Persimmons

Yesterday I went jogging with L. and F. in the stroller and B. on his bike. We went to the persimmon tree on Sare Road. All the leaves but only a few fruit had fallen, and they were ripe and delicious. Persimmonpudding.com is a website devoted to persimmons.

"Mushy Peas"

From Wikipedia:

Mushy peas are dried marrowfat peas which are first soaked overnight in water and bicarbonate of soda, and then simmered with a little sugar and salt until they form a thick green lumpy soup. Sometimes mint is used to alter the flavour. Green colouring is often used.

Three Ales

Ruddles County, from Rutland , 4.7%, calls itself a "serious country ale" and fits that well. It is not as oily as some strong ales, but is very bitter and good.

Old Hooky, from the family-run Hook Norton Brewery in Oxfordshire, 4.6%, also avoids the bad features of strong ales. It is a classic bitter, except from the bottle it is not as smooth as the best of the style. It is fizzier than I thought: I brought it home in a backpack and it exploded on me, quite humourously, when I opened it.

Cotswold Way, from Wickwar Brewing of Gloucestershire, was disappointing, much less bitter and less flavorful generally than the other two.

I tried all three in the company of Jim Alt, when he came over for supper.

Gold Label Strong Beer

Whitbread's Gold Label Very Strong Special Beer is a cheap barleywine. It is undrinkable when the can is first opened, but gets much better if it breathes for a bit. Chill it, too. 17 proof-- very strong indeed.

Sin. I'd benefit from understanding sin better. Evangelicals are to content to say something is sinful simply because the Bible tells us so. That's fine for a start, and a good "reduced form" as we say in economics. And I agree with Ockham that it is God saying something is sinful that makes it sinful, rather than God looking at something, seeing it is independent sinful, and therefore so naming it. Murder is because God says it is; God doesn't necessarily say it is sinful because it is. But there are also natural law reasons for why most sins are sins, reasons not based on divine revelation. Murder is an example-- there are good natural law reasons for it to be considered bad. But we should also look at lust, gluttony, sodomy, greed, sloth, and so forth.

Gluttony is an overlooked sin. Why is it sinful? What is it, exactly? Here are three possibilities.

1. Gluttony is poor stewardship. If I eat a lot, somebody else doesn't get to eat as much.

2. Gluttony is bestial. I degrade my humanity, and pollute God's image, by stuffing myself and by making myself fat.

3. Gluttony is distracting. I put food before God, both in my attention and when it comes to conscious tradeoffs.

These all have different implications. Thin people who don't eat much can be guilty of Type 1 and 3 gluttony.

Varietal Eggs. I hadn't seen these in America. Free-range eggs are a big deal in England, for both humanitarian and epicurean reasons. I am skeptical of the difference according to either reason. Chickens are very stupid creatures and bred for contentment in small cages. Eggs are rather distant from everyday chicken functions, and I wonder whether eating bugs and getting exercise really affects them. But I could be wrong. My wife says free-range eggs do have a different color of yolk.

Breed-Specific (Varietal) Eggs

Pork Scratchings. This British version of the pork rind is very good. All four older children like them (they're too tough for a baby). The package says, "Authentic Black Country Pork Snacks." There is a site called Pork Scratching World that ranks this brand as 7, the second highest category.

MS Pork Scratchings

Lamb Balti. I had good lamb balti tonight at an Indian restaurant in South Kensington. Wikipedia says:

Balti is the name for a style of food probably first devised and served in Birmingham, England. The first written record of the term dates to 1984. [1] ...

The name Balti food has nothing to do with an ethnic group living in India and Pakistan who are also called Balti. These Balti people are Tibetan Muslims. The food 'Balti' is named after the pot in which it is cooked. Balti food is a Punjabi recipe and prepared mainly in the Punjabi way.

The food is a hot curry-style dish, most likely taking its name from the thick flat-bottomed steel or iron pot in which it is both cooked and served. Normally the balti is served with large naan bread...

Balti combines the spices and ingredients of North Indian cuisine with the economics and efficiencies of Chinese cooking.