September 21, 2016

The British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn answers the question what's his favorite "biscuit"?

He was doing an interview with Mumsnet — a website for British mothers — and the what's-your-favorite-cookie question is routine. Past answers include:
David Cameron was ("Oatcakes with butter and cheese"). Gordon Brown was ("Anything with a bit of chocolate"). As were Ed Miliband ("Jaffa Cake"), Nicola Sturgeon ("Tunnock's Caramel Wafer") and Nick Clegg ("Rich Tea if dunked. Hob Nobs if not").
You see the gentle, mum-friendly style other politicians have used. Corbyn said:.
"I'm totally anti-sugar on health grounds, so eat very few biscuits... But if forced to accept one, it's always a pleasure to have a shortbread."
The mums were displeased:
"That's the most miserable response to the biscuit question I've ever read," sighed one. "Forced to eat a biscuit you're politically opposed to."
ADDED: We have cookie politics in the U.S. too. Read: "The blatantly sexist cookie bake-off that has haunted Hillary Clinton for two decades is back":
Now it’s time (again) for the Family Circle Magazine Presidential Cookie Poll, a head-to-head cookie-baking challenge that has become a fixture of US presidential campaigns, even as some rail against it, characterizing it as a calcified indicator of lingering sexism in American politics.

The competition—in which the contender for Republican first lady pits her cookie recipe against one submitted to the magazine by the potential Democratic first lady, for readers to bake, taste, and vote upon—began as a response to an off-the-cuff remark Clinton made in 1992....

"I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided to do was to fulfill my profession, which I entered before my husband was in public life."
"Fulfill my profession" is such a funny way to put it. When someone speaks uses an expression that unnatural, you should ask what's the normal thing to say there, and that may show you why the unnatural expression happened. Here, "fulfill my profession" takes the place of "fulfill my ambition" or "fulfill myself."

AND: It's the spouse that offers the cookie recipe, so it should be Melania Trump versus Bill Clinton. But the Clinton campaign just submitted the same one that beat Barbara Bush's recipe in 1992 and they're not calling it Bill's recipe but "Clinton Family's Chocolate Chip Cookies." The Trump campaign submitted "Melania Trump's Star Cookies." Whether Melania bakes cookies, I don't know.

37 comments:

MadisonMan said...

What he should have said: "In addition to disliking sugar on health grounds, I'm cutting back on gluten and try to avoid wheat, so biscuits just don't work for me.:

Sebastian said...

"The mums were displeased: "That's the most miserable response to the biscuit question I've ever read," sighed one. "Forced to eat a biscuit you're politically opposed to."" The mums don't get it. He meant it positively. Forcing people to do things they are opposed to is the MO of socialism.

Brando said...

If the Brits call cookies "biscuits" then what do they call what we call biscuits?

I admit, "biscuit" does sound fancier than "cookie". And "crisps" sounds tastier than "chips".

Laslo Spatula said...

"But if forced to accept one, it's always a pleasure to have a shortbread."

So basically he is saying if he were to be raped by a cookie he would get some enjoyment if the rapist cookie was shortbread.

That is exactly like a white woman saying that if she was to be raped she hopes it would be a white man with blonde hair who kinda looks like Brad Pitt.

And what white woman doesn't want to be raped, just a little, by Brad Pitt?

It is exactly like that.

Laslo would know where to go from here.

I am The Replacement Laslo.

Anonymous said...

"That's the most miserable response to the biscuit question I've ever read," sighed one. "Forced to eat a biscuit you're politically opposed to."

Forcing people to eat the biscuits they don't want is what all the pols mentioned did or wanted to do. So you could say that Corbyn skated a little closer to the truth of things by interjecting the notions of force and the government sugar-scold into the biscuit question.

rhhardin said...

Biscuit is the eighth color of the rainbow.

rehajm said...

...Also, make everyone wonder what on earth you put in your jam, if you hate sugar so much, given that you list your favourite hobby as jam-making.

Hypocrisy of the left is an international requirement?

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Couldn't just answer the question. He had to give a scolding finger wagging lecture on how bad sugar is first.

The British Labour Pary "Labour Party, it continues to bill itself as a "Democratic Socialist Party","

Freaking liberal democrat socialists. The same everywhere. They want to suck the fun out of Christmas and anything else that we could possibly enjoy.

damikesc said...

A Progressive who is a killjoy scold? Why I NEVER! He could make getting a blowjob a depressing event.

Gusty Winds said...

Shortbread cookies are awesome.

William said...

It's kind of bizarre that none of the politicians mentioned chocolate chip cookies. Sad really. Imagine going through life without thinking about chocolate chip cookies every time you passed a bakery.

Bad Lieutenant said...

