The Bluestocking Women’s Pub - The Return of Salad and the Lion

[MyrtleLion]

It’s been a while since I last saw everyone!

Welcome to everyone, regulars, lurkers, newly ventured in.

A place for women to discuss whatever takes their fancy, where the bar staff are attentive gerbils, Rosy the Red Panda is available for cuddles and all sweet things have no calories and all alcohol leaves the drinker slightly merry and hangover-free.

Previous thread is here:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5326705-the-bluestocking-womens-pub-where-brains-can-exist-in-a-single-state

No I was paying attention! Honest.

Z z z z z

z z z z z zzz

y u m !

de-licious

Yes, beans with toast is much better than beans on toast.
The beans are even better with a dash of smoked paprika and Tabasco, and then either an egg poached in them or some cheese melting in.

Now that really does sound delicious.

Sorry about the cannibalism joke earlier, Boily. I think it might have been the expression on your face that gave me the idea of you eating your little bean. I don't know what came over me

The restaurant by the river does breakfast from 9-11 on Saturday and Sunday mornings. They have smoky beans as part of their big fry-up.

We are driving to Gatwick on Saturday afternoon before our flight at early o’clock on Sunday. So we are going to have breakfast by the river. And, because we are running down the fridge contents, we are also going to have dinner by the river on Friday evening. I am almost more excited about the breakfast than going on holiday.

Will I have the fry up, or the avocado mash, or the stack of pancakes with bacon and maple syrup, or the fruit bowl, with a coffee or smoothie or juice?

I want all of it.

Yum yum😋

Ooooooh, heaven!

There should be at least one or two ‘ands’ in that list, not all ‘ors’.

The discussion on n'duja elsethread made me look it up - hadn't realised it had chilli, but I wonder would a little be nice stirred into the beans? Personally I like them heated in the microwave under a layer of cheese and I like the soggy toast (and the crisp toast at the edge).

Then I was a student the cheapest hot lunch in the city centre was beans on toast and a glass of milk at the bus station. The beans came in tiny cans and were heated using a blast of steam. I'd sit in the upstairs café at a formica topped table with my book and look out at the buses full of people lucky enough to be getting out of Cork (not my favourite place).

Aww dean that brought a tear to my eye. There was probably wistful music playing in the background, and then one day, one of the people in the queue for the bus would look up and spot you, and it would be a handsome detective leading you to a life of adventure- far away from Cork.

That was meant to be 'when I was a student', but 'then' gives a quite pleasing and not entirely inaccurate sense of beans on toast as my version of the Proustian madeleine and linden tea, bringing a rush of memories and insights.

Hmm...

The gerbils have been earwigging again whilst serving our food and drink!

They're just getting set up outside.

I pity the cleaning gerbils on toilet cleaning duty over the next 24 hours or so.

I was going to leave them to it then saw Boily had got a pitch. She'll scare the customers away looking like that, I'd better give her a hand. She could at least have gone goth-lite with the make up!

Anyway, who wants beans?

I suppose my Proustian madeleine would be soda bread pizza. I still make it sometimes, and I swear it takes me way back to my granny's place, with clouds of smoke swirling around - maybe cigarette smoke, maybe the chip pan going on fire again, maybe both - and me pinned to my chair by an enormous orange cat who's decided my knee is the ideal place to sleep.

I'm not sure this is what Proust had in mind, but it would be as good a way as any to start a story.

Yes! This is EXACTLY what it will be like on Saturday.

I love that Swashy’s ship is there xx

Presumably the navy beans stand is on Swashy's ship?

The van is too wide for the gang plank, but Rosie, who seems to be settling into ship life, look at her jumper, has come to get a couple of bowls.

I agree with you about beans on toast, @DeanElderberry, especially if the toast is really buttery and has soaked up the sauce - but I haven't had them for ages, mainly because baked beans taste awful now. I suspect the companies have cut back on the sugar and salt in them, so now they are bland and tasteless. Plus I almost never eat bread now, because it spikes my blood sugar.

I used to make home made Boston baked beans, and they were gorgeous - full of flavour and rich. I think I will be putting them back on the menu, come the autumn - dh and ds3 can have them with sliced bread, and I'll have them on their own, with no carbs.

Meeee!

Clear the way, I've sampled all four varieties ...

Will we need gas masks? Or is there is a stiff enough blow?

That elsethread to which Deano refers truly demonstrates a certain mindset. I would once have been 😯at some of the comments, but now it's a case of 'Here we bloody go again'.

Worcestershire sauce is good with baked beans and also with cheese on toast.

I add a tiny pinch of salt and a tiny pinch of sugar to modern bland baked beans and modern bland tinned tomato soup. Transformative. Take THAT health police.

I also bought Swedish blackcurrant cordial in Lidl last summer, that had lots of sugar and lots of blackcurrants and tasted like Ribena used to, only better. Even after being left opened in the fridge for a few months with the result that it started to ferment, it was still lovely and sweet.

The toilets are currently out of action.

The plumber has arrived.

She's currently sucking in air and shaking her head in that it's going to be expensive sort of way.

However, there are porta loos in the car park.

From the look of things, it’s really bad…

You know what? I think I might be up to date with marking! And have sent gazillions of nagging emails to people who are behind.
I think that calls for a chocolate bar!

Phew!