Language/Accents

[Sam Flynn]

If you like linguistic confusion, take a look at this.
Does the guy want to buy fork handles or four candles?
https://youtu.be/0CmaLgxLDE0

One thing that always (slightly) bugs me about that legendary sketch is that, once Barker tells Corbett that he wants "Handles (plural) for forks", Corbett doesn't ask "How many?", and then proceeds to serve his customer with just one of them anyway.

[Fleetwood Mac]

I can remember my dad and grandad eating pigs trotters. I’ll eat pretty much anything but lines have to be drawn. I remember saying “but your just eating fat!” But all I got was “you don’t know what your missing!” Yet when I tried to get them to try a curry you’d think I’d asked them to eat a dead dog.

Ive got to say though, I’d rather eat pig’s trotters than go down a mine. Hats off to miners. Whatever they were paid….it wasn’t enough.

On the whole, they probably ate better than we do, Herlock. Fair enough pig's trotters is hardly a culinary delight, but they did grow all of their own vegetables, kept hens for eggs; sourced their meat from the local butchers. Unlike our age where food is transported all over the show and God only knows how long it stands in a basement in Asda.

As for working down the mines, it depends. We're all aware of the mining disasters. In fact, my mother's uncle was blown to small pieces in a mining disaster in 1955. He went right through WW2 in the navy, survived being on a ship that was torpedoed and sunk; only to lose his life down the pit.

But, by the time you were at say 1980, the machinery down there was of a good quality, from all accounts it wasn't a bad job at all. When you add in the camaraderie of working with your mates, the same lads who you grew up and went to the pub with; it may have been a lot better than today's call centres with some Hitler running 'round shouting about percentages. In fact, semi and low skilled workers had a better standard of living than today's equivalent.

[Pcdunn]

I always thought tripe was a Yorkshire and Lancashire thing.

But, let me tell you this.

My grandad, who was a coal miner, used to eat pig's trotters. Honestly. With salt, vinegar and pepper on. Fat dripping down his face, or, getting back to accents and dialect, 'pyat' (which is the colloquial term for face in the mining villages of County Durham).

You couldn't get them these days, but back then all of the butchers stocked them.

My mother was from Kansas and come of age in the Great Depression. She liked "pickled pigs' feet" which came from the supermarket in little glass jars. (I hated the idea, and never tried them!)
I guess in bad times people will eat anything.

I'll admit I did like when she made a pot of pork and lima beans, with cornbread. She said iy was Grandma's "washing day" meal, as it could be set to simmer for hours while the laundry went on outdoors.

[Fleetwood Mac]

My mother was from Kansas and come of age in the Great Depression. She liked "pickled pigs' feet" which came from the supermarket in little glass jars. (I hated the idea, and never tried them!)
I guess in bad times people will eat anything.

I'll admit I did like when she made a pot of pork and lima beans, with cornbread. She said iy was Grandma's "washing day" meal, as it could be set to simmer for hours while the laundry went on outdoors.

I think in Durham it may have been different. They didn't eat pig's trotters out of necessity, as far as they were concerned they were beautiful. In those days, there was a full-time job for everyone in working down the coal mines, everyone grew their own vegetables, kept hens for eggs, and had a local butchers where they sourced their meat which was much better than we get today. Food was cheap also. In many respects, they ate better than we do, with our food that is transported all over the show and then sits in a supermarket for God knows how long.

Speaking of food and the United States, that jambalaya you have is lush. Last time I was in the United States, I could easily have eaten that for breakfast, dinner and tea for three weeks had it been on the menu.

'Just back to accents, dialect and language: there's a really good article on the internet that looks at the evolution of the English language in Britain and in the United States. It was put together by a British linguistic expert. The author concludes that American pronunciation is more in line with the English that was spoken in southern England in say the 18th century, and it is in fact the English who have deviated from earlier forms of the English language (not Americans).

[Abby Normal]

whats the deal with brits and northern europeans eating beans for breakfast?!?

[Aethelwulf]

whats the deal with brits and northern europeans eating beans for breakfast?!?

might just be me but the whole idea of an English breakfast is something of a myth. As a child/growing up - numbers of times I had that for breakfast - 0. since then only time I would ever consider something like that is away with work if you're put up in a hotel and they serve that bollocks for breakfast. By that i mean those vats of virtually raw tepid mushrooms in some watery mix, charcoal bacon, the cheapest bread that you can put through a toaster that only has settings of uncooked or black, the foulest most revolting off-white scrambled egg imaginable etc. Might have been different back in the day if you were about to spend 12 hours out in the fields or down a mine etc, nice fry up with proper ingredients would keep you going.

[Herlock Sholmes]

On the whole, they probably ate better than we do, Herlock. Fair enough pig's trotters is hardly a culinary delight, but they did grow all of their own vegetables, kept hens for eggs; sourced their meat from the local butchers. Unlike our age where food is transported all over the show and God only knows how long it stands in a basement in Asda.

