How weird is England?

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As I type the words into the "thread title" box, I'm not entirely comfortable with what I'm saying, and I beg your forgiveness.

Let me restate that.

England - is it weird enough?

(and what is weird?)

Robinson

― Robinson (Robinson), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 15:35 (twenty years ago)

it depends where you take the reference point. weird is like 'nice', only more weird

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 15:39 (twenty years ago)

the comparison is in terms of the ambiguity, not the actual meaning

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 15:40 (twenty years ago)

Kenneth, you seem charming.

Robinson

― Robinson (Robinson), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 15:41 (twenty years ago)

They all use "U" instead of "you". Weirdos.

― Leon C. (Ex Leon), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 15:43 (twenty years ago)

Best summation: Paul Theroux in his walking-around-England book in which he goes on a rant about "they put hats on their boiled eggs and wallpaper on their ceilings and they think WE'RE weird!" and it's grate. Can't find the excerpt just now, will do at home unless someone else comes up with it first.

― Laurel, Tuesday, 9 August 2005 15:49 (twenty years ago)

It's not really weird enough.

― jel -- (jel), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 15:51 (twenty years ago)

Weird run-down shops that appear to sell bugger all and only ever open at obscure times

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 15:52 (twenty years ago)

My companion has always championed Bournemouth as a great destination for the truly bizarre. I have been meaning to try it but have got frequently caught up in work and other foolishness.

Robinson

― Robinson (Robinson), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 15:53 (twenty years ago)

Jellied eels are an old East End (of London) favourite where they are still sold from street stalls, to be eaten from china bowls sprinkled with hot chilli vinegar. While jellied eels are the sort of street food you wolf down while standing up, perhapson the way home from the pub, they are surprisingly easy to make yourself, so long as you can get very fresh eel.

INGREDIENTS: Eels - 900 g (2lb), Grated nutmeg - pinch, Lemon - *, zest and juice, Fresh herbs - a few, chopped, Fish stock - 600 ml (1 pint), Onion - 1 small, finely chopped, Carrot - 1 small, finely chopped, Celery - 1 small, finely chopped, Bouquet garni - 1, Gelatine - 15g (* oz).

COOKING: 1. Skin and bone the eels but do not cut them up. Lay them on the table, skin side down and sprinkle with grated nutmeg, a little grated lemon zest and the chopped herbs.
2. Cut the fish into pieces about 4 inches long. Roll up each piece and tie with strong cotton or fine string. Put the stock, vegetables and bouquet garni into a saucepan and bring to he boil. Add the eels and simmer very gently until tender, for about an hour.
3. Lift out the fish take off the cotton or string and place the eels in a basin. Measure the stock and make up to 450 ml (* pint) with water.
4. Add the gelatine to the lemon juice to dissolve the gelatine, then add this to the hot stock. Stir until completely dissolved. Strain this over the fish and leave to set.
5. Turn out when cold and serve with a green salad and sliced gherkins.

― andy --, Tuesday, 9 August 2005 15:57 (twenty years ago)

I have lived in London for five years and I can swear hand-on-heart I have never seen a jellied eel stall.

― Anna (Anna), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 15:59 (twenty years ago)

Robinson. I loved that movie you were in.

I think England is pretty weird. Try north Norfolk.

x-post there's one on Essex Road I think?

― pete b. (pete b.), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 16:02 (twenty years ago)

andy's makin' shit up

― Homosexual II (Homosexual II), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 16:02 (twenty years ago)

Jellied eels
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Jellied eels are an east end of London delicacy often sold with pie and mash.

They are eels cooked for approximately half an hour and allowed to cool. The juices then solidify forming the jelly. Sometimes gelatine is added.

Jellied eels are often eaten with chilli vinegar.

― andy --, Tuesday, 9 August 2005 16:05 (twenty years ago)

personal experience garnered both from ILX and outside the internets has led me to believe that generally speaking, English people are not very intelligent

― Jega, Tuesday, 9 August 2005 16:08 (twenty years ago)

if you think england is weird, try scotland
or wales!
(i've never been to wales, but i've heard things...)

― dahlin (dahlin), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 16:08 (twenty years ago)

i've seen two jellied eel stalls.

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 16:09 (twenty years ago)

what is this thing about hats on boiled eggs?

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 16:12 (twenty years ago)

actually, three stalls with jellied eels. plus goddards pie shop, which has stewed and jellied.

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 16:15 (twenty years ago)

egg cosies

― pete b. (pete b.), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 16:32 (twenty years ago)

Just because we Americans are callous and barbarous to our eggs is no reason for the English to begin.

― M. White (Miguelito), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 16:42 (twenty years ago)

I'm not sure I've ever seen wallpaper on a ceiling.

