Tuesday, November 20, 2007

American Gingerbread


The house is filled with the rich aroma of warm gingerbread. Thanks to Juliet over at the Muddy Island, I now have the recipe for the gorgeous cake we tasted at the American Museum on our recent trip to Bath. Juliet tells me the recipe is attributed to none less than George Washington's mother.
It looks and smells superb and I hope my daughter and her husband will enjoy it when I take it up to London on Thursday. But first I have to cut a large slice for Peter, by way of an apology for an exchange of mutual misunderstandings on another post.

10 comments:

  1. Mmmm...

    Let's see, how about two large slices and then you are completely forgiven? :-)

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  2. PS It was Skipper I was mad at really!

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  3. Ahah! You got there before me - I knew you would! I've been meaning to make some for the last six weekends at least . . . I may just manage some for Christmas at this rate.

    Enjoy!

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  4. The smell is heavenly, Juliet. I just hope the cake survives until we get to London!

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  5. Thanks, monix. For your gingerbread I'm prepared to be perfectly shameless.

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  6. PS It was Skipper I was mad at really!

    Why?

    (Not a rhetorical question, BTW).

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  7. Skipper, you're not trying to free-ride your way to a slice of gingerbread, are you? ;-)

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  8. Skipper - what annoyed me about your comments? Your absolute cetainty that you are right and anyone who holds an alternative view is not only wrong but gaining an unjust benefit from your actions.

    I've seen your argument on erp's blog, too and it appears to me to simply be a restatement and reinforcement of what you have said here.

    I'm interested in hearing what you have to say and in trying to understand your views but I'm far from agreeing with you. I don't see why that should call down insults on my head.

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  9. monix:

    I don't see why that should call down insults on my head.

    Well, nothing I said constitutes an insult; rather, they are conclusions about pacifism.

    If I am right, then pacifists are free riders, pure and simple. (NB: this is an economics term, not a personal insult.)

    But rather than accuse me of bad manners or unwarranted certainty -- ad hominem attacks -- point out where my argument fails.

    If you cannot, then perhaps pacifism is an ideal not worth having.

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  10. Skipper, I apologise for having lost my temper.

    In discussions with erp, I learned that your use of the term 'free rider' was not the insult that I had understood it to be. To call someone a free loader or sponger here, which I thought you were doing, is to call them a parasite on society. I cannot think of a worse insult. So, I took it personally and on behalf of the Quakers, whom you were criticising.

    I also think the term 'pacifist' is used in a specific, political way in your arguments. Again, reading erp's comments, it seems 'pacifist' would describe people that I would understand to be militant anti-war protestors or even anarchists. I would not describe those people as pacifist; they would, to me, be like the pro-lifers who would kill their opponents to illustrate their value of life!
    It was Duck who described me as an 'old peacenik' because I would always see war as a failure of mankind to sort itself out. That said, while not supporting the politics of war, I would always support the troops because (you won't like this!) I see them as victims of the political machine.

    I have no desire to win any argument with you, Skipper. You can express your views and I will respect your right to hold them.

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I love to read your comments and promise that I will reply as soon as I can leave my garden, sewing room or kitchen!