Peter Riley of Penrith is cross: “What’s with the hot cross bun (C8) fixation Granny? It’s been a C8 staple at this time of year since 1953. Delve back through the archives, which I like to imagine is an old shoebox full of floppy disks, and you’ll see it’s all been said before.”
Interestingly, 1953 was the year IBM came up with the disc drive system, but we’re a bit offended by the shoebox quip, we got a special storage box from Tandy, and after sifting through it, we could find no record of the following missive from Allan Gibson of Cherrybrook: “Years ago, I recall reading that ‘during the Feast of Eostre, an ox was sacrificed. The ox’s horns then became a symbol of the feast, carved into the ritual bread’. Now, I’m not wanting to start bun fight; however, the word ‘buns’ is apparently derived from the Saxon ‘bouns’ – sacred ox.”
“A friend gave me a badge proclaiming I’m Silently Correcting Your Grammar,” says Rosemary Seam of Kempsey. “Does this mean they think I’m a pedant, or should I wear it with pride?”
“I wish I hadn’t read Monday’s C8,” laments Lisa Clarke of Watsons Bay. “As a lover of sausage rolls (albeit not the servo ones), I’m going to have trouble not thinking about ‘rat coffins’ (C8) when I next bite into one.”
Sorry Lisa, it gets worse. According to Roger Smyth of Narooma, the meat pie equivalent are known as “maggot bags.”
“During a stay at the Adventist Hospital (the San) (C8) in its vegetarian days, a friend brought me an enormous parcel of fish and chips,” writes Coral Button of North Epping. “The delicious smell pervaded the entire floor and nurses and hospital staff from everywhere converged on my room begging me to share. As it was a huge parcel I was able to be generous. I must say the nurses in those days had wonderful skin and hair; possibly a result of their veggo diet, and from memory they were all required to be practising Adventists.”
“All this talk of tripe and brains triggered memories of my last stay in a Sydney hospital back in 1965,” says former Rose Bay denizen, Peter Buckley, now residing in New Ulm, Minnesota, USA. “The main meal choices were tripe or sheep brains for the 10-day stay. I hope the menu options have expanded since then.”
Column8@smh.com.au
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