Christmas is over, decorations down? Not yet! Niet, niet.

Russia

The Russian Orthodox church celebrates on Jan 7th, using a different calendar. 

Ukraine

This year a Ukrainian city near the border decided to celebrate instead on Dec 25th (in alignment with other parts of the world) instead of with Russia.

Spain and UK

 I remember as a child that we would go to my parents' one bedroom flat in Marbella, Spain. On Christmas day, instead of spending more for meals, we could have sardines on toast by the beach. 

Marbella had many ex-pat families from London, England, and Jews from North West London could be elsewhere for Christmas without the children noticing that they were not getting expensive presents but instead having a holiday swimming and sunbathing in the sun escaping the risk of snow in England.  If we extended our holiday to January 7th, on the evening of the 5ht or 6th, I forget which, we would read in the local free newspapers about the Magi on horseback parading through Estepona, and throwing sweets to the children in the crowd. One year we went along to see them. 

UK

In the UK many people keep up their decorations until the end of their break from work and school, at least until the new year when decorations change from red, green and white to silver, gold, white and black or blue. Increasingly with longer breaks, the decorations are staying up and the shops and attractions are attracting customers with ice rinks and events staying open. 

France

With energy expensive, economies are being made in the UK, France and Europe. In France some lights are turned off at a quarter to midnight (11.45 pm or 23.45). Others are turned off at 10 pm. So if you are taking a trip to see the lights, go early.

London

In London, England, new energy saving light bulbs are now the norm and it is hard to find bulbs for your old fittings or if one light bulb of a set of six needs replacing and you don't want one odd one.

Half Open Top Bus

You can take a tour of the lights in an open top bus. Actually, some of the buses are half open at the top. Depending on the weather, early boarders can get the seat open top with a better view and opportunity for unobstructed photos, or inside out of the chill and risk of rain.

Walking Tours Of The East End

If you are avoiding traffic and taking a walking tour of London, such as the East End of London, which I did one year, seeing Jack the Ripper sites and the Old Jewish East End. There you can sometimes see outside or inside a synagogue, learn about Disraeli, and pass another former synagogue which changed to another religion.  You can still buy bagels, at one of the two shops during the night for taxi drivers and night owl workers and tourists

Now the mosques and their Muslim congregations have taken over.. But the Asian sweets are an extra attraction.

Singapore

Over in Singapore, where parts of my family have lived, on and off, since the nineteen nineties, the department stores took down the Xmas decorations. But they kept up decorations for the anticipation of the next holiday, which was Chinese New Year, which falls variably, sometimes earlier than other years.

We are now looking forward to New Year. Celebrated in the UK, Gibraltar, and first over in Australia in New Zealand. Although the Chinese have a different New Year, increasingly around the world you can see magnificent displays of lights and fireworks in China, Singapore, Hong Kong and around the world, one after another.

Lastly, there's the ice hotels, in Sweden and other northern countries. Over in the USA, you can find one in the Americas, in Canada.

Useful Websites

Ukraine

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20221226-tearing-ourselves-away-ukrainians-break-with-russian-orthodox-christmas-tradition 

Diwali and Deepavali - Lights At Night, Autumn Lights

 Rangoli 

Sand or cereal or other products are used to make vivid multi-colour paintings, usually on the ground, sometimes on the walls to celebrate Diwali or Deepavali.

The main day of the festival of Diwali (the day of Lakshmi Puja) is an official holiday in Fiji, Guyana, India, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

In Singapore Monday October 24th is the national holiday for Deepavali.

Diwali and Deepavali

These are two names for the same festival. The name means row of lights. The festival celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. it is celebrated by Hindus Jains and Sikhs.  It is an autumn festival, October or November in different years. In the Northern hemisphere, these is when days are getting darker. 

How do you avoid stepping on them and spoiling them? Place lit candles in the design, or flowerpots around the outside.

Other Cultures With Lights - Hanukah

Every culture seems to have something with lights at night in winter months. The Jewish celebration of Hanukah features the symbol of the nine branch candelabra, which is larger than the usual seven branch candelabra used every sabbath throughout the year.

Different days of the festival are associated with different activities. Day one is associated with gold and buying items for the kitchen. 

If you belong to a club with members of other cultures, you or your club President or PR might wish to send out a greeting message. 

You can also have a themed meeting with foods brought by Indian members or bought by your committee from Indian shops.

