Not only do they equally apply to the whatever dog, any rules involving hot dogs are necessarily doubly enforced in relation to @Hanover. Don't ask me about it sometime.
Not only do they equally apply to the whatever dog, any rules involving hot dogs are necessarily doubly enforced in relation to Hanover.
The "whatever" dog? How irreverent. It's called the Migh-... Er, right you are. The Dog-which-must-not-be-named. Hanover is eating the Dog-which-must-not-be-named.
I do appreciate the discussion of the nuaces inherent in cheese temperature and mustard presentation, but unless and until you've dined on the Mighty Mighty Hanover Dog, you are in no position to speak.
And much like there is an obvious change in swagger one adopts after making love to a super model that all in the know immediately recognize, I know very well that no one here but me has wrapped his lips around a Mighty Mighty Hanover Dog and enjoyed that mouth explosion.
Once one is able to thoroughly enjoy one's own perfectly constructed dog, he can live in complete self-sufficiency, never needing to plead to others for assistance.
No no, the giardiniera and chili thing is what damns you to hell. The "no ketchup on a hot dog" is an anti-ketchup conspiracy aimed at bankrupting Heinz. First it was no ketchup on burgers, then it was no ketchup on hot dogs. Next it will be you can't dip fries in ketchup. I'm not that dumb. I see the patterns.
I don't get it. A hot dog is a blank canvas. Or at least, to a degree. Ketchup, mustard, sauerkraut. The weird red onion thing we do in NY. Take your pick. Just no giardiniera. I think?
Reply to Noble Dust Jesus fucking Christ amighty, why don't you just go ahead and squirt Chinese take out mustard packages all over it?
Inglehoffer stone ground is the gold standard of mustards, turning a basic Kroger roast beast sammich into a Michelin 5 star steel belted radial experience.
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, and I ate hotdogs as a child: but when I discovered the Bratwurst I put away childish things and became a man.
See, this is the type of Plochman's abuse I expected. It's like telling people early McCartney albums are actually good. People just assume that something's not good because it's commercial. Your lot are the same people that don't eat at Taco Bell or read Dostoevsky.
Ok now we're getting somewhere. Bratwurst is best, but it's not an adult hot dog. This is an important and nuanced point. The hot dog is a noble dish. The bratwurst is as well, but one doesn't replace or subsume the other. The brat is it's own category. For instance, the only acceptable brat toppings are raw white onion and brown mustard, whereas the hot dog is, as I said, a blank canvas (within reason).
A hotdog is like a scrap of leftover paper that you hand to your kid. They smear it with ketchup and cheese whiz. You tell them they did a great job and you paste it, half-eaten, on the refrigerator for a week.
But a Bratwurst is the height of German engineering, lounging delicately atop a brötchen, lightly adorned with stone-ground mustard and 'kraut. A child's palette will no more receive a bratwurst than the mug of Paulaner that accompanies it, and there is no such thing as a half-eaten brat.
I've never understood these Chicago-folk and their highly processed hotdogs.
Reply to Noble DustReply to Leontiskos I am a big fan of sausages - German, Polish, Italian... The Germans: Bratwurst, Weisswurst and Knackwurst are my favourites. I also often make hot dogs at home with Frankfurters from my local German butcher and good rolls from a bakery (none of your suger-infused-soft-sponge rolls). The flavour is amazing. I can eat 4 of these in no time.
Reply to Tom Storm - That sounds great. I am low on vittles. I will have to read your post a few times before I go for groceries to ensure that I have the proper motivation. I am more familiar with German food, but I was introduced to Italian sausage in Philadelphia. That was excellent, what with the peppers and sauce and whatnot
Reply to Leontiskos I'm off up the street to get a curry. I'm in Melbourne, Australia and I've been up since 5am so dinner is soon. I'm thinking samosas, lamb rogan josh, garlic nan, basmati rice and riata. And about a litre of tea.
Reply to Tom Storm - Damn, I'd take that over a 'brat six days of the week. :up: I've had a number of Indian roommates over the years but it's hard to find food like that in the midwestern United States.
Your lot are the same people that don't eat at Taco Bell or read Dostoevsky.
No quicker way to start a bar room brawl than to tell a southern man he doesn't read Dostoevsky or to even suggest he doesn't identify with ????ó?
Rodión.
I see where you're going with this. Hot dogs wrapped in waffles doused with maple syrup and sprinked with powdered sugar with sliced strawberries scattered about. Brilliant indeed.
And then ruined by an S shaped mustard squirt. You couldn't just leave all enough alone.
It's like as if Leonardo da Vinci added a mustache to the Mona Lisa.
Speaking of Germans, mustard, and southern cuisine, due to the large presence of Germans that apparently first lived in South Carolina, their barbecue sauce is mustard based. When I first discovered it, it was my instant favorite, although I have cooled to it a bit, having now moved back to the tomato based versions of my forefathers and their forefathers before them.
In Alabama, they have this watery mayonaisse based BBQ sauce which I find to be disgusting in many ways, but befitting the Alabama physique and general way of life.
javi2541997October 19, 2023 at 14:43#8470060 likes
'Bad news:' Mercadona no longer sells tofu paste. They only sell tofu blocks from now on. I guess it was not popular or beneficial for them, so they decided not to sell more units.
I remember posting my breakfasts at The Shoutbox and - not joking - 97 % of them were about tofu paste. Thank you, Mercadona tofu paste! I enjoyed a lot of breakfasts! Now, I will go to Lidl or Carrefour and check if they sell tofu paste. :up:
Sorry to hear that Javier. In my experience Carrefour is crap, but I hope and pray that your experience is better than mine was.
Carrefour is rubbish, it is true. I only go there because they sell Kombucha. But it is not my cup of tea, I think Lidl has everything I am looking for.
It's true, Lidl supplies everything a human being needs.
I don't like Lidl. It doesn't have any name brands, the selection is limited, and it feels like a warehouse. I prefer Kroger, then Publix, then you're mama's cupboard. In that order.
or to even suggest he doesn't identify with ????ó?
I identified with Raskolnikov when I read Crime and Punishment at the age of nineteen, and that alerted me to some problems with my personality, whereupon I transformed myself into a swell guy. So even though I don’t like Dostoevsky, I have to thank him for saving me from bad shit.
I looked outside in my parking lot, and, no lie, I saw the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile. That sort of synchronicity doesn't happen all the time and I felt sort of special.
Then you called me both a putz and chump, ruining my otherwise magical day.
I just saw one in my parking lot, and according to Wiki, there are only 6 of them nationwide. The door actually opens straight up. I saw the people getting in and out of it.
A tacomobile then pulled behind it and the wienermobile backed up and then went forward and then backed up and went forward for a few minutes. It then stopped, shook a few seconds, and then the hot dog deflated.
The first part of this story was true. The second part, well, not so much, but it maintains a theme I've tried to keep consistent throughout the Shoutbox.
Here's the Weinermobile's schedule: https://khcmobiletour.com/wienermobile
It looks like it's due in Clarkesville, Georgia at 5:00 tonight, which is a couple of hours north from where I am in Atlanta, so it must have just been stopping on its way through.
And yes, @T Clark is the mayor of Clarkesville, and he will straddling the weiner tonight for charity. For $5 a pop, he'll straddle it for 30 seconds, with all the proceeds going to the Idiots Foundation of Clarkesville. Helping out idiots is a worthy cause, so kudos to Clarky.
I actually just had two swell hot dogs this afternoon at this New York institution. It was indeed one of the better hot dogs I've had. A great snap to it, as they say. Highly recommended if you visit the city, although I'm not sure it's worth traveling more than half an hour for.
I was in a 7-Eleven gas station filling up and, inspired by all the weiner talk, I went inside the convenience store to get a hot dog. I stood there looking through the grease-spattered glass for a minute, watching the dogs slowly roll over and over. It was sort of hypnotizing. A faint disembodied voice seemed to say, "Go ahead, open the drawer and grab a bun, hun." So I obediently opened the drawer and picked up one of the plastic-wrapped buns. I actually held it in my hand for a moment. But then I came to my senses and put it back.
Sometimes I buy a sack of honey nuts and I try to do the math of how many sacks the guy will have to sell to pay his rent. I then figure he must be a mobster laundering money one honey nut at a time and I talk to him in a fake Italian accent like I'm in the know. I
Thing is, I'm nowhere near the bat shit craziest nut buyer out there.
$3 for a hot dog in NY is a solid price, but what really shocks me is the price of the breakfast sandwiches and combos, which I've never had. A bacon egg and cheese (also known as BECSPK, baconeggncheesesaltpepperketchup) WITH a coffee for $3 is cheaper than it was at most places when I moved here 10 years ago. That's completely unheard of in 2023. It must be dog food. But yes, the hot dogs are fairly cheap and delicious. I wish I was in that area more often.
bacon egg and cheese (also known as BECSPK, baconeggncheesesaltpepperketchup) WITH a coffee for $3 is cheaper than it was at most places when I moved here 10 years ago. That's completely unheard of in 2023.
A coffee here is around $5-$6. I almost never have coffee out. I drink it black and strong and the shit I make at home is as good as, or better than, most café coffees. A café breakfast here costs around $25-$30, plus coffee. Fortunately I don't eat breakfast, so I don't have to hemorrhage money to eat around here. In American prices that's about $26 US for breakfast and 2 coffees.
I get a chicken biscuit and tea at chick fil a for around $5 or $6, but my main expense is that I have a stack of $20 bills I keep by the toilet to wipe my ass with. It's really expensive, but SOOOO worth it.
Wow. And I thought NYC prices were the worst in the world. A simple 12oz drip coffee here at a typical fancy coffee shop should run you about $3.50. I also avoid it but will partake if I have no choice. A non-fancy (i.e. usually burnt unless it's freshly made) 12oz coffee from a bodega (corner store) should run you $1.50-$2. Good bagel shops generally have nice coffee that sits somewhere in between the two extremes in terms of quality, and should be squarely $2 for a 12oz. That's honestly my favorite coffee to get out, especially when accompanied by a hot, un-toasted bagel with cream cheese. The coffee and bagel should come to about $4.
Surely this has to do with some sort of misguided legislated tax to try to cut down on smoking. That's absurd. I buy American Spirits for $16-$17 here. The habibi spots that sell weed generally sell them under the counter for $12, but because I switched jobs I don't know where to get the untaxed cigs at the moment. I used to be able to get illegal Spirits for $8.
However, evidence does show that increasing tax on cigarettes reduces smoking.
I wonder where the evidence comes from, and what other factors contribute to reduction of smoking. Philosophically (because we're supposed to do that here), if you're addicted to something, you'll do whatever you have to to fuel the addiction. I can't imagine that heavy smokers, when faced with massive tax, are just like "ah shit, I can't afford to smoke anymore. Guess I'll just stop." I say this as a mild smoker myself.
Are there no late night taxi driver spots to get a cheap dahl over rice, tacos, etc? Hole in the wall spots?
There's a 24 hour taxi driver venue 15 minutes from me but burgers are $17 each. A toasted cheese and ham roll is about $10. So hardly cheap. But I've never investigated closely since Melbourne is famously expensive.
if you're addicted to something, you'll do whatever you have to to fuel the addiction
Up to a point. That's the point.
After asking "is it though?" I looked it up. The WHO and other reputable sources are pretty clear on it, and there's a report on the WHO site for you to download and read at your leisure should you want to do that.
I've never understood the idea that, "You can't legislate morality." Mostly, you can. Especially when we conceive of societal problems in terms of aggregated numbers and percentages over time.
I looked it up. The WHO and other reputable sources are pretty clear on it, and there's a report on the WHO site for you to download and read at your leisure should you want to do that.
Thanks, I will. I don't disbelieve you. I guess it's just a philosophical issue to me, the idea that we can legislate "good" or "proper" conduct into people. Perhaps something worth making a thread about. I think it goes deeper and is probably the most complicated question of all, no exaggeration. Maybe you've re-awoken the philosophical nerve in me. Probably not. But who knows.
I guess it's just a philosophical issue to me, the idea that we can legislate "good" or "proper" conduct into people. Perhaps something worth making a thread about. I think it goes deeper and is probably the most complicated question of all, no exaggeration. Maybe you've re-awoken the philosophical nerve in me. Probably not. But who knows.
I think I understand, and if I have indeed awoken your philosophical nerve, you're welcome or I apologize, whichever is appropriate.
I didn't realize it wasn't universal among English speakers. Anyway, in Britain it's common among the Scots and Welsh, so it's probably British rather than just English.
On the other hand, maybe for you it brings to mind quintessentially English speech, such as Smiley's RP accent in that clip. In which case, your use of the term "English" is acceptable.
I didn't realize it wasn't universal among English speakers.
It's not that an American would never say that, but it's also just not something we say. We could say it, but we'd probably more likely say "to some degree", or something. Or even worse, "yeah, maybe".
On the other hand, maybe for you it brings to mind quintessentially English speech, such as Smiley's RP accent in that clip.
I don't think so in this case. I actually love Gary Oldman, and I love that version of Tinker, but overall found Oldman's portrayal of Smiley to be too on the nose. The RP doesn't track for me with Smiley as a character; plus he doesn't physically look the part, not being overweight and all. Anyway. Great film, that.
"to some degree", or something. Or even worse, "yeah, maybe"
"Up to a point" is more precise. You do anything to satisfy your addiction, up to the point at which, say, you don't want to spend X dollars on a pack. I was saying there's a limit with these things. Well, for many people there is, particularly fledgling smokers.
I don't think so in this case. I actually love Gary Oldman, and I love that version of Tinker, but overall found Oldman's portrayal of Smiley to be too on the nose. The RP doesn't track for me with Smiley as a character; plus he doesn't physically look the part, not being overweight and all. Anyway. Great film, that.
Aye, pretty good. I dimly remember Alec Guiness as Smiley in the 1980s, and some say he was better. I haven't read the books though so I have no bloody clue.
"Up to a point" is standard ole talk, not particularly delish.
Legislating morality is a thing, and it works, else you'd be rejecting the entire concept of deterrence as a basis for legislation. Deterrence can result from fines, which includes increases in taxes for certain items, to locking your ass up for misbehaving. That is, unless you're incorrigible, which I suspect is the description of many of us here based upon our kindergarten report cards, we can be beaten into submission
Are Marlboro a premium brand, or is that what they all go for?
I've never smoked, but I'm inclined to start, knowing what respect I'd get with those high priced smokes dangling from my lips. I'll snack on a can of cavier as well so that I'll command the respect I deserve as a debutante.
Are Marlboro a premium brand, or is that what they all go for?
It was just an example of an internationally popular brand, the one that sprung most immediately, nay urgently, to my mind. According to my deep research, the average price of a pack of cigarettes in Australia is 40 of the Australian dollars.
According to my deep research, the average price of a pack of cigarettes in Australia is 40 of the Australian dollars.
Yep. And this has also led to a lucrative and violent gang led illicit and tobacco industry here called chop-chop. I did buy some of this about 20 years ago when the industry started to experience what is it like. But this tobacco has fungi spores and bacteria in it since there is no quality control. It's likely worse for you than a packet of White Ox. But cheaper.
My grandpa chewed on cigars instead of smoking them because he thought that was safer. It might have been, but he'd died of lung cancer before he could find out.
No; I call someone who says that folk should pay for the consequences of their choices libertarian.
Sure, but he gets to choose how to respond to his choices. If he wants to smoke and not set aside money for his treatment, he gets to die. That's his choice.
If you have the power to demand he insure himself for the treatment he'll need from smoking because it's a bad choice not to, then you would also have the power to demand he not smoke in the first place because it's a bad choice to smoke.
How is it libertarian to be able to force some choices but not others?
I used to rabitly be opposed to ketchup, but now I like it on fries.
I used to say to my brother things like "I'm going to be late if I don't get there in time, " just so he could smugly point out that I've said nothing, as if I didn't know. I'd then say "oh really"? That was the game of planted error to elicit a response, making him my puppet.
Now send me a picture of a rabbit. That's what you were so going to do.
Reply to Hanover Trouble is, when they get to the bit were they get cancer, smokers suddenly develop an inability to follow through on their choice, preferring all the benefits of a modern medical system.
Yep. And this has also led to a lucrative and violent gang led illicit and tobacco industry here called chop-chop. I did buy some of this about 20 years ago when the industry started to experience what is it like. But this tobacco has fungi spores and bacteria in it since there is no quality control. It's likely worse for you than a packet of White Ox. But cheaper.
Evidence for my argument against legislation of morality. A way way less dark version of this is that I can buy cheaper, untaxed illegal cigarettes in NYC at certain places. You just have to know what to look for. Sometimes you need to build trust in order to open the door.
I only embraced ketchup as an adult. The result was messy.
But seriously, I was the pickiest eater of all time as a child, and now I'm a garbage disposal. It's great. I'm a ketchup fanatic, practically. Not really but whatever. I'm just feeling chatty.
Is it though? Is it? "To some degree" suggests the same thing; "some" can be interpreted as moving upwards towards a higher degree, although it's not present in the phrase itself. It's suggested in the context of how the phrase is used. Both phrases are rather deferring, a putting up of the hands, I think. @Hanover insists "Up to a point" is universal, but we don't know if Fred is his son, wife, or dog, so we should let that be. "Up to a point" is not said in the US, I can assure you. Thus, I rest my case that "up to a point" is deliciously...English? I forget.
Is it? "To some degree" suggests the same thing; "some" can be interpreted as moving upwards towards a higher degree, although it's not present in the phrase itself. It's suggested in the context of how the phrase is used. Both phrases are rather deferring, a putting up of the hands, I think.
It’s sad to see you so desperately attempting a self-justification. Your ship is sinking, and you’ve grabbed on to a rat. But the rat won’t save you. “To some degree” means it’s somewhere along the scale, but could be anywhere along it as far as you know. No moving upward (or even sideways) to a limit is implied.
Both phrases are rather deferring, a putting up of the hands, I think. Hanover insists "Up to a point" is universal, but we don't know if Fred is his son, wife, or dog, so we should let that be. "Up to a point" is not said in the US, I can assure you. Thus, I rest my case that "up to a point" is deliciously...English? I forget.
I mean, sure, it is universal, up to a point. The Eskimos don't say it, nor do the aborigines, but most do.
I think we should debate this more, up to a point, but then we'll pretty much be beating a dead horse.
And you, you do have a point that other phrases are similar, but only up to a point, and then you can see distinctions.
And my examples are good, up to a point, then they become tiring and repetitive.
And my examples are good, up to a point, then they become tiring and repetitive.
“To some degree” means it’s somewhere along the scale, but could be anywhere along it as far as you know. No moving upward (or even sideways) to a limit is implied.
You're a writer. And a good one. Surely you have a poetic sense somewhere in that corvusian head. The two phrases are poetically the same, although they may not literally mean the same thing.
Late weekend breakfast: two egg omelette with tomatoes and shredded cheddar topped with salsa, two slices of wheat toast with Irish butter, and a ton of coffee.
Surely you have a poetic sense somewhere in that corvusian head. The two phrases are poetically the same, although they may not literally mean the same thing.
Twat.
“Corvusian” is good though. I probably would’ve gone for “corvidic” but it’s a matter of choice.
Late weekend breakfast: two egg omelette with tomatoes and shredded cheddar topped with salsa, two slices of wheat toast with Irish butter, and a ton of coffee.
Sounds good, but hold the tomatoes. Also, it’s interesting how excited the Americans (Adam Ragusea was going on about this a while ago) get about Irish butter. I mean, Irish butter is just normal butter. Dunno what you folk use for butter when there’s no Irish butter around. French, Scottish, and Russian butter is equal to the Irish.
EDIT: I just read that again and I come across as a condescending smartarse. So be it.
I've taken one point off for the inclusion of tomatoes--they don't go well with eggs, at least in their fresh watery form--and half a point off for calling it a frittata instead of an omelette.
I'm not excited it about it in the least, I just bought it because I needed butter. But I do think it's better than the generic American butter I was using previously from Trader Joe's. I've never been to France, sadly, but a friend of mine has informed me French butter is the best. She smuggles it back to the US whenever she can.
After an omelette it's hardly necessary. For dirty, saucy stuff, a light scrubbing and a thorough drying, occasionally a light oiling down followed by a good heating up.
Also, why are the English (is that right?) so afraid of the watery quality of tomatoes? A tomato should be juicy.
It seems you still have trouble believing I'm not English. Anyway, I like the wateriness of tomatoes, just not when they're mixed with eggs. I have no idea if the English feel the same. I shall ask my aunts.
It seems you still have trouble believing I'm not English. Anyway, I like the wateriness of tomatoes, just not when they're mixed with eggs. I have no idea if the English feel the same. I shall ask my aunts.
"I Can't Believe He's Not English!" Should be some sort of reality TV show.
I think so too. Unlike a degree, a point connotes a limit. In my experience the phrase is used in the U.S. It may be used more in Britain, but I wouldn't know.
javi2541997October 22, 2023 at 04:46#8475420 likes
It is a land of magnificent golf players. Bale and Toshack believed that golf was more important than football itself - when the latter is their income. - So imagine their passion and love for golf...
Guys, sorry for the all caps, but I needed to grab your attention. My interweb research has just uncovered some otherfolks who struggled with the up to a point quagmire.
They had this troublesome sentence: "Up to this point, Rosemary’s ‘maternal instinct’ had remained dormant," and they must understandably wanted a substitute for "up to this point. "
Any guesses as to their choice?
"Heretofore" was chosen. A lovely word, having the feel of a 19th century proclamation, perfectly fitting in any conversation.
So there's your substitute. Instead of saying, I understand what you're saying up to a point, you should say, I understand what you're saying heretofore.
Well, I don't want to burst your bubble, but heretofore works only for "up to this point," not for "up to a point," which has an entirely different (or "whole other," as you folks say over there) meaning.
I need to talk about this because this is where Americans (once again) are right.
The word "another" is unusual in that it combines the article with the adjective. We typically say things like "that is a better word," where the article "a" precedes the adjective "better." Howevs, we don't say "that is an another word," since the article "an" is imbeded in the word.
When we then go to modify the adjective "other," we have a quandary. While it's easy to do in my first example, as in, "that is a significantly better word, " it's difficult with the term "another" because you're forced to break that word apart. You must now say "that is a significant other word", where the word "another" no longer appears.
In order to protect the sanctity of the word "another" and not melting pot it away, respectful Americans break the word at the "a" and preserve the "nother."
Reply to Hanover Interesting to compare heretofore and hitherto. Heretofore means up to the present moment, but hitherto means up to any moment you happen to be talking about, including not only the present moment but past and future moments too.
I have learned something today after all.
Metaphysician UndercoverOctober 22, 2023 at 15:29#8476050 likes
Reply to Metaphysician Undercover Embedded in its name is its optimistic attitude, the land where its citizens can do whatever they set their minds to, replacing its former pessimistic name, as it was originally named by the French, prior to being renamed by the British, when it was named Can'tada to Canada.
Reply to Hanover - But does "whole 'nother" mean "significantly better"? Sometimes, but in a more basic sense I think it means, "Wholly other," or, "Belonging to an entirely different genus." "Donald was a wholly other kind of president." But to speak in this manner, with proper grammar and diction, is pretentious. And if it's one thing we 'mericans ain't, it's pertentious!
Reply to Leontiskos Whole nother means doing something for an entirely different reason, like a got a whole nother reason for eating green beans. Most people do it because they're good for you. I do it because it helps my pecker grow.
That's the best example I could come up with in a pinch, but I think it makes the point. You might have a whole nother example you'd to use.
The relationship right now is going through a difficult phase. But I do want to say the problems we have are with a certain segment of Canadian politics and the policies which flow from that.
Well, no sh!t. How uniquely helpful (and politicizing). So, to the extent allowed by evidence, you hold the responsible to account and move on. And quit the endless tit-for-tat crap. At least that's what a "bigger" party does.
Dinner was homemade Thai Red Curry. There's a Thai grocery store in Manhattan's Chinatown that's a magical place. I hadn't been in far too long and restocked on the essentials of fish sauce, palm sugar, and real sriracha, and picked up ingredients to make the curry: coconut milk, kaffir (makrut) lime leaves, fresh Thai basil leaves, and the requisite canned red curry paste (Maesri brand only). Supplemented with chicken thigh, red bell pepper, mushrooms, green beans, chicken stock, and cilantro. Served over jasmine rice of course.
The dinner I made was less sophisticated, in that it demanded fewer and less exotic ingredients. It was a European-style (here this means olive oil and thyme, and only one spice: freshly hand-pounded black pepper) thing with green lentils, carrots, onion, a can of tomatoes, and garlic. Then I thought, I'd love some roast chicken to go with this, so I ordered a chicken online, but the thing about these apps is the product photos never include an item for scale (I wonder, is there a word for something included in a photograph for scale, i.e., to show the size of the thing the photograph is primarily of?) so I ended up with a mini-chicken, but that was ok because I was just cooking for myself (my wife being in another country right now). Served with lingonberry jam. 7/10.
I've noticed I'm using lots of parentheses in my writing at the moment. I think it's because I've just been reading Delany's Trouble on Triton, where he does it a bloody lot.
What's your secret to such uniformity? Mine tend to end up a bit messy.
I don’t know. Three eggs in a 12” skillet I guess, with plenty of butter. Btw, not long ago I figured out that the trick for not getting the egg stuck on a stainless steel pan is to make sure the butter is quite hot before adding the egg.
Your curry dish sounds really good. I’m gonna have to try making my own sometime.
Thanks; it was, but what I've learned about Thai cooking is that it's all about having the proper ingredients, and then the actual prep of the dish is super easy; almost fool-proof. Anyone could do it if they have the right stuff (0r at least, that's true of the basic Thai dishes; I'm sure there's regional ones that are crazy complicated).
Your dish still sounds equally tremendous (The lingonberry jam is a curious addition to my palate, however).
I've also noticed that these Thai curries tend to taste best on day one, in contrast to dishes from other countries that develop flavors over time, like soups, or some Italian dishes maybe. Anyways. We'll see how the curry holds up over the next couple of days.
Btw, not long ago I figured out that the trick for not getting the egg stuck on a stainless steel pan is to make sure the butter is quite hot before adding the egg.
Hmmm. I'm making my omelettes in a non-stick pan; perhaps that's my ironic problem. They do stick.
Your curry dish sounds really good. I’m gonna have to try making my own sometime.
See above; it seems to really be all about having the correct building blocks: the good quality fish sauce, palm sugar, good quality curry paste, kaffir/makrut lime leaves, and Thai basil. That stuff will get you there no problem; easy. Without them, I'm not sure what you'd be left with.
I've also noticed that these Thai curries tend to taste best on day one, in contrast to dishes from other countries that develop flavors over time, like soups, or some Italian dishes maybe. Anyways. We'll see how the curry holds up over the next couple of days.
Interesting. Indian curries, on the other hand, improve with time, like soups and stews. Up to a point.
Ooh.. um. Grilled salmon? For breakfast? Warm fish mere minutes after waking? None for me, thanks.
It does seem more brunchish than breakfastish, not so much because of the type of protein, but because of the sheer volume. Praxis no doubt owes his imposing physique to such sumptuous repasts.
The important part of @praxis' post was not however the substance of his omelette, but the form, in that it was composed in a most perfectly semi-circlion nature, seemingly fashioned by Astraea herself. Not a nary asparagi was peaking past the fold. I also enjoyed the speckle of the white on the surface, showing a well stirred egg, but not so much as to appear overly processed. It announced its homemadedness to all who might appear before it, remaning humble, never haughty.
@jamal slapped it with a 9.5/10, which I do understand because the perfect 10 should remain as elusive as the oeneis melissa, but if there ever should be a candidate for a 10, perhaps this trial is it, with all future omelettemeisters using it as a yardstick (or kilometerstick I suppose for my neighors across the sea).
I can't help but to imagine the transsexual clan on the Little House gathered around dining on this, the Mary Lou Retton (our prayers be with her) of omelletes.
Sorry, I have become fascinated with the habits, specifically diets, of smart people.
Perhaps, if I myself could somehow.. replicate these habits, or diets, in my own life, I myself could one day reach.. the pinnacle? Oh, just a madman's dream, assuredly. Unless....
Grilled salmon? For breakfast? Warm fish mere minutes after waking? None for me, thanks.
Last night's pizza or popcorn, maybe, but no fish for breakfast here, either.
BTW, I read that some better restaurants are no longer serving farm-raised salmon at any meal because the quality has deteriorated too much from intensive fish-farming methods.
Reply to Outlander
Huh? Hangtown fry is a legit breakfast (as is salmon in an omelette).
Christoff MontnielsensonsOctober 24, 2023 at 18:10#8480930 likes
[b]The Truth, Wisdom and
Their True Factuality[/b]
That endless list of scientifically
verifiable fact we call the truth,
is it not the true source of what
we know as wisdom? Does it not
truly guide us on our chosen path
through life, this endless list of
scientifically undeniable assertions?
Christoff MontnielsensonsOctober 24, 2023 at 18:35#8480970 likes
PS this time around,
unlike Wagner's esc-
apade, the revolution
is NOTE being televised.
Interesting. Indian curries, on the other hand, improve with time, like soups and stews. Up to a point.
To a degree, I would say on day 2 the curry is about as good as day 1, but certainly not better. I think Thai curry has a freshness to it. I could be totally wrong, I'm just going off of my own limited experience. To some extent.
BTW, I read that some better restaurants are no longer serving farm-raised salmon at any meal because the quality has deteriorated too much from intensive fish-farming methods.
I don't doubt it. There's probably more of us than them at this point. It takes the average human a good 9 months to become edible whereas a salmon takes a couple years. Plenty of people eat salmon every other day, whereas sharks attack maybe once a month? Mathematically, it's simply not sustainable. You need to think of the fish, man. Put yourself in their fins.
Aside from that, all the nearby, easily accessible habitats are dry. Nowhere to get quick and easy salmon without it having to turn into a blockbuster movie.
Huh? Hangtown fry is a legit breakfast (as is salmon in an omelette).
If you're a 17th century miner who discovered money for the first time, sure. Fascinating story behind that, I'm sure you know. But for those unfamiliar.
According to most accounts, the dish was invented when a gold prospector struck it rich, headed to the Cary House Hotel, and demanded the most expensive dish that the kitchen could provide. The most expensive ingredients available were eggs, which were delicate and had to be carefully brought to the mining town; bacon, which was shipped from the East Coast; and oysters, which had to be brought on ice from San Francisco, over 100 miles away.
Or a less inane version.
"At the county jail in Placerville, a condemned man was asked what he would like to eat for his last meal. He thought quickly and ordered an oyster omelet, knowing that the oysters would have to be brought from the water, over a hundred miles away by steamship and over rough roads, delaying his execution for a day."
Fascinating what sticks and what doesn't these days.
I just read what I'm writing right now as I'm writing; I'm reading and writing at the same time. It's like an infinite loop; reading, writing, writing, reading the writing, writing what I'm reading again writing what I'm reading again and reading it again as I'm writing it. I'm way ahead of you bro.
This should become an ongoing pinned thread underneath The Shoutbox
That made me chuckle. Raising a chuckle out of me is quite difficult, so you should really pat yourself. Pat yourself like crazy—but only along to a degree.
I read that tearing off the mold on old bread doesn't make it edible because there are still spores in it.
My wife keeps telling me that, but about everything, not just bread. In the old days we would scrape the mould off the top of the jam and eat the rest, but oh no! Can’t do anything any more!
Pat yourself like crazy—but only along to a degree.
This makes me uncomfortable on multiple levels: where to pat myself, how much, why are you telling me this, etc. I don't know up to which or what point I should go.
I think good writers recognize how words work (which is complex!) within the context of a sentence in order to communicate something clearly. Poets hear what words sound like regardless of what they mean. Up to a certain degree.
I just came up what I consider a 7 on the cleverometer. I see Pickles Mulkahey at the light post. I says to Pickles, "hey pickles, I hear you're stepping out on your lady." Pickles is like shocked, and so is his lady Abracadabra. They get all into it, calling names, throwing shit, a whole WW3 down by the light post.
Finally the dust starts settling a bit and they come over to me, and they're like "Candy pants, where'd you hear such a thing?" And I'm like, and here's the punchline, I says, "just now when I said it." And I take me one right in the kisser, laughing the whole time anyways, being a 7/10 and all the more clever.
I set this story in prohibition era the Bronx. The men are wearing knickerbockers in this story and the woman a dirty peasant dress that was pulled down during the scrap, revealing the entirety of her bosom, both outer and underbosom.
My wife keeps telling me that, but about everything, not just bread. In the old days we would scrape the mould off the top of the jam and eat the rest, but oh no! Can’t do anything any more!
Try scraping the mold off some blue cheese ... a fine example of something which can only be done to a certain extent*.
*Notice the qualification, "certain" being applied to that "extent". It's as if you will know this point, once you get up to it, with a high degree of certitude, when in reality you only know the point, up to a certain extent. @Noble Dust Talk about infinite loops.
unenlightenedOctober 25, 2023 at 13:05#8482700 likes
I don't understand at all; it's beneath me. I could understand up to my knees, or at a pinch, up to my neck, but very much more would be over my head and beyond me. I don't think I'm alone in this; (looks round nervously) someone's following me!
Anyone who can best me in base intellect, even in the form of a game, is clearly some sort of wizard or robot.
Hanover is the reigning chess champ of the forum. His strategy of boring his opponents into complacency, taking days or weeks to move a piece, and then exploiting their blunders to the fullest is unbeatable.
Hanover is the reigning chess champ of the forum. His strategy of boring his opponents into complacency, taking days or weeks to move a piece, and then exploiting their blunders to the fullest is unbeatable.
Set us up a blitz game so that I can do away with this complaint of yours. We need to set up a tournament. I'm sure a bunch of us play chess here considering we all seem to fit that profile, whatever that profile is, but we all are of it.
I don’t think I fit that profile, whatever that profile is, but I do play chess, and I do suck at it. And I do be wanting to join a tourney. Doobeedoobeedoo.
Here we are (late Wednesday / early Thursday 10/26) and we have another shoot up, this time in a Lewiston, Maine bowling alley, Not sure, but this may be a first -- bowling alley massacre. 16 dead, many more injured at last count.
Another bitter, resentful, angry white man with a gun. A killer without a cause.
I have no interest in looking for the man's reasons, but I do wonder -- again and again -- what compels these guys to keep assault rifles for this purpose. It's insane, but what is the diagnosis?
UPDATE: "A state police bulletin reviewed by the AP said he was a firearms instructor trained by the military and was recently committed to a mental health facility."
I bet that the mental health facility did not provide long term care, owing to short funding, not enough beds, maybe not enough staff. Maybe he was committed, evaluated, given Rx, and soon sent on his way. Wouldn't be the first time that has happened to people who need longer term care.
I never loved a quiche to begin with. A proper French omelette on the other hand, is one of the best ways to eat eggs. All that’s needed is some chives on top.
javi2541997October 26, 2023 at 05:43#8484460 likes
A proper French omelette on the other hand, is one of the best ways to eat eggs
Good point, but I personally think that hard-boiled eggs in Olivier salad is an exquisite dish.
Eggs with tuna are a good combo too (for example, cold tuna cake).
I never loved a quiche to begin with. A proper French omelette on the other hand, is one of the best ways to eat eggs. All that’s needed is some chives on top.
Quiche is great. What's not to like? Does it go back to the book, Real Men Don't Eat Quiche? But that was itself a satire on the idea that certain foods are feminine, so it was already a thing, in America.
Even if we concede for a moment that some foods are feminine (because, e.g., they reflect the hitherto mostly feminine concern for weight gain), I don't see how an egg and bacon pie fits.
On a podcast or video or something, I heard someone who knew the composer Lou Harrison (a composer I quite like) saying that he (Harrison) and his partner had a giant pot of stew going on their Aga cooker for literally years, and they would just add new vegetables and water from time-to-time, and eat from it every day. I don't think this is a Ship of Theseus problem, partly because there was surely some ancient food matter remaining in there from inception: it was the same stew.
I thought everyone except the Russians called it "Russian salad".
javi2541997October 26, 2023 at 12:35#8484940 likes
Reply to Jamal I call it Russian salad as well. But when I searched for it - in English- on Google I didn't find any information, but just 'Olivier salad'. In Spain, we call it ensaladilla rusa. :yum:
UPDATE: "A state police bulletin reviewed by the AP said he was a firearms instructor trained by the military and was recently committed to a mental health facility."
I bet that the mental health facility did not provide long term care, owing to short funding, not enough beds, maybe not enough staff. Maybe he was committed, evaluated, given Rx, and soon sent on his way. Wouldn't be the first time that has happened to people who need longer term care.
Exactly, give ‘em some drugs cuz science! Also… time is money so “long term” equals more than one hour, for billing purposes. :zip:
This list is from 2018, so there’s doubtless even more experimental psychiatric drugs now…
Maybe it’s just me who’s not a medical expert, but when I see ‘suicidal thoughts’ as a side effect, I take that as ‘this medication may cause the urge to shoot random people’.
Yes, I've seen that a lot on menus in Spain. My Russian wife finds it amusing, since there are many kinds of salad in Russia.
On the other hand, in Scotland we have a few different national soups, but we still use the term "Scotch broth" along with everyone else, to refer to Scotch broth.
I say everyone else, but I don't know if Scotch broth is a world-famous soup. I've had pho, so it's up against some stiff competition. Cullen skink is probably my favourite Scottish soup. I guess it's a kind of smoky chowder (which, coincidentally, was the name of my saxophone teacher).
Incidentally, Scotland is a nation and country despite being part of the unitary state of the UK. This was even more the case for Russia and Ukraine in the USSR, which was technically a federation of republics. Thus, just as Scotland exists, so did Russia and Ukraine in the USSR. They were constituent republics, despite the fact that the citizens of both countries had Soviet citizenship.
Even going back to the Russian Empire, while it's true that Russia did absorb Ukraine and attempt to eradicate its singular existence as a country or nation with a distinct language, this obviously did not succeed and was resisted even at the time.
Just wanted to get that off my chest without actually joining the thread :grin:
javi2541997October 26, 2023 at 14:43#8485190 likes
Reply to Jamal Yes, I know about Scotland as a unique nation, independent of the UK. I learnt a bit of the history of your country when I was in Edinburgh, and I started to understand why the Scots claimed Scotland as a Republic, independent of the UK, as well as Ireland did in 1922.
I do not know if you know it, but the Catalans try to have the same arguments regarding their national political movement. Yet, Catalunya was never an independent country. They were part of France, it is true. But the county of Barcelona was disputed by both France and Spain. Catalonia is 'modern' political territory, in fact. Well, I don't want to bore you with this because the Catalonian issue is no longer relevant to us any more, so I can't imagine how it is fading away from the international cover...
Yes, I've seen that a lot on menus in Spain. My Russian wife finds it amusing, since there are many kinds of salad in Russia.
I understand! Russian cuisine is infinite and unique, and maybe our 'ensaladilla rusa' is pretty far from what Russian salad is in Russia, actually. :grin:
I do not know if you know it, but the Catalans try to have the same arguments regarding their national political movement. Yet, Catalunya was never an independent country. They were part of France, it is true. But the county of Barcelona was disputed by both France and Spain. Catalonia is 'modern' political territory, in fact. Well, I don't want to bore you with this because the Catalonian issue is no longer relevant to us any more, so I can't imagine how it is fading away from the international cover...
It’s not really unique, since many Russian dishes, or variations thereof, are common in other Eastern European countries. Many popular Russian dishes come from other countries, shashlik being the classic example. Same as anywhere I suppose.
Oh my God! I have said everything wrong. I deserve to be suspended or something.
I agree that Russian dishes are common in other Eastern European countries, and they are not that 'unique'. Also, paella is not the only dish in Spanish gastronomy. Well, I tried to be a savant of Scotland's history and Russian cuisine and I ended up being a buffoon! :death:
javi2541997October 26, 2023 at 15:56#8485590 likes
Reply to Manuel Exactly! I am a big fan of Murakami, and you can imagine how hyped I was last week when he was in the Prince of Asturias award. I like most of his works, but I would pick his personal essays (for example: 'novelist as a writer' or 'underground').
If you liked my profile picture, you can see some similar to them on his official Web page. If I am not wrong, they are the covers of the American version. :up:
unenlightenedOctober 26, 2023 at 18:26#8486180 likes
Reply to javi2541997 I used to live in French Catalan country and even learned a few words of the Langue D'Oc, now long forgotten. Lived in the shadow of a Cathar castle - something about the metal of the people reminded me of Scotland rather - but the weather was different.
javi2541997October 26, 2023 at 19:23#8486430 likes
Incidentally, Scotland is a nation and country despite being part of the unitary state of the UK.
And it makes no sense other than to find a way to give it a separate entry in the World Cup. If the US did that, we could have 50 mediocre disappointing teams.
Quiche is great. What's not to like? Does it go back to the book, Real Men Don't Eat Quiche?
I didn't even know about this book. I think quiche feels to me like a cross between eggs and bread which I find gross. Then again, my family's national Finnish dish of Kropsua is a favorite of mine. But it's more of a Dutch Baby. Less quiche-like.
Good point, but I personally think that hard-boiled eggs in Olivier salad is an exquisite dish.
Eggs with tuna are a good combo too (for example, cold tuna cake).
Olivier salad I've never had, but of course I've had potato salad, egg salad, and potato salad that has eggs in it. I think I get the gist. Looks good. :up:
Eggs with tuna as in canned tuna? And hard boiled eggs? I don't know "cold tuna cake". Sounds a bit, er, fishy. I'm unsure.
Eggs with tuna as in canned tuna? And hard boiled eggs? I don't know "cold tuna cake". Sounds a bit, er, fishy. I'm unsure.
When I was a kid, mama would make me a cold tuna birthday cake with coconut icing. I couldn't wait to blow out the candles and get a slice with a big scoop of trout chocolate chip ice cream on top.
It was interesting, but I voted "Not for me". The paragraphic line breaks felt overly-dramatic, although it did seem as if the author wanted me to slow down in my reading, which I appreciated. Maybe I should have voted "It was ok". Whoops.
Fair, but the word "sketti" was fun. I think people read that and thought of me as a kid with a big smile with tomato sauce all over my mouth. It was a strong descriptive term. Maybe a 7.5/10.
My brother did used to say "sketti", as that was his favorite food, so I did appreciate that. Fuck, I should've voted "I liked it". Now you'll lose because of me.
To be fair, my brother's brother was me, and my favorite food was pizza, so although it was my brother's favorite it food, it wasn't my brother's brother's favorite food. To some degree.
I think quiche feels to me like a cross between eggs and bread which I find gross. Then again, my family's national Finnish dish of Kropsua is a favorite of mine. But it's more of a Dutch Baby. Less quiche-like.
Quiche is eggs (mixed with cream, plus added meats, cheeses, or vegetables (although I don't think the French put vegetables in their quiches)) inside a pastry crust. So you've got eggs (or an egg matrix with inclusions if you like), and you've got pastry, which we can call bread for the sake of argument. Now, I'm thinking you're quite familiar with dishes that combine eggs and bread, such as an egg McMuffin, so I'm forced to conclude that you think the eggs in a quiche are somehow amalgamated with the bread, as in Kropsua, i.e., you don't actually know what a quiche is.
I woke up to snow. More than just a light dusting, but I don't know if it'll stick. Usually the very first snows in October melt away, since they are merely harbingers of winter and not the real thing.
unenlightenedOctober 27, 2023 at 08:07#8487640 likes
Sketty
The suburban district of Sketty (Welsh: Sgeti) is about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the Swansea city centre on Gower Road. It falls within the Sketty council ...
Not to be confused with
Splott
Splott (Welsh: Y Sblot) is a district and community in the south of the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales, just east of the city centre. It was built up in ...
Neither is recommended for breakfast. But eggy bread is. Soak slightly stale white sliced bread in beaten egg and fry in butter. Salt, pepper and Yorkshire Relish to taste, with mushrooms, leeks or grilled tomatoes. Like reinforced omelet.
I believe Cardiff is the only city in the world in which the South is to the East.
Eggs with tuna as in canned tuna? And hard boiled eggs? I don't know "cold tuna cake". Sounds a bit, er, fishy. I'm unsure.
Yes, it is as you are imagining it. It has been a while since the last time my mother cooked a cold tuna cake, but as long as I remember, I think she did it following the next steps: the eggs needed to be hard-boiled. Canned tuna and tomato are mixed up with the eggs. This makes a 'paste' or something similar, and then she cooks a puff pastry to 'spread' the paste on it, like a big sandwich. Then, it is put in the fridge for hours to eat it cold. My mother used to put some olives on the top of the cake too.
For breakfast: full wild caught tuna (10', 2000 lbs), on a bed of quiche with French Toast slices adornment.
Tossed it out after a bite because of the tooth pain, but what I ate, I enjoyed immensely.
That's a record weight for a tuna, and you just threw out tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. More importantly, my Gran told me there are starving people so you should finish every meal, and I agree with her. Glad you enjoyed it though.
unenlightenedOctober 27, 2023 at 10:19#8487880 likes
Apparently the toffs add cinnamon and cream and blame it on the French, as they do with all their indulgences and perversions, but the only thing the French call toast is a substance that looks like a miniaturised cartoon of white sliced bread toasted until it is completely dry and then used to lure little birds within range of a shotgun, because it is quite inedible by humans.
he only thing the French call toast is a substance that looks like a miniaturised cartoon of white sliced bread toasted until it is completely dry and then used to lure little birds within range of a shotgun, because it is quite inedible by humans.
You mean like below? Yeah, not a fan.
I had this for breakfast:
There's a thing about big strong men and oats. Don't know what that's all about.
unenlightenedOctober 27, 2023 at 10:38#8487950 likes
Reply to Jamal I prefer the (presumably) false taste of Scotland myself, but I try to wait until the sun is over the yardarm...
“Oats. A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people.”
Americans call it oatmeal, but I've started calling it porridge because it feels like something from Oliver Twist and I like imaging I'm a street waif.
so I'm forced to conclude that you think the eggs in a quiche are somehow amalgamated with the bread, as in Kropsua, i.e., you don't actually know what a quiche is.
It's been so long since I've had one that I probably remember it wrong. Perhaps someday I will eat quiche again.
This morning's breakfast was simply two scrambled eggs and pumpernickel toast, with Irish butter once again. Grapefruit juice and coffee. My eating habits go in phases; right now I'm reveling in the simplicity of eggs and toast. What a humble yet mighty breakfast.
Yes, indeed. But I prefer to drop two over-easy eggs on my buttered toast, along with shredded cheese, pepper and Tabasco. But that's about as complex as my breakfasts get. Often it's just cereal or oatmeal ("porage" if you like). Goldilocks' conundrum has never beset me. I merely follow the package and it comes out just right.
Walmart has a dental office near me. $40 for a visit. I throw this to the group for Shotbox advice. Do I trust my dental care to Walmart, or do I go to a more specialized treatment center that doesn't sell cans of corn, smart looking polo shirts, school supplies, and other household items?
I'll go with the majority here. I fully trust the Shoutbox.
But I prefer to drop two over-easy eggs on my buttered toast, along with shredded cheese, pepper and Tabasco.
Sound good. For awhile I went crazy with breakfast burritos. wrap it up and put it in a pan for 1 and 1/2 minutes per side. Wrap it in foil. Pretty amazing.
We just watched Get Gotti (2023) about John Gotti, "rock star" Gambino. Real life thug'ism, different from Scarface (1983), but no less watchable. Hereby recommended for the so inclined.
unenlightenedOctober 28, 2023 at 08:04#8490360 likes
Reply to jorndoe I ain't afraid of a bunch of crooks that can't even keep the tabloids from filming their lunches. Next week they'll be appearing on "I'm a Super-criminal get me outta here.".
I had nasi goreng for dinner. It's still a novelty for me, as I didn't know about the dish till this year.
