Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Angela Woodford wrote:

Ajarn Philip wrote:Angela, I'd appreciate your philosophical interpretation of Milk Tray.

Here is a serious challenge. First I'll have to buy a box of Milk Tray, dob my way through it and make notes.

Lovely to think that in Thailand you are thinking about Milk Tray!

The list of things I miss is considerably shorter than the list of things I don't miss, but the things I miss, I miss a lot. Of course, you can buy chocolate here, but like ice cream, if it takes more than two minutes to get home, it's melted. And there are no Mr Kipling's mince pies, and you can't get cream of any description, unless it's foamy and comes out of an aerosol (which is for shaving and nothing else as far as I'm concerned.) And custard. And cheese (unless you're a millionaire.)

God, I'd forgotten how tough life is.

Ajarn Philip wrote:The list of things I miss is considerably shorter than the list of things I don't miss, but the things I miss, I miss a lot. Of course, you can buy chocolate here, but like ice cream, if it takes more than two minutes to get home, it's melted. And there are no Mr Kipling's mince pies, and you can't get cream of any description, unless it's foamy and comes out of an aerosol (which is for shaving and nothing else as far as I'm concerned.) And custard. And cheese (unless you're a millionaire.)

Ah the expat life!! I miss it now after 11 years back from Sarawak. I think Islamabad was one of the hardest postings for missing foods. We will never forget the Christmas that the local British Airways man had Walls Pork Sausages and Heinz Baked Beans flown out in his Christmas hamper - we all enjoyed the Treasure Hunt followed by Bangers & Mash at his house on Boxing Day. We were also in Islamabad for the Queen's Silver Jubilee, each Embassy could choose their hamper from Fortnum & Mason's, we chose ham on the bone and Stilton in ours. After the Embassy Jubilee Party the left over Stilton was auctioned for charity, syndicates were formed, bidding was fast and furious and a significant amount of money was raised!

In Pakistan (then) there were just two kinds of cheese available, buffalo milk cheddar (fresh) and buffalo milk cheddar (tinned). We could get buffalo milk cream which whipped well but it was absolutely white, not cream coloured at all. After a while you didn't notice it as the 'wrong' colour.

Katharine wrote:Ah the expat life!! I miss it now after 11 years back from Sarawak. I think Islamabad was one of the hardest postings for missing foods.

I was in Islamabad 86-87. When I went back to the UK on leave I had to make sure I left enough space in my bags to bring back all sorts of weird and wonderful goodies, from black pudding to silk stockings (don't ask, I'll never tell.)

Katharine wrote: We were also in Islamabad for the Queen's Silver Jubilee, each Embassy could choose their hamper from Fortnum & Mason's, we chose ham on the bone and Stilton in ours. After the Embassy Jubilee Party the left over Stilton was auctioned for charity, syndicates were formed, bidding was fast and furious and a significant amount of money was raised!

That doesn't sound like any British Embassy I've ever come across. Working in one African country where everything was in short (and usually no) supply I was under the "protection" of what is called a third world country. Those people really looked after their expatriates in good times - and I suspect if there was a problem they would be working 36 hours a day to help them. The benefit was that every XXXXian (which included me) had an open invite to drinks at the embassy every Thursday evening and it seemed to me that that was how basic foodstuffs etc regularly got to the expatriates. They didn't wait for the sovereign / President to acheive a Jubilee.

sejintenej wrote:

Katharine wrote: We were also in Islamabad for the Queen's Silver Jubilee, each Embassy could choose their hamper from Fortnum & Mason's, we chose ham on the bone and Stilton in ours. After the Embassy Jubilee Party the left over Stilton was auctioned for charity, syndicates were formed, bidding was fast and furious and a significant amount of money was raised!

That doesn't sound like any British Embassy I've ever come across. Working in one African country where everything was in short (and usually no) supply I was under the "protection" of what is called a third world country. Those people really looked after their expatriates in good times - and I suspect if there was a problem they would be working 36 hours a day to help them. The benefit was that every XXXXian (which included me) had an open invite to drinks at the embassy every Thursday evening and it seemed to me that that was how basic foodstuffs etc regularly got to the expatriates. They didn't wait for the sovereign / President to acheive a Jubilee.

I'm not sure why you don't think it sounds like any you know. This was a very definite one-off event. Fortnum & Mason's offered each British Mission overseas a hamper (I don't know the details of value etc) each mission could decide what was wanted. In Islamabad it was decided to choose food we all missed. The party was open to all members of the British Embassy Club (yes it was Embassy they were out of the Commonwealth at the time).

Other times the staff did work very hard, there was a stock of coffins kept in the basement for those who fell off mountains or consumed too much ganja, or whatever. The staff, including British Council (which John was), had a list of all UK personnel (and presumably other nationals they were looking after) it was a standing order to visit when in the vicinity, this meant within 100 miles in the case of women working up country.

