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

I agree, on our commuter line there might be two or three in first class at most. Much better to make it all the same & have more space. More carriages would help too...

The first-class compartments do mostly fill on rush-hour services into London, but they won't let you stand in there if all other seats are taken.

Why? Is there some thing extra special about the floor on the first class section, that tour not allowed to stand on it?

Is it something to do with this latest Health &Safety thing? Or maybe Political Correctness, ..........Ah! I know, it's a Human Rights Thing

Smudger.

No, it's good old fashioned inequality.

We've grown up enough to think it's bad to say blacks and whites have to have separate carriages, but it's still fine to say poor people shouldn't be allowed in rich people's surroundings.

THEY'VE DONE IT AGAIN

Road works started the day after clocks go back.
So you cycle to work and everything's fine, you cycle home and there are holes everywhere you can't see clearly.

Seriously - every year. Can't they start digging up the roads just one week earlier when it is still light in the evenings?

<BB<

You think they'd do it then so they could get started early in the mornings. Clearly they didn't, as you didn't see them when you left.

Back to sausages. I've been thinking about them and how you can cook them evenly. As to the skins, by the way, my father always insisted on having then removed before they were cooked.

With the skins:

- cut the sausages with a very sharp knife into exactly even-sized pieces of about 1/2" and stick them, sideways, onto skewers (something like this: -oooo-). With the flat sides all facing the same way. Then you should be able to cook them evenly in a pan, on a griddle, under a grill, or on a barbecue.

- bake them in a tray in the oven. They may need cooking in some sauce, juice, beer , stock or just water, to prevent them drying out. Or make toad in the hole.

- I used to have a little oven with a spit, and on the spit you could fix six (or eight?) smaller spits which revolved in the oven (for cooking andouillettes - it was a Moulinex). That should distribute the heat evenly across sausages. Here is a picture showing the principle, although mine didn't look anything like this:

http://francais.napoleongrills.com/accessoires/accessory-details/productid/199/ccd/en-ca/roue-pour-r%C3%B4tissoire-%C3%A0-brochettes

- Put a lid on the frying pan and jiggle them about a lot while cooking.


Without the skins - re-shape the meat into little balls or rissoles. Endless possibilities. To ensure even sizing, use a piping bag. Maybe roll them in flour before frying.

Quote...."eriously - every year. Can't they start digging up the roads just one week earlier when it is still light in the evenings?"


Don't be daft, that would mean using "common sense" and we all know, that is not allowed these days?.........It's just not done old chap!

Smudger.

Breakfast sausages (depending on type, not always practical), I sometimes simply split them lengthwise, split the halves lengthwise again and fry the quarters along with the eggs.

"balls or rissoles" how did that one get through? disgusting!!!!!

Quote......."Petty Hates" how did that one get through? disgusting!!!!"

Sneaked in dressed as a sausage, crafty Eh!

Smudger.

No meatballs!

Fish cake!

Smudger.

Today's PH: Halloween.

Not in itself, but in its lack of self. No-one seems to agree on what it's for, and each year it seems to change. We now seem to have adults trying to take it back from the kids with Day of the Dead style celebrations

I think people are just bored.

At least people seem to realise now that it's not "an American invention". You used to hear that silly remark all the time a couple of years ago, and it was a petty hate of mine. I haven't heard it this year, though.

No, but Trick or Treating in its present form is an American invention, and it's taken over here in the past few years. Most people are refusing to co-operate. Last night I went over the road to congratulate a neighbour on her birthday, and they refused to answer the door, because kids were continually ringing the bell, and they must have thought I was one of them.

As I was leaving, some children (quite small) came round the corner with their parents, dressed up and ready to ring all the bells in the street. No one was cooperating. Although there were several such little family groups I don't think anyone in the street opened the door to them. I seems daft that kids think they should do something because they saw it on TV. They don't even have a German word for it.

People are out on the streets enough with St Martin's day lantern parades and other activities (start of Carnival season) this time of year. At least there are German names for all that.

As my daughter-in-law said, now she lives in the States, she accepts the custom and joins in. Out little grandson was a vampire for a whole week, and my son won the fancy dress prize at his office (Not bad for a first-timer!) We had a lovely afternoon on a Pumpkin Patch with the little one whilst we were over last week. But I should save that for my journal.... Oh, whoops, it's 1st November today.

The name "trick or treating" is an American invention maybe. The thing itself isn't, though.

PH: jet-skis. Or more precisely, the noise they make, and the fact that it carries for miles!

It's accepted practice in the States that if you don't want kids at your door you turn off your porch light.

Here in my trashy little unincorporated village trick-or-treaters don't even go to houses. The businesses on our main street set up tables out front and a parade of kids with their parents tailing along in minivans go up and down that one mile stretch making all othe traffic detour around it. The main road isn't officially blocked off and with all the minivans creeping along the shoulders and kids darting between them across the road, I'm amazed that so far none have been run over.