I think our translation of "biscuit" as "cookie" must be lacking. Any actual English here?

"David Cameron was ("Oatcakes with butter and cheese")."

I don't know what an oatcake is (though I know it's yuck) but COOKIES DON'T HAVE BUTTER AND CHEESE, DO THEY!!!!!!!!!!

So cookie is maybe close but no fag?

--William, thank you. Cookie = chocolate chip cookie. I don't know what those other things are. Biscuits. Sweet crackers. Mistakes. (Shortbreads aren't cookies, they're shortbreads. Milanos are Milanos, etc.)

Bad Lieutenant said...

No chocolate chip cookie = poor unhappy country with no food.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

I guess one of the requisites for electoral success, getting people to like you, is not seeing a question like that as completely stupid and saying so.

Bad Lieutenant said...

And nobody said jammie dodgers or custard creams. Sad!

Dust Bunny Queen said...

@ eric the bat

At least the question isn't as stupid as the boxers or briefs question asked of Clinton. I mean Bill, not Hillary. Hers would be Depends or catheters?

Freeman Hunt said...

"Sugar is so unhealthy," is a pretty miserable response to, "What is your favorite cookie?"

Sebastian said...

Old proper prog answer: In my administration, we will treat all cookies equally. New proper prog answer: In my administration, we will provide safe-space jars for any cookie that needs it.

Freeman Hunt said...

I gave my grandfather 90 chocolate chip cookies for his 90th birthday. One of the great things about being 90 is getting to ignore everyone's health advice.

mccullough said...

Corbyn's biscuits are in a jar in the attic

Hunter said...

@ Bad Lieutenant

A "biscuit" is similar, but not necessarily identical, to a cookie. They are typically not that sweet, not being a dessert but something to have with your tea -- like a biscotti. A Danish butter cookie would be typical of the genre, whereas a big gooey chocolate chip cookie would not.

traditionalguy said...

That would a great answer for never-Trumpers to make, Gary Johnson being the white short bread vote. Trump is too sweet.

Crimso said...

"Forced to eat a biscuit you're politically opposed to."

Wait, are we talking food here, or Presidential elections?

Static Ping said...

Corbyn is disliked by his own party. This is just another reason why.

Anonymous said...

'When I'm not leading the Workers Of the World to Socialist paradise, you might find me in my ample kitchen, staring blankly at biscuit, wondering what those corporate bastards put in there.'

-Jeremy Corbyn

'He's right, you know'

-Bernie Sanders

'Seems legit'

-Mao

mockturtle said...

Make no mistake! The British take their sweets very seriously.

Hagar said...

Bernie Sanders is the only known "democrat socialist."

The British Labour Party today is largely a "social democrat" party, but still has a minority militant socialist wing, and Jeremy Corbyn, the titular party leader, is on the left of even this minority.

Clyde said...

Poor blokes have probably never had a real Southern-style biscuit. Make mine sausage, egg and cheese!

Michael K said...

One of the great things about being 90 is getting to ignore everyone's health advice.

When my mother was 98 she saw a young internist who began to lecture her about cholesterol. She was still laughing about it a week later. She died at 103.

Deb said...

What, no McVities digestives?? What kind of Brits are they?

ken in tx said...

A British scone is close to an American biscuit, except it has sugar and fruit in it. Irish soda bread is closer. It's like a giant American biscuit that you have to slice to serve and eat. The original name of Nabisco was National Biscuit Company. Everything we now call Crackers used to be called Biscuits in the US.

readering said...

Melania's home cooking? Yummy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovenian_cuisine

JAORE said...

"they're not calling it Bill's recipe but "Clinton Family's Chocolate Chip Cookies." The Trump campaign submitted "Melania Trump's Star Cookies." Whether Melania bakes cookies, I don't know."

Do you believe the Clinton Family gathers together to bake cookies?

Freeman Hunt said...

"Do you believe the Clinton Family gathers together to bake cookies?"

Maybe they gather together to decide what to politely request of the cook. That's what I would do if I had $100 million.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Freeman, don't you expect that the Clintons probably treat their servants like animals? I do. "Don't look at me!"

I suppose you inserted that because you are a lady and because you like to think the best of people.

Zach said...

The irony is that the whole thing was set off by a Hillary Clinton comment that "I'm not sitting here some little woman standing by my man like Tammy Wynette."

That's a fascinating quote in retrospect, isn't it? Such classist contempt for the little women of the world. And of course, at this point Hillary is much more famous for standing by her man than Tammy ever was.

Mark Daniels said...

Meanwhile, the new UKIP leader in the UK, Diane James names Vladimir Putin, Winston Churchill, and Margaret Thatcher as her heroes. Including Putin pretty much takes the biscuit.