notes on experimenting with some ostensibly Greek cuisine what Hugh Laurie mentioned thirty or so years ago

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pretty much what it says there in the title, or if you wish on the box, look you see. in my provisional, occasional quest to test, experience or make contact with any matter which one half of an eccentric, acquired taste, appeal selective comedy duo made just the slightest reference to, an item further has been ticked off. on this such instance, finally it was so that stuffed vine leaves (leafs?) presented themselves to me in a most agreeable way, and so at last i have tried them. 

for reasons of provenance, or perhaps better motivation for undertaking this, you may well wish to experience the specific comedy sketch which brought me here. also, it is far funnier and more interesting than anything i could write here. clicking on this link will take you to the full blown version of it, whilst this link goes to a version which has for some reason i cannot explain removed the first two minutes, give or take, from the start. 

so, anyway, now that you are (if you chose so) familiar with the above, the concept or notion, or if you like food product known as stuffed vine leaves (i think that is the right variation of leaves used) has always lingered in my memories. there was much merriment, in my mind and if i am honest heart, when whilst in a shop i noticed something not labelled as such, but surely and quite clearly this particular moment of cuisine, or perhaps even delicacy. 

the packaging, i confess or if you like yield, did not state that these were stuffed vine leaves. or dolmades, which is what a dear and trusted friend (hello, Faye) assures me is the "proper" name for them. dolma is what the internet thinks they are called. anyway, Hugh Laurie called them stuffed vine leaves, so that for me is the right name. on seeing them, though, presented in a selection of decidedly Greek items meant for eating, i felt that they could not possibly be anything other than leaves of vine what had been stuffed. so, with some anticipation, trepidation and excitement, i bought them. 

how did i find them? i mean, in terms of eating them, not literally how did i find them (on a shelf, if you are interested)? agreeable, i believe, is the most appropriate term. whereas i did not have the fear, trepidation or distinct lack of interest in them what Hugh Laurie so famously expressed, i confess they did not suggest any immediate appeal. but, to remain loyal to my vow, of course i ate. 

not quite sure how to explain, or express, the experience. they were neither as sweet nor as savoury as provisional suspicions suggested they might be. kind of that Derek Smalls lukewarm in between the two sensations, if you like. yes, they were good, but no, it is not something i would say i am now hooked on, or would go out of my way to experience once more. should the opportunity arise, or become clear, to have them again then i would not hesitate, but also it is not that i will undertake any motion or action which deliberately leads me to being in a situation where eating them is assured or otherwise solicited. 

except, of course, and unless i get to fulfill one ambition further. one which is not indelibly tied to, so far as i know, Hugh Laurie, or anyone else. that would be to feast on stuffed vine leaves, and indeed baklava, by the banks of the Aegean, after a day of fishing and a night of wrestling with my quasi Greek brethren, free of the restrains of cloth as the ancient gods decreed. but, i do not suspect that i shall be able to do such any time soon, and anyway if i was offered the chance to do that i would (probably) say no, in truth. just too English to let go and live the dream, i guess. 

any particular reason why my described ambitions seem to stretch as far or otherwise be limited to obscure things mentioned by Hugh Laurie in A Bit Of Fry And Laurie? not that i could offer as being definitive. just really fond memories of the show, and Hugh in particular, with them being memories which hold up surprisingly steadfast, firm and well when i revisit moments from it some 30 (blimey) years down the road. 

further, they are pretty attainable ambitions. i know, what's a heaven for if it exceeds man's grasp and so on, but still, happiness is where you find it. wanting to try them exotic sounding stuffed vine leaves is a little bit easier to get to than, say, wishing to be as rich as x or famous as y, with the ease of reach being very satisfactory and rewarding, rather than handling the disappointment of falling short trying to obtain things what are more difficult, to say the least. 

coming along with the stuffed vine leaves (or leafs to be safe to be sure) were the items picture. them pepadews (or how you spell it) with feta in are boss, and one really cannot go too far wrong with some olives, now, can they. no, i have not so far as i am aware drank one of them cocktail drinks what comes with an olive in it, but i have had several with umbrellas in, so these things balance out. 

what next for reaching or attaining Hugh Laurie out of A Bit Of Fry & Laurie ambitions? not sure. i suspect that going in to a shop and asking for either felching pens or frotting pencils would be unwise. a career with Thames Port River Authority is a possibility, i suppose, as indeed would be work as an assistant to Princess Anne. perhaps (maybe) it is best i watch or listen to further random moments from the show and see what strikes me as interesting. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!