(For Meades)
As I sit here contemplating some home-cooked food, I ponder on how life has almost turned a full circle. I left the UK in 2003 after a life-changing event, determined not to return, as I was disgusted with the capitulation of my home country to the forces of Evil (Dubya and Tony). My destination was the Antipodes, and the future lives of choice were either greeny hippy builder or vintage motorcycling zenistry, the two alter egos of my adult life.
A revulsion to “eco leaders” in green stripey trousers [Ed: Meades will be devastated], and hippy chicks that talked the talk and then bailed out to live with the first available solicitor / advertising exec with a big bank balance when times got hard, made me realise where my true social standing lay: a motorcycle guy (or gal) is a motorcyclist first, and a political animal second. It’s a disease.
So how the fuck am I living in semi-rural northwestern Connecticut, armed with a green card and the prospect of naturalisation next year, and more to the point, how come I am eating a meal consisting of venison curry (freezer stocked by rednecks), organic brown pilau rice, and a side of home-grown zucchini, tomatoes, herbs, onions and garlic, all free from either my small veggie plot or from local friends? Worse still, I occasionally spend evenings playing with axes in a community-owned wood. What the fuck?
We live in interesting times, and while occasional observances are fine, perhaps it would be good to explain a little about my home, a run-down industrial town in northwest Connecticut; or, as a friend of mine’s father constantly asked her, “So what exactly is in Konneckticut?” As a middle-aged, widowed singleton, I have to say it’s largely about toys, but as I have resided here far longer than anywhere else in my adult life, and appreciate other aspects more and more, let’s do some background; it’s easy to do a wiki search on Connecticut.
Here is a personal précis:
Connecticut is known as the Constitution State after the “Connecticut Plan”, the proposal by the CT delegates to the Continental Congress that is credited with saving the assembly from acrimonious break-up, and leading to the ratification of the Constitution in Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War. The framework was supposedly based on the first articles of the New Haven colony from 1639.
Population: 3.7 million, in an area of 4849K square miles; that is to say about the same as Surrey, Sussex, Kent and Essex combined. The capital is Hartford, centrally located, and all the other major population centres are along the southern coast, bordering Long Island Sound. They are all a bit odd down that way. That’s where a lot of the money is too, as it’s within the commuter belt of NYC. (Also where the money isn’t, paradoxically: large parts of Bridgeport and New Haven make the Broadwater Farm Estate look like an agrarian paradise.)
State politics: the Communist State, nailed on to return two Democrats to the Senate, due to the large cities. Everywhere outside city limits is Trump territory. Sixth highest taxes in US states, and pretty good welfare support for poorer citizens, about as good as it gets, in fact. Must be why everyone seems to want to move to the South.
Early history: surprisingly, largely unexplored in the early years of colonisation, half-way between the Dutch in NYC/Hudson Valley and the Pilgrims in the Boston area. Groups of colonists seeking more religious freedom than on offer in Massachusetts (they are all a bit odd up there) started settling the Long Island Sound and the navigable reaches of the Connecticut River in the 1630s. Turns out that the Pilgrim fathers, fleeing political and religious intolerance in the mother country, were pretty keen on imposing their own even more extreme intolerances on the early colonists. The knock-on effect of this was the demand for self-governance in the fledgling settlements across New England (anarchism by any other name), which in turn kindled the fires that started the Revolutionary conflagration 140 years later.
I will leave the fates of indigenous inhabitants to scholars of such subjects, except to say that the shared custody of 4849K square miles of luxuriant temperate forests, lakes and streams, bounded by coastal regions unbelievably rich in fish and shellfish was fairly exchanged for a few beads, some hatchets, a lot of illegally brewed alcohol, and a couple of casinos. It’s all documented.
There are only a few of them left, so they made out like bandits. People like to assume that most of the Pequots, Mohawks and Mohegans generally wandered off to join their brethren further north and west, and they all lived happily ever after.