I don't have @Noble Dust's dedication to gathering Asian ingredients so I just got some professionals to make it for me. For all I know it's nothing compared to what you get in Indonesia, but it tasted bloody good to me. 9/10 (one point off because they gave me a plastic fork to eat it with--at least give me a plastic spoon to eat rice).
Lol. If it's any consolation it was just a visa run type thing and I got lost in Kuala Lumpur because I only had a paper map and walked the wrong way from the Petronas towers. :monkey:
Reminds me of the time I booked a room in Valencia when I got there late after a flight from Moscow, and it turned out to be not only tiny but also in a hostel with a shared bathroom, just as I was developing gastroenteritis, which I still had early the next day on the 2 hour bus ride down the coast. Other things went wrong over those two days but I'm cutting the story short.
On the plus side, I walked the right way and it wasn't raining :up:
Cool pointers, but I don't understand the obsession with "soft scrambled" eggs. I don't want well done scrambled eggs, but they don't need to be watery either.
Cool pointers, but I don't understand the obsession with "soft scrambled" eggs. I don't want well done scrambled eggs, but they don't need to be watery either.
I like the idea of a guy making a mundane thing like scrambled eggs and then declaring it perfection to his adoring fans.
Like, watch me open the door. That was the perfect door opening that you can only hope to aspire to.
What's the difference between the United States of America and a cup of yogurt? If you leave a cup of yogurt alone for 200 years, it develops a culture.
What's the difference between the United States of America and a cup of yogurt? If you leave a cup of yogurt alone for 200 years, it develops a culture.
Never heard of a boxty, so I deny their existence.
It's an Irish thing, sort of like a potato pancake. And the Irish know their potatoes so it's very good. I used to think the Irish invented potatoes and brought them to America with them, until I found out they're native to South America, got brought to Europe, then back to North America.
I used to think the Irish invented potatoes and brought them to America with them, until I found out they're native to South America, got brought to Europe, then back to North America.
The story I heard was that they ran out of potatoes and then came to the US, no potatoes in tow.
javi2541997October 31, 2023 at 10:05#8498910 likes
Happy Halloween to all.
I laughed this morning, because when I went to Mercadona I saw that they are selling pumpkins or 'winter squashes' to celebrate Halloween. I remember that we had a funny debate last year on whether we - the Spaniards - are able to distinguish between a pumpkin and a winter squash.
The offering of Mercadona even says: "La calabaza, ya de temporada en tu cocina"Merca And appears some recipes. But they do not distinguish the product, honestly.
I bought two pumpkins - or winter squashes - for just €6 and Mercadona recommends me to eat them in cookies or drink them in a 'milkshake'. Frankly, I always trust Mercadona but this time they went too far, mates.
Reply to javi2541997 Cut the squashes in half, making sure not to sever your hand from your wrist, scoop out the seeds, then coat the cut part with olive oil salt and pepper. Place them cut side down on a parchment covered baking dish and cook for about 45 minutes at 375 F (whatever that is in celcius). Seperately on the stove, cook about half a chopped onion in olive oil and add a few cloves of garlic at the end. Chop up a few tablespoons of fresh parsley as well.
When the squash is cooked, scoop out the now soft interior into a blender, add the parsley, onions, and garlic, and then add about 24 to 32 ounces of vegetable broth into the blender. That's 3 to 4 cups if you have American measuring cups. Maybe put a few tablespoons of maple syrup in there too. Blend it really well and then you can eat it and it will not require teeth if that is an issue for you.
Just posted something here by mistake. Pretend you didn't see it. :grin:
javi2541997October 31, 2023 at 13:07#8499310 likes
Reply to Hanover Perfect, thank you so much. If you do not mind, I copied and pasted your recipe in my 'notes' of Windows. I think I would be capable of cooking it.
First, I must switch those measures to 'European' ones, and I will have to go round all over Madrid to find maple syrup because I have hardly seen any of it in my local markets. I guess it can be available in more specific groceries.
First, I must switch those measures to 'European' ones, and I will have to go round all over Madrid to find maple syrup because I have hardly seen any of it in my local markets. I guess it can be available in more specific groceries.
In my experience, some of the non-Spanish supermarkets in Spain have an American section. Carrefour I think.
javi2541997October 31, 2023 at 13:38#8499400 likes
Reply to Jamal Cool! I principally thought of Lidl, but Carrefour is a good option as well. I have to go there because I ran out of Kombucha, so I will check around.
Metaphysician UndercoverOctober 31, 2023 at 13:38#8499410 likes
The story I heard was that they ran out of potatoes and then came to the US, no potatoes in tow.
I suppose, potatoes were so valuable at that time, every person stepping on board the ship was strip searched to ensure the potatoes remained.
Newfoundlanders maintain their Irish roots (pun intended), and outlaw the removal of potatoes from their Island paradise. I know this because when I took the ferry there was warning signs posted everywhere on that ferry, and because I did not know this before entering the ferry, I happened to have some of the illegal substance in the trunk of my car, which left me very worried about possible consequences.
If maple syrup is that difficult to find, maybe honey would work.
I wanted to explain before that this is the main cause why maple syrup is hardly seen here, because we tend to consume honey instead. But then, I thought that the supply and demand of both products were not necessarily correlated! :up:
wanted to explain before that this is the main cause why maple syrup is hardly seen here, because we tend to consume honey instead. But then, I thought that the supply and demand of both products were not necessarily correlated! :up:
I was once on a train from Paris to the south of France and I was sitting next to a man who knew as little English as I knew French. For some reason, we started talking about pancakes and I was trying to explain how we used maple syrup. It took a while, but he understood my reference to Canada, and then my reference to its flag, and then my reference to the maple leaf on the flag, and from there we got to syrup. He explained he ate crepes with powdered sugar.
He also told me that he went to Germany once and saw all the hot blonde haired women. I thought it was strange he had only been to Germany one time, like it was so far away. Anyway, that was my day on the train with the Frenchman.
I bet there are Atlantanmen who have never been to Alabama.
Atlantamen typically are sophisticated citymen who travel to and fro and know much of the regional landscape. Alabamamen are a different sortofman though. They live closely to the land like livestock, never getting too far from their shanties and lean tos. I think you'd be more likely therefore to see an Alabamaman who's never seen the bright lights of Atlanta than an Atlantaman who has never smelled the urine soaked hills of Birmingham or Tuscaloosa.
Reply to javi2541997 Use orange juice instead of maple syrup, or just skip this - the pumpkin will usually be sweet enough for those outside north America. And dice and boil a potato into the broth, then mash it - this will counter any fibrous texture in the pumpkin.
javi2541997November 01, 2023 at 05:32#8501400 likes
Frankly, I thought about cooking the squashes with potatoes in the first place, boiled or baked. But the recipe provided by Hanover changed my mind because it is actually a good way to exploit my squashes.
javi2541997November 01, 2023 at 08:22#8501650 likes
Reply to Jamal It means: Portugal (P) Ireland (I) - but this country is now doing everything well, so it is no longer included - Greece (G) and Spain (S) This acronym was named by some Northern European countries to refer to us and criticise the way we faced the 2008 debt crisis. A famous quote about PIGS comes from the Dutch economist Jeroen Dijsselbloem, when he accused Southern European countries of wasting money on ‘wine and women’.
It is a negative connotation to refer to Mediterranean countries as lazy and money wasters.
Frankly, I thought about cooking the squashes with potatoes in the first place, boiled or baked. But the recipe provided by Hanover changed my mind because it is actually a good way to exploit my squashes.
Another way to do them is to cut them into cubes and bake them 45 minutes to an hour or so, seasoning them with some salt, pepper, and of course, plenty of maple syrup. It's a less starchy substitute for potatoes.
Another idea is to yank an old shoe out of your dog's mouth, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and then bake it with plenty of maple syrup.
You can also do hot sauce if sweeteners aren't your thing.
javi2541997November 01, 2023 at 15:43#8502120 likes
Reply to javi2541997 Per The Nightmare Before Christmas, 1993, we could call Hanover the Pumpkin King,
Fun movie, by the way, is fun. It's a meticulously handmade puppet / animation musical made much more for adults than children, who would probably be quite agitated before the happy ending. Tim Burton directed it.
Noble DustNovember 01, 2023 at 22:51#8503080 likes
I've got a question for the group that I wanted to run by everyone. I don't usually like to get overly personal, but this has been on my mind a lot lately and I didn't know where else to turn.
Do you think we should change the name of Canada to Chananda?
You don't need to let me know right away, buy I don't want this to sit either. Could you let me know your thoughts by Tuesday (I don't care which Tuesday)? If it's a go, I need to get with my signage guy. He'll have a shit ton of work. Probably won't even get off for Christmas.
Lemme know!
Noble DustNovember 02, 2023 at 01:04#8503470 likes
Here I was, all ready to chum it up with you and prove that I'm a man of the people by telling you that I grew up on Log Cabin, but sometimes we'd get Aunt Jemima, and I thought it was better, but it must have been more expensive because it was a rare treat, and you go and post this abomination. I won't stand on ceremony. I don't know if that's the right use of that phrase, but it's all gone pear-shaped, so I'm at a loss.
Reply to Noble Dust Curse you for questioning the Cap'n. He delivered me from safety too many times from the angry high seas for me to take these insults from you. This giant of a man at 3 feet tall was able to squeeze blue sap from the base of a giant maple and color my pancakes delicious, and this is his thanks??
Go back to Chanada where you belong.
Metaphysician UndercoverNovember 02, 2023 at 01:30#8503510 likes
Reply to Hanover
Now I'm confused, what's the proper spelling? How about a pronunciation guide?
Noble DustNovember 02, 2023 at 01:40#8503530 likes
Sir,
Blue syrup that doesn't even pretend to have a flavoring is worse than the fake "blue raspberry" flavor one sometimes encounters. The Cap'n didn't even have the creativity to think of that. No, the Cap'n deserves the criticisms being leveled at him. And I am not from Can'tada, sir. And I don't stand on ceremony. Ever.
Metaphysician UndercoverNovember 02, 2023 at 01:56#8503550 likes
It does claim to have a flavour, in great big letters MAPLE.
Clearly I was referencing the blue color.
Metaphysician UndercoverNovember 02, 2023 at 02:08#8503600 likes
Reply to Noble Dust
Blue on the flavour wheel I linked is the "foreign environment" section. That includes flavours like solvents, soaps, petroleum, cardboard, drugs. Something like that is probably what the Cap'n was aiming for.
Personally my favourite maple flavour is in the deep red, "foreign deterioration section", called "soiled mop". I think that's the taste most artificial maple flavour aims for.
[reply="Hanover;850331") People are so finicky about stuff like this. Natural maple syrup is made out of concentrated dirt water sucked up by maple trees. The trees don't check it for toxins or communicable diseases! Everybody thinks it is so great.
Artificial flavoring, however, is free of allergens, is kosher, and altogether pure and wholesome:
WATER, CARAMEL COLOR, ALCOHOL (12%), VANILLA EXTRACT (VANILLA BEAN EXTRACTIVES IN WATER, ALCOHOL, CORN SYRUP), MOLASSES SOLIDS, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SUGAR, AND SULFITING AGENTS.
All these thing are good, except maybe sulfitting agents. Those sound a bit suspicious,
So you add the fake flavoring to high fructose corn syrup and it does the trick. Maple Syrup is sucrose (range of ca. 60–66%) along with lesser amounts of glucose and fructose and complex carbohydrates, including high molecular weight polysaccharides. Who wants polysaccharides (Greek to me) on their waffles?
I think boiled white and brown sugar (sugar + water + heat) makes a superior intensely sweet topping for pancakes and waffles. Add a generous amount of butter. Butter is better.
Noble DustNovember 02, 2023 at 03:47#8503650 likes
It's all Greek to me. My solution is to avoid sweets all together; not for health reasons, but because I'm one of those annoying people that doesn't have much of a sweet tooth. Never have, even before I began indulging in adult beverages. Pancakes with syrup once every few years (when I visit my folks) is a nice nostalgic moment, but that's about it for me. As such, I don't much care what the "syrup" is that's applied. And, as @Jamal knows, I'm more likely to be served Finnish Kropsua with lingonberry preserves when I visit me old folks.
No, the Cap'n deserves the criticisms being leveled at him
Every man, woman, and child receives, at no cost to themselves, a small plastic toy, a prize, a reward, upon the purchase of a humble box of Crunch brand cereals. The Cap'n has always seen that be so. It is who he is, a towering dwarf with a heart of sweet fortified corn.
Until now.
He has just halted his loving generosity to one Noble Dust. He has used his power granted by Post, Kellogg, and your mama's bosom to make certain you never get another cereal box toy.
Take that motherfucker.
To quote the Cap'n upon his making this decision: "Noble Dust can eat the shit out of my asshole."
Sorry for that. He's a sailor. That's how he talks.
Don't you start doing that too. You’re a better writer than that.
To see if “As such” works in a particular instance, ask the question, “as what?” If there’s no answer, it doesn’t make sense.
I can rewrite your post to make it work:
Pancakes with syrup once every few years (when I visit my folks) is a nice nostalgic moment, but generally I’m the kind of person who doesn’t eat sweet stuff. As such, I don't much care what…
As such, i.e., as the kind of person who doesn’t eat sweet stuff.
Obviously I’ll have to give up and submit to convention eventually if the abominational use of the phrase becomes totally dominant, but right now I’m sticking up for correct use. I may even begin deleting posts.
Reply to Banno When I was a child, before being the mature sort I am today, I dined at IHOP, the International House of Pancakes. It was an enriching multinational educational experience trying pancakes from the world over. My favorite were the chocolate variety with a whipped cream smiley face sprinkled with even more chocolate chips.
They had all different colors of syrup from red to blue to my favorite of all, beige.
While some Aussies like to make a joke of it, we all know very well that this dining experience was sent to us from down under, as their slogan made very clear:
Fun movie, by the way, is fun. It's a meticulously handmade puppet / animation musical made much more for adults than children, who would probably be quite agitated before the happy ending. Tim Burton directed it.
It is a masterpiece, yes. When I was a kid, I used to watch more than nowadays, on 'Cartoon Network' if I am not wrong... Tim Burton is a film-maker full of imagination for telling different stories.
You're with me or against me. No one wants a fencerider.
unenlightenedNovember 02, 2023 at 14:00#8504390 likes
Maple syrup is a cruel exploitation of innocent trees, that cannot run away from the humans bleeding them half to death year after year. Is there no limit to your wickedness, people?
Fred's got a dripping problem, so they're gonna radioactive his piss to see where his plumbing canal might be misflowing or whatnot. I told em to go ahead and hook eem up so we can get a look see and maybe pipeclean er good and sparkly.
I'm bout tired a all the damn stank ass puddles here and there sloppin up in my socks
All of this expended energy on this issue was unnecessary, as I was using the phrase in a cheeky (as you...Brits? would say) fashion. Sometimes I like to write in an overly flowery way; I think it's a subconscious making-fun of the philosophy forum poster stereotype. As such, one should not take to heart when I use such phrases and speak in such and such a way, dear sir.
Noble DustNovember 03, 2023 at 01:20#8505660 likes
Someone's left two kids with a dingo? Bloody dills. Folk never learn.
Dogs can be unpredictable usually, but I doubt that the dingo would act dangerously with kids. This can only happen if the dog received bad treatment previously, and then he becomes a wary dog.
I bet the kids are surrounded by worse 'dangers'. The bullies in school, for instance.
All of this expended energy on this issue was unnecessary, as I was using the phrase in a cheeky (as you...Brits? would say) fashion. Sometimes I like to write in an overly flowery way; I think it's a subconscious making-fun of the philosophy forum poster stereotype. As such, one should not take to heart when I use such phrases and speak in such and such a way, dear sir.
:angry:
At the back of my mind somewhere I was cognizant of the possibility that you were being marvelously witty, but all my doubts were overwhelmed by rage.
javi2541997November 03, 2023 at 06:18#8505900 likes
javi2541997November 03, 2023 at 06:59#8505930 likes
Reply to Banno Oh my goodness! The dingo is a wolf - or similar to a coyote -.
I thought the dingo was a domestic dog in the first place.
Now, I understand all the warnings, maybe we can consider it a predator, but who knows...
Yes, the best way is to stay away from the dingo and don't piss him off...
Atlantamen typically are sophisticated citymen who travel to and fro and know much of the regional landscape. Alabamamen are a different sortofman though. They live closely to the land like livestock, never getting too far from their shanties and lean tos. I think you'd be more likely therefore to see an Alabamaman who's never seen the bright lights of Atlanta than an Atlantaman who has never smelled the urine soaked hills of Birmingham or Tuscaloosa.
It seems to me that many Americans use Alabama and Florida as the butts of their jokes. This might be for different reasons. Like, Alabama is poor, a failed state, and Florida is fucking mental. I'm instinctively on their side, certainly on Alabama's side at least, because of their underdogness.
Alabama has the rest of the union to help it along, so what's going wrong?
Metaphysician UndercoverNovember 03, 2023 at 13:43#8506260 likes
Maple syrup is a cruel exploitation of innocent trees, that cannot run away from the humans bleeding them half to death year after year. Is there no limit to your wickedness, people?
I think that's quite true. I once thought of an experiment where instead of tapping maples once a year, I would tap them hundreds or even thousands of times each year to completely perforate them with little holes year after year. This I thought might produce for me the rare, sought after, and extremely valuable "bird's eye" feature in the lumber.
I had to dismiss the idea though, because it would be a severe and very immoral torture to the trees during their short lifetime, only to be killed right after a life of nothing but punishment, and punishment for nothing. Not to mention, I realized it would probably not work out, and all that work, time and effort, would be wasted, because the wood would be unmarketable as forgery. This would be cruel punishment to me. Therefore Karma would have its way with me, as it does with the wicked maple syrup producers of Québec who reduce the standard on the tappable size, to get them while they're still young and tender, through the means of the cartel, "The Federation".
Alabama has the rest of the union to help it along, so what's going wrong?
The saying in Georgia had long been "Thank God for Alabama," although sometimes we used Mississippi in its place. For example, when crime data, educational level data, teen pregnancy data and things like that would get published, Georgia would typically place worst among the 50 states, save Alabama or Mississippi. We'd then say "Thank God for Alabama."
So I will join you in my love for that state.
I also note the inverse relationship to societal success and college football success, although "Roll Tide!" is now pretty well replaced with "How 'bout them Dawgs!"
Alabama has the rest of the union to help it along, so what's going wrong?
But to answer your question more directly, since I am your only American resource, don't misuderstand the Alabamaman. The last thing he wants is "help" from the "union."
I tap my pine trees and make a delicious turpentine sauce for my pancakes.
I think I have to get used to your irony. It is complex because you guys do not use emoticons.
But, if I am not wrong, turpentine is actually a solvent, and it is poisonous to your health, because it is produced to use on chemical stuff. So, please don't eat it with your pancakes, it is reckless... :gasp:
But, if I am not wrong, turpentine is actually a solvent, and it is poisonous to your health, because it is produced to use on chemical stuff. So, please don't eat it with your pancakes, it is reckless...
Florida Man is an Internet meme first popularized in 2013, referring to an alleged prevalence of people performing irrational or maniacal actions in the U.S. state of Florida.
There was even a book written about it and an honorary mention in another I read about extraterrestrials.
I have never seen such fame for anything from Mississippi or Alabama. :rofl:
Reply to Metaphysician Undercover I have not tried yellow birch sap. It's worth noting, now that you mention it, that the sap of trees other than maple can be used to make a sweet syrup (skip the conifers). Fresh willow sap has a pleasant taste. Also, people have been extracting a very strong adhesive from birch bark (a tar-like material) going back as far as Neanderthals. The bark is rolled up and then slowly heated in some kind of vessel. A tar collects around the bottom of the roll. It's very sticky and was used, among other things, to form a durable attachment between a point and a spear.
The sap from the weeping willow tastes of sadness and loss, leaving one in a state of melancholy that makes breakfast difficult to endure. I much prefer the blue candy syrup from the loins of the Cap'n.
I think "Official and used in laboratories" vs. "Slang and used by most of us" should be standard usage in the shoutbox when it comes to convention. I.E. when I say something or someone or some phrase is "English", that's "slang and used by most of us". Kapish? Do British/English/Welsh/Scottish/Irish/Northern Irish/Isle of Man people even know what "kapish" means?
It is fun to share slang words in The Shoutbox. Hanover made a good effort to write into Spanish a phrase where a chemical product is the subject. If you use Google Translate, it just translates 'official' words, but they are hardly used by people.
Furthermore, the Wikipedia article on turpentine in Spanish is directly translated as 'aguarrás' because nobody has ever used that word - from laboratories -
The truth is that we know capiche or kapish (specifically with the non-Italianly-pronounced terminal phoneme) from American movies involving Italian American hoodlums.
Noble DustNovember 04, 2023 at 07:01#8507700 likes
For sure, Javi. All good points. I just feel the need to mention that Jamal and Hanover or whatever his name is and I are just banging on about some dumb jokes that are ever evolving, and there is definitely an irony to them; you have a beautiful non-ironic timber to your posts which is refreshing.
javi2541997November 04, 2023 at 07:19#8507730 likes
Reply to Noble Dust You were using irony too! Oh my goodness, I am so stupid. I promise I thought you were speaking seriously about slang words. You folks do not use emojis - a Japanese invention :grin: - so it is difficult for me when you are just ironic.
when I say something or someone or some phrase is "English", that's "slang and used by most of us". Kapish? Do
I grew up in an area dominated by the Icelandic mob, and we used the term "skilja" to mean understand. I once refused to pay protection money for my whaling outfit and they sent Björk to bust my knee caps. Let me just say, from there on out I skiljaed when they told me what to do.
Didn't we send you folk some eucalyptus trees? They keep the oil in their leaves, making it much easier to extract. And less painful for the tree. Good for what ails you. Takes those damn sticky labels right off. I use a few drops on my toes every night to ward off various fungi.
Good try! But no. Eucalyptus trees are likely to lead to desertification in the country. We made the mistake of planting some eucalyptus - a tree which is not originally from the peninsula - and we ended up in a savage desertification. Most of the scientific research has stated:
By citing selectively from different documents, it has been argued that eucalypts do not grow in Australia in areas receiving rainfall lower than 700 mm, and hence, if grown as exotic in areas receiving less than 700 mm rainfall, they would lead to desertification.
I agree, some folk just plant trees where they want to without any previous planning. It is our fault and not eucalypts. Now, if some want to remove them, I would feel bad because of deforestation. We are in a big dilemma thanks to eucalypts.
Reply to javi2541997 I saw a video about it recently from a YouTube channel called CaspianReport (they seem to be widening their concerns). Anyway, the video had the scary title, "The Death of Spain". :grimace:
javi2541997November 05, 2023 at 15:25#8510480 likes
Anyway, the video had the scary title, "The Death of Spain".
Yikes! And we have folks like Banno who attempt to plant eucalyptus everywhere! I can't believe that the desertification of my country will be caused by a tree eventually.
Reply to javi2541997 I use emojis quite often in ordinary life (going to the market, meeting with friends), but because the Shoutbox is dominated by strenuously cool and aloof characters, I feel self-conscious about using them here. It's as if, in the Shoutbox, emojis are for pussies.
Guy Fawkes Night tonight. When I was young it was a much bigger deal than Halloween, though we did carve turnips as well as burning effigies. I've been out of the UK and out of childhood for a long time, so I don't know the state of play nowadays.
I read koala bear meat tastes terrible due to their diet of eucalyptus. If not for that, I'd be be dining on a koala bear face sammich right now. I'd choose the face to eat because they're so damn cute.
Maybe a little maple syrup would make the meat tolerable.
I have nothing against koalas, since they don't interfere with my life,
Count yourself among the lucky. Koalas constantly mock me in public and bully me on social media. What I would give for just one evening without the taunting.
Count yourself among the lucky. Koalas constantly mock me in public and bully me on social media. What I would give for just one evening without the taunting.
You are just lucky that you don't have to deal with the drop bears.
In the end I realized it was your way of telling me there was something wrong with drafts, so I created a draft and noticed that it created an extra page, so even though I only have one draft, there are two pages. A bug, apparently. So long as your drafts are being kept there and the primary functionality is still working, it’s not a big deal. We’ll be moving to a new platform in a while—I’ll post about that soon—so I’m not reporting bugs to Plush any more (unless they’re critical).
unenlightenedNovember 07, 2023 at 12:21#8514210 likes
Reply to Jamal My 14 pages are actual posts I thought better of posting. but if you spend any time thinking about it, a draft gets autosaved and even if you wipe it from the thread, it comes back next time you go there,
So now because it is easier, I usually edit my unpasted posts to a full stop rather than navigate to the drafts page and delete there. I would prefer a save draft manual button, personally, but others might lose their pearls half formed.
Reply to unenlightened Yes, I find it annoying not to be able to delete drafts by deleting the content in-thread. I have a feeling that used to be possible. I do the full-stop thing too.
Discourse discards the draft automatically if you delete everything in it.
unenlightenedNovember 07, 2023 at 13:05#8514240 likes
The most interesting thing is that the behaviour is thought to have spread from one influential orca, who was somehow traumatized by a bad encounter with a boat and has been attacking them ever since.
Haven't had a pork chop in years I believe. Forgot okra even existed, actually. Never hear its name come up around these parts. Never heard of grilled apples though sounds like a nice, healthy-ish alternative to traditional dessert. Good for you.
Noble DustNovember 08, 2023 at 05:49#8516060 likes
Reply to Hanover Ignore the haters, naysayers, and mockerers: that dinner looks delicious and I applaud the combination of pork and apple. The fact that the pork chops look tough as old boots and you're serving it on plates that were designed in 1994 can't take anything away from what you achieved.
I notice you often have okra. I've never cooked with it and rarely eat it, and now I feel I'm missing out.
Reply to Jamal Your encouragement allows me to carry on. Without it, I'd be relegated to various curry dishes, which seems to be a staple here.
Apples are a traditional accompaniment with pork. They were picked at a north Georgia orchard by my son and his girlfriend, Fred and Fred.
Southern pork chops are thin cut and typically deep fried in batter, but mine are a healthier alternative, spiced to perfection with a bottle of orange looking spice mix from the bargain aisle. It's reminenesent of the Colonel's secret recipe seasoning and twice, perhaps twice point 5 more delicious.
Okra gets much attention at chez Hanover. It's good fried and battered as well, but I like it boiled, offering a mucus like texture, much like stuffed nose, but without the pesky scratchy throat.
The plates are indeed from 1995, a souvenir from my first marriage. I got the dinner plates. Take that beeeaatch!
Metaphysician UndercoverNovember 08, 2023 at 12:22#8516540 likes
I notice you often have okra. I've never cooked with it and rarely eat it, and now I feel I'm missing out.
It's difficult to grow okra in maple syrup country. If you wait too long after the last frost you meet up with the first frost. Digression warning! Odd that the first comes after the last, must be one of those eternal circles where the beginning and the ending become indistinguishable, one and the same. I tried but failed. There are varieties which can be grown around here with special care. A friend of mine from the south grew some and I tried it. I decided it's not worth the effort, and I don't feel like I'm missing out, the cold weather tends to produce an endless supply of mucus.
It's good fried and battered as well, but I like it boiled, offering a mucus like texture, much like stuffed nose, but without the pesky scratchy throat.
Why not just eat snot? It's more readily available.
My okra pet peeve is that the West African word for okra is kingombo. As a result, we end up with a dish called "gumbo," which is most popular in Louisiana, but it can often be found without any okra in it.
That is bullshit I say, or at least it's not true gumbo, as it has no kingombo in it.
Reply to Jamal, an oceanic influencer. They can learn from each other, longer-term. Plausible. Apparently some started attacking sharks. Could also be related to trauma.
Noble DustNovember 08, 2023 at 21:54#8517660 likes
We as a species hold those with power above our heads we cannot reach to a higher standard. You can understand that, surely. Of course. For you must. Lest ye be driven out by the villagers and replaced. Perhaps with the likes of myself. Imagine that, why doncha'.
We as a species hold those with power above our heads we cannot reach to a higher standard. You can understand that, surely. Of course. For you must. Lest ye be driven out by the villagers and replaced. Perhaps with the likes of myself. Imagine that, why doncha'.
So I have no idea what you just said, but my head exploded in its wisdom, so you got me there I'll admit.
Noble DustNovember 08, 2023 at 22:18#8517840 likes
Salt is a big deal, but I was merely pointing out that all food should be seasoned, so there's no need to mention it. I'm also trying to work more emojis into my posts because @javi2541997 was opining us cool kids lack of their use. :smirk:
Hey there was a major telecoms outage in Australia yesterday. One of the big three mobile/data/broadband providers, Optus (owned by SingTel) went down at 4:00am and stayed down until mid-afternoon. Among other things, Melbourne’s suburban train network was frozen (due to their comms system relying on Optus) and countless cafes and shops nation-wide couldn’t accept electronic payments. (A story that went viral was about a lady who’s cat woke her when the cat’s WIFI-controlled automatic feeder failed to trigger. Cat woke owner to complain about breach of service level agreement.)
Anyhow, what interests me is that the reason all the services went down (not just one segment) is because they’re all controlled via TCP/IP. (Apparently the outage was caused by something called a BCP router misconfiguration.) But what struck me is that the whole original rationale for TCP/IP was to avoid having single points of failure. It was originally developed in the Cold War, so that if the Russians nuked America, the loss of this or that network hub wouldn’t stop information transmission, as the individual data packets would then automatically re-route themselves through the next available connection. And here we are, 50 years later, in a situation where one component in a network provider’s infrastructure can grind half a nation’s internet and telecomms services to a halt. Possibly from a network design decision made decades ago and so embedded very deeply in the machinery.
Anyway, that’s all I wanted to say about it. Myself, I use another network provider, so wasn’t affected, although I did notice GPS went offline yesterday morning when I was navigating around our western suburbs, which might have been a ripple effect.
So I have no idea what you just said, but my head exploded in its wisdom, so you got me there I'll admit.
Ordinarily your witty snark is appreciated, a refreshing, even delicious, intellectual mist reminiscent of my own. But not this hollow mockery. Surely you of all people could do much better.
Reply to john27 Hey, John27, howyadoing? Thank you for stopping by and leaving this ambiguous message in the shout box. What did you want anybody to do with it?
It isn't confidence or bravery that you are short of, and in this case your fear is a good thing,
I'm willing to give a suicide proposal serious attention, but you have to say more. Much more.
Hey there was a major telecoms outage in Australia yesterday.
That's too bad.
When telecoms went down in Gaza, the people began looting.
It is generally assumed that were all of the telecom services to go down at the same time (no phone, no internet, no radio, no TV, no cable, no GPS... just nothing), it would not be long before at least looting began. It would not be at all surprising if even the rich WASP matrons living on Park Avenue in New York were to leave their luxury coops and start smash and grab riots at Bulgari, Dolce & Gabbana, Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Armani, and Kate Spade. Poor slobs trying to grab a diamond or a fancy hat would not stand a chance! The matrons would move on even Target and Walgreens--they require toilet paper as much as everyone else, if not more so.
After a week or two of all systems down, it is anticipated that people would begin resorting to cannibalism--not because they were starving, but because they were so utterly bereft of the stabilizing beacons of 21st century life.
Loss of all media would be experienced as night of the living dead by many people.
Hopefully this will not come to pass in the near future.
I just recently entered university and if I'm being honest, I haven't exactly been able to take advantage of its opportunities ( which is putting it pretty lightly :sweat:) . It's exam season right now and I guess the stress was getting to me. I felt the need to scream some obscenities, but seeing as it's around 2:30am, I needed a different outlet, which is where I remembered this place and its function.
My shout wasn't necessarily aimed at anyone, but I'm glad you reached out. Again sorry for the unnecessary gesture.
Reply to BC I do consider getting ten grand out of the bank and storing it somewhere safe at home in case there was a severe disruption to either electronic banking or another GFC. (Haven’t actually done it yet, though.)
Metaphysician UndercoverNovember 09, 2023 at 02:56#8518410 likes
It is generally assumed that were all of the telecom services to go down at the same time (no phone, no internet, no radio, no TV, no cable, no GPS... just nothing), it would not be long before at least looting began. It would not be at all surprising if even the rich WASP matrons living on Park Avenue in New York were to leave their luxury coops and start smash and grab riots at Bulgari, Dolce & Gabbana, Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Armani, and Kate Spade.
When something so relied upon goes down, it can create panic, and chaos may follow. But I think it really depends on how the service is interrupted. When it's a natural disaster, people seem to understand it as a natural thing, and they tend to be helpful toward each other, united against nature. But when its an act of sabotage, violence, or terrorism, there seems to be a completely different attitude, I guess because people feel wronged, and all hell may break loose.
javi2541997November 09, 2023 at 05:05#8518620 likes
I just recently entered university and if I'm being honest, I haven't exactly been able to take advantage of its opportunities ( which is putting it pretty lightl
I can understand that, totally. It's been 60 years since I entered college, and I am SO GLAD I don't have to relive it now. So glad it's only academia and not an existential crisis, yet anyway. I haven't forgotten though that one has to take things seriously, even if it's driving one a little crazy.
So carry on; learn a lot however you can; find friends; blow off steam regularly; enjoy life as much as you can.
What are you hoping to achieve in school and do after that?
Reply to LuckyR well, yeah, not talking ‘civilizational collapse’ but ‘multi-day outage of electronic transaction systems.’
Oh, and I got schooled on a tech forum about how my appeal to the rerouting ability of TCP/IP is really, um, 1970 something and it’s become a lot more complex in the 50 odd years since.
I'm not entirely sure. I tell most people something along the lines of chemical engineering, but being surrounded by numbers all day isn't exactly enticing... I'm mostly banking that my passions and aptitudes will illuminate over time.
I can understand that, totally. It's been 60 years since I entered college, and I am SO GLAD I don't have to relive it now.
Here in Georgia, once you reach 65, you can attend any university, community college, or even tech school for free of charge. They won't pay for graduate level courses or professional degrees, but you can collect as many undergraduate degrees and tech degrees you want until you die.
My goal is to get an HVAC certfication when I'm 65 so that I can repair my AC for free. I'm also thinking of being an archeologist and maybe being a classical dancer.
My point here is that I think that would be a great way to spend retirement, being the old guy signing up for random classes at tax payer expense. Why are you so glad not to relive that? College was an amazing 9 years for me, and then I had to start working.
Reply to Wayfarer
Got it. Yeah, the whole survivalist industry is based on impending civilizational collapse. Oh well, I guess everyone should have a hobby...
Here in Georgia, once you reach 65, you can attend any university, community college, or even tech school for free of charge. They won't pay for graduate level courses or professional degrees, but you can collect as many undergraduate degrees and tech degrees you want until you die.
In California, on your 65th birthday they send you a brand new library card free of charge, and if you can’t afford rent anymore you get a 10% discount on a cardboard box.
I do consider getting ten grand out of the bank and storing it somewhere safe at home in case there was a severe disruption to either electronic banking or another GFC. (Haven’t actually done it yet, though.)
I keep a stack of twenty dollar bills in my bathroom I use as toilet paper, so I guess I could have my manservents use those to fetch me a meal if things got too bad. My concern is that the grocery people will not push the underclass away quickly enough to assure I will receive my full serving of my okra.
In California, on your 65th birthday they send you a brand new library card free of charge, and if you can’t afford rent anymore you get a 10% discount on a cardboard box.
Once I went to the library (I know you're calling bullshit on this already, but this story is real, I promise), and they said I owed like $30 or so and I couldn't get a book until I paid it. I then gave them another card that didn't have a balance on it, and they said I wasn't supposed to have more than one library card. I said, "yeah, but I want to use this one." They let me do it, but said I wasn't supposed to do it. I then asked them for the form so I could get another card.
I played upon the contradiction between government workers wanting to enforce rules but not caring if there is a way around the rules.
It reminds me of the time when someone complained they couldn't upload a picture because they weren't members here, so @Jamal gave them a work around.
Edit: we are still allowed to be rude about Russia - they're not endangered or anything ?
Mate, no! We should not be rude to Russian folks, for two main reasons:
1) they are excellent chess players; 2) the Brothers Karamazov are actually from Mokroie - Russia -
Here in Georgia, once you reach 65, you can attend any university, community college, or even tech school for free of charge.
Georgia's commitment to free education for those entering old age and approaching the grave is heartwarming. It's wonderful how the old folks are now discussing Milton's Areopagitica instead of obsessing about their bowel and bladder problems like they used to do.
For those who haven't taken the Milton class yet, Areopagitica is Milton's defense of free speech. If you had bothered to learn Greek, you'd know what ????????????? references. Check your lecture notes on Isocrates.
Reply to john27 Avoid philosophy too. Being surrounded by clouds of vague speculation all day will turn out to be more debilitating than being surrounded by numbers. I'd avoid English Literature too. Words! Words! Words! The employment prospects for majors in Art or Dance are poor. Accounting? Nursing? Forest Management? Teaching high school? Clinical psychology (helpful for working in psych wards and teaching high school)?
I majored in English thinking I would teach high school. What an idiot I was! I should have picked a rock-solid field like geology.
Georgia's commitment to free education for those entering old age and approaching the grave is heartwarming.
I just double checked. It's actually age 62 where you get the free education. Medicare is 65. I guess I got that confused. Free school at 62 and then free healthcare at 65 if I make it from 62 to 65.
Georgia also pays 80% (or something like that) of college tuition if you graduate with a B average and like 90% if it's a B+. Thanks to compassionate teachers, everyone now has at least a B average. Funny how much smarter the kids got when the law passed.
Georgia is actually very progressive about some things. Who'd have thunk?
I'm yer ideal running mate cause we're totes oppo. Can make tiktoks where we fight and everyone will love us cause we're work husbands. I want all the coin and then some. Tnx!
L'éléphantNovember 10, 2023 at 05:34#8521360 likes
And here we are, 50 years later, in a situation where one component in a network provider’s infrastructure can grind half a nation’s internet and telecomms services to a halt. Possibly from a network design decision made decades ago and so embedded very deeply in the machinery.
Or possibly, from service monopoly that wouldn't allow multi-point infrastructure so that there's a kill-switch or a surge protector to limit the area of outage.
Reply to L'éléphant Yes, after my foray on the tech forum with my homespun tech wisdom based on my study of the internet circa 2004, I realise my understanding of large-scale networks is pretty well non-existent. But somehow I thought ‘single point of failure’ might be relevant.
For those who don't trust virtually unknown websites, let alone non-secured ones, would you be able to offer a synopsis or list of bullet points of their claims alongside reputable evidence of said claims and your thoughts or criticisms of each one?
So basically you have no idea what you read or saw it just happened to occupy your mind for a short duration similar to the way jingling keys distract a small mammal.
Wonderful. I love honest people.
Circling back to the crumbs of opinion you were able to share: self-censoring of scholars or rather accusations such censorship was not self-performed at least not without leverage or other means of coercion.
As far as Deep Adaptation (which I am now only currently reading) it seems to say, the more pollution or otherwise disruption of natural Earth (the way Earth was thousands or even mere hundreds of years ago was and would be without human life) more weather or other catastrophic (to human life) events would occur, be they increased earthquakes from disrupting the ground for oil or minerals or even increased volcanic events from changes in the constitution of the atmosphere.
Basically the idea that (and this may be a stretch or different from mainstream) for life to have been able to not only exist at first but for so long so as to evolve intelligent humans, a planet must have it's own form of homeostasis that corrects problems (threats) to its own existence either quickly or slowly, similar to the human immune system. See that makes sense.
The post indeed required a bit of investigating and thought on the part of the reader. It apparently wasn't for you.
And yes, it is easier to be critical if you begin by misunderstanding.
Self-imposed investigation perhaps. This isn't Scooby-Doo and you're not driving the Mystery Machine.
Good for you if you have an hour to watch a video to extract the top 3 or even 12 bullet points. I don't. So please, help those on a time crunch who are just as eager to understand what you do yet lack the time to "investigate".
Not sure where my running mate Noble Dust stands on this, but, as is often the case, workmates don't always agree.
Yeah, workmates always have a better sense of comradeship.
Breakfast: Two toasts with olive oil, tomato, salt and a big cup of coffee. I thought about eating magdalenas with the coffee, but I finally decided not to. The price of olives and olive oil has increased, and now is around €10 per-litre. I don't care, because I can't live without this product and I would pay whatever it costs.
It’s shocking that olive oil should be expensive in a country that produces it.
Yeah, it is crazy how expensive the aliments are in Spain nowadays. I had a brief conversation with a woman at Mercadona, and she told me that she would freeze some fish and that stuff in the freezer because she was worried about how the prices would be at Christmas...
To sum up the prior post: After cleaning the entire attic, I heard sounds from the wall— the same sounds as before that I originally thought were mice. Months ago, when the guy came to inspect the house and attic, there was no evidence of mice but definitely of bats. That, I thought, explained the sounds. They can sound very similar to bats.
Anyway — after the sounds were heard, I went back to the attic. No evidence bats had returned. So I bought some cheap Dollar Store tablecloths, and laid them all over the attic to be sure. Days later…nothing.
:chin:
Went down to my basement a day or so later, and what do I find? A dead mouse in one of the traps I set months prior, when I thought they were the culprit.
are you sure the new noises are not made by mice? Mice move indoors when it gets cold
Turns out, that’s exactly it.
I had both. We kept hearing them in the walls. But the reason there’s no evidence inside was because the infestation never got big enough. They were simply looking for a warm place.
So, I had the option to pay $4,000 for Terminex to come seal up my house— or I could use the YouTube and the Home Depot, and do it myself. The choice was obvious.
I bought steel wool for $5, for a 12-pack, and some Great Stuff spray foam — 3 cans. I went around and looked for any cracks or holes — and there were plenty along the cement foundation near the garage. But mostly in the corners of the house where the vinyl siding meets. The prior owners had stuffed them with steel wool too, but they were so old they disintegrated when I pulled them out. So I focused my attention there, especially.
I also set several traps with peanut butter around the basement and garage. After talking with my neighbor, I just bought bait traps you can put outside that contain poison but are no danger to kids or pets.
After doing the sealing, haven’t heard a PEEP.
I was worried I would just be trapping them inside, but since I haven’t heard anything I think I’m good. May have dodged a bullet. And even though I had to spend roughly $100 or so, I got off cheap. Knock on wood— I hope it stays that way.
So, I think the long national nightmare is over. :party:
I plead innocent to that charge, sir. You have to excuse me, at late hours I happen to frequent a particular website that prides itself on "free speech" and "uncensored debate". Naturally it attracts quarrelsome people. It can become quite frustrating. In the lateness of the hour (and dregs of my beverage) between browsing multiple sites one loses the decorum and mannerisms expected betwixt two opposing creeds of establishments. Alas, I enjoy such sites as they are often frequented by those who need guidance, both moral and factual, the most and I happen to enjoy distilling knowledge and helping to facilitate the progression of the human experience. I'd wager we at least have that desire in common, eh? :grin:
I guess these kinds of get-togethers and public statements are usually accompanied by grand verbiage and big words (and some denials). In this case, what they keep missing (over and again) is democracy transparency freedom contra authoritarianism regress oppression. To know what others want, you ask them. Go the way of the former and have some multi-flavored many-polar'ed textured world. :up:
How can young-Earth'er Mike Johnson get voted into office...? Bizarre.
Hundreds of Christian figures supported Trump’s effort to overthrow the 2020 election, but, having spent years researching and tracking the direct influences on Christians who actually showed up on Jan. 6, we contend that no single Christian leader contributed more to this effort to mobilize Christians against the very structures of American democracy than Sheets.
Apparently Descartes built a robot in the shape of a woman and it's known as Descartes' Daughter. Somehow it ended up in a trunk on a ship. While at sea, the captain was notified that something was banging around inside the trunk, so he opened it and out came the robot, which caused the captain to freak out and he threw it overboard. Some believe Descartes' Daughter is still walking around on the sea floor and will one day return.
Some believe Descartes' Daughter is still walking around on the sea floor and will one day return.
Little do they know, that I snagged her while fishing off Bonita Springs a few years back. She wouldn't tell me where the fish were, so I sold her for scrap metal.
Reply to frank His actual daughter was named Francine and she died of scarlet fever at 5 years old, so says wiki. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francine_Descartes
That's a sad story.
To be clear, the sad part was her untimely death, not that he had to endure her for 5 years.
Yep, Francine was the result of a dalliance with a servant
I had scarlet fever once. I had splotches all over my legs. It was pretty cool. I had been sick a week or so, and then the splotches came, so I went to the doctor and he said once the splotches come, you're pretty much recovered, so I went about my bidness.
"On this website, we use the terms societal collapse or breakdown to describe the ending of our modern ways of sustaining human life. Different people within DAF view this as likely, inevitable or already happening. "
Now, they ask for donations on the same page. I have to wonder what the donations go toward if societal collapse is what supports their movement.
Anyway, turns out there is a sort of self-help group for those who have worked out that we are in deep shit.
https://www.deepadaptation.info
DA Forum participants recognize that many communities have already experienced the trauma of collapse, whether from natural disasters or due to war, slavery, colonization, and/or other social injustices.
Oh my goodness, I can't be a member of this forum because I don't recognise that 'mess' and 'injustices'. So, I was blocked ipso iure.
I thought the same... some TPF folks would love that site because it stands for all the drama they love to spread around the threads. I invite them to join them. Maybe they have more luck of being accepted.
unenlightenedNovember 13, 2023 at 07:56#8528350 likes
Reply to Banno Thanks for that. Some interesting social psychology there.
I have to wonder what the donations go toward if societal collapse is what supports their movement.
You don't have to wonder really, it is fairly explicitly set out. No doubt the practical details are also there if you care to investigate further.
[quote=Bendell, 2019]In pursuit of a conceptual map of “deep adaptation,” we can conceive of resilience of human societies as the capacity to adapt to changing circumstances so as to survive with valued norms and behaviours. Given that some analysts are concluding that a societal collapse is now likely, inevitable, or already occurring, the question becomes: What are the valued norms and behaviours that human societies will wish to maintain as they seek to survive? That highlights how deep adaptation will involve more than “resilience.” It brings us to a second area of this agenda, which I have named “relinquishment.” It involves people and communities letting go of certain assets, behaviours and beliefs where retaining them could make matters worse. Examples include withdrawing from coastlines, shutting down vulnerable industrial facilities, or giving up expectations for certain types of consumption. The third area can be called “restoration.” It involves people and communities rediscovering attitudes and approaches to life and organisation that our hydrocarbon-fuelled civilisation eroded. Examples include re- wilding landscapes, so they provide more ecological benefits and require less management, changing diets back to match the seasons, rediscovering non-electronically powered forms of
play, and increased community-level productivity and support. A fourth area for Deep Adaptation is what could be termed “reconciliation.” That is in recognition of how we do not know whether our efforts will make a difference, while we also know that our situations will become more stressful and disruptive, ahead of the ultimate destination for us all. How we reconcile with each other and with the predicament we must now live with will be key to how we avoid creating more harm by acting from suppressed panic.[/quote]
Cheers. Not your usual help group, consisting to a large degree of academics in the areas of environment, economics and sustainability. Yes, a sociological minefield - intelligent folk are far and away the hardest to work with.
Reply to Banno I'm wondering if this organization is affiliated with the guy I drive by each evening who stands at the street corner with a sign that says the end of times are coming.
Metaphysician UndercoverNovember 13, 2023 at 13:03#8528740 likes
Reply to unenlightened
Well, the fourth part of the "conceptual map" seems to be at odds with the first three.
1. Recognizing the reality of societal collapse.
2. Letting go of assets which will worsen the situation.
3. Reestablishing an attitude lost to the past.
4. Recognizing that this might be the wrong approach:
Bendell, 2019:That is in recognition of how we do not know whether our efforts will make a difference, while we also know that our situations will become more stressful and disruptive, ahead of the ultimate destination for us all.
