On May 12, 11:00 am, jl wrote:
In article
,
Salahoona wrote:



No fridges in those days. Anyway, I lived in such a culture and
cannot remember eating 'meat' - lots of milk and butter though - salt
port was the big treat. I cannot agree your presumption that only the
rich and powerful could afford cattle; perhaps a political pre-
conception on your part. Every family had a cow.

Agreed - generally for milk and butter. As there usually was no fodder
available for winter, most cattle were slaughtered and the meat was
salted.

I hesitate to agree with that. Cattle were also central heating and a
lot cheaper than going to the bog for wet turf in the winter Cow in
the house is no stranger to me.

After a while it had a terrible taste and spices were used to
disguise this

I'm a bigot, but for most people, except the Christian Ascendency,
didn't use spice.
..
- hence the spice trade and the outrageous sums charged for
spices, which generally only the better off could afford. Only with the
introduction of root vegetables - turnips and the like - was it possibly
to winter cattle - which put an end to the high profit margins of the
spice trade.

Well, some of us survived the famine.

There was an old couple who lived in a remote spot and had no
children. The Man of the house died and the Woman of the house made a
decision. She abandoned the holding and wandered the road with the
cow. She would visit her extended family in turn where the cow grazed
and gave milk. I'd like to write a full account of it as Ban Aon Bho -
much as I dislike speaking Gaelic in Christian Irish. I heard the
story from people who knew her and were young kids at the time.

Interesting tale.

Jochen

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Limavady and the Roe Valley
http://www.jochenlueg.freeuk.com

Donal