RUTH WINSTON COMMUNITY CENTRE NEWSLETTER NO.25.

Autumn Edition 2020

Well everyone, we are back in lockdown and therefore our lovely Centre will have to temporarily close again. Therefore, it is essential that you let us have all your news to keep the newsletter going during this awful period. We hope everyone stays well and again PLEASE KEEP IN TOUCH.

Why do we carve pumpkins at Halloween?

Their origin comes from an Irish myth about Stingy Jack, who tricked the devil for his own monetary gain. When Jack died, God didn’t allow him into Heaven, and the Devil didn’t allow him into Hell, so Jack was sentenced to roam the earth for eternity. In Ireland, people started to carve demonic faces out of turnips to frighten away Jack’s wandering soul. When Irish immigrants moved to the U.S., they began carving jack-o- lanterns from pumpkins, as these were native to the region. But how did jack-o-lanterns become associated with Halloween? Halloween is based on the Celt festival Samhain, a celebration in ancient Britain and Ireland that marked the end of summer and the beginning of the new year on November 1st. It was believed that during Samhain, the souls of those, who had died that year travelled to the other world and that other souls would return to visit their homes. In the 8th century CE, the Roman Catholic Church moved All Saints’ Day, a day celebrating the church’s Saints, to November 1st. this meant that All Hallows’ Eve (or Halloween) fell on October 31st. Traditions from Samhain remained, such as wearing disguises to hide yourself from the souls wandering around your home. The folklore about Stingy Jack was quickly incorporated into Halloween, and we’ve been carving pumpkins - turnips – ever since.

Silver Wedding Anniversary….……………

Derek and Lucy Dightmaker celebrated their Silver Wedding Anniversary recently and renewed their wedding vows during Holy Mass in Our Lady of Lourdes church, where they were married 25 years ago. One of the guests was Bernadette Keeshan, who was Lucy’s Maid of Honour at the wedding. Derek has been our volunteer Latin American Dance teacher for more than 13 years, and Lucy is familiar to many of you, as the volunteer nurse, who used to give the flu ‘jabs’ and take blood pressure at the Centre. As a bride, in 1995, Lucy wore the traditional Chinese wedding dress, the Qun Kwa, encrusted with pearls. (see first picture) The other picture shows the couple after renewing their vows, standing at the same church door, 25 years later. Lucy is wearing a different style of Chinese dress, the Samfoo. Congratulations.

POEM FOR SOLOS

It isn’t fun to cook for one Our TV cooks write clever books No warm anticipation That give a solo meal Of what will greet the food we eat, Some golden name as if to claim No joy in conversation It has its own appeal Nor is it fun to sit with none But where’s the fun in having none When cooking time has ceased. To share delicious roast? No friendly chat, no “How was that”? Instead, for me, I’ll brew some tea No friends around to feast With humble beans on toast.

BISCUIT QUIZ

1. YOUR BODY INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM! 2. A DRINK WITH A HIGH SALARY 3. AN ANTARCTIC WAITER 4. LONDON ONES ARE BLACK 5. AN AMERICAN WHISKY 6. RED HEAD 7. HAS LOTS OF MEMBERS 8. GET AT IT WITH 2K 9. CAN BE FOUND AROUND THE COOKER 10. HALF A LOAF 11. THIS TAKES THE BITES 12. DRINK THIS BEFORE LUNCH 13. POPULAR HOLIDAY RESORT 14. FROZEN DIAMONDS

We have been very lucky to have had this amazing Hamper donated by Coversure Insurance Brokers on Green Lanes, Palm- ers Green, who provide us with our insurance for the Centre. We are therefore raffling this fabulous hamper to our Members, Staff, Volunteers and Trustees to try and raise some greatly needed funds for the Ruth Winston Centre. Large Hamper Due to these difficult times, we are unable to physically sell raffle tickets so are therefore selling numbers between 1 and 500 at £5 per number. Please contact Liz on 07824 567 544 if you wish to purchase some numbers over the phone giving you a chance to win this excellent prize for Christmas

We will make the draw online via zoom on Friday 18th December 2020 at 12pm which you will be invited to once you have purchased your number.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL.

THE ODD COUPLE

Why do all recipes urge us to sprinkle salt and pepper into savoury dishes? Why are Salt and Pepper shakers coupled up on tabletops like a condimental Rogers & Hammerstein? Salt an essential nutrient, enhances the flavour of the food because humans are hard-wired to crave it to ensure we consume enough. But pepper is a pungent spice with a sharp hot bite. Should we really assume that pepper goes with everything? A good pinch of salt makes everything taste better. Pepper on the other hand is a spice, and proper spice usage is primarily guided by geography and tradi- tion. Consider whether pepper belongs in a dish before you add it. Seasoning everything with salt and pepper is bizarre, because pepper isn’t a seasoning. You wouldn’t put cumin in everything, so why do we do that with pepper? Not worth applying black pepper to a steak before putting it under the grill, it will just taste burnt. Pepper, of course, does work well with some dishes, such as tomato-based curries and steak au poivre. From Sunday Times magazine Salt’s place on the table or by the hob makes sense. It’s been prized since ancient times as a food preservative and improves the taste and flavour of everything. This is because salt not only aligns with taste receptors on our tongue it unlocks aromatic compounds in food that makes flavours really pop. Seasoning that corresponds with the five tastes our tongues can perceive, salty, sour, bitter, sweet and umami. Yes, umami, discovered in 1990 as a pleasant savoury taste, and has been described as brothy or meaty. You can apparently taste Umami in foods like Parmesan cheese, seaweed and mushrooms.!

Do you remember “Babycham”?

Babycham was invented by Francis Showering, part of the Somerset cider-making family in 1947 and it was one of the first alcoholic drinks where the marketing of an alcoholic drink was directed at women. It was the first alcoholic drink to be advertised on British TV. The words “I’d love a Babycham” were uttered by smart young ladies and this drink began to reduce the stigma of women ordering an alcoholic drink at a bar.

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CENTRE CLOSURE

FOLLOWING THE GOVERNMENT’S CURRENT DIRECTIVES, WE HAVE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO CLOSE THE CENTRE FROM THURSDAY UNTIL AT LEAST 2ND DECEMBER 2020. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS COULD BE EXTENDED FOLLOWING FURTHER GOVERNMENT DIRECTIVES.

PLEASE KEEP IN CONTACT WITH THE CENTRE, KEEP AN EYE ON FACEBOOK, OUR WEBSITE AND YOUR EMAILS, BY WHICH WE WILL UPDATE YOU ON OUR PROGRESS. Just after reopening, we know that many of you will be very upset by this unwelcome news, however, please remember the main purpose of the Ruth Winston Centre. It is for you, our Members, so do not hesitate to contact us, if you require information, advice or if you just need someone to talk to. We do have staff and volunteers, who are happy to help should you need us. Even though the centre is closed to our Members, we will still be available for any emergencies via telephone and email.

Ruth Winston Community Centre 190 Green Lanes, Palmers Green, N13 5UE Telephone: 020 8886 5346 Email: [email protected] website: www.ruthwinstoncentre.com Newsletter Joint Editors Iris Macer & Chris Rash