The Night Mail

[TheQ]

24 minutes ago, rockershovel said:

I’m mercifully ignorant of what “vegetarian bacon” might taste like, but the pallid, pinkish-grey strips (uniformly patterned in longitudinal stripes of pink and white, like a particularly unsuccessful 1950s wallpaper pattern) served as “bacon” in Baku hotels, don’t suggest any reason to investigate.

 

 

Out in Saudi, a "full English" is served with beef bacon or turkey bacon, strips of rubber with a slight taste of chemical smokey bacon crisps is the best approximation..

[rockershovel]

2 minutes ago, TheQ said:

Out in Saudi, a "full English" is served with beef bacon or turkey bacon, strips of rubber with a slight taste of chemical smokey bacon crisps is the best approximation..

 

It’s always educational to discover foreign interpretations of English food. I suppose it’s like getting off the plane from Mumbai and going into the Star of India in Walsall...

[Dave Hunt]

Back to the Atlantic Conveyor, one of the items that did go down with was a runway. The plan was to put a PSP (pierced steel planking) runway that was sections of steel planks that were rolled out and slotted together then install arrestor cables at each end alongside San Carlos water so that Phantoms could be flown down from Ascension to provide air defence. The system was, I believe, an invention of the USMC. Unfortunately it was on the Conveyor.

 

During lockdowns etc. of late a small group of my ex- school friends and spouses have had some Zoom meetings for quizzes and gin tastings. The verdict on G&Ts was that top of the league gin was Tanqueray with Bombay Sapphire second whilst the clear preference for tonic was Fever Tree. One of the things I much prefer is plain tonic without any of the herbs and spices or other concoctions that are currently fashionable.

 

Dave

[rockershovel]

Tanqueray or Bombay Sapphire are queens amongst gins. Fever Tree is just a good mixer. What about Angostura Bitters, though? Must have those for a proper pink gin.. we also have slices of lemon and lime, frozen in the freezer. I don't recall why this was done but they are a useful thing!

Edited December 15, 2020 by rockershovel

[simontaylor484]

3 hours ago, rockershovel said:

 

Some years ago, I visited Buenos Aires in connection with the oil exploration being conducted in the N Falkland Basin at the time. There was a belief among the marine staff, that Atlantic Conveyor had in fact, been sunk by a sniper from the Cunard insurance office.... its replacement was built on Tyneside, possibly one of the last commercial vessels built there? The iconic images of British troops “yomping” across the barren Falklands terrain under huge packs, derive from the loss of eleven of the twelve helicopters on board. 

We often used to deliver volvo construction equipment and other agricultural machinery to Atlantic Conveyor at Bootle. The Volvo Machines used to come in through Immingham and were distributed from there.

[Happy Hippo]

Atlantic Conveyor was featured in a book I've just finished reading; Harrier 809, by Rowland White, which describes the formation and operational deployment of the ad hoc Sqn made up to reinforce the Harrier Force for Op Corporate.

 

Mention of the loss of the Chinooks on AC also brought back a memory.

 

The Chinook that escaped the sinking ended up at RAF Gutersloh with 7 Sqn RAF.  It had a commemorative plaque recording it's Op Corporate service  on the back of the console between the pilots seats.

 

We used her as a parachuting platform for about a week prior to the Rhine Army Show in 1984.

 

Up until that point the Chinook was only cleared (in RAF service) for static line parachuting, although it had been used for freefall by the Americans for some time.

 

It was rumoured that our week with the Chinook would prove that the aircraft was suitable for freefall parachuting without having to go through the rigmarole of evaluation testing by the JATE testing and evaluation unit  (which could take months). 

 

It was a tough job, but someone had to do it!

 

 

 

[jamie92208]

IIRC it's callsign, or whatever it's called was BN and it's still flying after a major refit. There was a documentary  aboutvit a couple of years ago.

 

Jamie

[PhilJ W]

4 hours ago, TheQ said:

Out in Saudi, a "full English" is served with beef bacon or turkey bacon, strips of rubber with a slight taste of chemical smokey bacon crisps is the best approximation..

