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

Spooning the skin off a cup of cocoa, everyone seems to use semi- skimmed milk these days but you need the full-on high octane to get a really nice skin, some people mix it back in but I eat it off the spoon. You may not believe me but back in the 1950's we had a café in Newcastle, it's still there actually, Mark Toney's and they used to make Oxo with milk, mind you had to ask for it, never been tempted to try it myself, but why not? Come to think of it they (Oxo) wouldn't get away with saying 'gives a meal Man Appeal' these days would they? Mind you I always had a sneaky regard for Katy. I wonder if the milky Oxo got a skin on it, doesn't seem very appealing somehow.

A student friend of mine used to put milk in gravy - not a lot, mind. It sounds more disgusting than it tastes.

Peeling citrus fruit skin in one piece. The most effective way I know is "the elephant" although other names that probably wouldn't pass the philther come along if left on my desk for too long. (Think male reproductive and fluid disposal facility)

The technique: start peeling on top, make a narrow band nearly all the way round,pull the remaining half-domes loose. -> elephant, just elephant OK?

Skin on milky drinks - ugh!

Opening a new container or packet of anything - food, cleanser, paper etc.

I usually use the integral sign method myself, peeling the orange in one piece.

Method, start at the stem end, lift out a half circle ~ 1 inch to 2.5 cm wide.

Take the remainder of the peel off in a strip the same width until finishing with another half circle on the flower end of the orange.

Makes a shape like an integral sign, an 18th century 'long s' or the 'f' holes on a violin.

One piece beats heck out of having to pick up lots of little pieces afterward.

I like peeling pomelos. In fact, finding one is a pleasurable activity. I don't often see one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomelo

They have such thick skin and pith that elephant art would be pretty much impossible. I marvel at the huge pile of future compost in contrast to the fist sized bit of edible fruit left over.

PP

Reminds me of a pomelo I used to get occasionally, the 'water orange', so called, with soft, spongy, pith about 3 inches deep in the peel and a 2 inch nugget of crisp water cells in the middle that tasted more like celery than anything else.

Using the airplane restroom

Oddly enough, this thread came to mind this morning as I was having a damn good scratch.

PP.

Visiting Ikea for meatballs, chips, gravy and jam.

PP.

Don't forget the pickled herrings and green marzipan cakes!

Reading the Ikea catalogue and finding a product named 'Shoddykrapp'

Remembering a thread like this one because someone reminded me of it through a link in another thread.

Stroking the hairs that grow on my ears.

The process of preparing to ignite a fine Cuban cigar.

Seeing the process of preparing to ignite a fine Cuban cigar and gladly taking some distance to let you enjoy it on your own.

Logging on to this site successfully, last time I tried it was months ago, I couldn't get on it wouldn't let me sign in, I kept getting sent duff passwords and just gave up, and you know what, I signed on with my old password today and got straight in! Nowt to say except that, can't think anybody cares but nonetheless it's 'strangely pleasurable'.

Maybe it was a loophole. I wasn't able to log on all day. Only just now.

A couple of years ago I found a fruit stone in my compost that had sprouted. I stuck it in a plantpot with some compost and it grew! I thought it was a plum. Anyways this spring much to my delight I spotted some fruit on it! About a month or two ago I noticed a downy furze on the fruit. I says to my missus look theirs hairs on my plums (ooo er missus!) Anyway the fruit grew and grew and I got the nicest five peaches I've ever tasted! Just finished the last one before my missus could get to it, shame there wasn't an even number!

If you plant it out, watch for the ants. We had three peach trees in our garden but had to dig them out in the end. The ants marched up the trunks, along the branches, into the fruit and gather round the pips, eating the fruit from the inside out. Then along came a disease that made the leaves curl up and fall off.

Shame - the previous owner of the house had probably grown them from the peach stones. There was one with white-fleshed peaches, one red and one yellow.