Thursday, December 14, 2006

Infected with a Christmas Meme

Dr Dork has been tagged with a Christmas meme by Rob over at Musings of a Distractible Mind.

OK then:


1. Hot Chocolate or Egg Nog?

Eggnog. No-one drinks hot chocolate when it's 40 degrees Celcius.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

Santa places the coal directly into the stockings.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?

Coloured on the tree, when I have one. There are motion activated spotlights on the outside to deter small children. Just like Halloween.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?

Nope. Not sure if it grows in Oz even.

5. When do you put your decorations up?

Last-minute if at all.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish?

Meringues.

7. Favorite Holiday memory?

When a toddler, noticing my father jingling some bells behind his back whilst pointing at "Santa flying over the roof'. Dr Dork is a born cynic.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?

See 7.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

No.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?

Haphazardly, if at all.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?

Love it, but it's not too common in an Australian summer.

12. Can you ice skate?

Very badly but technically yes. I broke my coccyx in an ice-skating mishap as a teenager.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?

Yes.

14. What’s the most important thing?

Reinforcing the need for compassion, for helping/giving to others. And meringues.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?

See 6. And 14.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

The backyard post-lunch cricket match with the extended family that has been continuing for decades.

17. What tops your tree?

Is not to be repeated in a PG rated blog.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?

Giving, of course.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?

Little Drummer Boy, Charley Pride rendition.

20. Candy canes, Yuck or Yum?

OK....but I tend to re-use them each year. So they get a little stale.

Dr Dork understands that he is now meant to 'tag' several others who may wish to participate. So will tag :
A fellow Antipodean Barbados Butterfly
A fellow anachronism #1 Dinosaur
A fellow traveller Shiny Happy Person
A fellow curmudgeon Dr John Crippen
And DB, for the stimulating debate that has been evolving in his blog on the topic of
"personal responsiblity". Even though our opinions appear irreconcilable.

PS- please don't feel obligated if tagged. Dr Dork is aware that this is almost encroaching on chain mail territory. You will not develop a suppurating pustulence throughout your nether regions by ignoring the meme.

Well, probably not.

8 comments:

Psychosomartyr said...

In Australia, are meringues just the individual dried egg-white sugar mix sandwiched with cream, or is it implied that it is lemon meringue, cherry meringue etc.?

Cultural curiosity. Forgive me - my favourite meringue is cherry. Although I have been given a Christmas meringue, it was meringue over (sweet) mincemeat.

Ken said...

Mistletoe grows in Australia, but probably not the same species as overseas. We even have a Mistletoe Bird, that propogates it.

Rob said...

Dr. Dork:

Thanks for humoring the gods of meme. While I often feel like I have been given a present I don't want and have to smile and pretend I like it, I do find some of them interesting to see what other cultures do.

Cheers:

Rob

Bo... said...

Dr. Dork, you crack me up!

Dr Dork said...

psychosomartyr,
No cream filling, just egg white and sugar. And sprinkles. And a secret ingredient that the Aunty who makes them refuses to divulge.

Ken,
Thanks - it's poisonous, isn't it ?

Rob,
You're welcome. We do do things funny out here in the penal colony...

Dork

Anonymous said...

Liz from I Speak of Dreams. It's hard to make good meringues for Christmas in Northern California -- the weather's often rainy, too humid for good meringues.

The secret ingredient might be some form of booze. My dad mightly favored meringues with a generous splash of Early Times -- a downmarket whiskey.

dragonflyfilly said...

Hey there Doc!

boy! i just finished browsing through your posts and wow, have you been busy!!

sorry you have been troubled again by the Black Dog (BAD DOG!) - what you need is a good dog trainer i think. anyway, i enjoyed reading your stuff. i was wondering and waiting, and waiting and wondering, expecting notification, so decided to pop in - glad i did.

so regarding that sweet and fragile delicacy that only a few are very good at creating:-

--i wonder, could the secret (well not sooo secret) be cream of tartar?

--i love Meringues too, and i learnt how to make Pavlova Pudding from a Kewi friend, yum!

and if you REALLY wanted to hang misletoe i'm sure you could find some at a good garden shop -- me thinks that you just want to avoid kissing strangers? or strange family members? (just joking)

well, my dear DD, nice to see you back in fighting form, chat soon,

cheers for now,
pj


and Liz: there is also a trick that my mom knows when dealing with humidity - my mom is the Master Meringue Maker...i forgot what it is but i will ask her the next time i talk to her.

Dr Dork said...

Liz,
Good thought, but my Aunty is teetotal.

Hi PJ,
Apologies you weren't notified but the "Notifylist" thing didn't work and has been subsequently panned: see here.
The tartar cream sounds good...


Dork

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