S06.E07: Victorian

[Athena]

16 hours ago, starri said:

Weird question:  I know how much Paul hates American food, but do they ever make fruit pies?  Tarts, sure, but they're not exactly the same thing.

I'm racking my brain, and I don't know if I can think of an example in either of the seasons that I've watched, but I may very well be having a brain fart.  You could tell me they've done one every week and I would believe you.

During S04's (PBS S02) Pies and Tarts week some bakers did make fruit pies but American style fruit pies are not as ubiquitous as sweet tarts in the UK. Here's the episode thread.

Paul does have some conservative flavours but he doesn't hate American food that much. He recently had a travel series where he went to NYC and seemed content eating all the bagels, donuts, and cheesecake.

[Lady Iris]

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all the bagels, donuts, and cheesecake.

Lol @ all!

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I have a problem with how Tamal prepares his food on the floor. I also don't like how Flora is always touching her mouth. (You can assume how I feel about eating road kill.)

I find that odd myself. Why place your food so close to the floor?

[Refresh]

On 7/30/2016 at 8:13 AM, dleighg said:

I realized that I mostly like Ian because he's almost the spitting image of my college boyfriend, whom I was quite fond of :)

This is so funny. He looks like someone I know too, who is quite dear to me. I think it makes me like Ian more than I would otherwise but I still like him, that tinkering spirit. I'll forgive him the roadkill pie, somewhat, maybe British roadkill is as jacked up and swollen as the stuff in the States? Yeah, uh that's it.

Edited August 6, 2016 by Refresh
pronoun clarity

[Irlandesa]

On 8/3/2016 at 7:42 PM, Athena said:

Paul does have some conservative flavours but he doesn't hate American food that much. He recently had a travel series where he went to NYC and seemed content eating all the bagels, donuts, and cheesecake.

He also judged the first iteration of the US version of this show. 

[Rinaldo]

Yes, that's when we learned how much he dislikes some of our recipes and flavor combinations.

[stillshimpy]

23 hours ago, Refresh said:

'll forgive him the roadkill pie, somewhat, maybe British roadkill is as jacked up and swollen as the stuff in the States? Yeah, uh that's it.

Someone here posted something about Ian that explained that very odd behavior:  Apparently Ian is a photographer for National Geographic, I take it.   That detail finally made the "couldn't let it go to waste" make a lot of sense. Chances are good he's been in areas of the world where people don't have enough to eat.  I think once you've been around a struggle to keep mouths fed, it just makes a lifelong impression on you.   Keep in mind, I'm assuming that's what is at play here, but it would make sense.  

Long story, I knew someone who was in the Peace Corps and was sent to Kazakhstan.  We weren't actually friends and didn't particularly like one another but one thing she experienced made a big impression on me: She was a Vegan before being sent to Kazakhstan and it just wasn't a plausible dietary choice.  I asked her what she did -- keep in mind this was a full twenty years ago -- and she said, "When you're surrounded by people who don't have enough to eat, you shut up, eat your goat and are grateful to have goat to eat."  

If I'm right and Ian has been in parts of the world where it's essentially unforgivable to waste food while others go hungry, I guess if he saw a freshly killed rabbit (I'm just telling myself he was behind the car that did it and that the 'roadkill pie' is just the recipe name now and there was only one scraped bunny...I'm practicing my rationalization contortions here, clearly) it makes sense that he'd see it as potential waste rather than out-of-bounds.  

For people I like I'm willing to leap tall explanations in a single bound. 

[dubbel zout]

I just watched the episode, and Ian does say he doesn't go for the animals that are flattened, just the ones that were dinged, as it were. I think he's pushing his luck—he has no idea what the health of the animal was before it was hit—and there's no way I'd want to eat the dish, but I also think the name of his pie was tongue-in-cheek.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

I just watched the episode, and Ian does say he doesn't go for the animals that are flattened, just the ones that were dinged, as it were. I think he's pushing his luck—he has no idea what the health of the animal was before it was hit.

No he wouldn't know the health of the animal before it's hit but I don't think hunters know the health of the animal before it's shot either.

[SirOsisOfLiver]

There's a joke out there about The Roadkill Cafe where the menu features dishes like Flat Cat, Chunk of Skunk, Smear of Deer and Poodles 'n' Noodles. The slogan is "You kill it, we grill it!". I always think of it when discussion comes up about Ian's drive-thru larder.

[dubbel zout]

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I don't think hunters know the health of the animal before it's shot either.

They don't, but at least they know they just killed it. I'm sure Ian examines whatever he wants to take home, but ti's not the same. (Unless he's the one who hit it, of course.)

[rab01]

To be fair to Ian, he probably has a better idea of the health of the animals he finds near roads than I do of the cow that led to the vacuum-packed piece of ground beef I bought yesterday at the store.

[magdalene]

And personally I would feel better about eating the hare that may have died an unexpected and quick death and didn't die in terror and agony like the animals in American slaughter houses.  Believe me you don't want to die like the cow who has  become the neat and vacuum-packed  pieces of ground beef...

[candall]

The whole "raised game pie" concept seemed very strange to me.  I was picturing a large regular pie with a high mound in the middle and something like four-and-twenty blackbirds baked in the pie.  Wild game is kind of precious and expensive--same as in Victorian times, apparently.  Why would you want to jumble hare and pheasant and wild boar into a big jellied meat ball with the flavors all blended together?

***************************************

 

I had a really awesome cat with tons of attitude and gorgeous fine long hair--like a calico Maine Coon, but no white, only black and orange.  Her name was Charlotte Russe.  Hi, sweetheart.

When I was moving cross-country with Charlotte Russe and Cello the wolf-dog, they were crated in the back seat, but the crate doors were open.  When I pulled over for gas, they'd switched.   Charlotte Russe was lounging like a pasha in the giant wire dog crate and poor Cello was squished into the cat carrier.  Now whose idea was that?

(Way off-topic; thanks for indulging me.)

Edited August 15, 2016 by candall

[Rinaldo]

10 minutes ago, candall said:

The whole "raised game pie" concept seemed very strange to me.  I was picturing a large regular pie with a high mound in the middle and something like four-and-twenty blackbirds baked in the pie.  Wild game is kind of precious and expensive--same as in Victorian times, apparently.  Why would you want to jumble hare and pheasant and wild boar into a big jellied meat ball with the flavors all blended together?

The concept does take some getting used to (it did for me), but "that's how they do." It's likely that the mental picture we Americans have of four-and-twenty blackbirds baked in a pie has always been all wrong.

[candall]

4 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

The concept does take some getting used to (it did for me), but "that's how they do." It's likely that the mental picture we Americans have of four-and-twenty blackbirds baked in a pie has always been all wrong.

Whuut?  Well now I'm forced to question whether old King Cole was really a merry old soul.

[awaken]

I'm catching up on this series as its being played currently in the US. 

 

Enjoyed the the intricacy of the Victorian challenges!  

 

Although i agree with not wasting roadkill, Ian didn't actually have to NAME it "roadkill pie"!  

 

I also agree, the tennis cake decorating seemed awfully modern and not like something one would see in the 1800's, but what do I know?

[kirklandia]

On 8/7/2016 at 1:55 PM, dubbel zout said:

I just watched the episode, and Ian does say he doesn't go for the animals that are flattened, just the ones that were dinged, as it were. I think he's pushing his luck—he has no idea what the health of the animal was before it was hit—and there's no way I'd want to eat the dish, but I also think the name of his pie was tongue-in-cheek.

Mmm, meaty and delicious!  Perhaps one of the bakers could have made a tongue-in-cheek pie.