Please check out the video and latest single from my crew, 360 Physicals, titled ‘DYKWYFW’. I was involved in shooting the video, along with other members of the crew, and it was Directed and Edited by crew member and MC, @cristocannes. I really enjoyed taking part in making this and I’m delighted with the finished result. Available on Noel & Poland records now. More music coming soon.
Against my better judgement, I'm watching the GBBO Mexican Week since the following week's episode will be coming out here in the US tomorrow. Disclaimer that I have zero Mexican heritage. I just like me a pan dulce and am an award-winning baker for non-Mexican bakes.
We start off on a "high" note, with Noel and Matt in eye searingly bright ponchos and sombreros, saying, "I don't think we should make Mexican jokes, people will get upset."
"What, no Mexican jokes at all?"
"I don't think so."
"What, not even Juan?"
This seems to be setting the tone for the episode quite nicely.
Or something.
More beyond the cut for the sake of everyone's dashes who haven't turned on the annoying thing where it cuts off long posts. This is gonna be LONG. And very spoilery. Fair warning.
Signature: Pan Dulce
After 2 bakers being off for "illness" (covid?) last week, everyone's back in the tent.
The little clips from the bakers as they walk in do nothing to instill confidence that anyone is coming to this from a perspective where they actually know anything about Mexican baking or that they've done much in the way of research to prepare themselves.
"I don't really know much about Mexican cuisine, so this is an absolute adventure."
"When someone says Mexican food, my mind goes only to fajitas."
"Mexican food's fun, but Mexican baking? What do the Mexicans bake?"
Carole at least acknowledges that she did do research, because she wasn't familiar with Mexican sweet bakes. I salute her for choosing pan de anise, something other than the conchas most other poeple are doing, even though she can't pronounce it to save her life.
Abdul straight off the bat says he's never had any sort of pan dulce before, so he's not sure what they're supposed to be like. I can't entirely blame him because I don't think Panaderias are as common in the UK as they are here (even in suburban Minnesota I have at least two within a 5 mile radius). I do salute him for doing as much research as he could for his besos, though Paul is like, "No, your research is wrong, they're supposed to be a completely different texture, I have just been to Mexico."
Prue decides that it's a good idea to correct Janusz, who was born in Poland, that "cacti" is the correct plural of "cactus," not "cactuses." Because that's what's important.
I'm quietly dying inside at how the scriptwriters clearly decided that craquelin was the best term for the topping on conchas. (later addition: oh gods, the judges are calling it that, too)
Sandro, I love you, but that's PUSHING the definition of conchas, having a filling and a salted caramel base.
Break while the hosts decide that Mexico is definitely a real place. Like Oz.
I'll admit that I've never made conchas, but I've made the close Japanese cousin, melon pan (got a couple awards for them yay), and much sympathy for all the bakers going that route because getting the tops rolled out to the right thickness and scored nicely is sooooo fiddly. Not all of them manage it. Sandro, I love you again, but those "conchas" are. Tall. My dude, did you look at any photos of what those are supposed to look like? (later addition: given all of Paul's comments on shapes, apparently this is what Paul thinks they're supposed to look like? Taller than they are wide??)
Paul complains that Carole's pan de anise "aren't Chelsea bun shape."
Techinical: Tacos
Tacos, which as everyone knows, require baking.
Oh, wait. No they don't. What the heck, Paul Hollywood. Why did you set that as the technical.
Corn tortillas made from scratch, steak, "spicy refried beans," guacamole, and pico de gallo. So many baking skills involved in this. Wow.
Paul: It's Mexican Week, Prue. It has to be tacos.
He then goes on to mispronounce pico de gallo, which Matt somehow managed to get mostly right.
I am dying over how everyone, especially Paul, is pronouncing "taco."
Instructions are brutal, including steps that are "Make the Pico de Gallo." [capitalization as though it's a proper noun] "Make the refried beans." "Make the guacamole." It looks a bit more involved for the tortillas, so there's a bit of mercy there.
Oh gods, at least 3 of the bakers have never even heard of pico de gallo.
Oh noooooo, Janusz has the "cilantro tastes like soap" gene. Nonetheless, he goes ahead and adds it to his pico de gallo mixture since it was on the ingredients list for it. "Spicy, soapy, salty, and sour. Great," he says, tasting it.
Carole, bless her heart, is peeling the avocado for her guacamole like it's a potato. Her tortillas are. Uh. Well, she tried. In her defense, how could she know that Mexican Week would have a technical that involved ZERO baking.
Syabira, who seems to be the only one in the tent who's made Mexican food before, is unimpressed that they are not provided with a tortilla press and are instead asked to flatten the dough with a casserole lid.
Kevin says the most true thing ever, "Everyone's got an opinion on steak, and everyone thinks you've done it wrong."
As the judges approach, Matt mentions that the bakers have been asked to make a taco that include, among other things, "a tangy guacamole," which is not an adjective I'd have thought to apply to guacamole.
Paul complains that there's some color on some of the tortillas, and that's a garbage statement right there.
Prue states that one of the tacos has too much salt "in the taco." She clearly means "in the tortilla," but. Y'know.
Showstopper: Tres Leches Cake
Ok, first of all, the bakers are required to make a cake that has at least 4 layers, which is not something I've ever seen any one do with a tres leches cake. Its very form lends itself to a single layer cake, since it's so moist. I'm getting shades of Jürgen, Actual German from last season, who pointed out to the judges that they'd assigned a traditional German cake to be made in layers which is never ever made in more than a single layer.
At least this requires baking.