I have no idea whether there was a regular drinks party at the Embassy.

Philip, please tell the story of the silk stockings! Please! This Forum is open to all those who wish to confess!

Munch

Angela Woodford wrote:Philip, please tell the story of the silk stockings! Please! This Forum is open to all those who wish to confess!

Munch

Yeah, right! Pull the other one, it's got a silk stocking on (oops). "Just between you and me, it'll go no further I promise."
Maybe when I know you better, Angela!

Oh, but Philip, you can tell me? Think of all those patients' secrets I have been told, and never betrayed a confidence...

Jee-ust a bit intrigued by the stockings and the black pudding!

Hmm? (Wheedly voice)

Angela

Just as well there's no emoticon for fluttering eyelashes.

(Oh, what have I said - there almost certainly is one somewhere!)

Wheedle all you like, I'll never talk. (Unless you send me a Red Cross parcel to Thailand containing all my favourite goodies. Don't worry about the stockings, you can get those here. So I'm told.)

I'd better check with Katharine the best way to pack up squishy nostalgia food - she'll know! Although an offering of Milk Tray, Mr Kipling mince pies, cream (clotted? Extra thick?) custard, and cheese... challenging, very challenging! Ha!

Glad the silk stockings are available there though - I wouldn't be sure of your size.

Angela

Silk stockings and rugby thighs (oh, alright, just big thighs now) - I feel slightly nauseous. Where are the moderators when you need them? Angela, I'm not sure whether you're technically a Kentish Maid or a Maid of Kent, but you're clearly a bad, bad girl. What would Dot say? (You see? I've been lurking in all the darkest corners of this website.)

As for the cream, all I want to do is make a decent Irish coffee, without clouds of foam floating on top, so double will do nicely, thanks. Carnation evaporated milk is something I associate with my early childhood, but when you go to the supermarket here (Tesco has arrived in a big way, would you believe), it occupies the sort of shelf space you'd associate with baked beans in the UK. I once saw a sign for "sea prams" in Tesco here and was quite disappointed when I came across a bunch of large prawns swimming around in a big tank.

But what happened to my heartfelt plea for dobbing around and Louis Bardou???

Ajarn Philip wrote: Carnation evaporated milk is something I associate with my early childhood, but when you go to the supermarket here (Tesco has arrived in a big way, would you believe), it occupies the sort of shelf space you'd associate with baked beans in the UK.

Aha! Carnation evaporated milk, "cream", poured over tinned fruit cocktail for example played a very large part in my childhood too! In fact mostly remembered in a topic called "Fifties Food"!

If you are confronted by massive displays of the stuff, Philip, sejintenej is your man. David can do amazing things with evaporated milk!

I'm neither a Kentish Maid or Maid of Kent, but an exiled South Londoner.

It wouldn't be the first time I've been called very very bad. But it's not really true, the quiet respectable life I lead!

However, my sole contribution to your chocolate-box ponderings will be to put a bit of a Freudian slant on the box of Milk Tray. A few ideas bubbling about in my head...

I wish I had been taught by this M Bardou though!

Angela

Katharine wrote:I'm not sure why you don't think it sounds like any you know. This was a very definite one-off event. Fortnum & Mason's offered each British Mission overseas a hamper (I don't know the details of value etc) each mission could decide what was wanted. In Islamabad it was decided to choose food we all missed. The party was open to all members of the British Embassy Club (yes it was Embassy they were out of the Commonwealth at the time).

ie arranged by Fortnum and Mason and not by the diplomatic service.

Katharine wrote:Other times the staff did work very hard, there was a stock of coffins kept in the basement for those who fell off mountains or consumed too much ganja, or whatever. The staff, including British Council (which John was), had a list of all UK personnel (and presumably other nationals they were looking after) it was a standing order to visit when in the vicinity, this meant within 100 miles in the case of women working up country.

Interesting - never ever met any one of them in any country despite umpteen countries and years. OTOH a neighbour was British Council in several countries - he knows how the UK embassies work and has elected to carry an Irish passport instead.

Katharine wrote:I have no idea whether there was a regular drinks party at the Embassy.

Most assuredly not unless you are highly important, rich and can make the annual Queen's Birthday bash.

Cynical Dave

Angela Woodford wrote:I'm neither a Kentish Maid or Maid of Kent, but an exiled South Londoner.

Angela

How on earth can you spell Londoner with a D coming from Sarff of the Thames.

Being born near Paddock Wood I am a Kentish Man, but was immediately transferred to my parents place in Charlton, so can also claim to be a Sarf Lunnoner.

My cousin ws in the London Fire Brigade--he lived in Greenwich (Grinidge) and was very disturbed when he got a promotion which meant he had to "norf of the wa'er". I moved away at the start of the war, so goodness knows what sort of accent I have now-a mishmash from everywhere I have lived.

Maggie