January 2009 Get Together at The Elephant and Castle

Thank you to everbody who could make it to The Elephant and Castle for January's get together.

Our appreciation goes to Mark, John and Oh of the Elephant and Castle for hosting the January get together where as well as there usual hospitality we also enjoyed a very tasty chilli con carne.

I hope every body had a good time and can make it along to the next meeting which will be, for the first time, at The Samui Dojo Resort. For those unsure of it's location a map can be found on the home page by clicking on Here . As usual 4:30pm on the last Tuesday of the month the 24th February which also is Shrove Tuesday.



Shrove Tuesday traditions particular to the United Kingdom

On Pancake Day, pancake races are held in villages and towns across the United Kingdom. In 1634 William Fennor wrote in his Palinodia:"And tosse their Pancakes up for feare they burne."

But the tradition of pancake racing had started long before that. The most famous pancake race, at Olney in Buckinghamshire, has been held since 1445. The contestants, traditionally women, carry a frying pan and race to the finishing line tossing the pancakes as they go. As the pancakes are thin, skill is required to toss them successfully while running. The winner is the first to cross the line having tossed the pancake a certain number of times.

The tradition is said to have originated when a housewife from Olney was so busy making pancakes, that she forgot the time until she heard the church bells ringing for the service. She raced out of the house to church while still carrying her frying pan and pancake.

Since 1950 the people of Liberal, Kansas, and Olney have held the "International Pancake Day" race between the two towns. The two towns' competitors race along an agreed-upon course, and the times of all of the two towns' competitors are compared, to determine a winner. After the 2000 race, Liberal was leading with 26 wins to Olney's 24.

In North Somercotes in Lincolnshire in eastern England, a race takes place every year in the village. There are three categories - adults, children from 11 to 16, and under 11s. Each person receives a frying pan and has to race from one end of a field to the other, tossing their pancake at least once every few seconds on the way. As in the Buckinghamshire race, the winner is the first to cross the line, having tossed their pancake several times and with the pancake still intact.
Also, in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, the foreshore road (beach) is closed off, schools close early and all residents are invited to skip in the road.

A Festy cock in Scotland is a ball of extra finely ground meal, wetted until it could be patted and rolled into a round shape, then roasted in the hot ashes from a mill kiln, etc. It was eaten at Shrovetide.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrove_Tuesday


Samui Ex Servicemen