10 Random Things

So, apparently I’ve been tagged which means I have to blog with ten weird, random things, little known facts, or habits about myself. I could ignore this like a chain letter, but then I deprive the world of these ten things, and why would I punish all of you for someone elses’ crimes? ;)

1. I like to sleep in beds that are against walls, especially in corners.
2. I have a pet peeve about people putting their feet up on things. I find it gross for people to do that on couches you’re sharing, or on coffee tables you’re sitting at with them. It’s not that feet are gross, it’s that I don’t feel I should have to share their company or have them near my glass of water.
3. I hate coconut and don’t care for vanilla flavored anything. I like beets.
4. I used to play softball. I was pretty good at it too, and I can still probably kick your but at wiffle ball.
5. I don’t have cable television. This is not little known to the people I work with who I remind whenever they ask about me watching the whatever last whatever.
6. Most things about me are weird. That is not little known at all. :) However, I love cats, which is pretty normal and girly, which makes it weird for me.
7. When I was in second grade I developed a habit and fascination with pulling out my eyelashes until a teacher caught me doing it and said, “What are you doing pulling out your eyelashes, girl?”. It was a sudden revelation and short lived habit.
8. I was very into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I never liked the Power Rangers.
9. I have never been out of the country. (Yet.)
10. I’m not a numbers person, which is why I am using this as number 10, and I laugh at people around my age who are making a big deal about approaching and turning 30.

I’m supposed to tag people now to do this now. I’ll maybe… yea… do… that… sure… maybe…

Sorry I haven’t been around guys. Life is never simple, and often it’s hard to express or at least find the time to do it with the proper words. This blog deserves a real post sometime soon.

Brits Eat..?

spotted dick in a can
My original thought was that I needed to come up with something in honor of Gary Gygax now that he has passed on to that campaign setting in the sky. This may still happen after I’ve finally come to accept its truth. Until then, I’ve made some startling discovery at what our friends the British apparently eat.

As a disclaimer, yeah, McDonalds is from over here and it’s gross. I’m sure there are other nasty things that make it out of our borders that I don’t eat, like Jello. As far as I’m concerned, none of it comes even remotely close to what I have discovered…

1. Spotted Dick: This is one I’d actually heard of. What I didn’t know is that it comes in a can. Also horrifying is that on this can it says you can microwave it. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME, because last I checked metal cans and microwaves don’t mix. I knew this, but didn’t know the extent of it until my little sister blew up the microwave trying to make Jello one day.

I have not tried spotted dick, but one of my friends has (see photographic evidence). Let’s see what she has to say on the matter:
eating spotted dick

“It’s as good as can be expected considering it’s cake from a can cooked in boiled water…”

I think that’s as good a review as we’re going to get.

2. Mr. Brain’s 4 Pork Faggots in a Rich West Country Sauce: I barely know where to begin. I am trying to figure out what about this meal is a faggot. I am searching my definitions… homosexual man? No. Bundle of sticks? Nope. Measuring those bundles of sticks? No again. Cigarette? Uh-uh. All right… I’m just going to have to assume that one of these weird meatballs is also known as a faggot.

Pork Faggots

My next question is what is so west about this sauce. The spotted dick friend tells me: “…the West Country (where my Brit ancestors originally hailed from) is a region of England.” This is good to know, but it tells me little about the sauce. Another friend who tried the ‘faggots’ recalled the experience like a horror story. She had this to say on the matter:

“I shudder to remember. This was back when I was eating meat, but no amount of creepy processed fast-food spaaaaaaaaaace meat could have prepared me for this. Pork faggots are basically these meat balls made not out of what we would typically define as “meat”, but instead is ground up pig’s liver and possibly some other organs covered in some disgusting gravy. Ugggh!”

So far, spotted dick in a can is better than microwavable Mr. Brain’s pork faggots.

Toad in the Hole
3. Toad In The Hole: So… you put sausages in “Yorkshire pudding” batter and bake ’em. Now I’m out of willing candidates to try these things, but my spotted dick friend did have this to say:

“Oh, SHIT, Toad in the Hole? That looks terrible. TERRIBLE.”

Brits need to stop taking their sausages and putting them in everything! …

…!

…we’ve already mentioned spotted dick, so I’m sure that couldn’t have sounded much worse.

Also on the subject of Brits and sausage…

4. Black Pudding: It’s sausage made with congealed blood. Brits like sausage apparently, and need variations.

5. Brawn apparently is a sausage form of head cheese. This has nothing to do with cheese, but everything to do with a head of a calf, pig, or sheep. It also can contain meat from the feet or heart. It’s even eaten cold. At least then we won’t smell it if someone reheats it. Thank heavens for small favors. I am not posting a picture as I’m afraid to try and find one.

Alright. This is about as much on the subject I can look into right now. If any Brits are out there reading this, we could use some insight into your cuisine. I for one, don’t get it. This is coming from someone who loves sushi, so I’m thinking the average American would be even more lost.

I guess my biggest questions are, do you actually eat this stuff, eat it often, and like it? …or is this just food propaganda that makes it across the borders to frighten us? I mean, there’s fish and chips, and that’s great.

Inquiring minds in the U.S. want to know!