Geography: a bit of everything, but particularly a lot of lakes, hills, and rivers, the proliferation of which would lead to the Connecticut River valley becoming the heartland of the early American industrial revolution in the 19th century, some forty to fifty years after the process began in western Europe. Also thickly forested; almost all old growth had been cleared for farmland by the 1850s, but the opening up of western lands and the civil war led to huge areas formerly under cultivation being abandoned, and the regrowth continues apace.
Industry: in the early years, plenty of water power running from the upper reaches of the Appalachians to the west and the Berkshires to the north provided the power to make things. There are abandoned mill ponds and races everywhere in the woods, which are also crisscrossed with old stone walls from abandoned farms. Small forges and foundries gave way to larger factories in the 1890s, and led to wave after wave of European immigrants to work in them. This town is particularly strongly represented by Italians and Polish/Ukranians.
Wars lead to profits. A local high-end carriage manufacturer was the only major casualty of the civil war (all the rich guys wanting fancy carriages were down south), but the local brass mill developed the first easily mass produced bullet casing; the Union government bought loads of them.
Elsewhere in the State, they made the weapons that they needed, Colt and Winchester being possibly the most famous. Innovation and ingenuity being a natural part of the yankee character, local discoveries are too many to mention, from cotton gins to condensed milk and rubber vulcanisation, sewing machines and needle bearings. Manufacturing became a mainstay of the local economy through into the 1950s and 60s, but the writing was on the wall as cheaper labour and power supplies elsewhere started to take its toll.
Natural history: you name it, we got it within spitting distance. Deer aplenty, raccoons, chipmunks, skunks, and bears all seen rambling regularly in my neighbourhood; wild turkey roam in small herds. Me and the boys in the factory next door stood around for a good while last week watching a couple of red-tailed hawks learning to fly, and the mill dam is an excellent spot to throw a worm and catch a small brookie or rainbow trout now the factories have all closed – that is, unless the bloody bald eagle has been by and had ’em all, or scared them away, but he’s fun to watch too. Friend of mine had her chickens eaten by coyotes two weeks ago, and another friend has seen two mountain lions in the last year, not ten miles up the road. I’ve not seen a coyote or mountain lion; both of these are relatively recent returnees to the state. Connecticut is also ground zero for Lyme disease, we have deer ticks a plenty.
Signed, sunbeamtim.
Ovally Balls 
Apparently you don’t need to throw half of it away.
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Chimpie – heathen
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Thaum – it worked for me. And it was more like 80%. I am baking tomorrow and will report back.
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Why do you chuck it away? Is there a specific part you keep? If not, why not just make 4 times as much bread by using it all in different batches?
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England well on top this morning. Broad and Anderson bowling beautifully in helpful conditions. Pakistan 150/4 and looking queasy.
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The opener, Shan, is still there on 50 from 180-odd deliveries. If he gets a ton he’ll be batting into Day 3 at this rate!
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I take that back, Craigs. This is what yer man says to do:
50g flour
50ml water
stir
Leave out, gently cover, overnight. (12 hours)
Day 2 – feed with another 50g/m
Day 3 – discard 100g and feed with 100g/l
Day 4 – discard 150g and feed with 100 g/l
Day 5 – discard 200g and feed with 150g/l
Day 6 – discard 250g and feed with 200g/l
Day 7 (ish) – should be ready
In future, feed 200g/l and use the next day
Keep in fridge when not using.
Deebs – this is just for making the starter, which takes a week! After that, you just use as needed, with a wee ‘feed’ the day before you want to bake.
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Ah! Makes sense. Um, ok. So what happens to the discards? Another example of western consumerism destroying the planet in pursuit of sating appetites? We in the colonies will be no part of that!* England still shading it, with Pakistan at 166/4, but just starting to build a small partnership here.
*Sounds like way too much effort.**
** Stuff your stereotype of lazy colonials (yes, it’s exactly what you were thinking, you unconscionable bastards!), it’s just that there’s other, nicer stuff to cook.
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Woakes strikes with lunch 20 minutes away! Pakistan 176/5 and needing to hang on for the interval. The problem is that it’ll be another 4 or 5 overs, then the new ball is due 5 or 6 overs after lunch. Momentum’s shifting in England’s favour now.*
* momentum, not Momentum.
