Early Risers.

[iL Dottore]

6 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Certainly not this Bear - whilst I'm not averse to Pineapple ON Pizza** (much to iD's disgust I'm sure) I reckon that version is, well, just plain wrong.  I very much suspect iD will be of a similar view......

 

**Though I very rarely order such a variant

Okay, I'll play....

That particular combination shown in the photograph will not, I think, do any of the ingredients – no matter how good they may be in quality – any favours.

 

Unusual as it may be in the current British culinary repertoire, fruit and meat pairings go  back to antiquity, with medieval Britons particularly enjoying that combination (although consumption was limited to the monied classes and the aristocracy). Fruit and meat pairings are still part of much of Middle Eastern and Arabic cooking.

 

Traditionally, at least in classic British cooking, you would pair a food animal with one of its favourite food stuffs: so lamb would be paired with mint, cow would be paired with horseradish and pig would be paired with apples (bears with LDC?🤣).

Quite where pineapple as an accompaniment to pig products comes from, I am not sure. Although – given all the bizarre pairings and concoctions promoted by the food industry in the 50s and early 60s – I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was something dreamt up by the marketing department of the Del Monte Company.

I've always found pineapple, as an ingredient to be very much a "problem child" it's acidity making it somewhat difficult to work with. Yes, there are things like pineapple upsidedown cake, but they do tend to use the pineapple as a finishing feature rather than an incorporated ingredient (in a typical pineapple upsidedown cake you put the pineapple rings [in caramel?] on the bottom of the baking pan and pour the cake batter mixture over that, so to all intense and purposes the cake is resting on the pineapple).
 

Lemon is also acidic, but lemon and lemon juice do not contain Bromelain (a proteolytic enzyme), which does limit the use of pineapple as an ingredient; although you could try substituting pineapple for lemon and bake yourself a PDC

 

Finally, to return to The Bears endless quest for the most unusual food combination (part of the ongoing PB "how to annoy iD" campaign) has The Bear considered a baked bean, pineapple, ham and curly fries pizza?

[polybear]

11 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Finally, to return to The Bears endless quest for the most unusual food combination (part of the ongoing PB "how to annoy iD" campaign) has The Bear considered a baked bean, pineapple, ham and curly fries pizza?

I have now…..remind me at the weekend and I do my best to oblige**…..

**Though you may need to cut Bear a little slack as I’m devoid of CF’s (and the Co-op doesn’t sell them ☹️)

 

[polybear]

Just what you’ve always wanted….

 

[polybear]

Oh good….

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gdn8dj62wo

🤣

 

 

 

[Hroth]

38 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Traditionally, at least in classic British cooking, you would pair a food animal with one of its favourite food stuffs: so lamb would be paired with mint, cow would be paired with horseradish and pig would be paired with apples

 

Still common pairings today, with Mint sauce for lamb, Horseradish sauce for beef and Apple sauce for Pork.

 

[Hroth]

47 minutes ago, polybear said:

Just what you’ve always wanted….

 

 

All I can say is....   🤢🤢🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

 

And may the Lord have mercy upon their souls.

 

And if the paper had to be from responsible sources, they should have pulped cabbage and sprout stalks* to make it!

 

* Though there might be problems if it got damp....

 

Edited September 11 by Hroth
Thort about paper source, and side effects thereof

[TheQ]

Since I'm going to Scotland soon, I thought I'd find for the Bear a picture of that Scottish delicacy ...

 

Deep fried Pizza...

 

Only to find it originates in....

 

Naples...

 

Although the Neapolitans don't dip it in batter first, and put the topping on after frying.

 

 

 

It's just rained heavily for a short time... Just after I got back from the mobile home having ascertained the cake icing still hasn't set.

 

My new Semaglutide or placebo pills have arrived, still another week before I need them though. New dire warnings on the bottles, "do NOT use if the bottle is left open for more than thirty minutes."

As you can guess the bottles are small and one for each month.

 

As IL Dottore said, my original pills are to be unchanged, unless at my annual review The Doctor recommends they are. I suspect that near Christmas at my next diabetic review, it will depend if I'm on the placebo or not. If the Semaglutide is making a difference then the amount of Metformin might be reduced.

 

[rockershovel]

1 hour ago, Hroth said:

 

Still common pairings today, with Mint sauce for lamb, Horseradish sauce for beef and Apple sauce for Pork.

