New Experiences #78 - #82
W/C 13th August 2012
New Experience #78: Barbecued Banana
That's right friends, it's come to this. Not satisfied with eating this curved foodstuff raw, sliced, or smoothied as is customary, our cousins put banana to charcoal following our BBQ brunch. This poor fruit has been the butt of slapstick jokes and the cause of comedy slip-ups for decades and must get so much stick from the rest of the fruit bowl, yet here they were humiliating it further. Poor things, at least they were Fairtrade.
Rating: 2/5 If you are particularly bored at a BBQ and want to try it, open some bananas and insert a piece of chocolate. Wrap bananas in tin foil and place in charcoals after heat of BBQ has subsided. Then remove, before they burn to a crisp. Like ours.
New Experience #79: Playing Handball
This is my official Olympics inspired new experience - the legacy lives! Having watched handball on the telly and liked what I saw, I emailed the folks at Cardiff Handball Club (who knew?!) to see about having a go. Turns out they had received a number of similar requests and were holding a free taster session and so with my sister Rachel, I went down to give it a bash. A mix of ages and abilities showed up and us first timers were surprised by the difficulty of the actions involved - we went from drills to a full on match in a matter of two hours and no-one quite got the hang of it. Tiring and sweat inducing stuff, but more (exercise-related) fun than I've had in many years.
Rating: 4/5 As the sun set dramatically over the park and the instantly loveable tones of our Belgian coach called the session to a close, I smiled and knew I'd found a sport worth coming back to. Better practice my catching....
New Experience #80: Playing A Didgeridoo
The wonders on offer at music festivals never fail to amaze and excite, and the didgeridoo stall at Green Man became a source of great entertainment for my crew over the weekend. We huffed and we puffed and overheard the owners giving tips on circular breathing, before two of us got a decent sound out of one of the instruments. Actually, decent might be pushing it...
Rating: 3/5 Kudos to those who can play, you must have lips of steel!
New Experience #81: Churros & Chocolate
It was two in the morning at Green Man and I'd just been on the big wheel. Fancied a munch, so headed for the churro stand. Intrigued as I was? Here's Wikipedia to explain...
"History is divided on how exactly churros came to exist. A 'churro', sometimes referred to as a Spanish doughnut, is a fried-dough pastry—predominantly choux—based snack. Churros are popular in Spain, France, the Philippines, Portugal, Latin America (including Spanish-speaking Caribbean islands) and the United States. There are two types of churros in Spain, one which is thin (and sometimes knotted) and the other which is long and thick (porra). They are both normally eaten for breakfast dipped in hot chocolate or caf con leche."
There we go. I had mine long and thick with melted chocolate. Yum.
Rating: 4/5 Good late night festival nosh. Plus, now I know they're popular on Spanish-speaking Caribbean islands I feel all the more that my money was spent well.
New Experience #82: Chai Latte
Despite being a founding member of a Hot Beverage Club and a seasoned tea drinker, pre-Green Man I had never tried chai. The mixed spice tea is super-popular in India and South Asia although the milkier variety has become a must-have for any coffee house or teashop in the West. And for good reason I think - the nutty and creamy beverage really hit the spot over a mid-morning chat.
Rating: 4/5 "This is good Chai", assured my experienced drinker friend Emma. I could only nod in approval.
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IMAGE: New by chrisinplymouth
