Some daily life trivia

There’s a cooking show we watch where the presenters regularly reference enjoying a Negroni. I’m a fairly old fashioned girl at heart about a cocktail (and yes, an Old Fashioned is also one of a small handful of cocktails I’d select on those occasions when cocktail drinking is the order of the day) but as I didn’t immediately know what went into a Negroni, I quipped “what we need is a copy of Esquire’s Handbook for Hosts. Himself gave me a look, which forced me to explain about the rather magnificent book which resided for many a year on my father’s bar.

My brother now has the bar, but it appears the Handbook has been sadly misplaced. I know I don’t need any more books, but it was a rather fabulous thing, with newer issues subtitled “the original 50s guide for the sophisticated man” (there’s no doubting my Dad would laugh at the idea he could be so described). Despite Negroni containing Campari which I know I don’t like from the time when my Dad had a thing for Campari and Soda, I gave them a try… well, two tries if I’m honest, for we bought two different ready made options 😉 It turns out that when made with a really good Vermouth they’re not bad, but when made with an everyday Vermouth, they’re decidedly medicinal. I suspect Esquire’s could’ve told me so if I had a copy…

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Despite being relatively practical and handy before the old age kicked in, I’ve only recently learned the “rightie tightie, leftie loosie” mantra. But just the other day I spotted that, when translated into in Spanish, this term is “la derecha oprime, la izquierda libera” which also translates to “the right oppresses, the left liberates” – and my old left-leaning heart positively beamed😊

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I’d been describing what I like about where we now live during a networking session when one of the attendees, liking the sound of it, decided to spend a few hours visiting the area with her husband. Coincidentally they ended up at the coffee shop literally just minutes from me – a fact we discovered when she shared a photo into the network chat. So we decided to meet up there ourselves for our get to know one another better chat. We had a delightful time, chatting away happily, all the while being terribly British and remaining hyper aware of any cues that the place was closing, because neither of us had previously checked its hours of service (oops). It was only when a chap flung the door open and demanded “tea for two, outside!” that we felt able to relax.

So relaxed indeed, that we were able to bathe in a feeling of superiority as we tsk tsked at his behaviour, and exchanged “how rude!” remarks to one another. We were surprised – if most amused – when the waitress then sidled over to wipe down our table while quietly muttering “yes he is isn’t he, but he’s a regular…”

It appears us British are capable of being both judgmental hyper aware on the manners/behaviour front, as well as being breath-takingly rude. What traits do you observe in your fellows citizens?

© Debs Carey, 2025