Country of the Week: England / Bangers and Mash

We finished up England last week and are on to—well, you’ll never guess, so please come back tomorrow to find out! But before we move on I wanted to share one last thing with you.

England Week was basically us glued to the television watching the Olympics. Have you been watching? The competitions are incredible, of course, but I love the stories behind the spectacle: Lashinda Demus coming back from postpartum depression to compete in the women’s 400-meter hurdles, Oscar Pistorius racing on prosthetic legs—losing in the 400-meter semifinals but winning the adoration of the world, and Felix Sanchez sobbing on the podium after securing the gold in honor of his grandmother.

Have you heard his story? Sanchez was all set to compete in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing when he found out his grandmother, the woman who had raised him, had died. He was devastated by the news and ran a poor race. But he made a promise to himself that he wouldn’t retire until he had won a medal in her honor.

Four years later in London, 34-year-old Sanchez ran with abuela written on his spikes and her photo pinned under his bib. He crossed the finish line in first place, dropped to his knees, kissed the photo, and started sobbing.

“When I went up to the podium for my medal, it started to rain,” Sanchez said. “It made me think that my grandmother was up there crying, crying tears of joy and pride.”

So beautiful. And now I have to somehow transition from that to bangers and mash! I guess I’ll jump right in.

Bangers and mash, aka sausages and mashed potatoes, was at the top of our list of English pub fare to try this week. We’re lucky to have a local grocery store that produces fantastic sausages so that part was all set. And the mashed potatoes were easy enough. But as I was placing the bangers and mash on a serving platter, Will walked by and said, “That’s not how you’re supposed to do it.”

“Sorry?” I said.

“They’re supposed to stick out.”

“Stick out of what?” I said.

“Out of the mashed potatoes. Like this.”

“How in the world do you know that?” I said.

“Shaun the Sheep,” he said, and went on his way.

 

So there you have it, straight from the sheep. Via Will.

By the way, according to Wikipedia, the term “bangers” came about because sausages, “particularly the kind made during World War II under rationing, can explode under high heat if not cooked carefully. Modern sausages do not have this attribute.” Bangers and mash are usually served with gravy. But it’s summer and it’s a miracle I’m cooking at all, let alone making gravy!

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