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C.S. Lewis's Greatest Fiction: Telling Kids They’d Like Turkish Delight (2015)

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Re: C.S. Lewis's Greatest Fiction: Telling Kids They’d Like Turkish Delight (2015)

#101

Post by danbolt »

derefr wrote: post #46
radicalbyte wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The stuff you get in the UK is disgusting, it's a sugary jelly with a very strong artificial rose flavour. Sticky sweet goo. I've had the proper stuff in Turkey and it's not sweet, it's not sticky or gooey. The flavour, at least of the stuff I had, was subtle.

Oddly, the only "proper" Turkish delight I've had, as a Canadian, I found in a British-sweets import shop. Not sure if it was British- made , mind you...

A chain of chocolate stores in Western Canada produces some form of it too. I remember enjoying the taste of it as a child, but I'm not sure how it would hold up nowadays.

Re: C.S. Lewis's Greatest Fiction: Telling Kids They’d Like Turkish Delight (2015)

#102

Post by daxfohl »

daxfohl wrote: post #83

I always thought it was made out of turkey.

Why the downvote? I seriously thought it was made out of turkey! It sounded weird and thus all the more magical. N.B. I was better at math than I was at reading. Plus, American. (Turkey the bird, far more well known than Turkey the country here).

Re: C.S. Lewis's Greatest Fiction: Telling Kids They’d Like Turkish Delight (2015)

#103

Post by tehlike »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #100
radicalbyte wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The stuff you get in the UK is disgusting, it's a sugary jelly with a very strong artificial rose flavour. Sticky sweet goo. I've had the proper stuff in Turkey and it's not sweet, it's not sticky or gooey. The flavour, at least of the stuff I had, was subtle.

I've had it in Greece, where tourist shops sell it under the name "Greek delight" because everybody hates and despises Turkey. I recall it as being disgusting, but mostly because of the texture. I don't recall it being gummy or chewy at all -- it was soft and didn't put up resistance when you bit into it.

I am turkish, but never heard greek delight. Greek coffee, greek manti i heard it all, but not delight.

Gotta love the hate that shows up in the food names. Otherwise, i guess we like each other :)

Re: C.S. Lewis's Greatest Fiction: Telling Kids They’d Like Turkish Delight (2015)

#104

Post by enraged_camel »

grenoire wrote: post #15

Proper Turkish delight is never coated with icing sugar, but always starch. I don't know where the author had it either, but it is nowhere near being "very, very sweet." Hell, I can't even imagine what an American may consider as being too sweet! Source: Born and raised in Turkey.

Turkish delight has probably over a thousand varieties, owing to its long and rich history. What you think is "proper" Turkish delight is probably specific to your city, perhaps even your neighborhood.

That said, the most common kind has a very thin layer of icing sugar coating. It looks like this: https://i.imgur.com/TeSQuzP.jpg

Source: Born and raised in Turkey.

Re: C.S. Lewis's Greatest Fiction: Telling Kids They’d Like Turkish Delight (2015)

#105

Post by olavk »

ng12 wrote: post #68
dcminter wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The leap from a single author to a cabal is entirely your own. That a single English fantasy author could be staunchly xenophobic is perfectly feasible and you could bring your own substantive sources to the party if you want to deny it in this particular case.

Burden of proof is on the accuser, no? I used cabal to highlight that C.S. Lewis is hardly unique -- if you think he's a xenophobe I can't imagine what you think of Tolkein or even modern authors like George R. R. Martin.

Just read the books, it should be proof enough for you. While great fantasy, they are also totally blatant in their theological agenda.

Re: C.S. Lewis's Greatest Fiction: Telling Kids They’d Like Turkish Delight (2015)

#106

Post by ZenoArrow »

toyg wrote: post #91
barrkel wrote: post #9

I still like Fry's Turkish Delight (made by Cadbury). The combination of thin chocolate covering to the weight and almost chewy mouthfeel of the rose-flavoured gel works well - it makes what chocolate there is more unctuous. The weight of it is part of what sells it for me, even though I expect it's mostly water captured in the gel. Actual sugar-dusted Turkish Delight cubes are less impressive. I don't mind the rosew…

Nothing Cadbury ever did was good for the world of sweets and chocolate. Nothing. I'm sorry your childhood was perverted by one of the first corporations to chew and regurgitate foreign cultural items for mass consumption. For god's sake, never buy Cadbury's. The chocolate is terrible and often is not even chocolate. Cadbury's is the worst that England can offer, an example of how English taste was destroyed by the s…

>"The chocolate is terrible and often is not even chocolate."

