One of the running jokes in that story is that the characters, on having the problem explained to then, complain that they've just eaten sausages. There's more than a sense that the EU has a point.
(Although in real life I should think - I haven't checked - that most EU countries have varieties of sausage traditionally made with offal.)
Andouillette is a traditional French sausage made from Pig's intestines. Although the ingredients are obviously washed thoroughly, the finished product always has an aroma, and to some extent a taste, of, err..."the farmyard". To connoisseurs, this is part of the appeal.
Personally I find it disappointing that the only place in Tesco where you can buy tripe is the Polish section.
The brexiter obsession with fish is completely mystifying. Fishing accounts for ~0.1% of our economy and employs a few thousand people. The financial services industry, on which our economy is unhealthily dependent, is about to be left twisting in the wind, deal or no deal.
Also, I gather that we currently export the majority of the fish we catch (there isn't much of a market for herring, mackerel or sole in the UK), whilst importing much of what we eat (the haddock and cod for the traditional British fish & chip supper mostly comes mostly from Iceland, Norway and further-flung parts.) The effect of Brexit on the price and availability of white fish is unlikely to be beneficial.
You can add to the catalogue of stupidity over fish that the British fishing fleet isn't big enough to catch the EU set quotas for UK territorial waters. So, unless the UK post Brexit significantly cuts quotas (yeah, fat chance of that happening) those fish either won't be caught, or else non-UK fishing fleets will need to be allowed to catch those fish.
The problems could well come with packaging and/or components. We may produce the item but, where we rely on packaging or components from the EU, there could be all sorts of shortages.
The demand for flour grew in the early days of the pandemic (everyone decided to bake bread). There was no shortage of flour at all in the U.K., but the packaging was a problem and so many people couldn’t buy flour for weeks.
The pandemic caused a demand problem for various things like flour - an unusual spike in demand (for various reasons) caused shortages.
Brexit could well cause similar demand problems alongside supply problems.
The govt and the press are reluctant warn of this, as then you’ll get panic buying - exacerbating the demand problems.
... Can you fry mackerel in batter, like wot you do with cod?
I'm inclined to think not; I think mackerel's an oily fish, and wouldn't respond the same way to deep frying that white fish does.
It would be possible to do it, for sure; the question is whether or not it would be a good idea. I suspect that the oil in the fish would start leaking as it fried, interfering with the batter and making the whole thing an oily mess. I think the same consideration may well be why mackerel responds so well to grilling - like all oily fish I know of, and totally unlike white fish.
Bass is in the middle - I prefer it grilled to deep fried.
Wasn't Hugh Fearnly Wittingstall advocating battered mackerel a few years back as part of a campaign about cod and haddock stocks and the practice of throwing dead fish back as fishermen were over quota?
@Ricardus when I buy tripe it comes from butchers in the "traditional working class" parts of town. I have tried it but hate the taste and smell, but I have occasionally done it for Mr Dragon on the rare occasion I have been out for dinner without him.
If you want to get a bit exotic with tripe, find a recipe for menudo, Mexican, spicy tripe stew. I was doubtful, but I tried it in the last couple of months because my roommate likes it and it goes down well. If you make it yourself, you can control the level of heat.
ETA: The traditional time to eat it is for breakfast/lunch on a Saturday morning after a night of partying.
I like mackerel, though, so maybe I'll be OK...and I have been known to enjoy salted herring (but not here - in The Netherlands).
Can you fry mackerel in batter, like wot you do with cod?
I love tinned herring, I miss Aldi selling it and Lidl's range isn't as good. Last time I went to Europe* I did import some back (lucky the scanner didn't have any objection, especially as I was cutting it fine)
*And my first works trip, I am so glad to have a little chance, before they 'took back control'.
Nice article, another colourful display of the Brexit folly.
From the EU's point of view, cynics could even call it a win:
Basic trade will be maintained, though the city's financial services will be weakened and parts will move to the continent. Fish doesn't count much apart from symbolism anyway, it's a very small business. And the EU got rid of one of their biggest political brakes.
As a proud European of German nationality, I am almost attempted to say: 'Thanks, Boris!'
If it wasn't just so sad.
I hope Ms. Toynbee is right, I really do. But just because no-deal is insane doesn't mean this national suicide death-cult government won't fall into it. Two things make me pessimistic:
1) Throughout the Brexit process, the Brexiters have trumpeted their belief that the negotiations will go right to the wire, as "EU summits always do". Therefore we just have to not blink first in order to get the deal we want. Unfortunately, this negotiation is not an EU summit, it is a trade negotiation between the EU and a third country. The EU will walk away if it thinks the deal being demanded by the UK is not in its best interests.
