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

Talking nonsense to a friend yesterday, we realised that some things are just wrong.

Tea with meat and 2 veg with gravy is just wrong.
A glass of water with fish and chips? Wrong.
Porridge and wine? Nope.

Why?

They're not wrong. I have tea with gravy... but then again I'm northern and I have gravy with my cereal in the morning

Water with fish and chips, not a problem.

Most of this is convention. Some drinks are nicer with some meals, some drinks have a particular accessibility profile (i.e. wine is not usually sold at fish and chip shops) and some have class distinctions. Such that wine is considered higher class than coke. And water is considered a functional class compared to beer's enjoyment class.

But.....but.....yuk!

PP.

I don't like gravy, I had to have it with school dinners and all it was was a browny-coloured water that made food soggy. If I have a roast dinner etc I replace gravy with salad cream instead, much nicer.

<BB<

The only meal I would drink tea with is breakfast, and even then it needs to be hot enough to be drunk when I'm finished eating.

I usually drink squash or water with meals so would have no qualms drinking water with fish & chips.

As to porridge and wine, maybe this is because porridge is normally eaten at breakfast. It's not what you're drinking the wine with but the time of day you're drinking it that would be of more concern.

Even when you think of a special occasion breakfast, porridge doesn't tend to be on the menu. It's more likely to be smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, or eggs benedict - something seen as more "posh", to go with the champagne. Porridge goes better with that mug of tea

Each to his own, though, that's what I say.

Deb

Tea goes with Chinese food. Coffee goes with breakfast cereal [including porridge]. As for wine, 50 million Frenchmen (and women) can't be wrong. For that matter, wine is an intimate part of the Italian meal as well.

I don't see problem with drinking water or lemonade or milk with fish and chips. Little kids manage it all the time. When they come of age, that's different.

Old farm boy here, well chilled milk accompanies most meals. I never got the hang of water with a meal, and definitely not a carbonated drink like cola, ginger ale or such.

Gravy is made from the cooking broth of what-ever bird or beast is dinner - so never watery, soggy stuff. For instance - Easter dinner here is a 7-lb chicken roasting, mashed potatoes, a mix of turnip and carrots mashed (her choice) and the gravy thickened from the broth in with the bird for the next couple of hours.

Coffee or tea can follow any mid or later day meal in my opinion. But neither with the actual chomping time

I regularly drink tea with meals. It's cheaper than wine

Why not there are many special teas that would complement many meals.

Also ask an ex soldier tea goes with every meal!

Tea, IMO, is rather like beer; it goes with anything. and yes, I have had red wine for breakfast with porridge. heck I've had Guinness stout for breakfast with cerial, and cider with toast for brekfast is perfectly acceptible, if there's no brandy or conyiac about - though I do draw the line at putting milk in tea, that is just so wrong. Champaign goes really well too with eggs, so I'd imagine that would be perfect to accompany a breakfast, if it had eggs in it

Yes, with breakfast is quite normal. You mix it with for a mimosa.


I'm in Texas and we drink tea with every meal after breakfast. Iced tea. Typically super sweetened (I take it plain now though).

And being a Southern state, we have gravy with many meals as well. Chicken Fried Steak with Cream Gravy, green beans (typically with ham or bacon mixed in) on the side washed down with sugary iced tea is a particularly fine meal.


I normally just drink ice water with every meal though. Occasionally I'll have a Thai iced tea if I'm at a Vietnamese or Thai restaurant.

Champagne with eggs?

I just read BG's post and thought "Hang on, isn't and a bucks fizz?". So I now know that a bucks fizz is two parts champagne to one part OJ, whereas a mimosa is equal measures.

Every day's a school day.

Deb

I'm not familiar with Buck's Fizzes, so for me as well.

Buck's Fizz? I haven't made my mind up.

I suppose someone had to say it. I'm just glad it wasn't me

Deb

Apparently this is a reference to a pop song from '81.

I watched 55 seconds of a video before I clicked off.
I'll let Rik demonstrate my reaction.
http://youtu.be/Yo9_aBj1Z84?t=3m36s

Would you drink gravy with a meal of tea?

In many enclaves of Southern Italian immigrants, ragu sauce will be known as "gravy".

Would you drink tea with spaghetti in ragu sauce?

"Apparently this is a reference to a pop song from '81."

I'll have you know it won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest.

Granted, it's pretty dire. Well done for making it through 55 seconds of the video. Although that means you missed the big shocking bit at 1 minute 30

My husband was a big Bucks Fizz fan, but I think that was more to do with Cheryl Baker's legs

Deb

But you can;'t get a full appreciation of Cheryl Baker's legs by listening to a recording.