Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[RED-DOG]

No caddy spoon???

Sigh....

Ah well... Add one scoop per person, and one for the pot.

ok dokey, what is it for a quick google didnt really help.

For scooping tea into yer pot

oh ok.  so for say 3 cups of tea i should do 4 spoons even if the 3 cups are going to be for me? 

How big is your spoon in relation to a caddy spoon?

[sovietsong]

No caddy spoon???

Sigh....

Ah well... Add one scoop per person, and one for the pot.

ok dokey, what is it for a quick google didnt really help.

For scooping tea into yer pot

oh ok.  so for say 3 cups of tea i should do 4 spoons even if the 3 cups are going to be for me? 

How big is your spoon in relation to a caddy spoon?

stop winding me up, i've been home without a cup of tea for about 45 mins... soon i'll be giving up and using my standard yorkshire teabag!

[RED-DOG]

No caddy spoon???

Sigh....

Ah well... Add one scoop per person, and one for the pot.

ok dokey, what is it for a quick google didnt really help.

For scooping tea into yer pot

oh ok.  so for say 3 cups of tea i should do 4 spoons even if the 3 cups are going to be for me? 

How big is your spoon in relation to a caddy spoon?

stop winding me up, i've been home without a cup of tea for about 45 mins... soon i'll be giving up and using my standard yorkshire teabag!

Ok. For 3 cups, you want 4 scoops (Spoons) not as small as a teaspoon, but not as big as a dessert spoon.

[sovietsong]

No caddy spoon???

Sigh....

Ah well... Add one scoop per person, and one for the pot.

ok dokey, what is it for a quick google didnt really help.

For scooping tea into yer pot

oh ok.  so for say 3 cups of tea i should do 4 spoons even if the 3 cups are going to be for me? 

How big is your spoon in relation to a caddy spoon?

stop winding me up, i've been home without a cup of tea for about 45 mins... soon i'll be giving up and using my standard yorkshire teabag!

Ok. For 3 cups, you want 4 scoops (Spoons) not as small as a teaspoon, but not as big as a dessert spoon.

done and done!  this better be good!  i've built it up now!

[RED-DOG]

No caddy spoon???

Sigh....

Ah well... Add one scoop per person, and one for the pot.

ok dokey, what is it for a quick google didnt really help.

For scooping tea into yer pot

oh ok.  so for say 3 cups of tea i should do 4 spoons even if the 3 cups are going to be for me? 

How big is your spoon in relation to a caddy spoon?

stop winding me up, i've been home without a cup of tea for about 45 mins... soon i'll be giving up and using my standard yorkshire teabag!

Ok. For 3 cups, you want 4 scoops (Spoons) not as small as a teaspoon, but not as big as a dessert spoon.

done and done!  this better be good!  i've built it up now!

Right. This is just a start. In future, you can adjust the amounts of tea/water/standing time to suit your taste.

[Geo the Sarge]

No caddy spoon???

Sigh....

Ah well... Add one scoop per person, and one for the pot.

Absolutely Tom,

China/ceramic pot only, none of the stainless steel stuff. Quite often I finish my brew and have another, I empty the old water but leave the tea-leaves in and top up, again adding one spoon of tea for me and another for the pot.

And as Tom has said, always warm the pot, leave to brew for 5-10 mins (longer if needs be depending how strong you want it.) The same for anyone who uses flasks or those thermos mugs, always pre-warm as the brew will stay hot for longer.

I am currently using a mix of English breakfast and Earl Grey.

I'm not a keen biscuit/sweetie man but do indulge in the odd fig roll.

Anyone visiting my house is greeted with a hello followed by "would you like a cuppa?" Friends/workmen alike, even the meter reader.

Geo

[RED-DOG]

Do you have a tea cosy?

[sovietsong]

i love english breakfast tea, its the best imo.  I defo need a tea cosy as they look amazing! 

will be drinking tea very soon...

[sovietsong]

The Verdict

Very good flavour, seems like a 'cleaner' taste if that makes sense.  Slightly stronger than I normally have it but somebody knocked on the door, and i can adjust the amount of tea next time, then again it is very good.  It was a little more faffy than using a cup and a bag but for a proper tea drinking session that involves more than one cup i will defo be doing this again. 

Is reusing the tea leafs standard practice?  The missus is home in about 45 mins and i would like to see if she can tell the difference without me telling her!

[Kev B]

 

For about thirty years I've been a lemon tea drinker first thing in the morning followed by coffee all day. The only time I drink tea is when I'm in a B&B or a hotel and have a full english. Got to have tea with a full english. 

[Geo the Sarge]

Tom,

In my Army days hygiene was of prime importance due to us living in crowded conditions for long periods at a time. This got me to thinking of how the Gypsy community dealt with this.

The image generally created of the Gypsy is off an unclean/dishevelled individual and this got me thinking that this would not be the case due to the potential of disease etc.