To me, the problem is glaring. It's number 3, which presents a return to the past, as an attitude for the future. This is clearly unrealistic. Instead of providing an accurate evaluation of the current situation, and proposing a way forward starting from the current situation, as taken for granted, it proposes that we magically go back to an earlier more desirable time, and take this as the starting point. That's a form of denial. It's like saying I'm getting old, closer to death, and "bodily collapse" appears imminent, therefore I should give up all the bad habits and detrimental material possessions which I've collected over my lifetime, and return to being an innocent babe. It's simply not realistic. And who is going to be charged with looking after those assets which are freed up in part two, "relinquishment"?
unenlightenedNovember 13, 2023 at 13:25#8528790 likes
Bendell, 2019:Adaptation is what could be termed “reconciliation.”
Even if the result of capitalistic exploitation of the environment is a collapse of many currently available societal structures, it doesn't follow that what will follow is a reconsideration of the capitalistic system. That sort of thinking is just the monotonous mumblings expressed by a Marx leaning academia.
What will likely result are capitalistic adaptions, meaning our ingenuity will be focused on new technologies (or, as you might say, "exploitations."). Capitalism is Darwinian by nature and it will adapt to these new changes, even if the adaptations are painful, but there would be no reason to think that with these social systems collapsing that an economic revolution will follow. That's just wishful thinking by those who are opposed to the status quo, especially by those who don't appreciate the resistence (thank God) the entrenched capitalistic influences will provide.
Even if the result of capitalistic exploitation of the environment is a collapse of many currently available societal structures, it doesn't follow that what will follow is a reconsideration of the capitalistic system. That sort of thinking is just the monotonous mumblings expressed by a Marx leaning academia.
No thanks.
LeontiskosNovember 13, 2023 at 19:49#8529310 likes
I'm wondering if this organization is affiliated with the guy I drive by each evening who stands at the street corner with a sign that says the end of times are coming.
Probably not. Not really their style. He's more likely to have a mental illness and to have misunderstood some ancient historical fiction.
Reply to Hanover Yes, you are quite right, there are folk who would choose to make a profit. Some folks are that narrow.
Probably not. Not really their style. He's more likely to have a mental illness and to have misunderstood some ancient historical fiction.
Yes, you are correct. Their talk of the end of times is folly, not yours. How many animals have you decided you need to put on your ark to save you from the coming deluge?
I do predict the earth will one day cease spinning, but I have no thought it will be for a reason I predict.
Yes, you are quite right, there are folk who would choose to make a profit. Some folks are that narrow.
This drive for profits has given us the internet that allows us to speak across the oceans so we can use it to discuss the evil of profits because profits love irony.
This drive for profits has given us the internet that allows us to speak across the oceans so we can use it to discuss the evil of profits because profits love irony.
Yes, Hanover. Folk need such myths.
You seem to think you have made an important point. But your comments look instead like expressions of your need to defend yourself. Well, why not. After all that's just what Deep Adaptation is doing.
So why shouldn't management and sustainability have a place to chat. I'm not too keen on the spiritual stuff, but others lap it up. Why did you choose this topic to respond? Why does it upset you?
unenlightenedNovember 13, 2023 at 22:17#8529500 likes
I'm just gonna leave this here, and if someone is interested to hear Some kind of religious environmentalist then here it is, and If not I don't even want to hear about it. It's take it or leave it.
if someone is interested to hear Some kind of religious environmentalist then here it is, and If not I don't even want to hear about it.
Like 99% of us here, I've heard plenty of secular environmentalist talk. I like that kind of talk. However, IF a religious environmentalist can get more traction than the secularists have so far gotten, then more power to them!
When I think about what must be sustained, I think about creeks and rivers wandering among hills covered with hardwood forest; I think of the animals that live around me--birds, mammals, insects, fish; I think of fertile farmland in its various seasons; I think of tolerably warm summers, very cold winters, and the transitions between the extremes (fall and spring). I'd like at least a few big cities to continue on--Chicago and Boston are my two favorite ones, you'll have your own favorites.
I don't know if it will be sustained. The chances don't seem good.
If love is more motivating than truth, as the speaker says, then avarice -- the love of money -- is clearly in the drivers seat. Avarice is said to be the root of all evil. An end to growth, even for the sake of what we individually love, is a hard sell. Where population grows, economic growth is difficult to contain. Reduced growth is likely to mean fewer resources for me and thee. Thee can jolly well live on less, but my case is special. I need more than I've already got.
How much shrinkage in our personal, community, state, and national economies are we willing to put up with, on behalf of the world we love? 5%? 10%? 20%?
unenlightenedNovember 14, 2023 at 10:16#8530230 likes
Reply to BC I am trying to imagine your sustained world— plenty of wilderness, and a few cities and farms maintained by robots, streets clean and empty, everywhere silent except for a an electrical hum.
You forgot the people.
We are going to shrink big time. The economy will shrink, is probably already shrinking; food production is already shrinking; every species of non domestic animal has already been shrinking by 65% average; the land is shrinking and habitable land is shrinking faster. Willing or unwilling, we will shrink.
If humanity is the problem, nature will solve it with a slight shrug of ethnic cleansing, and a few millennia of adjustment. I'm hoping it is just our modern philosophy that is at fault. We forgot to love each other.
Below is a forecast for the UK towards the end of the decade, but I think much will be applicable to any community in the world. The UK is particularly vulnerable to food shortage, other issues may prevail where you are.
https://www.seedingourfuture.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Whats-Next-Risk-Review-UK-2030-V2.pdf
The cause of future starvation is best predicted by examining past instances of starvation. Looking over the past 100 years, two things can be seen to cause mass starvation (and economic collapse): war and Marxism.
Materialism is the root of avarice. The value of money is based in material goods. Spiritual values are often seen to be inconsistent with material values. Ultimately, one must be positioned as higher than the other, and the other subsumed within that hierarchy, if consistency is to be obtained. Unless, a third principle is proposed which subsumes both of the conflicting ones.
I was at an ancient temple today. You can get your phone out and point it at the ruins and see what they looked like when they weren't ruins. It's like you're not even looking at the stupid ruins but a wonderful movie of the glorious past instead. I think a Marxist did that. Give them some credit.
You seem to think you have made an important point. But your comments look instead like expressions of your need to defend yourself. Well, why not. After all that's just what Deep Adaptation is doing.
So why shouldn't management and sustainability have a place to chat. I'm not too keen on the spiritual stuff, but others lap it up. Why did you choose this topic to respond? Why does it upset you?
I don't think upsetness is what I feel. I was just joining in the discussion and drawing parellels between the respective extreme polar worldviews. Both sides (the religious and secular) maintain views about the end of times and are certain the cause are the cumulative sins of the past and both look to the heavens for the cause. My reference to Noah was to point out that we've been talking about the end of times since the earliest of times.
I fully expect one day for civilization to collapse, but I have no idea what will cause it. It might be a nuclear holocaust, a volcano that covers the earth in cover, or an angry virus. I expect also there will be great resiliancy by humans, as we are at the top of the evolutionary ladder for a reason, having been forged for millions of years to live in this ever changing environment. Our DNA doesn't just make us able to weather environments, but it allows us to manipulate them, where we cure diseases, find new sources of energy and so on. I trust in our ability to sustain. We are not fragile beings.
What I am most concerned about for the here and now are the good intentions of folks who think they have a solution for the worry du jour and so they'll implement policies that will assure an immediate threat to civilization, weakening economies and exposing us to threats from those who might wish to do us harm. That is, I do see a long term threat from climate change, but I see a bigger threat from policy makers who think they have a solution. I trust better in our ability to adapt and survive than in our ability to predict and control.
Sorry, can't talk right now. I'm currently being captivated by the glorious past. I'm not sure if I'm still in the ruins or in my hotel room. And to be honest, who cares? Lief is good. Thank you, Karl, Groucho, Harpo, whoever...
unenlightenedNovember 14, 2023 at 14:40#8530660 likes
As all aquarium owners know, aquatic life forms adapt to changes in pH. What they can't tolerate is sudden changes (like over a period of minutes). If you change the pH slowly, they'll adapt.
unenlightenedNovember 14, 2023 at 16:00#8530780 likes
Cyanobacteria can survive in water down to around a pH of 4.
Talapia can live in fresh and salt water and they require very low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water to survive. They also go especially well over a bed of rice with a side of okra, the universal accompaniment.
No, this bacteria that evolved in acidic ocean water, survived 2.7 bn years, through all the mass extinctions, including the one where the equator was covered in ice, that's the one we're going to kill off in the next 25 years. No scientist on the planet thinks that, but this guy selling sustainability says so.
Talapia can live in fresh and salt water and they require very low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water to survive. They also go especially well over a bed of rice with a side of okra, the universal accompaniment.
With the bed of rice, what kind of pillow do you use?
Reply to Hanover Hmm. Perhaps you missed that the group I linked to is at it's core for academics and other cognoscenti in sustainability and environment science and such areas, who have as a result of studies in their area of expertises reached the conclusion that at some stage in their lifetime there will be large scale societal problems that will affect them personally. It is a support group, like those for folk with stomach cancer or disability.
It's not for you, in the same way that you hopefully don't need a support group for stomach cancer, either because you do not have stomach cancer, or you do, but do not yet know it.
For some, the existence of such groups is a way of dealing with life.
For some, the existence of such groups may give one pause, perhaps to reflect on the vagaries and uncertainties of life. But for the grace of god...
Others, a last group, will criticise the self-indulgence and laugh at the misfortune, or accuse those who seek to help one another of trying to overthrow the proper structures of nature and society. Imagine wanting cancer treatment on the national health! Communism!
I don't think it too much to ask these last folk politely to go fuck themselves.
Reply to Banno Well if there are a group of folks who have worked themselves into a frenzy of worry about that which will not foreseeably occur, but who think it will, then I am all in favor of their doing what is necessary to make their lives more livable. I would think part of the treatment would revolve around disabusing them of their delusions, but I leave their treatment to their therapists.
As to the stomach cancer analogy, I'd say I would need therapy if I thought I had stomach cancer and that caused me great distress, regardless of whether I actually had stomach cancer. I would need treatment for my distress, but not my physical condition because that's my issue as this is framed. But again, I would hope the treatment would involve them reassuring me I didn't have stomach cancer if I didn't.
I've not criticised anyone for seeking help. Help is what they need. I just addressed the facts.
I do believe that what might offer these folks some comfort is their reading my reassuring comments in this humble Shoutbox about the liklihood of climate change castrophe as it might compare to the much higher liklihood of some other catastrophe devastating their lives. That is, sure, you may one day drown in the ocean in Iowa, but more likely you will be hit by a freight train in Peoria. As they stare down the wide eyes of the conductor as he bears down upon them, think how they might wonder to themselves why they spent so much time worrying about the clouds.
Noble DustNovember 15, 2023 at 01:34#8532780 likes
Dinner: Pad Prik Khing, i.e. Dry Thai Red Curry (no coconut milk). As I've said, it's all about the right ingredients and then it's the easiest thing to cook. The keys: fish sauce, palm sugar, good quality curry paste, and makrut lime leaves. Otherwise it's just chicken thighs and green beans over jasmine rice, topped with the sriracha de jour from the Thai grocer. Enjoy the photo that probably didn't work.
javi2541997November 15, 2023 at 06:22#8533060 likes
Reply to Noble Dust Excellent and exquisite dinner. I eat Asian food with chopsticks too. Well, let's be honest, I think it would be a dishonesty to eat it with a fork.
I would have said: 'Qué aproveche' but it has been 5 hours since you posted, so I guess you already ate and enjoyed your dinner.
Reply to Noble Dust You have upped the plating game. The presentation adds several points, much like how it is necessary to place the right frame on a work of art or the right beige on a bathroom wall.
universenessNovember 15, 2023 at 10:24#8533490 likes
Hah! The UK Supreme Court has just confirmed the judgment that their Rwanda plan to dump asylum seekers there is not lawful. So the UK government has lost its appeal. A lot of wasted taxpayer's money again, both on what has been paid so far to Rwanda and in court costs. Still, another serious slap in the face for the horrible Tories and their nasty party! :party:
Didn't quite catch your opinion/response there Michael?
Showing how disastrous the Tories have been that they're polling so far behind.
universenessNovember 15, 2023 at 10:35#8533540 likes
Reply to Michael
Yeah but my worry is that labour under Starmer will just be a repeat of the Blair years.
Don't forget Thatchers statement that she considered Blair her greatest achievement.
Do you think a Starmer led shade of tory governance will do much to fix the damage the nasty party has done in their focus of making rich and powerful people, more rich and more powerful?
Yeah but my worry is that labour under Starmer will just be a repeat of the Blair years.
Didn't follow politics back then, mostly because I was too young for most of it. Weren't domestic issues pretty good under him?
universenessNovember 15, 2023 at 10:46#8533570 likes
Reply to Michael
No, he did almost nothing to reverse the policies/legislation introduced during the Thatcher years.
Blair was and still is a shade of Tory(as is Starmer imo.) It was commented often during his years in power that it was difficult to see any difference between his policies and the policies coming from the center of the Tory party.
Blair did not have a socialist thought in his head, imo.
It was under him that the labour party dropped clause 4:
To secure for the workers, by hand or by brain, the full fruits of their industry, and full control over the means of production, distribution and exchange.
Blair is why I left the labour party.
According to one study, in terms of promoting social equality, the first Blair Government "turned out to be the most redistributive in decades; it ran Harold Wilson's 1960s' government close." From 1997 to 2005, for instance, all the benefits targeted on children through Tax Credits, Child Benefit and Income Support had gone up by 72% in real terms. Improvements were also made in financial support to pensioners, and by 2004, the poorest third of pensioners were £1,750 a year better off than under the system as it used to be. As a means of reducing energy costs and therefore the incidence of fuel poverty, a new programme of grants for cavity wall and loft insulation and for draught proofing was launched, with some 670,000 homes taking up the scheme. Various adjustments were also made in social welfare benefits. Families were allowed to earn a little more before Housing Benefit was cut, and the benefit was raised for families where the main earner worked part-time, while 2,000,000 pensioners were offered automatic help with their council tax bills, worth £400 each, although many did not take advantage of this benefit. According to one study, the Blair ministry's record on benefits, taken in the round, was "unprecedented", with 3.7% real terms growth each year from 2002 to 2005.
Under the years of the Blair ministry, expenditure on social services was increased, while various anti-poverty measures were introduced. From 2001 to 2005, public spending increased by an average of 4.8% in real terms, while spending on transport went up by 8.5% per annum, health by 8.2% per annum, and education by 5.4% per annum. Between 1997 and 2005, child poverty was more than halved in absolute terms as a result of measures such as the extension of maternity pay, increases in child benefit, and by the growth in the numbers of people in employment. During that same period, the number of pensioners living in poverty fell by over 75% in absolute terms as a result of initiatives such as the introduction of Winter Fuel Payments, the reduction of VAT on fuel, and the introduction of a Minimum Income Guarantee. To reduce poverty traps for those making the transition from welfare to work, a minimum wage was established, together with a Working Tax Credit and a Child Tax Credit. Together with various tax credit schemes to supplement low earnings, the Blair Government's policies significantly increased the earnings of the lowest income decile. In addition, under the Working Time Regulations of 1998, British workers gained a statutory entitlement to paid holidays.
If Starmer can do something similar then great.
But either way I expect him and Labour to do better than the Conservatives.
universenessNovember 15, 2023 at 10:59#8533590 likes
My personal view is more in line with this:
[b]On the 20th anniversary of one of Labour’s greatest victories, party members are, to say the least, conflicted about the governments made possible by the election held on May 1 1997. The virtues of Labour’s longest uninterrupted period in office, based on an unprecedented three back-to-back victories (two of which produced its biggest ever House of Commons majorities) are not exactly being shouted from the rooftops.
For Jeremy Corbyn, 1997 is the stuff of nightmares: and those members who re-elected him leader in 2016 clearly agree. To them, the election is a morality tale, a political version of the Faustian legend. It represents the moment Tony Blair sold Labour’s socialist soul for the sake of a few votes. “Blairite”, to them, is a term of abuse, and Corbyn the ultimate anti-Blairite – a figure who remained true to his principles during the dark days of New Labour.
For these few hundred thousand Labour members, it is the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the failure to completely reverse two decades of Thatcherism that most rankles. Until the term is decontaminated, any figure tarred by the Blairite brush will never lead the party. But for millions of voters, David Cameron’s spurious accusation that Labour was responsible for the austerity following the 2008 financial crisis, because it “maxed out” the national credit card, resonates the most. And until Labour can successfully challenge that perception, it will find it hard to win another general election.[/b]
unenlightenedNovember 15, 2023 at 11:03#8533610 likes
It seems to me that there is a certain logic that the Rwanda policy was sold as a deterrent
, and that it could not possibly have functioned as much of a deterrent if it had been a safe place. Imagine making such a deal with Canada, for example. It might become an attraction to jump in a boat to the UK to get a free flight onwards.
Reply to universeness There's not really much substance there. What actual domestic things did Blair do wrong? Were they so wrong that they outweighed the good things he did? Is any of it worse than what the Conservatives are currently doing?
I think you need to be more pragmatic. Will the country be better under 5 more years of Conservatives or under 5 years of Starmer's Labour? I suspect the latter.
Unfortunately given FPTP and the current environment, those really are the only two options.
unenlightenedNovember 15, 2023 at 11:16#8533660 likes
Will the country be better under 5 more years of Conservatives or under 5 years of Starmer's Labour? I suspect the latter.
Hard to choose between a bunch of unprincipled squabbling power hungry, lying incompetents and another bunch of unprincipled squabbling power hungry, lying incompetents. But whoever wins, no one will be in charge.
universenessNovember 15, 2023 at 11:16#8533670 likes
Blair renationalised nothing. He reversed none of Thatcher's anti-union laws. He did not reverse the right-to-buy disaster that now sees a majority of youth unable to afford any kind of accommodation and a situation where rents are higher than mortgages. His policies also made the rich richer and the powerful more powerful and all he did was throw some crumbs/alms to the poor.
Perhaps this article would offer a little more, as to my opinion of the Blair years:
[i]In her maiden speech to the House of Commons, the new Labour MP for Coventry South, Zarah Sultana, said, “In 10 years’ time, at the start of the next decade, I want to look teenagers in the eye and say with pride: my generation faced 40 years of Thatcherism, and we ended it.”
In failing to distinguish the previous Labour government’s tenure under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown from the Tory governments that preceded and followed it, Sultana raised a tediously inevitable stink. What about Sure Start? What about cutting rough sleeping? What about the minimum wage?
In 1997, to say that Blair built on the economic foundations of Thatcher’s economic reforms would have been neither a radical statement nor something with which either Thatcher or Blair would have disagreed. Blairism would not have been conceivable in 1979; by 1997 it seemed inevitable, and it was Thatcher’s reforms that made it so. So why is that now unsayable?
Thatcher reconfigured the British economy. The ultimate aim of the Tory government during the 1980s was to smash open the postwar consensus of unionised work and the welfare state, and place “the market” at the cornerstone of British governance.
Blair and Brown took this reconfigured economy and added a layer of income redistribution to blunt its harshest effects. As Peter Mandelson famously said, Labour was “intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich, so long as they pay their taxes.” The fundamentals would not only remain unchanged; it was essential that they stay in place. The energised, aspirational, entrepreneurial economy was Thatcher’s gift to Blair – taming it to serve the common cause was the supposed genius of the third way.
The energised, aspirational, entrepreneurial economy was Thatcher’s gift to Blair
To understand why pointing this out is reliably met with withering scorn, you have to look at why Labour lost – not just in 2019, but in 2010 and ever since. As Stuart Hall said, New Labour’s belief was that “no one any longer cares who owns, runs, controls or profits from healthcare [or other public services], providing the possessively-individual consumer’s personal need is satisfied.”
When the global financial crash happened, it turned out that ownership mattered a great deal. Just as Blairism based itself on Thatcherism, so the moral foundation of austerity was built in the Blair years. By redistributing income rather than wealth, Blairism left the country primed for a “makers v takers”, “strivers v skivers” attack. All those owners were suddenly asking: why am I paying for all this?
Through right to buy and the easy availability of finance capital, Thatcher’s Conservatives created a new layer of homeowning, aspirational middle-class Britons who at least felt richer, even if they were just overmortgaged against a housing bubble. Rather than replacing council houses to stymie rent growth, New Labour used housing benefit to effectively subsidise a new class of Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen-watching aspirational landlords. Housing was provided, people were getting filthy rich, taxes were paying for it, and everything was great until it wasn’t.
Whom to blame now that Brown’s vaunted end of boom-and-bust had itself come to an end? Reliably enough, both parties turned to the scapegoat of Those People – the benefits claimants, the foreign-looking, that suspiciously affluent next door neighbour you don’t like. Once the country was no longer thinking in terms of “entrepreneurial aspiration” but back to “keeping hold of what I’ve got”, the Tories were fighting on their home turf. Paying for public services turned neatly into unsustainable, wasteful spending.
As the mafia knows, the best way to cover up a crime is to make sure everyone is complicit. If I go down, you go down. How to challenge finance capital’s death-grip on the economy when doing so would knock the house prices that make your voters feel good? Ultimately, even Corbyn fought and lost on that battleground of “how will you pay for all this free stuff?”
You cannot rely purely on the material explanation, though, to explain the ferocity with which the centre-left rejects this plain reading of history. There is an element of ideological self-preservation here, even as they deny the existence of an ideology and appeal simply to common sense. If Blair had a choice, if we all had a choice, then there is some hard explaining to do.
The younger generation, clustered in cities, paying unsustainable rents while they seek precarious gig- economy work, are asking difficult questions of those who brought us here. Smashed as Corbynism is, its abortive groundswell happened for a reason. As climate catastrophe takes its toll, as Deliveroo riders cycle past rough sleepers knowing it could easily be them on the cardboard, they are asking if it really had to be this way. Was there, in all honesty, no alternative to this?
It is this question that so exercises the defenders of Blair’s legacy. There had to have been no choice, so nobody can be to blame for having made it. The alternative is simply unthinkable.[/i]
universenessNovember 15, 2023 at 11:24#8533700 likes
Imagine making such a deal with Canada, for example. It might become an attraction to jump in a boat to the UK to get a free flight onwards.
Exactly, the tories want to ensure that trying to come to Britain by any other means than their so-called 'legal means,' which means only very well-off people will succeed, will result in a very very unpleasant experience, which will hopefully be as bad, or even worse, than the experience you were having in the country you fled from.
I think the real question most of us want to know is what is this UK you guys speak of and what does it mean to Americans?
universenessNovember 15, 2023 at 12:16#8533790 likes
Americans? A nation of immigrants yes? :joke: So be careful to pay attention to what's happening in Britain, as Trump may decide to send most of you to Rwanda and only keep the rich, the white supremists, the christian evanhellical nationalists, and any women/sheep/cattle who are willing to sleep with him.
unenlightenedNovember 15, 2023 at 12:43#8533850 likes
Reply to Hanover UK stands for Uncle King, Uncle Sam's older brother.
Noble DustNovember 15, 2023 at 16:45#8534300 likes
Stop droning on and post a picture of your lunch for God's sake.
Don't bring fictitious non-existents into this, and no, I am not referring to my lunch.
I am Scottish, I don't do lunch, raw lemons for breakfast, skin on. Water of life for supper and the odd random sheep, pig or cow, left unattended by a farmer with a roving eye for lost Americans trying tae find brigadoon!
That's why my real age is 9999.99!
I was at a bar and a guy ordered two shots of tequila with salt and limes. He drank the shots, snorted the salt, and squeezed the limes in his eyes and then put his head down on the bar.
I just think there's a better way to enjoy salt than that. Like maybe on pork chops or something.
Noble DustNovember 16, 2023 at 02:27#8536370 likes
Excellent and exquisite dinner. I eat Asian food with chopsticks too. Well, let's be honest, I think it would be a dishonesty to eat it with a fork.
Thank you sir. I do enjoy eating with chopsticks, in part because I have a bad habit of eating two quickly, and the use of chopsticks slows me down a bit.
An interesting fact I learned awhile back is that Thai people actually eat with forks, knives and spoons, and only use chopsticks if the dish has a Chinese influence (I'm not sure which ones those are). I hope I'm remembering that correctly.
The Thai grocery store I go to seems to have a different sriracha brand every time. This stuff is good; not that spicey and plenty of flavor.
Noble DustNovember 16, 2023 at 02:30#8536390 likes
Xi won't be able to believe it either! Between the homeless encampments (their jobs departed for China and Bangladesh), gangs doing snatch and grab shoplifting (everything is gone), and people wiped out by Fentanyl made in Mexico with barrels of Chinese chemicals (dead bodies all over the place), so many stores closed he's going to find shopping in SF rather bleak. He might have to order from Amazon for delivery to his hotel room.
javi2541997November 16, 2023 at 05:52#8536570 likes
Thank you sir. I do enjoy eating with chopsticks, in part because I have a bad habit of eating two quickly, and the use of chopsticks slows me down a bit.
I agree, chopsticks allow us to eat more slowly and enjoy food more. It is a very Asian thing. Enjoying those minutes of purity and relish while you are eating noodles, rice or chicken.
An interesting fact I learned awhile back is that Thai people actually eat with forks, knives and spoons, and only use chopsticks if the dish has a Chinese influence
Wow! That's an awesome and interesting fact, indeed. I love learning new things while I have my breakfast. :scream: :monkey:
I thought you guys just ate offal tied up in a bovine bowel.
It's much easier to catch a cow, pig, sheep, deer or gift card for an Asda or Morrisons supermarket in Scotland, compared to trying to track and catch a haggis.
Those guys are phenomenal polymorphs!
Btw, a sheep stomach is not a 'bovine bowel!' A sheep is an ovine.
I think it's terrible that real Haggi, have to mug a sheep and steal their stomachs, just so they can be warm in the harsh Scottish winter, on the Haggi slopes.
Talking about offal/awful food, have you ever tasted kangaroo or billabong stew?
Is it true that drop bear tastes like pear?
I heard drop bears are as elusive as Haggi!
Talking about offal/awful food, have you ever tasted kangaroo or billabong stew?
A billabong is a pond. I have had lots of kangaroo - it's like lean beef, but nicer. I've also had Witchetty grub, emu, crocodile, snake and camel. They all taste like chicken.
universenessNovember 16, 2023 at 10:32#8536940 likes
I know, billabong Aussie stew that has a pond water flavour to it. I am told some 'bush meats' are involved, cooked in some billabong water.
I think a lot of Kangaroo meat is used here in dog foods or to sell to those roving Americans (searching for brigadoon) as Kentucky fried Chicken. I think it's used as an alternative to dead horse.
If you are lost in the outback, and all you have is a big bag of diamonds and 10 big bars of gold in your ruck sack, you might be very glad to find a small billabong with some witchetty grubs and a snake or two nearby. Unless you are an antinatalist, pessimist, nihilist, doomster etc and you are happy to just lie down and slowly die, whilst trying to lick a diamond, as you dream of the days when you used to hunt the Haggi, on the cool slopes of Scotland.
That was of-course way before you got involved with dodgy Aussie baw bags and started to rob people of their gold and diamonds and had to try to lose the Aussie posse by hiding in the outback, after you had to 'malky' the Aussie baw bags who tried to cheat you out of your share of the gold and diamonds. :joke: I heard this is a very common fate, for Scots in Oz. Is that true?
As an old best friend Aussie baw bag used to say to me when times were tough for him.
"Its enough to rip yer fuckin knittin mayte!" :rofl:
The grass of your paddock looks extraordinarily fluffy and desaturated. I’ll wager what we’re seeing is the freshly exposed undergrass, as it’s called, following a recent mowing.
That small dog has terrier energy.
javi2541997November 16, 2023 at 18:11#8537960 likes
The grass of your paddock looks extraordinarily fluffy and desaturated. I’ll wager what we’re seeing is the freshly exposed undergrass, as it’s called, following a recent mowing.
Bermuda grass' popularity is owed to its carpet like texture, it's uniform appearance, it's easy installation by laying rolls of sod onto the soil, its resiliancy, and its lovely green color in the warmer months. As the weather gets cooler, it turns to the brown you have seen, drawing a stark contrast between it and those who have chosen the less desired fescue. Fescue can appear patchy at times and it is far more firm and less gentle than its Bermudian cousin. Fescue is also typically planted by seed, although I have heard it is also available by sod. Both are common in the southern US, but new developments typically opt for Bermuda.
My goats eat timothy grass pellets, but that is an aside, and I apologize for diverting.
My dog is a mini Bernedoodle, which is one half Bernese Mountain dog, one half poodle, and one half mini-cooper. I can see why you would think terrier from her snout, but her fur is very soft and curly, so she looks less terrieresque when her nose meets yours.
I have named her (and I'll say it phoenetically for you): Cun-thee-holy Vu-geena Tickluk-ock, which is spelled Cunthole Vagina Ticklecock. Do be careful when calling her. She's sensitve and doesn't like her name mispronounced.
I might let the missus know that the naming of the dog will be left to the vote of the philosophy forum.
javi2541997November 16, 2023 at 20:24#8538420 likes
Reply to BC True. But what about if we name the dog just 'Donald'? There are some excellent characters who had this name, apart from rude politicians. For example, Donald McDonald and Donald Duck.
unenlightenedNovember 16, 2023 at 20:53#8538480 likes
Reply to javi2541997 Donald as in Duck would be OK, I suppose. Think ahead a bit; the dog is outside in the yard and you are yelling at it to come back inside--the dog is ignoring you. You want to be yelling a dog name that people won't confuse with a human name. "Rex", "Fido", "Bell", "Dog", or "Red" don't have that problem. If you are always yelling "Gretta", "Bob", "Lucy", or "Mary" they'll think it's a domestic dispute and call the police.
Our Golden Retriever (named "Bell") would usually come back in right away, Sometimes she flagrantly ignored us, deliberately inflaming rage in my partner. Bob provided most of the Bell's care and walks, and was entitled to a quick response. I'd go to the door to help Bob out and say, "Bell! Get in here." and she'd whirl around and run across the yard to the door. This annoyed him greatly.
Even though Bob was her faithful care giver, I was the "fun one". I'd play with her on the floor, performing for her amusement, playing tug of war with a rag with her, and I'd lay on the floor so she could bite my collar, and growl ferociously pretending (maybe pretending) that she was killing prey.
javi2541997November 17, 2023 at 05:20#8539510 likes
I'd go to the door to help Bob out and say, "Bell! Get in here." and she'd whirl around and run across the yard to the door. This annoyed him greatly.
That situation happens when I am with my dog on the farm in Toledo too. I shout her: 'Ada! Get home, it is dinner time!' But she decides to ignore me - deliberately - and stays in the orchard, checking and surrounded by the vegetables. When it is my dad, the one who calls her, she goes immediately because she knows very well that there will be a present or food.
Since I was a kid, my family have always had dogs around, and I have to say that they are one of the most clever animals in the world.
they are one of the most clever animals in the world
25,000 years ago, An early dog was watching a band of hunter-gatherers and it said to itself, "They look like just the ticket. Let's domesticate them." This dog walked into the campfire circle, all wagging tail and smiling face, and sat down on its haunches by the fire, and before the bison was done roasting, he had them under his spell.
25000 years later...
javi2541997November 17, 2023 at 06:38#8539560 likes
The program was about drought in Spain. The pain in Spain is that the rain is avoiding the plain, and most other areas, apparently.
Yeah, it is literally the most active threat to the existence of Spain. It isn't Catalunya or Russia, but our politicians seem not to care about the drought, sorrowfully.
¡2.5 million tons of vegetables are grown in thee 40,000 hectares of greenhouses which employ 60,000 people! Muy impresionante!
Ah, El Ejido! The orchard of the European Union. Thousands of Spaniards work hard to produce cheap oranges and lemons to Germans, and we are treated by them as 'lazy' and PIGS country with a soft economy.
Speaking of illegal migrants being shipped out of Texas and homegrown homeless, where do all these newish-looking tents come from? Is there an infinite tent sale going on somewhere?
Reply to BC
Oh haven't you heard? NGOs have been giving away free tents and tarps with your tax dollars for years. The local News broke the story in our city and a councilman ended that in about one day. It's been about 6 months and guess what? There's about 60% fewer tents around town and dropping. I can't believe that was ever the policy.
Reply to LuckyR Hey, thanks for the info. Which city was this?
That's probably what's going on here in Minneapolis. I don't like it. Handing tents out doesn't create homelessness, of course, but it could be characterized as enabling it. Many very poor people who qualify for shelter beds reject them because the shelters have rules. Then too, shelters house a mix of people have have been unsuccessful in various and sundry ways, and many of them are difficult to be around even for other homeless people.
It gets cold here and few homeless can survive in a tent over the winter. They either accept shelter, they go south, or they have exceptional survival skills. Come spring and a fresh distribution of tents, they'll be in the parks or on vacant locations setting up little slums of drinking, drug use, public defecation, fights, crazy behavior--all unacceptable.
universenessNovember 18, 2023 at 08:54#8542220 likes
Reply to Banno
A bigger myth is that you consider yourself the nationality of the nation you happen to be born in.
Legally, yes, personally, often not.
unenlightenedNovember 18, 2023 at 12:18#8542320 likes
Every little boy or girl is either a little immigrant, or else a little aborigine.
I live in the Garden of Eden, the original homestead, so I am the only true aborigine. Everyone else is a dirty immigrant soaking up someone else's sun.
think the fact it looks like a Canadian maple leaf, is quite interesting.
Funny you should say that. I was recently in Saskatchewan at a hockey game, and they were going to play the national anthem, but some hooligans from Manitoba stole the flag, so I pulled up my pant leg and everyone put their hands over their heart and sang while staring at my leg.
Koch's Postulates say that an organism causing a disease should cause the same disease when a sample of the lesion is inserted into another body. One way of testing this would be to scrape some of the lesion off and insert in into the Baden's leg. If Baden develops what you think is ringworm, then you two will have something to talk about. Baden's case might be worse than yours--however unfortunate for Baden that might be, it would prove that your fungal infestation is communicable.
Of course it might not be ringworm. It might be leprosy. Or melanoma. If you are still alive a year from now it probably was neither of those dread diseases.
universenessNovember 18, 2023 at 22:29#8543540 likes
Reply to Hanover
The only cure is a deep burn using a branding iron of the Amurican flag. You then have to douse the whole area with jack Daniels, whilst singing the Amurican anthem in a clear baritone voice, without one 'shaky' word or tonal mistake, to show you can take the pain. Otherwise you can only save your life by moving to Canada.
LeontiskosNovember 19, 2023 at 05:16#8544390 likes
Reply to Hanover - When you are feeling glum about your new leg, just recall how envious your situation would make Pinocchio.
(For my part, as soon as Reply to BC posted the scientific data I knew you were fucked.)
Reply to BC
Portland, OR.
I mean if you wanted to come up with an idea to maximize the number of tents in public spaces in your town, what could possibly work better than giving away free tents?
She quits because of the Australian outage. Whatever the 'golden parachute' would be, I pay my respects to her for resigning.
When you come from a country where this honoured act is not common, you tend to overestimate the ones who do so.
I was going to post a dark and graphic warning of a more-common-than-you-might-think form of criminals preying on travelers abroad, like yourself. But I decided not to. Other than be leery of small bars and unlicensed taxi services.
Post cool hourly shoutbox pics. Like a vlog. But with pictures. As a person who has never been to Laos nor has any dire reason to, and thus likely never will, I'd find that interesting. Especially food as that seems to be popular here.
My shoe at the airport. The photo is not in black and white. These are the true colors, or lack thereof. If the world were as environmentally friendly as people like me who refuse to flaunt colorwaste, we'd not be in the fix, dare I say pickle, we are in now.
Reply to Hanover I'm not sure if grey is an improvement or an unprovement on beige. I think the latter, because when I saw the golden brown nut-like object on the floor, my eyes felt relief.
Reply to praxis No, the weekly calorie requirements of a family of mice greatly exceeds the food value of one corn nut. There is that, and then there is the lack of vitamins and minerals that mice and rats need to thrive. Fortunately there are vegetarian slobs in airports who leave plant droppings all over.
Reply to Hanover My white hair and beard is my contribution to the grayscale world program.
By the way do pronounce "Adidas" [I]ADD-i-das[/I] or [I]a-DEE-das[/I]? The BBC says ADD-i-das. Perverse.
Corn Nuts have vitamins and minerals, and they're high in calories and fiber. It appears that a mouse needs around 160 calories per day to be healthy though. I thought it was far less.
Huh. And this whole time I thought you were just one of the goats from your avatar who had learned the ways of the internet. Fascinating the things you learn each and every day here. :smile:
I'm creating a limited edition photo album called "Hanover's Shoes." It will follow my feet wherever they take me, leaving my followers vicariously following in my footsteps, imagining the details of where I take them.
Reply to praxis We are not going to let you get away with false reports on the nutrition of corn nuts.
There is nothing in corn nuts that would make them nutritious: some starchy corn product to soak up the grease and hold the salt. That's it. 1/3 cup of this stuff provides 130 calories for mice and men.
Total Fat 4.5g
Saturated Fat 0.5g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 160mg
Total Carbohydrate 20g
Dietary Fiber 1g
Sugars 0g
Protein 2g
0% Vitamin A
0% Vitamin C
0% Calcium
2% Iron
The iron is probably a contaminant from the factory.
I'd suggest you keep them shod lest you attract the wrong foot-oriented crowd.
Is that a ghost in the window across the street on the second floor? If so, it's shocking. Almost as shocking at the likely permanent impression whoever sat on the couch next to you left for guests to admonish for quite some time no doubt.
What a twist. If I had the mind or care to put two and two together I would assume the both of you are in some sort of intellect-based club and there is a seasonal meeting taking place in the immediate area. That or you both just really like getting high.
Reply to Hanover An artificial Xmas tree with a floor protector underneath it--either too early for this year or left over from a previous decade. A "chandelier" with a table lamp under it. Old rug from K-Mart on tile floor. Strange commercial furniture. Perverse decorative objects.
artificial Xmas tree with a floor protector underneath it--either too early for this year or left over from a previous decade. A "chandelier" with a table lamp under it. Old rug from K-Mart on tile floor. Strange commercial furniture. Perverse decorative objects.
And a marijuana mart at every corner. Coincidence?
javi2541997November 22, 2023 at 05:56#8552350 likes
I don't know if there are Mancunian folks around here, but I have to say that their accent is the one which fits better to my speaking because my voice is nasal. I watched some YouTube videos on pronunciation and Manc folks are the ones to whom I was related the most.
Foofoo, I must say, was uninspiring. I ordered the boat noodles on a whim, but they lacked that sense of maritime excellence one feels entitled to of a dish so honorably dubbed. Still, they did provide me with the requisite perambulatory enthusiasm to finagle an encounter with some rather fine fried bananas. But those have sadly marked the apogee of the day's culinary adventure, which saw my judgement slip to a desperately sweet tea, probably the calorific equivalent of a large Christmas cake, a passion fruit shake that tasted neither of fruit nor passion and, surely only through disturbance of mind caused by extreme volatility of blood sugar levels, an odd kebab-like entity served by the world's most bored young woman that was the suitable comestible equivalent of its progenitor's mood.
I will remember fondly the bananas but not so fondly my decision to brave the midday sun. We were both of us fried but only one ended the better for it.
I am very sorry to hear that. I always enjoyed my exchanges with him and even just reading his posts. He and I came at things from different angles but respected each other, I think.
javi2541997November 22, 2023 at 12:37#8553020 likes
Reply to fdrake I am so sorry to hear the demise of Isaac, and I pay my condolences to his family and friends. I remember that I had interesting exchanges with him in the Coronavirus thread.
He was a very active member, and we will all miss him.
By the way do pronounce "Adidas" ADD-i-das or a-DEE-das? The BBC says ADD-i-das. Perverse.
When I was in the Caribbean wearing an Adidas t-shirt, a bunch of locals were talking about whether to pronounce it “a-dee-DAS”. I thought that was funny, but it turns out that’s the closest to what the name means. Adidas, as many know, is a portmanteau of “Adolph Dassler,” the founder. His nickname was “Adi.”
I have a weird mental block where I imagine everyone on here as mostly middle-aged. I pictured Issac as maybe 50 or so. (He could very well have been, of course, but I think I remember him saying he was older.)
Anyway, when you picture everyone as roughly 40-50 years old, it makes it even more of a shock when someone passes.
Reminds me I gotta start remembering that some people on here on a lot older or are dealing with serious health issues.
Foofoo, I must say, was uninspiring. I ordered the boat noodles on a whim, but they lacked that sense of maritime excellence one feels entitled to of a dish so honorably dubbed. Still, they did provide me with the requisite perambulatory enthusiasm to finagle an encounter with some rather fine fried bananas. But those have sadly marked the apogee of the day's culinary adventure, which saw my judgement slip to a desperately sweet tea, probably the calorific equivalent of a large Christmas cake, a passion fruit shake that tasted neither of fruit nor passion and, surely only through disturbance of mind caused by extreme volatility of blood sugar levels, an odd kebab-like entity served by the world's most bored young woman that was the suitable comestible equivalent of its progenitor's mood.
I will remember fondly the bananas but not so fondly my decision to brave the midday sun. We were both of us fried but only one ended the better for it.
Thank you for sharing your culinary roller coaster ride with us. I feel I was strapped in the seat next to you, arms held high, waiting to take on the next rise and fall.
Who could forget the melancholy brought by the noodles, the electricity by the tea, the curiosity by the kebabs, and the ecstasy by the bananas?
Probably no one, mostly because you just said it, and it's hard to forget things that fast.
If you could, do send a picture of a kernel of your food from time to time. I would much enjoy that evidence of the eating thing you do.
javi2541997November 22, 2023 at 15:36#8553500 likes
Reply to Mikie I understand your mental block, because I passed through the same thinking. I am only 26 years old, so I am just a kid if I compare my age with most of you.
When I start to get along with some members of TPF, we exchange PM building a friendship. It is not a shock to me if I have friends who are older than me, because it is obvious that you are more mature and interesting than my generation (Millennial or 'Z')...
I sometimes feel worried when a member says that he or she is 70+ years old, and disappears for weeks. When someone reaches that kind of lifespan, it is obvious that death or sickness are closer than ever. I had this worry about Clarky, because he has been off for nearly a month. Fortunately, I wrote him an email, and he is fine, but just wanted to stay away from the Internet for a bit.
I sometimes feel worried when a member says that he or she is 70+ years old, and disappears for weeks.
In that case yeah— but age doesn’t come up much I find. I’m not sure about gender most of the time also. Guess I should spend more time in the Shoutbox— seems much more personal.
universenessNovember 22, 2023 at 15:59#8553570 likes
Adidas, as many know, is a portmanteau of “Adolph Dassler,” the founder. His nickname was “Adi.”
As a schoolkid, I was told that Adidas was what the owner observed at the same time as he was trying to think of a name for his brand. He observed that 'A Dog Is Doing A Shite.' The mnemonic was confirmed, when he further observed 'And Doing It Down A Stank."
Are you telling me that story is not true!!! :scream:
javi2541997November 22, 2023 at 16:03#8553600 likes
"Oh ma-mama, mama-mo-ma-mum
Take a look now at what your boy has done
He's walking around like he's number one
He went downtown and he got him a gun
So don't shoot, shoot, shoot that thing at me
Don't shoot, shoot, shoot that thing at me
You know you've got my sympathy
But don't shoot, shoot, shoot that thing at me"
I don't know if there are Mancunian folks around here, but I have to say that their accent is the one which fits better to my speaking because my voice is nasal. I watched some YouTube videos on pronunciation and Manc folks are the ones to whom I was related the most.
Bollocks, have you listened to any of the Beatles talking?
L'éléphantNovember 23, 2023 at 04:56#8555520 likes
Bollocks, have you listened to any of the Beatles talking?
Yeah, they are scouser folks and their accent is strong. To be honest, most of the British, Scottish and Irish accents are difficult for a non-native learner like me. Geordie and Glaswegian accents are the most difficult by far. Manc folks are not that difficult to understand and follow the conversations, apart from the average slang. For example, they say 'gigging' instead of thirsty, and 'chuddy' instead of chewing gum, etc.
universenessNovember 23, 2023 at 18:26#8556720 likes
Reply to Hanover
Despite Wilders large forehead, he is imo, a right wing fascist, and they are rarely intelligent. Here is another, more modern Tefal ad:
Happy Thanksgiving, which is about over, merciful God.
Actually it was pretty good. Many young adults who used to be toddlers were there. Free-floating hostility was at a minimum, An 88 year old cousin asked me if we could discuss politics. I asked her where she was on the political spectrum. She said "tar left". I said we can talk.
The national Thanksgiving turkey needs help, as does the dressing. Like, bake whole chickens and ducks. There's no reason not to put more onion, celery, sage, black pepper, and butter in the bread stuffing. In God's plan for the universe, bread stuffing is supposed to be flavorful. Or use rice, spicy sausage, mushrooms, and black eyed peas, maybe. Go for some FLAVOR. There were 6 orange mashed vegetable offerings and one green one. Someone had the good sense to put pecans on top of their sweet potato dish. A nephew made some first rate watermelon rind pickles. Etc.
The coffee was good and a sisters' pie was A+. There was Cool Whip for the pumpkin pie. They didn't want actual whipped cream.
The weather was good -- cold, snow free, and bright.
there a big problem if someone decides to eat the thanksgiving dinner with chopsticks?
I was sitting at a bar eating a sandwich today, and next to me was a young Asian man (which makes this story relevant to your chopsticks question). He had ordered a seafood bowl followed by a lobster, and he ate it by himself with a lobster bib on. I thought he might be treating himself to an expensive Thanksgiving meal far away from home.
Then it came time to pay.
After several failed credit card, Apple Pay, Zelle, Venmo and whatever else attempts, he said in broken English to the waiter he was very embarrassed and seemed sincere, like he was going to cry, but he couldn't pay.
The manager told him he could come back and pay later. She was so very kind to him.
%
I told the waiter I wanted the same deal as the Asian guy. He said I couldn't. I was like, is this because I speak only French? He told me I'm not speaking French. I was like, is this because I'm not speaking French? Then the stare down.
I eventually paid, but told him he fucked up Thanksgiving and he could straight to hell.
The percentage symbol marks where truth ends and bullshit prevail. Today and forever forward.
I was born there, but have lived most of my life outside the UK. People think it is funny to hear me speaking with a distorted Manc accent but using mostly US terminology and slang. :lol:
Noble DustNovember 24, 2023 at 01:41#8557730 likes
There were 6 orange mashed vegetable offerings and one green one.
Your Midwest is showing.
This year my brother made rutabaga fries in an air fryer. I dutifully swallowed three. Everyone loved the green bean casserole I made, which in hindsight was only because it was the only dish that wasn’t severely under seasoned. Another classic in the books.
If you could, do send a picture of a kernel of your food from time to time. I would much enjoy that evidence of the eating thing you do.
Pictures / shmictures. It's almost as if you doubt the veracity of my locale! Well, if the following laser-like accuracy of descriptive prose doesn't convince you...
So, as a believer in the peripatetic principle of mind whereby proper movement of the body institutes its suitable agitative counterpart in the soul and forms the moral foundation (après Spinoza) for all action, I spent my second day in this charming outpost of French Indochina (the name thereof which temporarily escapes me) on the march.
I headed North on my understanding that the natives who subscribe to that pagan philosophy Buddhism place holy significance on the head and analogously adorn their cities with monuments of descending importance along a North-South axis. I was not long in being confirmed in my suspicion by an impressive arch of a Gothic form and reminiscent of the latter fancies of Louis XV placed centrally at the head of a wide boulevard that ran due South, no doubt to increasingly degraded urban climes.
Being the only gentleman in view (the other tourists appearing as locals or physically indistinguishable therefrom), I perused silently the arch noting mentally that though the pagan decor inscribed on the stone stole somewhat from its classic magnificence, it nevertheless was an acceptable distraction from its drab surrounds.
