Perhaps Not

Since I know that my fellow Fridge Soupers are always ready to give it a whirl ..... gastronomically , that is .... here is an amuse gueule from the Michelin-starred Ivy restaurant in Rotterdam

A cornet made of tomato and licorice , filled with picalilli ice-cream and topped with this year's Big Sensation , knettersuiker ( which is supposed to be a lot like that Moon Dust stuff that crackled in your mouth) .

Apparently , if you order the 11 course menu , you can expect little treats like this to pop up from time to time . Though , if you work your way right through the whole eleven courses , one or two other things might pop , too .

I had to, I’m sorry.

 

 

Better Than A Pea Brain?

Maybe scientists will one day come up with a Robot Blogger Brain, and we can all go away and live our own lives while the robots blog in our stead...

Is it just me?

I read a lot. This week I read a novel(*) passed to me by my Infinitely Better Half who judged it "quite a good story, but some of the plot contrivances strain one's ability to suspend disbelief, and definitely too wordy." (She's good at that sort of thing.)

In a scene where one of the female leads is submitting to love-making with her second husband for who she has no real affection, the author says - "Caroline noticed . . . the way her husband fought for breath, the way his eyes crossed as he neared his climax."

Now, perhaps it's just me, but I was incapacitated by hysterical laughter for a good 10 minutes, I kid you not, after reading that.

What do other Fridge Soupers think?  Ladies?

(*) "The Legacy" by Katherine Webb. Orion Books. Available from A**Z*N.  Pretty good reviews.

Vignettes of Canadian Life

 

Somehow when I think of a restful, meditative withdrawal from everyday life, this is not what comes to mind. 

Language

Just as some people are good with numbers and some (me!) are not, some people are good with words and some are not. I think it's genetic.
I know a woman who recently retired from a long professional career, who pronounces some words in oddly creative ways. They're words she's seen written on a page, but somehow she sees, and says, things that aren't there. 
She perks up peridot with not only an extra vowel, but an extra syllable, pronouncing it pair'-ee-o-do'. Something about the sound of it makes me want to square dance while wearing lots of pale green gemstones: Periodot and do-si-do!
Applying the same rule, the screening test for breast cancer becomes, in her mouth, mammy-o-gram, a pronunciation that thrusts into my mind a vision of Al Jolson on his knees delivering a singing telegram to me while I stand with part of my upper body clamped in a vise operated by Hattie McDaniel.
My acquaintance is not alone in her use of "unthaw," as in, "Oh drat! I forgot to take the turkey out of the freezer to unthaw. Now Christmas dinner will be three days late."
I've recently heard that from so many quarters that I predict that unthaw will become part of the language and will mean . . . thaw.

Vignettes of Canadian Life

Your best guess at what kind of a business this is, and no googling it first! 

At the Doctor

a pass along story that showed up in my email  -- hope it will be new to you all

   I was due for an appointment with the gynecologist later in the week. Early one morning, I received a call from the doctor's office to tell me that I had been rescheduled for that morning at 9:30 am.
 
   I had only just packed everyone off to work and school, and it was already around 8:45am. The trip to his office took about 35 minutes, so I didn't have any time to spare.
 
   As most women do, I like to take a little extra effort over hygiene when making such visits, but this time I wasn't going to be able to make the full effort.
 
   So, I rushed upstairs, threw off my pajamas, wet the washcloth that was sitting next to the sink, and gave myself a quick wash in that area to make sure I was at least presentable. I threw the washcloth in the clothes basket, donned some clothes, hopped in the car and raced to my appointment.
 
   I was in the waiting room for only a few minutes when I was called in.
 
    Knowing the procedure, as I'm sure you do, I hopped up on the table, looked over at the other side of the room and pretended that I was inParisor some other place a million miles away.
 
     I was a little surprised when the doctor said, "My, we have made an extra effort this morning, haven't we?" 
I didn't respond....
 
     After the appointment, I heaved a sigh of relief and went home. The rest of the day was normal. Some shopping, cleaning, cooking.
 
     After school when my 6 year old daughter was playing, she called out from the bathroom, "Mommy, where's my washcloth?"
 
      I told her to get another one from the cupboard.  She replied, "No, I need the one that was here by the sink, it had all my glitter and sparkles saved inside it."
 
Never going back to that doctor.  Ever

 

Equal Rights

A Dutch Do It Yourself chain is moving with the times and to prove this they've stuck this folder through our letterboxes .




Neither of us is naturally handy , so I was delighted to see that they were holding workshops . Marvellous ! I've always wanted to know how to put a washer on a tap or install a doorbell that rings . The possibilities for self improvement were , to be honest , endless so I quickly checked on line . Well , I don't know what our local branch has planned but others are already tempting the ladies with "Decorate A Letter With Wallpaper" , "Make Garlands With Soap" , "or "Make A Wooden Frame Yourself" . Not a spanner , slide rule or plumb line to be seen .
But rest assured , we won't feel neglected . There will be stalls with chocolates and jewellery , a beauty specialist and a stylist ... and everyone gets a goody bag to go home with . Can I have a How To folder and a couple of washers in mine ?

Oops!

did you hear the one about . . . . .

Two paddies were working for the city public works department.
One would dig a hole and the other would follow behind him and fill the hole in.

They worked up one side of the street, then down the other,
then moved on to the next street,
working furiously all day without rest,
one man digging a hole,
the other filling it in again.

An onlooker was amazed at their hard work,
but couldn't understand what they were doing.
So he asked the hole digger,

"I'm impressed by the effort you two are putting in to your work, but I don't get it -- why do you dig a hole, only to have your partner follow behind and fill it up again?"

The hole digger wiped his brow and sighed,

"Well, I suppose it probably looks odd because we're normally a three-person team.
But today the lad who plants the trees called in sick."



Any Irish readers who are now mortally offended may retaliate with a joke about any other nationality they care to choose.

I Thought It About Time...

Somebody lowered the tone...(if not the bar)

before this blog becomes too serious...

...... Or This One?

   
Never Argue with a Woman.

One morning, the husband returns the boat to their lakeside cottage after several hours of fishing and decides to take a nap.
                       
 Although not familiar with the lake, the wife decides to take the boat out.
               
 She motors out a short distance, anchors, puts her feet up, and begins to read her book..
                   
 The peace and solitude are magnificent.
 
 Along comes a Fish and Game Warden in his boat.
 
 He pulls up alongside the woman and says,
'Good morning, Ma'am. What are you doing?'  
                       
 'Reading a book,' she replies, (thinking, 'Isn't that obvious?')
 
 'You're in a Restricted Fishing Area,' he informs her.    
                       
 I'm sorry, officer, but I'm not fishing. I'm reading.'
                       
 'Yes, but I see you have all the equipment.  
   For all I know you could start at any moment.
   I'll have to take you in and write you up.'
 
  'If you do that, I'll have to charge you with sexual assault,' says the woman.
 
  'But I haven't even touched you,' says the Game Warden.

  'That's true, but you have all the equipment.  
  For all I know you could start at any moment.'
                      
  'Have a nice day ma'am,' and he left.
 
                       
   MORAL:      
   Never argue with a woman who reads.  
 
   It's likely she can also think.