I googled "Gypsy hygiene" and found this site:

http://larp.com/jahavra/gypsylaw.html

One section is on Gypsy law and covers hygiene:

Most Gypsy society relies heavily on distinctions between behavior that is pure, vujo, or wuzho, and polluted, or marime'. Marime' has a duel meaning to the Gypsy. It refers both to a state of pollution or defilement as well as to the sentence of expulsion imposed for violation of purity rules or any behavior disruptive to the Gypsy community. Pollution and rejection are thus closely associated with one another. Pollution taboos and their names vary from group to group (except for certain set laws see law section) and often among smaller Gypsy units. Nevertheless Gypsies define themselves in part by their adherence to these cleanliness rituals.

Many of the traditional laws of hygiene deal with water. For example, Gypsies must wash only in running water. A shower would be acceptable, but a bath would not be, for the person would be sitting or lying in dirty stagnant water. Dishes cannot berinsed in the same sink or basin that is used for washing personal clothing. The kitchen sink is used only for washing ones dishes and therefore cannot be used for washing ones hands.

Some traditional rules might make sense to the non-gypsy. The surface of tables used for eating are kept spotless. Handkerchiefs for blowing the nose are frowned upon. They merely preserve the dirt of the nose. For this reason Gypsies prefer to blow their noses in disposable material. In any case, after blowing the nose or sneezing, one must wash before eating.

There are remedies or punishments for a person who has become unclean, or marime'. Minor offenses, clearly unintentional ones, can be forgiven by those present at the time the offense is committed. More serious ones must be dealt with by the community and, in some cases, by the Kris.


I was particularly taken by the reference to stagnant water. I have an obsessiveness about stagnat/still water. I so often chastise Mrs Geo for leaving the water in the sink after doing the dishes and quite often hover around the kitchen to ensure that once she finishes doing the dishes that I empty the sink and clear all the suds away.

Although we do have dish towels these are used mainly in leui of oven gloves, dishes are dried with kitchen roll which is immediately disposed off. Mrs Geo never, ever uses the dish towels and will always tell of any the boys should they use one to dry any kitchen equipment.

She is never without disposable tissues and is a constant nose blower but again, if I offer to buy her a proper hankie she turns up her nose with a cry off "yeeuch!! and carry all those germs about? you must be joking!!"

Geo

[sovietsong]

For about thirty years I've been a lemon tea drinker first thing in the morning followed by coffee all day. The only time I drink tea is when I'm in a B&B or a hotel and have a full english. Got to have tea with a full english. 

I'm the opposite, i normally have coffee in the morning then tea during the day.  At work they buy the worst tea bags ever, dont think i will be able to stomach it after this stuff.  just done the second cup and it was better than the first!

[sovietsong]

check this out, it looks pretty amazing!

[RED-DOG]

Tom,

In my Army days hygiene was of prime importance due to us living in crowded conditions for long periods at a time. This got me to thinking of how the Gypsy community dealt with this.

The image generally created of the Gypsy is off an unclean/dishevelled individual and this got me thinking that this would not be the case due to the potential of disease etc.

I googled "Gypsy hygiene" and found this site:

http://larp.com/jahavra/gypsylaw.html

One section is on Gypsy law and covers hygiene:

Most Gypsy society relies heavily on distinctions between behavior that is pure, vujo, or wuzho, and polluted, or marime'. Marime' has a duel meaning to the Gypsy. It refers both to a state of pollution or defilement as well as to the sentence of expulsion imposed for violation of purity rules or any behavior disruptive to the Gypsy community. Pollution and rejection are thus closely associated with one another. Pollution taboos and their names vary from group to group (except for certain set laws see law section) and often among smaller Gypsy units. Nevertheless Gypsies define themselves in part by their adherence to these cleanliness rituals.

Many of the traditional laws of hygiene deal with water. For example, Gypsies must wash only in running water. A shower would be acceptable, but a bath would not be, for the person would be sitting or lying in dirty stagnant water. Dishes cannot berinsed in the same sink or basin that is used for washing personal clothing. The kitchen sink is used only for washing ones dishes and therefore cannot be used for washing ones hands.

Some traditional rules might make sense to the non-gypsy. The surface of tables used for eating are kept spotless. Handkerchiefs for blowing the nose are frowned upon. They merely preserve the dirt of the nose. For this reason Gypsies prefer to blow their noses in disposable material. In any case, after blowing the nose or sneezing, one must wash before eating.

There are remedies or punishments for a person who has become unclean, or marime'. Minor offenses, clearly unintentional ones, can be forgiven by those present at the time the offense is committed. More serious ones must be dealt with by the community and, in some cases, by the Kris.


I was particularly taken by the reference to stagnant water. I have an obsessiveness about stagnat/still water. I so often chastise Mrs Geo for leaving the water in the sink after doing the dishes and quite often hover around the kitchen to ensure that once she finishes doing the dishes that I empty the sink and clear all the suds away.

