Another lockdown… another commute

[Mendip]

^ Maybe they gave you the Chinese SPAM?

Even I would think twice about that!

[Stumpy]

^ Maybe they gave you the Chinese SPAM?

Even I would think twice about that!

Moving on...

Got any more coral pics Mendy? How deep were those other pics?

[Mendip]

I do have plenty more coral pics but I can't work out if you're being sarcastic or not... they were just under 300m down btw.

One more...

[reinvented]

my dear mother brought a can on her last visit to bangers (brought not bought).
she left it and i tried a slice on a sandwich, perhaps like cyrille, longing for simpler days of old and tinned food.

im with the south sea islanders. i'd sooner eat a neighbour than subject myself to spam again

[Stumpy]

I do have plenty more coral pics but I can't work out if you're being sarcastic or not.

Not being sarcastic at all. I have always been intrigued with sea life at various depths. I didn't think coral grew very deep due to the lack of sunlight available and of course marine eco life to support it.

[Headworx]

Thought of you today while running around town grocery shopping Mendip, you could make your Daughters day with a delivery from afar

[Mendip]

^ Wow, tinned salmon is also on her list for fishcakes. Villa Market on Sukhumvit has been out of stock for months.

I'll have to get onto this online food shopping.

[Headworx]

I'll have to get onto this online food shopping.

You've had success with it before mate, who could ever forget that cast-net you ordered online?

[katie23]

@JP - yes, Spam is considered as pricey & upscale in PH, that's why the cheaper Ma-Ling is also popular (and tastes similar).

Spam costs 180 pesos or ~3.5 usd, and you can only eat it for 1 meal. It costs the same as a kg of whole chicken (and you can do more meals with a whole chicken).

@mendip - ask your Filipino colleagues if they like Spam or Ma-Ling. I'm sure many of them do. That's why I said before that ordinary Filipinos would be happy with the breakfast spread that you have on board. (Spam or sausage, rice + egg = a Spamsilog meal)

Sinangag = fried rice, itlog = egg

[Shutree]

I do have plenty more coral pics

I for one would be interested to see more. I have seen a lot of corals down to 30m, after that I don't go there.

No more Spam pics though please. I have a childhood memory of Spam fritters. I was young and got away with a caution. I learned my lesson and never repeat offended.

[David48atTD]

If only my parents were rich enough to afford SPAM ... we were reduced to Devon sausage sangers.



If we had a good week there would be (in order) a slice of bread, devon slice, tomato sauce, and second devon slice (keeping the sauce away from the bread and stop making it soggy) and a slice of bread. School boy staple.

SPAM ... for the rich kids!

---

If only we had the fancy devon back then ...



YOU RICH BASTARDS!

[Saint Willy]

im with the south sea islanders. i'd sooner eat a neighbour than subject myself to spam again

I for one would be interested to see more. I have seen a lot of corals down to 30m, after that I don't go there.

I didn't think there was enough light down there...

second devon slice (keeping the sauce away from the bread and stop making it soggy) and a slice of bread. School boy staple.

TWO slices?

Fuckn rich kid!

[David48atTD]

TWO slices?

Fuckn rich kid!

"If we had a good week"

[hallelujah]

An apple and an orange for Christmas...that you shared with your brother and sister?

Eeeh, when I were a lad...

[bsnub]

Ok now this is getting a little ridiculous.

[helge]

Ok now this is getting a little ridiculous.

Could be worse

[katie23]

^lol. I can't believe I watched that!

I'll have the egg, baked beans, sausage and SPAM combo, please.

[bsnub]

I'll have the egg, baked beans, sausage and SPAM combo, please.

[Mendip]

I have always been intrigued with sea life at various depths. I didn't think coral grew very deep due to the lack of sunlight available and of course marine eco life to support it.

I for one would be interested to see more. I have seen a lot of corals down to 30m, after that I don't go there.

I didn't think there was enough light down there...

Good... there are some sensible posts in between the Spam... and do you see what I did there!

A little known fact... there are more species of cold, deep water corals than warm, shallow water corals in the tropics, but due to their inaccessibility very little is known about them.

They live below the photic zone, the zone that provides enough light for photosynthesis to occur, which is typically down to around 100m depth. Many warm water corals live in relationship with zooplankton and algae which provide nourishment to the coral from the products of photosynthesis... so the deep water corals have to find another source of food. The majority are suspension feeders and therefore live in areas with appreciable bottom water current to supply the suspended food. The water current also helps to prevent the corals being smothered by sediment. There is also a theory that many deep water corals may gain nourishment from hydrothermal fluids rich in hydrocarbons and we often find corals living above oil and gas fields if the seabed is suitable... but it is only a theory that they gain nourishment from the hydrcarbons . Many people don't realise that there is often constant seepage of hydrocarbon-rich fluids and gas from the seabed above oil and gas fields. I've seen bubbles of gas streaming from the seabed over an area of many tens of metres before now.

Research on deep water marine life is extremely expensive and occasionally academic institutions ask us to send them videos/pictures from deep water to help their work. The clients are usually happy for us to do this.

Here's another pic. The majority of this reef is made from dead coral although you can see the white tips to the dead coral reef that is living lophelia, the reef-building coral species. There are also a few other colourful species of living coral and some nice sponges at the back of the pic.



A few years ago while working in deep water off Brazil I managed to persuade the ROV guys to pick me up a bit of dead coral similar to the stuff in this picture... I told them we needed it for the project to do some analysis on. It was during a nightshift while the OM was asleep so I gave the chunk of coral a good wash and stuck it in my bag (it was dead coral so this was environmentally friendly). Now it sits in my fish tank at home, although to be honest my stories about deep water coral create about as much interest from my wife and daughter as it seems to create on this thread.

I find deep water coral interesting but have to accept that not everyone does.

To slightly change the subject for others, I'd also like to point out that there's a lot more to SPAM than sandwiches and fritters, although tbh I've never really been more adventurous than making a Spam sarnie with a smudge of mustard.

There's a big world of SPAM out there...

[Stumpy]

I gotta say Mendy, the cover of that cookbook doesn't help the cause that SPAM is good. It all looks like utter crap and nasty. The SPAM monkey bread is dog food disguised as food humans can eat.

All I can say is to all who like, it...Enjoy.!!!

[helge]

SPAM

Spam in your mail, is something unwanted and unasked for.

In a tin, it seems to be the other way around.


I have tasted it many moons ago, but can't recall if it was good or not so good.

[bsnub]

I gotta say Mendy, the cover of that cookbook doesn't help the cause that SPAM is good.

Did I start this? If I did, I am sorry. I just put my can of spam outside for someone less fortunate than me to find.

It all looks like utter crap and nasty.

Agreed.

[OhOh]

^
How long does it sit there for?

[OhOh]

I'll have to get onto this online food shopping.

Any Cornish Pasties online?

[helge]

How long does it sit there for?

Gone in 60 seconds

He lives in Spamerica