Continuing North along increasingly dusty and narrow streets in the faith of more spectacular sites, I was eventually rewarded by the distant view of a formidably towering golden stupa. Aware that a gentleman never fully engages with such promising environs on an empty stomach, I paused to assess my esculent options.
There was not much on the street besides a motley scattering of food carts staffed by ancient hags or children (those in between likely been shipped abroad for more gainful employment) but I was more determined to eat than eat well and so I settled into a stool by the side of the road and bid an old lady bring me what dish she considered most suitable to my standing. After some difficulties of translation laced with gesticulation and much pointing (largely of me to myself) I was presented with a piece of viand that suspiciously resembled a pig's ear.
I sit here now writing and wondering whether the glories of the stupa before me justify consuming it and beg your counsel on the matter. As one (even if only presumed) good turn deserves another, I present you with unassailable proof that I presently reside in this city of whatever-its-called (I shall not visually present to you the suspected pig's ear out of respect for your aesthetic sensibilities... Consider yourself appropriately flattered).
Metaphysician UndercoverNovember 24, 2023 at 02:42#8557990 likes
Something doesn’t add up though: the arch in the photo—the triumphal arch of the Patuxai if I’m not mistaken—is clearly non-pointy, that is to say, Roman/Romanesque, not Gothic.
Otherwise, intoxicating chronicles of a gentleman abroad.
Reply to Baden You, a gentleman of humble means, trusting of those surrounding you for assistance, only to find yourself relieved of your fortunes for a measly bowl of boiled pig ear. A tale so often told!
I see why you suffer from such an advanced and premature receding hairline.
The whole thing was Midwest to the max--wholesome but bland and mushy.
A few years back, Green Giant came out with a frozen green bean mushroom risotto that was very good, but it disappeared pretty quickly. Did you put canned french fried onions on it? it's de rigueur around here.
I take it the air fried rutabaga was not irresistible.
javi2541997November 24, 2023 at 05:52#8558340 likes
Reply to Hanover Good story. But I can't take seriously the Asian man of your story for two basic reasons: 1) he didn't eat with chopsticks, thus, he ate like a Western folk. 2) And even worse, he didn't pay at the moment. This act of irresponsibility would be a shame for a real Asian guy.
javi2541997November 24, 2023 at 05:56#8558350 likes
My dear fellow, your excessive literalness ill-befits gentlemanly conduct. However, your literary taste is beyond reproach. Such a rare paradox of gentlemanliness, I will leave to the ultimate arbitrer of such matters, Sir Hansover, to resolve
By means of a compromise by which the pig's ear was swapped for a moderately more edible chicken's foot, I bid the hag adieu and sallied forth towards the stupa, which a glance at my travel guidebook, Colonial Planet (by the late great Reggie Bosworth--sadly devoured in Burma by an ungrateful tiger while attempting to edify the wilds of said territory with his literary prowess) informed me is titled "Tat Phat Luang". "Big Yellow stupa" will do I thought to myself and entered the grounds with a straight spine and a brisk step. A flustered old man in orange robes who I took to be a pagan priest gestured at me to remove my boots but I informed him on pain of his receiving the pointed end of one against his withered backside, a gentleman should never be demanded withal.
I noted the stupa could be entered and climbed from the inside and pushing past several more pesky pagans ignorantly unappreciative of my presence I ascended to its peak and with an instinctive alacrity characteristic of my higher nature did pluck from my travel case the flag of St. George and plant it there at the apex of the monument to mark (I trusted in perpetuity) the presence of gentlemanliness therewith.
Unexpectedly though, I find myself the victim of great and undeserving misfortune as a group of tiny pagans in hard hats and with rifles have entered the compound and are running my way. I have but my horsewhip and my reason to deal with the blackguards and they appear amenable to neither. I again seek counsel from anyone familiar with local custom. Should I perhaps throw some shiny object at their feet to distract them? Time is of the essence!
Therein lies your error. Escalation rarely fails. And the "I'm taking off my pants now" gambit is almost always a winner.
My dining experience for your delight:
I arrived at Fogo de Chao for my 6:30 reservation, only to be seated at 7:30. When finally sat, the seater said our table had been ready for some time, but we could not be found. A young gentlelady among us reminded him of our persistent questioning during the hour delay, just to kindly inform him the delay rested with him and not us and that the delay was understandable because of the holiday, but his dishonesty was not.
On that gentlenote, we sat.
The gentlewench offered us a variety of beverages, some of which we requested, none of which we received. Another gentlewench was summoned, and she was able to provide us our drinks where we sat. She asked what else we might need, and I suggested perhaps some food, which at chez Fogo is to be served by gentlegauchos on skewers. The meat that is, not the gentlegauchos.
The gentlewench asked in a most alarmed way whether we had truly yet to receive any gentlemeat. I asked she look around and see if she saw any gentlegauchos within our dining hall, and if, as I suggested, and was correct that there were exactly zero, how could it be I would have any gentlemeat, but more to the point, how could she be alarmed and not know this?
My inquisition apparently lacked the gentleness of the gentlewoman among us when she held her inquiry.
As a result, the woman seated where I sat beside my seat who answered to such things as "sweetheart" and "sugar cakes" on most occassions drove her claws into my thigh, as if to say, "enough my dear with this debate; it is a day to rejoice, and those seated where we sit are neither accustomed to nor in the mood for this level of discussion."
Perhaps correct in her assessment of the feeling of the other gentleguests, our food delivery did mysteriously improve almost immediately, so I had few regrets with my gentlebitching.
By evening's end, the service issues resolved and our mood improved. At tipping time, Mrs. Gentleclaws felt quite generous due to both the gentleness of the holidays and for reperarations she felt owed for past misdeeds.
I see why you suffer from such an advanced and premature receding hairline.
It's curious that when I posted a picture of myself in Kazakhstan, only my manhandbag was mentioned, not my receding hairline, which is significantly more advanced, negatively speaking, than Baden's, enjoying as he does the luxury of flowing sultry locks.
enjoying as he does the luxury of flowing sultry locks.
I retain at least a degree of my Samson-like charm.
Anyhow, being in a generous mood, I hereby furnish you and all who may be concerned with documentary evidence of my conquering of the pagan stupa as well as some random food photos that nevertheless I believe adequately illustrate the local fare.
Anyhow, being in a generous mood, I hereby furnish you and all who may be concerned with documentary evidence of my conquering of the pagan stupa as well as some random food photos that nevertheless I believe adequately illustrate the local fare.
The festival is called Boun That Luang and is specific to the golden stupa. So, it's ostensibly religious, though my impression was predominantly one of unbridled commercialism, which the noise of monks prattling on through (very) loud speakers during breaks in the music did little to abate.
Metaphysician UndercoverNovember 24, 2023 at 13:05#8558850 likes
Reply to Baden If you mean the proverbial bear, I don't see how you could poke any proverbial thing. If you really mean "perverted bear", it seems immune to my attempts at arousal, so I wouldn't worry. So, % I'll let sleeping dogs lie.
It's curious that when I posted a picture of myself in Kazakhstan, only my manhandbag was mentioned, not my receding hairline, which is significantly more advanced, negatively speaking, than Baden's, enjoying as he does the luxury of flowing sultry locks.
Should I have sent a photograph of myself, in all my gentle perfections, from my stunning blue eyes, to my sculpted musculature, to my prominent chin jut, and finally to my trouser-rise burdened by the heft, you'd have had much to comment about, and even more should I have had revealed my gentleflaws, like my tiny legblemishes of ringworm, my errant nose hairs n flutter, or even my many bitescars left from long discarded savage lovers.
But should this photo of me shown two glorious bosoms erupting from beneath my spaghetti strap T shirt, I do suspect that've gotten the most attention.
In this analogy, your receding hairline is akin to an errant nosehair aflutter, and your manhandbag is akin to a mammary.
I hope this explanation has satisfied your curiosity as to why your advanced balding pattern was overlooked when you sported that sassy makeup case across your breast.
I can't help wondering which came first, skewering the chicken or the egg.
unenlightenedNovember 24, 2023 at 18:21#8559610 likes
I must just applaud the resilience of all those capable of sustaining a shout for five or six paragraphs. Since I no longer smoke. I can sustain a couple of sentences in a single breath, but even now, hoarseness is liable to set in by the end of even one long sentence ...
It cost me a gold watch and much negotiations to convince the French Indochines not to condemn me to an extended stay in the local "Hilton". The situation was made more difficult by the fact that not one of them spoke French, rendering useless my comprehensive knowledge of the pluperfect. The worst of it though was their insistence on removing the flag--not even the shiny tuppence I flashed vigorously before their eyes could dissuade them.
I found myself descending on the awful conclusion that whatchamacallit was perhaps not a city for gentleman and that I should cut my stay short and head for more civilized climes.
My morbid musings as I sat outside the gate of the stupa compound, now locked and manned against my reentry, were interrupted by a friendly voice.
"Hi there!"
I looked up to see a piggish looking figure, round as tall, in spectacles and a baseball cap, brandishing a fizzy drink.
"I'm Hanover. How you doin'?"
His tenuous grasp on our mutual mother tongue suggested at the very least a lack of formal education. In any case, his deficiencies of appearance and expression were explicated to me in his next sentence.
"I'm from the U.S. How 'bout you?"
A yank, of course.
"I am Earl Baden of the Earldom of Baden in the Lordship of Somerset"
"Good to meet ya, Earl. Gee, it's real nice round here, ain't it? They even got Pepsi!"
Modifying downwards my linguistic capabilities in order that I may be properly understood, I replied:
"Yeah, it ain't it. They even got many things like soda pops and pumpkins. But they don't got meatloaf, ain't it."
Even this simplification the yank seemed to have trouble processing and he looked at me strangely for a moment before smiling.
"It sure is hot."
Ignoring the non-sequitur, I focused in our ensuing conversation on recruiting him for a raid on the temple. Now that I had doubled our numbers, the defences would surely crumble and we could raise the flag of Christian England over the monument of paganism once more.
The nature of the flag was a bone of contention though. Hanover's pudding-like face trembled with indignation that his own flag, a miniature of which protruded erect from his baseball cap, should not find itself in the place of honor. Pitying his ignorance of the hierarchy of nations, I settled on a compromise whereby his flag would be taped to mine and both could be conquerors.
We shook on it and I explained to him the battle plan.
"I will ain't it take the rearguard, old chap, and when I see a break in their defences, I'll bid you charge."
"Eh, are you sure they won't mind all this, Earl?"
"Oh, they'll laugh it off. Very good natured under their uniforms, I assure you. When I give the word, just run at them, scale the fence, and I'll meet you at the captured Stupa, ain't it."
Having skilfully achieved assent, I surveyed, hawk-like, the guards who, bored of observing our rendezvous, had turned to their hand phones for amusement. Soon, the opportune moment arrived and I barked the order:
"Chaaaarge! Once more unto the breach!"
Hanover stumbled forward but the noise of his obese frame stomping across the dusty ground immediately alerted the guards who turned to him and shouted angrily.
"What did they say?" Hanover yelped.
"They said 'Welcome to French Indochina, sir.", I replied.
He smiled and resumed his charge. Presently, he was mown down in a hail of bullets.
Hm, as I thought, I mused to myself, picking up his Pepsi and walking off. A few sups convinced me it really is the superior of Coca Cola. That extra dollop of fizz makes all the difference. In memory of its owner, whateverhisnamewas, I gulped it down and, suitably refreshed, headed off to my next adventure.
Anybody else who at first thought that Georgia Meloni was the name of an adult actress instead of the PM of Italy?
universenessNovember 25, 2023 at 09:10#8560820 likes
Reply to Benkei
I was once lying on a 'topless' beach on Gran Canaria.
I heard loud shouts of 'Meloni,', 'juicy,' 'very nice,' 'Beeg Meloni! 'Very fresh Meloni!'
My 'young man lust,' kicked in, as I looked at some of the very pretty topless ladies, all around.
The words being shouted seemed so apt to the thoughts in my head.
I then spotted the small, disheveled, rather poor looking, wee Spanish sweating man, walking around with a large flat, wooden container, strapped around his neck, containing quite large slices of juicy, fresh looking melon for sale, wrapped in cling film. I indicated to him that I, and some others in my all 'young men in silent lust' group, would buy some of his juicy melon slices, as we continued to survey our surroundings, with heads constantly turning from sight to sight.
A happy memory but a little bit cringe as well, as I look back.
Look, I am transforming myself from a Castilian to a Mancunian folk.
Mira, ahora soy Hondureño! :lol:
ChristofferNovember 25, 2023 at 14:37#8561340 likes
Just out of the blue, my eyes hurt, can we introduce some kind of dark mode to this forum? Or two for different reading conditions? Dark mode, grey mode and normal mode?
javi2541997November 25, 2023 at 15:43#8561460 likes
I am a excited young mate learning English tricks and slang.
AN before a vowel or vowel sound, I am an excited old mate helping you to learn English.
That is $10 please Pay Pal is fine. :rofl:
javi2541997November 26, 2023 at 17:48#8563750 likes
Reply to Sir2u Sorry, my English grammar is irregular as usual, so I am pleased to all of you who help me to improve. I will keep it in mind: AN before a vowel or a vowel sound. You deserve more than just ten bucks, but I don't have any dollars.
Would you mind if I pay in Euros or... Pounds? :smirk:
The wife is now watching Man United win the game, I hate football.
I used to watch a lot of English Premier League football. My favourite teams were Arsenal and other modest teams such as Crystal Palace, Leicester, Fulham, Norwich, etc. Exciting football matches, which are now part of the past due to modern teams managed by billionaires...
Arsenal and other modest teams such as Crystal Palace, Leicester, Fulham, Norwich
A former employee of my company was a Londoner and a massive Arsenal supporter; my Uncle Alex was a Crystal Palace supporter from the moment he went down to London to make his fortune (also, I was at the stadium once, but I can't remember why); my Dad is from Leicestershire but he doesn't support Leicester City, but rather Tottenham Hotspur (he went to London too); I knew a small wise man from Fulham; I have nothing to say about Norwich and have no connections with that part of the country as far as I know.
javi2541997November 26, 2023 at 19:12#8564000 likes
(also, I was at the stadium once, but I can't remember why)
I had a similar experience too. I was in Mestalla (the stadium of Valencia!) and El Sardinero (a modest stadium in the North) with my parents, yet I can't remember why I was there with them. Most of the members of my family root for a modest team called Rayo, which always played in the second division, but now they are in the premier division, surprisingly.
Is it? I didn't know. All the foxes I've seen have been outside Leicestershire. I'm not sure what we can conclude from that, but it's true. It's a middle-English land of rolling lakes, picturesque fish, conservative meadows, sleepy old oak trees and bores. I like it when I go but it's landlocked and my heart is by the sea.
I discovered something accidentally this evening. If you fry sesame seeds a lot longer than you think is wise, well, they just get better and better, far beyond the point you think they'll burn. Normally I just toast them for 5 minutes. Not any more. That barely scratches the surface.
javi2541997November 26, 2023 at 19:44#8564190 likes
. I never saw such dramatic little hills in my visits there.
Nobody else has, either. The slightly irregular topography was enlivened with dramatic little hills by the use of an app that gives an air of verisimilitude to a dull and otherwise uninteresting prospect. The guy in the picture was actually a 5 year old who was enlarged considerably. The app can add fog, dust or smoke, too.
"Mist" is an unmodified Old English - Germanic word. It makes sense that north Germans and the British, moldering in midst of their mostly moist misty muck would have coined that word in the mists of time and never changed it.
In America mist is a very light rain that falls from clouds in the sky. Unlike the British who have always lived with excessive levels of mist, fog, and smoke, we are able to distinguish fog, smoke, and dust from mist. Fog gathers. Smoke billows. Dust collects.
Reply to Hanover Another chapter in Hanover's progressive disclosure. A foot here, a plate of boiled okra there, a bare calf, a driveway, the corner of a chair. Many fragments from now, a cohesive picture of that Man of Mystery will emerge, suddenly, hen the last piece falls into place.
Barry Rosen, one of the hostages from the Carter era American embassy take over in Tehran, said that they were force fed canned Okra.
OK, so if that is considered torture by Iranians, then canned Okra must be really bad there.
javi2541997November 27, 2023 at 10:29#8565260 likes
Yesterday afternoon, a train derailed in Atocha. This station is very important because it connects the rest of the train stations. It is similar to Liverpool Street in London. Although this accident happened yesterday, the train is still there, so most of us who need public transport to get around have to take other choices.
I took a taxi, it costed 20 euros, and I arrived on time. While I was in the taxi, I was wondering how much time it takes to remove a derailed train off the rails. I thought it took less, or maybe I am an impatient fella.
Metaphysician UndercoverNovember 27, 2023 at 12:19#8565390 likes
I don't know about "costed" javi. "Cost" is not supposed to be suffixed with "ed" like that, though I hear it spoken once in a while, probably by children learning. Maybe some people will use it when they cost out an estimate, they'll say they've costed out the job. I think "cost" is already past tense or something like that. I don't know what the present tense would be though, maybe "costs".
javi2541997November 27, 2023 at 12:36#8565410 likes
I want to say that the price of the taxi service was 20 euros. Then it [insert here the proper verb] me 20 euros.
It's one of those weird things that seem to avoid the normal rules of how things are supposed to work. Similar to Hanover.
For example, spent and spend or eat and ate. Or buffalo or moose, both being either singular or plural depending on the prefix.
Some are more trivial and technically "allowed" or otherwise permissible over others. Example: drive, driven, drived, drove. I hear people all the time saying "I drived all the way to [so and so] ..." and unlike hearing "It costed me [so and so] ..." I am able to let the first sentence slide, that is, it doesn't register in my brain as "wrong" like the latter sentence does. It's weird man. It's all weird. Depends on your locale. Don't get me started on southern redneck pronouns.
But yes some employers and people in general may form incorrect opinions on you based on silly mistakes like that. Reveals English is not your first language which to some means more than you might think.
javi2541997November 27, 2023 at 17:31#8566200 likes
Reply to Outlander Oh, thank you for your kind explanation, outlander. Lesson taken. I think I will avoid the use of 'cost' in the future... I think it causes more language problems than necessary.
I don't know about "costed" javi. "Cost" is not supposed to be suffixed with "ed" like that, though I hear it spoken once in a while, probably by children learning.
Or you can find it in the dictionary.
verb
verb: cost; 3rd person present: costs; past tense: cost; past participle: cost; gerund or present participle: costing; past tense: costed; past participle: costed
Reply to javi2541997 "Cost" is derived from Latin constare through Old French [i]coust[/I], both highly inflected languages. Old English was inflected once upon a time, but over several centuries it was simplified. English took up a lot of latinate words from French (like cost) -- thanks to the Norman Invasion of 1066 -- and these many words have neither the inflections of Old English nor Latin / French. Is there a rule you can follow? No, unfortunately.
javi2541997November 27, 2023 at 19:19#8566370 likes
Is there a rule you can follow? No, unfortunately.
Interesting. Doesn't it? It reminds me of Steven Pinker's books. These helped me with the understanding of English grammar. Pinker is a cool mate, and his ideas about how we learn a language since we are kids are compelling.
I want to say that the price of the taxi service was 20 euros. Then it [insert here the proper verb] me 20 euros.
THe word here is still 'cost'. "X cost me Y (in the past)".
Im no linguist - but this appears to me just to be a shortcut. Referring 'as at' the time of cost, rather than referring back in time. "costed" as noted by Vaskane anors, is an activity of valuation, not a fact of debt repayment. It may just be that 'costed' in that form existed before the hurdle of 'debt in past tense' was coined as a single term.
javi2541997November 28, 2023 at 06:27#8567350 likes
Reply to javi2541997 Interesting. That's somewhat confusing in the sense that the example you used doesn't quite do that.
It seems to be either illustrating or lamenting that the taxi ride cost x, rather than assessing the value at x.
javi2541997November 28, 2023 at 07:21#8567410 likes
It seems to be either illustrating or lamenting that the taxi ride cost x, rather than assessing the value at x.
It is impressive how language can be interpreted and understood depending on the receptor.
I attempted to say yesterday: a train derailed, so I had to take a taxi. The cost of this service was €20. Let's say this is an infinitive phrase.
But the important point here is that I tried to express it in the past tense and include myself in the phrase, as the subject. The taxi service cost (Because I learned that 'costed' is grammarly wrong) me x.
unenlightenedNovember 28, 2023 at 15:55#8568120 likes
That is a really nice can of pedantic worms you have there.
"The cost of this service..." cost is a noun so no tenses
"This service cost me €20... " cost is a verb past tense.
"This service costs €20 ..." costs is a verb 3rd person singular present continuous tense.
"These services cost €20 each ... cost is a verb 3rd person plural present continuous tense.
I have only heard 'costed' used in a different meaning of to cost, as to work out the cost of, eg:
"The services were costed at €20, including a 30% margin of profit, and allowing for petrol and wages..."
The act of putting a price on something as distinct from the act of paying the price.
Cut a sweet potato into quarters and core some apples. Steam them for 10 minutes, take the skin off the sweet potatoes, and add honey, raisins, craisins, cinnamon, and sliced almonds. It's good.
I attempted to say yesterday: a train derailed, so I had to take a taxi. The cost of this service was €20. Let's say this is an infinitive phrase.
But the important point here is that I tried to express it in the past tense and include myself in the phrase, as the subject. The taxi service cost (Because I learned that 'costed' is grammarly wrong) me x.
I ran this through Google translate and I chose From: "English Spoken by a Guy from Spain" To: "Hanoverian English."
This is what it spat out:
"Where I'm from, we had a city train that decided to jump off the track, so I lost my normal way of getting to work and I had to take a taxi (remember those pre-Uber vehicles?) that set me back $20. I hope they get the thing back up and running tomorrow. I can't afford this sort of bullshit."
Thank you for your efforts, dear friends. I nevertheless decided to no longer use 'cost' in the future. I think it is a cursed verb and a false friend noun. Glad we have synonyms out there, and I can cherry-pick the one which is most suitable for my abilities. I wish all languages were capable of conjugating 'cost' as we do in Spanish: costó, costaron, costado, etc...
Reply to javi2541997 Blame the Spanish Empire. Had Spain been as successful as England in the Imperial Colonial Games, we'd all be saying costó, costaron, y costado. But you weren't. You didn't have what it took to rule -- good old English ruthlessness and protestant savagery. Iberian ruthlessness and Catholic savagery were not as effective.
javi2541997November 28, 2023 at 19:29#8568780 likes
Reply to BC You can't imagine how much it frustrates me the first thing that comes up in other folks' minds about Spain is our colonial past... When the history and culture of such a small country goes beyond that period of time.
For example: It was a Spanish mate who created (with his intellectual mind) the mop. Do you folks can imagine a home without mops? Like what kind of circus would be! :rofl:
I promise I am laughing at this... Jesus, the shoutbox is better than therapy.
unenlightenedNovember 28, 2023 at 19:51#8568850 likes
Reply to javi2541997 I didn't know Jesus did therapy, where do I sign up? Crucifixion without trauma - it's out of this world!
Reply to javi2541997 I totally understand your aversion to the way people reference Spanish imperialism. Consider English imperialism: North America, much of Africa, Greater India (India + Pakistan, Bangladesh, parts of Burma, and more), Caribbean islands, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand. Not to overlook Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Every time you turn around some woke jerk is nattering on about white men oppressing brown people. Everybody has been oppressing everybody else since the getgo. White folks are just better at it than everybody else. Give us some credit, damn it!
Before mops, and for fussy people, always, there were char ladies and housewives on their knees scrubbing the floor. I mostly do it that way. Better results. Cuando limpié la cocina de la iglesia grande, aunque, yo usé una fregona. Español errors?
American Shakers (a religious group) invented the broom vise which flattened out the bristles of the much older round broom, allowing it to be stitched so it would stay flat and compact.
I nevertheless decided to no longer use 'cost' in the future. I think it is a cursed verb and a false friend noun.
Correct, cost is cursed, but I think "cuss" is a better word here than "curse".
Noble DustNovember 29, 2023 at 02:15#8570490 likes
Lunch today was from a staple in Manhattan's Chinatown called Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles. Yes, that's the name of the restaurant. The noodles were pretty tasty.
Reply to Noble Dust I only eat noodles made by a traditional ass bouncer. Knowing that my lunch resulted in a cluster of angry hemorrhoids makes the noodle eating experience all the more lovely.
Reply to Noble Dust Shoutbox scholars must always have a meaningful response at their fingertips.
I remember seeing a noodlebutt bouncer some years ago, and I thought then as I do now that there must be a way for a machine to bounce a stick up and down and save those poor taints.
We put a man in the moon, so I've got to think we can arrive at a way to protect the underclass from anal bruising just so the rich can eat special noodles.
The stench of the straddle end of that pole must be horrendous by night's end, making it second to the number one most unsanitary pole in the land: the stripper pole, slick with fresh arousal fluid and yesterday's spooge remnants.
An update on my calf fungus. I've been treating it with Lotrimin. It looks to be working. I thank you for your cards, prayers, and well wishes, but mostly I thank you for your deafeningly silent response.
Noble DustNovember 29, 2023 at 03:41#8570680 likes
Before mops, and for fussy people, always, there were char ladies and housewives on their knees scrubbing the floor. I mostly do it that way. Better results.
Interesting, because my grandmother, who is nearly 90 years old, thinks the same as you. Yet we have to agree on how the mop changed the world for the better or at least to more comfort in terms of cleaning a house, church, kitchen, the shoutbox, etc.
The folk who developed the mop explained that thanks to this new invention, women and men would clean the floor with more 'dignity' and comfort. I never thought of this. For me, scrubbing the floor with my knees is just a normal act, and I have never considered it as a 'servant' action... but who knows, everyone is free to like or not like mops.
It would be weird to not have mops in industries or hospitals, for instance. These are places where there is always a lot of mess... I mean it is not impossible to clean up by scrubbing the floor, but humans tend to do things easier (except the philosophers).
javi2541997November 29, 2023 at 06:10#8570830 likes
Correct, cost is cursed, but I think "cuss" is a better word here than "curse".
I always understood 'to cuss' as an act of insulting someone. What I attempted to say is that the noun 'cost' is the object of a dark magic spell. Then, is cursed. Oh, why are the Spaniards that bad at using English? :cry:
Macallan is also Speyside!
Geographically, Speyside is a part of the highlands of Scotland, but as a whisky region, it is NOT part of the highland group of whiskies.
universenessNovember 29, 2023 at 09:53#8571160 likes
I'm a highland man myself. Macallan and Glenfarclas
Which Macallan?
Sherry Oak
12 years old (40-43% ABV)
18 years old (43% ABV)
25 years old (43% ABV)
30 years old (43% ABV)
40 years old (44-45% ABV)
Double Cask
Gold (40% ABV)
12 years old (43% ABV)
15 years old (43% ABV)
18 years old (43% ABV)
30 years old (43% ABV)
Triple Cask Matured
12 years old (40-43% ABV)
15 years old (43% ABV)
18 years old (43% ABV)
Rare Cask (43% ABV)
Estate (43% ABV)
The Master Decanter Series (Bottled in Lalique crystal decanters)
Reflexion (43% ABV)
No. 6 (43% ABV)
M (45% ABV)
M Black (46.5% ABV)
[b]Travel retail exclusives
The Quest Collection[/b]
Quest (40% ABV)
Lumina (41.3% ABV)
Terra (43.8% ABV)
Enigma (44.9% ABV)
The Concept Series
Concept Number 1 (40% ABV)
Concept Number 2 (40% ABV)
Concept Number 3 (40.8% ABV)
The Harmony Collection series
Rich Cacao (40% ABV)
Fine Cacao (44% ABV)
The Boutique Collection (52% ABV)
Rare Cask Black (48% ABV)
Oscuro (46.5% ABV) (Bottled in Lalique crystal decanter)
The Golden Age of Travel Series (Bottled in Lalique crystal decanters)
The Ocean Liner (34 years old; 41.1% ABV)
The Aeroplane (35 years old; 43.4% ABV)
The Steam Train (36 years old; 43.4% ABV)
The Motor Car (37 years old; 42.8% ABV)
The Airship (35 years old; 44.4% ABV)
Limited releases
The Red Collection
40 years old (48.1% ABV)
50 years old (45.1% ABV)
60 years old (43.4% ABV)
71 years old (41.6% ABV)
74 years old (42.6% ABV)
78 years old (42.2% ABV)
Distil Your World: London (57.5% ABV)
Masters of Photography
1 - Rankin (30 years old)
2 - Albert Watson (20 years old; 46.5% ABV)
3 - Annie Leibovitz
4 - Elliott Erwitt
5 - Mario Testino
6 - Steven Klein
7 - Magnum (44% ABV)
The Macallan 50 years old (44% ABV)
The Macallan 52 years old (48% ABV)
The Archival Series
Folio 1
Folio 2
Folio 3
Folio 4
Folio 5
Folio 6
Folio 7
The Six Pillars Collection (Bottled in Lalique crystal decanters)
50 years old (2005 release/470 limited units; 46% ABV): Celebrating the Macallan's Exceptional Oak Casks
55 years old (2007 release/420 limited units; 40.1% ABV): Celebrating the Macallan's Natural Colour
57 years old (2009 release/400 limited units; 48.5% ABV): Celebrating the Macallan's Finest Cut
60 years old (2011 release/400 limited units; 53.2% ABV): Celebrating the Macallan's Curiously Small Stills
62 years old (2014 release/400 limited units; 53.1% ABV): Celebrating the Macallan's Spiritual Home
65 years old (2016 release/450 limited units; 46.3% ABV): Celebrating the Macallan's Peerless Spirit
The Macallan 72 years old in Lalique (2018 release/600 limited units; 42% ABV) (Bottled in the Lalique Genesis Crystal Decanter)
universenessNovember 29, 2023 at 10:08#8571180 likes
universenessNovember 29, 2023 at 10:13#8571190 likes
There are grey areas, such as the Arran whiskies.
FALLING BELOW THE HIGHLAND BOUNDARY FAULT LINE, LAGG DISTILLERY IS THE ONLY LOWLAND DISTILLERY SITUATED ON AN ISLAND.
In total there are five, or arguably six, recognised whisky regions: Speyside, Highlands & Islands, Islay, Campbelltown and Lowlands. Highlands & Islands are sometimes classed as two different regions due to their differing flavour profiles.
Running from the Firth of Clyde in the west, to the Firth of Tay in the east, the highland boundary fault line runs across the middle of Scotland and dissects two of these distinct whisky regions: Islands & Highlands (above the fault line) and the Lowlands (below).
The boundary fault line also runs directly across the Isle of Arran creating a unique micro-climate, earning it the affectionate name of ‘Scotland in Miniature’.
Falling below the boundary fault line, Lagg Distillery is officially classified a Scottish Lowland distillery. However, here at Lagg we are not producing a ‘typical’ Lowland whisky which is light, delicate, grassy and easy-drinking in nature. Instead, given the popularity of the peated Machrie Moor Single Malt range produced at our elder sister Lochranza Distillery, we are producing a rich, heavily peated whisky, typical of a highland style.
In comparison, Lochranza Distillery, finding itself north of the boundary fault line, is registered in the Highland & Island category. Producing an unpeated whisky which is light and citrus in flavour, the Arran Single Malt range contrasts beautifully to the spirit we produce here at Lagg Distillery.
Two very distinct whisky profiles. Two different region classifications.
Among the malts I guess I'm an Islander: Lagavulin, Talisker, Bunnahabhain. But often I prefer good blends like the Leith Whisky, Glenlee and Johnnie Walker black.
But as I like to say, I'm no connoisseur. In any case, I tend to stay away from the stuff since I'm unable to drink it in the traditional way, taking but a smidgen afore bedtime and making it last for weeks.
universenessNovember 29, 2023 at 11:07#8571280 likes
Reply to Jamal
:rofl: True, but in the famous words of Jagger 'you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you get what you need!' or perhaps another way to think about it is:
I just wanted any reason I could find to post another of my old fav tunes in the shoutbox.
Btw, please don't feel any strong urge to thank me for probably improving your knowledge of Scottish whisky!
universenessNovember 29, 2023 at 11:28#8571330 likes
Amadeus specifically said, or at least implied, that he did not want to hear from Scottish people:
Actually, they were simply making a distinction between scotch as referring to whisky and scotch as referring to Scottish people, rather than indicating who they did not want a response from.
But I am an angry, downtrodden scholar, what can I do
I did consider that right after I wrote it. If you are a happy, upbeat scholar, you're clearly not doing it right. Maybe the best way to drink whiskey is smugly and obnoxiously, always leaving the partakers on the verge of blows, but never actually amounting to anything other than a few old men cursing one another until one stops to clutch his chest while trying to catch his breath.
Where I wrote "drink whiskey," feel free to substitute in "post in the TPF." It works either way.
universenessNovember 29, 2023 at 15:10#8572160 likes
Reply to Hanover
My more scientific mode of thinking, encourages accuracy, when making statements that are being presented as 'true.' I understand that as a theist, you are not used to that rigour.
Perhaps you drink whiskey, but I have not found many examples of such that I like.
Which is why I drink whisky.
universenessNovember 29, 2023 at 15:14#8572170 likes
There is something about you that brings out the worst in me
Yeah I know, I seem to be able to activate you in various interesting ways, perhaps I remind you of some aspects of you in days gone past, that you have lost and would benefit from regaining.
Who knows? Who cares? I for one, enjoy our little tussles.
Perhaps you drink whiskey but I have not found many examples of such that I like. Which is why I drink whisky.
This statement doesn't logically follow. The fact that you like to drink whiskey does not provide a basis for why you drink whisky because I would assume that someone of your precision means something different when he says "whiskey" versus "whisky."
universenessNovember 29, 2023 at 15:29#8572250 likes
I would assume that someone of your precision means something different when he says "whiskey" versus "whisky."
:roll: Your education continues:
From Britannica So why do you see the name of the liquor spelled both as “whiskey” and as “whisky?” No, it’s not due to a spelling error or typo. It is generally spelled “whiskey”—with an e—in the United States and Ireland. It is spelled “whisky”—without the e—in Scotland and Canada, which are both well known for their whisk(e)y, and in several other countries.
Reply to universeness If you use different spellings within the same conversation, it would be expected that they have different referents, even if in different contexts they mean the same thing.
My error is that I assumed you to be one of great precision based upon your claims of adhering to such high standards of scientific rigor. I am now to learn, however, that you are profoundly sloppy, much like a small child in his high chair spitting forth his mashed peas and fish shaped crackers.
A man of great sophistication (like myself) expects that when different words are used within the same context, they are meant to have different meanings. For example, should I say "I like porc, so I therefore eat pork," I must mean that my tastes in France carry forward into the English speaking world. If I didn't mean that, but I instead simply lacked the precision and attention span to use the same word for the same referent, then I would be indicating that I am a simpleton, barely capable of walking a straight line.
If, however, what you meant was that you like to drink whiskey while in the US and in Ireland and that is why you like to drink whisky in Scotland and Canada, then that would account for what I assumed to be your screaming sloppiness. Keep in mind though, if that is what you meant to say, you said it in an overly cryprtic way, making your communication skills suggestive of someone who squishes mashed peas past his toothless infantile lips onto his bib already covered in crushed orange fish crackers and entirely incapable of walking a straight line.
universenessNovember 29, 2023 at 17:05#8572550 likes
My error is that I assumed you to be one of great precision based upon your claims of adhering to such high standards of scientific rigor. I am now to learn, however, that you are profoundly sloppy, much like a small child in his high chair spitting forth his mashed peas and fish shaped crackers.
The only correct proposal in the above quote is the association between you and 'error,' but I understand, as you exist within such a miasma of irrational thinking.
A man of great sophistication (like myself) expects that when different words are used within the same context, they are meant to have different meanings.
If you were capable of understanding the difference between the Scottish product of whisky and other products that try to claim they are 'as good as,' then it would be worth trying to explain to you further, but you are not worth my efforts. At least you have learned the difference between whisky and whiskey.
Perhaps you are remembering your own performance when you have eaten mashed peas and fish shaped crackers, as I have never eaten either, as a child or an adult (Mr Sophistication. :rofl: )
If, however, what you meant was that you like to drink whiskey while in the US and in Ireland and that is why you like to drink whisky in Scotland and Canada, then that would account for what I assumed to be your screaming sloppiness.
No, you are obviously again, having difficulty with the details involved. Perhaps you should seek help through prayer for more guidance. When I am in America or Ireland, I will drink Scottish whisky, if I decide to drink whisky and I will not drink Irish whiskey or American whiskey, bourbon, or rye as I have tried most of them in the past and found them poor emulations of Scottish whisky.
Keep in mind though, if that is what you meant to say, you said it in an overly cryprtic way, making your communication skills suggestive of someone who squishes mashed peas past his toothless infantile lips onto his bib already covered in crushed orange fish crackers and entirely incapable of walking a straight line.
Unfortunately, these pleasures come at a cost: peatlands are delicate, non-renewable ecosystems that are seriously damaged by extraction. They also act as a carbon sink, storing three billion tonnes of carbon in the UK alone. The exploitation of peat bog sites therefore releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, while simultaneously destroying habitats for rare species. Romance aside, a dug-up peat bank is a sign of significant environmental degradation.
BTW, I like Glenlivet, although I have no idea how sustainable its production might be.
Maybe the best way to drink whiskey is smugly and obnoxiously, always leaving the partakers on the verge of blows, but never actually amounting to anything other than a few old men cursing one another until one stops to clutch his chest while trying to catch his breath.
That sounds boring as hell, can't we at least hit each other with our walking sticks?
Where I wrote "drink whiskey," feel free to substitute in "post in the TPF." It works either way.
While participating in both adds a little pleasure to life, I would rather have a headache from whiskey than from reading some of the posts that appear here. Nothing personal mind you. :wink:
unenlightenedNovember 29, 2023 at 18:52#8572810 likes
Scotsman singing about the danger of undiluted water in what sounds to me like a fake Irish accent. But pay attention to the vital message as to the proper usage of distilled liquor of whatever extraction.
Interesting. All four bottles I own bite “Highland Single Malt Scotch Whiskey” in bold lettering on the front of the label.
How interesting…. My Glenfarclas bottles note the same!
Yep, that's because Speyside is geographically part of the highlands and the imagery of the highlands can be a better selling point for non-Scots, than the invocations produced by the less known word 'Speyside.' The whisky region is Speyside, not Highlands. Addition: Did you notice that no bottle of lowland whisky has the word 'lowland,' featured big, on the label. 'Lowland,' is just not as romantic as 'highland.' :roll:
the original Rare Cask, Sherry Oak Double cask 12 year, Macallan Amber and Oscuro
:yum: The older the sherry cask, the deeper the 'chocolate' and 'coconut,' notes I seem to detect in the nose and the aftertaste of most Macallans I have tasted >= 12 years.
universenessNovember 29, 2023 at 19:17#8572880 likes
Yep, that's because Speyside is geographically part of the highlands and the imagery of the highlands can be a better selling point for non-Scots, than the invocations produced by the less known word 'Speyside.' The whisky region is Speyside, not Highlands.
I'm unsure why you're making the distinction. It serves no legal purpose and doesn't inform in any meaningful way the characteristics of the whisky (in my experience and understanding).
Seems like a bit of a red-herring. Its clearly a Highland whisky, whether sourced from Spey or not. Should be clear, i'm not arguing with you. I'm commenting on the fact...
The older the sherry cask, the deeper the 'chocolate' and 'coconut,' notes I seem to detect in the nose and the aftertaste of most Macallans I have tasted >= 12 years.
Int'resting.. I;ve never detected coconut in any whisky/ey ever LOL. But im actively not a fan of coconut and have never been so may just be that i've not developed anything for that note.
Toasted nut and caramel seem to be the baseline notes for Macallan on my tongue.
universenessNovember 29, 2023 at 19:40#8572940 likes
i'm not arguing with you. I'm commenting on the fact...
:up:
For me and many other whisky lovers in Scotland. Whisky and whiskey are two very different products in taste/quality. It's a very important distinction. In France, do they consider American cheese as good as French cheese for example? Why do some folks emphasise 'Parma' ham, rather than just ham, etc, etc.
Actually it does, legally, no liquor can be called whisky, unless it is made in Scotland (or Canada).
Similar to champagne in France, is that not the case?
Actually it does, legally, no liquor can be called whisky,
I referenced your distinction between Highland and Speyside... I'm well aware of hte distinctions and legal requirements for whiskey, whisky and bourbon (and previously, though informal, rye whisky). I imagine this deals with your first quote response too :)
universenessNovember 29, 2023 at 19:46#8572970 likes
Actually it does, legally, no liquor can be called whisky, unless it is made in Scotland (or Canada).
Similar to champagne in France, is that not the case?
I believe the only real, universal legal restriction on naming is Bourbon - which has to have been distilled in the USA, for at least three years. 'Scotch Whisky' must be of Scottish origin but the use of 'whisky' can apply to literally any Whisky to my understanding.
Whiskey is also used in various places - American writers are moving toward using it as standard.
They use "whisky" because that's just the normal or original spelling. Americans went with an Irish variant spelling (even though the Irish had used "whisky" hitherto too).
universenessNovember 29, 2023 at 19:58#8573010 likes
Reply to Jamal
Well done, perhaps there is some hope for you yet.
That's a hot topic amongst Scots whisky lovers.
There is much annoyance about the Japanese use of whisky but also some 'acceptance,' as they fully copy the Scots method of producing their product.
From: Suntory Single Malts: Don’t Call Them Scotch
[b]Although Japanese distillers started producing whisky in the late 19th century (a full four centuries after Scotland began distilling spirits), they unabashedly took their inspiration from the Scots, even opting to spell “whisky” without an “e,” unlike the Irish and American spelling of “whiskey.” Much of Japan’s distilling technology was brought back by Masataka Taketsuru, a young engineer who was also an entrepreneurial whisky devotee. He studied in Glasgow and worked at a number of Scottish distilleries during the early 1920s. He would eventually become Suntory’s first distillery manager.
Of course, even though they are made with practically identical methods, Japanese single malts cannot be called scotch, as they are not produced in Scotland. And yet, somewhat ironically, the majority of Scottish distilleries are characterized by their Japanese-style four-sided pagoda chimneys, as this shape was proven to be the most efficient means of drawing smoke up from the kilns in which the barley was dried.[/b]
From: The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SWR) came into force on 23 November 2009. They replaced the Scotch Whisky Act 1988 and the Scotch Whisky Order 1990.
8.3 It should be noted that:
? although only the five traditional localities and regions have been defined and protected in the SWR, it is still permitted to use, in exactly the same way, another Scottish locality or regional name as long as the Scotch Whisky was entirely distilled in that place. For example, Single Malt Scotch Whiskies distilled in Orkney may be sold described as “Orkney Single Malt Scotch Whisky” (with the words appearing in exactly that order).
? Speyside falls within the borders of the Highland region and therefore Scotch Whiskies distilled in the Speyside area may either be described as “Highland” or as “Speyside”.
Reply to Jamal
There is a PDF available on the full details of The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009.
A quick scan through it suggests that the main protection is on the name 'Scotch whisky,' rather than the word 'whisky,' which may be used, if the production process and the ingredients involved are the same as is used by the Scots. The 'e' is used to distinguish the Scottish product from others produced using different methods and ingredients. So I accept that it would be more correct to state that the protection is on 'Scotch Whisky' rather than on the word 'whisky' alone.
The Scots make the best whisky in the world.
Until I taste a whisky better than any scotch whisky, for me, that will remain true.
So double bollocks, right back at you.
universenessNovember 29, 2023 at 20:48#8573230 likes
which may be used, if the production process and the ingredients involved are the same as is used by the Scots.
Ok, on a little further reading of the PDF, I might be on dodgy ground with my quote above as well.
The protection is firmly on 'scotch whisky' and not 'whisky' alone.
Truth be known, it's likely the case that most American whiskey can trace itself back to a backwoods Scotsman.
My understanding is this isn't likely - it's known - scots and Irish immigrants used the novel grains in the new world to make whiskies and literally the rest is history :P
Close to the fight I witnessed. It was hilarious. The bigger guy — whose girlfriend said was a boxer — was nailed with a left hook. It clearly shook him up, and immediately afterward reached out to shake the other guy’s hand. The smaller guy’s friend said “Why are you tryin to shake his hand?” and he replied with “Because that was a good hit.”
The smaller guy tried to land another one but failed, then walked away — seemingly excited that he landed one and wanted to take the victory before any more fighting.
The girlfriends were screaming at each other too. The whole thing was hilarious— I’m still laughing about it. So stupid.
Given his consistency in living without fail 365,000 days previously, it's logical to assume the same will continue to happen. Like the sun coming up again.
I have several times enlightened the Shoutbox about the provenance of American whisky and the word that is used to refer to it, namely "whiskey." I'm disturbed that Shoutbox knowledge is falling through the cracks.
In short, blame the Irish.
javi2541997November 30, 2023 at 09:25#8574460 likes
Reply to Jamal Do you want to have reasons for kicking me out of the shoutbox?
In the books of Spanish grammar and spelling, it is said and written: 'wiski'
In defence of we spud heads, that the craic was mighty we considered a point in our favor and we offer our last dram to any who fell foul of it. Sláinte.
I think I might be beginning to suffer from some sort of (hopefully temporary) TPF-induced form of mania. I have found myself pondering the concept of "Hanoverian shoes" for several hours on end.
[i]"What abilities (or perhaps maladies) would Hanoverian shoes beget to the wearer?"
"Where could one pick up a pair?"[/i]
And most importantly, "Should those caught with 'Hanoverian shoes' in their possession be incarcerated indefinitely?"
So many questions. So little time. Such is life perhaps. :chin:
javi2541997November 30, 2023 at 11:12#8574620 likes
have several times enlightened the Shoutbox about the provenance of American whisky and the word that is used to refer to it, namely "whiskey." I'm disturbed that Shoutbox knowledge is falling through the cracks.
Owed largely to your mastery of ornithology, your Shotboxian scholarship is uncontested, but the reason your invitation has been delayed into the High Fellowship of Shotboxia is precisely as you've realized.
While you have this vast knowledge, you are not fully capable of imparting it, leaving the bulk of your mentees the same struggling dolts as when they arrived.
Do better and your invitation should be forthcoming, I assure you.
javi2541997November 30, 2023 at 17:12#8575180 likes
It is heavily raining in Madrid and there is a strong wind which I can hardly walk, so the only solution is to take a bus. When I was waiting at the bus stop (amongst other people), a taxi car passed by so fast that it splashed water on us. A girl next to me shouted: CABRONAZO, and the rest booed the taxi.
Another fellow, who said he was from Colombia, said: Oh! It's crazy how much it rains here in Europe. Time to cover myself and get home as quickly as possible!
And he left us at the bus stop... I must admit that the Colombian mate was the one who wore the best coat, and I guessed that it could protect him from this evil rain... I hope he is OK, and he reached his home safely.
That's how I spent the afternoon because it took about an hour and a half to get back home.
The Shoutbox doesn't show on my smart phone. I checked the forum by categories, in the Lounge.
My desktop computer is dying. I don't think I'll buy a laptop or a tablet anytime soon, because I just don't need them much. Other than for this forum. Reading and posting from the phone is tedious.
I have a story similar in many ways to @javi2541997's, but different in a number of ways as well.
I was standing on a corner with a man from Columbia, South Carolina wearing a Columbia jacket when we absent-mindedly wandered beneath a waterfall, immediately engulfing ouselves in sheets of water. I asked the waterfall operator if those were chickpeas he was eating, and he yelled at me GARBANZO as if there were a difference.
Fascinating. The best folks in your and my stories are the ones who wear the best coats. I hope the person in your story got home OK as well. By the way, it still rains. I don't want to commit the same mistake of yesterday and I will wear a better coat today. I hope the Colombian fellow will be there at the bus stop today...
It is disgusting when our bus stops announce the station shouting. For example: the following bus is number 57. PALOMERAS. But I think the Colombian friend has to take the number 141. PUENTE DE VALLECAS.