Although we do have dish towels these are used mainly in leui of oven gloves, dishes are dried with kitchen roll which is immediately disposed off. Mrs Geo never, ever uses the dish towels and will always tell of any the boys should they use one to dry any kitchen equipment.

She is never without disposable tissues and is a constant nose blower but again, if I offer to buy her a proper hankie she turns up her nose with a cry off "yeeuch!! and carry all those germs about? you must be joking!!"

Geo

Some of this is true Geo, there is a cleanliness code, but take washing for instance, opportunities for us to wash in running water were few and far between.

We recently produced a booklet that covers this sort of thing, I'll re-produce some of it on here.

[RED-DOG]

In the meanwhile, I posted this earlier in my diary in answer to the charge that Gypsies are dirty.



Dirty. leave rubbish behind.


Gypsies are dirty, and they do leave rubbish behind. So the short answer is "Guilty as charged".

It's not as simple as that though. (You knew it wouldn't be, didn't you?)

Cleanliness is very important to Gypsies, and there is a strict code of what is and is not acceptable. Anything that does not comply with this code is considered Chickli or Mokadi.

Chickli is a simple word, it translates as "Unclean" "Dirty" or "Filthy" Mokadi on the other hand, is much more complex. It doesn't have a direct translation, in fact now that I come to try, it's really difficult to tell you what it does mean. It's a combination of all the words I've already used, "Unclean" "Dirty" "Filthy" etc, mixed with a concept of cleanliness. Imagine there is a standard, a benchmark for good practice where hygiene is concerned. Mockadi would be something that falls below that standard.

Boy! This is hard to explain in text. Let me give you an example of something that would be considered Mokadi


The kitchen sink, or the washing up bowl, is used for washing crockery, cooking and eating utensils. That's it. Period.

You can't wash you're hands or face in it, you can't clean your teeth or shave in it, and you can't be sick in it, even in an emergency. If someone did, it would be mokadi and you would have to replace the washing up bowl. In years gone by, you would have even had to replace the kitchen sink.

As time goes on, some of the more extreme mokadi laws are relaxing a little, and nowadays, if you have an enlightened wife, you might just get away with scrubbing the sink with caustic soda and then washing it out with several gallons of bleach, but in my youth, I've seen no end of very expensive Royal Worcester, Evesham, Minton, and Crown Derby crockery smashed on the spot because a dog licked it, or sniffed too close.

The only things allowed on a kitchen work surface are things specifically designed for use in the preparation and consumption of food. You can't put a shopping bag, an item of clothing, or anything else on there, otherwise, it would be mokadi

Similar mokadi laws govern things like personal hygiene, the washing and storing of underwear and bedding, the language used in the presence of girls or women, moral values, decency, modesty and so on.

Capiche?  No. I thought not. Nevermind.


Now (mokadi laws notwithstanding), there are some aspects of cleanliness that are important to others, but not so important to us, and I believe that it is from these differences (along with hundreds of years of anti Gypsy propaganda) that the concept of "Dirty Gypsy" arose.

As they go about their daily business, Gypsies don't worry too much about trying to keep their clothes, or their hands and faces clean.

Until very recently, Gypsies spent the vast majority of their waking lives outdoors. Be they working, tending livestock, hunting, making things to sell, or relaxing by the campfire, they did it outdoors. Now remember, this is not on a deck chair in the garden outdoors, or walking along a city street outdoors. This is living outdoors, in a field, or on a grass verge by the roadside.

You're hands and face get dirty, and your clothes get dirty. It's a natural state of affairs, you're not embarrassed or self conscious about it. Of course, you remove your dirty clothes and wash thoroughly before you go to bed, but no one ever sees you then.

Modern day Gypsies are a little different, but only a little. They have big (By comparison) well appointed caravans and they don't have to spend so much time outside. As a consequence they look a bit tidier, but they still spend a lot of their time outdoors and they still don't mind looking scruffy. In fact I often see Gypsy men dressed in expensive suits  (perhaps at a wedding or something) crawl under a lorry that they are interested in buying, or walk through mud a foot deep to look at some horses with never a thought for their apparel. What's more, no one at the function would bat an eyelid when they walked in all dishevelled.

The way we bring our children up means that  they are going to get dirty. We encourage them to try everything. We let them learn as many of life's lessons as they can while they are young. If they get a few knocks along the way, all the better.

Our kids are expected to learn quickly and accept responsibility early. you can't do that while worrying if your mam is going to scold you for getting your trousers dirty.

I seem to have rambled on a bit here. I've only addressed half the issue and I don't think I've done that very well.  I suppose what I'm trying to say is just because Gypsies often look dirty, it doesn't mean that they are dirty.

Well they are, but not where it matters.