The sweet foods come in boxes of colourful items, often with a mixture of sweet such as honey or sugar, and sometimes almonds or pistachios or other ground nuts. They might be balls or flat diamonds, in boxes with gold wrapping inside a box with a colourful top.

Expect to see street lights in Little India and surrounding areas in Singapore, as well as seeing and  hearing fireworks in London, England, and seeing celebrations in other countries.

Street lights for Deepavali, near Mustafas's department store, near Farrer Park MRT, Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. 2022. Copyright. you can see that this is by Tekka Place and looking towards the Holiday Inn hotel.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/diwali-recipes

Americanisms, British English, German, Hebrew, Yiddish

 Americanism - British English

candy - sweets

donut - doughnut (made from sweetened dough, usually fried, ball or ring shaped)

fancy restaurant - smart restaurant

Jello (brand name which is used as a generic word) - jelly

homely - plain (a homely woman has no make-up and looks ordinary)

matzo (singular) matzos (plural) - matzoh /matzah

preserve - jam with whole fruit

Smart (person, pejorative) - a smart Alec, a wisecracker, too clever by half 

for Passover

Kosher for passover, matzo photo by Yoninah from Wikipedia

British English - American

jam - preserve

jelly - Jello

a home-body, ordinary-looking, plain, ugly - homely 

smart - clever

smart Alex - smart

German

geld - money

Hebrew 

pesach - Passover

kosher - fit (for consumption. Usually checked by a Jewish authority, in the UK by the London or Manchester (in the north) Beth Din. However, in the USA by individual rabbis. They may be lenient - or more strict.  Therefore the stricter ones have their own followers and often the food is dearer because the training is longer and so is the time spent checking. For example, of the entire animal, including the animal's lungs to check it has no disease.) 

kosher for Passover - in addition to following kosher rules derived from the book of Leviticus in the Hebrew bible, (Levicitcus is the Greek word we use from the Greek translation, which was then translated into English) containing no pork,;during Passover, from which is the abstinence of Lent, no yeast or leavening in the bread, hence only crackers such as matzoh.  Again the products or kitchens are checked by somebody knowledgeable and authorized.

suganiyot - donuts (ot is the suffix or ending for feminine plural, whilst im is for masculine or both sexes)

Yiddish

gelt - Yiddish for Money, from the German geld

Chocolate coins covered in gold foil with pictures of  the 7 branch menorah.  (For Hanukah the 9 branch Hanukah would be more appropriate.)

heimische - home-like (positive)

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffixes_in_Hebrew

About the Author

About the Author of this blog, Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books, including: Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

I  also have a blog on comic poems.

 Please share links to your favourite posts. 

Turkish Delight and Egyptian Delight to delight visitors to London, & Dark chocolate

The pretty box.

Celebrations. You choose what to put in your box, like the old Pick n Mix at Woolworth's.

We cut open the orange one to share it. Strong flavours. strong colours. Dark orange curled around white soft nougat. Not just boring plain jelly.

The pink one was strong and totally different, with a nut in the middle.The strong jellly overwhelmed the nut flavour.

The strong fruit flavour made everything else taste stronger, too. We had black grapes afterwards. The sugar left in my mouth from the sweet enhanced the flavour of the grapes.

Also look for peera, an Indian fudge made from home made evaporated milk, boiled slowly to reduce and thicken it, added sugar and cinnamon for flavouring. Popular for Diwali, weddings and to celebrate the birth of children.

Also in this area, several Indian restaurants and curry houses, a French restaurant, Whitechapel art gallery which has a shop and restaurant, the old Synagogue where Disraeli's father attended until he fell out with the others and converted from Judaism to Christianity, which enabled his son Benjamin to became Prime Minister and Queen Victoria's favourite.

Useful Websites

aipackaging.co.uk

Rajmahal Sweets, 57 Brick Lane, Shadwell, London E1
Near Aldgate East tube station.

Two more branches.
Long opening hours, from 9 am to 11 pm, seven days a week.

Tasty Turkish delight. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Travel writer and photographer. Copyright.


Maybe you'd prefer chocolate?
My family tried that, too, a few steps away.

A cup of Espresso for two pounds, and chocolate covered orange peel at six pounds eighty four pence. (We took one piece out of the bag to go with the coffee.)

I would describe the East End of London, the West End of London, the whole of London, as English delight.

Dark Sugars Ltd Main store
124-126 Brick Lane, London, Greater London, E1 6RU.

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please bookmark and share links to your favourite posts.