2) As always with Brexit, the internal politics of the Tory party come first. That's how we got into this mess. If Boris signs up to any deal, his Brexiters will find something about it to get outraged over, because any deal will involve some reduction in the mythic substance known as "sovereignty". Toynbee acknowledges this, but appears to downplay how much it restricts Johnson's room to maneuver. If he signs up to all the things she thinks he will, like environmental protection, employment rights, adjudication of disputes, he will be deposed by his right wingers, simple as that. So either he develops a self-sacrificial streak he shows no current signs of, or we're screwed.
We're screwed either way. Even if they do depose BoJo (masquerading today as a not-very-convincing Ena Sharples), some other ghastly gobshite will crawl out of the slime to take his place...
A British exporter was interviewed on 'Today' this morning. Apart from stating that like other exporters he still has no idea what paperwork he will require to send goods to the EU, and that holdups at the ports are inevitable, he said that in answer to a question he knew of no 'golden opportunities' that would be available to him post-Brexit. In fact, he will lose free access to a number of markets, such as Singapore and Turkey, that have trade agreements with the EU.
'Global Britain', it seems, means nothing except that we must all try to be as fat as possible.
Also, goods coming into the U.K. are often on trucks paid by the kilometre, not by the hour. So they won’t set off if they think there will be a long delay at the port.
According to the Public Accounts Committee, there are too few customs agents in the UK to prepare the documents that will be needed for clearance of freight for exporters. If UK exporters cannot provide a guaranteed delivery date because of delays at the port, they won't get orders from customers in the EU.
Maybe if the party currently in power had listened to the (very many) customs and revenue staff who have been warning of this since the get go......
Honestly you couldn’t make it up.
And now endless civil servants are supposed to run around like headless chickens attempting to get the Tory party out of Their Own mess.
And if (when) they can't, it will be because of a vile plot by the EU. Honestly, if the Brexiters jumped off a cliff and went splat they'd blame it on Isaac Newton for discovering gravity. I wouldn't mind, if they hadn't dragged the rest of us with them.
Well done to our negotiating team for making things as difficult as possible
# easiest deal ever. # oven ready deal.
It is oven ready but the EU refuse to turn the oven on.
Thing is, what Boris forgets, is it's not his oven and the EU can tell that the deal, oven ready as it might be, is a week with the shakes, going at both ends, in the making and they don't fancy it. Boris doing the "it'll smell fine when it's done, that's just the giblets, they often whiff a bit when you open the bag, just put plenty of salt and pepper on it, here, we'll give it an extra half hour at 220C if you're worried" flannel isn't very convincing.
Well done to our negotiating team for making things as difficult as possible
# easiest deal ever. # oven ready deal.
It is oven ready but the EU refuse to turn the oven on.
Thing is, what Boris forgets, is it's not his oven and the EU can tell that the deal, oven ready as it might be, is a week with the shakes, going at both ends, in the making and they don't fancy it. Boris doing the "it'll smell fine when it's done, that's just the giblets, they often whiff a bit when you open the bag, just put plenty of salt and pepper on it, here, we'll give it an extra half hour at 220C if you're worried" flannel isn't very convincing.
The problem is that the EU are desperate to discourage any other member state from seeking independence
Well done to our negotiating team for making things as difficult as possible
# easiest deal ever. # oven ready deal.
It is oven ready but the EU refuse to turn the oven on.
Thing is, what Boris forgets, is it's not his oven and the EU can tell that the deal, oven ready as it might be, is a week with the shakes, going at both ends, in the making and they don't fancy it. Boris doing the "it'll smell fine when it's done, that's just the giblets, they often whiff a bit when you open the bag, just put plenty of salt and pepper on it, here, we'll give it an extra half hour at 220C if you're worried" flannel isn't very convincing.
The problem is that the EU are desperate to discourage any other member state from seeking independence
Say rather they're uninclined to give the benefits of membership to non-members.
Can't think why, given the WORLD-BEATING nature of *England*, superior to every other country...why, you'd think they'd welcome us with open arms, so that we could show them how to Do It Properly!
Comments
Personally I find it disappointing that the only place in Tesco where you can buy tripe is the Polish section.
Yes, they do - along with the Daily Wail...at least, I think so - I avert my gaze as I push my duly sanitised trolley past the loo-roll rack...
