Comment on Staff Report
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mspotteddick.html
Is it just me, or does suet pudding sound almost too disgusting to eat? Isn’t suet just another name for lard? 
Spotted dick is Gods own work. It’s what he came up with on the day he rested.
Suet is the fat from around the kidneys and doesn’t taste anything like lard. (There is a vegetarian version, but I wouldn’t know about that).
As any English ex public school boy of a certain age about spotted dick and we will, to a man, turn into Homer Simpson clones.
Hmmm…spotted dick hmmmmm…
It has to be with Birds custard though.
Speak for yourself. The only good food my lot turned out was eggy-bread.
Hmmm . . . eggy-bread . . . Hmmmm
Perhaps it’s worth noting that ‘dick’ is the German word for ‘thick’ or ‘fat.’ Seems quite suitable as an origin for the nickname. Any credence?
Oliver
I notice that the article linked to in the OP is dated 27-August-2002. As I write this, it is now 23-August-2002.
I know I’m in the Pacific Time Zone and that, therefore, everyone else’s clocks are several hours ahead of mine – but I didn’t think I was behind by four whole days! :eek:
The penis meaning of dick is an americanism and does not immediately occur to Brits. Get over it!
Umm. Brit here (as is Owl). If somebody shouts “Dick”, I think of dick first and Dick second.
I would also never call a Richard “Dick” unless I first knew that that was their preference. Well, there was one guy that I kept calling Dick, but that was just to wind him up - worked a treat 
.
But mention “fanny” and watch them Brits howl.
Dex Did you write this column or did Cecil?
Note that the first thing after the question in the column is
Did you just “out” yourself or is their another explanation?
[sucking up](I always thought those stories about Ed were hooey. You were my first choice as Cecil). [/sucking up]
their=there in the US :o
…and now, I just read the disclaimer that SDstaff reports are edited by Ed Zotti.
Hmmm? What does that mean?
If Dex is Cecil, but people think Ed is Cecil, but Ed edits SDstaff reports, then Ed allowed this one to go through, implying that…
Ouch! I need a Tylenol!
Forgive me, for I am a vegetarian as well as an American…why would anyone WANT to eat fat from around the kidneys? Or eat kidneys for that matter…they are filtering organs and who knows what nastiness passed through the kidneys before they were consumed! All I know of suet is that it comes in rather nasty little blocks that are rolled in birdseed and hung outside on trees for our feathered friends, who also seem to enjoy it. I will try to locate a recipe for spotted dick online somewhere, because all I can imagine is blocks of fat, sweetened, no doubt and studded with raisins or currants…yummy! What is Birds custard, I hesitate to ask…
Finally, somebody willing to apologise for being American .
Just for that, here’s a recipe.
Bird’s custard is just a custard made by a company (or actually now a brand) called Bird’s :). See here for a picture and here for rough ingredients.
As a vegetarian, I suspect you’ll never understand the delights of kidneys. Hell, as an omnivore, I don’t either (but school food ruined them for me).
its a kind of sponge. It isn’t fatty. It is very filling though.
We all have our cross to bear.
I’ve become partial to Marks and Spencer ready-to-go custard. It’s ‘nice’ in a smart but casual sport shirt way. I think it’s something to do with the time of life.
The typo has been fixed.
The explanation is: Ed Zotti edits Cecil’s columns. Ed Zotti also edits the Staff Reports. Ed Zotti musta had too much to drink when he was editing, and so put “Cecil Adams replies” where he meant to put “SD Staff Dex replies”. A simple mental hiccough.
I am not Cecil Adams, no way. I’m too old, for one thing. Ed is not Cecil Adams, either, and if you want proof, here it is: Ed makes mistakes. Many mistakes. See how Ed made a mistake in editing this Staff Report? Cecil never, never* makes mistakes.
- Well, OK, hardly ever.
PS - Tracer, the Staff Report is scheduled to appear on Tuesday coming. However, folks who subscribe to the Straight Dope Mailing List (as per instructions on the home page) get earlier access, like the Friday before.
Are you telling me that kidneys are served in public schools??? That is barbaric! Here in the states we only serve the tykes mystery meat in the public schools, and when that didn’t seem quite toxic enough we added a nice big helping of greasy fast food…burger/fries combos, tacos…all that sort of stuff. I guess it is true that only the strong survive! Also, while it is true that being an American vegetarian IS a cross I bear (not to be confused with a cross eyed bear) at least I am not eating the fat from around the kidneys and liking it!
Thanks for the recipe and custard information, while the Birds sounded okay, I doubt that I will be whipping up a spotted dick anytime in the near future. You Brits certainly have a flair for appetizing names…Spotted dick, toad in the hole…yum!