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

... or what's in it !!

Probably - in addition to this one. How about a forum 'Nesta Viper's Problem Page'? I'll start it.

Kaeori - do you have lots of un-dead delights as part of Halloween ?

Which reminds me of the dead flies mentioned in Garibaldi biscuits. If it's dead flies you want, look no further than Eccles cakes. Packed full of them, juicy and delicious.

Thinking that we couldn't have the Home Counties maligned thus, I did a little netting and came up with 'Sussex Pond Pudding'. It involved lemons and seemed to be American so I am disallowing it without further ado.

Nikki, K may appear to be of colonial origin, but I think we can accept her as a hon. Brit, if she behaves, in which case Halloween shall be studiously ignored in favour of Diwali and Eid.

Sorry, Nikki-D - hate Halloween.

Trick or Treaters beware - I bite!

Garibaldi is dead, but was not a fly. In fact he was the hero of Italian emancipation from the Vatican and also a guerilla leader in the Franco-Prusian war. That does not even begin to explain why a biscuit should be named after him. But at least it is not a 'thingy' biscuit!
There are plenty of articles in H2G2 about traditional celebrations. While I am not too keen on Halloween, is there not a good celtic festival that we could use as an alternative excuse for a party? Failing that, there is always the Church of the True Weevil's Feast of The Ancestors, to which, it has been opined, even the undead get invited.

Hon. Brit? Yes, I like that - thank you!

I've tried Eid already - a couple of times, actually. Can't wait for the next one, if I'm invited.

See you all in the morning.

There is always Samhain the pagan new year as written by BluDragon at http://www.h2g2.com/A189470

Perhaps these dead flies are dead weevils, known to frequent biscuits, and, in fact, providing the juicy bits to many an ancient sailor's midnight munchings.

We did miss Chorley cakes, and a whole gamut of cheeses to boot - Cheddar, Wensleydale, Gloucestershire...
and beer -
Newcastle Brown, London Pride, Mansfields Best...

'cor, I'm looking forward to my dinner now

I come from Newmarket, but that's a game. Although the sausages are quite famous and the Queen always buys a pound or two when she comes for the races (at least, they have a sign "suppliers to the court" or something - well, they used to...)

Some places are very unsuitable to have food named after them. What could you do with a Chigwell bun, or a Cardiff chicken, for example?

We could invite Kaeori to 'Up Helly Aa'..................

How in hell did we get from British English to Bath Buns and Brtish Cuisine(an oxymoron for some).

Halloween *is* the celtic festival, although the "trick or treat" part was added by the Americans. In celtic countries such as Ireland, people dress up and beg for nuts, but only in the last 20 years have they started saying "trick or treat", almost entirely without knowing what it means.

The festival of Halloween was originally called Samhain, pronounced "Sah-wun". It celebrated the end of Autumn and the start of Winter, and also the end of the year. Ghosts and Spirits were abroad. It was Christianised as "All Hallow Eve", which became "Halloweve" and then "Hallowe'en".

Thought of some more culinary peculiarities going home on the train last night:-

Compare:
Steak & kindney pie .... with

Coattage Pie a bit rubbley
Shepherds Pie no wonder there aren't many shepherds these days

The convenience/fast food culture has given some anatomically inaccurate dishes ...

fish fingers
crab sticks
spare ribs .... visions of animals walking round with every other one removed !

Indeed - I was astonished at how big crab balls are when I had them at the Chinese

Toad-in-the-hole may be unfamiliar to Kaeori !