 

do cows eat horseradish? How would that come about? 

 

Lamb (and mutton) is a fatty, sweet tasting meat and the acid in mint sauce, plus the light taste of the mint goes with it very well

 

Horseradish is a good sauce for a dark, heavy meat like beef; it's pretty much inedible any other way. 

 

Pork and apples just go together. They do; no other explanation is required. 

 

As to pineapple as a dressing on gammon or pizza, I suspect it is because it is cheap and easily available, and a bit challenging to eat on its own. Quite a lot of British "foreign cooking" is like that; balti, after all is quite unknown in India but suits the British taste for curry powder, tomato ketchup and fried onions. 

[Tony_S]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Quite where pineapple as an accompaniment to pig products comes from,

South America originally. Pineapple is effectively a meat tenderizer. 

[Tony_S]

13 minutes ago, rockershovel said:

balti, after all is quite unknown in India

Probably because that style of cooking is from Pakistan. Though the balti bowl is definitely from Birmingham. Balti is Hindi/Urdu for bucket. 
We were invited to lunch in Harlow by a couple originally from Peshawar. They did a meal based on Afghan cuisine. 
Quite a few of the “Indian’ restaurants round here are now displaying that they are Bangladeshi. Which is why my wife who is Punjabi never recognises any of the food items on their menus

[PupCam]

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

If only two cylinders are misfiring, does it not perhaps suggest a faulty ECU? 

 

Well it is of course a possibility but there are other symptoms/indicators that might lead one to investigate more likely (and much cheaper!) alternatives.         The Long Term Fuel Trim indicates that the engine is generally running rich (would explain poor fuel economy if nothing else).   The O2 sensor data whilst it shows the correct form of oscillation between two limits they are the wrong two limits and I think (I'm not 100% certain at this stage) the attenuated values are indicative of a sluggish & failing sensor.   Bearing in mind that O2 sensors are apparently expected to last between 80K and 100K miles and Monty has done 200K on the original one that might be one of the issues.     O2 sensors can be a bit troublesome to remove due to lack of access and corrosion caused by the extreme environment in which they work.   I might have to think about chickening out and sub-contracting that particular task🤔    

 

The generally running rich can be caused by a number of things; faulty / dirty injectors (which could cause problems on specific cylinders of course), vacuum leaks (although they are more likely to cause lean issues of course) and among other things a worn engine.  I think it safe to say that Monty's engine might be slightly worn at 200K miles although it doesn't burn oil and has passed previous and the most recent emissions tests it's been subjected to.     

 

There's another symptom that also points to the crankcase breather hose being split (as well as the fact that it is a very common fault) and so I will definitely change it and while the inlet manifold is off I'll check the condition of the swirl plate bearings in the inlet tracks as they are very prone to wear on high mileage engines.   I'll also do a compression check just to get a feel for the general well being or otherwise of the internals.    Whilst the manifold is off I might also remove the injectors and check their condition and either clean them or replace them.     I won't be doing a full engine re-build, I had enough excitement doing the tiddly BSA 250 single cylinder job so if and when the engine finally gives up it will be either good bye Monty or an engine transplant but hopefully that decision won't be required for a longtime yet.    

 

This car has generally been amazing.    I've put ~175K miles on it.  It has the original clutch and exhaust.   I've replaced the battery once IIRC, tyres and  discs & pads numerous times (but they are consumables of course).  The thermostat has been changed which was a bit of an awkward job and it's had a replacement alternator after a failure at the Wisley services on the A3 years ago.   The worst bit I think are the suspension springs all of which have broken and been replaced at least once and some more than once.   That would appear to be a reflection of Ford's choice of cheese as the material for the spring and the general state of the roads.   The bonnet was replaced when the original was damaged when it was in a garage being serviced/MOT'd a few years back.   The must frustrating failure was that of a £2.52 "special" 20A fuse which you may recall caused quite a bit of grief just before and after I retired.    The failure mode which wasn't obvious led one to think the instrument cluster was faulty (dry joints) and mine almost got removed and sent away for re-flowing the joints at about £200 a pop.   Fortunately I discovered a chap lurking in the corner of the internet who was very knowledgeable and spoke a lot of sense which led me to the correct solution.      There maybe one or two other things in Monty's long and illustrious past but if so I've forgotten them!

