Earl Brunner on wed 26 nov 03
Well, I'd admit that things could have changed in 30 years, but I was
there for two years and the type of peas I described were the ONLY kind
of peas I experienced during my stay. Personal preference, I hate
canned peas in any form. Fresh or frozen, the smaller or younger the
better and raw or undercooked if cooked at all. In this condition they
seldom need sugar added.
At the time there were few larger grocery stores similar to what I was
used to back home, but most areas had the more traditional area of
shops, green grocer, butcher, bakery, etc. and shopping was done almost
day to day because if people had refrigeration at home it wasn't very
large.
I have fond memories of my stay in England, peas just wasn't one of
them.......
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of Janet
Kaiser
Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2003 7:42 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: OT Peas (was Thanksgiving/cooking/firing)
Q: When is a pea not a pea?
A: When it is a relief!
It is a shame you only experienced UK cuisine from the
perspective of a Fish & Chips shop counter or some greasy spoon
caf=E9 back in the 70s, Earl. It is rather like passing
judgement on US culinary skills and tastes from what Mcdonalds
regurgitates.
FYI "processed peas" are dried peas which have been reconstituted
and then canned, so that they can be quickly heated and are more
or less ready to serve. It is similar to the "process" used to
manufacture "baked beans", just that the adjective used is more
accurate, if somewhat less romantic (sounding). Or do you really
believe that all beans are tenderly removed from their pods,
carefully dried, then laid to soak and finally "baked" with
loving care by Mr. Heinz?
Colouring is par for the course in all canned foods as far as I
know. Just as the addition of unhealthy and unnecessary
quantities of preservatives, salt and sugar are too... Don't tell
me it is any different on your side of the pond, because I would
simply not believe you.
Roly Beevor on thu 27 nov 03
Earl Brunner wrote
Well, I'd admit that things could have changed in 30 years, but I was
there for two years and the type of peas I described were the ONLY kind
of peas I experienced during my stay.
Earl
What part of the country were you in? Where I was brought up (SW London)
processed peas were rarely served, and very rarely eaten (certianly by
people of my generation, I was a schoolboy 30 years ago). It wasn't until I
moved to Newcastle in my thirties that I discovered the joys of peas pudding
(if you can imagine cold solid mushy peas, but not green, without your
stomach turning). A ham and peas pudding stottie was a lunchtime standard.
(Stottie cake is a wide round loaf of bread a couple of inches high).
Now I will happily go along to the parish hall for a pie and peas supper.
Usually this involves Northumberland country dancing (like Scottish with
less pretensions). The last one though featured Raks Sharqui. All that
flesh and mushy peas too! What a night. There was a band on, one of the
lads from Lindisfarne. First time he'd ever played support to a group of
bellydancers.
If you cook your turkey in clay does that mean you don't have to burn off
the little feathers?
Roly Beevor
Earl Brunner on thu 27 nov 03
Draw a line from Oxford down to the southern coast, and over into the
London suburbs and down to the coast. I stayed in fairly cheap digs or
flats most of the time and that was probably part of reason. If the
landlady was providing dinner, including the food budget in with the
room cost, perhaps there was motivation not to spend too much?
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of Roly Beevor
Sent: Thursday, November 27, 2003 6:40 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: OT Peas (was Thanksgiving/cooking/firing)
Earl Brunner wrote
Well, I'd admit that things could have changed in 30 years, but I was
there for two years and the type of peas I described were the ONLY kind
of peas I experienced during my stay.
Earl
What part of the country were you in? Where I was brought up (SW
London)
processed peas were rarely served, and very rarely eaten (certianly by
people of my generation, I was a schoolboy 30 years ago). It wasn't
until I
moved to Newcastle in my thirties that I discovered the joys of peas
pudding
(if you can imagine cold solid mushy peas, but not green, without your
stomach turning). A ham and peas pudding stottie was a lunchtime
standard.
(Stottie cake is a wide round loaf of bread a couple of inches high).
Now I will happily go along to the parish hall for a pie and peas
supper.
Usually this involves Northumberland country dancing (like Scottish with
less pretensions). The last one though featured Raks Sharqui. All that
flesh and mushy peas too! What a night. There was a band on, one of
the
lads from Lindisfarne. First time he'd ever played support to a group
of
bellydancers.
If you cook your turkey in clay does that mean you don't have to burn
off
the little feathers?
