Generals gather in their masses

[venta]

Two completely unrelated polls:

[Poll #1867260]

Please be honest. This is the difference between "oh, really?" and "ha, Jamie, see! I was right, I was right!"

[Poll #1867261]

Comments

[sushidog.livejournal.com]

Ham (assuming you're talking about actual gammon, rather than pasty-looking wet slices of reformed pig) is practically bacon, and bacon is best. Also, ham doesn't mind being over-cooked a bit, whereas pork does, so I go with ham.

Since when have the Royal Mail started dictating when you can open your mail? That's really weird. I'd be torn on opening it; on the one hand, I would suspect that the label may be a joke or something, ad not as official as it looks. On the other hand, what if it is? And it's only one day to wait...

[venta.livejournal.com]

I think that, deep down, I have read too many fairy stories and thus hope that one by following arbitrary dictats in circumstances where the dictator couldn't know whether I had or not, I will be richly rewarded :)

ChrisC's moderately sensible suggestion was that it might contain (eg) an album which isn't released til tomorrow and was intended to arrive tomorrow, but has inexplicably got here early.

[sushidog.livejournal.com]

But why would the Royal Mail care if you get your album before its official release? I can see a record company wanting to keep it under wraps until the right day, but RM?

So yes, I go with the fairy-tale option; it's a test, and next week an old lady will ask you to help with some menial task. If you keep the parcel closed until tomorrow and do a good turn for a poor stranger, you'll end up being able to make diamonds out of hay or something!

[venta.livejournal.com]

I could believe a situation arises where (a) a shipper cares that its customers get its album on release date, (b) a record label cares that no one gets its album before release date and (c) the Royal Mail can't get its finger out to actually guarantee delivery on the right date. This could then be a rather flaky compromise between the three parties.

I have no evidence that this happens, by the way. And surely no one releases albums on Fridays anyway.

I shall be wary of suspiciously poverty-stricken/elderly/short persons addressing me in the coming week.

[sushidog.livejournal.com]

You will let us know when you do open it, right?

[venta.livejournal.com]

Providing it doesn't contain a piece of paper saying "do not tell anyone about this", of course I will!

[phlebas.livejournal.com]

Music and DVDs: Mondays
Comics: Wednesdays
Video games: Fridays
Books: random

Have you preordered a video game or a book?

[venta.livejournal.com]

Me? Preorder video games? Goodness no :)

[lnr]

Oh I was thinking at a carvery the ham would be a big ham joint - which I definitely think of as different from and superior to gammon.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I am hopelessly confused about the words ham and gammon :( Having done a bit of googling, so is everyone else.

I reckon gammon is cured, but uncooked, pork meat. If you cook it, it becomes ham.

So this was a big joint, carved in front of us (rather than ready-sliced ham). I'm confused by your "superior to gammon", as I don't know what you mean by gammon there! A gammon steak?

[lnr]

To me gammon has a erm, shinier texture. But maybe you're right and it is just a difference between cooked and uncooked, in which case I don't really know why I'd think ham is better. Perhaps it is just that if you cook it as a whole joint it's nicer than when cooked as a steak? Gammon steaks often seem to be really salty too - in a way that whole cooked hams don't (whether hot or cold). Hmm. Perhaps I have been foolish to have been put off by whole gammon compared to whole ham!

[venta.livejournal.com]

I have no idea - with a bit of luck someone will informed will come and be authoritative at us!

[lnr]

I've seen one suggestion that gammon is cured as part of a whole side of pig and then cut up, and that ham is cut into lumps first before curing - I can see why that might give them slightly different textures.

[metame.livejournal.com]

As a tiny piece of additional data: In Spain the ham is certainly cured as entire legs.
Intoducing other country's ideas is bound to help clarify things, right?

[venta.livejournal.com]

Not quite as much as if you introduced ideas from the US, but pretty useful, yes :)