GOOGLE'S Android division has been playing with food, spreading its sense of humor on its latest version codenames.
The message behind the yummy and creamy names points to the fun side of smartphone life. It appeals to the young and makes the old curious enough to taste the latest delights. Not only is Google a noun, it is also a verb: “Class, google facts about the topic for tomorrow’s discussion,” a teacher might say. What more, Google is also a phone.
Back in July 2005, Google bought a company called Android, according to a writeup on this website, and took a share in the mobile pie when it worked on a phone, the Google Phone (how else would you name a good product?). And the rest is history, which means that the writer no longer wants to pursue the line of thinking he started.
Since my little corner tackles food topics, I thought it would be cool to share recipes where appropriate for each Android version, without discussing too much about each version.
1.5: Cupcake. Early versions didn’t have codenames, and the Cupcake is the first on the line with a codename although it is not the first version.
> Basic cupcake: 250g unsalted butter, softened; 250g caster sugar; 250g self-raising flour; pinch of salt; 4 medium eggs; 4 tablespoons milk.
Set the oven to 190C. Place the butter in a bowl and beat until softened. Add the sugar, flour, salt, eggs and milk and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
Divide the mixture among 2x12 muffin tins lined with paper cases and pop in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the position of the tins and bake for a further three-seven minutes more, until cupcakes are a light golden brown. Let the cupcakes cool in the tins for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
You can add flavors: For lemon, zest two lemons and add to the mixture, and use four tablespoons of lemon juice in place of the milk. For chocolate, add two level tablespoons less flour, and add two level tablespoons cocoa powder. For coffee, skip the milk and use two tablespoons instant coffee, dissolved in four tablespoons hot water.
For lack of space, let me share with you my “smartphone” versions.
The 1.6: Donut is a is a ring-shaped fried cake. Some donuts are frosted while others are filled. Codename Donut was released in September 2009.
Other codenames are the 2.0 and 2.1: Eclair. In my kitchen, it is a baked pastry with filling like vanilla, chocolate and mocha. The 2.2: Froyo or frozen yogurt is best represented with the strawberry flavor with real fruit chunks.
The 2.3, 2.4: Gingerbread is Christmas staple. The gingerbread is basically a ginger-flavored cookie that comes in many festive shapes. The 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2: Honeycomb in real life is the sheet with hexagonal cells bees build out of wax to fill with honey.
The 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich can be made using a wafer spread with ice cream and re-frozen. If you like, drizzle with melted chocolate before freezing it. The 4.1: Jelly Bean is a fun snack. The sweets are bean-shaped with soft candy shells and thick gel interiors.
The 4.4: KitKat is a chocolate-covered wafer biscuit bar that’s best eaten straight out of the refrigerator. The 5.X: Lollipop is a hard candy on a stick. And the 6.X: Marshmallow is a sugar-based confection.
You can’t call people using my “smartphone” versions, but they fill you up.