Roly Beevor
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Janet Kaiser on thu 27 nov 03
Q: When is a pea not a pea?
A: When it is a relief!
It is a shame you only experienced UK cuisine from the
perspective of a Fish & Chips shop counter or some greasy spoon
caf=E9 back in the 70s, Earl. It is rather like passing
judgement on US culinary skills and tastes from what Mcdonalds
regurgitates.
FYI "processed peas" are dried peas which have been reconstituted
and then canned, so that they can be quickly heated and are more
or less ready to serve. It is similar to the "process" used to
manufacture "baked beans", just that the adjective used is more
accurate, if somewhat less romantic (sounding). Or do you really
believe that all beans are tenderly removed from their pods,
carefully dried, then laid to soak and finally "baked" with
loving care by Mr. Heinz?
Colouring is par for the course in all canned foods as far as I
know. Just as the addition of unhealthy and unnecessary
quantities of preservatives, salt and sugar are too... Don't tell
me it is any different on your side of the pond, because I would
simply not believe you.
Large dried or marrowfat peas as we call them, need soaking
overnight and then boiling to achieve the same result as the
canned or processed variety. To avoid confusion, the smaller,
partially cooked and tinned "fresh" peas are called "garden peas"
and the tiny ones are "petite pois".
Over-cook dried marrowfat peas (either canned or diy) and they
become what is known colloquially as "mushy peas". They are
simply the result of stewing or more correctly "keeping warm" on
the hob for many hours, so they break down into a thick
consistency, rather like baked beans do too if over-cooked or
re-heated. Pea "flour" is the main constituent of dhal without
the shells which distinguish it from "mushy peas" and they are
both close relatives of refried beans and other similar pea, bean
and lentil-based dishes around the world. I remember how I always
resorted to Erbsensuppe (pea soup) and Linsensuppe (lentil soup)
towards the lean end of the month during my early days in
Germany. Both were remarkably similar to some of the experimental
meals we made as really poor students "back home" when suddenly
provided with a huge variety of pulses quite unknown to us up to
then... Imported black-eyed beans, brown lentils, chick peas,
flagelots, etc. may be familiar to everyone nowadays, but they
were very exotic back 1960s and 70s Britain.
"Fish, chips and peas" is naturally looked upon as a British
institution, but it originated in very poor urban areas where the
majority were unskilled labourers, factory and dockland workers
and their families. And it was only the drunks going home at
closing time and popping in for a Fish & Chip Supper to take home
who would get the last batch of peas of the night. Yes, when they
had inevitably become more like a "pea porridge". Other customers
earlier in the evening would enjoy whole peas, which are very
tasty indeed, especially if sugar and mint are added as tradition
demands of any self-respecting pea! Peas not only added colour to
the fish & chip supper, they were an additional,
readily-available and cheap food-source vital to a poor,
malnourished urban population during the winter when green
vegetables were rare and/or prohibitively expensive and
especially through the food shortages and rationing during and
following the Depression and WWII respectively (rationing only
ended in 1954).
I am actually old enough to remember the excitement of dehydrated
American "Surprise peas" hitting the market and everyone rushing
out to buy a packet. I was once invited to our neighbours' house
for a "special treat" supper, which consisted of a portion of
these peas, sprinkled with sugar, served with wafer-thin bread
and butter, followed by a cup of tea. However, everyone soon
returned to our own traditional dried variety, because they were
far better value for money and some (like my mother) were never
tempted away in the first place.
The widespread introduction of refrigeration both in the shops
and in homes since the 1960s, has made frozen food accessible to
"the masses", so nowadays canned or home-made "mushy peas" are
generally an indication of family and social background having
influenced personal preferences and tastes.
In my case, it only harks back to poor student days when I was
first introduced to the (urban) concepts of take-away food and
then the wasteful "sin" of buying a tin of peas!?!? Unlike canned
potatoes (which I have never bought in my life) I did try
"processed" peas, but cannot say I became addicted. However, on
the very odd occasion we eat bought Fish & Chips, the "mushy
peas" are essential as "the sauce" more than any deep reverence
for gastronomic authenticity.
