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Q234: What is it (part II)?

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tuhatkauno
Member
#21 · Posted: 30 May 2007 12:20
you certainly foxed the competitors

That wasn't my intention.

About the anagrams, I think that they may be easier for Finns to notice than for English-speakers because of the rules of pronunciation.

In Finnish we pronounce every letter in the same way, no matter where it is in a word. Therefore, in Finnish anagrams have phonetically much in common between them.
But Persian milk and Marlinspike pronounced in English sound quite different.

Sorry, I didn't realize how difficult the question was after all!
Balthazar
Moderator
#22 · Posted: 30 May 2007 12:38
A newspaper crossword setter's way of phrasing the question might be something like:

"What is Persian milk - confused?"

(The hidden meaning to this sentence being: "What is Persian milk when these letters are confused?")

Certainly in the conventions of UK newspaper crossword, the clue has to cryptically tell you that you're looking for an anagram (typically using a word like "muddled", "confused" or "strange", though not always as obviously as that).

Obviously, there are other traditions apart from those of newspaper cryptic crosswords, so I'm not saying your question wasn't valid. But without any hint that this was an anagram, it maybe wasn't quite as neat and straightforward as you intended. Your statement in your original question - "Persian milk can be spotted in many albums" - isn't strictly true, when it's an anagram of Persian milk that can be spotted in many albums. And your clue directing us to those pages of The Castafiore Emerald was a bit too subtle, maybe. One of the many pages in Tintin showing a full-on long-shot view of Marlinspike Hall would have been more useful.

But well done on a cunning question. I won't be subjecting you to my haggis and force-feeding equipment, though feel free to give yourself six of the best with a birch branch when you come out of the sauna.
tuhatkauno
Member
#23 · Posted: 30 May 2007 12:50
I agree with you and jock, it was bit misleadind. You are clever boys and girls on the forum, and if everybody goes in the wrong direction, the reason is in Q. I thought that the two pages would help cause there weren't many items to be checked and one of them was Marlinspike. But when you know the answer youself, it is difficult to estimate, how tough the clue actually is.


But i'll keep Qs simple in the future. :)
Balthazar
Moderator
#24 · Posted: 30 May 2007 13:56
tuhatkauno
When you know the answer yourself, it is difficult to estimate how tough the clue actually is.
That's very true. And it's no fun if the clue just gives it away.

If everybody goes in the wrong direction, the reason is in Q
I wouldn't go that far. You did tell us very clearly not to go off in the wrong direction (even if we needed a bit more indication of what the right direction was).

... I'll keep Qs simple in the future.
Don't feel you have to. We wouldn't only want simple questions, so don't let my previous comments put you off setting further difficult ones. I was just trying to explain why none of us could solve it but, to be honest, the main reason might be that none of us were brainy enough!
tuhatkauno
Member
#25 · Posted: 30 May 2007 14:00
the main reason might be that none of us were brainy enough!


Well, maybe you should eat more fish instead of haggis, haggis will spoil your brain, i'm pretty sure ;)
Balthazar
Moderator
#26 · Posted: 30 May 2007 14:16
On the subject of Scottish brain-food, my Scottish mother tells me that my late Glaswegian grandpa (whom I don't remember well) used to enjoy sheep's brains on toast. I don't think many Scots eat that now though - I've certainly never had it or seen it.

You'll be pleased to know that i've just eaten a fillet of salmon for my lunch, so my brain's all set up for answering the next question.
tuhatkauno
Member
#27 · Posted: 30 May 2007 15:01
You'll be pleased to know

That information warms my fisherman's heart, but haggis interests me all the time, it is mythical dish, a fascinating "thing" and I cannot get it out of my mind. I have spoken so much of it that I swear by dead pike that I'll come to Scotland to eat Haggis. Say 100 g first, and after estimation maybe more. That's a promise. :)

BTW Are there differences between Edinburghian, Glasgowian and Ivernessian haggis?
Balthazar
Moderator
#28 · Posted: 30 May 2007 16:07
Different butchers' haggises certainly vary coinsiderably from one another in taste and texture, but I think these differences are more down to each butchers' personal prefrerences and recipes, rather than any particular regional trends across Scotland. (I could be wrong though. I'm not sure if anyone has ever done a study across the country.)

Traditionally every town butcher would produce his own haggis, but these days many haggises are manufactured on a larger scale. Some of these mass-produced ones are a bit industrial, and sometimes have a plastic covering rather than a real sheep's stomach for the bag. Of the mass produced brands, MacSweens is the best. They've kind of cornered the mass-haggis market, and you can get them everywhere, but I think they started as a small traditional haggis maker and their haggises are as good as most butchers' ones - very tasty, good texture and still made with real stomach bags.

What most people would agree on is that a haggis tastes a bit better baked in an oven than boiled in a pan of water, though either way works fine. (You can't bake the plastic covered ones, though.)

Traditionally, Haggis is served with mashed potatoes and mashed neeps (yellow "swede" turnips), which is very nice. But you can also get haggis battered and deep-fried, and served with chips (fries), from any Scottish fish-and-chip shop. If you're hungry enough, this combination is excellent (though admittedly even less healthy).

In a fish-and-chip shop, there are regional differences (though not haggis-related), with Glasgow customers (Glaswegians) preferring vinegar on their chips, and Edinburghers preferring brown sauce. Not sure what they prefer in Inverness. I prefer just salt, personally. But this is another subject and we wouldn't want to go off-topic, would we?
waveofplague
Member
#29 · Posted: 30 May 2007 16:22
OK, I’m American and the thought of haggis sends chills down my spine, but I did try some when I visited Scotland in 2005. It was, I believe, in the town of Fort William, if that makes any difference. It was in a restaurant in the city, and I’m fairly sure it was mass-produced (although I have no way of knowing). Being squeamish, and a picky eater, I only took a tiny bite of it and my brother ate the rest. It tasted salty and seasoned. And the texture was.... slippery.

We really have our own version of haggis in the American Hot Dog. The only difference is that nobody really knows what goes into those things. You could be eating horse, cat, dog, cow, or a blend of all four. And let’s not mention the chemicals and preservatives (don’t read the ingredients if you don’t want to know). And I’m not talking about legitimate frankfurters, or anything; I’m talking about the packaged stuff you find in the grocery store. Hey don’t get me wrong, it tastes good, although I really don’t eat them. They are just a little scary when you start to wonder what makes them taste so good.
Balthazar
Moderator
#30 · Posted: 30 May 2007 16:56
A slippery texture doesn't sound good, wave. I guess the texture of a haggis is a matter of personal taste, but in my opinion, the best haggis would have a slightly crumbly texture. Not dry, but not too sloppy. On this evidence, your guess that it might have been a supermarket mass-produced one could be correct.

I don't understand the squeamish factor though. I don't see what's more yucky about eating something made from the heart, liver etc of an animal than eating bits of muscle hacked off its leg or rump, which is all prime meat is. It's all dead animal bits at the end of the day. When people learn about the Native Americans using every part of the bison and wasting nothing, everyone says that's really admirable (as it is) but when people are actually faced with a plate of food produced using the same ethos - using up every part of a sheep or pig - they say they don't want to think about what's in it.

You have a point about the additives and chemicals that get put into factory produced meat products though. The bits of dead cat and dog in Maurice Oyle's Grynde Cannery food probably wouldn't be the problem; it's the growth hormones and artificial flavourings that'd put you off. And the bits of dead Belgian reporter, obviously.

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