h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If you like sardines mashed a sledgehammer and some paper towels might be an adequate can-opening solution.

Of course what we are all forgetting is the fact that more and more cans/tins have a ring pull opening now, negating the need for any tin opener. Baked Beans have ring pulls, as do sardines, dog and cat food.

Soon tin openers, manual or electric will be a thing of the past and judging by these forum entries thats a good thing.

Hm, you know, I can't recall the last time I bought anything that came in a can. I just don't buy stuff that comes in them.

Then how are you going to call your kitty to dinner????

I don't think that can openers (of whatever variety) will become obselete soon.

I myself own two (manual) can openers and they both get used, my home one is of the buterfly type, cheap enough not to be too bothered when it wears out. The other one is a much more specialised beast. It's a tiny little camping can opener, two bits of pressed sheet, the larger one being about 1in long by 1/4in wide. It's a bit hard to describe with few words, but not many people I go camping with will touch it Dangerous I was told (only cos they can't use them). Why I've even used the can opener on a swiss army knife before now, though the bottle openers are usually more usefull.

Erm, the kitty eats dry food and likes that just fine. Just as well, too. Canned cat food is really nasty stuff.

Cat food is gross. At my house we have two manual can openers. One for people food, and one for cat food. I can never remember which is which. It's not really that big a deal, they both get washed, it's just a psycological thing, you know?

What does cat food taste like? Have you tried it. I would think it is probably like really cheap pate or salmon spread - might be good on crackers.

I've never tasted it. Canned cat food is one of the most foul smelling things I've ever smelled. And, since a lot of taste comes from the way things smell, I'm not going to risk it.

But, I don't know, I wouldn't eat pate either.

Canned foie gras still needs a can opener. Smells good too.

Dog food is much worse than cat food. Especially the Butchers tripe variety.

(My cat eats chicken, as he is allergic to canned cat food.)

My dog only eats dry food, so I don't have to deal with it. But, tripe? Ugh, I don't even want to think about what that smells like.

Tripe is quite nice - especially the brownish kind as opposed to the bleach white stuff commonly in the supermarket. There is a nice Mexican soup - Menudo (very good for hangovers, etc.) Made with tripe, strong broth, dried red chile and white corn (hominy) with a sprinkle of oregano and raw onion - Good stuff. First time I ate I didn't know what it was.

You can get canned menudo (la Costena brand for example) - I find it just as good as home made. This I open with my trusty manual can-opener.

Canned Menudo—a phrase I had never ventured to imagine, but I'll have to figure a way to make it part of my everyday vocabulary!

Was it Menudo where Ricky Martin came from?

I answer my own question.. and speaking of corn and tripe. Yes.

I didi a quick search for Menudo and found lots of stuff on old Ricky, and tripe soup. The authentic soup as I know it is made with red mexican dried chile (not super hot little ones) and sprinkled with oregano, onion and lime juice to seve.

Didn't know other places had Tripe, I always was of the opinion that it was a N of England thing. Is it the same stuff?

Eeeh by gum it is.

Blood pudding too - The Iberic version is known as morcilla.

not forgetting fatty bacon.

I grew up near the Yorkshire Moors, and have lived in Mexico. Butchers there sell much the same stuff like tripe and sausages. Pigs are used to create a wide variety of products - The rendered fat is used in a lot of cooking to add flavour, and to deep fry pieces of meat to make a delcious snack. As are entrails such as stomach, ear, liver, etc. used as snacks (great for accompanying a few drinks and served with chile salsa, lime juice and raw onion). The skin of the pig is deep fried to make it into crisps sold and eaten much as the potato variety. I don't think there is much that is not used for something or other.

Then there are many uses for beef tripe, and blood sausage. Made me feel at home. The weather's better though.

I must be the luckiest sonuvagun in the world, because not only do I have probably the only decent electric can opener in the world, I've got two of 'em.

Got sent one by a grandparent who kept one for herself, since she moved into a resthome, I got the other one. The only effort required is that needed punch the cutting wheel into the tin and the patience in waiting for it finish and get at the contents.

So it is the same stuff then. You learn something new all the time.

Pork scratchings and chilie salsa, interesting idea...