As with any food, it is easy to disparage the taste of others,
especially the poor, but something of a cheap swipe in this case,
where the "food of drunks" (as mushy peas were known to my
grandmother's generation) has become the accepted "norm". But
rest assured that every deep-freeze cabinet and fridge freezer
compartment in the UK is kitted out with a packet of frozen peas
these days, if only to use as an cold compress or to whack in a
pan in an emergency (i.e. unexpected guests or depleted vegetable
rack the day before the weekly shop). Fresh peas in a pod remain
a great and coveted luxury to this day and the source of much
envy to those looking over the fence into any vegetable garden.
The supermarkets even fly them thousands of miles from Kenya and
Zimbabwe, but they are a poor substitute for the sweet and
succulent peas of that other great institution: the English
Country Garden!
Sincerely
Janet Kaiser - who cannot believe I am sitting here writing about
peas until almost 3.30 a.m..!?!?! Talk about "get a life"... And
all Earl`s fault for being rude about mushy peas... Sheesh...
***********************************************************
The top posted mail was sent by Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art : Capel Celfyddyd
8 Marine Crescent : Criccieth : Wales : UK
Centre of Excellence for The Arts
Home of The International Potters' Path
Tel: ++44 (01766) 523570 http://www.the-coa.org.uk
Open: 13.00 to 17.00hrs : Tuesday to Saturday
************** AVG Virus Protected ********************
Janet Kaiser on fri 28 nov 03
You have your answer, Earl... Living in cheap rented
accommodation. It has nothing to do with "motivation", more to do
with economics. As the mayor often states, "You get what you pay
for".
Let's see... In the mid 1970s my Mother earned =A312 per week at
a fulltime job. Rent cost =A36, leaving =A36 to live on... Food,
clothes, insurance, etc. There was little chance of steak being
served, but I can assure you neither would tinned peas have been
either! However poor she was by then, that would have been a
no-no. Like I said, it depends on your socio-economic background
as well as geographical location.
But "Board & Lodging" land ladies are also notorious, especially
in coastal towns. All students, travelling salesmen and actors
who have relied on the great British Landlady have at least one
horror story to relate. Some have several, as you will see if you
read autobiographies by those who went on to become famous. I am
assured that things have improved in recent years, but I would
not like to commit myself to any such accommodation unless it had
been recommended or I had the chance to check it out.
As you do not like anything but high class peas anyhow, I do not
think it was really fair of you to comment as you did, but you
should be thankful you were not staying in the North, where you
would have been served Tripe and Onions, Liver and Onions, Black
Pudding, Grittles, Cod's Roe and other delicacies which have Soft
Southerners cringing at the thought to this very day... As for
"spoiled Yanks", they would have caught the first flight home!!!
Unless, of course, they are accustomed to similar victuals, like
Soul Food... Now THAT is a much fairer comparison...
Oh and BTW... Marrowfat (dried) peas enter my vocabulary almost
daily at present... Since losing most of the padding from my feet
through this damnable RA, it feels like I am walking on shoes
filled with them! Only doctors and nurses over a certain age know
what I am talking about. Youngsters have never set eyes on
them... Sign of the times and increased prosperity.
Sincerely
Janet Kaiser -- wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and
still chuckling at the story I was sent by a Clay Buddy today...
The Parrot. What a hoot!
THE PARROT: A young man named John received a parrot as a gift.
The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary.
Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced
with profanity.
John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by
consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and
anything else he could think of to "clean up" the bird's
vocabulary.
Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot
yelled back. John shook
the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. John, in
desperation, threw up his hand, grabbed the bird and put him in
the freezer.
For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed.
Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for
over a minute. Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly
opened the door to the freezer.
The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and
said "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and
actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate
transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to
correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."
John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. As he was
about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in
his behavior, the bird continued, "May I ask what the turkey
did?"
***********************************************************
>Draw a line from Oxford down to the southern coast, and over
into the
>London suburbs and down to the coast. I stayed in fairly cheap
digs or
>flats most of the time and that was probably part of reason. If
the
>landlady was providing dinner, including the food budget in with
the
>room cost, perhaps there was motivation not to spend too much?
*** THE MAIL FROM Earl Brunner ENDS HERE ***
***********************************************************
The top posted mail was sent by Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art : Capel Celfyddyd
8 Marine Crescent : Criccieth : Wales : UK
Centre of Excellence for The Arts
Home of The International Potters' Path
Tel: ++44 (01766) 523570 http://www.the-coa.org.uk
Open: 13.00 to 17.00hrs : Tuesday to Saturday
************** AVG Virus Protected ********************
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