Dangit Sandro, you were my favorite coming in, and here you are, being like, "Oh, Mexican? Ok, I will put a GIANT MOUSTACHE on my cake." My dude, did you do your research for this week by watching Speedy Gonzales cartoons? Like, I know he has serious baking chops, knowing why certain things work the way they do. But. Yiiiikes.
Matt suggests to Abdul that since he's making a Dia de los Muertos themed cake that he'll get him some poison. Abdul points out that the holiday is about honoring the dead, not making more of them. Noel is excited for this theming.
Paul is BEWILDERED by the very concept of Syabira incorporating sweetcorn into her cake. Corn??? In a baked good?????? (my Midwestern soul wants to crawl into the TV and punch him)
Quietly dying at how everyone pronouncing "tres leches." Like it has a "z" at the end of the first word.
Kevin, quite sensibly, points out that tres leches sponge is not made for stacking. He is right. He loses points when he says he's making an Aztec temple for his cake, Paul asks him if it's Mayan or Aztec, and he then replies, "There's a bit of overlap, isn't there?" (no, no there is not. Not geographically, and not temporally).
I do wonder now, seeing which types of chili peppers the bakers are choosing (a lot of birds-eye chilis, which I personally associate more with Thai food than Mexican), what sort of availability you get in the UK. Like, they're all developing these recipes at home with the ingredients they can get. And I'm fully aware that Mexican ingredients are lot less available there than they are in the US.
Carole is using an angel food cake as her base to be soaked in the tres leches, and oh boy. She's another baker who, going in, I loved, but she's really struggling this week.
Further discussion amongst the hosts as to whether Mexico is a real place, and omg can we please stop doing this bit.
Janusz says what we're all thinking. "It's a four hour bake. You're not gonna make it perfect, will you?"
The judges are stunned and bewildered at how Syabira managed to have sweetcorn in her cake and make it taste like sweetcorn. Inner Midwesterner continues to scream. Especially after Paul says, "it's not for me."
Ready to shove both Prue and Paul off one of those Aztec pyramids where they used to do human sacrifices after all their complaints about uneven soaking for making a layer cake out of a cake that, by definition, includes a saturated crumb, which is not a thing that is structurally sturdy.
Paul continues his theme of being unable to stand anything much spicier than ketchup. For Mexican Week. Prue is in the same boat.
Two bakers eliminated this week to make up for last week, apparently. Ugh.
Anyway, even with German Week last year, they effed up some stuff, according to the Actual German in the tent. For the love of little green apples, they need to bring in someone who's actually from that country or at the very least someone who's deeply studied that country's baking tradition for these Ethnic Weeks. No, sending Paul Hollywood to the country for, like, a week does not count.
Attribution: Lewitt-Him, a partnership of Jan LeWitt (b. Częstochowa, Poland, 1907-1991), and George Him (aka Jerzy Himmelfarb, b. Łódź, Poland, 1900-1981). Christmas card, 1947/1948, "morning bath". Commissioned by Noel Carrington for Royle Publications.
1996 Oslo - Number 10 - Eimear Quinn - "The Voice"
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Things were changing in Ireland. There had been the Downing Street Declaration in 1993, the IRA declaring a ceasefire in 1994, followed by the Loyalist side doing the same later the same year. The peace process was well underway resulting in what would become the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. The Troubles were ending and the Celtic Tiger was already roaring.
From the Eurovision perspective, Ireland had had its rest year while Norway looked at Riverdance and thought "Let's do that", borrowed an Irish violinist and won by being more Irish than the Irish in 1995. It was definitely time to get back to doing what they did best. The Voice combined aetherial Irish folk mythology with the new spirit of healing and togetherness. There was the Celtic spirituality and connection to the land and seasons, mystical female voices reassuring and lending a guiding light, and a message for the Ireland of today. Even if it hadn't walked off with the win, Ireland would have been proud.
The writer of Rock and Roll Kids, Brendan Graham clearly wanted to show that whatever Norway could do, Ireland had been doing it better for centuries. To get that authentic Riverdancy-quality, he invited Eimear Quinn, who was a member of Anúna, the choir that had sung Riverdance in 1994 to sing it. And it worked amazingly well. It won Eurosong 1996 at a canter. In the audio-qualifier, The Voice only finished second, but on the night, it roared away with the contest. It was clear well before the end of the voting who'd won, to the point where Morgan Harket and Eimear Quinn were doing an impromptu duet of Norwegian Wood in the green room during a break in the voting sequence.
Eimear has been performing, recording and composing since her win and is still someone who never has to buy a drink in an Irish bar. She married Noel Curran, current director-general of the EBU which I think makes her the reigning queen of Eurovision. Below is her performance of The Voice at Het Groete Songfestivalfeest in 2019, recorded prior to the COVID pandemic.
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One last little thing - this was Noel Kelehan's penultimate stint as conductor for Ireland and it was the final song he conducted that won. He conducted five songs that won (every Irish winner barring All Kinds of Everything and Rock and Roll Kids). He also conducted four second places, including To Nie Ja! for Poland in 1994. He conducted for several of the new nations joining Eurovision in the 1990s when Ireland was the semi-permanent host. Probably the most successful conductor in Eurovision history.
It's rare that we're in Warsaw for Christmas these days - rarer still to be this lucky with the weather and the illuminations and all! . . 🇵🇱🎄🕯 . . #warsaw #poland #christmas #illuminations #christmaslights #nowyŚwiat #noel #winter #snow #whitechristmas #ポーランド #ワルシャワ #クリスマス #冬 #雪 #光 (at Warsaw, Poland) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmTkcrgoIhI/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=