed to address. When the series got to the 70s, it was mentioned that it was the first decade that the adult Robshaws could remember. In real life, a housewife of the 50s wouldn't have been as as appalled and stumped by that kitchen as poor Rochelle was. That kind of kitchen and the expectation of her performance in it would have already been familiar to her. Just as an aside ~ the later decades of the 20th century were covered in the first series. The depiction of earlier decades was actually a later series. I just looked it up and there were a bunch of spin-offs: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_in_Time_for...
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Apr 17, 2019 17:44:51 GMT
Jeff loved the episode where they had a Vesta Curry....dried homogeneous mess, vacuum packed and sold in blue boxes. He left home at 15 and lived on that sort of thing...I wouldn't touch the stuff. Mind you...this is a man who likes pot noodles....
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 17, 2019 20:15:24 GMT
I never heard of those Vesta meals until I saw the show. Urg.
Must admit that I used to eat pot noodles, although I always gussied them up. Once, as I was hunched over my ramen at the kitchen counter, my husband walked past and said, "What's that you're eating? It smells Korean."
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Post by lagatta on Apr 17, 2019 20:23:58 GMT
They are actually making somewhat more nutritious pot noodles now, such as soba, with no weird ingredients. I admit that I ate them more than once during my struggle with UTI, when I wanted to eat nothing.
They won't hurt university students any more than Kdinner did.
But working in NGO seminars, the Asian kids call them "Asian junk".
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 19, 2019 3:51:25 GMT
Here is some more back-in-time video which is not only entertaining, but adds to the other series of videos. It must be said that I'm a big Sue Perkins fan, so that helped, but I think everyone would enjoy this short series. The nutritional aspect is particularly interesting. This opens to part 1, with the other parts on the sidebar ~
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Post by mossie on Apr 19, 2019 15:43:10 GMT
Frightening, and not 100% accurate, but quite funny.
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Post by kerouac2 on Apr 19, 2019 17:12:01 GMT
My first thought watching it was "what a shame that vegetarianism wasn't popular in those days!"
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 19, 2019 17:57:18 GMT
Frightening, and not 100% accurate, but quite funny. I almost died laughing as Sue put on makeup in the hope of getting canned pineapple from the Yanks. My first thought watching it was "what a shame that vegetarianism wasn't popular in those days!" In real life Sue Perkins is a vegetarian ~ www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/interview-sue-perkins-and-giles-coren-gluttons-for-punishment-1-1041746I have to say that I liked Giles Coren in this series way more than in the Back in Time series, where I didn't like him at all.
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Post by patricklondon on Apr 20, 2019 9:19:33 GMT
My first thought watching it was "what a shame that vegetarianism wasn't popular in those days!" Given that circumstances rather forced it on people, you can understand why. Even before the war, it was recognised that there was more nutrition per acre in arable crops and vegetables than in livestock for meat, so controls on both the production and the supply of food enforced that direction. There was a special exhibition at the Imperial War Museum some years ago on government propaganda efforts in that area. Among the examples was a radio pseudo-sitcom with a family talking about food and recipes, and there was mention of one called "Skinflint's Surprise" at which the stock grumpy Granny said "Ha! One more way to disguise parsnips, I suppose!" Then there were promotional jingles like this: (Fans of Coronation Street might like to know that the singer later went on to play a barmaid in the show, famous for "Betty's hotpots". Then there were regular cinema shorts, though not all were quite like this. My blog | My photos | My video clips | My Librivox recordings"too literate to be spam"
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Post by mickthecactus on Apr 20, 2019 11:12:48 GMT
Planted my potatoes yesterday.
Potato Mick.
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Post by onlyMark on Apr 26, 2019 16:43:56 GMT
I'm coming to the end of my Easter break in Spain and family have gone back to where they came from. So I'm having a few days down on the southern coast in the British tourist area (Torremolinos/Benalmedena) to bask a little in the sunshine that has been missing further north, before flying back to Zambia. I enjoy watching the Brits wearing very little no matter what the temperature, day and night, just because they are either going out, or are 'on holiday'. I must be getting old and feeling the cold because whilst they are in vests, shorts and flipflops, I am wearing long trousers, socks, trainers, T shirt and polo shirt and frequently a fleece to counter the chill wind and shade temperatures.
