The fearful " Stage Whisper "...

Was it intended to be heard ?

I think we have all been there. Picture it, you are at a family Brunch / Tea and everything is hunky dory. Laughter can be heard among the separate conversation bubbles. Even with all the noise, you can pick up individual chatting. As with most family occasions, everyone is having a good time.

Until a family member ( in books it is always the old aunt ), leans close to your ear and comments supposedly softly, yet negatively about what " such and such " is wearing, doing or saying ! If you are fortunate enough, this " Stage Whisper " can only be heard in your immediate surroundings, yet luck mostly favours the whisperer and the comments are heard by most, especially the person concerned.

There were occasions where I have been on the receiving end of those and it's not fun !
As I am writing this, I think and hope that I have not done the " Stage Whisper " myself, yet most likely will do some " loud " whispering as I get older ( hopefully not the hurtful kind ).

It's one of those situations, that you can either pretend that it did not happen ( diving under the table, to pick up an errant napkin is one way to escape the awkwardness ) or you cover it up with hysterical laughter. But regardless, the cat is out the bag, and someone's feelings were intruded upon. One theory of mine is, that the slightly older crowd is a tad bit hard of hearing and thus underestimate their voice...or the other is that, they meant it to be heard all along !

Of course it is sometimes extremely tricky, if you know that a certain family member is prone to these " Stage Whispers ". It becomes a game of cat and mouse. When you see the person leaning towards your ear, or when the hand comes up in front of the mouth ( as if that would make it less obvious ), you instantly try to shift the conversation towards something totally unrelated. Personally I have pointed out birds flying past, or the wonderful look of food on a plate or as a last resort rudely interrupted !

What have you done to avert an oncoming " Stage Whisper " ?

" The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all "

Carl Jung The Portable Jung (Portable Library)

Biggi

Bretzen Made the Bavarian Way.

October Fest in Burgenland, Part 2.

We are an ingenious lot. Bretzen ( Pretzels ) have been part of German Food culture since the middle ages. Possibly more in Bavaria. Of course no one really knows, but personally I suspect that an industrious Beer Brewer started serving the salty Bretzen along with his beer, and thus made his customers doubly thirsty...!

For our little October Fest, my Mum decided to make some Bretzen. That is quite an effort, as they have to be dunked into some sort of " lauge/baking soda " before baking. Never mind making the dough and rolling it into a Bretzen shape. Not as easy as it looks.

As with any party the world over, we women were in the kitchen, cooking and baking. In my case, I was more cheering and chatting along. The men were outside and not letting their Keg get out of eyesight. Every now and again, one of them would be sent in to check on the Bretzen progress ! Beer does not taste the same without it. When we at last took the Bretzen out to the men, they disappeared at the speed of light. They tasted so amazing, that I think they will be part of my baking repertoire.

We did have a opening ceremony ie, hitting the tap into the barrel. A bit of the beer escaped as foam out the top ( which was not properly tightened ). The men almost cried thinking of all the lost beer. My aunt's little dog, Emily, was hovering near the spillage and we suspected that she had a taste, as she fell asleep rather quickly !

My uncle had brought ( special request from my cousin ) his Accordion, and was playing all kinds of ditties. Of course as the evening progressed, he was not alone with his music. Everyone contributed their version of singing which got more interesting as the Keg got emptier ! It was one of those at " short notice " kind of party's, which turned out to be magical and will be thought and talked of often.

Biggi

I only managed to get a pre-picture, as the Bretzen disappeared so quickly.

Ironic to see the vines in the background of the Beer drinker...