Just sixteen and never seen a parsnip

[Lateralthinking1]

Quote: Lidl makes Tesco seem good: hence their slogan, "Every Lidl helps."

No one's mentioned the Aldi slogan : "Cheap enough to fill a Trabant"

[Ferretfancy]

Some veggie friends of mine who drank milk and ate cheese were completely unaware that a cow has to have a calf in order to produce milk. They were also horrified to learn that half those calves are usually boy calves, and while mum is still being milked they are destined to suffer a bad fate elsewhere.

[Mr Pee]

When I was a child we distinguished between "turnip" (hockey ball size and white flesh) and "swede" (large with orange flesh). We also though both were disgusting.

It's really very simple. This is a turnip:-




And this is a Swede:-




I think I know which one I prefer.....

[Biffo]

It must depend on the part of the country you come from. In my part of the West Riding, turnips were the large things that seem to be called swedes elsewhere. We grew naddies (turnips) but never bought them in a shop. We knew about parsnips but never ate them. Because of unfortunate wartime experiences we never had green (aka. French) beans either.

I recall a letter in The Guardian from a lady who went to a specialist sewing shop to buy a thimble. The youthful assistant had no idea what one was. When the lady explained the youth replied 'That's a good idea!'

[amateur51]

It's really very simple. This is a turnip:-




And this is a Swede:-




I think I know which one I prefer.....

Unusual to find such unreconstructed sexist garbage these days, even in Mr Pee's posts

[amateur51]

I recall a letter in The Guardian from a lady who went to a specialist sewing shop to buy a thimble. The youthful assistant had no idea what one was. When the lady explained the youth replied 'That's a good idea!'

Bliss!

[PhilipT]

A few years ago a checkout girl in a supermarket (one of the majors) was shocked to see that my shopping included a packet of sliced tongue.

[rauschwerk]

Lidl makes Tesco seem good: hence their slogan, "Every Lidl helps."

Hmmm. The excellent Tesco branch near me reputedly has a bigger selection from their Finest ranges than any other Tesco store. However, there are just a few products (swede and turnip not included) for which I insist on Waitrose's own brand (anally retentive? me?).

I eat swede ('bashed neeps') just once a year at Burns suppers. The custom there is to anoint it with Scotch.

[umslopogaas]

#3 salymap

Kohlrabi ... turnip family I assume. Spot on, Brassica oleracea Gongylodes Group, according to the RHS veg book, so it must be true. Dont ask me what the Gongylodes Group is or who else is in it, I havent the faintest idea.

This is a fascinating example of the plasticity of plants and the power of plant breeders. The wild Brassica oleracea is a small plant with narrow stem, ordinary roots, simply lobed leaves and single yellow flowers. Entirely unremarkable. By careful selection from the range of shapes and sizes that occur naturally, we have ended up with Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Calabrese, Cauliflower, Kale and Kohlrabi. You'd need to be a pretty clued-up botanist to know that they were all the same species.

We were forced to eat swede at school dinners. I loathed it and have never been near one since. Wouldnt mind a mouthful or two of Mr Pee's though.

[Stillhomewardbound]

Swede was a staple of my Irish childhood when we had no knowing of turnip. In fact, I just thought it was another word for turnip.

This was when we'd have scallions when in season (spring onions) and the sugar was produced from sugar beet.

The parsnip story is all the sadder because the lad probaly came from a home where meals were not actually cooked, but rather, prepared ie.the wrapper was taken off before being put in the microwave.

[barber olly]

Sainsbury's keeps the riff-raff out of Waitrose, Tescos keeps the even riff-raffier out of Sainsbury's, and Lidl.....no idea, never been inside one.

Live a bit and try it!

[3rd Viennese School]

I'm not sure about Mr. Pee's picture of the sweed either.

So I've saved it for further examination.

3VS

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Wouldnt mind a mouthful or two of Mr Pee's though.

I so wish you'd expressed this some other way!

[umslopogaas]

Sorry, my appetite for melons momentarily got the better of me ...

[Bryn]

When I was a child we distinguished between "turnip" (hockey ball size and white flesh) and "swede" (large with orange flesh). We also though both were disgusting.

I however always looked forward to mashed swede on the school menu. I feel a certain envy for the lad who did not know what a parsnip was. Would that I had never been introduced to this evil tap root.