Our son, a 22-year-old medical student, is a cheerful and uncomplaining sort of chap.
A few days ago, I bought some English muffins – which are flat, round rolls – bits of bread, basically, baked in flat lumps. I didn’t have any myself, but the next day I vaguely noticed our son wandering through from the kitchen eating one of them, spread liberally with strawberry jam (or, in American, jelly).
The next day, again in the kitchen, he suddenly said, “Oh!” I looked enquiringly at him and he held the packet of muffins towards me. I looked first at the sell-by date, since in my experience, young people lack my generation’s relaxed attitude to these things (if bread, cheese and other non-salmonella-carrying foodstuffs aren’t actually mouldy, then they’re fine. If, however, there are green fluffy bits on them, then cut these off and proceed as before).
“These are cheese and black pepper muffins,” he said. “I thought they tasted a bit funny with jam.” He considered. “They were ok. Just funny.”
You can see how his upbringing has given him a discerning palate.
This reminded us of the time he’d made himself a cheese and mango chutney sandwich to take to university for lunch. When he began to eat it, he discovered that it was actually a cheese and ginger preserve sandwich. “I ate it anyway,” he said stoically. “I was hungry and it was food.”
This is the spirit that made Britain great.
How I laughed when I read your comment about just cutting off the green fuzzy bits & carrying on! My Grandmother, who was English, used to regularly horrify us when we were young, by cutting off the mouldy bits on Fruit cake, & carrying on! We used to laugh & say that was why she was healthy, she regularly had her penicillan!
ReplyDeleteGOM had a neighbour who didnt have a Fridge. In summer it would be very hot in Christchurch, with may flies. The neighbour kept his meat in a 'meat safe', which was just a hanging box, with mesh on each side for air flow. Somehow the blowflies would get in, & when he saw the maggots he would just cut that bit off, & carry on eating!
I dont know what his origins were, but he lived alone!
Not sure that I'd have quite the same robust attitude to maggots! I'm a vegetarian, anyway, so meat's not a problem for me - but I'm fussier about out-of-date meat for others, please believe!
ReplyDeleteHi Isabelle, I'm so glad you stopped by my blog!! You're in Scotland??? I was just telling my husband the other day that I would LOVE to visit Scotland some day. :) You DID spell Tennessee correctly!! :) The picture of my view would be from my "porch" LOL although I love "stoops" which are a bit smaller I think than what I have. Come sit a spell with me on my lakeside porch, and we'll have tea, and work on a quilt, and have a long chat! I always have the coffee and tea on! :)
ReplyDelete*giggles helplessly*
ReplyDeleteYes, I remember the cheese and ginger preserve incident. Poor old bro. Mind you, I think ginger preserve probably goes as well with cheese as mango chutney does.
Bet he wouldn't have eaten it if it had been BANANA chutney he'd accidentally put in his sandwich.