As for working down the mines, it depends. We're all aware of the mining disasters. In fact, my mother's uncle was blown to small pieces in a mining disaster in 1955. He went right through WW2 in the navy, survived being on a ship that was torpedoed and sunk; only to lose his life down the pit.

But, by the time you were at say 1980, the machinery down there was of a good quality, from all accounts it wasn't a bad job at all. When you add in the camaraderie of working with your mates, the same lads who you grew up and went to the pub with; it may have been a lot better than today's call centres with some Hitler running 'round shouting about percentages. In fact, semi and low skilled workers had a better standard of living than today's equivalent.

I think you’re right. They were certainly eating natural food as opposed food kept in suspended animation by various chemicals. I wonder what the heart attack rates were like compared to now? Lard, butter, fried food, virtually every bloke smoking (and like my dad used to smoke……unfiltered cigarettes [he smoked Park Drive and I tried one once when I used to smoke cigarettes and my lungs felt like they’d been dragged through a hedge and then pummelled by Mike Tyson]) I suppose that we would have to factor in generally more physical jobs, more walking and fewer luxury foods…..and no Gregg’s of course.

Don’t get me started on call centres.

[Herlock Sholmes]

might just be me but the whole idea of an English breakfast is something of a myth. As a child/growing up - numbers of times I had that for breakfast - 0. since then only time I would ever consider something like that is away with work if you're put up in a hotel and they serve that bollocks for breakfast. By that i mean those vats of virtually raw tepid mushrooms in some watery mix, charcoal bacon, the cheapest bread that you can put through a toaster that only has settings of uncooked or black, the foulest most revolting off-white scrambled egg imaginable etc. Might have been different back in the day if you were about to spend 12 hours out in the fields or down a mine etc, nice fry up with proper ingredients would keep you going.

I love an English breakfast but if I have 3 a year that’s all it will be. And it has to be a proper café breakfast though and not a trendy one. The main rule about an English breakfast for me is that under no circumstances should there be anything green on it.

[Herlock Sholmes]

whats the deal with brits and northern europeans eating beans for breakfast?!?

I know Abby. You only eat them whilst sitting around the campfire singing songs about cows.

[Wickerman]

My mother was from Kansas and come of age in the Great Depression. She liked "pickled pigs' feet" which came from the supermarket in little glass jars. (I hated the idea, and never tried them!)
I guess in bad times people will eat anything.

I'll admit I did like when she made a pot of pork and lima beans, with cornbread. She said iy was Grandma's "washing day" meal, as it could be set to simmer for hours while the laundry went on outdoors.

I must have been about 12 or thereabouts when I was infatuated with my friends older sister. I was at their house one day and she came into the kitchen to make a sandwich, she buttered the bread then took out this thick slice of fat, it was beef dripping about a half inch thick and put it in the sandwich, I couldn't believe my eyes. I knew the older crowd, grandparents and such used to eat dripping and bread but I thought that was because of rationing during the war.
It almost turned my stomach - well, that was the end of that infatuation, how could she eat that stuff?, so disappointed, yuk, dripping and bread!

[Abby Normal]

I know Abby. You only eat them whilst sitting around the campfire singing songs about cows.

yup. or when your grilling out making burgers and dogs! for breakfast though?!? blech.

just as bad IMHO here in the states in the south is chicken for breakfast. we were in training for work in atlanta and they went out to get us all breakfast, we were all excited. when they returned...no donuts and bagels, or pastries, or bacon egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches...they came back with chicken and biscuits!?!? it was like eight in the morning. i almost barfed. we were all like WTF?!?!
Ended up just eating the biscuit part.

[Wickerman]

whats the deal with brits and northern europeans eating beans for breakfast?!?

Food of the Gods, Breakfast of Champions...

https://youtu.be/cw5S-uqmwuU

Hand me Down that can of Beans - Paint Your Wagon!

[c.d.]

Speaking of breakfast, I will always remember the time I went backpacking with four friends. Slept in the tent Friday night with plans for a long hike on Saturday. Woke up at 7:30 AM to absolutely pouring down rain. Somebody said now what will we do? Another guy said I have an idea and pulled a bottle of Jack Daniels out of his pack and we started passing it around. 7:30 in the morning. Those were the days.

c.d.

[c.d.]

...that was the end of that infatuation...

Yep, an infatuation can end quickly. I am really attracted to women with red hair. In my youth, I had a first date with a young woman with red hair down to her waist. Just gorgeous. Picked her up at her home and she asked me to meet her father. Went into the kitchen and he was sitting there with a huge beer belly wearing a dirty wife beater tee shirt drinking a beer. Kind of took the luster off of her hair.

c.d.

[Fleetwood Mac]

might just be me but the whole idea of an English breakfast is something of a myth.

It wasn't a myth for us, all of the fellas in our family ate a traditional English breakfast.

But, we never had baked beans and mushrooms on it, it was always fried tomatoes for us.

Sausage, fried eggs, bacon, black pudding, fried tomatoes, fried bread, with HP sauce. Washed down with a cup of tea.

If your mouth's not watering reading that, then you're not human!

These days, I don't eat a great deal of fatty food but on a Saturday morning it remains my breakfast.