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 16:51 (twenty years ago)

http://www.pembers.freeserve.co.uk/Teletext/Ceefax-Green-Weather.gif
http://www.animus-web.demon.co.uk/elan/ceefax.gif
http://www.vintagebroadcasting.org.uk/03pics/skyceefax1.jpg

Robinson

― Robinson (Robinson), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 16:54 (twenty years ago)

i have seen 4 jellied eel stalls. 3 were in london, and one was just the other day, in cromer

i didnt eat the jellied eels, as i was full up on whelks by then

― charltonlido (gareth), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 16:59 (twenty years ago)

jel OTM

― Aimless (Aimless), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 17:04 (twenty years ago)

Of course for true authenticity you must pronounce it "Jel Deals"

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 17:55 (twenty years ago)

http://www.funkypancake.com/blog/archives/images/DSC04066.jpg

Our California seafood bars are so, so, so different.

― andy --, Tuesday, 9 August 2005 19:14 (twenty years ago)

ihttp://www.da-chiba.com/2003/bachicom/akane/Jellied%20Eels.jpg

That looks like something Jabba the Hut would eat.

― andy --, Tuesday, 9 August 2005 19:15 (twenty years ago)

Weird run-down shops that appear to sell bugger all and only ever open at obscure times
-- jaymc

...and seem to always have junkies waiting out the front...

― moley, Tuesday, 9 August 2005 21:10 (twenty years ago)

HEY ROBINSON, STOP SIGNING YOUR POSTS!

― cutty (mcutt), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 21:11 (twenty years ago)

If you want English and wierd come to Ormskirk.

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 21:21 (twenty years ago)

Ha, beat me to it.

― Matt (Matt), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 22:20 (twenty years ago)

http://www.pembers.freeserve.co.uk/Teletext/Ceefax-Green-Weather.gif

GREEN HAHA

― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 10 August 2005 01:22 (twenty years ago)

"the Alabama of Britain"

― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 10 August 2005 01:26 (twenty years ago)

And what's up with Ireland there? Are they trying to suggest that the entire east and south coast of Ireland are part of the UK? But only the coast parts?

Jellied eels, by the way, are far and away the worst things I've ever eaten. Bar none. And recently I had deep-fried haggis.

― David A. (Davant), Wednesday, 10 August 2005 01:45 (twenty years ago)

http://www.pembers.freeserve.co.uk/Teletext/Ceefax-Green-Weather.gif

britain looks so sad in this diagram. northern ireland is crying up a storm.

― aaron d.g. (aaron d.g.), Wednesday, 10 August 2005 03:03 (twenty years ago)

HEY ROBINSON, STOP SIGNING YOUR POSTS!

you put up with msp, don't you?

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 10 August 2005 04:43 (twenty years ago)

Found it! A little late but hell, who's counting?

From "The Kingdom by the Sea": "Once...I heard an English woman exclaim with real pleasure, "They are funny, the Yanks!" And I...laughed to think that an English person was saying such a thing. And I thought: They wallpaper their ceilings! They put little knitted bobble-hats on their soft-boiled eggs to keep them warm! They don't give you bags in supermarkets! They say sorry when you step on their toes! Their government makes them get a hundred dollar licence every year for watching television! They issue driving licenses that are valid for thirty or forty years!...They charge you for matches!...They smoke on buses! They drive on the left! They spy for the Russians! They say 'nigger' and 'Jewboy' without flinching!...They sunbathe in their underwear! ...They live in Dorking and Barking and Shellow Bowells!...and they think WE'RE funny?"

― Laurel, Monday, 22 August 2005 02:20 (twenty years ago)

you're funny.

― jeffrey (johnson), Monday, 22 August 2005 02:45 (twenty years ago)

If it only *was* still as little as $100 per year. And my original driving licence was scheduled to expire about 42 years after it was issued.

On the other hand, all the supermarkets I know will give you as many bags as you want. And I've never ever seen a boiled egg cosy.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Monday, 22 August 2005 05:26 (twenty years ago)

It is very weird.

― broken twig, Monday, 22 August 2005 05:47 (twenty years ago)

broken twig! you're back!

― Adam In Real Life (nordicskilla), Monday, 22 August 2005 18:21 (twenty years ago)

FP, Theroux's travel around England was done during the Falklands War (aka "that business in the Falklands"), so it's going back a while.

― Laurel (Laurel), Monday, 22 August 2005 18:39 (twenty years ago)

personal experience garnered both from ILX and outside the internets has led me to believe that, generally speaking, paul theroux is not very intelligent

ken there are things called egg-warmers, they are more like woolly caps than hat hats

"excuse me sir but WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY SHOP?"

― mark s (mark s), Monday, 22 August 2005 19:10 (twenty years ago)

Come play Mornington Crescent with me

― I Dream Of Sleep (kate), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 13:38 (twenty years ago)

From "The Kingdom by the Sea": "Once... They wallpaper their ceilings! They smoke on buses! They spy for the Russians! They say 'nigger' and 'Jewboy' without flinching!...

When was this written? 1937?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 13:42 (twenty years ago)

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