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[personal profile] venta
I have just been reading a list of suggested home-made Christmas culinary presents (which is here, if you're curious). And, since it's American, doing the usual of wondering "what is corn syrup and where do I get it? what is the English equivalent of unsulfered molasses, anyway?".

Anyway, here is a poll, prompted by one of the items on the list:


[Poll #1775159]

[*] For some reason, always known in my family as suggestive biscuits.


Irrelevant question: on t'tinternet, lyrics sites give my subject line as "and I need all the love that I can't get to". Which, while being technically ungrammatical, might be what was meant. I'd always assumed it should be heard as "and I also need all the love that I can't get".

Date: 2011-09-02 12:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bopeepsheep.livejournal.com
The only tolerable thing I had to eat when I toured the Hershey factory (in Hershey, PA) a few years ago was a S'mores bar. Which was a lot like a Double Decker but with more marshmallow and less chocolate (thankfully, because Hershey milk chocolate is rank).

Date: 2011-09-02 12:29 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lanfykins.livejournal.com
At my last job, one of the US people wanted to bring some Hershey's stuff with her when she came to the UK. The UK team held an emergency summit on how to prevent her.

There is a theory that Hershey's chocolate uses butyric acid to stabilise the milk. Butyric acid is found in butter, parmesan cheese, and vomit. Sounds about right to me...

Date: 2011-09-02 12:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bopeepsheep.livejournal.com
Oh, it's not a theory. On the tour they're very proud of explaining how they purposely soured the milk (and then bought up past-its-date milk) when the product was developed. Now they just add butyric acid to avoid that inconvenient bit of having to wait around for retailers to send back unsold milk.

The tour guide laughed when all the Americans gobbled down their free samples and we Brits ummed and ahhed and discreetly binned our half-bitten squares. Apparently it happens on any tour when there are Europeans present. (But the S'mores thing was really rather good. I think the marshmallow counteracts the parmesanness, or something.)

Date: 2011-09-02 12:38 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] venta.livejournal.com
I had heard that the original soured milk was due to transport issues and lack of refrigeration initially; I'd assume that a version from a Hershey's tour would be definitive, though!

There is nice American chocolate, but Hershey's ain't it.

(Though oddly I do admit to liking those Reese's peanut cup thingies, which are made from Hershey's chocolate and peanut butter, both of which are independently disgusting.)

Date: 2011-09-02 12:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bopeepsheep.livejournal.com
It's sort of all three - the purposely-souring part came from realising that they couldn't store it adequately because of the refrigeration issues, so someone figured they should try making chocolate with sour milk. It worked, so they bought up old milk from local retailers and farmers (which saved having to store it while it soured, too).

Yes, we've just finished a bag of peanut butter cup things which [livejournal.com profile] narenek brought back from New Jersey last week. Quite moreish despite being bad chocolate and bad peanut butter. (I like peanut butter but the stuff in those is ... not good peanut butter.)

Date: 2011-09-02 12:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] venta.livejournal.com
not good peanut butter

Maybe that's why I like it.

I like peanuts. I really do. About once a year I convince myself that, logically, I must like peanut butter, and so I try it.

And you know what? It's always unspeakably vile.

Date: 2011-09-02 12:42 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lanfykins.livejournal.com
Yeah, I quite like the Reese's things. But I am staunchly against Hershey's chocolate in all its other incarnations.

Date: 2011-09-02 12:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] glamwhorebunni.livejournal.com
I know that Golden Syrup is what those foolish Americans call Corn Syrup.

I only know this from trying to make fake blood.

Date: 2011-09-02 12:22 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bopeepsheep.livejournal.com
It isn't quite the same, having once brought back a bottle of (light) corn syrup and compared the two because I'm like that, but yes, functionally Golden Syrup is always going to work.

Date: 2011-09-02 12:27 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sushidog.livejournal.com
You can also make a passable substitute with, erm, sugar, water, and cream of tartar, I think.

