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This evening I stirred up a batch of Brunswick stew, with some dumplings made with masa flour (cooked in a separate pot, since stews do grow!). It turned out very tasty, though I suspect vatine is just about corn-and-beaned-out by now.

Deary me. While the chicken was stewing, I decided to hit Google and see if any ingredients from other recipes caught my fancy--this could not have been an excuse to put off chopping onions, oh no. How sheltered I have been. There actually appears to be some bizarre Eurocentric argument over when and where this particular type of stew originated: one consisting largely of game meat, beans, corn, peppers (both sweet and chile)*, potatoes, and tomatoes. Not just when and where it started being called "Brunswick stew," but when in the 19th Century someone in Virginia, Georgia, or even North Carolina came up with the idea off the top of his head. (It must have been "his," as these things go.)

I am trying to think of some typically British dish, using native foodstuffs, which I could claim to have invented in Romford over the past few years, but various potato permutations keep tripping me up.

Sometimes it's hard to keep laughing. *shakes head*

* Maybe the stew is best made using Tennessee Cheese-type peppers, which obviously started off in Spain. In fact, de Soto's crew were so busy spreading seeds for the zillion similar varieties of peppers all over the Southeast, it's amazing they found time to throw people to the dogs.

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I didn't trek out to the fish store in Basildon today, largely because I didn't get around to picking up a Plexiglas lid for that tank so far. The cover that came with it wouldn't fit once I got the Arc Pod light clamped on, and the makeshift pane of glass solution left a gap at the back where the clamp fits on. I'm thinking I'll just need to get a bigger piece and cut it myself, or ask Ingvar to talk to the nice man behind the counter in B&Q. *shakes head* Actually, I will probably persist in trying to wait out this spell of shyness dealing with people in shops unless it drags on.

Instead, I made a Tesco run, and only realized after I got home why I spent most of the time in there thinking, "Hmm, I could have sworn they had a bigger section, and it was over there instead" and similar: yep, all those things are in a different store location. Half the reason I went there today instead of to the Russian/African/Caribbean place that's closer (with a side trip to the local Sainsbury's) is that they have cornmeal, and it's more anonymous. I know this is the U.K., but it still feels odd that the local corner shop doesn't carry at least a couple of kinds of it, much less a largish supermarket like the local Sainsbury's. Iceland across the street used to stock the Dunn's River yellow stuff that Tesco carries, but they have done away with their whole "ethnic" section amongst a shedload of their non-frozen stock. The other shop carries Iwisa ("war club"?), which is delicious--and I prefer the white anyway.* So I only got a kilo today. The Dunn's River is OK, but the color is still offputting. :)

I may not need them, but I couldn't resist picking up some chocolaty coconut macaroons in the Free From section. The Mrs. Trimble's are very tempting indeed. I gave in and made a pan of brownies last week, but am still trying to stay away from sugary things.

It's obvious I've been cleaning the main aquarium more lately. The fishies aren't darting around like mad and shying away from the siphon tube now. Cucumber in particular was investigating it, and nibbling/brushing up against my fingers. It was fairly cool in a ticklish goldfishy way. Then again, they have been getting partial water changes a couple of times a week lately, and Lobsterback's little fin problem is clearing up well.

Speaking of such ailments, I wish we had gotten Mirrors to the vet earlier with his crusties. I really had no idea how bad it was until he needed the clippers again--but I'd forgotten how the fleas survive the winter here, and had stopped Frontlining him. That fur could hide another cat! He went last week, and got a cortisone shot and one of antibiotics, in case there was secondary infection. Now he is acting more himself than he had in probably a year. Instead of dashing away from Feist and especially the Punkin, and hiding on top of the aquarium in the bedroom, he is launching himself at them in a half-playful way. Frequently. They seem surprised, to say the least. He has been staying inside and wanting petted a lot, and even playing with one of the fishing pole toys when other cats are around. He is actually bouncing again, when he had started acting like an old crock. I feel rather bad about not attributing some of his behavior to his skin, but am very glad he's feeling good now.