Saturday 3 January 2015

Even More Useful Stuff


Even More Useful Stuff


Dogging
Some people like to have sex in the open air, some people like to watch other people having sex in the open air, fortunately some people like to have people watch them while they have sex in the open air. The term used to describe these activities in the UK is 'dogging' as in "I was out dogging last night."  There are websites and other forms of social networking to allow people to arrange hook ups but for many this lacks the exciting randomness of just turning up at a dogging location and seeing what happens.

Ford Asbo
Is Peter's nickname for his, currently second, Ford Focus ST - the term originates with Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson's review of the Focus ST which can be found here.

Fry Up
Otherwise known as the traditional English Breakfast and the opposite of a Continental Breakfast(1). It usually involves a combination of three or more of the following - eggs (fried, scrambled or omelet), bacon, sausage, baked beans, black pudding(2), liver, bubble and squeak(3), onions, mushrooms, chips(4), toast or fried slice(5).

The full expression of this culinary cornucopia can usually be found in two locations, mid-level hotels or a traditional greasy spoon cafe. A proper English person upon moving into a new area will always seek to locate a suitable greasy spoon for those mornings when you just got to eat right no matter what your partner, dietitian or cardiologist says.


(1) Hotels would love to switch to offering just a continental breakfast because it's much easier to arrange a couple of croissants, some fruit and a selection of jams than the wonderful artery clogging panoply of the traditional breakfast,

(2) A blood sausage made from oatmeal and pork blood.

(3) Are you sure you want to know? Okay it's basically a dish designed to recycle leftover vegetables from a big roast beef dinner. So you get yesterday's potatoes, brussel sprouts, cabbages, peas and anything else you might have lying around - and then you fry them until they're a nice crispy brown on both sides. It was big during the dark days of rationing but now it's mostly made from fresh ingredients.

(4) French Fries.

(5) A Fried Slice of bread. Oh god now I'm hungry.




10 comments:

Unknown said...

"Fry up", also known in the Met' canteens my brother has been known to frequent as a Fat Boy's breakfast.

LauraJ said...

Also found in some out-flung corners of the former Empire like the Irish pub in Malden, MA, and, according to Wm. Gibson, Vancouver, BC.

IF ONLY French fries (which are sometimes quite good) chips were truly synonymous with a good English chip...

Kate Orman said...

*involuntarily salivates*

Would that more Australian hotels included the baked beans. They're a criticial part of the experience.

Unknown said...

Ok Mr. Author. Now you got me longing for a decent fry up. I am stuck in effing Germany! There is NO PLACE here that even serves something remotely similar! You fiend! But as I will be in London later this year: Where would you suggest getting a good fry up? What's your favourite place on the map?

(Sorry, I just HAD to slip the word "map" in here once).

Cheers and bye from Germany,

Tom

Mandy said...

In Wales they add Laverbread to it in place of black pudding... what is that you ask?

Well I could suggest you google it, but I'll let you be lazy...

It's seaweed. A particular type that grows on welsh shores, processed in a particular way and considered a Welsh Delicacy.

And no, I don't mean Seaweed in the crispy "Chinese restaurant" sense which tends to be deep fried cabbage or greens of some sort.

Unknown said...

Just found the blog after inhaling Foxglove Summer (and getting my best friend hooked on the series).

Are you aware your "Fantasy casting" page is a dead link?

Russ said...

Don't know if you saw this but Lois McMaster Bujold had some nice things to say about Foxglove Summer (and all the other Peter Grant books as well) on her blog:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16094.Lois_McMaster_Bujold/blog

Emma said...

I recently discovered the Peter Grant books. I've binged on all of them and now I can't wait for more. They are really fantastic. I absolutely love them! Thanks Ben

Liz Fort DeLiso said...

I'm wondering if you read: Leon Garfield, Alan Garner, John Masefield, Rudyard Kipling, CS Lewis when you were a lad?

Unknown said...

Sorry to sound picky but surely Liver and Onions have never featured on any traditional London Cafe fry-up menu? Not even in the Cock Tavern, Smithfield
Love your books!