# Childhood food misconceptions **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 31, 2015, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823 "2015-12-31T15:46:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/161 "2016-01-15T18:36:50Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > The names of lots of English dishes sounded really bizarre. There is some Christmas thing - not plum pudding - but something else that sounds very bizarre. Sorry, I can’t remember what it is now. Spotted dick? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/162 "2016-01-15T18:41:37Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Spotted dick? :dubious: Spotted Dick isn’t a Christmas thing. Figgy Pudding is though. From the lyrics to We Wish You a Merry Christmas: > [@](#): > > Oh, bring us a figgy pudding; > Oh, bring us a figgy pudding; > Oh, bring us a figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer > We won’t go until we get some; > We won’t go until we get some; > We won’t go until we get some, so bring some out here ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/163 "2016-01-15T18:48:16Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > Spotted Dick isn’t a Christmas thing. Maybe not, but it sure sounds bizarre! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/164 "2016-01-15T18:48:39Z")
I had the misconception that [Yorkshire pudding](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorkshire_pudding) is anything like [chocolate pudding](http://www.finecooking.com/cms/uploadedimages/Images/Cooking/Articles/Issues_111-120/051115083-02-milk-chocolate-pudding-recipe_xlg.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/165 "2016-01-15T19:36:30Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > When I first heard the term “soda fountain” I assumed it meant a drinking fountain that soda came out of. I had never seen one, but I knew they must exist somewhere, so I tested every drinking fountain I came across. My mother noticed this and asked what I was doing. When I explained, she told me the disappointing truth. This! ☹ (My heart still gives a tiny flutter when I see the words to this day. And I don’t drink soda much anymore. It sounds so Willy Wonka.) ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/166 "2016-01-15T19:48:04Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Maybe not, but it sure sounds bizarre! :eek: As much to us as it does to you, trust me! ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/167 "2016-01-15T19:49:52Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > **EW!** :eek: What Metro station was this??? It’s been nearly 20 years since I spent any time in Moscow, but the Metro at the train station going to Belarus and points west (Belorusski station?); IIRC the station was a hub with two different line meeting there. I remember being freaked out when the story broke because I ate there every day, but then I saw the woman who sold the ones I bought after news of the arrest so she wasn’t the cannibal cook (or at least, not the one that was caught). ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/168 "2016-01-15T19:50:38Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > When I first heard the term “soda fountain” I assumed it meant a drinking fountain that soda came out of. Fun Fact: These got started in drug stores to mix soda water with medicinal syrups like Dr Pemberton’s Coca-Cola. They evolved into lunch counters and ice-cream parlors by the beginning of the 20th century. The ice-cream sundae was invented to please the Temperance Movement, which objected to the use of soda water when making ice-cream sodas on the Sabbath: No mixer, please, just ice cream and syrup! These were originally known as “Sunday sodas.” The spelling was later changed to please the religious contingent in American society. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/169 "2016-01-15T19:59:11Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I remember being freaked out when the story broke because I ate there every day, but then I saw the woman who sold the ones I bought after news of the arrest so she wasn’t the cannibal cook (or at least, not the one that was caught). When I read your first post, I immediately thought of **this movie:** [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/oYunn4xfWYc/maxresdefault.jpg "The Mad Butcher (1971) - Trailer") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYunn4xfWYc) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/170 "2016-01-15T20:06:57Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > It’s been nearly 20 years since I spent any time in Moscow, but the Metro at the train station going to Belarus and points west (Belorusski station?); IIRC the station was a hub with two different line meeting there. My ex was living there when we first met. There was also a Baskin–Robbins, a Canadian Bagel, a fried chicken place, and a hobby shop with model airplanes right around the corner. I hung out there a lot! :o ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/171 "2016-01-15T20:38:50Z")
When I was there (mid-90s) there was a huge ex-Soviet bakery next to the stop and everything smelled like sugar. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/172 "2016-01-15T23:51:30Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Maybe not, but it sure sounds bizarre! :eek: Yorkshire Pudding. That’s the one. Perhaps not as bizarre as I remembered. But there are many, many other bizarre British dishes. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/173 "2016-01-15T23:56:09Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Yorkshire Pudding. That’s the one. Yorkshire pudding is a Christmas dish? 😕 Don’t think so! I love Yorkshire pudding with roast beef, brown gravy, and steamed peas. But it’s definitely not sweet. Just batter baked in beef fat. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/174 "2016-01-16T00:00:13Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > When I was there (mid-90s) there was a huge ex-Soviet bakery next to the stop and everything smelled like sugar. That may have been where Canadian Bagel set up. Depends on which exit you used. A few years back, they opened up a new exit 'way on the other side of the square/parking lot. You no longer have to navigate your way over Tverskaya aboveground, which was a real bitch once they closed the pedestrian tunnels for renovation. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/175 "2016-01-16T04:32:08Z")
Wait a minute… I thought that the primary meaning of “pudding” was what we Americans call “dessert”, any sweet dish served after a meal. And the secondary meaning of “pudding”, which accounts for black pudding, white pudding, and the like, is anything boiled. But now you’re telling me that there’s also a non-sweet pudding that’s baked in fat? In what sense is that a “pudding”? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/176 "2016-01-16T04:42:55Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Wait a minute… I thought that the primary meaning of “pudding” was what we Americans call “dessert”, any sweet dish served after a meal. And the secondary meaning of “pudding”, which accounts for black pudding, white pudding, and the like, is anything boiled. But now you’re telling me that there’s also a non-sweet pudding that’s baked in fat? In what sense is that a “pudding”? That’s what YP is. You make a batter and pour it into a hot muffin tin that’s full of melted beef fat, then stick it in the oven. You eat the pastry with roast beef and gravy. It’s eggy, but not sweet. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/177 "2016-01-16T05:18:34Z")
Yes, yes, I got that. But in what sense is it a pudding? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/178 "2016-01-16T05:26:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Yes, yes, I got that. But in what sense is it a pudding? Damned if I know! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/179 "2016-01-16T05:36:25Z")
“Pudding” in this sense would seem to mean “side dish” instead of “dessert.” Maybe sweet puddings were once also considered side dishes, just served at the end of a meal. Another example is bread pudding. Yes, you can have it for dessert, but you could also eat it along with poultry, for example. Insofar as I have a best guess, that would be it. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823/180 "2016-01-16T08:10:12Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > … Another example is bread pudding. Yes, you can have it for dessert, but you could also eat it along with poultry, for example. Well, you _could_ insofar as there’s nothing actually stopping you, but you might well be the first person ever recorded as doing so. You’re confusing bread pudding with bread sauce. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-food-misconceptions/741823.md?page=10)