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Deebs, the reason you discard half the starter each day when you make it in the first instance is that if you didn’t you’d have a feckin ginormous dough that would be unwieldy and would need a huge amount of flour to feed – so in fact discarding in the first instance is far less wasteful.
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I’ve started off my sourdough, and have just made soda farls. They don’t look like the ones you buy. Might have burnt slightly!
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Thaum, I have to go Scotland in a couple of days but I’m going to make a starter when I get back – I liked the way the guy in the vid made a very good looking loaf in an upturned pyrex casserole dish.
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Thaum – that’s a smaller starter than the one I use but the principle is the same.
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This bloke had a good series on sourdough
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Root ‘n Bess trying to rush through the five overs to the 2nd new ball after lunch, but going for a few runs in the process. Pakistan will be happy with that. 206/5 after 78 overs. Shan Massod on a dogged 81 and Shabad Khan on 15 and looking to move the scoring along.
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Refit wins with that teaser. Now I want some.
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Shan Masood goes to 100 – scored 46 on a rain interrupted Day 1, anchoring the innings superbly as the ball fizzed about in the gloom and has come out today in much more positive frame of mind, scoring 56 in a session and a bit whilst wickets fell at regular intervals around him. Great knock!
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250 up for Pakistan, with Shan on 104 and Shabad Khan on 37. They’ve still got Yasir Shah to follow, who scored a ton against Australia in Adelaide last year. Not much from the last three though!
Though…mmm…dough…..mmm….bread. Bugger. Wonder if anyone will notice me slipping out early?
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England definitely missing the Stokes X-factor (hate the term, but it is true) in their bowling thus far. Nobody has really roughed up the Pakistani batsmen consistently.
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England looked becalmed and rudderless here. 13 over with the new ball and it’s given to the spinner? Shan Masood has really upped his scoring too – comfortably outscoring the all rounder Shabad Khan in their 100+ run partnership.
Is Root a somewhat hesitant captain? He doesn’t seem to trust himself, or his attack.
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Fish ‘n chips and mushy peas on the menu tonight. No bread, but I love making mushy peas.
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Oh, Shabad! What have you done??? Trying to reach 50 by creaming it over the infield, he simply skies the simplest of catches to Root and Bess has the breakthrough! This could be the difference between 400+ and scraping 325 fro Pakistan. No need at all for the shot and he’s tossed it away.
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Archer back on….
….. bowling mid-80s mph half trackers and half volleys. Too many Tests after the Covid break too soon for England? They’re looking pretty listless here. And with that, I’m off!
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Archer takes 2 wickets
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I’m back! Archer gets one to hold it’s line just enough when Yasir thought it was sliding down leg and gets trapped in front! Umpire’s Call, but hitting enough of the leg stump to be a good call. And Abbas goes 1st ball! Pitched up, moving away and guided easy as you like to Root in the slips! Archer, who had looked listless at best, even disinterested, in on a hat-trick! Shaheen Afridi deals with it, but suddenly Pakistan look 80 to 100 short. Shabad – we’re looking at you, son.
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England in tatters at 12/3! Pakistan are on fire here! How England end up winning by an innings is simply beyond me.
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My mushy peas were a class apart from the Jamie Oliver ‘recipe’ that Mrs Deebee wanted me to use. His included hand picked fresh mint, organic spring onions, artisanal sea salt, extra virgin olive oil and petit pois. Pretentious tit. Embarrassingly, I had all of that on hand. I added freshly squeezed lemon juice (just a hint) to give it more contrast.
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@deebee
What size tin did you buy?
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Pretentious tit
I know, who uses organic spring onions when normal ones will do?
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Shoony the Onion Man might, but never ask why.
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Well done Iks’ Wolves.
