A Porridgy Breakfast

[Stephen Whiteside]

Sounds idyllic, Zondrae.

I'm thinking of putting out a book - 'Porridge Poetry' - but it can be rather turgid stuff. And a bit repetitive. It's OK first thing in the morning, but I don't know how you'd go with it later in the day. And would anybody consume it during summer? Or in the northern states?. At least it's cheap.

Perhaps I should put out something with more general appeal. 'Black Pudding Poetry', for example.

[David Campbell]

Ah yes, Zondrae, memories indeed! Those cowboy novels your dad used to read were possibly written by Zane Grey. Titles like: 'Riders of the Purple Sage'; The Last of the Plainsmen'; 'The Thundering Herd'; 'West of the Pecos'; 'Wildfire'...and a heap of others. I preferred science fiction (Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, J.G. Ballard, Ray Bradbury, A.E. van Vogt etc.) but the cowboy books were a good backup.

And with regard to the timing of porridge consumption, Stephen, my father ate it twice a day. He'd make more than he needed in the morning so he could leave some in the fridge. Then, just before going to bed, he'd eat it cold. I don't know how he slept after that, but he'd spent quite a bit of time in the army, so probably had a cast-iron stomach. He was also rather fond of curry that took the roof of your mouth off.

It's always seemed appropriate that 'doing porridge' is British slang for a jail term, because that's what the prisoners had to eat. (Remember the brilliant Ronnie Barker as Norman Stanley Fletcher?) It was all part of a cunning plan to slow them down so much that they had no chance of escape...at least that's my theory.

Cheers
David

[manfredvijars]

I hated the stuff, we'd have it in the morning where I'd load it up with either jam, or sugar and butter to make it more palatable Neither worked for me. I'd always leave a hole in the porridge which the jam previously occupied.

Ironicaly, when hunting and especially bushwalking, I'd always cook the stuff up for breakfast - still hated it but it would keep you going till lunch ... It was light to carry, easy to prepare but crap to clean up ...

I STILL HATE IT!!! ...

[william williams]

Now I dunno about breakfast though I still have it once a week on a Sunday morning

But years ago my old camp cook Johnno. He cooked for ten of us would often throw in a hand full or two of rolled oats to thicken up the stew and give it more body

billl the old battler

[warooa]

Baby Bear came down stairs in the morning. There he saw upon the breakfast table his bowl was empty.
"Somebody's been eating my porridge!" he shrieked.
Papa Bear came down stairs into the kitchen and he too saw his bowl empty on the table.
"Someone's been eating my porridge!!" he boomed.
"Shut up you idiots." said Mumma Bear. "I haven't made it yet."

[manfredvijars]

... errrr, I don't get it Marty, but it rhymes .....

[manfredvijars]

... WELL, you coulda knocked me down with a sausage skin for that one ...

[Peely]

I thought ecky thump was from Yorkshire (I have the Goodies DVD here somewhere, I should have another look at it)

[Stephen Whiteside]

Ah, the Goodies! I was always more of a Monty Python fan myself. I was thinking of 'Ripping Yarns'.

"The black pudding was so black even the white bits were black!"

I had an uncle with Scottish background who used to always fry up black pudding with his bacon and eggs. I used to quite like it. I tried it with the kids a couple of times. They quite liked it, too, but it never really caught on.

[Vic Jefferies]

Love porridge and fuel stoves! My grandfather used to cook porridge on the fuel stove much as described by Zondrae. He also used to boil the milk for the porridge and let it stand until the cream set on the top which he would scrape off and have on his toast and jam.
I used to buy and sell fuel stoves years ago and there was always a demand for them. Don't know about now but right up until at least the eighties there was a store in Sydney that sold the old fashioned style "Dover" brand of stoves.
I had a collection of fuel stove oven doors and some of them were really decorative and intriguing.
Stephen you may know that it is claimed that the regular consumption of oatmeal (porridge) reduces diabetes.