Eating On The Move And Providing Food For Club Visitors

I went to a lunch time Toastmasters Meeting at a Financial group in the downtown area. They provided a choice of meats or fish or vegetarian food with a rice pack and vegetables, different for each person. We all chose from a choice of five or six meals. I had chicken, rice, mushrooms and a green vegetable.

Most lunch time meetings I have been to feature heavily on pizzas with vegetarian pizzas.

The evening meetings vary. Some places provide a proper meal, with noodles and meats. Some even have a casserole or two, often sponsored by a member who is in business. Some clubs provide bananas and grapes.

One club as a matter of principle has only 'healthy' food, fruit and nuts, hardly any biscuits and cakes. Bukit Timah Toastmasters.

Singapore is a country with a high rate of diabetes. I am not surprised.  Cakes, biscuits and sweets.

Student groups, supposedly those who are educated, were the worst, all chocolates and biscuits. It's not as if they can't get proper savoury food. Every Community Club has a McDonalds or even an entire food court underneath.

Admittedly, there's a huge amount on the internet condemning processed food. However, even fried chicken seems healthier to me that endless sticky buns and jelly-like sweets and pandan cake.

If you are catering, please provide some fresh fruit, and something which is not all fat, cereal and sugar.

I went to a club last Christmas for a so-called Xmas party. They had lots of Xmas songs and Xmas costumes and Xmas theme speeches. But the breaktime was just tea and coffee and packets of dry biscuits. I and another visitor muttered to each other and rolled our eyes. She was more forthright than I was. I have never been back.

Bananas are cheap and filling.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Bulgarian roses for orgasms

On the. Stand of a company called Venus roses Labsolutions Ltd I learned they produced Female SexUP instant Orgasms. And products for Prostate health iBrain and more. 

I spoke to Todor Tashev who told me that the time to visit Bulgaria is late May and early June to see the Rose festival and the roses on rose farms, miles of pink and white in the central part of the country. 

The company had about a dozen products using rose oil and rose extract. They make cosmetics with rose oil and derivatives and sweets. You can also buy rose water to drink. Later there will probably be rose biscuits.

If you plan to visit Bulgaria, it would be a good idea to learn some Cyrillic. The Russian alphabet, known as Cyrillic is similar. 

Author

Angela Lansbury.

Secret Sweets and Sweet Treats - map and recipes of what you'll enjoy on holiday in Europe

Salzburger Nockerln from the Goldener Hirsch Restaurant, In Salzburg, Austria. 

Photo courtesy of the Salzburg tourist board.

Problem
What shall I eat next? What's for tea? The British are famous for having a sweet tooth. We consume more sugar per capita than any other country. (We also have notoriously bad teeth, say the Americans.) We have imported cakes, biscuits, desserts and ingredients from all over the world.

In England you can eat: Banoffee Pie. Danish pastries. Rice pudding. Spotted Dick. Sticky toffee pudding. Treacle Tart. Christmas Pudding (which the Americans eat all year as plum pudding). At Christmas time we import seasonal specialities such as Stollen from Germany.

But why not enjoy local desserts on holiday to add to your memories and kitchen repertoire all year. And we keep inventing new things. Christmas pudding with hidden fruit in the middle at Waitrose supermarket. What if you are going away for Christmas, New Year or next year, what can you try?

Which sweets (desserts) can you enjoy in Europe? A wonderful interactive map has been designed. Click on it and you'll see the top three favourite desserts in each country and find recipes.

The movers behind this idea are Thomson Lakes and Mountains. They are part of the TUI group, an umbrella organization which includes lots of famous travel companies who you have probably travelled with or passed in the High Street:

Anyway, back to the sweet treats.

Jessica Fairfax of Kaizen Search marketing has sent me a neat summary of what you will find in 9 hotspots of Europe. These include (I've re-ordered her list of countries alphabetically.)

Austria – 

If you’re in Salzburg, be sure to sample the Nockerl, a "dumpling-style dessert" iconic to Austrian cuisine. The powdered sugar dusting is meant to signify the snow-covered mountain peaks.

Belgium

Waffles. Made in a waffle iron. The American version of waffles is different.

France – 

The Clafoutis is the baked fruit dessert from Limousin packed with black cherries, supposedly derived from the Occitan word ‘fill’. Fill up, indeed!

Germany  - 

The Berliner Pfannkuchen is the dessert responsible for JFK calling himself a doughnut, which, while not strictly true, adds some humorous history to a tasty treat.

