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Needing a break from last-minute Christmas shopping, I called in at the market café and enquired about the soups.

“Today we have two soups, onion and French onion” Cassie informed me.
“What’s the difference?” I politely enquired.
“Onion soup is made with onions, and French onion soup is made with French onions, I think” she replied. “I assume Paul gets them from France.”

I ordered both and was surprised that one was garnished with fried onion rings and the other with battered onion rings. Both soups looked and tasted the same. I have no idea which was which.

Jigjag, what an ... interesting lunch. If you were meeting up with anyone afterwards, I hope you had a packet of mints handy. A double dose of onion soup, with added onion garnishes, might leave behind a lingering fragrance.

ChrisE, thanks for the raviolo info - depending on the filling, I could maybe manage the bumper-sized one. I think a recent series of MasterChef had a raviolo with an egg yolk in the centre, I quite fancied that.

jigjag @831
My Welsh grandmother was convinced that she could speak French, as she could converse with the "French onion sellers" who cycled around the valleys with strings of onions over their shoulders. She didn't realise that they were Breton, and speaking a language pretty similar to Welsh!

Malone
Good point. I was wondering why people have been avoiding me all afternoon. I must remember the mints next time.

Chrise

I didn't realise Breton was close to Welsh. Last time I was in Brittany, I tried to speak French and wondered why nobody could understand me. I should have tried Bore da etc.

Yes jigjag - Breton, Cornish, and Welsh are very little different from each other. The Celtic fringes!

Malone

Well, that's it - all preparations made, all pies baked. I baked a special Pedants Protected Pie for you; Norfolk Turkey, Wiltshire Ham and Dorset Cheese in a delicious Champagne Gravy. There was just enough room for some shortbread and black pudding, but not enough for Chrise's old boot unfortunately. I sent it to Stornaway Post Office, I'm sure you wont mind picking it up from there. Bon appetit!

Jigjag

I have sent you a special humble one, to eat on your own, or possibly to share with Cassie. I hope you enjoy it.

Best wishes for Christmas to all our pedants. Gx

Chrise

In case etymology is your thing, the -wall in Cornwall is from the same root as 'Wales' and 'Welsh' and means quite simply stranger/foreigner.
The corn part means headland

Thanks Grunger. I can't wait to taste my very special pie - I am sure it will be delicious. I have to confess to the slight panic I had when you said 'there was just enough room for some shortbread and black pudding'... those items, delicious though they are, aren't actually IN the pie? I am hoping there was a few words missing from your message - I'd love it to read 'There was just enough room in the parcel for some shortbread...' That would fill me with gleeful anticipation - a pie with turkey, ham, cheese, shortbread and black pudding would fill me with foreboding! I will make my way to Stornoway Post Office - that'll take a while as I think I'll have to get a bus, three trains and a couple of ferries. I'm sure it'll be worth it... eventually.

PS Thanks for the earlier pie discussion, I forgot to respond at the time. I have never had a meat and potato pie (which my English friends seem to call 'meat and tater pie') as I am worried that the potatoes are there to ... sort of stretch the meat content.

Thanks for the festive greetings. I too wish all pedants - here and across the globe - a great Christmas.

Malone

Thanks and I must apologise for the omitted words, my brain was racing ahead of my fingers, I'm afraid. I suppose the public transport is frequent and reliable at this time of year, so you will soon be tucking into it.

Meat and potato is rather stodgy. Yes, it stretches the meat out and is cheaper of course. Ideal for the championships.

I am reassured. Reading a few posts in the last two or three pages, I have been thinking that pedants of all people should get the spelling of Stornoway correct.