The Nice People Thread, No.16: A Universe of Niceness.

chris_m

[QUOTE=ivyleaf;74091004]Our 10-year-old DGD has just told her friends that she has to start wearing glasses for reading and looking at the board in class. Their reaction was apparently "Ooh! Cool!"

How things have changed, even just since her Mum started wearing glasses at around the same age![/QUOTE]

I wonder if the change in attitude could be because there is a far wider choice of styles than there used to be?

Pyxis

My first glasses were those free, pink, round ones. Age 7 or 8.

My second pair were a bit better, I suppose.
But not much.
I always hated them.

When I was 18, I got contact lenses and wore them, in various forms, for the next 35 or so years, until the combination of presbyopia and myopia made them impractical.

vivatifosi

Pyxis, I thought I'd cheer you up with a fact - one that will likely be known to michaels, but hopefully worthy of your "never knew that" thread, but posted here for your delectation.

Tomorrow is Good Friday. The local city of St Albans claims to be the home of the "Hot Cross Bun". The "Alban Bun" is very similar to a hot cross buns, but rather than having the strips on the top of the bun it has the diagonal Cross of St Alban scored into the top with a knife. They've been produced since 1361.

I had my first taste of one this week, it was quite lovely, with a stronger flavour than a HCB due to the cardamom content. Mmmm.. delicious.

https://www.stalbanscathedral.org/news/archive/2014/the-city-of-st-albans-claims-the-original-hot-cross-bun

Pyxis

vivatifosi wrote: »

Pyxis, I thought I'd cheer you up with a fact - one that will likely be known to michaels, but hopefully worthy of your "never knew that" thread, but posted here for your delectation.

Tomorrow is Good Friday. The local city of St Albans claims to be the home of the "Hot Cross Bun". The "Alban Bun" is very similar to a hot cross buns, but rather than having the strips on the top of the bun it has the diagonal Cross of St Alban scored into the top with a knife. They've been produced since 1361.

I had my first taste of one this week, it was quite lovely, with a stronger flavour than a HCB due to the cardamom content. Mmmm.. delicious.

https://www.stalbanscathedral.org/news/archive/2014/the-city-of-st-albans-claims-the-original-hot-cross-bun

You're right! I never knew that!

Do please put it on the 'never knew that!' thread!

They sound really nice. I like cardamom.

I found this........



Edit....
Those seeds in the pic are apparently grains of paradise, which I've never heard of, so I don't know if they are also an ingredient? Grains of paradise are a member of the ginger family, but give a citrusy, peppery flavour.
Are they another name for cardamom?


Edit edit ..... it looks like grains of paradise are a different type of cardamom.
QUOTE
Some people have questioned whether cardamom would have been available in the 14th century in Britain. The Normans brought cardamom to Britain in the 11th century. Another type of cardamom, known as grains of paradise or Aftramomum melegueta, was introduced at the time. It has a strong flavour and is often mentioned in medieval and Tudor recipes. UNQUOTE
True cardamom is Elettaria cardamomum, but it is part of the same family as Grains of paradise.

chris_m

vivatifosi wrote: »

Tomorrow is Good Friday. The local city of St Albans claims to be the home of the "Hot Cross Bun". The "Alban Bun" is very similar to a hot cross buns, but rather than having the strips on the top of the bun it has the diagonal Cross of St Alban scored into the top with a knife. They've been produced since 1361.

If it's a round bun, how does one know that it's a saltire, aka, diagonal cross?

Pyxis

chris_m wrote: »

If it's a round bun, how does one know that it's a saltire, aka, diagonal cross?

I guess the angle between the diagonals would be greater than 90 degrees.

chris_m

Pyxis wrote: »

I guess the angle between the diagonals would be greater than 90 degrees.

Ah, but a saltire can also be right-angled - it's only not so when used on something that isn't square and still run from all four corners.

Pyxis

True, but I expect they were just copying the cross of St. Alban, though, on the buns.

Pyxis

All this talk of buns....... now I want one.

Can't try a St.Alban's bun, but I'm quite glad I got the special offer two packs of HCBs, the other day, and put one pack in the freezer.

I feel a trip to the freezer coming on, then some toasted buns, plus a rare cup of coffee to go with them!

Good job the fast day was yesterday!

silvercar

All this talk of buns....... now I want one.

So do I, but I have to endure 8 days of Passover with no bread products other than matzo crackers for the next 8 days!