Nevertheless, the food meets with my approval, temporarily at least because I can't eat like this all the time. So far I've had a Nepali run restaurant Indian meal of chicken puri, papads and pickles and vegetable biryani. Also a full English breakfast of the usual combinations and later a cheese and onion pasty and a beef (Cornish style) pasty. There is an Argentinian run cafe here that does good empanadas that are closely the same.
Later I'm out for the obvious fish and chips and I feel torn as the whether to visit a seafront restaurant that does them as well as other British fare like a full plate sized filled Yorkshire pudding, chicken and chips in a basket, lasagna, spag bol, chilli, burgers, bacon cob, and various pies - or - there is a proper fish and chip shop, one of a few, located a ten minute walk away run by a man who I think is a Cypriot, but I've never asked and I'm not sure. The advantage of that is he does proper chips, whereas restaurants don't always. It's a conundrum. Then, there is a the possibility of having a Carvery, where they also actually do quite good fish and chips as well. A Chinese could be on the cards and there was somewhere that did a good ploughman's lunch, if I can remember.
There was one small restaurant, my 'go to' for a good meal that was run by an old couple for many years who did good portions, good hot and varied dishes like Hot Pot, braised steak and stews, who provided good entertainment in that the husband obviously and for year after year was quite fed up with it and wanted to pack it in. Pleasant enough but he always had a face like he'd lost half a crown and found a tanner.
He must have got his wish because last year they sold it to a youngish couple who have, as expected, modernised the decor and seating, upped the prices and reduced the portions, also cut the menu in half. I stopped by last year, not knowing it had changed, and had fish and chips there, which always came overflowing the plate accompanied by two slices of thick cut white bread and butter and a mug of tea. No more will I go I'm afraid. The fish was all batter, the chips I could count on nearly one hand, the price was up 50% and no extra stuff that makes the meal. What put the icing on the cake was the extra charge for mushy peas and there was no malt vinegar to be had. Funnily enough the reviews are still as good as before. I do tend to wonder about people.
One honorable mention is/was a cafe in Malaga near the centre that I used to go to for breakfasts. Spanish owned and run it was modern, good pastries, cakes and bakery part, was always busy and full of life, happy noise of coffee machines, clattering of plates and shouted orders with two or three energetic and professional pretty young local waitresses (sexist comment? Not bothered) that made it a pleasure to break your fast for the day. Now it has been taken over. The new owners are Asian and no, I can't tell exactly which country they are from but I tend towards thinking China rather than anywhere else as that is likely (racist comment? Not bothered).
They have boarded off the open kitchen area that was a source of entertainment in that the action there drew the eyes and it is run by a young man and a young female, who I have no evidence to say for sure, but I think is his sister. The man takes orders, payments and waits, the girl prepares the food, hidden away behind the painted particle board but you have glimpses of her as she brings food out. The display cabinets of pastries and cakes have gone (they were were the board is now) and he wears normal clothes, not a uniform like the waitresses did, but seems to comprise of whatever he picked up off his bedroom floor that morning and a puffer jacket giving the impression he's just arrived at work and hasn't had time to get changed. A poor show all round and this is confirmed by the lack of custom. The place is dead and as I walk past it often, I can see what it is like.
The advantage is that it was always open early, like 8am, whereas other places don't deign to open their doors until at least 9am. It still is open early but nobody lingers nor seems to stop there now and I walk past with a glance to pastures new. We'll see how long it will stay open for but I have a theory about places like this, as I see them all over, especially where there is a large or budding Chinese community (like Lusaka for sure) which seem to stay open long after you would expect them to close. Always with only a spattering of people visiting, the 'owner' doing the serving and a close family member doing something in the back. My theory is that they are not there to make money, it matters not how much custom they have. But they are a front for laundering ill-gotten gains. I think it's true. Trust me.
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Post by mickthecactus on Apr 26, 2019 17:09:42 GMT
El Gusto in La Cala de Mijas does an excellent Sunday carvery. Highly recommended.
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Post by kerouac2 on Apr 26, 2019 17:22:38 GMT
It looks like you may need to increase to seven meals a day, Mark.