Full marks to them for trying despite the dietary rules. I seem to recall a bit of a to-do in Israel a few years ago when an up-market Tel-Aviv restaurant was serving pork under the name of white beef.

[TheQ]

3 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Full marks to them for trying despite the dietary rules. I seem to recall a bit of a to-do in Israel a few years ago when an up-market Tel-Aviv restaurant was serving pork under the name of white beef.

You can get it in Bahrain and they'll label it up as veal ..

[rockershovel]

It’s all a matter of local custom. I remember a slightly surreal conversation with an Azeri colleague who seemed quite unaware that the British would happily eat all the beef, mutton and chicken they could get, as well as fish, that not getting pork or ham was no real hardship for them. 

 

In Iran, it was Marmite that everyone missed. It’s a byproduct of the brewing process, and hence proscribed. Also that the British distaste for goat meat was purely a matter of custom, that it had no religious basis and in fact, they would happily eat provided they weren’t told. 

 

One thing which did cause a certain amount of puzzlement in Azerbaijan was that the British, particularly the English regarded cabbage as quite without merit. 

[Dave Hunt]

When we were training the Saudi Tornado F3 crews at Coningsby they were billeted in married quarters rather than having to slum it in the officers' mess. Some of the cleaners told us that the number of empty whisky bottles and packets that had contained bacon that they had to dispose of was amazing.

 

Dave

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Better?

 

Fried bread and fried eggs today, no taters as I didn’t think of it at the time. Hienz beans, the only real beans. 
 

Douglas

 

[TheQ]

Anything is available in Saudi, just the price is hiked up the more "forbidden" it is.. 

 

I was offered bottles of Johnnie Walker several times out there, but at £60 a bottle, 20 years ago that was a bit to much for me, its only £14 now in the UK...

 

Technically under Islam it's not legal to drink , but it is illegal to be "under the influence".

 

Edited December 15, 2020 by TheQ

[Happy Hippo]

20 minutes ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Better?

 

Fried bread and fried eggs today, no taters as I didn’t think of it at the time. Hienz beans, the only real beans. 
 

Douglas

 

If you eat much more egg and beans, you'll be eligible for honorary promotion to the tail prop club!

[rockershovel]

28 minutes ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Better?

 

Fried bread and fried eggs today, no taters as I didn’t think of it at the time. Hienz beans, the only real beans. 
 

Douglas

 

 

But what are those scraggly pink things? Where are the bangers? 

[Tony_S]

31 minutes ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Better?

 

Fried bread and fried eggs today, no taters as I didn’t think of it at the time. Hienz beans, the only real beans. 
 

Douglas

 

Is black pudding illegal in the USA? I read somewhere that the Scottish Government was hoping for a change in the law to enable exports to begin.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Just now, Tony_S said:

Is black pudding illegal in the USA? I read somewhere that the Scottish Government was hoping for a change in the law to enable exports to begin.

As far I know, it’s legal, as I’ve had it in the local “Anglican” pub (an extremely authentic pub, the doors were specially imported from the Wirral), however, it’s certainly not popular. 

[rockershovel]

35 minutes ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

As far I know, it’s legal, as I’ve had it in the local “Anglican” pub (an extremely authentic pub, the doors were specially imported from the Wirral), however, it’s certainly not popular. 

 

I’m intrigued by the mention of “authenticity”, since the name itself is quite unknown in England as a pub name (although “The Mitre” is common, and there are various religious names referring to pilgrims, such as the Lamb and Flag, or Nottingham’s Trip To Jerusalem). I did once encounter a bar named the “Pope and Bear”, although I doubt if the reference was ecclesiastical. 

 

It hadn’t occurred to me that black pudding wasn’t popular in the US, but now you mention it, I’ve never seen it there. 

Edited December 15, 2020 by rockershovel

[New Haven Neil]

'Anglican' ?  LOL.  'British' hopefully.....otherwise I wouldn't get in!  (edit - post crossed with Mr Shovel)

 

I remember going to a British bar in Stavanger in Norway, they loved us going in and tried to get us to stay as long as possible as it gave authenticity to the place.  Shame it was so expensive really, but it was only once a week and we got a LOT of in-hand expenses.

