Rupert

[DesertRose]

Huh.  Learn something new every day.

I still doubt Gwyneddans would know wild rice, though. 

[Elkhound]

Rupert caught his first mouse last night!

[Elkhound]

No, they wouldn't very likely as it is a New World plant.  (Although I vaguely remember a couple of references to flora and fauna which in our universe are New World.)

[Evie]

Congratulations to the little predator!   

A lot of what we consider "traditional" Old World cuisine is only actually "traditional" to the last few centuries since the discovery of the New World.  We tend to think of Italian pizzas and pastas with tomato based sauces, and associate Ireland with potatoes, but during the medieval period those countries wouldn't have had access to either of those dietary "staples."  Though yes, the mileage in KK's fantasy world could very well vary.  That's one of the perqs of having a fantasy universe to play in.  And after all, the Codex talks about Gwynedd having chipmunks, not to mention those antelope roaming the plains near Llyndruth Meadows, though both of those animal "import" mentions could well be "Robisms" rather than anything KK came up with herself. 

[Elkhound]

A lot of what we consider "traditional" Old World cuisine is only actually "traditional" to the last few centuries since the discovery of the New World.  We tend to think of Italian pizzas and pastas with tomato based sauces, and associate Ireland with potatoes, but during the medieval period those countries wouldn't have had access to either of those dietary "staples."

For potatoes, substitute turnips, parsnips, or rutabagas.  And, leaving aside the tomato sauce, trencher bread isn't that different from pizza.   There is a passage in one of Virgil's eclogues describing the making of what is, essentially, pesto sauce.

[Evie]

Thank you, you've just made me hungry for a homemade pizza with pesto sauce, topped with grilled or roasted chicken, roasted red peppers, bacon, feta cheese & mozzarella.  And I'm stuck at work all day.  I could cry now....

 

[Jerusha]

Rupert caught his first mouse last night!

Well done, Rupert!  I don't know much about cats, never having owned (or been owned) by one, but is 3 and 1/2 months early for such an accomplishment?

[Aerlys]

Well done, Rupert!  I don't know much about cats, never having owned (or been owned) by one, but is 3 and 1/2 months early for such an accomplishment?

Growing up, we were adopted by a beautiful white Persian, who immediately established herself by having kittens. (Though we ran several ads, no one claimed her.) She had already been declawed, but was the most amazing huntress we'd ever seen. She passed this skill on to her kittens, who, at just two or three months old, were roaming our 5 acres and catching mice, ground squirrels, and other rodents.

Great news about Rupert. If they get a taste for rodent that young, they'll be good mousers, though the females tend to hunt more than the males, I've found.

[Evie]

Great news about Rupert. If they get a taste for rodent that young, they'll be good mousers, though the females tend to hunt more than the males, I've found.

Shhh, don't tell Luke that!  He's our family mouser.  Gigi's predatory instincts are limited to furry toys.   

[Aerlys]

I had a dog named Cuddles (someone else named her) that was good at catching rodents, too. She was a Collie/German Shepherd mix. Smartest and sweetest dog I ever owned.

Later, we had another dog named Lucky. (We didn't give her that moniker, either. NEVER name a dog Lucky, for it sorely tempts the Fates.) She just sat in the kitchen and casually watched a mouse run around in circles in front of her, and then looked at me like, "What? I'm not a cat. You catch it."

I swear that mouse was snickering at me, saying, "Nyaah nyaah na nyaaaaah nayaah!"   



_{(Squeeee! I'm a Baroness!)}

[AnnieUK]

Had to Google rutabagas!

That would be swedes, people!

[Evie]

The only "Swedes" we have over here are people visiting from Sweden; that name for the vegetable is almost unknown here.  For that matter, a lot of people in the US don't even know what rutabagas are by any name.   (I'm wondering if they'd be called "swedes" in Gwynedd, given that they don't have a nearby kingdom of Sweden, or if the veggie has a different etymology and isn't named for Sweden at all?)
We do, however, keep "kiwis" in the produce section of the grocery store, much to the consternation of people from New Zealand who would prefer not to be chucked into a fruit bin....     The fruit is known as kiwifruit in other parts of the world, yes?  And the color "auburgine" is known here (at least by some folk), but we usually call that veggie an eggplant. 

A Dutch friend once told me about a Burger King sandwich he'd enjoyed which had grilled chicken, auburgine, courgette, and paprika on it, and I had to look those three veggies up, because they all go by different names over here.   (We have "paprika," but it refers to something else.)   And even after I got the meanings sorted, I was still a bit befuddled, because Burger Kings over on this side of the world don't even offer that sandwich!   This has led to several years' worth of amusement in comparing menus from fast food restaurants with franchises on opposite sides of the Pond....   

[Aerlys]

Thanks, Annie!  So that's what swedes are. You also have such delicacies as "bubble and squeak" and "toad in a hole." (Yes, I know what they are.) And here, my kids enjoy pigs in a blanket.

Mmmm...Rutabagas, cooked and mashed with fresh butter! "Auburgine" has a special place in may heart, too. (**WINK** to those few who know why.)

In high school, I lived with students from all over the word, and it was fun discovering the differences in food, especially when the care packages came. I remember that Mars bars from Malaysia had hazelnuts, and something else in New Zealand (but I forget what.) Friends from Mexico shared suckers with small bits of jalapeno in them (quite tasty!). They also detested American versions of "Mexican" food (of course, this was in Kansas, and I am sure it is much better in the border states). Anyone else here ever sample kangaroo jerky? How many Americans out there like Vegemite? 

Hm, Burger King, curry, pesto, wild rice, pizza... How the thread does drift from a kitty enjoying a fresh repast of mouse!

[AnnieUK]

Yes, it's from Sweden, as they are Swedish turnips. Hence why I grew up calling them neeps, or turnip, and was very confused that English people called them swedes. (No, not even the English and Scots can agree on vegetable names!)

And a vegetable called paprika? Paprika is a spice, no?

Yes, we have bubble and squeak, and toad in the hole. We also have pigs in blankets, devils on horseback, and Welsh rabbit, amongst other fun food names. And in school we used to have suet pastry, spread with jam, rolled up like a Swiss roll and baked, and it was known as dead man's leg. I always thought it was a nickname peculiar to our school, but apparently it's a legit name.

[DesertRose]

Good on Rupert for his mousing prowess. 

It's funny, on the topic of foods and places, earlier today I was in a discussion on another website about snickerdoodles, which cookie (biscuit to you across the Pond) I had to explain to a British friend of mine a few years ago.  She thought they sounded delicious and wanted to break out her spice grinder to grind up some cinnamon and make some, but until I mentioned them to her (and then had to explain and share a recipe), she had never heard of them.