Two buses but a common destination: get home safely. Take care friends...
unenlightenedDecember 01, 2023 at 09:17#8577370 likes
This is all political correctness gone mad, like bin-men being renamed "refuse disposal operatives". What's wrong with calling them "waterfallers" like we used to? Nothing to be ashamed of, and the coats are excellent. The best words are the ones that say what they mean, and mean what they say. Call me old-fashioned, but that's what my grandfather used to say, and he knew a thing or two about saying things. One day I'll tell you what he used to call a spade, but somewhere quiet because they might think it racist.
unenlightenedDecember 01, 2023 at 22:00#8578670 likes
The word for today is "painstaking". Are you now or have you ever been painstaking? what does it say if someone is willing to take pains over something or someone. Is it above and beyond the call of duty? Is it an act of love?
Yeah. I thought the shoutbox went bye-bye. I didn't know you had to be logged in to see it. I think other categories are also hidden from the lurkers. lol.
The Shoutbox doesn't show on my smart phone. I checked the forum by categories, in the Lounge.
My desktop computer is dying. I don't think I'll buy a laptop or a tablet anytime soon, because I just don't need them much. Other than for this forum. Reading and posting from the phone is tedious.
So it's not showing on your phone only because you're not logged in.
I would struggle if I had to use my phone for TPF. I use a desktop computer with clickety clackety mechanical keyboard as far as possible for everything. When that's not possible, e.g., in airport or bath, I use an iPad. Only in TPF emergencies do I visit it on my phone. I don't like touchscreen technology very much. It's designed for the soft fingers of Silicon Valley techies, not the rough, calloused, sinewy pads of a rugged Highlander.
Not that anyone cares, but I've had my Max Blackbird keyboard for eight years and it's still working well. Only problem is the backlights of the X, G, and full stop keys have died. I've just realized these keys are replaceable so I could get new ones.
Deleted userDecember 02, 2023 at 03:47#8579710 likes
Edit: Original post removed, likely a test post I don't remember doing
It's designed for the soft fingers of Silicon Valley techies, not the rough, calloused, sinewy pads of a rugged Highlander.
Computer technology in general is designed for the amorphous, effervescent souls of Silicon Valley techies, not the resolute steel spirit of a wind-carved bogman towering over the wilds of Connemara.
Not that anyone cares, but I've had my Max Blackbird keyboard for eight years and it's still working well. Only problem is the backlights of the X, G, and full stop keys have died. I've just realized these keys are replaceable so I could get new ones.
It occurs to me that the lights are not in the keys themselves, so what I need is new lights, not new keys.
I think you've got the cojones for it. And 'tis surely a life, roaming the gusty wilds from Connemara to the Burren, hunting Hanovers (a type of nocturnal pig man, high in protein and fat), wolves at our beck and banshees at our back, the rivers our cups and the land our bowls, nature's gifts from which we sup and feast. Bonfires dance us round them and the moon leads us home to our faery queens to whom we grace the spoils of the hunt. A life of wind and roar and mud and guts, carousing through the nights and sleeping in the sun by the banks of the Shannon, our faery brides resting by our sides. Yes, 'tis surely a life.
[[I]This post is brought to you by Samsung Pro-Geek Touchscreen Technology. Samsung: Save your Pinkies[/i]!]
Are you now or have you ever been painstaking? what does it say if someone is willing to take pains over something or someone. Is it above and beyond the call of duty? Is it an act of love?
I imagine serial killers take pains over someone, even if they eventually treat that someone as a something. And the pain they take, eventually becomes pain for the person they take pains over...
universenessDecember 02, 2023 at 09:41#8580100 likes
I think you've got the cojones for it. And 'tis surely a life, roaming the gusty wilds from Connemara to the Burren, hunting Hanovers (a type of nocturnal pig man, high in protein and fat), wolves at our beck and banshees at our back, the rivers our cups and the land our bowls, nature's gifts from which we sup and feast. Bonfires dance us round them and the moon leads us home to our faery queens to whom we grace the spoils of the hunt. A life of wind and roar and mud and guts, carousing through the nights and sleeping in the sun by the banks of the Shannon, our faery brides resting by our sides. Yes, 'tis surely a life.
But what do you do when the English redcoats come to burn you out, on the command of King Hanover?
unenlightenedDecember 02, 2023 at 10:39#8580180 likes
Reply to Tom Storm Love perverted? Do you think a serial killer is a helpful example of humanity? What does he teach you about taking pains? Perhaps the serial killer is so in want of love that he needs a new crucifixion all of his own time and again. Let's not concern ourselves too much with the loves of a serial killer, and a little more with our own love.
unenlightenedDecember 02, 2023 at 10:55#8580220 likes
Reply to Tom Storm They'll always be a minority however, hard they work, like foxes among rabbits.
unenlightenedDecember 02, 2023 at 11:02#8580230 likes
The word for today is "overshoot". Overshoot is what happens to populations - eg rabbits - in the absence of predators. They overbreed, the population rises until it becomes more than the food supply can support. the rabbits eat the grass right down to the roots, and then they starve. the population crashes, and eventually the grass may start to recover, or possibly is replaced by some other species. Don't say i didn't warn you.
This overlaps nicely with Un's post above. You see, populations of Hanovers overshoot unless culled regularly, so by doing for nature what she can't manage herself, we maintain a balance whereby there are not too many Hanovers rolling about the place yet enough so the hunt may continue and we bog men receive the necessary sustenance to continue to do what we bog men do. There are no redcoat objectors and no "King Hanover"--these are just myths we tell our children to keep them in line. And so, everything remains perfectly in balance in the wilds of Connemara.
universenessDecember 02, 2023 at 15:14#8580590 likes
There are no redcoat objectors and no "King Hanover"--these are just myths we tell our children to keep them in line. And so, everything remains perfectly in balance in the wilds of Connemara.
I have heard of a similar place in Scotland were no nasties like redcoats and Kings exist, Brigadoon it's called but f***** if I can find it. :confused:
btw: for 50 quid, this is not completely unpalatable!
Not that anyone cares, but I've had my Max Blackbird keyboard for eight years and it's still working well.
I had not really thought about it before but the keyboard I use came with the Dell-All-In)One touch screen I bought 12 years ago, It has had a hard life but still works fine.
I think you've got the cojones for it. And 'tis surely a life, roaming the gusty wilds from Connemara to the Burren, hunting Hanovers (a type of nocturnal pig man, high in protein and fat), wolves at our beck and banshees at our back, the rivers our cups and the land our bowls, nature's gifts from which we sup and feast. Bonfires dance us round them and the moon leads us home to our faery queens to whom we grace the spoils of the hunt. A life of wind and roar and mud and guts, carousing through the nights and sleeping in the sun by the banks of the Shannon, our faery brides resting by our sides. Yes, 'tis surely a life.
Gawd that sounds like a fantastic life. Where would one sign up?
Please, for the love of Yahweh, tag my name when you use it so I can insert a witty reply. I fear I might overlook it because even I, a serious and diligent Shoutbox scholar, sometimes only skims the drivel and might miss something.
Don't know the fancy terminology, but, anyway, it's like an abstract social critique, perhaps mostly of corporate culture, whatever along those lines, wrapped in some of today's buzzwords and such. ("abstract" because of the settings, sci-fi and horror aren't quite the best descriptions, and some dialogue is a bit...too written for the purpose)
I found some details vaguely though eerily familiar. Certain kinds of "coincidental protocols" in place giving an impersonal control to motivate, promote/demote, terminate, ..., exploitable behavior of individuals in crowds, anti-cooperation, ... (Mechanized capitalism?) A faint whiff of existentialism?
I'm guessing they used AI for Mallard to express unapproachability, non-caring. Might not have been so "clean" if represented by faces of present humans.
Fine acting (imo); otherwise you may hate, find boring, or like.
javi2541997December 03, 2023 at 05:45#8581630 likes
I see that none of the members of the soutbox have noticed we are already in December. It is the last month of the year but maybe one of the most important of the twelve-month system. It has 31 days, and each of them seems to be like the year is ending slowly.
People go crazy in December too. They think the world is the last moment of existence, and they do weird things: buying unnecessary stuff at groceries or writing a will.
December is the month for short story activity.
You can either like it or dislike it, but we must admit that December is a cooler month than weird February or August.
Reply to jorndoe Hey, Jorndoe, no great interest in seeing this flick, but...
Joe confronts the malevolent AI orchestrating his ordeal, making a plea for freedom and reuniting with his wife. The AI, now threatened concedes to his request
How was the usual and customary malevolent overlord AI threatened? Somebody had the power cord in their hand and was about to pull the plug? A bomb had been glued to the CPU? A bigger, nastier, and even more malevolent AI was breathing down the cooling vents of the lesser AI?
Are you saying that people go crazy in December just the same as they go crazy during the other 11 months? Or in addition to everything else, people go uniquely crazy in December?
December can be a a miserable weather month -- it can get very cold, it can snow a lot, and it can do other things. An ice storm is not out of the question. Greenish grass (sort of green) sometimes is in view on Christmas. I went grocery shopping on my bike this afternoon -- it was about 35ºF, quite nice for biking, No wind, no precipitation.
Fall and winter do have lots of holidays: Halloween, Armistice Day, Thanksgiving, St. Nicholas Day (12/6); St. Lucia's Day (12/13 very popular in Sweden and among the Swedish diaspora); Advent; 12 days of Christmas, of course--12/25--1/6.
Given my old and worthy handle -- bitter crank -- it won't surprise anyone that I like a snarky song to counteract all the sweetness and light of the season. I'm fond of the Chad Mitchell Trio -- dead now. Here's their 12 Days of Christmas from 1963, as would have been sung by a party of unreconstructed Nazis. (the trio liked to satirize right wingers, nazis, etc.)
Are you saying that people go crazy in December just the same as they go crazy during the other 11 months? Or in addition to everything else, people go uniquely crazy in December?
People go uniquely crazy in December. In the rest of the months, I feel people are more chilled with life. I understand that vibe, indeed. Some folks think that December is related to something that is 'ending.'
To be honest with you, I would pay whatever to live the experience of December 1999. I was only two years old, so I don't remember anything. But I 'imagine' that people went crazier than at any time in our recent history. Experiencing the change to a new century had to be fabulous.
To be honest with you, I would pay whatever to live the experience of December 1999. I was only two years old, so I don't remember anything. But I 'imagine' that people went crazier than at any time in our recent history. Experiencing the change to a new century had to be fabulous.
I remember 1999. Yeah, it was sort of exciting to enter a new day, new year, new century! A lot of people thought everything would fall apart on 1/1/2000 because of the Y2K problem -- old computer programs weren't thought to survive having to switch from 19xx to 20xx. Nothing happened.
I like our wonderful / bad December weather -- heavy snow, wind, cold. Snow is so transformative. The winter of 1983 - 1984 was particularly wonderful / bad. We had a snow storm at the end of November, then a solid month of very cold weather with lots of wind. Around Christmas it warmed up a little and snowed a lot more. By spring there was snow and ice all over everything.
javi2541997December 03, 2023 at 07:24#8581820 likes
The word for today is "synchronicity". Jung suggests that when you notice it - meaningful coincidence - you should follow it. Not chase it mind, just be guided somewhat. So in this case, extra diligence in the slaughter of @Hanovers at this time - not forever, a week or two, maybe.
To be honest with you, I would pay whatever to live the experience of December 1999. I was only two years old, so I don't remember anything. But I 'imagine' that people went crazier than at any time in our recent history. Experiencing the change to a new century had to be fabulous.
I have no memory of that date as it seemed to roll by like any other New Year. I was 34 and I can't readily remember where I was living at the time. I think the third millennium actually began on Jan 1, 2001, but that's a technicality. Wasn't there some shit about Y2K leading to computer meltdowns in 2000? We probably bottled some water and bought some candles.
To be honest with you, I would pay whatever to live the experience of December 1999. I was only two years old, so I don't remember anything. But I 'imagine' that people went crazier than at any time in our recent history.
I was 27 years old. Probably I was a cynical bore, so don't take my word for it, but for me, although it felt pretty cool to be going into a new century, it was pretty much a normal New Year celebration, only a bit worse.
You see, New Year (Hogmanay) has always been my least favourite fiesta, because the weight of expectation to have a wild and crazy good time tends to hamper the enjoyment and spontaneity. Not only that, but it often means I am standing in a street unable to move for the mass of rude, loud, annoying human flesh surrounding me.
On December 31st, 1999, everything about this was more intense and more unpleasant, while the expectation was greater than ever. But I was still at an age when I thought, or pretended, that I was having a great time, leading to deep internal conflicts that I've never recovered from.
I'm a Christmas Boy and I like to be at home, with the whole family gathered around in the main kitchen to watch the wild boar roasting over the fire.
In fact, New Year was like that for me until I was about 16: a cosy domestic affair. I'll never recapture those days, will I? Is that one of the reasons people have children, I wonder?
I gave up nicotine completely about six weeks ago. People say, "oh, the third day is the worst," but I'm thinking it's more like the third year is going to be the worst. I still crave the stuff; it's just a matter of ignoring the compulsion.
I still believe vaping is a vast improvement on smoking from the perspective of health, but it's a hassle. If I'm out for the day I have to ensure it's charged before I go out, I need to take extra liquid, and the charger or a backup vape, and somewhere to put the vape itself, which is not tiny. Plus all vapes leak, even the ones that don't.
So one day I got fed up with all that and stopped. Now I can quickly slip on my suit, grab keys and wallet, and shoot out the door in a moment's notice.
javi2541997December 03, 2023 at 10:15#8581990 likes
I think the third millennium actually began on Jan 1, 2001,
You are right. That's when the 21st century actually started.
javi2541997December 03, 2023 at 10:16#8582000 likes
Reply to Jamal I agree. Nochevieja is the worst fiesta of the year. You have already experienced how we do it in Spain, and at the precise moment when we are eating the 12 grapes, I start to feel a lot of uncertainty. Because eating them doesn't seem like the year will be cool.
There are 365 days, and it is obvious that some are better than others. It is difficult to have a good experience all year. As much as I remember, I always tried to eat the grapes, but nonetheless, I ended up having bad years.
The paradox is, I still eat the grapes because if I don't do it, I feel like I will regret it all year until next December 31st.
I gave up nicotine completely about six weeks ago.
Well done. I gave up 17 years ago, after various attempts. Harder to give up than booze (which I also gave up around 10 years ago). Life is no better or more enjoyable without these vices, but it is certainly cheaper and healthier.
I still crave the stuff; it's just a matter of ignoring the compulsion.
That's the key. Try to avoid triggers in the short term (6 months to a year) and if you do accidentally have a smoke (at a party, when drunk, say) don't commit the common mistake of saying, 'Well that's it, I'm back on them..." Just don't smoke the next day and keep the focus. I've just come back from hospital where my sister in law is in her final days with throat cancer... She's a year older than me. Don't smoke...
I asked them, and they didn't remember anything special about December 31st 1999...
I'm not a big fan of compulsory parties, so most New Years I am in bed by 10.30pm. I don't think I have ever been on the streets during a New Year thing. I dislike crowds and drunks. Bah humbug....
Reply to Jamal On December 1999, I was 33, minimally your senior but much your wiser. I had a 2 year old and a 3 month old child,. To be clear, I had 2 children, not 1 child with 2 different ages. Neither were yet named Fred. I had recently started a job that I would quit just 20 years later. I had no real vices, but I did have early onset orneryness, typically reserved for men far more senior. Such is typical for savants like myself and for pedantics with a bitter hatred for the word "such."
Where our differences cease differing is in our disagreeableness over New Years Eve, a day that ought just involve flipping the calendar page, but instead trumped up into a huge celebration where nothing really changes.
I would always schedule a mountain getaway with another couple so I could pretend to have celebrated, but actually I has just hidden away until the day passed.
The one thing I regret, other than not having invented the beans in the computer gag, is not having worn glasses that looked like a 2000 where you looked through the zeros, or as you guys say, "zeds." Such is another of our differences.
I see. Well, since the notion of vaping without nicotine is absurd to me, I had not considered the possibility that somebody might misunderstand my post in the way you did. So, from that point of view: my bad. However, I made it pretty clear I gave up vaping in the same post.
The fact is, while @Tom Storm responded as a friend, you responded because you wanted to spout your opinion, and have absolutely no interest in my experience. Get lost.
That amount of snow and the blurred buildings in the distance give me a feeling of quiet and silence.
I wish we had a snow-covered atmosphere in the neighborhoods of Madrid as well.
Speaking of other sides I just noticed several of my favorite features of TPF are hidden when not logged in, primarily The Shoutbox and everything under the Symposium (all short stories) including the currently pinned short story discussion thread.
Is this intentional or just a software configuration of little to no concern or thought?
I gave up nicotine completely about six weeks ago. People say, "oh, the third day is the worst," but I'm thinking it's more like the third year is going to be the worst. I still crave the stuff; it's just a matter of ignoring the compulsion.
I am a little over three years off nicotine and it absolutely gets easier. I found alcohol infinitely harder to kick. Then again, I found nicotine harder to kick that heroin lmao...
I'm sure this has absolutely no value to you, but cigarettes and tobacco in general make me feel relatively sick now - and when i quit, it was entirely cold turkey due to a health scare so it was pure will power back then.
unenlightenedDecember 03, 2023 at 19:20#8583260 likes
I gave up nicotine completely about six weeks ago. People say, "oh, the third day is the worst," but I'm thinking it's more like the third year is going to be the worst. I still crave the stuff; it's just a matter of ignoring the compulsion.
I stopped smoking after 50 odd years about 5 years ago and never had a craving. A craving is a desire to smoke, so if you have cravings you are in conflict. You want to stop but you also want to continue.
i advise you to look very closely at these cravings; what is it that you are feeling uncomfortable about, and that you imagine that smoking will improve?
If the smoker has died, one might be unhappy and mourn him, but one does not want to resurrect him. Perhaps he is not dead, but still trying to conduct your life with his little white stick "Time to pause and take a breath" he might say, or "take a moment's break to reflect on the day so far", or "look how empty your life is without me", or the silliest one of all, "you are doing so well at not smoking, you deserve a little reward; have a cigarette." Find out what you really crave...
Why do people always talk about giving up, as if it were either a sacrifice or a defeat? I've taken early retirement from punishing myself!
Reply to Jamal I quit smoking about 28 years ago. I had throat cancer 4 years ago, but that was from human papilloma virus, related to something else that went away. There are times that I feel a faint urge, but it is usually fleeting. Quitting is a process, not an event.
Cigarettes, vaping, alcohol, weed, etc. -- all are ways of separating us from cash in exchange for little. The new temperance message is that "there is no safe amount of alcohol". The occasional bottle of beer is killing something, so just don't.
I'm not convinced by the absolute sobriety for everybody all the time everywhere message. We are all going to die of something, sooner or later, and in the meantime, there should be space for festivity and release.
There was a New Yorker cartoon depicting a sober party of people sitting around a living room. Caption: "Remember when we all smoked and drank and had fun?"
Pick your poisons prudently; apply a cost-benefit analysis. The occasional good brew delivers more pleasure than the cheaper acrid taste of a cigarette. The primary lever of the tobacco industry is that their product is strongly addictive. It doesn't take long for the user to require nicotine to feel normal. Alcohol is addictive too, but most people who drink alcohol occasionally do not become addicted.
Moderation, of course. immoderate use of alcohol and smoking in combination is very high risk.
The trouble with nicotine is that it is addictive in the relatively small doses which cigarettes provide, making it more likely that one will get hooked through occasional use. Most people can safely drink alcohol occasionally without addiction developing.
unenlightenedDecember 04, 2023 at 09:35#8585030 likes
The word for today is "resilience".
In psychology, resilience is the capacity to deal with stress without trauma. I suggest that it constitutes a measure of 'character' as distinguished from 'ego'. It should not be confused, however with 'rigidity'; to the contrary, rigidity is the fossilisation of traumatic stress - a 'coping mechanism' that continues even when there is nothing to 'cope' with.
In ecology, resilience is similarly the capacity of an ecosystem to deal with changes of climate, disease, pollution and so on. A key feature here is diversity. A monoculture is highly susceptible to disease, for example.
My greatest addiction is austerity, a beigeness I require to avoid anxiety and depression. My plainness is a neurotic reaction to the stress I would feel from drinking, smoking, or even over-spending.
There is a shockingly small selection of beige Hawaiian shirts available online.
A good possible marketing and investment opportunity if I’ve ever seen one.
(and I haven’t)
This is my third year off nicotine entirely. It's only gotten easier.
The huimble thing to say is that those who have stumbled but then struggled and succeeded are stronger than those who never stumbled.
This comment doesn't work to my advantage here, so I say it only for the purpsoe of sounding wise, but not to the extent it makes me look weaker for not having been weaker.
I still crave the stuff; it's just a matter of ignoring the compulsion.
I'm in the BC timescale: 28 years ago. I had a (relatively youthful) heart attack. It was still bloody hard to give up. I knew the craving was over when I stopped counting the nicotine-free days, which was somewhere in the fifty-somethings. Now, imagine, that must be over 9,000 days! My heart still troubles me, but it took the organ 24 years to give me a sharp kick again. Here's to your lungs.
Noble DustDecember 05, 2023 at 00:26#8586660 likes
I gave up nicotine completely about six weeks ago.
Congrats. I haven't really tried, but part of that is the excuse I give to myself that I'm a "light" smoker; about 2-4 a day. It's long been an after-work ritual.
I'm loath to accept compliments about my smoking. I chalk it up to smoking American Spirits, which some consider to be a minimum of two cigarettes in one.
I've been online here 8 years and I have posted 11,385 times, meaning I've posted roughly 4 times a day, every day, for 8 straight years, no days off, sick or well, I've been here diligently posting and creating my life's work, mostly in the Shoutbox.
I've never had time for smoking or drinking. My only vice is this, lying, and fucking supermodels.
I've been online here 8 years and I have posted 11,385 times, meaning I've posted roughly 4 times a day, every day, for 8 straight years, no days off, sick or well, I've been here diligently posting and creating my life's work, mostly in the Shoutbox.
I'm not sure what this has to do with vice other than your clear addiction to scholarly Shoutbox research. Truly a hard habit to kick.
And I've never had time for scholarly Shoutbox research. Except when I do. Which is occasional and often coincides with when I have time for smoking and drinking. I ask you, as the Brits (?) say.
javi2541997December 05, 2023 at 05:43#8587140 likes
It is true that it has been a while since the last time I posted my breakfast routine here. It is obvious that I have breakfast every day because it is an important meal, but I no longer appreciate the aesthetics of mixing tofu with tomato and oil :broken:
Congrats. I haven't really tried, but part of that is the excuse I give to myself that I'm a "light" smoker; about 2-4 a day. It's long been an after-work ritual.
I have an irrational hatred of people who smoke less than 10 a day, and people who can take it or leave it.
I no longer appreciate the aesthetics of mixing tofu with tomato and oil
You finally realize it's a disgusting combination? :grin:
I had half of a big omelette for breakfast. It had onions and cheese in it and was cooked in the oven. To go with this I had a coffee that was spicy because I used my coffee grinder for spices yesterday.
Oh and a chicken drumstick.
javi2541997December 05, 2023 at 10:09#8587450 likes
Although it made me cry... Yes, I gave up on combining Japanese cuisine and Spanish products. These two are not destined to go together.
There used to be a restaurant in Denia that combined Japanese and Mexican cuisines. And it wasn’t like you might expect: some Mexican dishes and a few sushi or tempura dishes. No, their combinatorial granularity was much finer, i.e., they actually tried to combine the cuisines in the same dishes, like you did. Sushi with guacamole and jalapeños, refried edamame beans, that kind of thing. I was willing to try it but it was not nice.
Well, as discussed here in the Shoutbox before, the Turks and others put cardamom in their coffee, so it’s not totally crazy.
I haven't been surprised because Turkish folks put cardamom in coffee, but the fact that I never heard of this mix until today!
It is time to try something new tomorrow morning while I eat the classic toasts with tomato and olive oil.
This guy puts his arm around the black guy next to him and tells the waitress, "I like my coffee the same way I like my men!"
The waitress says, "We don't have gay coffee."
I had a café au lait at Starbucks today, It was not bad. Not terrific. $4 small size. At least the milk was nice and frothy. French roast would have been better in the café but they didn't have any. Second rate coffee kiosk, but it's where we were.
I've got this recent weird fetish with Clarks shoes. I don't think it has to do with@T Clark though, wherever he might be.
I was at the mall (remember those?) and I happened upon a Clarks shoe store. They were still selling Wallabees, those moccasin like boots with the rubbery soles. I still had a pair in my closet (likely from 1982, the same year the gay coffee joke hit the scene) that I went home and sported for the first time in decades. I must say, I looked smart in my Wallabees and Adidas sweat pants, especially with my striking blue eyes.
I bought a couple of pairs of other styles as well, immediately garnering compliments at work like "where'd you get the old man shoes"?
Those shoes are the perfect shoes to wear when telling wippersnappers to get the fuck off my lawn.
Noble DustDecember 06, 2023 at 04:35#8589930 likes
I despise Starblechs, but ironically, today I was in an inordinate hurry, and found a dumb glass bottle of Starblechs mocha chilled coffee drink thing in a convenient location, bought it quickly with cash (such a NY story), and chugged it on the train. It sucked. And was mostly sugar. Almost no caffeine kick. The day got better form there, but then it got worse. And then better. Maybe I'll write a musical about it.
[Reply to Noble Dust Starbucks is to good coffee what McDonalds is to good food. Actually, the coffee at McDonalds is better.
At least the dumb glass bottle was recyclable. Did you deposit the empty bottle in a receptacle where dilatory agents might eventually collect and channel it into the resource recovery stream?
Enjoy, and report your findings to the Shoutbox if you'd be so kind.
I am so sorry to announce this... I don't have cardamom in my house. I just noticed it when I went to the kitchen to have my breakfast. I hope Mercadona sells some, and I can buy it as quickly as possible. I can't let this year end without tasting spicy coffee.
Noble DustDecember 06, 2023 at 05:48#8590060 likes
I hate to break it to you, but Cardamom is quite expensive. But worth it, I guess, if you feel so inclined. I've never added it to coffee but can't imagine the flavor explosion. Good luck. And maybe be judicious!
javi2541997December 06, 2023 at 06:45#8590190 likes
Reply to Noble Dust We are surprisingly experiencing inflation on spices, flour, nuts, or seeds. If cardamom is already an expensive spice, I can't imagine how much it would cost at this moment. But I feel so inclined to taste it, and as we say: 'Once a year doesn’t hurt.'
Reply to javi2541997 I've been drinking green tea that has a bit of turmeric and black pepper in it. Excellent combo. The pepper gives it a warm finish; not sure what exactly the tumeric does. Bigelow Tea makes it.
javi2541997December 06, 2023 at 08:09#8590250 likes
Reply to BC I am a wannabe English citizen of Yorkshire, so tea is a drink that is always in my afternoons. I will try your combo because I have those products in my kitchen fortunately. So, BC, give me an hour, and I will tell you my comments on that combo.
javi2541997December 06, 2023 at 08:55#8590290 likes
A brief comment on the combo of tea with turmeric and black pepper.
The taste of the green tea is usually flowery, but when you put black pepper on it, there is a hint of saltiness that fits well. Turmeric is similar to ginger, and the aroma is reminiscent of mustard, and I noticed that the colour of the tea turned yellowish.
I hate to break it to you, but Cardamom is quite expensive.
I looked it up and it was under $6.00 for a 1.8 ounce jar at Walmart. I would expect a jar to last anywhere between 1/4 to 1/3 a lifetime, so it's not all that expensive.
Maybe you need special cardamom and Walmart won't due, but if you're willing to eat the cardamom of the common man, you can probably squeeze it into your budget.
If you would send me your tax returns and other financial information, I can prepare a budget for you that allows for sufficient cardomom consumption if you would like.
Saffron in the world's most expensive spice. Once a decade, my family would gather around and draw lots for who would be given the honor of placing the smallest pinch of saffron on their tongue. One year, I drew the long straw. As I began to bask in the magestry and opulence of the moment, I started entering decrees upon my family, each the more oppressive, and some of which still remain in force to this day.
The bad feelings engendered by that day caused us to burn what god foresaken saffron we had left so we would not again by cursed by those riches.
God damn that spice! God damn it to hell!
L'éléphantDecember 07, 2023 at 02:58#8592460 likes
I might be remembering it wrong, but I'm pretty sure, about 6 months ago, when I went to buy a container of cardamom (ground) from my homey at the Syrian bakery, it was $14 for the same size container in which other spices cost about $4. I could be wrong. If this is special cardamom then I won't fight it. Check mate, atheists.
universenessDecember 07, 2023 at 09:48#8592900 likes
I think that sort of relegation is offensive to salt. But, should you insist that it be treated as a red headed step-child, I would then point out that cinnamon is the cheapest of all spices. This determination is based upon my research, which shows that it's a bark derivative and each tree has more than enough bark to keep it warm and comfortable, leaving us with plenty of that fun spice for our muffins and festive coffee drinks..
I point out for @Jamal where I said "this determination" because my pet peeve is when people use the term "this" but then don't describe what "this" is, leaving us with a statement like "This is based upon my reseach." Such is so annoying.
I point out for you that you would say "Salt is a mineral," and not include the article "The" in that sentence.
I point out for @baden that I mean nothing offensive when I refer to the many red headed step-children of Ireland as those most often mistreated and cast aside. Be it known that I fully believe that red headed step children are just as good as other step children, but I would assume they are of a much more fiery disposition, but that too might be a stereotype.
I point out for @Noble Dust that if you're still broke ass from your over-consumption of cardamom, you might enjoy a salt and cinnamon sandwich until pay day.
I point out for @BC that regardless of how I like my coffee, I do like me a cinnamon girl because if you have a cinnamon girl you can be happy for the rest of your life.
Hey does anyone use the word "snazzy" these days. Anyone mind if I bring it back?
Not that it was ever cool. Unlike "cool", which is just cool enough to stay its course through the ocean of language, leaving the flotsam of fashionable but transient terms in the dust. :chin:
Hey does anyone use the word "snazzy" these days. Anyone mind if I bring it back.
I like this idea and throw the full support of my reputation and office behind it.
I don't want to flood the market with Z related words, so we can hold off on this other idea, but I like the word jazzed as well. As in, I am so jazzed by your snazzy get up I can hardly contain myself.
Did you know that in the UK they use the word "nil" for Z?
I don't want to flood the market with Z related words, so we can hold off on this other idea, but I like the word jazzed as well. As in, I am so jazzed by your snazzy get up I can hardly contain myself.
Bodacious. I'm on board.
universenessDecember 07, 2023 at 14:33#8593580 likes
Comments (61561)
Yes, but do the rules of hotdogs apply equally to the Mighty Mighty Hanover Dog? Such a premise cannot be granted lightly.
Not only do they equally apply to the whatever dog, any rules involving hot dogs are necessarily doubly enforced in relation to @Hanover. Don't ask me about it sometime.
The "whatever" dog? How irreverent. It's called the Migh-... Er, right you are. The Dog-which-must-not-be-named. Hanover is eating the Dog-which-must-not-be-named.
Like so...
The store-bought squeeze bottles don't offer that control. My results always look like the Mighty Havonver Dog mustard globs.
And much like there is an obvious change in swagger one adopts after making love to a super model that all in the know immediately recognize, I know very well that no one here but me has wrapped his lips around a Mighty Mighty Hanover Dog and enjoyed that mouth explosion.
Once one is able to thoroughly enjoy one's own perfectly constructed dog, he can live in complete self-sufficiency, never needing to plead to others for assistance.
I've suddenly lost all appetite and interest in discussing this topic.
You must have over read something.
No no, the giardiniera and chili thing is what damns you to hell. The "no ketchup on a hot dog" is an anti-ketchup conspiracy aimed at bankrupting Heinz. First it was no ketchup on burgers, then it was no ketchup on hot dogs. Next it will be you can't dip fries in ketchup. I'm not that dumb. I see the patterns.
Oh no, I on-read it.
Plochman's. Problem solved. Bucolic mustard S's, cheap price, and actually really good mustard.
I don't get it. A hot dog is a blank canvas. Or at least, to a degree. Ketchup, mustard, sauerkraut. The weird red onion thing we do in NY. Take your pick. Just no giardiniera. I think?
Inglehoffer stone ground is the gold standard of mustards, turning a basic Kroger roast beast sammich into a Michelin 5 star steel belted radial experience.
See, this is the type of Plochman's abuse I expected. It's like telling people early McCartney albums are actually good. People just assume that something's not good because it's commercial. Your lot are the same people that don't eat at Taco Bell or read Dostoevsky.
Ok now we're getting somewhere. Bratwurst is best, but it's not an adult hot dog. This is an important and nuanced point. The hot dog is a noble dish. The bratwurst is as well, but one doesn't replace or subsume the other. The brat is it's own category. For instance, the only acceptable brat toppings are raw white onion and brown mustard, whereas the hot dog is, as I said, a blank canvas (within reason).
A hotdog is like a scrap of leftover paper that you hand to your kid. They smear it with ketchup and cheese whiz. You tell them they did a great job and you paste it, half-eaten, on the refrigerator for a week.
But a Bratwurst is the height of German engineering, lounging delicately atop a brötchen, lightly adorned with stone-ground mustard and 'kraut. A child's palette will no more receive a bratwurst than the mug of Paulaner that accompanies it, and there is no such thing as a half-eaten brat.
I've never understood these Chicago-folk and their highly processed hotdogs.
My favourite German sausages are the Nuremberg sausage (Nürnberger Bratwurst) and Weisswurst (served with a pretzel and sweet mustard).
So is a waffle.
No quicker way to start a bar room brawl than to tell a southern man he doesn't read Dostoevsky or to even suggest he doesn't identify with ????ó?
Rodión.
Take that back sir this moment.
I see where you're going with this. Hot dogs wrapped in waffles doused with maple syrup and sprinked with powdered sugar with sliced strawberries scattered about. Brilliant indeed.
And then ruined by an S shaped mustard squirt. You couldn't just leave all enough alone.
It's like as if Leonardo da Vinci added a mustache to the Mona Lisa.
Leonardo didn't do that but it was done later on. I always thought it was Dali but it turns out it was Duchamp, the rascal.
The title "L.H.O.O.Q" suggests to a French audience the phrase, "She has a hot ass".
In Alabama, they have this watery mayonaisse based BBQ sauce which I find to be disgusting in many ways, but befitting the Alabama physique and general way of life.
I remember posting my breakfasts at The Shoutbox and - not joking - 97 % of them were about tofu paste. Thank you, Mercadona tofu paste! I enjoyed a lot of breakfasts! Now, I will go to Lidl or Carrefour and check if they sell tofu paste. :up:
SHAHA is what we say in English. At least I do. At least now I do.
Aubergine emoji
Carrefour is rubbish, it is true. I only go there because they sell Kombucha. But it is not my cup of tea, I think Lidl has everything I am looking for.
It's true, Lidl supplies everything a human being needs.
It's called an eggplant.
Quoting Jamal
I don't like Lidl. It doesn't have any name brands, the selection is limited, and it feels like a warehouse. I prefer Kroger, then Publix, then you're mama's cupboard. In that order.
Name brands are for chumps and putzes.
How to make very small waffles.
I identified with Raskolnikov when I read Crime and Punishment at the age of nineteen, and that alerted me to some problems with my personality, whereupon I transformed myself into a swell guy. So even though I don’t like Dostoevsky, I have to thank him for saving me from bad shit.
I looked outside in my parking lot, and, no lie, I saw the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile. That sort of synchronicity doesn't happen all the time and I felt sort of special.
Then you called me both a putz and chump, ruining my otherwise magical day.
You think?
These things still exist?
I just saw one in my parking lot, and according to Wiki, there are only 6 of them nationwide. The door actually opens straight up. I saw the people getting in and out of it.
A tacomobile then pulled behind it and the wienermobile backed up and then went forward and then backed up and went forward for a few minutes. It then stopped, shook a few seconds, and then the hot dog deflated.
The first part of this story was true. The second part, well, not so much, but it maintains a theme I've tried to keep consistent throughout the Shoutbox.
It looks like it's due in Clarkesville, Georgia at 5:00 tonight, which is a couple of hours north from where I am in Atlanta, so it must have just been stopping on its way through.
And yes, @T Clark is the mayor of Clarkesville, and he will straddling the weiner tonight for charity. For $5 a pop, he'll straddle it for 30 seconds, with all the proceeds going to the Idiots Foundation of Clarkesville. Helping out idiots is a worthy cause, so kudos to Clarky.
:chin:
Thank God for free will!
Sometimes I buy a sack of honey nuts and I try to do the math of how many sacks the guy will have to sell to pay his rent. I then figure he must be a mobster laundering money one honey nut at a time and I talk to him in a fake Italian accent like I'm in the know. I
Thing is, I'm nowhere near the bat shit craziest nut buyer out there.
Those prices are super cheap. I'd eat every meal there. Three hotdogs for $10. I'd drop $100 and pack my fridge full.
Wife would do backflips. She loves stupid shit I do to save money.
$3 for a hot dog in NY is a solid price, but what really shocks me is the price of the breakfast sandwiches and combos, which I've never had. A bacon egg and cheese (also known as BECSPK, baconeggncheesesaltpepperketchup) WITH a coffee for $3 is cheaper than it was at most places when I moved here 10 years ago. That's completely unheard of in 2023. It must be dog food. But yes, the hot dogs are fairly cheap and delicious. I wish I was in that area more often.
Quoting Hanover
Yes, you what??! Don't leave me hanging. Are you alive? Did you get whacked??
A coffee here is around $5-$6. I almost never have coffee out. I drink it black and strong and the shit I make at home is as good as, or better than, most café coffees. A café breakfast here costs around $25-$30, plus coffee. Fortunately I don't eat breakfast, so I don't have to hemorrhage money to eat around here. In American prices that's about $26 US for breakfast and 2 coffees.
I like to think about poor people when I do it.
Wow. And I thought NYC prices were the worst in the world. A simple 12oz drip coffee here at a typical fancy coffee shop should run you about $3.50. I also avoid it but will partake if I have no choice. A non-fancy (i.e. usually burnt unless it's freshly made) 12oz coffee from a bodega (corner store) should run you $1.50-$2. Good bagel shops generally have nice coffee that sits somewhere in between the two extremes in terms of quality, and should be squarely $2 for a 12oz. That's honestly my favorite coffee to get out, especially when accompanied by a hot, un-toasted bagel with cream cheese. The coffee and bagel should come to about $4.
Quoting Tom Storm
Is this like a really nice cafe? Is there anywhere to get a working man's cheap breakfast? Maybe not the greatest meal, but good and cheap?
Compare that with Russia, where a pack of Marlboro is 190? = $1.98 USD.
Surely this has to do with some sort of misguided legislated tax to try to cut down on smoking. That's absurd. I buy American Spirits for $16-$17 here. The habibi spots that sell weed generally sell them under the counter for $12, but because I switched jobs I don't know where to get the untaxed cigs at the moment. I used to be able to get illegal Spirits for $8.
Are there no late night taxi driver spots to get a cheap dahl over rice, tacos, etc? Hole in the wall spots?
I expect so. But, "misguided," you say. Is it, though? Is it?
Smoking = bad for you. Legislation aimed at curbing addiction = laughably stupid.
Is it, though?
Is it not, though?
Do you feel like explaining?
However, evidence does show that increasing tax on cigarettes reduces smoking.
I am not your pincushion, sir. [playful comment, ala T Clark's spelling out of his tone of voice]
Quoting Jamal
I wonder where the evidence comes from, and what other factors contribute to reduction of smoking. Philosophically (because we're supposed to do that here), if you're addicted to something, you'll do whatever you have to to fuel the addiction. I can't imagine that heavy smokers, when faced with massive tax, are just like "ah shit, I can't afford to smoke anymore. Guess I'll just stop." I say this as a mild smoker myself.
There's a 24 hour taxi driver venue 15 minutes from me but burgers are $17 each. A toasted cheese and ham roll is about $10. So hardly cheap. But I've never investigated closely since Melbourne is famously expensive.
Up to a point. That's the point.
After asking "is it though?" I looked it up. The WHO and other reputable sources are pretty clear on it, and there's a report on the WHO site for you to download and read at your leisure should you want to do that.
Quoting Noble Dust
I made a pincushion when I was a small boy and my Mum still uses it. At least, that's what she tells me :chin:
I've never understood the idea that, "You can't legislate morality." Mostly, you can. Especially when we conceive of societal problems in terms of aggregated numbers and percentages over time.
Up to a point. Such a deliciously English (???) phrase.
Quoting Jamal
Thanks, I will. I don't disbelieve you. I guess it's just a philosophical issue to me, the idea that we can legislate "good" or "proper" conduct into people. Perhaps something worth making a thread about. I think it goes deeper and is probably the most complicated question of all, no exaggeration. Maybe you've re-awoken the philosophical nerve in me. Probably not. But who knows.
Quoting Jamal
Does that make you her pincushion? I'm confused and disturbed.
One issue is that it's very easy to legislate immorality.
It is weird that he hasn't posted for the last ten days. Maybe he is just writing poetry/haiku hidden in his house.
Statesmen can and do motivate action among citizens, both good and, yes, bad.
(Have you ever noticed that you sometimes end up on the exact same topic as the adjacent table? - link)
I think I understand, and if I have indeed awoken your philosophical nerve, you're welcome or I apologize, whichever is appropriate.
Quoting Noble Dust
I didn't realize it wasn't universal among English speakers. Anyway, in Britain it's common among the Scots and Welsh, so it's probably British rather than just English.
On the other hand, maybe for you it brings to mind quintessentially English speech, such as Smiley's RP accent in that clip. In which case, your use of the term "English" is acceptable.
I don't know either. Now I'm plagued by philosophical thoughts. Dammit. I liked not having them. But I can't stop now.
Quoting Jamal
It's not that an American would never say that, but it's also just not something we say. We could say it, but we'd probably more likely say "to some degree", or something. Or even worse, "yeah, maybe".
Quoting Jamal
I don't think so in this case. I actually love Gary Oldman, and I love that version of Tinker, but overall found Oldman's portrayal of Smiley to be too on the nose. The RP doesn't track for me with Smiley as a character; plus he doesn't physically look the part, not being overweight and all. Anyway. Great film, that.
"Up to a point" is more precise. You do anything to satisfy your addiction, up to the point at which, say, you don't want to spend X dollars on a pack. I was saying there's a limit with these things. Well, for many people there is, particularly fledgling smokers.
Quoting Noble Dust
Aye, pretty good. I dimly remember Alec Guiness as Smiley in the 1980s, and some say he was better. I haven't read the books though so I have no bloody clue.
"Up to a point" is standard ole talk, not particularly delish.
Legislating morality is a thing, and it works, else you'd be rejecting the entire concept of deterrence as a basis for legislation. Deterrence can result from fines, which includes increases in taxes for certain items, to locking your ass up for misbehaving. That is, unless you're incorrigible, which I suspect is the description of many of us here based upon our kindergarten report cards, we can be beaten into submission
Are Marlboro a premium brand, or is that what they all go for?
I've never smoked, but I'm inclined to start, knowing what respect I'd get with those high priced smokes dangling from my lips. I'll snack on a can of cavier as well so that I'll command the respect I deserve as a debutante.
It was just an example of an internationally popular brand, the one that sprung most immediately, nay urgently, to my mind. According to my deep research, the average price of a pack of cigarettes in Australia is 40 of the Australian dollars.
Quoting Hanover
With ketchup or mustard?
It's not legislating morality, so much as user-pays.
All the libertarians are right behind it. At least, the consistent libertarians.
Yep. And this has also led to a lucrative and violent gang led illicit and tobacco industry here called chop-chop. I did buy some of this about 20 years ago when the industry started to experience what is it like. But this tobacco has fungi spores and bacteria in it since there is no quality control. It's likely worse for you than a packet of White Ox. But cheaper.
You call someone who wants mandated government health insurance with premiums based upon personal risk factors a libertarian?
Sure, but he gets to choose how to respond to his choices. If he wants to smoke and not set aside money for his treatment, he gets to die. That's his choice.
If you have the power to demand he insure himself for the treatment he'll need from smoking because it's a bad choice not to, then you would also have the power to demand he not smoke in the first place because it's a bad choice to smoke.
How is it libertarian to be able to force some choices but not others?
I used to rabitly be opposed to ketchup, but now I like it on fries.
I used to say to my brother things like "I'm going to be late if I don't get there in time, " just so he could smugly point out that I've said nothing, as if I didn't know. I'd then say "oh really"? That was the game of planted error to elicit a response, making him my puppet.
Now send me a picture of a rabbit. That's what you were so going to do.
:cool: :snicker:
Still basically user pays.
Evidence for my argument against legislation of morality. A way way less dark version of this is that I can buy cheaper, untaxed illegal cigarettes in NYC at certain places. You just have to know what to look for. Sometimes you need to build trust in order to open the door.
So it's not libertarian, though.
I only embraced ketchup as an adult. The result was messy.
But seriously, I was the pickiest eater of all time as a child, and now I'm a garbage disposal. It's great. I'm a ketchup fanatic, practically. Not really but whatever. I'm just feeling chatty.
Is it though? Is it? "To some degree" suggests the same thing; "some" can be interpreted as moving upwards towards a higher degree, although it's not present in the phrase itself. It's suggested in the context of how the phrase is used. Both phrases are rather deferring, a putting up of the hands, I think. @Hanover insists "Up to a point" is universal, but we don't know if Fred is his son, wife, or dog, so we should let that be. "Up to a point" is not said in the US, I can assure you. Thus, I rest my case that "up to a point" is deliciously...English? I forget.
I'm not marking any territory, no.
It’s sad to see you so desperately attempting a self-justification. Your ship is sinking, and you’ve grabbed on to a rat. But the rat won’t save you. “To some degree” means it’s somewhere along the scale, but could be anywhere along it as far as you know. No moving upward (or even sideways) to a limit is implied.
Quoting Noble Dust
Since I have absolutely no idea where you live, I don’t know if you speak with any authority.
Quoting Tom Storm
That’s a downside, certainly.
I mean, sure, it is universal, up to a point. The Eskimos don't say it, nor do the aborigines, but most do.
I think we should debate this more, up to a point, but then we'll pretty much be beating a dead horse.
And you, you do have a point that other phrases are similar, but only up to a point, and then you can see distinctions.
And my examples are good, up to a point, then they become tiring and repetitive.
And my examples are good, up to a point, then they become tiring and repetitive.
Speaking of which, where is he? I'm standing atop Fred, looking out into the distance, facing north from where he hails,, yet I see no @T Clark.
Last active 6 days ago. And don't stand on your wife.
You're a writer. And a good one. Surely you have a poetic sense somewhere in that corvusian head. The two phrases are poetically the same, although they may not literally mean the same thing.
Late weekend breakfast: two egg omelette with tomatoes and shredded cheddar topped with salsa, two slices of wheat toast with Irish butter, and a ton of coffee.
Thank you, that’s very kind of you.
Quoting Noble Dust
Twat.
“Corvusian” is good though. I probably would’ve gone for “corvidic” but it’s a matter of choice.
Quoting Noble Dust
Sounds good, but hold the tomatoes. Also, it’s interesting how excited the Americans (Adam Ragusea was going on about this a while ago) get about Irish butter. I mean, Irish butter is just normal butter. Dunno what you folk use for butter when there’s no Irish butter around. French, Scottish, and Russian butter is equal to the Irish.
EDIT: I just read that again and I come across as a condescending smartarse. So be it.
Wanna try a frittata? I think you otta.
8.5/10
I've taken one point off for the inclusion of tomatoes--they don't go well with eggs, at least in their fresh watery form--and half a point off for calling it a frittata instead of an omelette.
Looks delicious, mate. Enjoy your breakfast!
