Roger and Christopher,
Thanks for educating me on cakes and muffins. I had
some experience with English cooking when I was at
Oxford one summer in the 1970s. I learned, for
instance, that there are several different versions of
afternoon tea: tea & bikkies,
beans on toast, bangers with mash and canned peas, and
finally, when I became convinced that cream teas were
a fiction, I came across a little cottage with a sign
saying "Cream Teas" in the window. It was wonderful,
as were the desserts (and only the desserts) at
Oxford. Dinner was frequently what we called "the
white plate special": mutton, mashed potatoes, and
cauliflower on a white plate. The lunches were worse,
so I finally appealed to the Bursar for yoghurt,
fruit, cheese, and peanut butter to be set out buffet
style so that the undergrads would have an alternative
lunch. (The Bursar was a guy who'd fallen out of a
truck onto his head while on the way to his exams. He
got a sympathy degree.) Anyway, I had to listen to his
ranting about rich, spoiled American kids before he
finally acquiesced to my request. (I was an assistant
to the program's director, so I got all the worse
jobs.)
From what you say, I think I'd like the tea cakes
because I'm the only one I know who likes fruitcake,
especially when wrapped in a brandy-soaked cloth and
put in a tin for a year before serving. And I'd like
to know what black buns are since they've been
positively reviewed by Christopher.
Now, Joanna, I've heard the raves for your cooking, so
I hope you'll contribute something to this wannabe
thread.
Candice
I gotta go
(Merle Kessler)
____________________________________________________________________________________
It's here! Your new message!
Get new email alerts with the free Yahoo! Toolbar.
http://tools.search.yahoo.com/toolbar/features/mail/
|