Edited December 15, 2020 by New Haven Neil

[rockershovel]

12 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

'Anglican' ?  LOL.  'British' hopefully.....otherwise I wouldn't get in!  (edit - post crossed with Mr Shovel)

 

I remember going to a British bar in Stavanger in Norway, they loved us going in and tried to get us to stay as long as possible as it gave authenticity to the place.  Shame it was so expensive really, but it was only once a week and we got a LOT of in-hand expenses.

 

On my very first trip as a Client Representative, I took over the succeeding rotation when my back-to-back dropped out at short notice, and spent 56 days at sea before disembarking in Stavanger. The bar bill still hangs, framed, in my downstairs lavatory...  

[Florence Locomotive Works]

1 hour ago, rockershovel said:

 

I’m intrigued by the mention of “authenticity”, since the name itself is quite unknown in England as a pub name (although “The Mitre” is common, and there are various religious names referring to pilgrims, such as the Lamb and Flag, or Nottingham’s Trip To Jerusalem). I did once encounter a bar named the “Pope and Bear”, although I doubt if the reference was ecclesiastical. 

 

It hadn’t occurred to me that black pudding wasn’t popular in the US, but now you mention it, I’ve never seen it there. 

 

59 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

'Anglican' ?  LOL.  'British' hopefully.....otherwise I wouldn't get in!  (edit - post crossed with Mr Shovel)

 

I remember going to a British bar in Stavanger in Norway, they loved us going in and tried to get us to stay as long as possible as it gave authenticity to the place.  Shame it was so expensive really, but it was only once a week and we got a LOT of in-hand expenses.

British would definitely be a better name for it, maybe Irish as it’s called Kilkenney’s. British food though.

Edited December 15, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[rockershovel]

5 minutes ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

 

British would definitely be a better name for it, maybe Irish as it’s called Kilkenney’s. British food though.

 

Kilkenney’s is an “Irish theme pub” chain with bars in Berlin, Calgary, Asunción, London and, apparently, Oklahoma. 

 

There’s a bar of that sort at Schiphol airport, which must have served just about everyone in the oil industry at one time or another! 

 

 

[Winslow Boy]

I might be wrong, not uncommon I hear you say at the back,  but I thought the pub name 'Lamb & Flag' was related to the navy.  Lamb being a brand of rum and flag being the white ensign. Correct me if wrong.

[jamie92208]

2 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

When we were training the Saudi Tornado F3 crews at Coningsby they were billeted in married quarters rather than having to slum it in the officers' mess. Some of the cleaners told us that the number of empty whisky bottles and packets that had contained bacon that they had to dispose of was amazing.

 

Dave

We had a group of Senior Indian officers, all but one were high caste Hindus, but come a cold October when the canteen served up beef stew and dumplings, they all wolfed it down. The Saudis were a mixture of regular and religious police, one lot certainly hit the bars and nightclubs.

 

Jamie

[polybear]

2 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

When we were training the Saudi Tornado F3 crews at Coningsby they were billeted in married quarters rather than having to slum it in the officers' mess. Some of the cleaners told us that the number of empty whisky bottles and packets that had contained bacon that they had to dispose of was amazing.

 

Dave

 

I did some work with the Kuwaitis, staying in a hotel in w.wales.  Drink?  Oh yes....

 

2 hours ago, TheQ said:

Anything is available in Saudi, just the price is hiked up the more "forbidden" it is.. 

 

I was offered bottles of Johnnie Walker several times out there, but at £60 a bottle, 20 years ago that was a bit to much for me, its only £14 now in the UK...

 

Technically under Islam it's not legal to drink , but it is illegal to be "under the influence".

 

 

A friend used to work in Saudi; one of the Brits was summoned to the manager's office, given his passport and air ticket etc. and told to go straight to the airport - no collecting any personal possessions from his apartment whatsoever.  He'd been making home brew and the authorities had found out.....