¡Qué aproveche!
My dinner is a ham and cheese sandwich.
Practically identical, are they not? Rings a bell.
Quoting Jamal
I'm not excited it about it in the least, I just bought it because I needed butter. But I do think it's better than the generic American butter I was using previously from Trader Joe's. I've never been to France, sadly, but a friend of mine has informed me French butter is the best. She smuggles it back to the US whenever she can.
Quoting Jamal
Of course you do; there's no reason to mention it out loud.
Looks wonderful. How do you clean the cast iron? I haven't figured that out yet.
Quoting Jamal
Where's my rating? Sheesh.
Also, why are the English (is that right?) so afraid of the watery quality of tomatoes? A tomato should be juicy.
Quoting javi2541997
:yum:
After an omelette it's hardly necessary. For dirty, saucy stuff, a light scrubbing and a thorough drying, occasionally a light oiling down followed by a good heating up.
Well if we're going to be loose with our distinction let's call it a crustless quiche.
Quoting Noble Dust
I'm not entirely clear on that myself. My wife says no soap so I kind of rinse with a brush and water.
Like olive oil? Why heat after oiling?
It seems you still have trouble believing I'm not English. Anyway, I like the wateriness of tomatoes, just not when they're mixed with eggs. I have no idea if the English feel the same. I shall ask my aunts.
I use sunflower or vegetable. Why? Polymerization for a non-stick surface.
Maybe not though.
A small amount of soap is fine I think.
You might be right. I've not seen how it goes from farm to table, so I might have mixed up the two.
Belly porridge is definitely from clear origins though.
:cool:
It apparently includes goose fat: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schmaltz
It's Yiddish. Ashkenazi food, used as a spread like butter by my grandparents, but not common so much these days, at least from what I see.
I knew that already. I'm not a schlemiel.
"I Can't Believe He's Not English!" Should be some sort of reality TV show.
I'm not convinced Wales is a real place.
They make grapejuice I think. The Scotch make tape and the English make muffins. The Irish make cream.
I think so too. Unlike a degree, a point connotes a limit. In my experience the phrase is used in the U.S. It may be used more in Britain, but I wouldn't know.
It is a land of magnificent golf players. Bale and Toshack believed that golf was more important than football itself - when the latter is their income. - So imagine their passion and love for golf...
Thank you. It gets lonely being the sole voice of reason in the Shoutbox, so I appreciate the support.
Quoting Leontiskos
I suspected so. This isn’t the first time I’ve been misled by bad actors on the internet.
Fuck you!
Guys, sorry for the all caps, but I needed to grab your attention. My interweb research has just uncovered some otherfolks who struggled with the up to a point quagmire.
They had this troublesome sentence: "Up to this point, Rosemary’s ‘maternal instinct’ had remained dormant," and they must understandably wanted a substitute for "up to this point. "
Any guesses as to their choice?
"Heretofore" was chosen. A lovely word, having the feel of a 19th century proclamation, perfectly fitting in any conversation.
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/444841/alternative-phrase-word-for-up-to-this-point
So there's your substitute. Instead of saying, I understand what you're saying up to a point, you should say, I understand what you're saying heretofore.
I feel good about this analysis up to a point.
Well, I don't want to burst your bubble, but heretofore works only for "up to this point," not for "up to a point," which has an entirely different (or "whole other," as you folks say over there) meaning.
Well, in proper Merican it's "whole nother".
I need to talk about this because this is where Americans (once again) are right.
The word "another" is unusual in that it combines the article with the adjective. We typically say things like "that is a better word," where the article "a" precedes the adjective "better." Howevs, we don't say "that is an another word," since the article "an" is imbeded in the word.
When we then go to modify the adjective "other," we have a quandary. While it's easy to do in my first example, as in, "that is a significantly better word, " it's difficult with the term "another" because you're forced to break that word apart. You must now say "that is a significant other word", where the word "another" no longer appears.
In order to protect the sanctity of the word "another" and not melting pot it away, respectful Americans break the word at the "a" and preserve the "nother."
Hence, that's a whole nother word.
I have learned something today after all.
I thought the origin of that one was Nadian, rather than Merican.
Incidentally, I've heard that "Canada" comes from the Portuguese from land of nothing. I assume that's a case of embedding the article in the name.
---
- :up:
It actual comes from the combining of 2 Spanish words. Caca meaning shit and nada meaning nothing.
Or just NO SHIT. :wink:
That's the best example I could come up with in a pinch, but I think it makes the point. You might have a whole nother example you'd to use.
India says relations with Canada passing through difficult phase
[sup]— Nidhi Verma, David Holmes · Reuters · Oct 22, 2023[/sup]
Quoting S Jaishankar
Well, no sh!t. How uniquely helpful (and politicizing). So, to the extent allowed by evidence, you hold the responsible to account and move on. And quit the endless tit-for-tat crap. At least that's what a "bigger" party does.
I recommend this video to those who want some background on the dispute:
The Canadian government sure reacted differently to Flight 182 (1985) than Bush Jr did to 9/11 (2001).
Excellent. What's your secret to such uniformity? Mine tend to end up a bit messy.
The dinner I made was less sophisticated, in that it demanded fewer and less exotic ingredients. It was a European-style (here this means olive oil and thyme, and only one spice: freshly hand-pounded black pepper) thing with green lentils, carrots, onion, a can of tomatoes, and garlic. Then I thought, I'd love some roast chicken to go with this, so I ordered a chicken online, but the thing about these apps is the product photos never include an item for scale (I wonder, is there a word for something included in a photograph for scale, i.e., to show the size of the thing the photograph is primarily of?) so I ended up with a mini-chicken, but that was ok because I was just cooking for myself (my wife being in another country right now). Served with lingonberry jam. 7/10.
I've noticed I'm using lots of parentheses in my writing at the moment. I think it's because I've just been reading Delany's Trouble on Triton, where he does it a bloody lot.
I don’t know. Three eggs in a 12” skillet I guess, with plenty of butter. Btw, not long ago I figured out that the trick for not getting the egg stuck on a stainless steel pan is to make sure the butter is quite hot before adding the egg.
Your curry dish sounds really good. I’m gonna have to try making my own sometime.
None available (because I'm a broke artist who can't afford a subscription, and thus no photos of my delicious meals are allowed).
Quoting Jamal
Thanks; it was, but what I've learned about Thai cooking is that it's all about having the proper ingredients, and then the actual prep of the dish is super easy; almost fool-proof. Anyone could do it if they have the right stuff (0r at least, that's true of the basic Thai dishes; I'm sure there's regional ones that are crazy complicated).
Your dish still sounds equally tremendous (The lingonberry jam is a curious addition to my palate, however).
I've also noticed that these Thai curries tend to taste best on day one, in contrast to dishes from other countries that develop flavors over time, like soups, or some Italian dishes maybe. Anyways. We'll see how the curry holds up over the next couple of days.
Quoting praxis
Hmmm. I'm making my omelettes in a non-stick pan; perhaps that's my ironic problem. They do stick.
Quoting praxis
See above; it seems to really be all about having the correct building blocks: the good quality fish sauce, palm sugar, good quality curry paste, kaffir/makrut lime leaves, and Thai basil. That stuff will get you there no problem; easy. Without them, I'm not sure what you'd be left with.
Interesting. Indian curries, on the other hand, improve with time, like soups and stews. Up to a point.
You can get free image hosting on other sites, then you can use the image icon here in the message box to paste in the URL.
This is like the IRS giving hints on how to cheat on your taxes.
Ooh.. um. Grilled salmon? For breakfast? Warm fish mere minutes after waking? None for me, thanks.
Now we know why you're so good at chess; you're a complete sociopath.
[hide="Reveal"]just kidding :wink:[/hide]
Now, I can understand a thin slice of chilled, smoked salmon atop a cream cheese bagel. Not my cup of tea but reasonably edible, at least.
Unless you're some sort of bear, some meats really ought to be saved until midday at minimum.
It does seem more brunchish than breakfastish, not so much because of the type of protein, but because of the sheer volume. Praxis no doubt owes his imposing physique to such sumptuous repasts.
The important part of @praxis' post was not however the substance of his omelette, but the form, in that it was composed in a most perfectly semi-circlion nature, seemingly fashioned by Astraea herself. Not a nary asparagi was peaking past the fold. I also enjoyed the speckle of the white on the surface, showing a well stirred egg, but not so much as to appear overly processed. It announced its homemadedness to all who might appear before it, remaning humble, never haughty.
@jamal slapped it with a 9.5/10, which I do understand because the perfect 10 should remain as elusive as the oeneis melissa, but if there ever should be a candidate for a 10, perhaps this trial is it, with all future omelettemeisters using it as a yardstick (or kilometerstick I suppose for my neighors across the sea).
I can't help but to imagine the transsexual clan on the Little House gathered around dining on this, the Mary Lou Retton (our prayers be with her) of omelletes.
:lol: If you’re scandalized by the omelette wait til you see what’s in my quiche.
Well. Go on.. we're waiting. :meh:
Sorry, I have become fascinated with the habits, specifically diets, of smart people.
Perhaps, if I myself could somehow.. replicate these habits, or diets, in my own life, I myself could one day reach.. the pinnacle? Oh, just a madman's dream, assuredly. Unless....
Then you should have no interest in my eating habits. :rofl:
Last night's pizza or popcorn, maybe, but no fish for breakfast here, either.
BTW, I read that some better restaurants are no longer serving farm-raised salmon at any meal because the quality has deteriorated too much from intensive fish-farming methods.
Huh? Hangtown fry is a legit breakfast (as is salmon in an omelette).
Their True Factuality[/b]
That endless list of scientifically
verifiable fact we call the truth,
is it not the true source of what
we know as wisdom? Does it not
truly guide us on our chosen path
through life, this endless list of
scientifically undeniable assertions?
unlike Wagner's esc-
apade, the revolution
is NOTE being televised.
To a degree, I would say on day 2 the curry is about as good as day 1, but certainly not better. I think Thai curry has a freshness to it. I could be totally wrong, I'm just going off of my own limited experience. To some extent.
"Up to an extent" doesn't really have a firm meaning. At least, to some point.
I just read that right now after I wrote it.
For some reason that made it more believable.
Alas, I do. Anyone who can best me in base intellect, even in the form of a game, is clearly some sort of wizard or robot.
Quoting BC
I don't doubt it. There's probably more of us than them at this point. It takes the average human a good 9 months to become edible whereas a salmon takes a couple years. Plenty of people eat salmon every other day, whereas sharks attack maybe once a month? Mathematically, it's simply not sustainable. You need to think of the fish, man. Put yourself in their fins.
Aside from that, all the nearby, easily accessible habitats are dry. Nowhere to get quick and easy salmon without it having to turn into a blockbuster movie.
[hide="Reveal"]
Quoting LuckyR
If you're a 17th century miner who discovered money for the first time, sure. Fascinating story behind that, I'm sure you know. But for those unfamiliar.
Or a less inane version.
Fascinating what sticks and what doesn't these days.
I just read what I'm writing right now as I'm writing; I'm reading and writing at the same time. It's like an infinite loop; reading, writing, writing, reading the writing, writing what I'm reading again writing what I'm reading again and reading it again as I'm writing it. I'm way ahead of you bro.
This should become an ongoing pinned thread underneath The Shoutbox.
That made me chuckle. Raising a chuckle out of me is quite difficult, so you should really pat yourself. Pat yourself like crazy—but only along to a degree.
My wife keeps telling me that, but about everything, not just bread. In the old days we would scrape the mould off the top of the jam and eat the rest, but oh no! Can’t do anything any more!
Boomer vibes propagate.
This makes me uncomfortable on multiple levels: where to pat myself, how much, why are you telling me this, etc. I don't know up to which or what point I should go.
Quoting Jamal
I like this sentence because none of the vowels are the same.
You have a poet’s perception. I wouldn’t have noticed that. In fact I didn’t.
I think good writers recognize how words work (which is complex!) within the context of a sentence in order to communicate something clearly. Poets hear what words sound like regardless of what they mean. Up to a certain degree.
Yes, 's'what I meant. And some people are both. Maybe you are both.
Each of us is a diverse conglomerate of parts, and some of our parts are bigger than others, and bigger than the parts of others, and vice versa.
I just came up what I consider a 7 on the cleverometer. I see Pickles Mulkahey at the light post. I says to Pickles, "hey pickles, I hear you're stepping out on your lady." Pickles is like shocked, and so is his lady Abracadabra. They get all into it, calling names, throwing shit, a whole WW3 down by the light post.
Finally the dust starts settling a bit and they come over to me, and they're like "Candy pants, where'd you hear such a thing?" And I'm like, and here's the punchline, I says, "just now when I said it." And I take me one right in the kisser, laughing the whole time anyways, being a 7/10 and all the more clever.
I set this story in prohibition era the Bronx. The men are wearing knickerbockers in this story and the woman a dirty peasant dress that was pulled down during the scrap, revealing the entirety of her bosom, both outer and underbosom.
Try scraping the mold off some blue cheese ... a fine example of something which can only be done to a certain extent*.
*Notice the qualification, "certain" being applied to that "extent". It's as if you will know this point, once you get up to it, with a high degree of certitude, when in reality you only know the point, up to a certain extent. @Noble Dust Talk about infinite loops.
I don't understand at all; it's beneath me. I could understand up to my knees, or at a pinch, up to my neck, but very much more would be over my head and beyond me. I don't think I'm alone in this; (looks round nervously) someone's following me!
Hanover is the reigning chess champ of the forum. His strategy of boring his opponents into complacency, taking days or weeks to move a piece, and then exploiting their blunders to the fullest is unbeatable.
I’ve had it up to here.
It's only just begun.
Set us up a blitz game so that I can do away with this complaint of yours. We need to set up a tournament. I'm sure a bunch of us play chess here considering we all seem to fit that profile, whatever that profile is, but we all are of it.
Wasn't complaining, I admire a winning strategy. :starstruck:
Anyway, I'm not sure which is of greater urgency, a chess tournament or a thread dedicated to discovering the contents of quiche.
Another bitter, resentful, angry white man with a gun. A killer without a cause.
I have no interest in looking for the man's reasons, but I do wonder -- again and again -- what compels these guys to keep assault rifles for this purpose. It's insane, but what is the diagnosis?
I bet that the mental health facility did not provide long term care, owing to short funding, not enough beds, maybe not enough staff. Maybe he was committed, evaluated, given Rx, and soon sent on his way. Wouldn't be the first time that has happened to people who need longer term care.
Real men are tired of quiche and similar French chick food.
I never loved a quiche to begin with. A proper French omelette on the other hand, is one of the best ways to eat eggs. All that’s needed is some chives on top.
:up:
Quoting Noble Dust
Good point, but I personally think that hard-boiled eggs in Olivier salad is an exquisite dish.
Eggs with tuna are a good combo too (for example, cold tuna cake).
Quiche is great. What's not to like? Does it go back to the book, Real Men Don't Eat Quiche? But that was itself a satire on the idea that certain foods are feminine, so it was already a thing, in America.
Even if we concede for a moment that some foods are feminine (because, e.g., they reflect the hitherto mostly feminine concern for weight gain), I don't see how an egg and bacon pie fits.
I thought everyone except the Russians called it "Russian salad".
Exactly, give ‘em some drugs cuz science! Also… time is money so “long term” equals more than one hour, for billing purposes. :zip:
Over 200 medications with depression and suicidal thoughts listed as side effects.
This list is from 2018, so there’s doubtless even more experimental psychiatric drugs now…
Maybe it’s just me who’s not a medical expert, but when I see ‘suicidal thoughts’ as a side effect, I take that as ‘this medication may cause the urge to shoot random people’.
Yes, I've seen that a lot on menus in Spain. My Russian wife finds it amusing, since there are many kinds of salad in Russia.
On the other hand, in Scotland we have a few different national soups, but we still use the term "Scotch broth" along with everyone else, to refer to Scotch broth.
I say everyone else, but I don't know if Scotch broth is a world-famous soup. I've had pho, so it's up against some stiff competition. Cullen skink is probably my favourite Scottish soup. I guess it's a kind of smoky chowder (which, coincidentally, was the name of my saxophone teacher).
Incidentally, Scotland is a nation and country despite being part of the unitary state of the UK. This was even more the case for Russia and Ukraine in the USSR, which was technically a federation of republics. Thus, just as Scotland exists, so did Russia and Ukraine in the USSR. They were constituent republics, despite the fact that the citizens of both countries had Soviet citizenship.
Even going back to the Russian Empire, while it's true that Russia did absorb Ukraine and attempt to eradicate its singular existence as a country or nation with a distinct language, this obviously did not succeed and was resisted even at the time.
Just wanted to get that off my chest without actually joining the thread :grin:
I do not know if you know it, but the Catalans try to have the same arguments regarding their national political movement. Yet, Catalunya was never an independent country. They were part of France, it is true. But the county of Barcelona was disputed by both France and Spain. Catalonia is 'modern' political territory, in fact. Well, I don't want to bore you with this because the Catalonian issue is no longer relevant to us any more, so I can't imagine how it is fading away from the international cover...
Quoting Jamal
I understand! Russian cuisine is infinite and unique, and maybe our 'ensaladilla rusa' is pretty far from what Russian salad is in Russia, actually. :grin:
Quoting javi2541997
Wrong!
Quoting javi2541997
Wrong!
Quoting javi2541997
Right!
Quoting javi2541997
Wrong!
It’s not really unique, since many Russian dishes, or variations thereof, are common in other Eastern European countries. Many popular Russian dishes come from other countries, shashlik being the classic example. Same as anywhere I suppose.
So - I am assuming you like Murakami?
Me too. :cheer:
Oh my God! I have said everything wrong. I deserve to be suspended or something.
I agree that Russian dishes are common in other Eastern European countries, and they are not that 'unique'. Also, paella is not the only dish in Spanish gastronomy. Well, I tried to be a savant of Scotland's history and Russian cuisine and I ended up being a buffoon! :death:
Quoting Jamal
Yeesssss!!!
If you liked my profile picture, you can see some similar to them on his official Web page. If I am not wrong, they are the covers of the American version. :up:
Interesting.
I wonder if you went there as an ascetic to reflect on your own philosophy, or if you just went there because you wanted to.
And it makes no sense other than to find a way to give it a separate entry in the World Cup. If the US did that, we could have 50 mediocre disappointing teams.
I didn't even know about this book. I think quiche feels to me like a cross between eggs and bread which I find gross. Then again, my family's national Finnish dish of Kropsua is a favorite of mine. But it's more of a Dutch Baby. Less quiche-like.
Olivier salad I've never had, but of course I've had potato salad, egg salad, and potato salad that has eggs in it. I think I get the gist. Looks good. :up:
Eggs with tuna as in canned tuna? And hard boiled eggs? I don't know "cold tuna cake". Sounds a bit, er, fishy. I'm unsure.
This is a pretty cool anecdote.
My plate of leftover sketti was nothing but torture.
Imagine my disappointment.
Now stop imagining.
Now start.
Now stop.
When I was a kid, mama would make me a cold tuna birthday cake with coconut icing. I couldn't wait to blow out the candles and get a slice with a big scoop of trout chocolate chip ice cream on top.
It was interesting, but I voted "Not for me". The paragraphic line breaks felt overly-dramatic, although it did seem as if the author wanted me to slow down in my reading, which I appreciated. Maybe I should have voted "It was ok". Whoops.
I definitely voted "Not for me" on this micro-story, however.
Fair, but the word "sketti" was fun. I think people read that and thought of me as a kid with a big smile with tomato sauce all over my mouth. It was a strong descriptive term. Maybe a 7.5/10.
Fair, but the play on "cake" was fun. I think people read it and thought of me with coconut icing on my mouth with super trouty breath. Maybe 7.7/10.
My brother did used to say "sketti", as that was his favorite food, so I did appreciate that. Fuck, I should've voted "I liked it". Now you'll lose because of me.
To be fair, everyone's brother said it that way and it was everyone's brother's favorite food, even your brother's brother.
To be fair, my brother's brother was me, and my favorite food was pizza, so although it was my brother's favorite it food, it wasn't my brother's brother's favorite food. To some degree.
Quiche is eggs (mixed with cream, plus added meats, cheeses, or vegetables (although I don't think the French put vegetables in their quiches)) inside a pastry crust. So you've got eggs (or an egg matrix with inclusions if you like), and you've got pastry, which we can call bread for the sake of argument. Now, I'm thinking you're quite familiar with dishes that combine eggs and bread, such as an egg McMuffin, so I'm forced to conclude that you think the eggs in a quiche are somehow amalgamated with the bread, as in Kropsua, i.e., you don't actually know what a quiche is.
And that's okay.
Not to be confused with
Neither is recommended for breakfast. But eggy bread is. Soak slightly stale white sliced bread in beaten egg and fry in butter. Salt, pepper and Yorkshire Relish to taste, with mushrooms, leeks or grilled tomatoes. Like reinforced omelet.
I believe Cardiff is the only city in the world in which the South is to the East.
That's French toast!
Yes, it is as you are imagining it. It has been a while since the last time my mother cooked a cold tuna cake, but as long as I remember, I think she did it following the next steps: the eggs needed to be hard-boiled. Canned tuna and tomato are mixed up with the eggs. This makes a 'paste' or something similar, and then she cooks a puff pastry to 'spread' the paste on it, like a big sandwich. Then, it is put in the fridge for hours to eat it cold. My mother used to put some olives on the top of the cake too.
And yes, the taste of the dish is fishy.
Tossed it out after a bite because of the tooth pain, but what I ate, I enjoyed immensely.
That's a record weight for a tuna, and you just threw out tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. More importantly, my Gran told me there are starving people so you should finish every meal, and I agree with her. Glad you enjoyed it though.
Cinnamon on eggy bread sounds distinctly un-French to me, but as you say, they get unfairly blamed for many things.
Quoting unenlightened
You mean like below? Yeah, not a fan.
I had this for breakfast:
There's a thing about big strong men and oats. Don't know what that's all about.
“Oats. A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people.”
? Samuel Johnson
It's been so long since I've had one that I probably remember it wrong. Perhaps someday I will eat quiche again.
This morning's breakfast was simply two scrambled eggs and pumpernickel toast, with Irish butter once again. Grapefruit juice and coffee. My eating habits go in phases; right now I'm reveling in the simplicity of eggs and toast. What a humble yet mighty breakfast.
Yes, indeed. But I prefer to drop two over-easy eggs on my buttered toast, along with shredded cheese, pepper and Tabasco. But that's about as complex as my breakfasts get. Often it's just cereal or oatmeal ("porage" if you like). Goldilocks' conundrum has never beset me. I merely follow the package and it comes out just right.
Quoting Noble Dust
With respect to @Jamal's careful description, it's just fancy egg pie.
I'll go with the majority here. I fully trust the Shoutbox.
Sound good. For awhile I went crazy with breakfast burritos. wrap it up and put it in a pan for 1 and 1/2 minutes per side. Wrap it in foil. Pretty amazing.
My take is that dental offices should start selling all sorts of shit. It would make the visit less stressful. Distract them with capitalism, I say.
Fears of ‘super-mafia’ as leaders of rival Italian crime networks meet in secret
[sup]— Nick Squires · The Telegraph · Oct 26, 2023[/sup]
MEETING OF THE DONS ‘Super mafia’ fears as heads of Italy’s biggest crime families seen at secret dinner and talk of ‘building an empire’
[sup]— Juliana Cruz Lima · The Irish Sun · Oct 27, 2023[/sup]
On a larger scale ... Kim Jong Un, Pukin, "born again" Bush, Jinping, ...
'Don Salvatore is in the Diary Room.'
Vibe.
I take it that this is a typo and you are asking for advice regarding hotboxing.
---
- That sounds great. I've contemplated it, but never committed.
I don't have @Noble Dust's dedication to gathering Asian ingredients so I just got some professionals to make it for me. For all I know it's nothing compared to what you get in Indonesia, but it tasted bloody good to me. 9/10 (one point off because they gave me a plastic fork to eat it with--at least give me a plastic spoon to eat rice).
Had that too on the plane to Malaysia the other day. :yum:
Lol. If it's any consolation it was just a visa run type thing and I got lost in Kuala Lumpur because I only had a paper map and walked the wrong way from the Petronas towers. :monkey:
You want more?
Quoting Baden
Yep.
Booked a room at the airport hotel not realizing it was tiny. And I mean literally a few metres squared.
Thank you for helping me to relive my pain. :victory:
Any time.
Reminds me of the time I booked a room in Valencia when I got there late after a flight from Moscow, and it turned out to be not only tiny but also in a hostel with a shared bathroom, just as I was developing gastroenteritis, which I still had early the next day on the 2 hour bus ride down the coast. Other things went wrong over those two days but I'm cutting the story short.
On the plus side, I walked the right way and it wasn't raining :up:
Those bastards! Making you pay for a 2-D room when you are clearly 3-D! :blush:
Some say it’s not good to get a big head… I always wondered why, now I know. Thanks.
So easy to find decent accommodation in Thailand I did get complacent...
Quoting Jamal
Ouch.
Do they have Walmart brain surge..
Cool pointers, but I don't understand the obsession with "soft scrambled" eggs. I don't want well done scrambled eggs, but they don't need to be watery either.
Preach, brother.
:100:
Might they get a bit sludgy?
We can only speculate.
I think it's because potatoes are just fine as they are, and you can put stuff on them too.
Not true; we can marinate them.
Quoting Jamal
I go back and forth on whether I think potatoes are just fine as they are. Some days I love them; other days, I find them to be a nuisance.
True, but it's a big step to take.
Quoting Noble Dust
Next time a potato causes you any bother, wield your masher in its face.
Now I'm imaging a marinated potato being essentially a next level mashed potato. This could be genius. I'll grant you the copyright.
Thanks but no, you keep the rights on that. I am against it in principle.
Explain, por favor.
:grin:
Sí, @Jamal explícale, por favor!
I believe that the concept of "next-level mashed potato" is absurd.
Well, I happened to be taking the Orient Express to Paris the other day and they were serving these:
www.cravethegood.com/next-level-mashed-potatoes
Now who's the absurd one, mon ami?
:rofl:
I take it back and apologize to everyone involved.
I like the idea of a guy making a mundane thing like scrambled eggs and then declaring it perfection to his adoring fans.
Like, watch me open the door. That was the perfect door opening that you can only hope to aspire to.
Wouldn't that be a boxty, or hash brown, or something like that?
Never heard of a boxty, so I deny their existence.
The trick to the perfect hashbrown is fried reconstituted dehydrated shredded potatoes with plenty of oil for crispness.
Then scattered, smothered, and covered.
Shouldn't that be "a whole nother culture"?
Yea, that joke sucks.
It's an Irish thing, sort of like a potato pancake. And the Irish know their potatoes so it's very good. I used to think the Irish invented potatoes and brought them to America with them, until I found out they're native to South America, got brought to Europe, then back to North America.
The story I heard was that they ran out of potatoes and then came to the US, no potatoes in tow.
I laughed this morning, because when I went to Mercadona I saw that they are selling pumpkins or 'winter squashes' to celebrate Halloween. I remember that we had a funny debate last year on whether we - the Spaniards - are able to distinguish between a pumpkin and a winter squash.
The offering of Mercadona even says: "La calabaza, ya de temporada en tu cocina" Merca And appears some recipes. But they do not distinguish the product, honestly.
I bought two pumpkins - or winter squashes - for just €6 and Mercadona recommends me to eat them in cookies or drink them in a 'milkshake'. Frankly, I always trust Mercadona but this time they went too far, mates.
When the squash is cooked, scoop out the now soft interior into a blender, add the parsley, onions, and garlic, and then add about 24 to 32 ounces of vegetable broth into the blender. That's 3 to 4 cups if you have American measuring cups. Maybe put a few tablespoons of maple syrup in there too. Blend it really well and then you can eat it and it will not require teeth if that is an issue for you.
First, I must switch those measures to 'European' ones, and I will have to go round all over Madrid to find maple syrup because I have hardly seen any of it in my local markets. I guess it can be available in more specific groceries.
In my experience, some of the non-Spanish supermarkets in Spain have an American section. Carrefour I think.
I suppose, potatoes were so valuable at that time, every person stepping on board the ship was strip searched to ensure the potatoes remained.
Newfoundlanders maintain their Irish roots (pun intended), and outlaw the removal of potatoes from their Island paradise. I know this because when I took the ferry there was warning signs posted everywhere on that ferry, and because I did not know this before entering the ferry, I happened to have some of the illegal substance in the trunk of my car, which left me very worried about possible consequences.
https://inspection.canada.ca/plant-health/soil/n-l-soil-restrictions/questions-and-answers/eng/1528324276081/1528324335895
Go to Kroger and go to the pancake mix aisle. They have all types of syrups. I say see-rup, not sur-rup, so that's something to keep in mind.
If maple syrup is that difficult to find, maybe honey would work. Once it's all blended, it probably won't taste much different.
I wanted to explain before that this is the main cause why maple syrup is hardly seen here, because we tend to consume honey instead. But then, I thought that the supply and demand of both products were not necessarily correlated! :up:
I was once on a train from Paris to the south of France and I was sitting next to a man who knew as little English as I knew French. For some reason, we started talking about pancakes and I was trying to explain how we used maple syrup. It took a while, but he understood my reference to Canada, and then my reference to its flag, and then my reference to the maple leaf on the flag, and from there we got to syrup. He explained he ate crepes with powdered sugar.
He also told me that he went to Germany once and saw all the hot blonde haired women. I thought it was strange he had only been to Germany one time, like it was so far away. Anyway, that was my day on the train with the Frenchman.
I bet there are Atlantanmen who have never been to Alabama.
Atlantamen typically are sophisticated citymen who travel to and fro and know much of the regional landscape. Alabamamen are a different sortofman though. They live closely to the land like livestock, never getting too far from their shanties and lean tos. I think you'd be more likely therefore to see an Alabamaman who's never seen the bright lights of Atlanta than an Atlantaman who has never smelled the urine soaked hills of Birmingham or Tuscaloosa.
Frankly, I thought about cooking the squashes with potatoes in the first place, boiled or baked. But the recipe provided by Hanover changed my mind because it is actually a good way to exploit my squashes.
Just like you exploited your colonies in the Americas.
I'm joking!
I thought it was a joke on 'false friend' words in the first place!
All my family roots come from Castile and Basque, so there is a great possibility that my ancestors were in America back in the day.
We like to exploit wood too. :yum:
It is a negative connotation to refer to Mediterranean countries as lazy and money wasters.
What a scumbag.
To be fair, I'm a squashman. Always have been. Always will be. So I know about these things.
Another way to do them is to cut them into cubes and bake them 45 minutes to an hour or so, seasoning them with some salt, pepper, and of course, plenty of maple syrup. It's a less starchy substitute for potatoes.
Another idea is to yank an old shoe out of your dog's mouth, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and then bake it with plenty of maple syrup.
You can also do hot sauce if sweeteners aren't your thing.
I am starting to think that maple syrup is like an elixir, and my health is at risk if I do not have some in my kitchen.
Quoting Hanover
I thought the pumpkins were the main reason for these autumn dishes, and it seems that maple syrup is getting all the relevance!
Quoting Hanover
El hombre calabaza :up: Helps you out to cook when it is needed.
Fun movie, by the way, is fun. It's a meticulously handmade puppet / animation musical made much more for adults than children, who would probably be quite agitated before the happy ending. Tim Burton directed it.
Are you a real maple syrup hipster, or a salt-of-the-earth Aunt Jemima/Log Cabin man?
What else do you expect from a people that stick their fingers up dykes all the time?
You can't go wrong with plenty of maple syrup. That makes anything edible, even yoghurt, in much the same way that sugar makes cocoa edible.
My go to:
No shit.
I've got a question for the group that I wanted to run by everyone. I don't usually like to get overly personal, but this has been on my mind a lot lately and I didn't know where else to turn.
Do you think we should change the name of Canada to Chananda?
You don't need to let me know right away, buy I don't want this to sit either. Could you let me know your thoughts by Tuesday (I don't care which Tuesday)? If it's a go, I need to get with my signage guy. He'll have a shit ton of work. Probably won't even get off for Christmas.
Lemme know!
Here I was, all ready to chum it up with you and prove that I'm a man of the people by telling you that I grew up on Log Cabin, but sometimes we'd get Aunt Jemima, and I thought it was better, but it must have been more expensive because it was a rare treat, and you go and post this abomination. I won't stand on ceremony. I don't know if that's the right use of that phrase, but it's all gone pear-shaped, so I'm at a loss.
Go back to Chanada where you belong.
Now I'm confused, what's the proper spelling? How about a pronunciation guide?
Sir,
Blue syrup that doesn't even pretend to have a flavoring is worse than the fake "blue raspberry" flavor one sometimes encounters. The Cap'n didn't even have the creativity to think of that. No, the Cap'n deserves the criticisms being leveled at him. And I am not from Can'tada, sir. And I don't stand on ceremony. Ever.
It does claim to have a flavour, in great big letters MAPLE.
And if you haven't the foggiest idea of what "maple" tastes like, don't let it stress you, neither does anyone apparently:
https://agriculture.canada.ca/sites/default/files/legacy/resources/prod/img/sci/maple-erable/wheel-roue2_e.jpg
Clearly I was referencing the blue color.
Blue on the flavour wheel I linked is the "foreign environment" section. That includes flavours like solvents, soaps, petroleum, cardboard, drugs. Something like that is probably what the Cap'n was aiming for.
Personally my favourite maple flavour is in the deep red, "foreign deterioration section", called "soiled mop". I think that's the taste most artificial maple flavour aims for.
Artificial flavoring, however, is free of allergens, is kosher, and altogether pure and wholesome:
WATER, CARAMEL COLOR, ALCOHOL (12%), VANILLA EXTRACT (VANILLA BEAN EXTRACTIVES IN WATER, ALCOHOL, CORN SYRUP), MOLASSES SOLIDS, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SUGAR, AND SULFITING AGENTS.
All these thing are good, except maybe sulfitting agents. Those sound a bit suspicious,
So you add the fake flavoring to high fructose corn syrup and it does the trick. Maple Syrup is sucrose (range of ca. 60–66%) along with lesser amounts of glucose and fructose and complex carbohydrates, including high molecular weight polysaccharides. Who wants polysaccharides (Greek to me) on their waffles?
I think boiled white and brown sugar (sugar + water + heat) makes a superior intensely sweet topping for pancakes and waffles. Add a generous amount of butter. Butter is better.
It's all Greek to me. My solution is to avoid sweets all together; not for health reasons, but because I'm one of those annoying people that doesn't have much of a sweet tooth. Never have, even before I began indulging in adult beverages. Pancakes with syrup once every few years (when I visit my folks) is a nice nostalgic moment, but that's about it for me. As such, I don't much care what the "syrup" is that's applied. And, as @Jamal knows, I'm more likely to be served Finnish Kropsua with lingonberry preserves when I visit me old folks.
Every man, woman, and child receives, at no cost to themselves, a small plastic toy, a prize, a reward, upon the purchase of a humble box of Crunch brand cereals. The Cap'n has always seen that be so. It is who he is, a towering dwarf with a heart of sweet fortified corn.
Until now.
He has just halted his loving generosity to one Noble Dust. He has used his power granted by Post, Kellogg, and your mama's bosom to make certain you never get another cereal box toy.
Take that motherfucker.
To quote the Cap'n upon his making this decision: "Noble Dust can eat the shit out of my asshole."
Sorry for that. He's a sailor. That's how he talks.
Don't you start doing that too. You’re a better writer than that.
To see if “As such” works in a particular instance, ask the question, “as what?” If there’s no answer, it doesn’t make sense.
I can rewrite your post to make it work:
As such, i.e., as the kind of person who doesn’t eat sweet stuff.
Obviously I’ll have to give up and submit to convention eventually if the abominational use of the phrase becomes totally dominant, but right now I’m sticking up for correct use. I may even begin deleting posts.
They had all different colors of syrup from red to blue to my favorite of all, beige.
While some Aussies like to make a joke of it, we all know very well that this dining experience was sent to us from down under, as their slogan made very clear:
@Noble Dust - in your face!! You can't even say as such right!!!
Pancakes are best served with a sprinkle of white sugar and a large squeeze of lemon juice.
Why is the dog in your picture wearing pants?
There it is!
Quoting BC
It is a masterpiece, yes. When I was a kid, I used to watch more than nowadays, on 'Cartoon Network' if I am not wrong... Tim Burton is a film-maker full of imagination for telling different stories.
That's the recipe for lemonaide, yet you have poured it on your breakfast.
My father would never let me experiment with pouring orange juice on my cereal instead of milk, until he did. Turns out he was right.
You're with me or against me. No one wants a fencerider.
I'm bout tired a all the damn stank ass puddles here and there sloppin up in my socks
And I think it is supposed to be a fox in those pants. Or a or a fancy arse dingo.
Someone's left two kids with a dingo? Bloody dills. Folk never learn.
All of this expended energy on this issue was unnecessary, as I was using the phrase in a cheeky (as you...Brits? would say) fashion. Sometimes I like to write in an overly flowery way; I think it's a subconscious making-fun of the philosophy forum poster stereotype. As such, one should not take to heart when I use such phrases and speak in such and such a way, dear sir.
What were we fighting about again? I don't remember.
I think it was over a woman.
Let's not let a woman get between us again. It's just not worth it.
Fred, right? That bitch.
Dogs can be unpredictable usually, but I doubt that the dingo would act dangerously with kids. This can only happen if the dog received bad treatment previously, and then he becomes a wary dog.
I bet the kids are surrounded by worse 'dangers'. The bullies in school, for instance.
:angry:
At the back of my mind somewhere I was cognizant of the possibility that you were being marvelously witty, but all my doubts were overwhelmed by rage.
:confused:
Those two kids are lunch.
I thought the dingo was a domestic dog in the first place.
Now, I understand all the warnings, maybe we can consider it a predator, but who knows...
Yes, the best way is to stay away from the dingo and don't piss him off...
Quoting Banno
I have always known that you were from Australia, but now I have discovered that you are from Queensland precisely.
Because, who would be the folk who shares information and warnings from a region which is not theirs? :yum:
Yeah, that'd never happen.
That's the beauty of having a wife like Fred.
It seems to me that many Americans use Alabama and Florida as the butts of their jokes. This might be for different reasons. Like, Alabama is poor, a failed state, and Florida is fucking mental. I'm instinctively on their side, certainly on Alabama's side at least, because of their underdogness.
Alabama has the rest of the union to help it along, so what's going wrong?
I think that's quite true. I once thought of an experiment where instead of tapping maples once a year, I would tap them hundreds or even thousands of times each year to completely perforate them with little holes year after year. This I thought might produce for me the rare, sought after, and extremely valuable "bird's eye" feature in the lumber.
I had to dismiss the idea though, because it would be a severe and very immoral torture to the trees during their short lifetime, only to be killed right after a life of nothing but punishment, and punishment for nothing. Not to mention, I realized it would probably not work out, and all that work, time and effort, would be wasted, because the wood would be unmarketable as forgery. This would be cruel punishment to me. Therefore Karma would have its way with me, as it does with the wicked maple syrup producers of Québec who reduce the standard on the tappable size, to get them while they're still young and tender, through the means of the cartel, "The Federation".
The saying in Georgia had long been "Thank God for Alabama," although sometimes we used Mississippi in its place. For example, when crime data, educational level data, teen pregnancy data and things like that would get published, Georgia would typically place worst among the 50 states, save Alabama or Mississippi. We'd then say "Thank God for Alabama."
So I will join you in my love for that state.
I also note the inverse relationship to societal success and college football success, although "Roll Tide!" is now pretty well replaced with "How 'bout them Dawgs!"
But to answer your question more directly, since I am your only American resource, don't misuderstand the Alabamaman. The last thing he wants is "help" from the "union."
I think I have to get used to your irony. It is complex because you guys do not use emoticons.
But, if I am not wrong, turpentine is actually a solvent, and it is poisonous to your health, because it is produced to use on chemical stuff. So, please don't eat it with your pancakes, it is reckless... :gasp:
Yes, don't eat paint thinner. That's good advice.
We translate turpentine into Spanish as 'aguarrás' :lol:
????????? ???
What is trementina?
https://www.amazon.com/Florida-Man-Novel-Tom-Cooper/dp/0593133315
There was even a book written about it and an honorary mention in another I read about extraterrestrials.
I have never seen such fame for anything from Mississippi or Alabama. :rofl:
That is the wayward waitress at the cantina.
It goes with the territory--the heat and the humidity.
I thought her name was Fred.
The sap from the weeping willow tastes of sadness and loss, leaving one in a state of melancholy that makes breakfast difficult to endure. I much prefer the blue candy syrup from the loins of the Cap'n.
There's something to that - here, it's the Northern Territory.
I think it is the official chemical name, and we just use slang
Official and used in laboratories: trementina
Slang and used by most of us: aguarrás.
I think "Official and used in laboratories" vs. "Slang and used by most of us" should be standard usage in the shoutbox when it comes to convention. I.E. when I say something or someone or some phrase is "English", that's "slang and used by most of us". Kapish? Do British/English/Welsh/Scottish/Irish/Northern Irish/Isle of Man people even know what "kapish" means?
Not me. I may google it soon if I find the time, otherwise I can wait for your explanation.
EDIT: I've just realized you mean capiche. Of course, it's Italian or derived therefrom.
I may post the explanation if I find the time; otherwise I can wait for you to google it.
I may wait for you to decide, if I have the time.
Kapish means cappicci. Thus, it means 'agree?'
It is fun to share slang words in The Shoutbox. Hanover made a good effort to write into Spanish a phrase where a chemical product is the subject. If you use Google Translate, it just translates 'official' words, but they are hardly used by people.
Furthermore, the Wikipedia article on turpentine in Spanish is directly translated as 'aguarrás' because nobody has ever used that word - from laboratories -
How does one wait for someone else to decide if they have the time when one don't know if one has the time?
It's a good one, that article, though it's a long time since I read it.
For sure, Javi. All good points. I just feel the need to mention that Jamal and Hanover or whatever his name is and I are just banging on about some dumb jokes that are ever evolving, and there is definitely an irony to them; you have a beautiful non-ironic timber to your posts which is refreshing.
Quoting Jamal
A good example of irony, without any emojis.
¡Qué irónico!
Like this?
You're catching on. :up:
Birch juice is an occasional feature of my present milieu.
Those don't quite look like fence posts as "timber to your posts" implies. Or maybe we're talking about timber stamps.
Is it wintergreen that birch juice, and do you just drink it straight?
I grew up in an area dominated by the Icelandic mob, and we used the term "skilja" to mean understand. I once refused to pay protection money for my whaling outfit and they sent Björk to bust my knee caps. Let me just say, from there on out I skiljaed when they told me what to do.
Get a load of this here info:
"One milliliter (20 drops) of wintergreen oil is equivalent to about 1860 mg of aspirin, or almost six regular-strength adult aspirin tablets."
This means 20/6ths drops (3.3333333333333333333333333333333333333) equals one aspirin tablet caplet. That's equivalent to one American drippidydrop.
Do you want the truth, or just the answer that makes you feel more comfortable?
How do you know what would make me feel more comfortable? I'm not about to drink some.
Good try! But no. Eucalyptus trees are likely to lead to desertification in the country. We made the mistake of planting some eucalyptus - a tree which is not originally from the peninsula - and we ended up in a savage desertification. Most of the scientific research has stated:
https://www.fao.org/3/ac777e/ac777e08.htm
Melaleuca, then, a shrub with a similar oil.
I agree, some folk just plant trees where they want to without any previous planning. It is our fault and not eucalypts. Now, if some want to remove them, I would feel bad because of deforestation. We are in a big dilemma thanks to eucalypts.
Yikes! And we have folks like Banno who attempt to plant eucalyptus everywhere! I can't believe that the desertification of my country will be caused by a tree eventually.
Quoting Jamal
You used an emoji! :grin:
EDIT: :nerd:
Yeah, well you didn't live in Gorky Park as a lad now did you?
Maybe a little maple syrup would make the meat tolerable.
Sorry, still working on my emoji game. Will Discourse finally give us a broccoli emoji?
Let me check...
Yep.
I have nothing against koalas, since they don't interfere with my life, but I don't understand why people find them cute. I find them creepy.
Count yourself among the lucky. Koalas constantly mock me in public and bully me on social media. What I would give for just one evening without the taunting.
996008
Fuck you Amex. You're not the boss of me.
You truly are strenuously cool and aloof. :gasp:
You are just lucky that you don't have to deal with the drop bears.
You're not wrong.
They spend their lives shit-faced.
And they have two thumbs. So they don't fall out of the tree.
Until I see one with a smoking reefer in hand I won't believe it.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8Ss4Ph7/
Hmm.
So do I - but only two of those have any content. Perhaps it should be "Draught"?
In the end I realized it was your way of telling me there was something wrong with drafts, so I created a draft and noticed that it created an extra page, so even though I only have one draft, there are two pages. A bug, apparently. So long as your drafts are being kept there and the primary functionality is still working, it’s not a big deal. We’ll be moving to a new platform in a while—I’ll post about that soon—so I’m not reporting bugs to Plush any more (unless they’re critical).
My 14 pages are actual posts I thought better of posting. but if you spend any time thinking about it, a draft gets autosaved and even if you wipe it from the thread, it comes back next time you go there,
So now because it is easier, I usually edit my unpasted posts to a full stop rather than navigate to the drafts page and delete there. I would prefer a save draft manual button, personally, but others might lose their pearls half formed.
Discourse discards the draft automatically if you delete everything in it.
Blimey, that sounds almost sensible! [s]Can't wait[/s]. Can wait actually, can't do anything more productive though, unfortunately.
Orcas Sink Sailing Yacht off Morocco (The Maritime Executive · Nov 5, 2023)
Orcas sink another boat in Europe after a nearly hour-long attack (Live Science · Nov 6, 2023)
Now you know too.
The most interesting thing is that the behaviour is thought to have spread from one influential orca, who was somehow traumatized by a bad encounter with a boat and has been attacking them ever since.
...yes... ok...
Or was it a cunning plan to trick you into revealing your scheme for our little world? You'll never know.
I give you seasoned grilled porkchops, grilled apples with cinnamon and honey, and okra with hot sauce.
Nobody noticed (or nobody cares).
Haven't had a pork chop in years I believe. Forgot okra even existed, actually. Never hear its name come up around these parts. Never heard of grilled apples though sounds like a nice, healthy-ish alternative to traditional dessert. Good for you.
Pork chops with salt are so much better than without. Pro move. Wow. :clap:
I notice you often have okra. I've never cooked with it and rarely eat it, and now I feel I'm missing out.
Apples are a traditional accompaniment with pork. They were picked at a north Georgia orchard by my son and his girlfriend, Fred and Fred.
Southern pork chops are thin cut and typically deep fried in batter, but mine are a healthier alternative, spiced to perfection with a bottle of orange looking spice mix from the bargain aisle. It's reminenesent of the Colonel's secret recipe seasoning and twice, perhaps twice point 5 more delicious.
Okra gets much attention at chez Hanover. It's good fried and battered as well, but I like it boiled, offering a mucus like texture, much like stuffed nose, but without the pesky scratchy throat.
The plates are indeed from 1995, a souvenir from my first marriage. I got the dinner plates. Take that beeeaatch!
It's difficult to grow okra in maple syrup country. If you wait too long after the last frost you meet up with the first frost. Digression warning! Odd that the first comes after the last, must be one of those eternal circles where the beginning and the ending become indistinguishable, one and the same. I tried but failed. There are varieties which can be grown around here with special care. A friend of mine from the south grew some and I tried it. I decided it's not worth the effort, and I don't feel like I'm missing out, the cold weather tends to produce an endless supply of mucus.
Quoting Hanover
Why not just eat snot? It's more readily available.
That is bullshit I say, or at least it's not true gumbo, as it has no kingombo in it.
Fun fact: my cat's name is Gumbo.
