really old style living?

NualaBuala

mardatha wrote: »

I use a grater but I dont need breadcrumbs very often. Just leave it go hard in the fridge then grate it. I've never had a food mixer. Mainly because I never liked to cook LOL

Great Mar, thanks ... or should that be Grate!
Not keen on cooking meself but have been watching a lot of cooking programmes, think I am getting brainwashed!

mardatha

If things go on as they are, we'll all be adding breadcrumbs to food to pad it out a wee bit more !

NualaBuala

Might even need to pad out the breadcrumbs with dust, I've got lots of that.

maryb

If you are going to be adding breadcrumbs to a recipe with liquid just tear it into small bits then soak them in the recipe liquid until soft then mash with a fork.

If you want dried breadcrumbs for coating, dry the crusts in the oven after you have turned the heat off, then put in a plastic bag seal it without trapping too much air and then bash with a rolling pin

NualaBuala

Thanks Mary - never thought of using them "wet" - that would work for burgers/patties and the like.

And I like bashing things.

maryb

It can be very soothing!

anguk

Minihauk wrote: »

We used to have a thriving High Street. Lots of shops and a real community feeling. We used to shop daily for fresh bread and vegetables, so didn't have much of a store cupboard (lived very hand to mouth as paid weekly, with little pots for dividing money). BUT, my mum didn't go out to work, there was no pressure to have everything today and pay for it tomorrow, and we were happy, and didn't know we were poor! Not many people we knew had any more than we did, if that makes any sense?
I actually think life has become far too complicated. I have to work as I would not want to survive on benefits, and I have no husband to support me, but I am looking forward to retiring and having a much slower pace of life in the not too distant future.

I think you've hit the nail on the head there. Working women often don't have the time to go from shop to shop and they're normally closed by the time they've finished work anyway.

Supermarkets seemed to become more popular and take over from the smaller independents when more and more women were going to work full time. They wanted the convenience of being able to shop in one place once a week, straight in and straight out, and I think it'll get worse as more people don't even want to bother or don't have the time to go out to do the shopping so do it all online.

I agree that life has in some ways become far too complicated, especially for women, yes we have more choices now but we're also expected to do more and something has to give. As Mardatha said her DIL seems to spend her whole life rushing about with work, shopping and childcare, not to mention running a house etc.

We seem to spend all our time working to buy things but never have the time to appreciate them or working to earn enough money to pay the childminder who is looking after our children when we're working! It's madness really if you think about it. I have friends who run themselves ragged working full time and complain about how much they do and how little time they have yet they're not willing to cut back on the hours because that would mean they couldn't afford their huge TVs, latest games system for the kids or their designer clothes etc. Sometimes I think our expectations about what we should own have become too high. We want it and we want it now.

maryb

I'm old enough to remember the rigid conformism of the 1950s and I would not want to go back. Beware rose tinted spectacles. But I've also done the really punishing high powered career when you have young children treadmill and that is also severely life limiting.

I tell my girls "Always have a Plan B"

Get qualified in a job that will keep you and your children if the marriage doesn't work out but don't get so sucked into a high earning high spending life that you can't afford to walk away. And choose a job that pays well even for part time work

That way they will be free to do what they really want without closing off later options. They can stay home with their babies, at least part time, without running the risk of being trapped in poverty if they later find themselves on their own.

The jobs that allow this sort of flexibility aren't necessarily the most attractive when you are first deciding what to do with your life. Accountancy is a very good example. Booorrringgg!!! you hear them think. But working part time as a qualified accountant probably pays more than an awful lot of full time jobs. And if you decide you really do want to focus on the career then the opportunitires are there

ceridwen

stiltwalker wrote: »

Our village is the same, all we have now is the most bady stocked village shop in the world - I have a better store cupboard! - a part time post office (and I know we're lucky to have that heaven knows what'll happen when the postmistress retires as it's her front room with a real fire in the winter and everything!) and we do now have a lovely little farm shop which is on its third owner since we moved to the village 3 years ago but this one finally seems to be getting it right. There is a village archive group which organises an exhibition each year and has the most amazing collection of photos of the village in years gone by and the range of shops that there used to be is stunning, there were greengrocers, butchers, a cake shop, a co-op, a carpet shop even

It WILL come again....I'm already eyeing up local supermarket space of the very recently built/about to be built up variety - and the nascent plans are already there to take this (future) space back into communal ownership and have local small shops and the like there.

Personally - I'm already regarding supermarket space (both present and future) as OUR space that will be used soon for small local shops and the like...:D

ginnyknit

At last a use for dust - thank you Nualabuala:rotfl: If I pad the meat out much more they will be spaghetti ala breadcrumbs and shepherds lentil bake!

I read yesterday that something like 1 in 6 local shops are empty in the northwest. Well after our excursion to Stalybridge its more like 5 out of 6 :eek: What used to be a thriving little shopping precinct is now a deserted wasteland. There is the tiniest little pie shop still making the local steak and kidney pie with lots of pepper in and I just hope they can keep open. Although I did find a huge craft shop there which was quite cheap and had pleasant staff, pity I had no cash