Italy - 

The nougat-like treat Mandorlato Torrone is local to a small commune named Cologna Veneta. The region in the Province of Verona even has its own annual nougat festival!

Portugal - 

Lisbon’s Bolo Rei is a traditional cake covered with candied fruit often eaten around Christmas time.

Slovenia

Spain – 

The Torrija serves up what is essentially a variation of French toast, originating over 500 years ago and often made with alcohol.

Switzerland.

Fondue. Not just cheese. Also strawberries dipped in hot chocolate.

Fascinating. I thought the JFK story was about a sausage. Oh, well. As the popular saying goes: "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story."

Salzburger Nockerln
I can vouch for the splendour of a Salzburger Nockerln.

We hesitated to order it because it was expensive. But we had to try the local dish.

When we tried it, we were so delighted by it that we tried to track down the recipe. We could not find Salzburger Nockerln anywhere. Then we realised - that you simply look for Nockerln. When in Salzburg, call it Salzburger Nockerl.

I think the difference is that they serve it as one huge platter. It was a bit like a 'snow' with peaks of whipped white. When we ordered it, we were expecting to get a small plate each. The giant oval dish was enough to feed several.  After eating about a third, we were forced to give up.

We then had an awful thought. Maybe it was a platter for the whole restaurant!

Maybe we were supposed to have taken a small slice each. At the price we were charged per person, it would be a fortune if we were charged for three pieces each. Alternatively, if they were simply nice, they might be shocked by our ignorance and effrontery.

We called the waitress over. She told us that, no, the entire plate was for us. That explained the price.

The magic website:
www.secretsweets.com
http://www.secretsweets.co.uk/sweets/tarta-de-santiago

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
Please share links to your favourite posts.

The Don restaurant's Delicious Food and Delightful Drinks

Three dessert wines, matched with desserts, at The Don restaurant in the City of London, England. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
What to drink and eat at The Don restaurant which has a new chef?

Answers
The menu of the day, two courses or three for a set price or a la carte? With a new chef and a new menu we chose different items from the a la carte menu.

Water
Water? Whilst waiting for an old friend (old in both senses, he is in his eighties), we asked for tap water. The jug came up immediately.

Waiters And Service Charges
I would have liked what I got when I lived in America years ago, (in the nineteen eighties) a jug of water with lemon already on the table. Also menus immediately. Wine and food menus. Why do I have to wait or negotiate? Menus should be either on the table or transported with us by a waiter.

In the good old days in America and England a waiter would pull out your chair, The folded napkin would be unfolded with a flourish. The waiter then drops the linen serviette into your lap.

The waiter would set the conversation rolling by asking, "Have you come far today?" That would allow you to speak neutrally about the traffic and transport, or reveal every detail of your home and work and holidays, family and friends.

Wine
With not just Great Britain's standard ten per cent service charge but twelve and a half per cent added for service (at The Don restaurant) I expect somebody to smile, given me lemon slices and menus, another big smile, and listen to my life story. Also tell me I've made a great choice of food. And explain the ingredients of the food and the label of the wine bottle. Plus guide me on my life's journey, telling me everything to see in this restaurant, the street, the city, his or her home town, and the world.

But I am the only woman in the room. I think at these menu prices all the business men in the room are more interested in important matters they are discussing. I suspect they are doing deals with each other, not as keen as I am to exchange banter with a well-trained waiter or two who glide silently and almost invisibly and discreetly out of earshot until we signal, that we want service, with a slow royal wave.

The men are discussing red wine, or white - depending on the food menu.

I make a lengthy search for a modestly priced Prosecco, which I cannot find. The menu has bottles of champagne at prices which would be rejected by a credit card, would require checking my bank balance and getting a divorce. Not uncommon nowadays on restaurant menus.

However, I locate three sweet wines under ten pounds on the dessert menu. But, of course, small sizes. I ask for the dessert menu and see that those wines are matched with the desserts so I shall wait. Back to the main menu.

Then I spot an English rose wine, a brand I have never heard of and never tried. Original. A new experience. The latest novelty, the latest development, news to us in England and most people worldwide, is English wine. English wine is also suitable because and I am sitting in an Olde English restaurant. The price is pleasingly modest.  Nearer five pounds then ten. Wonderful! And the result is perfect. Pleasantly pink. The taste? Not over dry. Just right.