Date: 2011-09-02 12:24 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lanfykins.livejournal.com
My assumption as to the lyric and meaning thereof has always been the same as yours. And therefore Correct.

Date: 2011-09-02 12:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] phlebas.livejournal.com
Yup. No lyrics in the sleeve to check?
Gah. Earwormed. Cueing up Vision Thing, stat.

Date: 2011-09-02 12:42 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] venta.livejournal.com
The lyrics in the sleeve of the local copy of A Slight Case of Overbombing give it as "... can't get to".

Idiots.

Date: 2011-09-02 12:48 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] phlebas.livejournal.com
Pah, greatest hits albums don't count.

Date: 2011-09-02 03:38 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mansunite.livejournal.com
I always head it as "...can't get to", probably because (as you've previously stated) the use of "...too" would be grammatically poor and also the 'chant' of said line starts with the "...to" version (with the second line omitting the "to"/"too" part); which then begs the question, "In relation to what also?"

Date: 2011-09-02 03:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] venta.livejournal.com
I don't think I'd previously stated that... I certainly didn't mean to :)

"And I need all the love that I can't get to" is grammatically bad. It should be "And I need all the love to which I can't get", or something. Which would be a bit of a crap lyric, I concede :) That's why I described is being only technically ungrammatical, because it's the kind of thing people say all the time and only pendants object to.

I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with "And I need all the love that I can't get, too".

I'm not sure what you mean by the 'chant' bit. I think the lines:

"And I need all the love I can get,
And I need all the love that I can't get, too."

Are fairly sensible. Just (according to the sleevenotes) not what was intended :)
Edited Date: 2011-09-02 03:45 pm (UTC)

Date: 2011-09-03 11:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mansunite.livejournal.com
"I don't think I'd previously stated that... I certainly didn't mean to :)"

Whoops! :-) I miss-read, when you said "Which, while being technically ungrammatical,..." was in reference to "...too", when you were actually referring to the use of "...to". Yes, I totally agree with your "And I need all the love to which I can't get" restructuring of the line. I'm far to poor with grammar and spelling to notice such things; I'll gladly take your literacy skills above mine any day!

Date: 2011-09-02 03:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] venta.livejournal.com
and also the 'chant' of said line starts with the "...to" version (with the second line omitting the "to"/"too" part); which then begs the question, "In relation to what also?"

Aha! I think I've just understood. Perhaps you heard the two lines as identical excepting the to/too on the end? I hear them as one saying "can" and one saying "can't"... and on that point at least lyrics sites seem to agree.

So the two things in relation are all the love you can get and all the love you can't get.

Date: 2011-09-03 05:56 pm (UTC)
killalla: (Richardson as Holmes)
From: [personal profile] killalla
For some reason, I always thought of it as the love he can't physcially get to, if you see what I mean.

Date: 2011-09-03 11:37 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mansunite.livejournal.com
Ditto. This is the cause of the confusion of the lyrics. The lyrics state "to", but most people seem to think the use of "too" comes to mind more naturally.

Date: 2011-09-03 11:55 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mansunite.livejournal.com
Erm,... not quite,
The first time that string of lines is sung, the longer "...can't...to" version is the first one heard. So, if it was intended to be "...too" (as in "aswell"), what would it be comparing against?

i.e:
I like milk.
I like cream, too.

makes sense. The second line is referring to the first line. Both are read in order.
Where-as:
I like cream, too.
I like Milk.

doesn't make great sense, as the first line is referring to the second line which had been read yet.

I'm not sure if I'm explaining my point coherently enough. It's really hard to try to lay my mind out in text form... :'-(

Date: 2011-09-05 09:56 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] venta.livejournal.com
I think that's a perfectly coherent explanation, I just don't agree with you :)

Your cream/milk example makes sense. I just don't think that the "...can't ... to" line is the first line heard in the song! Will have to go and check when I have a spare minute.

Date: 2011-09-02 12:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pseudomonas.livejournal.com
I'm guessing it's unsulphured molasses.

