Archive for the ‘Answer Us Back! Your time to opine’ Category

puke on toast

March 25, 2014
A page from an actual recipe book I own. Frankly this is one of the least unappetising recipes.

A page from an actual recipe book I own. Frankly this is one of the least unappetising recipes.

••• CLICK HERE TO CATCH UP ON AMT285 •••

Are we going to have to insert Jackass-style warnings into each episode of AMT, insisting that no one attempt to recreate of re-enact any stunt or activity performed on this show? Because we would NEVER have recommended anyone do what Richard in Finsbury Park did:

In AMT last week you talked about Snaffles Mousse, the 70s dish made from canned consommé, Philadelphia and curry powder.

I was morbidly fascinated by the suggested combination and had to make a batch. When it had set, my boyfriend and I had some on toast. It was without doubt the most disgusting thing I have ever eaten. On every level. I can still taste its foulness now.

Answer me this: what is the  most revolting dish you have ever cooked up?

It was by accident, but I made paella with frozen elderflower cordial instead of chicken stock. In fact, because even that mouth-trauma did not teach me to label the contents of my freezer, it happened TWICE. Mark me, it is one of the very few circumstances in which elderflower cordial is NOT more palatable than chicken stock.

Readers, tell us in the comments about your own culinary horrorshows. Maybe then Richard in Finsbury Park will try them out, since he appears to have declared war upon his palate.

And as a fun game between courses, speculate upon the ingredients of this recipe, which I found in a cookbook yesterday:

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underneath your clothes, there’s a pantsy story

March 13, 2014

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Another Anonymous Man has been in touch regarding Anonymous Man’s question in AMT284:

Great to hear a question about men wearing knickers – I love them myself, but my wife wouldn’t like it so very few people know.

I do wear thongs designed for men, but they just aren’t as slinky as ones designed for women. As you said, you need to be careful with the choice of design – so there’s enough room at the front!

Is it wrong to wear them when I go to the Doctors or Osteopath (both female)? – I expect they’ve seen everything before, but it is “fun”.

Unlike you, my instinct when dressing for medical inspections is to choose underwear with as much coverage as possible. I opt for a full set of Mormon undergarments with another full set of Mormon undergarments beneath, just to be safe.

But I’d hate to ruin your fun, so I can’t tell you your practice is wrong. But it does place you in the same sartorial school as Peter Stringfellow – click here for photographic evidence that is probably NSFW and definitely NSFLife.

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Blame Canada (for breeding multitalented Olympians)

March 12, 2014

clara hughes

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We apologise to Olympians, every Canadian alive, and listener David, who says:

Love the podcast, but must indulge some Canadian pride.* In the discussion about medalists in both Winter and Summer Olympics in AMT284, you didn’t mention** Canada’s own Clara Hughes – the only athlete to win multiple medals in each. She won two bronze in cycling in Atlanta in the 1996 summer games, and gold, silver and two more bronze in speed skating over three winter games (2002, 2006 and 2010). Very different than sprinter/bobsledders. Plus she is generally awesome in her own right. Some love for Clara please!

* Don’t worry, David, the two are not incompatible.
** Of course not – it was a question about sport, so frankly it is remarkable that any of us had anything to mention at all.

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decorative digits

February 25, 2014

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toe necklace

Listener Tam has written in with a home-grown alternative to accessories made from sharks’ teeth or ivory or whalebone. Take a look at the picture. Can you tell what the pale-coloured beads are made from? No? Read on to find out:

In an earlier podcast, you were discussing a mother saving her baby’s teeth and whether it was appropriate or not for her to share this with friends. Helen commented in a joking manner that, “What was the mother going to do? Make jewelry out of them?”

Of course she could. I had foot surgery several years ago for a condition called hammer toe. My toes were all bunched up and curled under my foot, making it painful at times to walk. So, to fix this issue, a surgeon cut all of the tendons under all off my toes, and then, on five toes, had to remove the middle toe knuckle; three on the left foot, two on the right. I was awake for the two surgeries and watched the entire process. It only took about a half an hour for each foot, they put me in a surgical boot and I walked right out.

However, I thought that it would be wonderful to have a unique souvenir to show for my trauma. So I kept the knuckles. Once I came home, my husband boiled them to get the meat off, and drilled them for me. My mum gave me some rather fitting beads to make a lovely necklace.

So you see, baby teeth are really no big deal. It’s all in perspective.