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Well this is depressing and part of a worrying trend:
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Joe Biden is very racist
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Morning all! A frosty Friday it is in Jo’burg with snow on the mountains to the south in the Cape, Lesotho and surrounds. We’ll just get wind and smog from the coal-fired power plants to the east, so nothing glamorous about it here. Rugby to restart in SA in mid-September, you’ll be glad to hear, so we can move on from the candyfloss fluff of Kiwi crap and sub-League drivel of whatever the Aussies call theirs and get back to Real Rugby. You know it’s worth the wait: Morne Steyn in full flight, Eben Etzebeth in full fight, Malcolm Marx lenin’ a hand with the dark arts, and all this at a civilised hour for European viewers. No wonder we’re the most loved rugby nation!
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OT – frozen inna packet
Craigs – I may have exaggerated my Jamie ingredients slightly. I think it was virginal Himalayan rock salt though.
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Toulon playing in South African rugby now, is it?
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OT – that’s the trend although I thought that was just a blunder tbh. A big one, but I put it down to his faculties rather than a pattern of behavior.
Now…
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What’s wrong with using virginal himalayan rock salt? Especially accompanying rosemary on your thrice cooked (once in goose fat), russet potatoes chips. With homemade Ketchup and guacamole.
Like the traditional chippy used to serve.
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‘virginal himalayan rock salt’
Himalayan rock salt mined by virgins?
Rock salt mined by Himalayan virgins?
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TomP – a little leeway, please, I haven’t seen live rugby in months.
Craigs, I now want the goose fat soaked chips.
I’m busy comparing Blue Wildebeest and Gemsbok droewors (dried sausage) at the moment. The Wildebeest is more moist and lightly fattier, but the Gemsbok has a wilder flavour, which combined with the coriander and pepper used, is very good indeed. It does have a slightly more cloying fat than the Wildebeest though, which at one level gives a better, lingering taste of the wors, but at another leaves a fatty residue on the tongue that isn’t great.
Think I’ll wash it down with an Ethiopian espresso and roasted macadamia nougat. Yes, Mrs Deebee was in the Kruger Park last week and brought me back some delights from that part of SA.
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So it seems living on a diet of steak and salt and nothing else is actually quite damaging to both your physical and mental health
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/12331040/jordan-peterson-suffering-coronavirus-mikhaila-hospital/
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OT – I mean, are you sure it’s directly attributable to the ridiculous diet?
Could be bad luck and a change in circumstances. Mikhaila doesn’t have these things.
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Back to sort of defending JBP again. 2020 keeps on giving.
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Think I’ll wash it down with an Ethiopian espresso and roasted macadamia nougat.
If you have any mushy peas left they’ll go really well in the espresso.
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@craigs
Nope, not at all. But he appears to be very fragile both mentally and physically. As someone who writes books called “12 rules for life” and promotes his daughter’s crackpot diet they appear not to make you mentally and physically strong, which they claim to do.
What I do know is that a) eating a very narrow diet and b) undergoing tremendous stress (due to his wife’s severe illness) is likely to have a negative effect on the immune system. He’s had pneumonia twice in a year which suggests his overall lifestyle habits are not helping him.
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@craigs
She’s much, much younger. In my 20s I could eat as much as I liked and be idle and still remain healthy, and this didn’t last forever. Youth is a big red herring when it comes to health – it lets you get away with loads of bad habits.
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Ate the mushy peas earlier. No sense in waiting for lunchtime. On the JBP diet thing: I don”t know his work at all and only know him from these esteemed pages, but I have a sister who is an absolute health freak in terms of food and she is always ill. Usually nothing serious, but I can’t remember a year in the last 30 when she wasn’t sick at some stage. The other three siblings all eat badly (by comparison), drink too much and are all smokers or ex-smokers and none of us ever get sick. There you go, cast-iron evidence that healthy living is bad for you.
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OT – I don’t disagree entirely (and my comparison to Mikhaila was a throwaway comment) but tbh he seems to be a victim of medication addiction.
The only part where I’d disagree is that anxiety doesn’t necessarily mean that you aren’t mentally strong (not sure what that means), it’s more that your mind is working on overdrive. There are various ways to combat this. I use meditation for example.
My point is that I’m not going to be so quick to judge him when he falls ill or has these kinds of problems.
I guess my point is that
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I guess my point is that
Get to the fucking point Craig’s.
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Will you ever?
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