From: owner-alloy-digest@smoe.org (alloy-digest) To: alloy-digest@smoe.org Subject: alloy-digest V4 #270 Reply-To: alloy@smoe.org Sender: owner-alloy-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-alloy-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk X-To-Unsubscribe: Send mail to "alloy-digest-request@smoe.org" X-To-Unsubscribe: with "unsubscribe" as the body. alloy-digest Wednesday, October 6 1999 Volume 04 : Number 270 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Alloy: Would our Alloy Londonites please check in. [CRACKERS Subject: Alloy: Would our Alloy Londonites please check in. Heard about the horrible train crash in London on this morning's news. I hope that none of our crew or those close to our crew were involved. CRACKERS (Fingers crossed from hell!!!) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 5 Oct 1999 10:17:46 -0500 From: William Krzysko Subject: RE: Alloy: weird interview/English table manners I had a similar experience when I was in Europe. It seems to be common over there for everyone to hold the fork in the left hand, and the knife in the right hand. Instead of using the fork like a shovel, they stab the food bit with it, and bring it to the mouth. Since the fork is curved, you must hold it "upside down", so the tines are pointing at the plate. When I was in Germany, I ate like an American. That is, I held the food down with the fork in my left hand, cut it with the knife in the right hand, then put the knife down, moved the fork from my left hand to my right hand, and used the right hand to pick up the food and put it in my mouth. Everywhere I went people commented on this. It seemed very strange to them. Mind you, I wasn't at any formal dinners or events, they weren't upset that it wasn't "proper", it just seemed silly to them to have to keep switching utensils from hand to hand. Since returning, I have to tried to eat in the European manner, simply because it is more efficient, but old habits die hard and I keep going back to the crude American way. - -----Original Message----- From: RThurF@aol.com [SMTP:RThurF@aol.com] Sent: Tuesday, October 05, 1999 8:11 AM To: alloy@smoe.org Subject: Alloy: weird interview/English table manners I've gotten another interview in, which I can't add to my page just yet, but I thought the beginning of it was remarkable! I thought I'd share some of it with you here. This interview is from 1984 and takes place in Los Angeles. The journalist, Vicki Greenleaf, for Modern Recording and Music magazine, introduces Thomas to her readership like so: "The bespectacled man - unable to compete with with the sex appeal of Sting of the Police or other musicians who find that part of their attraction to teenagers is their appearance - encouraged his reputation as an absent-minded professor.." Ummm.. right away I can see that this journalist and I are existing in completely different universes (shriek!!) It's always astonishing and also hilarious to hear someone else's point of view about this sort of thing. I can honestly say that in my entire life I've never looked twice at Sting or ever once thought he was sexy. Yet the instant I laid eyes on Thomas I was comatose! And I immediately found him extraordinarily sexy and very very nice to look at indeed.. The journalist then goes on to describe how long it takes Thomas to locate his room key ("supporting the rumor concerning his purported absentmindedness"...!) and later describes with detail how he goes about eating his eggs once they've begun the interview ("gripping his fork upside down in his left hand and prodding eggs benedict onto the instrument with a knife in his right hand...") Before I read the rest of this interview I think I'd better ask for some help from those of you who know about such things. In trying to imagine the scene based on the journalist's description, my mind has got him either grabbing the fork by its tines & using the handle to eat with (unlikely!) or holding it backhand in his fist so that he must twist his whole arm to get the eggs onto it (probably also wrong..!). The interviewer comments on the process as an example of Thomas being 'very much the proper Englishman'. What exactly should I be picturing? What's the proper English way to eat eggs benedict? Robin T who knows nothing of eggs, or proper English table manners! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 05 Oct 1999 13:53:34 -0700 From: Kathleen Presser Subject: Re: Alloy: weird interview/English table manners Robin, Thomas Dolby couldn't hope to have a better admirer than you. What you say about Dolby is what I have felt many times since I first saw him. Although, now, my husband is the love of my life. The indirect influence of Thomas's attitude on life and his music has helped tremendously at troublesome times and good times of my life. I'm truly blessed though to have a soulmate who likes Dolby as much as I do. I think that you don't know how deeply you love someone until you find out how much you would go out on a limb for that person. When you would go to hell and back, fight any overwhelming odds for your mate, you know how deeply in love you are. Anyway, I'll stop rambling. I always like to read what you say Robin, and I really love your website. I'm learning html myself and will be putting up my own website. Keep it up!:) Pax Aye, Kate;-) RThurF@aol.com wrote: > I've gotten another interview in, which I can't add to my page just yet, but > I thought the beginning of it was remarkable! I thought I'd share some of it > with you here. This interview is from 1984 and takes place in Los Angeles. > The journalist, Vicki Greenleaf, for Modern Recording and Music magazine, > introduces Thomas to her readership like so: > > "The bespectacled man - unable to compete with with the sex appeal of Sting > of the Police or other musicians who find that part of their attraction to > teenagers is their appearance - encouraged his reputation as an absent-minded > professor.." > > Ummm.. right away I can see that this journalist and I are existing in > completely different universes (shriek!!) It's always astonishing and also > hilarious to hear someone else's point of view about this sort of thing. I > can honestly say that in my entire life I've never looked twice at Sting or > ever once thought he was sexy. Yet the instant I laid eyes on Thomas I was > comatose! And I immediately found him extraordinarily sexy and very very nice > to look at indeed.. > > The journalist then goes on to describe how long it takes Thomas to locate > his room key ("supporting the rumor concerning his purported > absentmindedness"...!) and later describes with detail how he goes about > eating his eggs once they've begun the interview ("gripping his fork upside > down in his left hand and prodding eggs benedict onto the instrument with a > knife in his right hand...") > > Before I read the rest of this interview I think I'd better ask for some help > from those of you who know about such things. In trying to imagine the scene > based on the journalist's description, my mind has got him either grabbing > the fork by its tines & using the handle to eat with (unlikely!) or holding > it backhand in his fist so that he must twist his whole arm to get the eggs > onto it (probably also wrong..!). The interviewer comments on the process as > an example of Thomas being 'very much the proper Englishman'. What exactly > should I be picturing? What's the proper English way to eat eggs benedict? > > Robin T > who knows nothing of eggs, or proper English table manners! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 05 Oct 1999 23:38:05 +0100 From: Slarvibarglhee Subject: Re: Alloy: weird interview/English table manners RThurF@aol.com wrote: > > > The journalist then goes on to describe how long it takes Thomas to locate > his room key ("supporting the rumor concerning his purported > absentmindedness"...!) and later describes with detail how he goes about > eating his eggs once they've begun the interview ("gripping his fork upside > down in his left hand and prodding eggs benedict onto the instrument with a > knife in his right hand...") > > Before I read the rest of this interview I think I'd better ask for some help > from those of you who know about such things. In trying to imagine the scene > based on the journalist's description, my mind has got him either grabbing > the fork by its tines & using the handle to eat with (unlikely!) or holding > it backhand in his fist so that he must twist his whole arm to get the eggs > onto it (probably also wrong..!). The interviewer comments on the process as > an example of Thomas being 'very much the proper Englishman'. What exactly > should I be picturing? What's the proper English way to eat eggs benedict? > > Robin T > who knows nothing of eggs, or proper English table manners! The 'proper' way for we British to use a knife and fork is as follows :- The knife is held in the right hand, and kept there throughout the eating process. The fork is held in the left hand throughout the process, but with the curve of the tines upwards i.e. so the fork is the opposite of a 'scoop.' The food is held down with the fork and cut with the knife, then the food is pushed on to the fork with the flat of the knife (if you're having meat and veg, you'd perhaps spear some veg with the fork, then spear the piece of meat you'd just cut and put the whole lot in your mouth). I think this is what the interviewer is interpreting as being 'very much the Englishman.' As I understand it the American way is to cut up our food and then transfer the fork to the right hand to eat it with. If it's any consolation, we find the American way totally illogical, but I suppose it's just a case of the way you've been brought up. Slarv Esq. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 5 Oct 1999 19:47:49 EDT From: RThurF@aol.com Subject: Re: Alloy: websites/Dolby (was: weird interview/English table manners) Thanks for your compliments Kate, you've made my whole day :) !! I'm happy you like my website so far. I can't wait to see what you make once you learn how to do code. One day I should learn this too I suppose..! Remember, too, Thomas has asked for Alloy members' Dolby-related links for the FES... and I'd like *all* possible member pages linked to mine, which I'll get to asap... so please kindly email me privately with your information as soon as your page is up if I don't already have it (This goes for all of Alloy's membership, if you're not already linked :) Thanks, Kate, for your - much needed! - encouragement! Personally I feel very fortunate to have found Alloy & to have been among so many like-minded, friendly and welcoming admirers of Thomas Dolby all these years! I certainly do admire Thomas very deeply for all that I've come to know of him. When I think of his brilliant artist's mind at work, it sets me dreaming. I'd love to see ALL of his ideas come to fruition (though from what I've heard in the past, I feel there may be more than enough for a hundred lifetimes..!) Thanks again Kate :) ! Robin T ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 5 Oct 1999 20:31:14 EDT From: RThurF@aol.com Subject: Re: Alloy: Would our Alloy Londonites please check in. In a message dated 10/5/99 2:02:52 PM Eastern Daylight Time, ad329@hwcn.org writes: :: Heard about the horrible train crash in London on this morning's news. I hope that none of our crew or those close to our crew were involved. :: I hadn't heard about this crash... what happened?! I'd love it, too, if the London branch of Alloy would check in, and those with family there... please let us know you're okay. Robin T ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 5 Oct 1999 22:31:24 -0400 (EDT) From: Chris Cracknell Subject: Re: RE: Alloy: weird interview/English table manners In article <01BF0F1A.DB5E2610.krzysko@castwell.com>, you wrote: >When I was in Germany, I ate like an American. That is, I held the food >down with the fork in my left hand, cut it with the knife in the right >hand, then put the knife down, moved the fork from my left hand to my right >hand, and used the right hand to pick up the food and put it in my mouth. >Everywhere I went people commented on this. It seemed very strange to them. ~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^ Seems pretty strange to me too. In Canada we employ the knife and fork in pretty much the same fashion as described by Slarvi. Granted I discovered in my travels through India and the Middle East that eating with the fork in the left hand is a big faux pas. CRACKERS (Sinister forks from hell!!!!!!) - -- Collector of Atari 2600 carts - Accordionist - Bira Bira Devotee - Anime fan * http://www.hwcn.org/~ad329/crab.html | Crackers' Arts Base * * http://www.angelfire.com/ma/hozervideo/index.html | Hozer Video Games * Nihongo ga dekimasu - 2600 programmer - Father of 2 great kids - Canadian eh ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 5 Oct 1999 22:35:11 -0400 (EDT) From: CRACKERS Subject: Re: Alloy: Would our Alloy Londonites please check in. On Tue, 5 Oct 1999 RThurF@aol.com wrote: > I hadn't heard about this crash... what happened?! > > I'd love it, too, if the London branch of Alloy would check in, and those > with family there... please let us know you're okay. A nasty commuter train collision in London with many dead and hundreds injured. The first thing I though when I heard the news was "I hope none of the alloy crew and their loved ones were on those trains." Please check in gang and let us know you're okay. CRACKERS (Getting nervous from hell!!) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 05 Oct 1999 20:13:29 -0700 From: Robyn Moore Subject: Re: Alloy: weird interview/English table manners At 03:38 PM 10/5/99 , you wrote: >The 'proper' way for we British to use a knife and fork is as follows :- > >The knife is held in the right hand, and kept there throughout the eating >process. > >The fork is held in the left hand throughout the process, but with the curve of >the tines upwards i.e. so the fork is the opposite of a 'scoop.' > >The food is held down with the fork and cut with the knife, then the food is >pushed on to the fork with the flat of the knife (if you're having meat and >veg, >you'd perhaps spear some veg with the fork, then spear the piece of meat you'd >just cut and put the whole lot in your mouth). > >I think this is what the interviewer is interpreting as being 'very much the >Englishman.' As I understand it the American way is to cut up our food and >then >transfer the fork to the right hand to eat it with. If it's any >consolation, we >find the American way totally illogical, but I suppose it's just a case of the >way you've been brought up. > >Slarv Esq. As a left-handed American, my style is somewhere inbetween. I hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right, but when I'm done cutting (or if cutting isn't involved) I turn the fork over and eat with it tines up or 'scoop' style. Robyn M @ Robyn Moore @ http://www.alveus.com/kbrm/robyn.html @ You knew the job was dangerous when you took it. - S.C. ------------------------------ End of alloy-digest V4 #270 ***************************