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Post by onlyMark on Apr 26, 2019 19:57:33 GMT
Mick, that looks good. It'll go on the list for sure. K2, I'll pig out a bit when I'm here but after a couple of days I tend to just have two meals a day as they are so big and unhealthy.
Called at the aforementioned fish and chip shop tonight. Found out there is a new waitress who I thought was Irish as her accent was such, but actually she's from Finland but spent time working in Ireland where she's picked it up. The owner, who I thought was a Cypriot turns out to be from Peru, from Cuzco. Moved to Spain ten years ago and opened up the chip shop. Nice bloke.
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Post by onlyMark on Apr 28, 2019 11:41:42 GMT
Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick - I had a little time to kill this morning in between changing hotels. Nice small town, didn't eat at this place though I had a good walk round along the sea front and streets.
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Post by mickthecactus on Apr 28, 2019 15:23:11 GMT
That’s it Mark!
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Post by onlyMark on Apr 28, 2019 18:04:32 GMT
I'll call for a meal one day when it's convenient.
To add to my list I had a baked potato with cheese and baked beans, a roast turkey dinner and again I'm afraid, fish and chips because I've moved over to a place with a better fish and chip shop. A better takeaway type with a couple of tables out front.
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Post by mickthecactus on Apr 28, 2019 19:11:53 GMT
The beauty of La Cala is you can get superb Spanish, excellent English but naff Indian....
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Post by lugg on Jul 15, 2019 19:10:22 GMT
Last Saturday I went out for dinner to a lovely country pub a few miles from where I live , had the most amazing crab salad - so fresh and so much crab meat with no egg or breadcrumbs thrown in to bulk it up. But there were only 6 of us dining all night and one local drinking in the bar, I feel very worried for its future. Another fab pub that I really enjoy has just closed and another favourite is on the market; just too isolated to survive.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 2, 2019 1:02:11 GMT
That is discouraging, Lugg. Okay, I realize these two jewels should go into the ebook thread, but I was so excited I rushed straight over here. Look ~ you should be able to find you favorite flummery here: www.amazon.com/dp/B0768JT38MAnd here are 400 pages covering 1,000 years of British food: www.amazon.com/dp/B005ZUSQQAThese are limited-time-only offers at 2.99 usd and are available through the other digital venues as well, not just Amazon.
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Post by onlyMark on Nov 2, 2019 4:32:06 GMT
Maybe my location, no idea but even with your links the first one is $18.36 and the second, $18.00. I've also had a quick look on other sites and not found them particularly less than that anyway.
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Post by kerouac2 on Nov 2, 2019 5:13:23 GMT
They both come up at $13.98 for me. I compared on amazon.fr and they come up at 12.54€, which is the same thing.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 2, 2019 5:51:17 GMT
I posted something on the ebook thread about changing your location on Amazon, but have not been able to test if it works for the ebook deals, since my account is already set to the US, plus I pay from a US bank account.
Also, if I don't see and post a deal in the morning, it might wind up being already expired by the time some of you see it in your time zones.
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Post by onlyMark on Nov 2, 2019 6:55:31 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 2, 2019 7:04:36 GMT
Well, that means there is hope for next time, right? The deals do tend to come around again.
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Post by onlyMark on Nov 2, 2019 7:54:14 GMT
For sure.
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Post by htmb on Nov 2, 2019 9:11:44 GMT
I posted something on the ebook thread about changing your location on Amazon, but have not been able to test if it works for the ebook deals, since my account is already set to the US, plus I pay from a US bank account. Also, if I don't see and post a deal in the morning, it might wind up being already expired by the time some of you see it in your time zones. I guess I kind of tested it unintentionally. I clicked on a link a few hours after you had posted and it took me to French Amazon because I’m still in France. The book (the one about Sicily) was full price. However, after I logged into my US account, the cost was about $2.00.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 2, 2019 16:17:18 GMT
Yaaay! Thanks Htmb. I believe Huckle also takes advantage of the deals while she is in France in the same way. Now the trick is to see if people who are signed up with Amazon but not on the US version can get into it.
Also, I usually link a bargain book to the Amazon site, but they're generally available at the same time on the other ebook outlets -- Kobo, Barnes & Noble, etc. -- so worth trying with those as well.
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 13, 2020 1:15:59 GMT
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