That’s right – in perspective of having to BOIL YOUR HUMAN FLESH off your OWN BONES. Did you get the idea from Jeffrey Dahmer’s Etsy store?

As well as the above picture of the finished necklace, Tam kindly included photos of the process prior to completion. Because I don’t want to make casual browsers puke till next Tuesday, you’ll have to click through if you wish to see Tam’s foot pre-surgery, her blood-soaked post-operative appendage, or her disembodied toe-knuckles.

Listeners, over the years you’ve treated us to pictures of your necrotic legs, infected piercings and Satanic effigies. Not wishing to seem ungrateful, but you ARE welcome to send us pictures of things that aren’t leaking pus and blood.

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Blue Posts

January 23, 2014

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pic1610

Here’s a response to AMT281‘s question concerning the concentration of Blue Posts pubs in central London, from Leon:

Blue Posts are so named (I am led to believe) because the original actual blue posts marked the limits of the hunting ground which Soho was during olden times.

It’s an interesting theory, and quite plausible; can anyone confirm or refute? Or does it relate to some other aspect of Soho history? Are the Blue Posts marking, for instance, the locus of the 1854 cholera epidemic? Or are they simply referring to, er, what were protruding from the trousers of gentlemen roaming Soho, seeking relief?

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cystitis no more!

January 23, 2014

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AMT-brand advice has come in useful for once! Rosie from Kent living in Sardinia confided in AMT281 that she thought her in-laws’ wine was giving her cystitis. Relieved, she writes:

Your answer was bang on! It turns out that the culprit was not the wine but the fabric softener we were using! It ran out and the problem cleared up, where it had only improved when I stopped drinking the wine. In the interests of science I did a double blind drunk test and still no problems. Joy!

A triumph! AMT 1: UTIs nil!

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car gift

December 16, 2013

✯ DECK YOUR EARS WITH THE AMT CHRISTMAS ALBUM ✯

Car_with_bow_on__111521artw

The best of AMT 2013 part 1 sent you, as well as us, tootling down Memory Lane. Tom in Glasgow writes:

Deep in the Answer Me This annals of your previous season, you talked about the method Billy Kennedy’s dad employed to present him with his car on his 17th birthday in Neighbours.* Olly then launched into a sob story about how disappointed he was when his father failed to hatch an elaborate unveiling ceremony for his shiny secondhand car.

This reminded me of how my family gifted me my first car on my 17th birthday. As has become the family tradition, my grandfather and uncle came from Oldham and London respectively to the little Oxfordshire village where I used to live with my dear mother and stepfather to celebrate my birthday in the local drinking establishment.

Little did I know, that around the time of my 17th birthday, my grandfather had decided to call it quits as far as his driving career was concerned, and therefore his car was on the market.

During the meal, when it came to opening cards from family and friends, there were two small boxes from my parents. I was to open the smaller one first. Inside, I found a little toy – a silver Japanese car. Puzzled, I unwrapped the second to find an old box of Hovis flour for home baking. Inside this box…was a car key! Either I had had too much to drink, or the plan was slightly convoluted, but I think what I was supposed to do was to combine the little Japanese car with the self-raising Hovis flour to bake one big, fully-functioning automobile.

Five years on the Micra and I are doing well, and have been on many exciting adventures.

Any of the rest of you got good gift-misdirection stories? Present them to us in the comments.

*Originally in AMT250, if you want to catch up on the whole delightful tale.

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Disney World man shortage solution

December 11, 2013

✯ DECK YOUR EARS WITH THE AMT CHRISTMAS ALBUM ✯

medium_KLjlko

If Sarah Beeny can set up a dating service, perhaps we can too? Our first specimen could be Tony from Perth, Western Australia, who writes:

I just finished listening to AMT280 and in it you mentioned Chesca who has started working at Disney World Florida. I thought I would put it out there that I am also single and I happen to be heading over to Florida in April next year. So answer me this: do you think I have a chance with Chesca?

Chesca, if you’re reading this: fancy going on a blind date with a man about whom we know nothing aside from he’s an AMT fan and lives in one of the most remote cities in the world, so it would probably be more of a quickie than a relationship? Let us know and we’ll set you kids up!

Caitlin from Breckenridge, Colorado chips in:

I heard that one of your listeners works at Disney World and has the issue of too few men. I have been living in a ski town and find I have the opposite problem. There are far more men then women. The solution to your listener’s problem is move to a ski town!

