The decline of the broad bean

[Bored Of Education]

The decline of the broad bean

In my day, I don't think anyone had ever seen a fresh broad bean. They existed in tins and that was that.

See, I have never seen a broad bean in a tin and only ever had fresh and you can't be making out that Porthcawl in the 70s was some sort of foodie ghetto.

Applause for Alderman Barnes' attempt by the way

[Spearmint Rhino]

The decline of the broad bean

Porthcawl is Posh Wales, we've already established that.

Anyway, guess what I found when I went shopping yesterday? Broad beans in a tin! They were by some company I've never heard of (FreshCan) in the local cheapo discount shop, so I'm a bit wary and I only bought two. However, if they turn out to be nice, I'll go back and purchase them in full nuclear-war-survival bulk.

Hurrah for happy endings...

[Guest]

The decline of the broad bean

My mum seems to do all right with carrots on her allotment. I'll ask her what her secret is.
Apparently you need to put them next to tomatoes (not really ideal in this weather I grant you) - something to do with the different kinds of pests eating each other or something.

Companion planting. *taps nose* It's the way forward.

[Wyatt Earp]

The decline of the broad bean

Purves Grundy wrote:

trouble with runner beans is the way that they squeak against each other when you have two or more in your mouth. It's like trying to eat polystyrene packaging blocks while Alfred Hitchcock drags his fingernails down a blackboard.

That's because people undercook them, under the influence of the farmer's market demographic, who've reacted against their Mums' Brussels sprouts by forming the wholly wrong view that vegetables must simply be passed quickly through a cloud of warm vapour and then they're cooked.

I take your point about really fresh broad beans though.

[Bored Of Education]

The decline of the broad bean

Porthcawl is Posh Wales, we've already established that.

I'll give you that but nowhere was a foodie ghetto in the 70s, let alone Porthcawl.

I went to Turin when I was 13 and stayed with some freinds of the family for a couple of weeks. When I left to go back to Porthcawl, I asked if there was anywhere I could buy a watermelon to take back with me as it was the most significant discovery on my trip.

They looked at me as if I didn't know what pasta was.

My Mum made lasagne around the same time for a dinner party and people were atonished like she had produced a stripper out of a large cake.

Lasagne

[Bored Of Education]

The decline of the broad bean

I am genuinely interested in companion planting

[Guest]

The decline of the broad bean

It's really cool.

Try this book.

[Spearmint Rhino]

The decline of the broad bean

Bored Of The Dance wrote:

Porthcawl is Posh Wales, we've already established that.

I'll give you that but nowhere was a foodie ghetto in the 70s, let alone Porthcawl.

I went to Turin when I was 13 and stayed with some freinds of the family for a couple of weeks. When I left to go back to Porthcawl, I asked if there was anywhere I could buy a watermelon to take back with me as it was the most significant discovery on my trip.

They looked at me as if I didn't know what pasta was.

My Mum made lasagne around the same time for a dinner party and people were atonished like she had produced a stripper out of a large cake.

Lasagne

Hah, one of my favourite Nicky Wire quotes is when he was talking about how weird London seemed to the Manics when they first arrived, and how "people eat strange food, like avocados".

I had the same experience when I lived in Paris. I bought something calling itself a 'veggie burger' in a cafe near Place St Michel, which actually consisted of a bap containing salad and, as its central item, a huge half of a freaky green fruit I'd never seen before. With some disgust and fear, to the probable bemusement of the proprietor, I removed the chunk of what I now know to be an avocado, and ate what was now just a salad bap.

(I love avocados now, but I'd definitely never seen or heard of one in Wales...)

[Bored Of Education]

The decline of the broad bean

I knew of a bloke that served avacado with custard because it is a pear.

I love that bit in an early Manics interview where they go to a caff and start going on about things that they serve in London like "frothy coffee"

[Bored Of Education]

The decline of the broad bean

Apparently, you could survive solely on avocados if you had to. An avocado contains everything that the body needs.

[Mumpo]

The decline of the broad bean

You could probably wash with them too. They are very soapy.

[EIM]

The decline of the broad bean

Apparently you can live solely off marmite sandwiches too.

But then when I was a student I ate nowt but sausages and haribo, and I did ok.

[Guest]

The decline of the broad bean

The best thing in the whole world ever involving beans is of course Greek gigantes beans in that fabulous tomato sauce.

[kugelrund]

The decline of the broad bean

where they go to a caff and start going on about things that they serve in London like "frothy coffee"

I used to go out with a girl from South Wales and she told me there were quite a lot of Italian snack bars around Cardiff, and that they all had "frawthee cawffee" on the menu. (That's an attempt to imitate the exaggerated accent she always put on to demonstrate, not an indication of the spelling).

Anyway. Beans. We planted runner and broad beans last year and had so many we didn't know what to do with them all.

The worst over-production I've ever had, though, was cornichons. We pickled about six jars-full and had to give up with the rest. The trouble was, they were so hard to spot at the right time, and grew so fast that you could turn your back for a couple of days and find giant hairy cucumbers hidden under the leaves. One of them grew in a frankly disturbing manner:

[Spearmint Rhino]

The decline of the broad bean

I used to go out with a girl from South Wales and she told me there were quite a lot of Italian snack bars around Cardiff, and that they all had "frawthee cawffee" on the menu. (That's an attempt to imitate the exaggerated accent she always put on to demonstrate, not an indication of the spelling).

Ah, but Cardiff's the big metropolis. They do things differently there. Like not pointing at aeroplanes, and stuff.

[Bored Of Education]

The decline of the broad bean

Yes but there are Sidoli's and Fulgoni's and whatnot all over the valleys and, indeed, Porthcawl.