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

*floating in from library*

Hi all!

Matina, a Y please...

*picks up champagne bottle from fridge and Springie for a cuddle*

*pours herself a Y of champagne*

Anyone else?

...and - just out of curiousity (sp?) how many of you know what a Y of Rioja is...???

Thanks Amy, I'll try and remember those

T, rioja is a red wine, from the Rioja region in Spain. No doubt Loony will be along with a full description soon enough.

Thanks Phil, but I do know what a Rioja wine is, what I want to know is: can I expect an American to know what it is? See, I 'dated' an American, 40+, who turned up at the Flamenco Tablao, and he didn't know about Rioja, which somehow made me feel lightyears away from him...???

Well I guess it depends if he knows much about wine or not. I'm sure if you'd have said a nice red wine from Spain then he'd have known what you were talking about.

...but would he really be showing up at a Flamenco Tablao and not knowing about Rioja? ...but I'll try (or rather - my other self - Kristina the Flamenco Dancer) asking 'you know, a nice red Spanish wine...?'

Why not. If I showed up at the tabalo, I'd know nothing about flamenco!

Titania, you have to forgive Americans their relative ignorance about most European wines. We are dominated by the California wines which don't seem to obey any of the traditional naming conventions (or bottle shapes). Unless your friend happened to know Spanish, the term wouldn't have had any significance.

And if he was involved in flamenco here, who knows but they served pink chardonnay? (sic)

Otherwise, the truth might well be that he wanted to find common ground with you.

Ladies, gentlemen and entities, Matina has cooked some Greek dishes, and I invite you to sample them. *Matina and Chloe bring steaming dishes to the long tables* There is hummus and pita bread, moussaka, xoriatiki (Greek salad of cucumber and tomatoe chunks), souvlaki (lamb kebabs), avgo lemono (chicken baked in lemon sauce), and several Corfiot pasta dishes.

We have some retsina wine, but personally I don't like the stuff, so I'm going to stick with the Canfrieda.

...I tried explaining 'Rioja'...

*serving herself (how selfish!) hommous, souvlaki and moussaka*

Yummie!

Retsina? No, I think I'll have a Y of Ouzu, please...

Sounds lovely.
*Gathers a plate of food and pitas, along with some ouzo and water*

Sitting around geeking does make one hungry

Bit early for me to dine - though I must say the food sounds great. Some of you may like to join me in a glass of COTO DE HAYAS 1995 A neat belt of the gamy mulberry personality of garnacha grapes, tempered with some touches of leather and a dab of savoury/sweet oak. Different and very toothsome red wine that has enough romance to charm an accountant, and grunt for those who know how to braise a rabbit. Makes the point that Spain is hot.

I'm certainly impressed with Amy's knowledge. What is the reference to toast about?

*gets a plate and begins making a pile of food*

Looney, I'll never know when you're talking about wine, and when you're talking about...

*decides to pour herself another Y of Ouzo instead*

Here's a wine for Lil and Titania to share. 1000 years old, and sadly out of stock, I'm afraid you will just have to imagine what it tasted like...

LEIF'S RELIEF 1001 - Made in 1001 from the native scuppernong variety shortly after Leif Ericson and his party became the first Europeans to visit North America and stay for a while. Rough rose with a marked foxy character, all drunk on the night, becoming the original New World vintage.

Lil, maybe this was the inspiration for pink chardonnay?

*sips Y of Leif's Relief - solemnly*

Lil, toast is CD burning software by Adaptec for Macs.

*pops her head in*

Did I hear hummus? One of my favorite side dishes, and if you put it on a pita with falafels... Well, let's just say that I am very happy!

T, I have to add my apologies to Lil's. Unfortunately we do tend to get only the California wines. Being a bit of a cooking buff, I like to think I know more European wines than most of my RL associates, but this may or may not be true...

May I try a Y of your ne...ummm...old wine, Loony? Does it suit Middle Eastern foods well?

G7

Hi, Gw7en!

Old wine? Yes, but carefully...

Gw7en, you may prefer this - SACK 1597 - Probably a blend of various vintages and curious beverages, mostly Spanish, this was the favourite tipple of Sir John Faistaff at the Boars Head, who said ... If I had a thousand sons ... I would teach them ... to forswear thin potatoes, and addict themselves to sack. It was the beginning of a long alliance between high art and bad wine.

*The aroma of food wafts over WM and finally wakens her from her 2 day slumber by the fire.*

On my, this is wonderful.

*Fills a plate with a little of each and sits down with the others.*

Hi everyone. Did anyone see any pastitsio (sp?) on the table. That's one of my favorites.

I think you might also find some Sack of Rome 1292 in the bins downstairs...

The Corfiot dishes are notable for their use of pasta. During the period between 1100 and 1500, Venice was a major world power, ruling the Adriatic and warring continually with the Turks. Situated as it was (and still is) at the entrance to the Adriatic Gulf, possession of Corfu was considered vital to Venetian military and economic interests. And so the architecture of the old town has a distinctly Italian look, and pasta is a significant part of the gastronomic history.

*approaches table for seconds*