Old British love story stirs memories of beloved cat

Sir Seretse Khama was born to royalty in Botswana in 1921. He was was educated at Oxford University in England. One of my mother’s dear friends, Mary Bruce Stoney’s father, was a professor at Oxford and taught him. It was there Seretse met and fell in love with a white woman named Ruth Williams. In spite of obstacles and outrage, the two were married. Their relationship created a major crisis between Britain and South Africa. Their endearing love story has been made into a movie starring British actors David Oyelowo and Rosamond Pike.

We had a kitten when we were small. My mother was smitten with the story of the couple’s marriage and so our kitten was given the name Seretse Khama. Our cat was wonderful and lived a long happy life.

It has been years since I heard that name. Imagine my surprise when I read about the movie being produced that tells the story of the couple’s remarkable life. I’ll be first in line at the cinema to see the telling of their amazing life’s journey in “A United Kingdom”.

A pudding regains its name

Spotted Dick Pudding is an English treat that has been around since 1849. It is a steamed pudding containing dried fruit which gives it the spotted name. The word “dick” in England is a colloquial word for pudding.

In 2001 the name was changed to Spotted Richard by several culinary institutions. It seems there were several ladies groups who suddenly felt embarrased to order it in restaurants or ask for it in grocery stores. So the name was changed. That outraged the Pudding Club, a group of English folk who try to keep traditions alive and well. The president of the club denounced the whole affair of changing the pudding’s name, saying it was a backbone of British food and a classic.

The pudding is also called Spotted Dog. Heinz Foods sell tins of the pudding all over the world. The Times of London did a wonderful story about the whole debacle and it was very funny. Pudding purists throughout the UK are gloating.

A taste of garlic

Aioli is the French word for garlic.

In New Orleans in the old days, Creole cooks heard the word pronounced as “high holy”. It is still referred to as “high holy” at restaurants there and served with seafood of all kinds. It is delicious as a garlicky mayonnaise.

Getting to the point

I love this old saying. It gets right to the point.

“Oh I don’t know where you came from ‘cause I don’t know where you been. But it really don’t matter. Grab a chair, fill your platter and dig, dig, dig right in!”...

This story was originally published February 8, 2017 at 10:30 AM with the headline "Old British love story stirs memories of beloved cat."