FOOD
Bread
Two sorts of bread. Great. I choose the white with pieces of olive. The olive is perfect. It adds visual interest and flavour. The taste is not overpowering.

The butter is salty. (My companion, Mr anti-salt, objects.) I love salty butter. So flavoursome. Livens up the bread. Gets you salivating before you start eating. We have water as well as wine. No problem.

Oddly, the butter is melting in the dish, but the bread rolls are not hot. Why not?

Never mind. That's the mark of a good place. Whatever is not quite right you forgive them because everything else is so tip top perfect. The so-so is eclipsed by the stunning. If you had a balance, the see saw would tip down on the side of bad but the other side would rise up and hit the good bell.

Starters
My starter of salmon with contrasting orange with the green avoid was the most visually appealing.

However, I recommend the duck starter for top taste. Oh I must have more, must have that next time.

Main Courses
I liked my dish of chicken. Very tasty. Somebody else thought it was too salty. I thought it was just right.

However, I recommend the belly of pork with with scallop. Although I'm allergic to shellfish the sections seemed separate on the plate. So I risked trying part of this delicious dish. Um. Yum! Worth a special trip, or return visit to try it.


Dessert Drinks
The dessert drinks came up before the desserts. I thought that was odd. However, it turned out to suit me well. I found that the sweet drinks tasted sweet, deliciously sweet, before the desserts appeared. It was also good to see the three drinks together on the tray and appreciate the contrasting colours. The palest was the sauterne.

Dessert matched with Sauterne. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

My darker red was just right for me.

To my surprise, I should have anticipated, the sweet wines were not so sweet when tasted alongside the sweet desserts.

Desserts
I chose the chocolate and cherry dessert which had great flavour. The matching of the cherries and the bed wine was also a delight for the eye.

Chocolate and cherry dessert with matching wine. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

My fellow diners had two different desserts, both of which I tried. All good.

But if I had to choose or recommend one, it was the mango and passionfruit. Worth a special trip to try it.

Mango and passion fruit dessert, with matched wine. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Espresso coffee cup at The Don. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Finally, Free Sweet Tastes.
One person ordered espresso coffee which came up in a pretty cup.

Sweets at The Don. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

The free sweets at the end were matched to the number of diners, the people paying the final bill, not those who had ordered coffee. We received one square of 'marzipan' each. I thought it was more like fudge, sugary, smooth with hardly any taste of almond. Please add more almond next time. However, we universally agreed the 'marzipan' - did they make a mistake - it was fudge - was just right.

The teeny coconut cake, in a boat shape was also just right. Not overwhelming good but just right. I ate it first and finished with my 'fudge'.

We'd been emailed a prior notice about the new chef, Brixton born Frederick Forster, which we printed. He won the Roux scholarship for young chefs. So I recognised a familiar face when I saw him.

I asked, "Are you the chef?" He replied, "one of the chefs". From what I've read before, sometimes a big restaurant has an overall chef, a specialist in starters, and a specialist in desserts.

Special Summer Offer For 2017
Note to myself and you. Our fifty per cent offer was for the a la carte food, not the set meal nor the wine. The offer I received was for the summer menu and began July 4th and ends August 31st 2017. If you are hoping to get it, make sure you ask and tell them when booking.

Regular Wine Dinners and Tastings
Their next wine dinner is Tuesday July 11, 2017, today! Featuring Domaine Ott.

For reservations call 020 7626 2606.

Get on their mailing list for invitations to future events.

Verdict
Great restaurant for enjoying food, drink history and sitting with friends, for business, entertaining, events and special occasions.

Location
The restaurant is indoors on a day when it is raining, overcast, or too hot. But if you want to walk off the calories, see the outdoors, see more of London, after your meal go back down the lane, cross the road and you can see the river Thames at the end of the street with bridges such as Tower Bridge. (See next post.)

The Don restaurant
The Courtyard
20 St Swithins Lane
EC4N 8AD
Tel: 020 7626 606
www.thedonrestaurant.com
www.thesignofthedon.com

TOURIST INFORMATION
USEFUL WEBSITES
https://tfl.gov.uk
https://art.tfl.gov.uk/projects/permanent-commission-by-daniel-buren/
www.visitlondon.com
www.londonpass.com
www.visitbritain.org

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. If you need a write, speaker, or teacher of languages please contact me. If not, simply read on. I have more posts on The Don and London restaurants and restaurants and attractions worldwide, everywhere from London to Cambodia and Romania.
Please share links to your favourite posts.