Date: 2011-09-02 12:53 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] venta.livejournal.com
While I concur, I feel that just prompts more questions. Notably: what is unsulphered molasses?

I suppose it's molasses with no sulphur added. Accordingly: Why would one want to put sulphur in molasses anyway?
Edited Date: 2011-09-02 12:53 pm (UTC)

Date: 2011-09-02 01:00 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lanfykins.livejournal.com
'Sulfured molasses is made from young sugar cane. Sulfur dioxide, which acts as a preservative, is added during the sugar extraction process. Unsulfured molasses is made from mature sugar cane, which does not require such treatment.'

The source should be obvious :)

Date: 2011-09-02 01:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] venta.livejournal.com
Yes, in my original post above "wondering" pretty much translated as "traipsing round Wikipedia" :)

Date: 2011-09-05 02:10 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] valkyriekaren.livejournal.com
It's normally sold over here as 'blackstrap molasses'. You can get it in health food shops. I bloody love it and will cheerfully eat it from the jar with a spoon.

Date: 2011-09-05 10:10 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] venta.livejournal.com
I was under the impression that there are multiple (three?) kinds of molasses made from sugar cane in America, and that blackstrap is the darkest, stickiest and least sugary kind. I don't know much about it, though - maybe blackstrap is the easiest kind to find here?

Whether or not it's got sulphur in it is to do with whether it was made from mature or immature sugar cane.

Date: 2011-09-02 01:31 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ghoti.livejournal.com
I can never remember how many biscuits in a S'More but I have made them on occasion (looking them up first). I also quite like S'More flavour poptarts.

Date: 2011-09-02 04:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] venta.livejournal.com
Irrelevantly, I have a little parcel of audio tapes here waiting to be posted to you (see comment on LJ post a few weeks back). Could you: tell me an address for you, tell me an address of someone you don't like, or tell me that the last thing you want is someone posting you random crap :)

Date: 2011-09-02 07:03 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ghoti.livejournal.com
Ooh, thankyou. It's http://ghoti.livejournal.com/457806.html

Did I promise videos of Judith dancing? I forget. I shall try, anyway.

Date: 2011-09-02 02:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mejoff.livejournal.com
The lyrics sites are clearly wrong, the theme is acquisitive not logistical.

Date: 2011-09-02 02:13 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] feanelwa.livejournal.com
That sounds like something very difficult to bite without getting it all over yourself.

Date: 2011-09-02 03:28 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] venta.livejournal.com
You say that like it's a bad thing ;)

Date: 2011-09-02 04:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] undyingking.livejournal.com
I'm not fond of marshmallows in any capacity, so it sounds like a waste of good chocolate and biscuits (or, alternatively, nasty chocolate and biscuits) to me.

Date: 2011-09-04 10:24 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ar-gemlad.livejournal.com
+1

The dislike of marshmallows has led to the discovery that toasted Haribo is very nice, if occasionally volcanic.

Date: 2011-09-02 10:07 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] keris.livejournal.com
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm smores..... :D
(Let me know if you want to try corn syrup. We have a shop here selling US imports and they often have a few odd ingredients in. Also lots of Reeses stuff. I can bring some to Whitby if needed)

Date: 2011-09-21 04:57 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] venta.livejournal.com
Strange question: do you know the name (or address) of the shop which sells imports? A friend of mine would like to know!

Date: 2011-09-21 05:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] keris.livejournal.com
I used to buy from these people, who have a wide range of groceries as well as sweets,
http://www.americansweets.co.uk/

Our local people are
http://www.4thofjuly.co.uk/
These are the ones with the shop in Coventry :) so I use them now. They don't have an ordering stuff bit of the website yet, but will do mail order if phoned.

Date: 2011-09-22 08:45 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] venta.livejournal.com
Ooh, thank you. Will pass the addresses on.
Edited Date: 2011-09-22 08:45 am (UTC)

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