Questions about the FIW

[Argonor]

Ok I am totaly confused now

And I'm off to the company christmas lunch in a minute. Involves Schnapps, christmas strong beer, and herings on black bread.

Sounds wonderful, except the herings on Black Bread.... 

I actually have Riga Sprats on Estonian black bread

We actually had something called 'curry salad' to put on the herings, too.

There was also fried fish filets, fried meatballs (Swedish meatballs) with boiled red cabbage, a special Danish thing called 'grønlangkål' (chopped green cabbage, boiled and stewed in a white sauce with salt, pepper, and sugar), some kindof boiled ham, rice à la mande (rice porridge mixed with whipcream, chopped almonds, sugar - served with hot cherry sauce), and white bread with cheese, grapes, etc...

Did I mention the strong christmas beer..? 

[PeteMurray]

God damn that sounds delicious.

[Aaron]

Agreed! I could really go for some nice herring right about now. Far better then wuppanese.

[Gallowglass]

Since becoming a trainee American, I have discovered something called "beef jerky".

Now, I initially thought it was something unfortunate and a bit seedy that the locals engaged in with the local herbivores when nobody was looking (the "eeeeeeeeeeeuuuuuuuuuuuuuuwwwwwwww" was quite overt in this case) but it actually turns out that people eat the stuff.

Nasty suspicious mind that I have, I thought they were trying to make an eejit of the guy just offthe boat. So, I made all the other members of the household eat some and noted their reactions.

Then I tried some and discovered that t'was actually quite nice.

What a fascinating modern age we live in.

Still can't find a half-decent Indian restaurant here, though.

[PeteMurray]

Find a hunter at work and ask him for venison jerky. That stuff is so good it should be illegal.

And how can you not find decent Indian in NOVA??

[Gallowglass]

Find a hunter at work and ask him for venison jerky. That stuff is so good it should be illegal.

And how can you not find decent Indian in NOVA??

Cork and Dublin had several unbelievably good Indian places and my standards for same are conseqently frighteningly high. "Half-decent" Indian by Irish or UK standards is currently way out of NOVA's league. My understanding is that Indian food is just not as popular here as it is on d'other side. After some searching, I went out to a place in Reston recently that was supposed to be "all that"...ermmm - no, 'fraid not. I could think of three Indian take-aways within 10 minutes of where I lived back at home that were miles better, and those were "it'll do cos it's late, I'm hungry and I can't be bothered cooking something", not "I'm going to go for something really nice".

Now, in the interest of fairness, my experience with Chinese and other Asian restaurants over here is that they habitually kick the collective arses of their counterparts on d'other side.

American chocolate, on the other hand, is foulness incarnate. Consider the Kit Kat. Most upsetting. There y'are with your coffee, thinking "I know, I'll have one of THOSE", and then yeh bite into it and go:

 
 

 
 
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

 

It's not right, I tell yeh.

Only thing left to do at this point is go and spark up.

American snacks are going to be the death of me. Well, that and 200 Marlboro for $30-odd in the chemist.

It's surreal - you go to the chemist and buy a carton of smokes. 
They keep them behind the counter, right next to the nicotine patches!! Yeh couldn't make it up.....


As for the venison jerky, I got a deer last weekend and I know a man who knows a man who'll help me out there.

[commissarmoody]

Now I like my curry and kabos like the next guy but lets stay on topic here folks.

[Gallowglass]

What the hell good is the Interwebnet if you can't go around derailing things......

[commissarmoody]

You are totaly right, far be it for me to censor you, carry on with you jerky and marlboros 

[Gallowglass]

You are totaly right, far be it for me to censor you, carry on with you jerky and marlboros 

Just for that, I'll post up my list of groovy F&IW books tomorrow.

[commissarmoody]

I wait with baited breath 

[Gallowglass]

I wait with baited breath 

Here y'go.

America's First First World War: The French and Indian War, 1754-1763
http://www.amazon.com/Americas-First-World-War-1754-1763/dp/1930098197/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228526608&sr=8-1

Excellent introduction, lots of B&W re-enactor photos.

The Annotated and Illustrated Journals of Major Robert Rogers
http://www.amazon.com/Annotated-Illustrated-Journals-Robert-Rogers/dp/1930098200/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228526608&sr=8-2

Amazing book. Loads of pen & ink illustrations, fantastic examination of the Rangers' uniforms.

Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766
http://www.amazon.com/Crucible-War-British-America-1754-1766/dp/0375706364/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228526861&sr=1-1

Giant work and a "real" history book. Easy to read - don't be put off by the size of it!


The History of Rogers' Rangers: The Beginnings January 1755-April 6, 1758
http://www.amazon.com/History-Rogers-Rangers-Beginnings-1755-April/dp/0788442953/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228527148&sr=1-7

This is the first of an enormous four-volume work dealing exclusively with the Rangers. I got mine on (Vol. I) on ebay. Great background to Rogers, tons of detail on Ranger operations - pretty much mentions all of the 22 or 23 raids/scouts etc that they went on. Is heavily referred to in the Annotated Journals.

White Devil: A True Story of War, Savagery And Vengeance in Colonial America
http://www.amazon.com/White-Devil-Savagery-Vengeance-Colonial/dp/0306814730/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228527446&sr=1-1

Just got this, but haven't started it yet. Hoever, I'm reading the following book by the same author:

Redcoats: The British Soldier and War in the Americas, 1755-1763
http://www.amazon.com/Redcoats-British-Soldier-Americas-1755-1763/dp/0521675383/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228527446&sr=1-3

Imagine an Osprey, without pictures but with a lot more historical research/detail. Some fantastic chapters on how British troops and warfare in North America "evolved". Great detail on the social/racial make-up of the British army, the Provincials, weapons and several good accounts of battles.


On the way (from ebay or Half.com etc):
La Marine: The French Colonial Soldier in Canada, 1745-1761
http://www.amazon.com/Marine-French-Colonial-Soldier-1745-1761/dp/1556137117/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228527757&sr=1-1

Redcoats, Yankees and Allies: A History of the Uniforms, Clothing and Gear of the British Army in the Lake George-Lake Champlain Corridor, 1755-1760
http://www.amazon.com/Redcoats-Yankees-Allies-Historyof-George-Lake/dp/0788409050/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=ITPQ9XLVKQOQR&colid=3KEUYSXHM6619

Really looking forward to the two of these.

I'm not counting the Ospreys, Campaigns or Essential Histories in this list.

[commissarmoody]

I just added La Marine and Redcoats to my list for chirstmass. Any one know what the conquest minitatures Accessories Weapon Sprue 1 and Weapon Sprue 2 have in them?

[Aaron]

I think sprue number one has some flintlocks, tomahawks and the like while number two has weapons more suitable for plains wars.

[Gallowglass]

I think sprue number one has some flintlocks, tomahawks and the like while number two has weapons more suitable for plains wars.

I have two of these sprues which (I think) came with some ofthe dismounted Comanche I got at Historicon. The sprue has:

1 x 18th century musket
1 x 18th century rifle
1 x Springfield/Sharps/Spence carbine (ACW era)
1 x Henry or Winchester rifle (Western lever-action repeater)
1 x flintlock pistol
1 x revolver (could be a Navy Colt or similar)

I also have another sprue which is exclusively hand weapons. These all seem to be Indian weapons like war clubs, although on looks a bit like a lacrosse stick with feathers on it.