However it is not all that it appears. The saying goes: “The odds are good, but the goods are odd.” Despite the numbers being in my favor, there are few men that are worth dating. What would your tactic be in sorting out the good boys from the odd ones? Should I create a quiz? Should they have a set of criteria that they must meet?

We couldn’t really venture an answer unless you elaborate upon the nature of the oddness, or even condone assessing potential fun-partners using something as arbitrary as a quiz; but readers, ski down to the comments and let us know your system for sorting the hits from the gits.

••• CLICK HERE FOR AMT280 •••

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cupcake lady – the next chapter

December 11, 2013

✯ DECK YOUR EARS WITH THE AMT CHRISTMAS ALBUM ✯

Here’s an early Christmas gift from Anonymous Cupcake Lady, whose bakery-based battle with her Office Nemesis thrilled you in AMT271. In AMT272, we learnt that the fancy strawberry swirl cupcakes ‘baked’ by Office Nemesis were out of stock. And today, Cupcake Lady has returned to deliver the latest installment in the saga! This week: will Office Nemesis finally be trapped in her own lies? Read on…

I start work at 7am and my best friend (let’s call her Lindsay) and Office Nemesis both start work at 8am. We are doing a Food Bank drive here at work since it is the Christmas Season and Best Friend had not contributed anything so decided to stop in at the shops on her way to work one day.

Oh yes – guess who she also saw entering the shop a couple of minutes before her? That’s RIGHT! Office Nemesis! Lindsay proceeded to hang back a bit and watch as Office Nemesis entered the bakery section and picked up several batches of red velvet and white chocolate chip Christmas Cookies. Lindsay bought some supplies for the Food Bank and headed into work, Office Nemesis had no knowledge that SHE HAD BEEN SEEN!!!!!

Anyway, of course Lindsay filled me in on her reconnaissance as soon as she got into the office and me (being the bitch that I am) couldn’t resist going down to the Third Floor and seeing what goodies might be on offer on this particular day. Low and behold, a plate of “homemade” cookies.

“WOW – has someone been baking?” I declared.

“Yes – I have! Red velvet and white chocolate chip cookies! I baked three batches last night – getting into the festive spirit and everything,” replied Office Nemesis

“Here – take some up to your boss, I know how much he enjoys my baking!”

So, I walked over to her desk and she proceeded to pull out a few zip-lock bags of cookies! That’s right, guys – she actually transferred the cookies into zip-lock bags so it looked as if she had brought them in from home!! Her cunning knows no bounds!

Anyway, I brought the cookies up to my boss and told him Office Nemesis had baked them. He looked puzzled and said “How on earth did she get them all the same size and shape?”

I gave him a knowing glance and we left it at that. I think her secret might be out!

I’ve decided I feel sorry for Office Nemesis more than anything. She’s obviously all kinds of crazy and I think she probably deserves my sympathy more than anything.

That’s very kind of you, Cupcake Lady, and I assume that’s why you’re letting herself carry on with her hairbrained schemes for individual baking glory, rather than confronting her in the supermarket aisle and giving her a good spanking with a silicon spatula. Or concealing yourself inside a cake, waiting for Nemesis to buy it and take it into the office, at which point you would burst out and reveal her trail of falsehood to all your disinterestedshocked and horrified colleagues. But if you do decide to do that, please ask Lindsay to film it for us.

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Marmite bollocks

November 28, 2013
Don't look at this and think, "Hmm, I wonder what it would be like if I put my balls in there." Just don't.

Don’t look at this and think, “Hmm, I wonder what it would be like if I put my balls in there.” Just don’t.

••• CLICK HERE FOR AMT279 •••

Here’s some great – albeit crashingly obvious – advice via Paul from Bristol:

In AMT278 you briefly speculated on the erotic uses of Marmite. I was reminded that a friend of mine once told me, “Never put your bollocks in an empty Marmite jar”. Apparently the shape of the jar makes it impossible to remove them again.

Answer me this: is this true, and if I were to test it what excuse do you suggest I give to the staff in A&E?

Paul’s first question: readers, if you have personal experience of this, either as the enterprising bollock-stuffer or the emergency responder who had to extract the bollocks, please tell us all about it in the comments.

