Thread 6 - TalkExiles: "Yup, still round."

[Kucinghitam]

Continuation of previous threads (thread 5).

Gather here all ye refugees from the JTT Flat Earth Society, welcome to the reassuringly oblate spheroid of MN! Ye all already know the answers to the questions "How the heck do I format my post?" "Why can't I edit my typos?" "What do those acronyms mean?" and most importantly, "Where is everybody that I used to know?"

So really we're all here just to chat randomly.

Oh poor Crows. It does sound horrible. Do you have to make hideous gobbing and hawking noises to try to dislodge it?

I have defrosted the freezer and realised that actually, no, I don't need to go shopping, probably for another week or so (though I know I'll get bored with freezer stuff and pillage Sainsbury's in a day or two). So I had some chickpea curry stuff that was much nicer than I remember when I first made it, erm, about 2 years ago. Recipe: https://www.alisoneroman.com/recipes/spiced-chickpea-stew-with-coconut-and-turmeric , with spinach and basmati rice.

Next up: what the hell to do with several large frozen lumps of ratatouille? If all else fails I might just bash it up a bit and use it as pasta sauce, but what else do people eat with it (people who eat fish but not meat)?

That curry sounds delicious.

With the ratatouille, I'd have it with some good quality bread and butter.

I'd second the bread and butter if you want to have it on its own, but it makes an excellent side dish to most meat or fish or veggie burgers/sausages

Oh I've got a nice recipe somewhere for cod (or other white fish) cooked with olive paste. That would be nice with rat.

Really horrible to experience that, @NotDrowningJustCrowing . All the best.

I like the sound of the bear thing. Is it Gordon Whatshisname, who does quite a lot of long-term following of wildlife stuff?

I have a current wildlife puzzle. In the scrubby bits of vegetation on the beach here (like dunes, but flat) there are often flocks of small brown birds that are not quite sparrows and I've been meaning for ages to look up what they are. Bunting was the word floating to mind, so I started there. Corn bunting looks about right in photos, but is (a) too big and (b) apparently extinct here. The only other thing I can find that seems to match is the twite.

I have never heard of twites. The RSPB says there were only 12 breeding pairs in England in 2021 and a 'similarly small' population in Northern Ireland. If that's correct, and if they're indeed twites that I've seen, the entire population must be living on my local beach - there are easily 20-30 in the flock.

From what this says, your Twites could be Scottish birds over for the winter. Terrifying that they're on the Red list. https://birdwatchireland.ie/birds/twite/

Ratatouille - add some chickpeas and then steam a piece of firm fleshed white fish on top.

Or just heat it up, add some sharp young sheep or goats cheese on top and eat with buttered crusty bread. I LOVE ratatouille.

We make a batch of ratatouille-type stuff every week (our grocer knows us well and usually puts the standard ingredients in the veg box).

We do all the suggestions already on here, but also a shakshuka-like thing: heat it up in a frying pan, make little "holes" and break an egg into each one, top with chilli flakes and chopped herbs and maybe cheese. Serve with crusty bread.

Offered without comment.
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4774973-lidl-bakery-counter-i-dont-understand

I'll tell you a story about ratatouille. I use it to make a quick snack meal I devised, years ago, I thought one day I'd share the recipe on a food thread at t'other place. Well, I should have known better! A tsunami of "Sounds vile" and "You put what in it?" and "I do a much better version like this..." followed. So a month or so back, I thought I'd post it on MN. Hard-pressed busy Mums might find it handy, I thought.

Reader, I got exactly the same reaction as before, if anything, worse! 😀

I wonder if the OP is as horrified by the bakery counter at M&S, which is exactly the same?

Today I am mostly devastated (OK, a bit miffed) at Ghosts only having one more series and then finishing.

Hope everyone's healthy, and Crows has dislodged the food.

People are so strange about food. I buy bread every week form a bakery that had a "help yourself" shelf of bread (there are tongs whose use is encouraged). We have yet to die of people "breathing on bread".

Including actual rat is unusual tbf duc.

I've been thinking about poor Crow, horrible situation to be in.

@duc748 - and now of course I want to know the recipe.

Today I am mostly devastated (OK, a bit miffed) at Ghosts only having one more series and then finishing.

Same @UnfortunatePoster! (ChezKuc we are so obsessed that we actually went there, dressed in custom-designed Ghosts-themed T-shirts).

How are you @NotDrowningJustCrowing ?

Lidl bakery is actually more hygienic than M&S as they have plastic sheets between you and the croissants/whatever. M&S just have them in open baskets.

Very tempted to suggest spraying all your bakery goods with Milton after purchase. FFS.

@Ginmonkeyagain

We have yet to die of people "breathing on bread".

HOW WOULD YOU KNOW?!!

That thread is quite something. Breathing on bread! Whatever next?

And all the talk of 'fingering' is making me feel a bit weird.

Very tempted to suggest spraying all your bakery goods with Milton after purchase.

Zoflora, surely?

That's a shame about Ghosts, but I suppose there is a limit to what they can do with the setup and it's better to get out while it's still great.

One habit I picked up from my Dad (dead 30 years) is the inability to avoid saying "you put basil in the ratatouille??!!!" whenever ratatouille makes an appearance.

And I hope Crow's obstruction has cleared. Sounds very tiresome.