 

A cynical Puppers is not too impressed by the "Let's just replace all of the bits at the customers expense until we find it" approach to fault diagnosis often seen in garages and, if the experience of one of my old bosses who had a (misplaced) passion for a brand of luxury SUVs was anything to go by, not only in the lower and middle tiers.       I'm fortunate that I am able and reasonably interested in getting to the bottom of these sort of problems myself because if I had to rely on a garage to do the diagnostic work the car would have to be written-off simply because current labour rates would make it completely uneconomic.    

 

TTFN

 

 

 

 

[Tony_S]

7 minutes ago, PupCam said:

am able and reasonably interested in getting to the bottom of these sort of problems myself because if I had to rely on a garage to do the diagnostic work the car would have to be written-off simply because current labour rates would make it completely uneconomic.   

My brother had two Astras  One had bodywork problems so he dismantled it and it is now an organ donor for the other one. Once the body was disposed of, the  spares don’t take up that much space. I think keeping the Astra running is a hobby thing now, it is no longer his regular vehicle. 

[TheQ]

Ford switched to cold formed springs some years ago, they are renown for failure..

[Tony_S]

28 minutes ago, PupCam said:

I had to rely on a garage to do the diagnostic work

Garages can be a bit “slow” at times.  I had spent much time trying to sort out the horrid Volvo. I wasn’t very well at the time and I wasn’t up to doing much but it was dead. No spark, couldn’t smell petrol but the starter motor did work!  I phoned up the main agent in Southend and asked them to sort it. They said to bring  it in tomorrow and they would look at. I said it was it was dead. They suggested jump starting it . I explained that the battery and starter were not the problem. They suggested bringing it in straightaway. So I explained… Eventually they said they would collect it and did so. 

Edited September 11 by Tony_S

[Erichill16]

1 hour ago, rockershovel said:

 

Horseradish is a good sauce for a dark, heavy meat like beef; it's pretty much inedible any other way. 

 

Had it in vodka when in St Petersburg, Russia. Quite a kick! 

[DaveF]

I've spent some time today organising my car service.  When I looked at the garage website there was a page for booking a service online, but no phone number for the service department - of course they are now a part of a big group so it is all done centrally and preferable online.  I looked at the forms on the web page and could not find anywhere that I could specify that I want a courtesy car, which I always have.  Nor could I find anywhere to say that the car is due for its paint/alloys/tyres 6 monthly check at the end of this month along with the annual service.

 

In the end I rang the general garage number and was transferred to the service booking people.  It only took 20 minutes to get it sorted.  The person was very helpful and said he would pass my comments on to his supervisor!  I can drop the car off at 8.30am, pick up a courtesy car and take it back at 4.30pm and pick up my car.  There is no bus service from near me to the garage and I don't want to spend the day at the garage or walking round the nearby shopping centre.  I think customer service gets worse.

 

Apart from that I have worked on a model which needed altering and got the basic painting done.  I also spent some time in the garden, the geraniums are looking very sad after the recent wind, rain and cold, what were big red flower heads are now black lumps.  It will soon be time to think about replacing them with bulbs and winter bedding.

 

During the morning I went to look at the beach, it was sunny but cold and windy, for a change the photos below do not show the sand.

 

Beach huts

 

6" coastal defence guns - they are replicas

 

A small wave

 

David

[PhilJ W]

4 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Lemon is also acidic, but lemon and lemon juice do not contain Bromelain (a proteolytic enzyme).

 

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

South America originally. Pineapple is effectively a meat tenderizer. 

My dad served in Burma (XIVth Army) and towards the end of the war they found some allied soldiers who had escaped from the Japanese 'Death railway'. They had survived because they had come across an abandoned pineapple plantation and had been eating nothing but pineapples for a number of weeks. They were a lot fitter than when they escaped due to the pineapple diet  but they had all lost most of their teeth.

27 minutes ago, Erichill16 said:

Had it in vodka when in St Petersburg, Russia. Quite a kick! 

Horseradish is a root who's leaves resemble dock and is often found growing wild in damp ground. It is very pungent when raw and is usually mixed with ground parsnip and vinegar. 

Edited September 11 by PhilJ W

[Andy Hayter]

2 hours ago, rockershovel said:

do cows eat horseradish? How would that come about? 

 Why Not?  Once established in a field it will run riot and so be a target for any  browsing animal.  Rather coarse leaves but I doubt that would slow bovines down.

