Rowling Makes a Stand

[JadeLeader]

Ok, so I know the educated classes hate us and our Dear Leader, but she's really not doing herself any favours here...

Now all they need do is to think “Are We the Baddies?“

But why would they ever ask themselves that?? I mean, it's not like TRAs are homophobic, or support doing medical experiments on vulnerable people, right? So really, no reason to take a good look at themselves.

Most of them have had to start by assuming that JKR is so ignorant and stupid she would liken herself to the Nazis when she made an analogy, really; this one at least has managed to avoid that really obvious fuckwittery and should be given points for that, even if only subtle ones.

(Anyone who can identify where "subtle points" is from and what it meant originally gets a small virtual prize.)

I know that your absorption of British culture is impressive & your colloquial English is impeccable but just in case you didn't get my reference to the meme.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Are_We_the_Baddies%3F

I did get the general idea, though indeed I didn't know the origin of the meme, so thank you for that!

Also quoted (I assume) by Helen Joyce in her latest Substack:
https://www.thehelenjoyce.com/p/breaking-taboos

They are in season. I have some in my garden.

They are niche so even if they are in the shops its only likely to be around this time of year.

I would imagine the vinegar/sour wine was added to make the water safer to drink.
Little Miss Muffet enjoyed her curds and whey, a sort of posset.

Oh lord, yes, of course. Surprisingly little alcohol helps a lot with water safety – not when swimming, when ingesting the stuff! Hence drinking small beer at breakfast, and giving it to children instead of milk when they got older. (Middle ages again, not Victorian times.)

I’ve only ever had them once fresh, so maybe I’ll try and grow some next year!

We had twelve bushes of them when I was a child. Have you got some iron gauntlets for picking them in? The sort knights wore with their armour?

Or the chain mail gloves butchers use. Or woodworkers, not that I can get the resident professional woodworker to wear them.

I think maybe metal bracers too; up to the elbow at least.

Agreed, they are a nightmare, I once got scolded about my scratched arms and the possibility they might appear in some wedding photos.
I have tried to train mine as cordons to make it easier, it does work it's just me that hasn't kept up!
I have a new one to plant, a red dessert called Whinhams Industry that is supposed to be right good. The red ones I have have had long enough to get on with it but are really rubbish.
I'll never get anywhere near this tho
https://egtongooseberryshow.org.uk/

The Romans believed that sour things were good for health. They made acetio, sour wine, for soldiers and ate green figs and apples. The vinegar supposedly given to Christ on the cross wasn't a nasty trick, just someing from a soldier's water bottle.

“Nobody expects the Tranish Inquisition.”
🤣

Aren't, or weren't, goosegogs a thing in Yorkshire? Wasn't there a gooseberry triangle? Talking of Yorkshire, I've always wanted to try forced rhubarb but I've never seen it sold anywhere and I've no desire to try to grow it myself.

In praise of rhubarb let us sing!
(periweriwinkle, pi-ro-dee)
Like love it comes to us in spring!
(periweriwinkle, pi-ro-dee)
But it is all Tommy rot
To call it rhubarb, for it's not;
It's only celery, gone blood-shot.
(periweriwinkle, pi-ro-dee)

It's the rhubarb triangle, where the forcing sheds where it is picked by candlelight are. Forced rhubarb is a premium product much in demand by posh restaurants etc, and it's production is tightly controlled, the last thing they want is for it all to be ready at the same time. I know a bit about this, it's too outing for details, but we were once given a box that wasn't quite perfect enough for the posh places, and it is delicious.

Gooseberries are Egton, link above.

When I was a teenager they were routinely grown on fruit farms along with other soft fruit - strawberries, raspberries, red and black currants. Went for PYO and to the shops. They keep very well if chilled, but the prep is a bit fiddly.

And I bloody hated picking them. Evil bastards.

Thank you. I got my triangles mixed up. Forced rhubarb will remain an unfulfilled dream 😟 Unless I visit my nephew in Ilkley with a crowbar, burnt cork, a candle and a dream.

I'm sure there's also something Yorkshire about licorice.

I'm sure there's also something Yorkshire about licorice.

Pontefract, hence Pontefract cakes. There's still a bit being grown but the industry died out because it was too successful, not enough could be locally grown, they started importing which killed off the local stuff. I used to buy bits of root for the kids to chew, looked like I was feeding them sticks, they loved it

I just had the check that to see if I was correct and discovered that it arrived in Pontefract around the 11th century, brought there by Crusaders. Which leaves me pondering the appeal of licorice, I've got something knocking about in the back of my head about it being quite a lot sweeter than sugar.

What can I cook with gooseberries other than jam?

Crumble pudding?

Just for goodness' sake, don't put them in coleslaw!

I get them from a greengrocers in a fruit-growing area of UK. Local gooseberries, rhubarb (including forced early in season), strawberries, cherries, raspberries, plums, apples, pears...living the dream.