Banana's Beard Emporium - The Off-Topic Chat Thread

A cucumber is a fruit.

 

Not bad, though I'd personally skip the cucumber there.

 

Its culinary use is as a vegetable, therefore I'm counting a vegetable. Same for tomatoes and aubergines. They're vegetables.

 

I like the watery texture it adds, a personal taste, I understand if it's not for most people. It saves me the hassle of having to pick up my glass of water.

 

When I put pear in a salad, is it a vegetable?

 

Incorporating hydration into your food to maximise efficiency. I like it. Cucumber is good in a hoisin duck wrap.

 

That's one of life's great mysteries. Basically, I'm just trying to avoid tired and unnecessary pedantry.

It is, but I don't have the energy or culinary skill to make a hoisin duck wrap. I'm just grateful my local Chinese puts cucumber in them for me.

 

Shakeaway use cucumbers in one of their smoothies. You can get tomato juice as well.

 

You have referred to [aubergines] or mentioned three of my favourite things from adult experience. Ouzo, I can leave aside as it is usually spiced with anise. Raki also has anise added, but I love the pure variety. If I ever go to Crete again, that will be my first port of call, alcohol wise. Gorgeous, and no headache.

Just thought of my first real wowee experience with aubergine, in the early 1980s - Brinjal Bhaji. Who could forget that..? Brinjal pickle is also superb.

 

They also use Oreos in lots of stuff and I'm assuming an Oreo is probably not a fruit.

 

Point is, particularly with tomatoes, they can be used like a traditional fruit.

 

But they're usually not.

 

Granted. Anyway this is getting pointless. I was mainly joking when I pointed out that a cucumber is a fruit anyway. I call a cucumber a fruit because it is.

 

Last time I was in Turkey with friends, we were at an all-inclusive, 24-hour bar, and decided to try and get through every cocktail on the menu. When it came to asking for a daiquiri, the bartender had no idea what I was saying (he probably thought it was pronounced very differently). After repeating myself three or four times, he walked away and came back with half a pint of raki. No idea what he was thinking.

Yes I drank it.

Well it's certainly one of my five a day.

 

Is it..?

I know tomatoes are, though you wouldn't believe it from the ones we have here, or the so-called sweet ones you can buy. In Crete [Joe! mentioned that wonderful destination elsewhere] they are actually sweet. Nowadays, I tend to find tomatoes boring in this country unless cooked, but Cretan tomatoes are pretty damn fine. When cooking tomatoes, I always use Italian Plum variety. Just the right texture and juice for cooking.

 

Tom and Dan both dislike tomatoes if I remember correctly.

It is true that they're tasteless here, mainly because the climate has to be just right, and they lose their flavour very quickly after they're picked. Gotta be in the Med for good tomatoes.

 

Love tomatoes.

 

Oh it's cheese you don't like isn't it. Or chocolate. Something crazy.

 

You remember correctly for me. I like ketchup, tomato soup, tomato puree on pizza etc but for some reason, not pure tomatoes. I like cheese and chocolate though because I'm not a lunatic.

 

Well, people put pineapple on pizza. I don't get that.

To me a pizza should be concentrated cooked tomato, anchovies, black olives and black pepper on a soft base. And not round either. And no cheese. That's an American invention.