need help with tea!

[SteveShaw]

It's hard to know how an American can claim that the US makes the best sausages in the world. Most of 'em have never been out of the US and even fewer know where "the world" is. Cf. "World Series," which is, as we all know, nothing of the sort.

[Flyingcursor]

Bacon anyone?

[dwest]

It's hard to know how an American can claim that the US makes the best sausages in the world. Most of 'em have never been out of the US and even fewer know where "the world" is. Cf. "World Series," which is, as we all know, nothing of the sort.

Do you have some data on US sausage makers world travels?

[KateG]

I'm going to concede sausages and beer to the Brits, although some of our breakfast and ethnic sausages (NOT hot dogs) are quite good, as are many microbrews. But you have to seek them out, they're not available at every cafe and local pub.

And hot dogs and beer figure prominently in my memory of hell; or at least an approximation thereof. AKA a baseball game at Yankee Stadium 20 or so years ago. No score, no action, no food but hot dogs of dubious contents and we didn't dare touch what passed as beer because the rest-rooms were so foul. I kept having fond thoughts of my days in England drinking proper beer in a proper pub (though the loo's were sometimes as grotty), and listening to cricket matches on the BBC when they would announce the score at "tea-time". Any game that breaks for tea has to be civilized! (See, I've brought the thread back round to tea!)

[SteveShaw]

It's hard to know how an American can claim that the US makes the best sausages in the world. Most of 'em have never been out of the US and even fewer know where "the world" is. Cf. "World Series," which is, as we all know, nothing of the sort.

Do you have some data on US sausage makers world travels?

Never you mind that. Have you ever tried John Pett's local Cumberland pork sausages? 85% local pork shoulder, chopped coarse, not that minced rubbish made of pigs' cheeks, ears and arses and 40% rusk that many a bland so-called "sausage" is made of. Of course you haven't. I thought not. The only reason US sausage makers would ever go on world travels would be because they were driven into exile by angry consumers, I'll be bound.

[SteveShaw]

I'm going to concede sausages and beer to the Brits, although some of our breakfast and ethnic sausages (NOT hot dogs) are quite good, as are many microbrews. But you have to seek them out, they're not available at every cafe and local pub.

And hot dogs and beer figure prominently in my memory of hell; or at least an approximation thereof. AKA a baseball game at Yankee Stadium 20 or so years ago. No score, no action, no food but hot dogs of dubious contents and we didn't dare touch what passed as beer because the rest-rooms were so foul. I kept having fond thoughts of my days in England drinking proper beer in a proper pub (though the loo's were sometimes as grotty), and listening to cricket matches on the BBC when they would announce the score at "tea-time". Any game that breaks for tea has to be civilized! (See, I've brought the thread back round to tea!)

You are a wise woman indeed, Kate, and have all the makings of a true aficionado!

[dwest]

I've eaten sausage of all kinds in every kind of dive from Pembroke to Wells next the Sea. I am certain the English are trying to learn to make good sausage but it is not better than what you can find here or Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland..... And remember they are only about as big as NC or AL so national distribution there would be comparable to neighborhood distribution here. A regional market here could be comparable to the whole of the Green Isles combined.

[SteveShaw]

I've eaten sausage of all kinds in every kind of dive from Pembroke to Wells next the Sea. I am certain the English are trying to learn to make good sausage but it is not better than what you can find here or Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland..... And remember they are only about as big as NC or AL so national distribution there would be comparable to neighborhood distribution here. A regional market here could be comparable to the whole of the Green Isles combined.

Eating bangers in every kind of dive will not find for you the proper sausage. Dives will go for cheapness, which means inferior meat, high fat and too much rusk, all dressed up in a ton of artificial colour and flavour. You have to seek out good butchers who pride themselves in making superb bangers. Near me we have John Pett at Bude Meat Supply, Warrens in Launceston, Cory's of Bradworthy and the great Sue Edwards, champion sausage-maker of Hatherleigh. We are blessed indeed. You can bet your life that none of your dives would even dream of going near such excellent producers. One golden rule in the UK is that you will never find a good sausage in any supermarket. Not Waitrose, not M&S, none of them, and just because they say "organic" or "outdoor-reared" on the fancy wrapper doesn't mean they're not crap. Even the finest organic pigs have bits in them that should never find their way into sausages, but they do. The most scandalously-bad ones are the most expensive of all, Duchy Originals, the brand of Prince Charles. The meat they are made from never went anywhere near the Duchy in question. They taste of something the good Prince may well have a personal hand in the production of.

[dubhlinn]

I've eaten sausage of all kinds in every kind of dive from Pembroke to Wells next the Sea. I am certain the English are trying to learn to make good sausage but it is not better than what you can find here or Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland..... And remember they are only about as big as NC or AL so national distribution there would be comparable to neighborhood distribution here. A regional market here could be comparable to the whole of the Green Isles combined.

Eating bangers in every kind of dive will not find for you the proper sausage. Dives will go for cheapness, which means inferior meat, high fat and too much rusk, all dressed up in a ton of artificial colour and flavour. You have to seek out good butchers who pride themselves in making superb bangers. Near me we have John Pett at Bude Meat Supply, Warrens in Launceston, Cory's of Bradworthy and the great Sue Edwards, champion sausage-maker of Hatherleigh. We are blessed indeed. You can bet your life that none of your dives would even dream of going near such excellent producers. One golden rule in the UK is that you will never find a good sausage in any supermarket. Not Waitrose, not M&S, none of them, and just because they say "organic" or "outdoor-reared" on the fancy wrapper doesn't mean they're not crap. Even the finest organic pigs have bits in them that should never find their way into sausages, but they do. The most scandalously-bad ones are the most expensive of all, Duchy Originals, the brand of Prince Charles. The meat they are made from never went anywhere near the Duchy in question. They taste of something the good Prince may well have a personal hand in the production of.