Edit: Just kidding. Oh well.
There ya' are, old timer. :up:
See, being cyberbullied about the food you post doesn't feel so good, now does it?
Ah, thank you. Gentlemen, I give you Outlander's presentation of my humble tuna melt. And first photographic evidence of my corporeal existence.
See, being cyberbullied about the food you post doesn't feel so good, now does it?
Your attempt at revenge is sadly misplaced, Hani-boy.
When did I ever cyberbully you about your food, Hani-man?
Don't you try to gaslight me. You made a comment about me salting my pork chops being a pro move, followed by a "wow," dripping with sarcasm.
But maybe I misunderstood and you thought salt was a big deal. I'm rethinking it all now.
It's comments like that that made me a great dad.
We as a species hold those with power above our heads we cannot reach to a higher standard. You can understand that, surely. Of course. For you must. Lest ye be driven out by the villagers and replaced. Perhaps with the likes of myself. Imagine that, why doncha'.
So I have no idea what you just said, but my head exploded in its wisdom, so you got me there I'll admit.
Salt is a big deal, but I was merely pointing out that all food should be seasoned, so there's no need to mention it. I'm also trying to work more emojis into my posts because @javi2541997 was opining us cool kids lack of their use. :smirk:
God I hate that. It looks so cringy.
Anyhow, what interests me is that the reason all the services went down (not just one segment) is because they’re all controlled via TCP/IP. (Apparently the outage was caused by something called a BCP router misconfiguration.) But what struck me is that the whole original rationale for TCP/IP was to avoid having single points of failure. It was originally developed in the Cold War, so that if the Russians nuked America, the loss of this or that network hub wouldn’t stop information transmission, as the individual data packets would then automatically re-route themselves through the next available connection. And here we are, 50 years later, in a situation where one component in a network provider’s infrastructure can grind half a nation’s internet and telecomms services to a halt. Possibly from a network design decision made decades ago and so embedded very deeply in the machinery.
Anyway, that’s all I wanted to say about it. Myself, I use another network provider, so wasn’t affected, although I did notice GPS went offline yesterday morning when I was navigating around our western suburbs, which might have been a ripple effect.
Ordinarily your witty snark is appreciated, a refreshing, even delicious, intellectual mist reminiscent of my own. But not this hollow mockery. Surely you of all people could do much better.
It isn't confidence or bravery that you are short of, and in this case your fear is a good thing,
I'm willing to give a suicide proposal serious attention, but you have to say more. Much more.
In the meantime, have a nice day,
That's too bad.
When telecoms went down in Gaza, the people began looting.
It is generally assumed that were all of the telecom services to go down at the same time (no phone, no internet, no radio, no TV, no cable, no GPS... just nothing), it would not be long before at least looting began. It would not be at all surprising if even the rich WASP matrons living on Park Avenue in New York were to leave their luxury coops and start smash and grab riots at Bulgari, Dolce & Gabbana, Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Armani, and Kate Spade. Poor slobs trying to grab a diamond or a fancy hat would not stand a chance! The matrons would move on even Target and Walgreens--they require toilet paper as much as everyone else, if not more so.
After a week or two of all systems down, it is anticipated that people would begin resorting to cannibalism--not because they were starving, but because they were so utterly bereft of the stabilizing beacons of 21st century life.
Loss of all media would be experienced as night of the living dead by many people.
Hopefully this will not come to pass in the near future.
Hey BC; sorry for the unsightly comment.
I just recently entered university and if I'm being honest, I haven't exactly been able to take advantage of its opportunities ( which is putting it pretty lightly :sweat:) . It's exam season right now and I guess the stress was getting to me. I felt the need to scream some obscenities, but seeing as it's around 2:30am, I needed a different outlet, which is where I remembered this place and its function.
My shout wasn't necessarily aimed at anyone, but I'm glad you reached out. Again sorry for the unnecessary gesture.
When something so relied upon goes down, it can create panic, and chaos may follow. But I think it really depends on how the service is interrupted. When it's a natural disaster, people seem to understand it as a natural thing, and they tend to be helpful toward each other, united against nature. But when its an act of sabotage, violence, or terrorism, there seems to be a completely different attitude, I guess because people feel wronged, and all hell may break loose.
:cool:
Cringy? No, mate. You look like the most intellectual boss using emojis.
Some examples...
Where the hell is Clarky? :eyes:
Jamal said that maybe we move to another platform. :broken:
My parents hate me. :grin:
Etc.
I can understand that, totally. It's been 60 years since I entered college, and I am SO GLAD I don't have to relive it now. So glad it's only academia and not an existential crisis, yet anyway. I haven't forgotten though that one has to take things seriously, even if it's driving one a little crazy.
So carry on; learn a lot however you can; find friends; blow off steam regularly; enjoy life as much as you can.
What are you hoping to achieve in school and do after that?
Oh, and I got schooled on a tech forum about how my appeal to the rerouting ability of TCP/IP is really, um, 1970 something and it’s become a lot more complex in the 50 odd years since.
I'm not entirely sure. I tell most people something along the lines of chemical engineering, but being surrounded by numbers all day isn't exactly enticing... I'm mostly banking that my passions and aptitudes will illuminate over time.
Here in Georgia, once you reach 65, you can attend any university, community college, or even tech school for free of charge. They won't pay for graduate level courses or professional degrees, but you can collect as many undergraduate degrees and tech degrees you want until you die.
My goal is to get an HVAC certfication when I'm 65 so that I can repair my AC for free. I'm also thinking of being an archeologist and maybe being a classical dancer.
My point here is that I think that would be a great way to spend retirement, being the old guy signing up for random classes at tax payer expense. Why are you so glad not to relive that? College was an amazing 9 years for me, and then I had to start working.
Got it. Yeah, the whole survivalist industry is based on impending civilizational collapse. Oh well, I guess everyone should have a hobby...
In California, on your 65th birthday they send you a brand new library card free of charge, and if you can’t afford rent anymore you get a 10% discount on a cardboard box.
I keep a stack of twenty dollar bills in my bathroom I use as toilet paper, so I guess I could have my manservents use those to fetch me a meal if things got too bad. My concern is that the grocery people will not push the underclass away quickly enough to assure I will receive my full serving of my okra.
Once I went to the library (I know you're calling bullshit on this already, but this story is real, I promise), and they said I owed like $30 or so and I couldn't get a book until I paid it. I then gave them another card that didn't have a balance on it, and they said I wasn't supposed to have more than one library card. I said, "yeah, but I want to use this one." They let me do it, but said I wasn't supposed to do it. I then asked them for the form so I could get another card.
I played upon the contradiction between government workers wanting to enforce rules but not caring if there is a way around the rules.
It reminds me of the time when someone complained they couldn't upload a picture because they weren't members here, so @Jamal gave them a work around.
My advice is take haute cuisine classes from the hospitality dept and golf classes from the PE dept
At least you're not in Siberia.
Edit: we are still allowed to be rude about Russia - they're not endangered or anything ?
Mate, no! We should not be rude to Russian folks, for two main reasons:
1) they are excellent chess players; 2) the Brothers Karamazov are actually from Mokroie - Russia -
Georgia's commitment to free education for those entering old age and approaching the grave is heartwarming. It's wonderful how the old folks are now discussing Milton's Areopagitica instead of obsessing about their bowel and bladder problems like they used to do.
For those who haven't taken the Milton class yet, Areopagitica is Milton's defense of free speech. If you had bothered to learn Greek, you'd know what ????????????? references. Check your lecture notes on Isocrates.
This will definitely be on the exam.
I majored in English thinking I would teach high school. What an idiot I was! I should have picked a rock-solid field like geology.
I just double checked. It's actually age 62 where you get the free education. Medicare is 65. I guess I got that confused. Free school at 62 and then free healthcare at 65 if I make it from 62 to 65.
Georgia also pays 80% (or something like that) of college tuition if you graduate with a B average and like 90% if it's a B+. Thanks to compassionate teachers, everyone now has at least a B average. Funny how much smarter the kids got when the law passed.
Georgia is actually very progressive about some things. Who'd have thunk?
Tnx!
I'm yer ideal running mate cause we're totes oppo. Can make tiktoks where we fight and everyone will love us cause we're work husbands. I want all the coin and then some. Tnx!
Or possibly, from service monopoly that wouldn't allow multi-point infrastructure so that there's a kill-switch or a surge protector to limit the area of outage.
This doesn't deserve a full thread, the notion that the self-censoring of a community of scholars might result in a de facto conspiracy is novel.
With a trigger warning, see Deep Adaptation: A Map for Navigating Climate Tragedy.
For those who don't trust virtually unknown websites, let alone non-secured ones, would you be able to offer a synopsis or list of bullet points of their claims alongside reputable evidence of said claims and your thoughts or criticisms of each one?
Thanks.
No.
So basically you have no idea what you read or saw it just happened to occupy your mind for a short duration similar to the way jingling keys distract a small mammal.
Wonderful. I love honest people.
Circling back to the crumbs of opinion you were able to share: self-censoring of scholars or rather accusations such censorship was not self-performed at least not without leverage or other means of coercion.
As far as Deep Adaptation (which I am now only currently reading) it seems to say, the more pollution or otherwise disruption of natural Earth (the way Earth was thousands or even mere hundreds of years ago was and would be without human life) more weather or other catastrophic (to human life) events would occur, be they increased earthquakes from disrupting the ground for oil or minerals or even increased volcanic events from changes in the constitution of the atmosphere.
Basically the idea that (and this may be a stretch or different from mainstream) for life to have been able to not only exist at first but for so long so as to evolve intelligent humans, a planet must have it's own form of homeostasis that corrects problems (threats) to its own existence either quickly or slowly, similar to the human immune system. See that makes sense.
And yes, it is easier to be critical if you begin by misunderstanding.
This isn't a commentary on the science of climate change, but just a commentary on me.
Not sure where my running mate @Noble Dust stands on this, but, as is often the case, workmates don't always agree.
Eventually, should you live long enough, it will be.
Yeah, but you're too old to be around to tell me "I told you so, " so I'll get that satisfaction
I was running low, so this'll come in handy.
My words will be echoing around the hollows of your soul; you'll remember, if only as a vague regret.
You didn't put that puss on home-cooked corn beef, did you? Such villainy!
Self-imposed investigation perhaps. This isn't Scooby-Doo and you're not driving the Mystery Machine.
Good for you if you have an hour to watch a video to extract the top 3 or even 12 bullet points. I don't. So please, help those on a time crunch who are just as eager to understand what you do yet lack the time to "investigate".
Yeah, workmates always have a better sense of comradeship.
Breakfast: Two toasts with olive oil, tomato, salt and a big cup of coffee. I thought about eating magdalenas with the coffee, but I finally decided not to. The price of olives and olive oil has increased, and now is around €10 per-litre. I don't care, because I can't live without this product and I would pay whatever it costs.
Classic Spanish breakfast. It’s shocking that olive oil should be expensive in a country that produces it.
I feel I’ve one-upped you today because I had ramen for breakfast, which is Japanese.
Ramen is Japanese I mean, not breakfast.
Ramen for breakfast! What a good idea. I only take tofu as Japanese food for breakfast. If I didn't take tofu today is due to I ran out of it.
Quoting Jamal
Yeah, it is crazy how expensive the aliments are in Spain nowadays. I had a brief conversation with a woman at Mercadona, and she told me that she would freeze some fish and that stuff in the freezer because she was worried about how the prices would be at Christmas...
To sum up the prior post: After cleaning the entire attic, I heard sounds from the wall— the same sounds as before that I originally thought were mice. Months ago, when the guy came to inspect the house and attic, there was no evidence of mice but definitely of bats. That, I thought, explained the sounds. They can sound very similar to bats.
Anyway — after the sounds were heard, I went back to the attic. No evidence bats had returned. So I bought some cheap Dollar Store tablecloths, and laid them all over the attic to be sure. Days later…nothing.
:chin:
Went down to my basement a day or so later, and what do I find? A dead mouse in one of the traps I set months prior, when I thought they were the culprit.
Quoting Jamal
Turns out, that’s exactly it.
I had both. We kept hearing them in the walls. But the reason there’s no evidence inside was because the infestation never got big enough. They were simply looking for a warm place.
So, I had the option to pay $4,000 for Terminex to come seal up my house— or I could use the YouTube and the Home Depot, and do it myself. The choice was obvious.
I bought steel wool for $5, for a 12-pack, and some Great Stuff spray foam — 3 cans. I went around and looked for any cracks or holes — and there were plenty along the cement foundation near the garage. But mostly in the corners of the house where the vinyl siding meets. The prior owners had stuffed them with steel wool too, but they were so old they disintegrated when I pulled them out. So I focused my attention there, especially.
I also set several traps with peanut butter around the basement and garage. After talking with my neighbor, I just bought bait traps you can put outside that contain poison but are no danger to kids or pets.
After doing the sealing, haven’t heard a PEEP.
I was worried I would just be trapping them inside, but since I haven’t heard anything I think I’m good. May have dodged a bullet. And even though I had to spend roughly $100 or so, I got off cheap. Knock on wood— I hope it stays that way.
So, I think the long national nightmare is over. :party:
I plead innocent to that charge, sir. You have to excuse me, at late hours I happen to frequent a particular website that prides itself on "free speech" and "uncensored debate". Naturally it attracts quarrelsome people. It can become quite frustrating. In the lateness of the hour (and dregs of my beverage) between browsing multiple sites one loses the decorum and mannerisms expected betwixt two opposing creeds of establishments. Alas, I enjoy such sites as they are often frequented by those who need guidance, both moral and factual, the most and I happen to enjoy distilling knowledge and helping to facilitate the progression of the human experience. I'd wager we at least have that desire in common, eh? :grin:
China has a sweeping vision to reshape the world — and countries are listening
[sup]— Simone McCarthy · CNN · Nov 10, 2023[/sup]
I guess these kinds of get-togethers and public statements are usually accompanied by grand verbiage and big words (and some denials). In this case, what they keep missing (over and again) is democracy transparency freedom contra authoritarianism regress oppression. To know what others want, you ask them. Go the way of the former and have some multi-flavored many-polar'ed textured world. :up:
How can young-Earth'er Mike Johnson get voted into office...? Bizarre.
Johnson’s 'symbol of Christian warfare' exposes his ties to aggressive Christian nationalism: report
[sup]— David Badash · AlterNet · Nov 10, 2023[/sup]
(Dutch Sheets (Wikipedia))
Little do they know, that I snagged her while fishing off Bonita Springs a few years back. She wouldn't tell me where the fish were, so I sold her for scrap metal.
Did you extract the freon first?
That's a sad story.
To be clear, the sad part was her untimely death, not that he had to endure her for 5 years.
A satisfying conclusion to your story, though part of me wishes your suffering would continue just for my entertainment.
My favourite bit was when you confirmed I was right about the mice :grin:
Lol figured you’d like that part.
And don’t worry, with my luck one of the two will be back before you know it. Nothing can be this “easy” without costing me a minimum of two grand.
My offensive shield will be the dozen poison traps I set up around the perimeter!
Just because it's absurd doesn't mean it's not true.
Quoting Hanover
Yep, Francine was the result of a dalliance with a servant.
I had scarlet fever once. I had splotches all over my legs. It was pretty cool. I had been sick a week or so, and then the splotches came, so I went to the doctor and he said once the splotches come, you're pretty much recovered, so I went about my bidness.
Do you know why they call those little fried corn balls hush puppies?
https://www.deepadaptation.info
Some folk here might find it useful.
"On this website, we use the terms societal collapse or breakdown to describe the ending of our modern ways of sustaining human life. Different people within DAF view this as likely, inevitable or already happening. "
Now, they ask for donations on the same page. I have to wonder what the donations go toward if societal collapse is what supports their movement.
DA Forum participants recognize that many communities have already experienced the trauma of collapse, whether from natural disasters or due to war, slavery, colonization, and/or other social injustices.
Oh my goodness, I can't be a member of this forum because I don't recognise that 'mess' and 'injustices'. So, I was blocked ipso iure.
Quoting Banno
I thought the same... some TPF folks would love that site because it stands for all the drama they love to spread around the threads. I invite them to join them. Maybe they have more luck of being accepted.
Quoting Metaphysician Undercover
You don't have to wonder really, it is fairly explicitly set out. No doubt the practical details are also there if you care to investigate further.
[quote=Bendell, 2019]In pursuit of a conceptual map of “deep adaptation,” we can conceive of resilience of human societies as the capacity to adapt to changing circumstances so as to survive with valued norms and behaviours. Given that some analysts are concluding that a societal collapse is now likely, inevitable, or already occurring, the question becomes: What are the valued norms and behaviours that human societies will wish to maintain as they seek to survive? That highlights how deep adaptation will involve more than “resilience.” It brings us to a second area of this agenda, which I have named “relinquishment.” It involves people and communities letting go of certain assets, behaviours and beliefs where retaining them could make matters worse. Examples include withdrawing from coastlines, shutting down vulnerable industrial facilities, or giving up expectations for certain types of consumption. The third area can be called “restoration.” It involves people and communities rediscovering attitudes and approaches to life and organisation that our hydrocarbon-fuelled civilisation eroded. Examples include re- wilding landscapes, so they provide more ecological benefits and require less management, changing diets back to match the seasons, rediscovering non-electronically powered forms of
play, and increased community-level productivity and support. A fourth area for Deep Adaptation is what could be termed “reconciliation.” That is in recognition of how we do not know whether our efforts will make a difference, while we also know that our situations will become more stressful and disruptive, ahead of the ultimate destination for us all. How we reconcile with each other and with the predicament we must now live with will be key to how we avoid creating more harm by acting from suppressed panic.[/quote]
Cheers. Not your usual help group, consisting to a large degree of academics in the areas of environment, economics and sustainability. Yes, a sociological minefield - intelligent folk are far and away the hardest to work with.
Well, the fourth part of the "conceptual map" seems to be at odds with the first three.
1. Recognizing the reality of societal collapse.
2. Letting go of assets which will worsen the situation.
3. Reestablishing an attitude lost to the past.
4. Recognizing that this might be the wrong approach:
To me, the problem is glaring. It's number 3, which presents a return to the past, as an attitude for the future. This is clearly unrealistic. Instead of providing an accurate evaluation of the current situation, and proposing a way forward starting from the current situation, as taken for granted, it proposes that we magically go back to an earlier more desirable time, and take this as the starting point. That's a form of denial. It's like saying I'm getting old, closer to death, and "bodily collapse" appears imminent, therefore I should give up all the bad habits and detrimental material possessions which I've collected over my lifetime, and return to being an innocent babe. It's simply not realistic. And who is going to be charged with looking after those assets which are freed up in part two, "relinquishment"?
Yes. If you are looking for a way forward, you need to look elsewhere.
Even if the result of capitalistic exploitation of the environment is a collapse of many currently available societal structures, it doesn't follow that what will follow is a reconsideration of the capitalistic system. That sort of thinking is just the monotonous mumblings expressed by a Marx leaning academia.
What will likely result are capitalistic adaptions, meaning our ingenuity will be focused on new technologies (or, as you might say, "exploitations."). Capitalism is Darwinian by nature and it will adapt to these new changes, even if the adaptations are painful, but there would be no reason to think that with these social systems collapsing that an economic revolution will follow. That's just wishful thinking by those who are opposed to the status quo, especially by those who don't appreciate the resistence (thank God) the entrenched capitalistic influences will provide.
And the "thank God" is my sincere commentary, but you knew that.
No thanks.
Probably not. Not really their style. He's more likely to have a mental illness and to have misunderstood some ancient historical fiction.
Yes, you are quite right, there are folk who would choose to make a profit. Some folks are that narrow.
Yes, you are correct. Their talk of the end of times is folly, not yours. How many animals have you decided you need to put on your ark to save you from the coming deluge?
I do predict the earth will one day cease spinning, but I have no thought it will be for a reason I predict.
Quoting Banno
This drive for profits has given us the internet that allows us to speak across the oceans so we can use it to discuss the evil of profits because profits love irony.
Yes, Hanover. Folk need such myths.
You seem to think you have made an important point. But your comments look instead like expressions of your need to defend yourself. Well, why not. After all that's just what Deep Adaptation is doing.
So why shouldn't management and sustainability have a place to chat. I'm not too keen on the spiritual stuff, but others lap it up. Why did you choose this topic to respond? Why does it upset you?
You might want to skip the dude waffling at the start.
Like 99% of us here, I've heard plenty of secular environmentalist talk. I like that kind of talk. However, IF a religious environmentalist can get more traction than the secularists have so far gotten, then more power to them!
When I think about what must be sustained, I think about creeks and rivers wandering among hills covered with hardwood forest; I think of the animals that live around me--birds, mammals, insects, fish; I think of fertile farmland in its various seasons; I think of tolerably warm summers, very cold winters, and the transitions between the extremes (fall and spring). I'd like at least a few big cities to continue on--Chicago and Boston are my two favorite ones, you'll have your own favorites.
I don't know if it will be sustained. The chances don't seem good.
If love is more motivating than truth, as the speaker says, then avarice -- the love of money -- is clearly in the drivers seat. Avarice is said to be the root of all evil. An end to growth, even for the sake of what we individually love, is a hard sell. Where population grows, economic growth is difficult to contain. Reduced growth is likely to mean fewer resources for me and thee. Thee can jolly well live on less, but my case is special. I need more than I've already got.
How much shrinkage in our personal, community, state, and national economies are we willing to put up with, on behalf of the world we love? 5%? 10%? 20%?
You forgot the people.
We are going to shrink big time. The economy will shrink, is probably already shrinking; food production is already shrinking; every species of non domestic animal has already been shrinking by 65% average; the land is shrinking and habitable land is shrinking faster. Willing or unwilling, we will shrink.
If humanity is the problem, nature will solve it with a slight shrug of ethnic cleansing, and a few millennia of adjustment. I'm hoping it is just our modern philosophy that is at fault. We forgot to love each other.
Below is a forecast for the UK towards the end of the decade, but I think much will be applicable to any community in the world. The UK is particularly vulnerable to food shortage, other issues may prevail where you are.
https://www.seedingourfuture.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Whats-Next-Risk-Review-UK-2030-V2.pdf
Quoting unenlightened
From 1999 to 2022, the US GDP grew every year.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/188165/annual-gdp-growth-of-the-united-states-since-1990/
Quoting unenlightened
In the US, for production has grown every year, the graph showing a 45 degree angle upwards.
https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2020/03/05/look-agricultural-productivity-growth-united-states-1948-2017
Quoting unenlightened
No it's not. Farm land has decreased from sprawl, but not actual land. As noted above, decreased farm land has not translated into decreased food.
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsagscitech.2c00250#:~:text=Introduction&text=No%2C%20the%20United%20States%20is,(%E2%88%BC7%20million%20acres).
Quoting unenlightened
That's a gross misinterpretation of the studies:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/animal-decline-living-planet-report-conservation-news
https://www.ennonline.net/fex/8/online
https://genocideeducation.org/genocides/the-killing-fields-the-cambodian-genocide/#:~:text=From%201975%2D1979%2C%20Pol%20Pot,starvation%2C%20overwork%2C%20and%20executions.
Instead, the Marxists look up to the heavens and measure the clouds spinning around and that's where they see the danger.
Materialism is the root of avarice. The value of money is based in material goods. Spiritual values are often seen to be inconsistent with material values. Ultimately, one must be positioned as higher than the other, and the other subsumed within that hierarchy, if consistency is to be obtained. Unless, a third principle is proposed which subsumes both of the conflicting ones.
I don't think upsetness is what I feel. I was just joining in the discussion and drawing parellels between the respective extreme polar worldviews. Both sides (the religious and secular) maintain views about the end of times and are certain the cause are the cumulative sins of the past and both look to the heavens for the cause. My reference to Noah was to point out that we've been talking about the end of times since the earliest of times.
I fully expect one day for civilization to collapse, but I have no idea what will cause it. It might be a nuclear holocaust, a volcano that covers the earth in cover, or an angry virus. I expect also there will be great resiliancy by humans, as we are at the top of the evolutionary ladder for a reason, having been forged for millions of years to live in this ever changing environment. Our DNA doesn't just make us able to weather environments, but it allows us to manipulate them, where we cure diseases, find new sources of energy and so on. I trust in our ability to sustain. We are not fragile beings.
What I am most concerned about for the here and now are the good intentions of folks who think they have a solution for the worry du jour and so they'll implement policies that will assure an immediate threat to civilization, weakening economies and exposing us to threats from those who might wish to do us harm. That is, I do see a long term threat from climate change, but I see a bigger threat from policy makers who think they have a solution. I trust better in our ability to adapt and survive than in our ability to predict and control.
Groucho or Harpo?
Sorry, can't talk right now. I'm currently being captivated by the glorious past. I'm not sure if I'm still in the ruins or in my hotel room. And to be honest, who cares? Lief is good. Thank you, Karl, Groucho, Harpo, whoever...
Good group.
Cyanobacteria can survive in water down to around a pH of 4.
As all aquarium owners know, aquatic life forms adapt to changes in pH. What they can't tolerate is sudden changes (like over a period of minutes). If you change the pH slowly, they'll adapt.
Talapia can live in fresh and salt water and they require very low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water to survive. They also go especially well over a bed of rice with a side of okra, the universal accompaniment.
No, this bacteria that evolved in acidic ocean water, survived 2.7 bn years, through all the mass extinctions, including the one where the equator was covered in ice, that's the one we're going to kill off in the next 25 years. No scientist on the planet thinks that, but this guy selling sustainability says so.
Big thumbs up for that.
With the bed of rice, what kind of pillow do you use?
It's not for you, in the same way that you hopefully don't need a support group for stomach cancer, either because you do not have stomach cancer, or you do, but do not yet know it.
For some, the existence of such groups is a way of dealing with life.
For some, the existence of such groups may give one pause, perhaps to reflect on the vagaries and uncertainties of life. But for the grace of god...
Others, a last group, will criticise the self-indulgence and laugh at the misfortune, or accuse those who seek to help one another of trying to overthrow the proper structures of nature and society. Imagine wanting cancer treatment on the national health! Communism!
I don't think it too much to ask these last folk politely to go fuck themselves.
As to the stomach cancer analogy, I'd say I would need therapy if I thought I had stomach cancer and that caused me great distress, regardless of whether I actually had stomach cancer. I would need treatment for my distress, but not my physical condition because that's my issue as this is framed. But again, I would hope the treatment would involve them reassuring me I didn't have stomach cancer if I didn't.
I've not criticised anyone for seeking help. Help is what they need. I just addressed the facts.
I do believe that what might offer these folks some comfort is their reading my reassuring comments in this humble Shoutbox about the liklihood of climate change castrophe as it might compare to the much higher liklihood of some other catastrophe devastating their lives. That is, sure, you may one day drown in the ocean in Iowa, but more likely you will be hit by a freight train in Peoria. As they stare down the wide eyes of the conductor as he bears down upon them, think how they might wonder to themselves why they spent so much time worrying about the clouds.
That's the very point at issue.
I would have said: 'Qué aproveche' but it has been 5 hours since you posted, so I guess you already ate and enjoyed your dinner.
Quoting Noble Dust
I never saw that Siracha in my life.
Didn't quite catch your opinion/response there Michael?
Crazy that Lib Dems' 9% gets them 29 seats and Reform's 11% gets them 0 seats.
FPTP for ya.
Showing how disastrous the Tories have been that they're polling so far behind.
Yeah but my worry is that labour under Starmer will just be a repeat of the Blair years.
Don't forget Thatchers statement that she considered Blair her greatest achievement.
Do you think a Starmer led shade of tory governance will do much to fix the damage the nasty party has done in their focus of making rich and powerful people, more rich and more powerful?
Didn't follow politics back then, mostly because I was too young for most of it. Weren't domestic issues pretty good under him?
No, he did almost nothing to reverse the policies/legislation introduced during the Thatcher years.
Blair was and still is a shade of Tory(as is Starmer imo.) It was commented often during his years in power that it was difficult to see any difference between his policies and the policies coming from the center of the Tory party.
Blair did not have a socialist thought in his head, imo.
It was under him that the labour party dropped clause 4:
To secure for the workers, by hand or by brain, the full fruits of their industry, and full control over the means of production, distribution and exchange.
Blair is why I left the labour party.
If Starmer can do something similar then great.
But either way I expect him and Labour to do better than the Conservatives.
[b]On the 20th anniversary of one of Labour’s greatest victories, party members are, to say the least, conflicted about the governments made possible by the election held on May 1 1997. The virtues of Labour’s longest uninterrupted period in office, based on an unprecedented three back-to-back victories (two of which produced its biggest ever House of Commons majorities) are not exactly being shouted from the rooftops.
For Jeremy Corbyn, 1997 is the stuff of nightmares: and those members who re-elected him leader in 2016 clearly agree. To them, the election is a morality tale, a political version of the Faustian legend. It represents the moment Tony Blair sold Labour’s socialist soul for the sake of a few votes. “Blairite”, to them, is a term of abuse, and Corbyn the ultimate anti-Blairite – a figure who remained true to his principles during the dark days of New Labour.
For these few hundred thousand Labour members, it is the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the failure to completely reverse two decades of Thatcherism that most rankles. Until the term is decontaminated, any figure tarred by the Blairite brush will never lead the party. But for millions of voters, David Cameron’s spurious accusation that Labour was responsible for the austerity following the 2008 financial crisis, because it “maxed out” the national credit card, resonates the most. And until Labour can successfully challenge that perception, it will find it hard to win another general election.[/b]
From: The Blair years
, and that it could not possibly have functioned as much of a deterrent if it had been a safe place. Imagine making such a deal with Canada, for example. It might become an attraction to jump in a boat to the UK to get a free flight onwards.
I think you need to be more pragmatic. Will the country be better under 5 more years of Conservatives or under 5 years of Starmer's Labour? I suspect the latter.
Unfortunately given FPTP and the current environment, those really are the only two options.
Hard to choose between a bunch of unprincipled squabbling power hungry, lying incompetents and another bunch of unprincipled squabbling power hungry, lying incompetents. But whoever wins, no one will be in charge.
Blair renationalised nothing. He reversed none of Thatcher's anti-union laws. He did not reverse the right-to-buy disaster that now sees a majority of youth unable to afford any kind of accommodation and a situation where rents are higher than mortgages. His policies also made the rich richer and the powerful more powerful and all he did was throw some crumbs/alms to the poor.
Perhaps this article would offer a little more, as to my opinion of the Blair years:
[i]In her maiden speech to the House of Commons, the new Labour MP for Coventry South, Zarah Sultana, said, “In 10 years’ time, at the start of the next decade, I want to look teenagers in the eye and say with pride: my generation faced 40 years of Thatcherism, and we ended it.”
In failing to distinguish the previous Labour government’s tenure under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown from the Tory governments that preceded and followed it, Sultana raised a tediously inevitable stink. What about Sure Start? What about cutting rough sleeping? What about the minimum wage?
In 1997, to say that Blair built on the economic foundations of Thatcher’s economic reforms would have been neither a radical statement nor something with which either Thatcher or Blair would have disagreed. Blairism would not have been conceivable in 1979; by 1997 it seemed inevitable, and it was Thatcher’s reforms that made it so. So why is that now unsayable?
Thatcher reconfigured the British economy. The ultimate aim of the Tory government during the 1980s was to smash open the postwar consensus of unionised work and the welfare state, and place “the market” at the cornerstone of British governance.
Blair and Brown took this reconfigured economy and added a layer of income redistribution to blunt its harshest effects. As Peter Mandelson famously said, Labour was “intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich, so long as they pay their taxes.” The fundamentals would not only remain unchanged; it was essential that they stay in place. The energised, aspirational, entrepreneurial economy was Thatcher’s gift to Blair – taming it to serve the common cause was the supposed genius of the third way.
The energised, aspirational, entrepreneurial economy was Thatcher’s gift to Blair
To understand why pointing this out is reliably met with withering scorn, you have to look at why Labour lost – not just in 2019, but in 2010 and ever since. As Stuart Hall said, New Labour’s belief was that “no one any longer cares who owns, runs, controls or profits from healthcare [or other public services], providing the possessively-individual consumer’s personal need is satisfied.”
When the global financial crash happened, it turned out that ownership mattered a great deal. Just as Blairism based itself on Thatcherism, so the moral foundation of austerity was built in the Blair years. By redistributing income rather than wealth, Blairism left the country primed for a “makers v takers”, “strivers v skivers” attack. All those owners were suddenly asking: why am I paying for all this?
Through right to buy and the easy availability of finance capital, Thatcher’s Conservatives created a new layer of homeowning, aspirational middle-class Britons who at least felt richer, even if they were just overmortgaged against a housing bubble. Rather than replacing council houses to stymie rent growth, New Labour used housing benefit to effectively subsidise a new class of Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen-watching aspirational landlords. Housing was provided, people were getting filthy rich, taxes were paying for it, and everything was great until it wasn’t.
Whom to blame now that Brown’s vaunted end of boom-and-bust had itself come to an end? Reliably enough, both parties turned to the scapegoat of Those People – the benefits claimants, the foreign-looking, that suspiciously affluent next door neighbour you don’t like. Once the country was no longer thinking in terms of “entrepreneurial aspiration” but back to “keeping hold of what I’ve got”, the Tories were fighting on their home turf. Paying for public services turned neatly into unsustainable, wasteful spending.
As the mafia knows, the best way to cover up a crime is to make sure everyone is complicit. If I go down, you go down. How to challenge finance capital’s death-grip on the economy when doing so would knock the house prices that make your voters feel good? Ultimately, even Corbyn fought and lost on that battleground of “how will you pay for all this free stuff?”
You cannot rely purely on the material explanation, though, to explain the ferocity with which the centre-left rejects this plain reading of history. There is an element of ideological self-preservation here, even as they deny the existence of an ideology and appeal simply to common sense. If Blair had a choice, if we all had a choice, then there is some hard explaining to do.
The younger generation, clustered in cities, paying unsustainable rents while they seek precarious gig- economy work, are asking difficult questions of those who brought us here. Smashed as Corbynism is, its abortive groundswell happened for a reason. As climate catastrophe takes its toll, as Deliveroo riders cycle past rough sleepers knowing it could easily be them on the cardboard, they are asking if it really had to be this way. Was there, in all honesty, no alternative to this?
It is this question that so exercises the defenders of Blair’s legacy. There had to have been no choice, so nobody can be to blame for having made it. The alternative is simply unthinkable.[/i]
Exactly, the tories want to ensure that trying to come to Britain by any other means than their so-called 'legal means,' which means only very well-off people will succeed, will result in a very very unpleasant experience, which will hopefully be as bad, or even worse, than the experience you were having in the country you fled from.
Stop droning on and post a picture of your lunch for God's sake. The world is made up of more than spite and grievance. This is the shoutbox.
Don't bring fictitious non-existents into this, and no, I am not referring to my lunch.
I am Scottish, I don't do lunch, raw lemons for breakfast, skin on. Water of life for supper and the odd random sheep, pig or cow, left unattended by a farmer with a roving eye for lost Americans trying tae find brigadoon!
That's why my real age is 9999.99!
Silicon fluffball. Just what you need in a cold autumn day.
I thought you guys just ate offal tied up in a bovine bowel.
I just think there's a better way to enjoy salt than that. Like maybe on pork chops or something.
Thank you sir. I do enjoy eating with chopsticks, in part because I have a bad habit of eating two quickly, and the use of chopsticks slows me down a bit.
An interesting fact I learned awhile back is that Thai people actually eat with forks, knives and spoons, and only use chopsticks if the dish has a Chinese influence (I'm not sure which ones those are). I hope I'm remembering that correctly.
The Thai grocery store I go to seems to have a different sriracha brand every time. This stuff is good; not that spicey and plenty of flavor.
Oh trust me, brother, I'm just getting started. Game on.
Xi won't be able to believe it either! Between the homeless encampments (their jobs departed for China and Bangladesh), gangs doing snatch and grab shoplifting (everything is gone), and people wiped out by Fentanyl made in Mexico with barrels of Chinese chemicals (dead bodies all over the place), so many stores closed he's going to find shopping in SF rather bleak. He might have to order from Amazon for delivery to his hotel room.
I agree, chopsticks allow us to eat more slowly and enjoy food more. It is a very Asian thing. Enjoying those minutes of purity and relish while you are eating noodles, rice or chicken.
Quoting Noble Dust
Wow! That's an awesome and interesting fact, indeed. I love learning new things while I have my breakfast. :scream: :monkey:
I know you love emojis now: :smirk: :eyes:
Dwayne Johnson Says Political Parties Asked ‘If I Could Run’ for President and Showed Data Proving He’d Be a Contender: ‘It Was One After the Other’ (Nov 9, 2023)
It's much easier to catch a cow, pig, sheep, deer or gift card for an Asda or Morrisons supermarket in Scotland, compared to trying to track and catch a haggis.
Those guys are phenomenal polymorphs!
Btw, a sheep stomach is not a 'bovine bowel!' A sheep is an ovine.
I think it's terrible that real Haggi, have to mug a sheep and steal their stomachs, just so they can be warm in the harsh Scottish winter, on the Haggi slopes.
Talking about offal/awful food, have you ever tasted kangaroo or billabong stew?
Is it true that drop bear tastes like pear?
I heard drop bears are as elusive as Haggi!
A mere detail, Dear Boy...
Quoting universeness
A billabong is a pond. I have had lots of kangaroo - it's like lean beef, but nicer. I've also had Witchetty grub, emu, crocodile, snake and camel. They all taste like chicken.
Not for the Haggi and the Sheep!
Quoting Tom Storm
I know, billabong Aussie stew that has a pond water flavour to it. I am told some 'bush meats' are involved, cooked in some billabong water.
I think a lot of Kangaroo meat is used here in dog foods or to sell to those roving Americans (searching for brigadoon) as Kentucky fried Chicken. I think it's used as an alternative to dead horse.
If you are lost in the outback, and all you have is a big bag of diamonds and 10 big bars of gold in your ruck sack, you might be very glad to find a small billabong with some witchetty grubs and a snake or two nearby. Unless you are an antinatalist, pessimist, nihilist, doomster etc and you are happy to just lie down and slowly die, whilst trying to lick a diamond, as you dream of the days when you used to hunt the Haggi, on the cool slopes of Scotland.
That was of-course way before you got involved with dodgy Aussie baw bags and started to rob people of their gold and diamonds and had to try to lose the Aussie posse by hiding in the outback, after you had to 'malky' the Aussie baw bags who tried to cheat you out of your share of the gold and diamonds. :joke: I heard this is a very common fate, for Scots in Oz. Is that true?
As an old best friend Aussie baw bag used to say to me when times were tough for him.
"Its enough to rip yer fuckin knittin mayte!" :rofl:
The grass of your paddock looks extraordinarily fluffy and desaturated. I’ll wager what we’re seeing is the freshly exposed undergrass, as it’s called, following a recent mowing.
That small dog has terrier energy.
And what will be the name of Fred's new buddy?
The name of my dog is Ada. It is a female name, and surprisingly, it is the name of the ex-mayor of Barcelona too.
What I attempt to say is that there is a small possibility that the names of dogs and politicians could be matched.
Your new dog could be named Winston or Pedro.
Bermuda grass' popularity is owed to its carpet like texture, it's uniform appearance, it's easy installation by laying rolls of sod onto the soil, its resiliancy, and its lovely green color in the warmer months. As the weather gets cooler, it turns to the brown you have seen, drawing a stark contrast between it and those who have chosen the less desired fescue. Fescue can appear patchy at times and it is far more firm and less gentle than its Bermudian cousin. Fescue is also typically planted by seed, although I have heard it is also available by sod. Both are common in the southern US, but new developments typically opt for Bermuda.
My goats eat timothy grass pellets, but that is an aside, and I apologize for diverting.
My dog is a mini Bernedoodle, which is one half Bernese Mountain dog, one half poodle, and one half mini-cooper. I can see why you would think terrier from her snout, but her fur is very soft and curly, so she looks less terrieresque when her nose meets yours.
I have named her (and I'll say it phoenetically for you): Cun-thee-holy Vu-geena Tickluk-ock, which is spelled Cunthole Vagina Ticklecock. Do be careful when calling her. She's sensitve and doesn't like her name mispronounced.
My favorite part was her last name.
Our Golden Retriever (named "Bell") would usually come back in right away, Sometimes she flagrantly ignored us, deliberately inflaming rage in my partner. Bob provided most of the Bell's care and walks, and was entitled to a quick response. I'd go to the door to help Bob out and say, "Bell! Get in here." and she'd whirl around and run across the yard to the door. This annoyed him greatly.
Even though Bob was her faithful care giver, I was the "fun one". I'd play with her on the floor, performing for her amusement, playing tug of war with a rag with her, and I'd lay on the floor so she could bite my collar, and growl ferociously pretending (maybe pretending) that she was killing prey.
That situation happens when I am with my dog on the farm in Toledo too. I shout her: 'Ada! Get home, it is dinner time!' But she decides to ignore me - deliberately - and stays in the orchard, checking and surrounded by the vegetables. When it is my dad, the one who calls her, she goes immediately because she knows very well that there will be a present or food.
Since I was a kid, my family have always had dogs around, and I have to say that they are one of the most clever animals in the world.
¡2.5 million tons of vegetables are grown in thee 40,000 hectares of greenhouses which employ 60,000 people! Muy impresionante!
Quoting javi2541997
25,000 years ago, An early dog was watching a band of hunter-gatherers and it said to itself, "They look like just the ticket. Let's domesticate them." This dog walked into the campfire circle, all wagging tail and smiling face, and sat down on its haunches by the fire, and before the bison was done roasting, he had them under his spell.
25000 years later...
Yeah, it is literally the most active threat to the existence of Spain. It isn't Catalunya or Russia, but our politicians seem not to care about the drought, sorrowfully.
Quoting BC
Ah, El Ejido! The orchard of the European Union. Thousands of Spaniards work hard to produce cheap oranges and lemons to Germans, and we are treated by them as 'lazy' and PIGS country with a soft economy.
Meh. residents not born in the USA, about 14%. Residents not born in Australia, about 30%
But you need keep your myths.
87 million US immigrants versus 7.7 million Australian immigrants.
Different leagues.
On all else, America wins. We'd even beat you guys at Australian football if we knew the rules.
Speaking of illegal migrants being shipped out of Texas and homegrown homeless, where do all these newish-looking tents come from? Is there an infinite tent sale going on somewhere?
Hilbert's tent emporium. A subsidiary of Hilbert Hotels.
It has an infinite number of tents available. Sales of any number of tents will leave an infinite number still in stock.
The tent manufacturers have created this homeless problem. Brilliant fuckers. Buy Cabela stock.
Oh haven't you heard? NGOs have been giving away free tents and tarps with your tax dollars for years. The local News broke the story in our city and a councilman ended that in about one day. It's been about 6 months and guess what? There's about 60% fewer tents around town and dropping. I can't believe that was ever the policy.
That's probably what's going on here in Minneapolis. I don't like it. Handing tents out doesn't create homelessness, of course, but it could be characterized as enabling it. Many very poor people who qualify for shelter beds reject them because the shelters have rules. Then too, shelters house a mix of people have have been unsuccessful in various and sundry ways, and many of them are difficult to be around even for other homeless people.
It gets cold here and few homeless can survive in a tent over the winter. They either accept shelter, they go south, or they have exceptional survival skills. Come spring and a fresh distribution of tents, they'll be in the parks or on vacant locations setting up little slums of drinking, drug use, public defecation, fights, crazy behavior--all unacceptable.
A bigger myth is that you consider yourself the nationality of the nation you happen to be born in.
Legally, yes, personally, often not.
I vote to name him Fred.
I think the fact it looks like a Canadian maple leaf, is quite interesting.
Funny you should say that. I was recently in Saskatchewan at a hockey game, and they were going to play the national anthem, but some hooligans from Manitoba stole the flag, so I pulled up my pant leg and everyone put their hands over their heart and sang while staring at my leg.
True story.
If it doesn't go away, have it checked out
Unitarian heretic! The Shoutbox is clearly myriad boxes, if not an infinite number.
A box went in search of a bird... :smile:
The organism and the disease:
Koch's Postulates say that an organism causing a disease should cause the same disease when a sample of the lesion is inserted into another body. One way of testing this would be to scrape some of the lesion off and insert in into the Baden's leg. If Baden develops what you think is ringworm, then you two will have something to talk about. Baden's case might be worse than yours--however unfortunate for Baden that might be, it would prove that your fungal infestation is communicable.
Of course it might not be ringworm. It might be leprosy. Or melanoma. If you are still alive a year from now it probably was neither of those dread diseases.
That's very obscure.
Crikey.
Could be a slight flare up of eczema, especially if you have had eczema in the past. Not sure which would be worse. Well wishes. Keep us posted.
The Shoutbox has never failed me.
I have some of that goat dewormer right wingers were taking for Covid. Should I take a few swigs?
Nah! It's obviously Canaditus. Guess what the cure is?
I knew it was from Canada! Fucking Canucks!
The only cure is a deep burn using a branding iron of the Amurican flag. You then have to douse the whole area with jack Daniels, whilst singing the Amurican anthem in a clear baritone voice, without one 'shaky' word or tonal mistake, to show you can take the pain. Otherwise you can only save your life by moving to Canada.
(For my part, as soon as posted the scientific data I knew you were fucked.)
Portland, OR.
I mean if you wanted to come up with an idea to maximize the number of tents in public spaces in your town, what could possibly work better than giving away free tents?
It's the beginning of the worst breakout of the pox since Queen Victoria died.
Bets on her golden parachute?
She quits because of the Australian outage. Whatever the 'golden parachute' would be, I pay my respects to her for resigning.
When you come from a country where this honoured act is not common, you tend to overestimate the ones who do so.
But they tend to land on their feet.
Eat curry. That's all you guys eat anyway.
Thx guys. I've heard eating is fun and I'm pretty sure they have food there. :up:
I'm going to Denver tomorrow. I have reservations at Fogo de Chao. I expect my sons will have a disgusting meat eating contest.
I was going to post a dark and graphic warning of a more-common-than-you-might-think form of criminals preying on travelers abroad, like yourself. But I decided not to. Other than be leery of small bars and unlicensed taxi services.
Post cool hourly shoutbox pics. Like a vlog. But with pictures. As a person who has never been to Laos nor has any dire reason to, and thus likely never will, I'd find that interesting. Especially food as that seems to be popular here.
Just checking in. Have you done an eating yet? Did it go good?
Arrive there tomorrow. I have a reservation at Foofoo la Chow. I'll let you know :up:
Do you guys even care about the planet??
You may be color frugal but there you are flaunting food waste. That Corn Nut you dropped to the ground could feed a family of mice for a week.
My white hair and beard is my contribution to the grayscale world program.
By the way do pronounce "Adidas" [I]ADD-i-das[/I] or [I]a-DEE-das[/I]? The BBC says ADD-i-das. Perverse.
Corn Nuts have vitamins and minerals, and they're high in calories and fiber. It appears that a mouse needs around 160 calories per day to be healthy though. I thought it was far less.
Huh. And this whole time I thought you were just one of the goats from your avatar who had learned the ways of the internet. Fascinating the things you learn each and every day here. :smile:
Vicariously? I've been stalking you all day and I'm right outside.
There is nothing in corn nuts that would make them nutritious: some starchy corn product to soak up the grease and hold the salt. That's it. 1/3 cup of this stuff provides 130 calories for mice and men.
Total Fat 4.5g
Saturated Fat 0.5g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 160mg
Total Carbohydrate 20g
Dietary Fiber 1g
Sugars 0g
Protein 2g
0% Vitamin A
0% Vitamin C
0% Calcium
2% Iron
The iron is probably a contaminant from the factory.
I'd suggest you keep them shod lest you attract the wrong foot-oriented crowd.
Is that a ghost in the window across the street on the second floor? If so, it's shocking. Almost as shocking at the likely permanent impression whoever sat on the couch next to you left for guests to admonish for quite some time no doubt.