 

2 hours ago, rockershovel said:

 

Horseradish is a good sauce for a dark, heavy meat like beef; it's pretty much inedible any other way. 

 

 

 

 

Erm,  No.   Also goes well with smoked salmon and smoked trout as well as mackerel - smoked or not.  

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. After taking the co-codamol this morning I stretched out on the bed laying flat on my back for a couple of hours. As the slightest move would set the sciatica off again I had to keep dead still. Eventually I had to move to go to the toilet but by then it had eased so I got up. By then it was nearly lunchtime and as I hadn't had breakfast it became brunch.

Edited September 11 by PhilJ W

[polybear]

28 minutes ago, Andy Hayter said:

 Why Not?  Once established in a field it will run riot and so be a target for any  browsing animal.  Rather coarse leaves but I doubt that would slow bovines down.

 

 

 

Erm,  No.   Also goes well with smoked salmon and smoked trout as well as mackerel - smoked or not.  

 

Bear also has it on snaggers, scotch eggs, sossie rolls, bacon quiche....

But not on Pizza.  Yet.

[Tony_S]

I had some good news today. My last diabetic blood test in late May wasn’t very good. I hadn’t been well controlled at all for the 3 months before that test. Yesterday’s result was down almost at the pre diabetes result, just into the diabetic with good glycaemic control. As the results include a fortnight on a cruise ship I expect the next results to be better. Have  lost 7kg in that time too, belts have been adjusted. 3 months ago my GP wanted to talk about extra medication options but as I explained I felt the results were “bad” for a reason, she said see what happens with the September results. “No action required”. 
 

[polybear]

Bear here.....

 

A rather good letter received yesterday - and an email today with further info after Bear contacted the sender for further details....

 

Do fellow ER'ers remember that some scrote thought it acceptable to damage Mickey then buggeroff without exchanging details?  As a result (and thanks to front & rear cams in Mickey) his Insurance got a £3K+ repair bill; but even better it's now been confirmed that he's also earned 5 points plus an eight hundred quid fine from The Beak. 

Oh yes, and I'll bet his Insurance Tab will be somewhat inflated for several years to come.  Oh dear, how sad, wottashame.....

Bear Happy.  Very.....😁

[The White Rabbit]

Evening awl,

 

Not a good day for predictions. The seaweed oracles said t'was going to be OK until after lunchtime, then heavy showers. Nope... it has been a super September day here and the visibility is superb, can see for more than 30 miles. Sun and breeze, blue sky and scattered clouds. According to the MO, it's chuckin' it down - not here it isn't and I'm actually getting sunlight reflections from the screen as I type. Then there was the building supplies delivery... 'Early doors, probably between 9 and 10'... it was actually 12.40 just as I was starting lunch. Even for me, that's hardly 'early' and I tend to rise late these days. Still, at least I have the bits. 

 

I'm usually happy with most things on pizzas, so long as they are decent quality but pre-ERs, used to say no only to pineapple, shellfish and olives. Now, my horizons have (broadened?) to include baked beans, horseradish, batter, sprouts, cabbage and curry powder... 

 

A few bits done round the house, I finished off some kitchen repairs and a cupboard back panel was replaced from when the sparks had to rip it out. When everything's dry (tomorrow) I'll have some more space to arrange/store things. Some groceries ordered. A few windowsill salad trays sown. RMW caught up with, 'things' have been a bit fraught recently and there have been several days when I've been catching up on most of a day at a time. But sometimes despite a long waiting list I just say ******* and leave it and go for a walk. It does me much more good than sitting at home trying to beaver away on miscellaneous admin [nonsense]. Or playing online shunting puzzle games... 

[Coombe Barton]

... more arty-farty sky shots, along with showers descending in places. Along with my poetic licence my artistic licence has also been renewed. ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2024/09/11/postcards-from-the-other-periphery-2024-31/

[PupCam]

3 hours ago, Andy Hayter said:

 Erm,  No.   Also goes well with smoked salmon and smoked trout as well as mackerel - smoked or not.  

 

And a nice bowl of chips with a beer in a pub.   Ask me how I know 😁

 

1 hour ago, The White Rabbit said:

 Or playing online shunting puzzle games... 

 

I haven't had a go at that for a while.   I'd better put that right.

 

Edited September 11 by PupCam
Added Part 2