Tom Waits once defined a dive as a place with a swimming pool.

Slan,
D.

[Lambchop]

This is a 'traditional' hot-dog in north america and it can't get better than this.

I take it that the yellow goo is some kind of mustard paste. Just lose that and add a big dose of onions fried in butter. Then I'll start listening. Tomato ketchup is fine as long as it's by Heinz, but Wilkin of Tiptree make a tomato sauce that is infinitely superior and which will turn this mundane snack into a real treat. I'm assuming that you have a decent sausage there, not some vile, bread-filled, fatty concoction made mainly out of pigs' ears and arses. The onions and tomato sauce call for better.

Nathan's all-beef hotdogs have no pig parts.

Heinz catsup, a bit of mustard, a tiny bit of mayo (on the bun), and sweet relish.

The bun needs to be warmed slightly. Or, better, toasted in butter on a grill.

[cowtime]

This is a 'traditional' hot-dog in north america and it can't get better than this.

I take it that the yellow goo is some kind of mustard paste. Just lose that and add a big dose of onions fried in butter. Then I'll start listening. Tomato ketchup is fine as long as it's by Heinz, but Wilkin of Tiptree make a tomato sauce that is infinitely superior and which will turn this mundane snack into a real treat. I'm assuming that you have a decent sausage there, not some vile, bread-filled, fatty concoction made mainly out of pigs' ears and arses. The onions and tomato sauce call for better.

Nathan's all-beef hotdogs have no pig parts.

Heinz catsup, a bit of mustard, a tiny bit of mayo (on the bun), and sweet relish.

The bun needs to be warmed slightly. Or, better, toasted in butter on a grill.

These all sound tasty, but my favorite stuff on a hot dog is home-made chili(kinda sweet/firey with plenty of hamburger) and slaw.

[chrisoff]

breakfast

One thing I will say about America is they really know how to do breakfast.

I want a massive pile of blueberry pancakes with bacon and maple syrup.

[The Sporting Pitchfork]

Ahem...Getting back to tea, my brew of choice is Yorkshire Gold. A bit pricey (nearly $6.00 for a 40-bag box), but I like it better than either Twinings or PG Tips. Ironically, the only place I can find it here in Oregon is at a Japanese supermarket...

I've been rather disturbed at the number of people that have said they put cream in their tea. Non-North American tea drinkers would regard this as an unpardonable abomination...Although the thought of using fat-free milk would probably strike many of them as being just about as unappealing.

I usually leave the tea bag in for about 4 minutes.

I came to be a habitual tea drinker whilst living in Glasgow as a university student. One of my flatmates was from Belfast and drank 10 cups a day easily...He also wrecked the kitchen, but that's another story...

It was also in Glasgow where I had a memorable encounter with lite "beer": I had just had a piping lesson with Allan MacDonald and we were in a pub for a post-tunes pint. Allan was trying to keep his waistline from expanding and asked the bartender if he had anything lighter on hand. "Well, we've got this American stuff. Miller Lite," he said, handing Allan a bottle. He held it up to his eyes and squinted at it for what seemed like an eternity before slamming it down on the bar and exclaiming "Ach, f*ck it! Just give me a pint of Tennant's!"

Back to tea again. While in college and then afterwards living in Japan, I studied tea ceremony for a while. The frothy concoction made from powdered green tea is most unlike any other tea you'll ever have--bitter, yet incredibly refreshing and invigorating. It broadly is divided into either "thin" tea or "thick" tea (an even more acquired taste) and is usually paired with very sweet confections made from pounded rice and sweet bean paste..Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.

When Paddy O'Brien was last in Portland for a few days he was almost never seen without a mug of tea. "Tea is like a comma in your day," he said. "You do something, you have a cup of tea. You do something else, you have another cup of tea, and so on."

[dwest]

Back to tea again. While in college and then afterwards living in Japan, I studied tea ceremony for a while. The frothy concoction made from powdered green tea is most unlike any other tea you'll ever have--bitter, yet incredibly refreshing and invigorating. It broadly is divided into either "thin" tea or "thick" tea (an even more acquired taste) and is usually paired with very sweet confections made from pounded rice and sweet bean paste..Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.

When Paddy O'Brien was last in Portland for a few days he was almost never seen without a mug of tea. "Tea is like a comma in your day," he said. "You do something, you have a cup of tea. You do something else, you have another cup of tea, and so on."

Being a bit of a bamboo fanatic I have had a long love affair with tea whisks. a beautiful and complex piece of art. Now a break for another comma or "Constant commas"

[KateG]

breakfast

One thing I will say about America is they really know how to do breakfast.

I want a massive pile of blueberry pancakes with bacon and maple syrup.

Actually, I'd call it a draw. Blueberry pancakes with bacon and maple syrup are indeed a feast. But so is a proper fry-up with sausages, bacon, eggs, mushrooms, tomatos, fried bread, etc. In both cases, enough food to keep you going for most of the day (which it did in my days as a itinerant student of archaeology in London and Scotland: fry-up for breakfast, ploughman's lunch at mid-day and beer for supper....I had my priorities!).