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khmerhit · Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2004 11:41 pm Post subject: Just Like Mom Used to Make

http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/index.html

Teacher in Rome · Joined: 09 Jul 2003 Posts: 1286

Grim, but compelling.

I love all those photos of the shakily put-together creations. Nowadays you get food photographers to make sure that there are no more collapsing moulds or stray bits of lettuce.

Anyway, my mum's English, so we never had anything as fancy as carrot mousse or tahiti pears... She did make this peculiar thing called "soused herrings", which I call "peculiar" out of respect to the time she put into assembling it. It was practically inedible, as its main ingredient seemed to be vinegar.

SueH · Joined: 01 Feb 2003 Posts: 1022 Location: Northern Italy

Grim maybe, but I've been giggling like mad for the last minute or two. It may have now verged on hysteria; I'll slap myself.

Ah, that's better, whoops nearly started again..

I have to say T-I-R that you should try my soused herrings (or mackerel) before writing of the dish so cavalierly. It may have just been your Mum's cooking, or the use of malt (and not wine or cider) vinegar. Nothing like a bit of good old English campanilismo about one's own recipe!

Anyway, thanks khmer for passing on the results of your wanderings through some of the arcane backwaters of the 'net.

khmerhit · Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2004 10:32 pm Post subject:

Hang about, Sue, let me do the slapping please? Ta mate.
kh Cool

Teacher in Rome · Joined: 09 Jul 2003 Posts: 1286

Sue - it would have been the malt vinegar then!

Back "in the old days", shops round our way only sold malt vinegar. You'd have had to have gone to some fancy deli for wine vinegar.

Anyway, these poor herrings were just swimming in the stuff. Oh, and peppercorns featured heavily, too. Glad to say, though, that the experience hasn't put me off herring!