Flan Slingers, Unite!

The cult of the NHS, flinging flans and the plight of poor old Richard Dawkins – Telegraph Blogs:

A flying flan can be hit and miss

Talking of food, this week I got into a Twitter spat with a Muslim academic who accused me of “flan slinging”. He didn’t mean to be rude. What he actually said was: “Flan slinging aside, if you want to sit down for an hour to discuss [Islam], it would be my pleasure.”

To be honest, I’d rather go trainspotting with Liberal Democrats than engage in “inter-faith dialogue”. But it’s nice to be reminded of flans, one of the forgotten delicacies of the Seventies.

When I was a boy, every suburban housewife could conjure up a flan. Typically it consisted of thin sponge topped with tinned fruit in solid custard. It was tricky to get right, though, since sponge is so absorbent. You didn’t want guests whispering: “Poor Dorothy – another soggy flan.”

In any case, flans wouldn’t be my dish of choice for slinging: too prone to fall apart in your hand. Best to stick to that other Seventies staple, Black Forest Gateau. Now there’s a dessert that can really sail through the air.

British humor can still be impressive.