Paul’s second question: there are NO possible excuses. The best you can do is saying you did it for a bet. Anyway, why would you want an excuse? If you’ve gone to all that effort to be The Guy Who Got His Bollocks Stuck in a Marmite Jar, you surely want to be known as The Guy Who Got His Bollocks Stuck in a Marmite Jar.

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celebripiss 3

November 27, 2013

••• CLICK HERE FOR AMT279 •••

The stream of your celebripiss stories has not yet run dry. Here’s a starry one from Courtney from Dublin:

Was at the premiere of Gangs of New York a few years ago and was at the urinals with Leonardo DiCaprio. Most famous person I’ve peed next to. Fairly important to the story that I point out I am in fact a man with the name Courtney and not a crazy lady in the gents.

Pete has raised the stakes to celebripoop:

A few years ago, a friend of mine got us backstage, access all areas passes to the Download Festival. We had access literally everywhere – backstage, artist green rooms, even managed to see some bands sets from the side of the stage. One advantage to this was the ability to use the artists’ toilets and shower facilities backstage.

We had just watched Faith No More on the main stage and headed back for a few beers. The day’s festivities had caught up with me, and by this time I needed the loo. A diet consisting entirely of alcohol and no actual soild food is always going to have a certain effect, and it was with some trepidation that I approached the toilets.

Upon entering the loos, I sensed that this was going to be a sit down visit rather than a stand up, so duly sat down and let armaggeddon commence. Upon finishing, I flushed and exited, but left behind an aroma that satan himself would be proud of. As I left, I held the door for someone who was approaching, only to notice that it was Marilyn Manson. My good nature took hold, and I felt some kind of warning was in order.

“I’d give that ten minutes if I were you” I offered helpfully. Mr Manson just looked at me and casually nodded, and entered the cubicle area, whereupon I heard a distinct muttering of “fucking hell” followed by a clear retching sound. Result!

As we noted in AMT278, a double celebripiss is quite a feat; Dave here certainly found it too much to bear:

I relieved myself next to Dirty Den from Eastenders. Turns out he was doing the panto and staying in the hotel I was in for my school formal.

I didn’t notice who it was at first when I pulled up beside him until our heads turned and we both gave a nod of acknowledgement to one another. I got stage fright and couldn’t go, though thankfully he quickly finished and left.

Thinking I was now free to do my business with out the pressure of a famous face stood within splashing distance, I set about focusing myself on the job at hand, when who should drunkenly burst through the door and stagger up beside me, none other than ex-Westlife singer Brian McFadden. He was a twat. He swayed about and I’m sure he pissed on himself. I left him to it and went back out with a bladder still half full of wee.

Later that night Brian came into our disco and took over the DJing! He was shite. All the girls flocked over to him asking for pictures and autographs and he responded by hocking up a greener and spitting it at them. He was removed/escorted out by the bouncers soon after.

In Brian McFadden’s defence, Westlifers are only happy when sitting on high stools. They should have fitted an extra-high urinal for his needs.

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Marmite vs mosquitoes

November 19, 2013

marmite-love-it-or-hate-it

••• CLICK HERE FOR AMT278 •••

It’s always pleasing to hear from you learned listeners; thanks, Josie, for getting in touch to share Knowledge:

Listening to last week’s episode, I heard you discuss the medicinal properties of Marmite, where Helen said it could repel mosquitoes.

As a mosquito biologist myself I have heard this a few times but, though I love Marmite, all evidence produced so far says that neither vitamin B nor garlic (another commonly toted ‘repellent food’) have any effect on mosquito activity.

This myth is surprisingly persistent though and even my Mum refuses to believe me on this point (apparently a PhD is mosquito biology counts for nothing here!). Just thought I’d write in to make sure that your listeners, unlike my mother, do not plan trips to malaria endemic countries with the intent of using Marmite as a protection against bites!

Other odd, evidence-less repellent ideas I’ve come across during my work include hanging bags of water in your house, as mosquitoes are “terrified my their own magnified reflections in the water surface and run away”, and writing the number “82” on a big sign above your coffee machine.

Because…mosquitoes are terrified by the atomic number of lead? Sounds scientific to me!

Marmite is famously purported to be a divisive substance, and it seems Luke in Kurdistan felt the same about our conversation regarding it:

Answer me this – how did an innocent question about the health benefits of Marmite (or lack thereof), finish with an answer to “Would it be good for the soul to wake up in bed with Peter Stringfellow, if covered in a B vitamin rich, salty spread?”?

Sorry Luke; at AMT, these things just happen.

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