Biscuits... close to the truth? and US school-food

[pengolodh_sc at yahoo.no]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., "Neil Ward" <neilward at d...> wrote:
[snip]
> Okay, we're getting close here.  If Bisquick can be used to make 
pancakes or
> biscuits, that means it's a batter base, and that biscuits are much 
like a
> firm batter pudding, cut into chunks.  In other words, we may be 
talking
> about something like a cross between short pastry, scones and 
Yorkshire
> Pudding.  Are biscuits crunchy, chewy, flaky or crumbly?
> 
While I am no native of USA, I did spend 10 months and 9 days in 
Kentucky (well - OK so I was 2 days in Ohio, five days in DC and 
eight days in Florida, but still...), and I did get to taste my share 
of American biscuits (and, in the beginning was very confused, since 
Norwegians learn British English).  As I recall them, they had a 
flaky texture, but at the same time were chewy.  We used them hot off 
the plate with beef stew (a beefed up version of Irish stew, 
apparently).

In general I found that American cooking was VERY different from 
Norwegian cooking.  In Norway, breakfast is some slices of bread (the 
type made with whole wheat, among other things) with cheese, spreads 
or meats, and milk and/or juice.  Norwegian home-made bread tends to 
contain more fiber per mouthful than a whole loaf of bread from a US 
store.  My first breakfast in Kentucky was waffles with powdered 
sugar and butter, with toast and sausage, and grape-fruit juice.  My 
digestive system needed a week to adjust ;-)  

School food was a chapter by it self - and I mostly skipped that 
chapter, preferring to bring my own food.  going to the cafeteria 
during lunch-break was mandatory - not going was equal to skipping 
class.  The cafeteria had room for only 1/3 of the students, and 
therefore 4th period was a special affair.  Most periods were 50 
minutes, but 4th period included the lunchbreak, and thus was 75 
minutes.  Some classes first went to lunch, then had all of 4th 
period, others first had all of 4th period, and then wnet to lunch.

My group had 25 minutes of 4th period, 25 minutes lunch, and then the 
rest of 4th period - even when we had tests.  We also were not let 
out of the classroom until after the bell rung, meaning we always got 
to the cafeteria two minutes late - with all the other in line for 
the food already, meaning getting the food would take 10 minutes at 
best, with a further three minutes to get a place to sit.  The 
assistant principal would then chase us out two or three minutes 
before bell, emaning that we at best had all of eight minutes to 
eat.  Add to this that you had to calculate at least five minutes in 
line to toss leftovers into the binns and hand back plates, etc.  In 
all, you had less than 5 minutes to eat, if you bought lunch at 
shchool (which cost $1.40 (ca. £1.20) for main dish, two side-orders, 
soft-drink and dessert (popsicle most oftenly) - all of dubious 
quality; only university-food is worse).

Blimey!  I seem to have a talent for writing in longwinded fashion, 
don't I?