Will the Dishes of Downton Abbey Soon Include Those of Liverpool?

Viewers worldwide gasped when the plot of Downton Abbey took a tragic turn and the kind Lady Sybil suddenly died in childbirth. Left behind is her Irish husband, Tom Branson, the former chauffeur to Sybil's father, Robert, the Earl of Grantham and a small baby girl.

To say the least, Branson's character is that of man caught in the contradictions of the changing age. He longs to be free of the constraints imposed by British policies yet he is, by his very struggle against it, part of that tradition - so much so he secretly loves and marries the young Sybil, whose own family represents the very heritage he rebells against.   

On her death, he is lost, adrift in an elite family foreign in its tradition to all he knows and values. He is Catholic; they are members of the Church of England. He has worked his whole life; their wealth has protected them from the daily grind of labor. He has been their servant; they expect to be served.

The only bridge between these two vastly different worlds is one small baby.

Yet Tom, supported by the younger members of the Crawley family, desires to leave the Abbey and rebuild his life as an auto mechanic in Liverpool with his daughter by his side. Time (and future episodes) will reveal if he is successful.

But if he does go to Liverpool, he will find a world stunningly different from the green meadows and quiet forests of Downton. It was (and is) an industrial port city full of sound and motion, commerce and change. 

Even the regional dishes enjoyed there tell of a practical people grounded in a hardened reality so different from the genteel estate atmosphere of Downton.

Perhaps the most outstanding example of this is scouse, a hardy stew. Made from either lamb or beef, it was first brought to Liverpool's tavern by sailors fond of their ship's food. 

The stew became so popular its name has come to proudly represent all those born in Liverpool down to today. At football (soccer) and rugby matches, t-shirts are worn in abundance declaring "Scouse & Proud" while others wave signs that read "Keep Calm, Life Is Never Perfect but Being Scouse Is Close Enough".

One can only wonder if little Sybil, who was named after her deceased mother, will develop such a strong personality if she does go to Liverpool to live with her father? Should make a great story turn, no?  

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

There Is No Game like THE GAME Between Yale and Harvard for Tailgating Fun

November 19^th is fast approaching and that can only mean one thing - The Harvard - Yale Game is scheduled for one more mighty confrontation of brawn and brain.

Since 1875, there's been a game. For years it was called either "the Yale - Harvard Game", if one attended Yale or "the Harvard - Yale game" if one went to Harvard. 

Then in the late 1940s, the famous sport columnist Red Smith wrote about the game as “The Game” and the name stuck. Why such praise?  

Because as one of the first games ever played at the university level, this annual contest of Ivy League will significantly defined the game of American football, making it ‘the” major college sport in the U.S. 

This legacy would continue through the years, leading to such memorable games as the 1968 contest when the battered Harvard team made a miraculous last-moment comeback, scoring 16 points in the final 42 seconds to tie a highly acclaimed Yale squad. The next day the Harvard headlines read with justifiable pride, "Harvard beats Yale 29 - 29". 

This year The Game is at New Haven and Yale can’t wait to welcome the hardy Harvard Pilgrims (players, students and fans) down from Cambridge, near Boston.

Besides hoping to break a sad record of five years of straight losses, Yale students and alumni are also looking forward to enjoying another great tailgating event for which they are truly famous.   

And while the University administration has issued various 'rules of engagement' (no under 21 drinking, beverage ID wrist bands required, gas grills only and no glass bottles), that won’t stop the fun, given the combined IQ of both schools.

The joint student bodies are sure to enjoy beer and any other spirited beverage obtainable in the nearby vicinity. Food to hopefully balance the liquid intake is kindly being provided by Yale University’s College dining halls.

Those who have graduated have a far more elegant spread at their disposal be it from the assorted alumni groups or various association hospitality tents. Here the fare is far more gourmet and the beverages as memorable as the fabled ivy covered walls of Yale and Harvard.

If distance or duty keeps you from The Game, you can still enjoy the tradition and heritage of it all with these classic cocktails – ones sure to be enjoyed by many while waiting for The Game (and the fun) to begin. (Will M.I.T. appear and try another of their infamous pranks? Who knows).

Good luck all and remember classes (and work) commence once again, bright and early, on Monday morning.

Harvard Cooler

1/2 tsp. superfine sugar
2 oz. carbonated water
2 oz. applejack

Stir sugar and carbonated water together in a 12 oz. Collins glass. Fill with cracked ice and add applejack. Top off with more carbonated water, or ginger ale. Insert spiral of orange or lemon peel over the rim of the glass.

Yale Punch

1 tsp. sugar dissolved in a little water
1 or 3 dashes lemon juice
1 or 2 dashes lime juice
2 or 3 dashes raspberry syrup
2 or 3 dashes Bénédictine
1/2 oz. St. Croix rum (probably any decent dark rum will do here)
2 oz. brandy (the recipe specifies Hennessey)

Mix with ice in a glass. Garnish with mint. 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011