Thursday, January 12, 2017

Hey You, Get Off of My Cloud

Bubble and Squeak
There was this John Hogg guy, one of the head honchos at Virgin Times Square around 1997.  I thought of him today as I attempted to make a traditional British leftover meal recipe.  He used to go on and on about his British foods that he missed so much while having to eat this horrid 'rubbish' for the holidays that we make in the states.  He constantly showed his shock and dismay for all the American silliness and often looked at us like savages.  I had to hear about the missing of his proper fish and chips, blood sausage, Christmas pudding and mince pies.  Um, couldn't relate.  Dude I just landed in the food capital of the world and everything was new and delicious.  New York City was where I'd dreamed of living all my life and no one was gonna talk bad about this place. But he seemed obsessed with us as well.  I recall the little clicking of his poodle toe nails racing down the hallway.  He'd come in the buyer's office and just stand there and stare at us for lengths of time.  He seemed so disappointed in the whole lot.  I think everyone hated him so I tried to be respectful and at least pretend to care he was in the room.  Sometimes he'd call me into his office, 'Andy!' He'd almost yell as if I wasn't right but 2 feet away, 'could you give us a visit in my office?' And to talk about God knows what I thought, but nothing was ever important or relevant.  I never could understand if he was attracted to me but simultaneously repulsed or what.  Never once did he make an advance but he did ask me one too many times if I was cold while giggling like a school girl.   I had just come from SF, land of the free! where smallish ta tas could roam as they liked without any hassle.  Bras are torture devices. Oh and he always commented on my boots, but nothing good.  He looked different than any record store manager I'd ever worked with in his crisp ironed shirts and little pointy shoes. So I guess he was about as foreign to me too.  I never did get to try any of that food he went on about but I do recall one day he was sent a basket and was very excited to finally get a decent meal.  A happy ending.

Looking for recipes I found this for use of my leftover vegetables.  Cabbage and potatoes and I stuck in some chicken sausage.  Oh yeah, this will work. Comfort food maximus. I could have let it go longer but it was my first time.  Kind of fun, the mashing the potatoes into the cabbage and carrots.  I could see a fried egg on top with some good bacon.
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/164622/bubble-and-squeak

7 comments:

  1. God Hogg just hated everything American and down in the non-music buyer's he would talk about his precious bubble & squeak and bangers and mash as well..then he would complain about how shows like Party of Five were so lame and how he missed his telly back home..such a crazy little Napoleon character he was! He would tell us that our jobs were nothing that antrained monkey couldn't do just to make us feel uncomfortable about our employment! (Chris, the former book buyer)..

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  2. God Hogg just hated everything American and down in the non-music buyer's he would talk about his precious bubble & squeak and bangers and mash as well..then he would complain about how shows like Party of Five were so lame and how he missed his telly back home..such a crazy little Napoleon character he was! He would tell us that our jobs were nothing that antrained monkey couldn't do just to make us feel uncomfortable about our employment! (Chris, the former book buyer)..

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    1. Chris!!! Good God, someone reads this rubbish? :O) Oh my gosh, you made me realize that was the whole part of this story I forgot to write in. Unbeknownst to me he threw that trained monkey line around. I was really on the fence about going into marketing because I hate change and loved my brothers in the office. I asked him for advice and he said Exactly that, 'Andy, any trained monkey could do that job, there's nothing to it'. So I did it.

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  3. Wifey reads your blogg a lot and told me that you posted about John Hogg so I just had to see it!

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    1. Well, that's pretty cool. Please thank your wife for me. I'm ecstatic that anyone would take the time to look at it. :O)

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  4. She reads Spike's food blog too! Do you?

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  5. Yes! Love his style and I have many of the same pickly, cheesy and aged meat obsessions. He's way more upbeat!

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