Quotes file! <notworthy>
Also, I gather that we currently export the majority of the fish we catch (there isn't much of a market for herring, mackerel or sole in the UK), whilst importing much of what we eat (the haddock and cod for the traditional British fish & chip supper mostly comes mostly from Iceland, Norway and further-flung parts.) The effect of Brexit on the price and availability of white fish is unlikely to be beneficial.
The demand for flour grew in the early days of the pandemic (everyone decided to bake bread). There was no shortage of flour at all in the U.K., but the packaging was a problem and so many people couldn’t buy flour for weeks.
The pandemic caused a demand problem for various things like flour - an unusual spike in demand (for various reasons) caused shortages.
Brexit could well cause similar demand problems alongside supply problems.
The govt and the press are reluctant warn of this, as then you’ll get panic buying - exacerbating the demand problems.
Interesting times ahead. 🤔
I like mackerel, though, so maybe I'll be OK...and I have been known to enjoy salted herring (but not here - in The Netherlands).
Can you fry mackerel in batter, like wot you do with cod?
Point taken...
Sausages and haggis are oily but deep fry just fine.
First rule of cooking - anything solid enough to go in the deep fat fryer can be deep fried.
Second rule: if it's not solid enough, coat it in batter.
I've had things that are solid going in that break apart when heated, so some care is needed.
It would be possible to do it, for sure; the question is whether or not it would be a good idea. I suspect that the oil in the fish would start leaking as it fried, interfering with the batter and making the whole thing an oily mess. I think the same consideration may well be why mackerel responds so well to grilling - like all oily fish I know of, and totally unlike white fish.
Bass is in the middle - I prefer it grilled to deep fried.
That'll be down to solid fat melting (haggis is something that will that) so that's where batter comes in, as @mousethief suggested.
@Ricardus when I buy tripe it comes from butchers in the "traditional working class" parts of town. I have tried it but hate the taste and smell, but I have occasionally done it for Mr Dragon on the rare occasion I have been out for dinner without him.
ETA: The traditional time to eat it is for breakfast/lunch on a Saturday morning after a night of partying.
*And my first works trip, I am so glad to have a little chance, before they 'took back control'.
The comments are worth reading too.
I like this one -
I hope Ms. Toynbee is right, I really do. But just because no-deal is insane doesn't mean this national suicide death-cult government won't fall into it. Two things make me pessimistic:
1) Throughout the Brexit process, the Brexiters have trumpeted their belief that the negotiations will go right to the wire, as "EU summits always do". Therefore we just have to not blink first in order to get the deal we want. Unfortunately, this negotiation is not an EU summit, it is a trade negotiation between the EU and a third country. The EU will walk away if it thinks the deal being demanded by the UK is not in its best interests.
2) As always with Brexit, the internal politics of the Tory party come first. That's how we got into this mess. If Boris signs up to any deal, his Brexiters will find something about it to get outraged over, because any deal will involve some reduction in the mythic substance known as "sovereignty". Toynbee acknowledges this, but appears to downplay how much it restricts Johnson's room to maneuver. If he signs up to all the things she thinks he will, like environmental protection, employment rights, adjudication of disputes, he will be deposed by his right wingers, simple as that. So either he develops a self-sacrificial streak he shows no current signs of, or we're screwed.
'Global Britain', it seems, means nothing except that we must all try to be as fat as possible.
Take that Brexit.
Are we talking about the same thing?
He's lying. Though if this comes off he's going to have a hell of an origin story:
https://twitter.com/Telegraph/status/1334065175050276866
Honestly you couldn’t make it up.
And now endless civil servants are supposed to run around like headless chickens attempting to get the Tory party out of Their Own mess.
I'm definitely confused. Isn't the Vaccine coming to the UK in trucks from Brussels? Was the Vaccine sent to Belgium for a wee holiday?
We are governed by fools and mad people.
I am sure we will apply to rejoin if the people of the UK vote for it.
Thing is, what Boris forgets, is it's not his oven and the EU can tell that the deal, oven ready as it might be, is a week with the shakes, going at both ends, in the making and they don't fancy it. Boris doing the "it'll smell fine when it's done, that's just the giblets, they often whiff a bit when you open the bag, just put plenty of salt and pepper on it, here, we'll give it an extra half hour at 220C if you're worried" flannel isn't very convincing.
Ah well - not long to go now. Might as well go and stock up on Baked Beans tomorrow, if the Christmas tat-buying lunatics have run out of pennies...
The problem is that the EU are desperate to discourage any other member state from seeking independence
Say rather they're uninclined to give the benefits of membership to non-members.
O. Hang on a sec...