What do you mean by this? What is your definition of chocolate?

Re: C.S. Lewis's Greatest Fiction: Telling Kids They’d Like Turkish Delight (2015)

#107

Post by radicalbyte »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #100
radicalbyte wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The stuff you get in the UK is disgusting, it's a sugary jelly with a very strong artificial rose flavour. Sticky sweet goo. I've had the proper stuff in Turkey and it's not sweet, it's not sticky or gooey. The flavour, at least of the stuff I had, was subtle.

I've had it in Greece, where tourist shops sell it under the name "Greek delight" because everybody hates and despises Turkey. I recall it as being disgusting, but mostly because of the texture. I don't recall it being gummy or chewy at all -- it was soft and didn't put up resistance when you bit into it.

The really soft stuff is the Cadbury's sweet crap. What I had in Turkey had a bite like al dente pasta and a little chewy but not stick-to-your-teeth sticky chewy.

Re: C.S. Lewis's Greatest Fiction: Telling Kids They’d Like Turkish Delight (2015)

#108

Post by coldtea »

tehlike wrote: post #103
thaumasiotes wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had it in Greece, where tourist shops sell it under the name "Greek delight" because everybody hates and despises Turkey. I recall it as being disgusting, but mostly because of the texture. I don't recall it being gummy or chewy at all -- it was soft and didn't put up resistance when you bit into it.

I am turkish, but never heard greek delight. Greek coffee, greek manti i heard it all, but not delight. Gotta love the hate that shows up in the food names. Otherwise, i guess we like each other :)

I've never heard of "Greek delight" either. In Greece it's just called "lukum". Could be just how it is marketed to tourists at airport shops and such (since, why would they buy something labeled as "turkish delight" when they are in Greece? They'd rather buy something they consider local to experience).

For the coffee thing, it's not particularly any hate -- people just know this coffee for ages, from when they were kids, as the major domestic variety, so they call it like that. The same happens all over the Balkans, they call it X coffee in most countries X. That said, I think it's a general beverage that comes from the middle east / arab countries in general (Wikipedia says it originated in Yemen, existed in Egypt, etc before getting popular elsewhere), rather than something particularly Turkish, just that the Turkish branded it first.

Re: C.S. Lewis's Greatest Fiction: Telling Kids They’d Like Turkish Delight (2015)

#109

Post by wrboyce »

ZenoArrow wrote: post #106
toyg wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nothing Cadbury ever did was good for the world of sweets and chocolate. Nothing. I'm sorry your childhood was perverted by one of the first corporations to chew and regurgitate foreign cultural items for mass consumption. For god's sake, never buy Cadbury's. The chocolate is terrible and often is not even chocolate. Cadbury's is the worst that England can offer, an example of how English taste was destroyed by the s…

>"The chocolate is terrible and often is not even chocolate." What do you mean by this? What is your definition of chocolate?

It is a convenient and easy way for the reader to spot the level headed and reasonableness of the commenter.

If the chocolate was so terrible, then why is it the most popular chocolate in the UK? Why would Nestlé have bought Cadbury's?

OP is just projecting their own irrational hatred for Cadbury's.

Re: C.S. Lewis's Greatest Fiction: Telling Kids They’d Like Turkish Delight (2015)

#110

Post by pbhjpbhj »

toyg wrote: post #91
barrkel wrote: post #9

I still like Fry's Turkish Delight (made by Cadbury). The combination of thin chocolate covering to the weight and almost chewy mouthfeel of the rose-flavoured gel works well - it makes what chocolate there is more unctuous. The weight of it is part of what sells it for me, even though I expect it's mostly water captured in the gel. Actual sugar-dusted Turkish Delight cubes are less impressive. I don't mind the rosew…

Nothing Cadbury ever did was good for the world of sweets and chocolate. Nothing. I'm sorry your childhood was perverted by one of the first corporations to chew and regurgitate foreign cultural items for mass consumption. For god's sake, never buy Cadbury's. The chocolate is terrible and often is not even chocolate. Cadbury's is the worst that England can offer, an example of how English taste was destroyed by the s…

I grew up on Dairy Milk chocolate. It doesn't matter to me if snobs get upset that it's low cocoa mass, it's still a sweet and tasty confection, what's in a name.

It's interesting to me how you phrased your comment "nothing for the world of sweets and chocolate"; who cares about that. McDo have probably fine both for "the world of burgers and fries" but occasionally I eat there and it suits the purpose.

That said, since Kraft took over Cadbury chocolate has changed beyond recognition and I no longer buy it.

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