What a twist. If I had the mind or care to put two and two together I would assume the both of you are in some sort of intellect-based club and there is a seasonal meeting taking place in the immediate area. That or you both just really like getting high.
Who are we going to believe, long-established snack makers or some guy on the internet?
Don't ask me what he's doing right now, you don't want to know.
For the love of God, hire an interior decorator.
And a marijuana mart at every corner. Coincidence?
I will remember fondly the bananas but not so fondly my decision to brave the midday sun. We were both of us fried but only one ended the better for it.
I am very sorry to hear that. I always enjoyed my exchanges with him and even just reading his posts. He and I came at things from different angles but respected each other, I think.
He was a very active member, and we will all miss him.
When I was in the Caribbean wearing an Adidas t-shirt, a bunch of locals were talking about whether to pronounce it “a-dee-DAS”. I thought that was funny, but it turns out that’s the closest to what the name means. Adidas, as many know, is a portmanteau of “Adolph Dassler,” the founder. His nickname was “Adi.”
I echo your sentiments. It just sucks.
I have a weird mental block where I imagine everyone on here as mostly middle-aged. I pictured Issac as maybe 50 or so. (He could very well have been, of course, but I think I remember him saying he was older.)
Anyway, when you picture everyone as roughly 40-50 years old, it makes it even more of a shock when someone passes.
Reminds me I gotta start remembering that some people on here on a lot older or are dealing with serious health issues.
Very sorry to hear that as well.
Thank you for sharing your culinary roller coaster ride with us. I feel I was strapped in the seat next to you, arms held high, waiting to take on the next rise and fall.
Who could forget the melancholy brought by the noodles, the electricity by the tea, the curiosity by the kebabs, and the ecstasy by the bananas?
Probably no one, mostly because you just said it, and it's hard to forget things that fast.
If you could, do send a picture of a kernel of your food from time to time. I would much enjoy that evidence of the eating thing you do.
When I start to get along with some members of TPF, we exchange PM building a friendship. It is not a shock to me if I have friends who are older than me, because it is obvious that you are more mature and interesting than my generation (Millennial or 'Z')...
I sometimes feel worried when a member says that he or she is 70+ years old, and disappears for weeks. When someone reaches that kind of lifespan, it is obvious that death or sickness are closer than ever. I had this worry about Clarky, because he has been off for nearly a month. Fortunately, I wrote him an email, and he is fine, but just wanted to stay away from the Internet for a bit.
Really?? See, this is what I mean. I pictured you as, like, 50. Lol.
Quoting javi2541997
In that case yeah— but age doesn’t come up much I find. I’m not sure about gender most of the time also. Guess I should spend more time in the Shoutbox— seems much more personal.
As a schoolkid, I was told that Adidas was what the owner observed at the same time as he was trying to think of a name for his brand. He observed that 'A Dog Is Doing A Shite.' The mnemonic was confirmed, when he further observed 'And Doing It Down A Stank."
Are you telling me that story is not true!!! :scream:
Oh wow! No, no. I promise I was born in 1997. Well, this is why we have public registries to prove these kind of legal facts. :yum:
Quoting Mikie
Be careful, once you've entered the shoutbox it is not possible to leave. :cool:
Yes, the schoolyard was the newsfeed of it's time.
Quoting javi2541997
Spoken like an invincible youth.
"Well, I woke up this morning and I got myself a beer.
The future's uncertain and the end is always near."
Name that tune. No cheating.
Cool! Say hola to him, please. 1997 was a special year to be born. The Kyoto protocol was signed, for instance.
Quoting Hanover
The Doors!
Yes, I searched on Google - if this counts as 'cheating' -
better than getting yourself a gun?
"Oh ma-mama, mama-mo-ma-mum
Take a look now at what your boy has done
He's walking around like he's number one
He went downtown and he got him a gun
So don't shoot, shoot, shoot that thing at me
Don't shoot, shoot, shoot that thing at me
You know you've got my sympathy
But don't shoot, shoot, shoot that thing at me"
No need to prove it, I believed you! I was born close to that time…. You believe me, right? :lol:
Quoting universeness
Afraid so. Although yours is funnier.
Bollocks, have you listened to any of the Beatles talking?
May I know why he is no longer with us? Do you mean he had passed away?
That is sad. I will say a prayer. I wish his family well.
Yeah, they are scouser folks and their accent is strong. To be honest, most of the British, Scottish and Irish accents are difficult for a non-native learner like me. Geordie and Glaswegian accents are the most difficult by far. Manc folks are not that difficult to understand and follow the conversations, apart from the average slang. For example, they say 'gigging' instead of thirsty, and 'chuddy' instead of chewing gum, etc.
Are you a Mancunian, Sir2u? :grin:
@Isaac always had a good point to make. I feel he was taken too soon for us here.
Great, another right wing horror elected in Europe!
What do Dutch people think of Geert Wilders?
How can that be?
I've been missing him.
Do you have any more information about him that you can share?
I miss him too. And I don't know much more about his death, I'm afraid.
At school, you were called Tefal, if you had a big forehead.
Despite Wilders large forehead, he is imo, a right wing fascist, and they are rarely intelligent. Here is another, more modern Tefal ad:
¡Feliz día de acción de gracias! :smirk: Yeah, that's how we translate it. Cringe...
Is there a big problem if someone decides to eat the thanksgiving dinner with chopsticks?
Actually it was pretty good. Many young adults who used to be toddlers were there. Free-floating hostility was at a minimum, An 88 year old cousin asked me if we could discuss politics. I asked her where she was on the political spectrum. She said "tar left". I said we can talk.
The national Thanksgiving turkey needs help, as does the dressing. Like, bake whole chickens and ducks. There's no reason not to put more onion, celery, sage, black pepper, and butter in the bread stuffing. In God's plan for the universe, bread stuffing is supposed to be flavorful. Or use rice, spicy sausage, mushrooms, and black eyed peas, maybe. Go for some FLAVOR. There were 6 orange mashed vegetable offerings and one green one. Someone had the good sense to put pecans on top of their sweet potato dish. A nephew made some first rate watermelon rind pickles. Etc.
The coffee was good and a sisters' pie was A+. There was Cool Whip for the pumpkin pie. They didn't want actual whipped cream.
The weather was good -- cold, snow free, and bright.
I was sitting at a bar eating a sandwich today, and next to me was a young Asian man (which makes this story relevant to your chopsticks question). He had ordered a seafood bowl followed by a lobster, and he ate it by himself with a lobster bib on. I thought he might be treating himself to an expensive Thanksgiving meal far away from home.
Then it came time to pay.
After several failed credit card, Apple Pay, Zelle, Venmo and whatever else attempts, he said in broken English to the waiter he was very embarrassed and seemed sincere, like he was going to cry, but he couldn't pay.
The manager told him he could come back and pay later. She was so very kind to him.
%
I told the waiter I wanted the same deal as the Asian guy. He said I couldn't. I was like, is this because I speak only French? He told me I'm not speaking French. I was like, is this because I'm not speaking French? Then the stare down.
I eventually paid, but told him he fucked up Thanksgiving and he could straight to hell.
The percentage symbol marks where truth ends and bullshit prevail. Today and forever forward.
I was born there, but have lived most of my life outside the UK. People think it is funny to hear me speaking with a distorted Manc accent but using mostly US terminology and slang. :lol:
Your Midwest is showing.
This year my brother made rutabaga fries in an air fryer. I dutifully swallowed three. Everyone loved the green bean casserole I made, which in hindsight was only because it was the only dish that wasn’t severely under seasoned. Another classic in the books.
Pictures / shmictures. It's almost as if you doubt the veracity of my locale! Well, if the following laser-like accuracy of descriptive prose doesn't convince you...
So, as a believer in the peripatetic principle of mind whereby proper movement of the body institutes its suitable agitative counterpart in the soul and forms the moral foundation (après Spinoza) for all action, I spent my second day in this charming outpost of French Indochina (the name thereof which temporarily escapes me) on the march.
I headed North on my understanding that the natives who subscribe to that pagan philosophy Buddhism place holy significance on the head and analogously adorn their cities with monuments of descending importance along a North-South axis. I was not long in being confirmed in my suspicion by an impressive arch of a Gothic form and reminiscent of the latter fancies of Louis XV placed centrally at the head of a wide boulevard that ran due South, no doubt to increasingly degraded urban climes.
Being the only gentleman in view (the other tourists appearing as locals or physically indistinguishable therefrom), I perused silently the arch noting mentally that though the pagan decor inscribed on the stone stole somewhat from its classic magnificence, it nevertheless was an acceptable distraction from its drab surrounds.
Continuing North along increasingly dusty and narrow streets in the faith of more spectacular sites, I was eventually rewarded by the distant view of a formidably towering golden stupa. Aware that a gentleman never fully engages with such promising environs on an empty stomach, I paused to assess my esculent options.
There was not much on the street besides a motley scattering of food carts staffed by ancient hags or children (those in between likely been shipped abroad for more gainful employment) but I was more determined to eat than eat well and so I settled into a stool by the side of the road and bid an old lady bring me what dish she considered most suitable to my standing. After some difficulties of translation laced with gesticulation and much pointing (largely of me to myself) I was presented with a piece of viand that suspiciously resembled a pig's ear.
I sit here now writing and wondering whether the glories of the stupa before me justify consuming it and beg your counsel on the matter. As one (even if only presumed) good turn deserves another, I present you with unassailable proof that I presently reside in this city of whatever-its-called (I shall not visually present to you the suspected pig's ear out of respect for your aesthetic sensibilities... Consider yourself appropriately flattered).
That's a well tried principle. Generally, if you get an invoice with charges mark as % you know that's where bullshit prevails.
Quoting Baden
Something doesn’t add up though: the arch in the photo—the triumphal arch of the Patuxai if I’m not mistaken—is clearly non-pointy, that is to say, Roman/Romanesque, not Gothic.
Otherwise, intoxicating chronicles of a gentleman abroad.
I see why you suffer from such an advanced and premature receding hairline.
The whole thing was Midwest to the max--wholesome but bland and mushy.
A few years back, Green Giant came out with a frozen green bean mushroom risotto that was very good, but it disappeared pretty quickly. Did you put canned french fried onions on it? it's de rigueur around here.
I take it the air fried rutabaga was not irresistible.
As a true Mancunian would say: 'Oh, mate, that's dead good' :cool: .
Look, I am transforming myself from a Castilian to a Mancunian folk.
My dear fellow, your excessive literalness ill-befits gentlemanly conduct. However, your literary taste is beyond reproach. Such a rare paradox of gentlemanliness, I will leave to the ultimate arbitrer of such matters, Sir Hansover, to resolve
Quoting Hanover
:lol:
Quoting Hanover
Therein lies your error. Escalation rarely fails. And the "I'm taking off my pants now" gambit is almost always a winner.
By means of a compromise by which the pig's ear was swapped for a moderately more edible chicken's foot, I bid the hag adieu and sallied forth towards the stupa, which a glance at my travel guidebook, Colonial Planet (by the late great Reggie Bosworth--sadly devoured in Burma by an ungrateful tiger while attempting to edify the wilds of said territory with his literary prowess) informed me is titled "Tat Phat Luang". "Big Yellow stupa" will do I thought to myself and entered the grounds with a straight spine and a brisk step. A flustered old man in orange robes who I took to be a pagan priest gestured at me to remove my boots but I informed him on pain of his receiving the pointed end of one against his withered backside, a gentleman should never be demanded withal.
I noted the stupa could be entered and climbed from the inside and pushing past several more pesky pagans ignorantly unappreciative of my presence I ascended to its peak and with an instinctive alacrity characteristic of my higher nature did pluck from my travel case the flag of St. George and plant it there at the apex of the monument to mark (I trusted in perpetuity) the presence of gentlemanliness therewith.
Unexpectedly though, I find myself the victim of great and undeserving misfortune as a group of tiny pagans in hard hats and with rifles have entered the compound and are running my way. I have but my horsewhip and my reason to deal with the blackguards and they appear amenable to neither. I again seek counsel from anyone familiar with local custom. Should I perhaps throw some shiny object at their feet to distract them? Time is of the essence!
My dining experience for your delight:
I arrived at Fogo de Chao for my 6:30 reservation, only to be seated at 7:30. When finally sat, the seater said our table had been ready for some time, but we could not be found. A young gentlelady among us reminded him of our persistent questioning during the hour delay, just to kindly inform him the delay rested with him and not us and that the delay was understandable because of the holiday, but his dishonesty was not.
On that gentlenote, we sat.
The gentlewench offered us a variety of beverages, some of which we requested, none of which we received. Another gentlewench was summoned, and she was able to provide us our drinks where we sat. She asked what else we might need, and I suggested perhaps some food, which at chez Fogo is to be served by gentlegauchos on skewers. The meat that is, not the gentlegauchos.
The gentlewench asked in a most alarmed way whether we had truly yet to receive any gentlemeat. I asked she look around and see if she saw any gentlegauchos within our dining hall, and if, as I suggested, and was correct that there were exactly zero, how could it be I would have any gentlemeat, but more to the point, how could she be alarmed and not know this?
My inquisition apparently lacked the gentleness of the gentlewoman among us when she held her inquiry.
As a result, the woman seated where I sat beside my seat who answered to such things as "sweetheart" and "sugar cakes" on most occassions drove her claws into my thigh, as if to say, "enough my dear with this debate; it is a day to rejoice, and those seated where we sit are neither accustomed to nor in the mood for this level of discussion."
Perhaps correct in her assessment of the feeling of the other gentleguests, our food delivery did mysteriously improve almost immediately, so I had few regrets with my gentlebitching.
By evening's end, the service issues resolved and our mood improved. At tipping time, Mrs. Gentleclaws felt quite generous due to both the gentleness of the holidays and for reperarations she felt owed for past misdeeds.
I suppose she truly is my better gentlehalf.
%
Quite a difficult task.
It's curious that when I posted a picture of myself in Kazakhstan, only my manhandbag was mentioned, not my receding hairline, which is significantly more advanced, negatively speaking, than Baden's, enjoying as he does the luxury of flowing sultry locks.
Your scribbles now imbued with gentlewriting have markedly improved. I even read all of that without puking.
Quoting Jamal
I retain at least a degree of my Samson-like charm.
Anyhow, being in a generous mood, I hereby furnish you and all who may be concerned with documentary evidence of my conquering of the pagan stupa as well as some random food photos that nevertheless I believe adequately illustrate the local fare.
Please, please, be gentle in the application of your pointed descriptions. Words penetrate.
Quoting Baden
That's some Thanksgiving.
They actually do I think!
Hoping the sausage stall I ate at is there tomorrow. You never quite know on first viewing with a sausage but that was a fine one.
Quoting Metaphysician Undercover
The festival is called Boun That Luang and is specific to the golden stupa. So, it's ostensibly religious, though my impression was predominantly one of unbridled commercialism, which the noise of monks prattling on through (very) loud speakers during breaks in the music did little to abate.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_Luang_Festival
Do not poke the perverted bear.
Should I have sent a photograph of myself, in all my gentle perfections, from my stunning blue eyes, to my sculpted musculature, to my prominent chin jut, and finally to my trouser-rise burdened by the heft, you'd have had much to comment about, and even more should I have had revealed my gentleflaws, like my tiny legblemishes of ringworm, my errant nose hairs n flutter, or even my many bitescars left from long discarded savage lovers.
But should this photo of me shown two glorious bosoms erupting from beneath my spaghetti strap T shirt, I do suspect that've gotten the most attention.
In this analogy, your receding hairline is akin to an errant nosehair aflutter, and your manhandbag is akin to a mammary.
I hope this explanation has satisfied your curiosity as to why your advanced balding pattern was overlooked when you sported that sassy makeup case across your breast.
I can't help wondering which came first, skewering the chicken or the egg.
I must just applaud the resilience of all those capable of sustaining a shout for five or six paragraphs. Since I no longer smoke. I can sustain a couple of sentences in a single breath, but even now, hoarseness is liable to set in by the end of even one long sentence ...
Secret: extra vanilla and a little pepper. Also make sure to use a real orange for the juice.
Indeed I did top the mush with fried onions. The rutabaga was tolerated by all, but resisted by most on seconds.
Au contraire, the secret to the best cranberry sauce is to blorp it out of the can and slice it up.
I found myself descending on the awful conclusion that whatchamacallit was perhaps not a city for gentleman and that I should cut my stay short and head for more civilized climes.
My morbid musings as I sat outside the gate of the stupa compound, now locked and manned against my reentry, were interrupted by a friendly voice.
"Hi there!"
I looked up to see a piggish looking figure, round as tall, in spectacles and a baseball cap, brandishing a fizzy drink.
"I'm Hanover. How you doin'?"
His tenuous grasp on our mutual mother tongue suggested at the very least a lack of formal education. In any case, his deficiencies of appearance and expression were explicated to me in his next sentence.
"I'm from the U.S. How 'bout you?"
A yank, of course.
"I am Earl Baden of the Earldom of Baden in the Lordship of Somerset"
"Good to meet ya, Earl. Gee, it's real nice round here, ain't it? They even got Pepsi!"
Modifying downwards my linguistic capabilities in order that I may be properly understood, I replied:
"Yeah, it ain't it. They even got many things like soda pops and pumpkins. But they don't got meatloaf, ain't it."
Even this simplification the yank seemed to have trouble processing and he looked at me strangely for a moment before smiling.
"It sure is hot."
Ignoring the non-sequitur, I focused in our ensuing conversation on recruiting him for a raid on the temple. Now that I had doubled our numbers, the defences would surely crumble and we could raise the flag of Christian England over the monument of paganism once more.
The nature of the flag was a bone of contention though. Hanover's pudding-like face trembled with indignation that his own flag, a miniature of which protruded erect from his baseball cap, should not find itself in the place of honor. Pitying his ignorance of the hierarchy of nations, I settled on a compromise whereby his flag would be taped to mine and both could be conquerors.
We shook on it and I explained to him the battle plan.
"I will ain't it take the rearguard, old chap, and when I see a break in their defences, I'll bid you charge."
"Eh, are you sure they won't mind all this, Earl?"
"Oh, they'll laugh it off. Very good natured under their uniforms, I assure you. When I give the word, just run at them, scale the fence, and I'll meet you at the captured Stupa, ain't it."
Having skilfully achieved assent, I surveyed, hawk-like, the guards who, bored of observing our rendezvous, had turned to their hand phones for amusement. Soon, the opportune moment arrived and I barked the order:
"Chaaaarge! Once more unto the breach!"
Hanover stumbled forward but the noise of his obese frame stomping across the dusty ground immediately alerted the guards who turned to him and shouted angrily.
"What did they say?" Hanover yelped.
"They said 'Welcome to French Indochina, sir.", I replied.
He smiled and resumed his charge. Presently, he was mown down in a hail of bullets.
Hm, as I thought, I mused to myself, picking up his Pepsi and walking off. A few sups convinced me it really is the superior of Coca Cola. That extra dollop of fizz makes all the difference. In memory of its owner, whateverhisnamewas, I gulped it down and, suitably refreshed, headed off to my next adventure.
Blasphemy.
I was once lying on a 'topless' beach on Gran Canaria.
I heard loud shouts of 'Meloni,', 'juicy,' 'very nice,' 'Beeg Meloni! 'Very fresh Meloni!'
My 'young man lust,' kicked in, as I looked at some of the very pretty topless ladies, all around.
The words being shouted seemed so apt to the thoughts in my head.
I then spotted the small, disheveled, rather poor looking, wee Spanish sweating man, walking around with a large flat, wooden container, strapped around his neck, containing quite large slices of juicy, fresh looking melon for sale, wrapped in cling film. I indicated to him that I, and some others in my all 'young men in silent lust' group, would buy some of his juicy melon slices, as we continued to survey our surroundings, with heads constantly turning from sight to sight.
A happy memory but a little bit cringe as well, as I look back.
Mira, ahora soy Hondureño! :lol:
¡Eh! Soy el alcalde y arzobispo de Mánchester. :flower:
Did you know? 'Manchester' has an accent in the vowel a when it is adapted to Spanish.
I don't think you can just put extra little marks over vowels like that. What gives you the right?
The wisdom council allows us to put an accent on words such as 'Manchester'. https://www.rae.es/dpd/M%C3%A1nchester
Do you want to start a war or a diplomatic conflict because of this?
And I am the prince of Central America. :rofl:
Quoting javi2541997
I never guessed, I doubt that I have ever needed to write it in Spanish.
He is the Arch Bishop of Manchester after all, so I suppose it is valid because it has god's blessing.
I'd like to go straight to bombing as long as nobody gets hurt.
:clap:
This leftism has gone too far.
Did you get permission to express that?
Which part?
the "this" part
Amen, mate! Let's fight against @frank He is a heretic... :eyes:
Quoting BC
I am buzzin' for this shoutbox conversation. Which is to say, I am a excited young mate learning English tricks and slang.
Bloody hell, I have reached perfection! :lol: :rofl:
AN before a vowel or vowel sound, I am an excited old mate helping you to learn English.
That is $10 please Pay Pal is fine. :rofl:
Would you mind if I pay in Euros or... Pounds? :smirk:
Never apologize, just learn.
Quoting javi2541997
No thanks, both are almost useless here, I'll just put it on your tab for now.
The wife is now watching Man United win the game, I hate football.
I used to watch a lot of English Premier League football. My favourite teams were Arsenal and other modest teams such as Crystal Palace, Leicester, Fulham, Norwich, etc. Exciting football matches, which are now part of the past due to modern teams managed by billionaires...
A former employee of my company was a Londoner and a massive Arsenal supporter; my Uncle Alex was a Crystal Palace supporter from the moment he went down to London to make his fortune (also, I was at the stadium once, but I can't remember why); my Dad is from Leicestershire but he doesn't support Leicester City, but rather Tottenham Hotspur (he went to London too); I knew a small wise man from Fulham; I have nothing to say about Norwich and have no connections with that part of the country as far as I know.
I had a similar experience too. I was in Mestalla (the stadium of Valencia!) and El Sardinero (a modest stadium in the North) with my parents, yet I can't remember why I was there with them. Most of the members of my family root for a modest team called Rayo, which always played in the second division, but now they are in the premier division, surprisingly.
Quoting Jamal
Leicestershire seems to be a magical place to be born. It is the land of foxes... A clever and subtle animal.
Is it? I didn't know. All the foxes I've seen have been outside Leicestershire. I'm not sure what we can conclude from that, but it's true. It's a middle-English land of rolling lakes, picturesque fish, conservative meadows, sleepy old oak trees and bores. I like it when I go but it's landlocked and my heart is by the sea.
Ah! A sunset would be worth seeing there... as we already talked about it in the lounge.
Leicestershire:
Not bad. 7/10.
EDIT: I'm not even sure the second one is Leicestershire. I never saw such dramatic little hills in my visits there.
Nobody else has, either. The slightly irregular topography was enlivened with dramatic little hills by the use of an app that gives an air of verisimilitude to a dull and otherwise uninteresting prospect. The guy in the picture was actually a 5 year old who was enlarged considerably. The app can add fog, dust or smoke, too.
"Play Misty for me" a young Clint Eastwood said.
"Mist" is an unmodified Old English - Germanic word. It makes sense that north Germans and the British, moldering in midst of their mostly moist misty muck would have coined that word in the mists of time and never changed it.
In America mist is a very light rain that falls from clouds in the sky. Unlike the British who have always lived with excessive levels of mist, fog, and smoke, we are able to distinguish fog, smoke, and dust from mist. Fog gathers. Smoke billows. Dust collects.
Barry Rosen, one of the hostages from the Carter era American embassy take over in Tehran, said that they were force fed canned Okra.
OK, so if that is considered torture by Iranians, then canned Okra must be really bad there.
I took a taxi, it costed 20 euros, and I arrived on time. While I was in the taxi, I was wondering how much time it takes to remove a derailed train off the rails. I thought it took less, or maybe I am an impatient fella.
Mist is what you do to house plants who like high humidity but don't get it in the natural setting of a heated house.
Quoting javi2541997
I don't know about "costed" javi. "Cost" is not supposed to be suffixed with "ed" like that, though I hear it spoken once in a while, probably by children learning. Maybe some people will use it when they cost out an estimate, they'll say they've costed out the job. I think "cost" is already past tense or something like that. I don't know what the present tense would be though, maybe "costs".
What is the past tense of to cost then?
I want to say that the price of the taxi service was 20 euros. Then it [insert here the proper verb] me 20 euros.
It's one of those weird things that seem to avoid the normal rules of how things are supposed to work. Similar to Hanover.
For example, spent and spend or eat and ate. Or buffalo or moose, both being either singular or plural depending on the prefix.
Some are more trivial and technically "allowed" or otherwise permissible over others. Example: drive, driven, drived, drove. I hear people all the time saying "I drived all the way to [so and so] ..." and unlike hearing "It costed me [so and so] ..." I am able to let the first sentence slide, that is, it doesn't register in my brain as "wrong" like the latter sentence does. It's weird man. It's all weird. Depends on your locale. Don't get me started on southern redneck pronouns.
But yes some employers and people in general may form incorrect opinions on you based on silly mistakes like that. Reveals English is not your first language which to some means more than you might think.
Or you can find it in the dictionary.
verb
verb: cost; 3rd person present: costs; past tense: cost; past participle: cost; gerund or present participle: costing; past tense: costed; past participle: costed
"Cost" is derived from Latin constare through Old French [i]coust[/I], both highly inflected languages. Old English was inflected once upon a time, but over several centuries it was simplified. English took up a lot of latinate words from French (like cost) -- thanks to the Norman Invasion of 1066 -- and these many words have neither the inflections of Old English nor Latin / French. Is there a rule you can follow? No, unfortunately.
Interesting. Doesn't it? It reminds me of Steven Pinker's books. These helped me with the understanding of English grammar. Pinker is a cool mate, and his ideas about how we learn a language since we are kids are compelling.
THe word here is still 'cost'. "X cost me Y (in the past)".
Im no linguist - but this appears to me just to be a shortcut. Referring 'as at' the time of cost, rather than referring back in time. "costed" as noted by Vaskane anors, is an activity of valuation, not a fact of debt repayment. It may just be that 'costed' in that form existed before the hurdle of 'debt in past tense' was coined as a single term.
That's what I wanted to express. The valuation of the taxi service.
It seems to be either illustrating or lamenting that the taxi ride cost x, rather than assessing the value at x.
It is impressive how language can be interpreted and understood depending on the receptor.
I attempted to say yesterday: a train derailed, so I had to take a taxi. The cost of this service was €20. Let's say this is an infinitive phrase.
But the important point here is that I tried to express it in the past tense and include myself in the phrase, as the subject. The taxi service cost (Because I learned that 'costed' is grammarly wrong) me x.
That is a really nice can of pedantic worms you have there.
"The cost of this service..." cost is a noun so no tenses
"This service cost me €20... " cost is a verb past tense.
"This service costs €20 ..." costs is a verb 3rd person singular present continuous tense.
"These services cost €20 each ... cost is a verb 3rd person plural present continuous tense.
I have only heard 'costed' used in a different meaning of to cost, as to work out the cost of, eg:
"The services were costed at €20, including a 30% margin of profit, and allowing for petrol and wages..."
The act of putting a price on something as distinct from the act of paying the price.
I ran this through Google translate and I chose From: "English Spoken by a Guy from Spain" To: "Hanoverian English."
This is what it spat out:
"Where I'm from, we had a city train that decided to jump off the track, so I lost my normal way of getting to work and I had to take a taxi (remember those pre-Uber vehicles?) that set me back $20. I hope they get the thing back up and running tomorrow. I can't afford this sort of bullshit."
Ok, core all the apples and cut them into quarters. You can leave the peel on the cooked apples. It's good that way.
Thank you for your efforts, dear friends. I nevertheless decided to no longer use 'cost' in the future. I think it is a cursed verb and a false friend noun. Glad we have synonyms out there, and I can cherry-pick the one which is most suitable for my abilities. I wish all languages were capable of conjugating 'cost' as we do in Spanish: costó, costaron, costado, etc...
For example: It was a Spanish mate who created (with his intellectual mind) the mop. Do you folks can imagine a home without mops? Like what kind of circus would be! :rofl:
I promise I am laughing at this... Jesus, the shoutbox is better than therapy.
Funny, I think of rain in the plain.
Before mops, and for fussy people, always, there were char ladies and housewives on their knees scrubbing the floor. I mostly do it that way. Better results. Cuando limpié la cocina de la iglesia grande, aunque, yo usé una fregona. Español errors?
American Shakers (a religious group) invented the broom vise which flattened out the bristles of the much older round broom, allowing it to be stitched so it would stay flat and compact.
What is "BGE" and why must it insist on trying to be a "thing" after 250+ consecutive failed attempts to? :chin:
Correct, cost is cursed, but I think "cuss" is a better word here than "curse".
I'm glad you asked. You can watch the noodles being made starting around the 17:32 mark here:
I'm impressed by how quickly you pulled that out of your ass.
I remember seeing a noodlebutt bouncer some years ago, and I thought then as I do now that there must be a way for a machine to bounce a stick up and down and save those poor taints.
We put a man in the moon, so I've got to think we can arrive at a way to protect the underclass from anal bruising just so the rich can eat special noodles.
The stench of the straddle end of that pole must be horrendous by night's end, making it second to the number one most unsanitary pole in the land: the stripper pole, slick with fresh arousal fluid and yesterday's spooge remnants.
Time to put the bourbon back in the cabinet and call it a night, Sancho.
Lagavulin man, myself.
Interesting, because my grandmother, who is nearly 90 years old, thinks the same as you. Yet we have to agree on how the mop changed the world for the better or at least to more comfort in terms of cleaning a house, church, kitchen, the shoutbox, etc.
The folk who developed the mop explained that thanks to this new invention, women and men would clean the floor with more 'dignity' and comfort. I never thought of this. For me, scrubbing the floor with my knees is just a normal act, and I have never considered it as a 'servant' action... but who knows, everyone is free to like or not like mops.
It would be weird to not have mops in industries or hospitals, for instance. These are places where there is always a lot of mess... I mean it is not impossible to clean up by scrubbing the floor, but humans tend to do things easier (except the philosophers).
I always understood 'to cuss' as an act of insulting someone. What I attempted to say is that the noun 'cost' is the object of a dark magic spell. Then, is cursed. Oh, why are the Spaniards that bad at using English? :cry:
I always assume it's a Ron Swanson thing these days... Am i right? LOL
I'm a highland man myself. Macallan and Glenfarclas
Yo and @T Clark
:roll: Glenfarclas is a Speyside whisky, not a Highland whisky.
"The Glenfarclas range of traditional Speyside single malts includes the 10, 15, 21, 25, 30, 40 Years Old, and the distinctive 105 Cask Strength at 60% vol. Glenfarclas is renowned for its full bodied, smooth, and heavily sherried style"
Macallan is also Speyside!
Geographically, Speyside is a part of the highlands of Scotland, but as a whisky region, it is NOT part of the highland group of whiskies.
Which Macallan?
Sherry Oak
12 years old (40-43% ABV)
18 years old (43% ABV)
25 years old (43% ABV)
30 years old (43% ABV)
40 years old (44-45% ABV)
Double Cask
Gold (40% ABV)
12 years old (43% ABV)
15 years old (43% ABV)
18 years old (43% ABV)
30 years old (43% ABV)
Triple Cask Matured
12 years old (40-43% ABV)
15 years old (43% ABV)
18 years old (43% ABV)
Rare Cask (43% ABV)
Estate (43% ABV)
The Master Decanter Series (Bottled in Lalique crystal decanters)
Reflexion (43% ABV)
No. 6 (43% ABV)
M (45% ABV)
M Black (46.5% ABV)
[b]Travel retail exclusives
The Quest Collection[/b]
Quest (40% ABV)
Lumina (41.3% ABV)
Terra (43.8% ABV)
Enigma (44.9% ABV)
The Concept Series
Concept Number 1 (40% ABV)
Concept Number 2 (40% ABV)
Concept Number 3 (40.8% ABV)
The Harmony Collection series
Rich Cacao (40% ABV)
Fine Cacao (44% ABV)
The Boutique Collection (52% ABV)
Rare Cask Black (48% ABV)
Oscuro (46.5% ABV) (Bottled in Lalique crystal decanter)
The Golden Age of Travel Series (Bottled in Lalique crystal decanters)
The Ocean Liner (34 years old; 41.1% ABV)
The Aeroplane (35 years old; 43.4% ABV)
The Steam Train (36 years old; 43.4% ABV)
The Motor Car (37 years old; 42.8% ABV)
The Airship (35 years old; 44.4% ABV)
Limited releases
The Red Collection
40 years old (48.1% ABV)
50 years old (45.1% ABV)
60 years old (43.4% ABV)
71 years old (41.6% ABV)
74 years old (42.6% ABV)
78 years old (42.2% ABV)
Distil Your World: London (57.5% ABV)
Masters of Photography
1 - Rankin (30 years old)
2 - Albert Watson (20 years old; 46.5% ABV)
3 - Annie Leibovitz
4 - Elliott Erwitt
5 - Mario Testino
6 - Steven Klein
7 - Magnum (44% ABV)
The Macallan 50 years old (44% ABV)
The Macallan 52 years old (48% ABV)
The Archival Series
Folio 1
Folio 2
Folio 3
Folio 4
Folio 5
Folio 6
Folio 7
Classic Cut
2017 Release (58.4% ABV)
2018 Release (51.2% ABV)
2019 Release (52.9% ABV)
2020 Release (55% ABV)
2021 Release (51% ABV)
2022 Release (52.5% ABV)
Exceptional Single Cask
2017 Release
2018 Release
2019 Release
The Edition Series
Edition No. 1 (48.1% ABV)
Edition No. 2 (48.2% ABV)
Edition No. 3 (48.3% ABV)
Edition No. 4 (48.4% ABV)
Edition No. 5 (48.5% ABV)
Edition No. 6 (48.6% ABV)
Gran Reserva 15 years old (43% ABV)
The Macallan Genesis Limited Edition (45.5% ABV)
Easter Elchies Black
2018 Release (49.2% ABV)
2019 Release (49.7% ABV)
2020 Release (50% ABV)
The Six Pillars Collection (Bottled in Lalique crystal decanters)
50 years old (2005 release/470 limited units; 46% ABV): Celebrating the Macallan's Exceptional Oak Casks
55 years old (2007 release/420 limited units; 40.1% ABV): Celebrating the Macallan's Natural Colour
57 years old (2009 release/400 limited units; 48.5% ABV): Celebrating the Macallan's Finest Cut
60 years old (2011 release/400 limited units; 53.2% ABV): Celebrating the Macallan's Curiously Small Stills
62 years old (2014 release/400 limited units; 53.1% ABV): Celebrating the Macallan's Spiritual Home
65 years old (2016 release/450 limited units; 46.3% ABV): Celebrating the Macallan's Peerless Spirit
The Macallan 72 years old in Lalique (2018 release/600 limited units; 42% ABV) (Bottled in the Lalique Genesis Crystal Decanter)
FALLING BELOW THE HIGHLAND BOUNDARY FAULT LINE, LAGG DISTILLERY IS THE ONLY LOWLAND DISTILLERY SITUATED ON AN ISLAND.
In total there are five, or arguably six, recognised whisky regions: Speyside, Highlands & Islands, Islay, Campbelltown and Lowlands. Highlands & Islands are sometimes classed as two different regions due to their differing flavour profiles.
Running from the Firth of Clyde in the west, to the Firth of Tay in the east, the highland boundary fault line runs across the middle of Scotland and dissects two of these distinct whisky regions: Islands & Highlands (above the fault line) and the Lowlands (below).
The boundary fault line also runs directly across the Isle of Arran creating a unique micro-climate, earning it the affectionate name of ‘Scotland in Miniature’.
Falling below the boundary fault line, Lagg Distillery is officially classified a Scottish Lowland distillery. However, here at Lagg we are not producing a ‘typical’ Lowland whisky which is light, delicate, grassy and easy-drinking in nature. Instead, given the popularity of the peated Machrie Moor Single Malt range produced at our elder sister Lochranza Distillery, we are producing a rich, heavily peated whisky, typical of a highland style.
In comparison, Lochranza Distillery, finding itself north of the boundary fault line, is registered in the Highland & Island category. Producing an unpeated whisky which is light and citrus in flavour, the Arran Single Malt range contrasts beautifully to the spirit we produce here at Lagg Distillery.
Two very distinct whisky profiles. Two different region classifications.
One island, two distilleries.
Amadeus specifically said, or at least implied, that he did not want to hear from Scottish people:
Quoting AmadeusD
But as I like to say, I'm no connoisseur. In any case, I tend to stay away from the stuff since I'm unable to drink it in the traditional way, taking but a smidgen afore bedtime and making it last for weeks.
:rofl: True, but in the famous words of Jagger 'you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you get what you need!' or perhaps another way to think about it is:
I just wanted any reason I could find to post another of my old fav tunes in the shoutbox.
Btw, please don't feel any strong urge to thank me for probably improving your knowledge of Scottish whisky!
Actually, they were simply making a distinction between scotch as referring to whisky and scotch as referring to Scottish people, rather than indicating who they did not want a response from.
Whiskey is not meant to be consumed by the scholarly, but by the angry and downtrodden.
But I am an angry, downtrodden scholar, what can I do. :worry: :worry:
I did consider that right after I wrote it. If you are a happy, upbeat scholar, you're clearly not doing it right. Maybe the best way to drink whiskey is smugly and obnoxiously, always leaving the partakers on the verge of blows, but never actually amounting to anything other than a few old men cursing one another until one stops to clutch his chest while trying to catch his breath.
Where I wrote "drink whiskey," feel free to substitute in "post in the TPF." It works either way.
My more scientific mode of thinking, encourages accuracy, when making statements that are being presented as 'true.' I understand that as a theist, you are not used to that rigour.
Perhaps you drink whiskey, but I have not found many examples of such that I like.
Which is why I drink whisky.
There is no such existent! You do like to mention non-existents quite often Hanover!
I personally experience a great deal of fun via Scottish whisky!
The word is "it".
Quoting universeness
The word is "thing".
There is something about you that brings out the worst in me @universeness.
Yeah I know, I seem to be able to activate you in various interesting ways, perhaps I remind you of some aspects of you in days gone past, that you have lost and would benefit from regaining.
Who knows? Who cares? I for one, enjoy our little tussles.
This statement doesn't logically follow. The fact that you like to drink whiskey does not provide a basis for why you drink whisky because I would assume that someone of your precision means something different when he says "whiskey" versus "whisky."
:roll: Your education continues:
From Britannica
So why do you see the name of the liquor spelled both as “whiskey” and as “whisky?” No, it’s not due to a spelling error or typo. It is generally spelled “whiskey”—with an e—in the United States and Ireland. It is spelled “whisky”—without the e—in Scotland and Canada, which are both well known for their whisk(e)y, and in several other countries.
My error is that I assumed you to be one of great precision based upon your claims of adhering to such high standards of scientific rigor. I am now to learn, however, that you are profoundly sloppy, much like a small child in his high chair spitting forth his mashed peas and fish shaped crackers.
A man of great sophistication (like myself) expects that when different words are used within the same context, they are meant to have different meanings. For example, should I say "I like porc, so I therefore eat pork," I must mean that my tastes in France carry forward into the English speaking world. If I didn't mean that, but I instead simply lacked the precision and attention span to use the same word for the same referent, then I would be indicating that I am a simpleton, barely capable of walking a straight line.
If, however, what you meant was that you like to drink whiskey while in the US and in Ireland and that is why you like to drink whisky in Scotland and Canada, then that would account for what I assumed to be your screaming sloppiness. Keep in mind though, if that is what you meant to say, you said it in an overly cryprtic way, making your communication skills suggestive of someone who squishes mashed peas past his toothless infantile lips onto his bib already covered in crushed orange fish crackers and entirely incapable of walking a straight line.
The only correct proposal in the above quote is the association between you and 'error,' but I understand, as you exist within such a miasma of irrational thinking.
Quoting Hanover
If you were capable of understanding the difference between the Scottish product of whisky and other products that try to claim they are 'as good as,' then it would be worth trying to explain to you further, but you are not worth my efforts. At least you have learned the difference between whisky and whiskey.
Perhaps you are remembering your own performance when you have eaten mashed peas and fish shaped crackers, as I have never eaten either, as a child or an adult (Mr Sophistication. :rofl: )
Quoting Hanover
No, you are obviously again, having difficulty with the details involved. Perhaps you should seek help through prayer for more guidance. When I am in America or Ireland, I will drink Scottish whisky, if I decide to drink whisky and I will not drink Irish whiskey or American whiskey, bourbon, or rye as I have tried most of them in the past and found them poor emulations of Scottish whisky.
Quoting Hanover
Aye nae bother Mr foot fetish ringworm, yerbumsootrawindae yatotaltumshie!
BTW, I like Glenlivet, although I have no idea how sustainable its production might be.
How can I fix this problem? I really do want to do things correctly.
Quoting Hanover
That sounds boring as hell, can't we at least hit each other with our walking sticks?
Quoting Hanover
While participating in both adds a little pleasure to life, I would rather have a headache from whiskey than from reading some of the posts that appear here. Nothing personal mind you. :wink:
Interesting. All four bottles I own bite “Highland Single Malt Scotch Whiskey” in bold lettering on the front of the label.
How interesting…. My Glenfarclas bottles note the same!
Yep, that's because Speyside is geographically part of the highlands and the imagery of the highlands can be a better selling point for non-Scots, than the invocations produced by the less known word 'Speyside.' The whisky region is Speyside, not Highlands.
Addition: Did you notice that no bottle of lowland whisky has the word 'lowland,' featured big, on the label. 'Lowland,' is just not as romantic as 'highland.' :roll:
Quoting AmadeusD
:yum: The older the sherry cask, the deeper the 'chocolate' and 'coconut,' notes I seem to detect in the nose and the aftertaste of most Macallans I have tasted >= 12 years.
Arrrgghhhhh! WHISKY not WHISKEY! :lol:
Quoting universeness
I'm unsure why you're making the distinction. It serves no legal purpose and doesn't inform in any meaningful way the characteristics of the whisky (in my experience and understanding).
Seems like a bit of a red-herring. Its clearly a Highland whisky, whether sourced from Spey or not. Should be clear, i'm not arguing with you. I'm commenting on the fact...
Quoting universeness
Int'resting.. I;ve never detected coconut in any whisky/ey ever LOL. But im actively not a fan of coconut and have never been so may just be that i've not developed anything for that note.
Toasted nut and caramel seem to be the baseline notes for Macallan on my tongue.
:up:
For me and many other whisky lovers in Scotland. Whisky and whiskey are two very different products in taste/quality. It's a very important distinction. In France, do they consider American cheese as good as French cheese for example? Why do some folks emphasise 'Parma' ham, rather than just ham, etc, etc.
Quoting AmadeusD
Actually it does, legally, no liquor can be called whisky, unless it is made in Scotland (or Canada).
Similar to champagne in France, is that not the case?
I referenced your distinction between Highland and Speyside... I'm well aware of hte distinctions and legal requirements for whiskey, whisky and bourbon (and previously, though informal, rye whisky). I imagine this deals with your first quote response too :)
:up:
Bollocks.
I believe the only real, universal legal restriction on naming is Bourbon - which has to have been distilled in the USA, for at least three years. 'Scotch Whisky' must be of Scottish origin but the use of 'whisky' can apply to literally any Whisky to my understanding.
Whiskey is also used in various places - American writers are moving toward using it as standard.
Also Welsh:
Russian too, apparently:
They use "whisky" because that's just the normal or original spelling. Americans went with an Irish variant spelling (even though the Irish had used "whisky" hitherto too).
Well done, perhaps there is some hope for you yet.
That's a hot topic amongst Scots whisky lovers.
There is much annoyance about the Japanese use of whisky but also some 'acceptance,' as they fully copy the Scots method of producing their product.
From: Suntory Single Malts: Don’t Call Them Scotch
[b]Although Japanese distillers started producing whisky in the late 19th century (a full four centuries after Scotland began distilling spirits), they unabashedly took their inspiration from the Scots, even opting to spell “whisky” without an “e,” unlike the Irish and American spelling of “whiskey.” Much of Japan’s distilling technology was brought back by Masataka Taketsuru, a young engineer who was also an entrepreneurial whisky devotee. He studied in Glasgow and worked at a number of Scottish distilleries during the early 1920s. He would eventually become Suntory’s first distillery manager.
Of course, even though they are made with practically identical methods, Japanese single malts cannot be called scotch, as they are not produced in Scotland. And yet, somewhat ironically, the majority of Scottish distilleries are characterized by their Japanese-style four-sided pagoda chimneys, as this shape was proven to be the most efficient means of drawing smoke up from the kilns in which the barley was dried.[/b]
That is idiotic, for reasons I've given above.
From: The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SWR) came into force on 23 November 2009. They replaced the Scotch Whisky Act 1988 and the Scotch Whisky Order 1990.
8.3 It should be noted that:
? although only the five traditional localities and regions have been defined and protected in the SWR, it is still permitted to use, in exactly the same way, another Scottish locality or regional name as long as the Scotch Whisky was entirely distilled in that place. For example, Single Malt Scotch Whiskies distilled in Orkney may be sold described as “Orkney Single Malt Scotch Whisky” (with the words appearing in exactly that order).
? Speyside falls within the borders of the Highland region and therefore Scotch Whiskies distilled in the Speyside area may either be described as “Highland” or as “Speyside”.
There is a PDF available on the full details of The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009.
A quick scan through it suggests that the main protection is on the name 'Scotch whisky,' rather than the word 'whisky,' which may be used, if the production process and the ingredients involved are the same as is used by the Scots. The 'e' is used to distinguish the Scottish product from others produced using different methods and ingredients. So I accept that it would be more correct to state that the protection is on 'Scotch Whisky' rather than on the word 'whisky' alone.
The Scots make the best whisky in the world.
Until I taste a whisky better than any scotch whisky, for me, that will remain true.
So double bollocks, right back at you.
Quoting universeness
Ok, on a little further reading of the PDF, I might be on dodgy ground with my quote above as well.
The protection is firmly on 'scotch whisky' and not 'whisky' alone.
Quoting AmadeusD
I now think this is correct. I concede that the protection is on 'scotch whisky,' and not 'whisky.'
:up:
Quoting universeness
Fully agreed.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/miller-high-life-champagne-of-beers-france-laws/
Truth be known, it's likely the case that most American whiskey can trace itself back to a backwoods Scotsman.
My understanding is this isn't likely - it's known - scots and Irish immigrants used the novel grains in the new world to make whiskies and literally the rest is history :P
“Come on guys, let’s go home— this isn’t the United States Senate,” I said.
They went around the corner and threw punches until the police arrived, but I still thought it was a pretty good line.
The Senate "fight" was more like this though...
Close to the fight I witnessed. It was hilarious. The bigger guy — whose girlfriend said was a boxer — was nailed with a left hook. It clearly shook him up, and immediately afterward reached out to shake the other guy’s hand. The smaller guy’s friend said “Why are you tryin to shake his hand?” and he replied with “Because that was a good hit.”
The smaller guy tried to land another one but failed, then walked away — seemingly excited that he landed one and wanted to take the victory before any more fighting.
The girlfriends were screaming at each other too. The whole thing was hilarious— I’m still laughing about it. So stupid.
I thought he’d never die.
Given his consistency in living without fail 365,000 days previously, it's logical to assume the same will continue to happen. Like the sun coming up again.
When Dorothy Parker (snarky poet of the 1930s) was told that former president Calvin Coolidge had died, she said, "How could you tell?"
sort of feel that way about HK.
Ransomware group 'Black Basta' has raked in more than $100 million -researchers
[sup]— Raphael Satter, James Pearson, Gerry Doyle, Richard Chang, Mark Porter · Reuters · Nov 29, 2023[/sup]
Yep, probably, even more so in Canada (or at least Nova Scotia). But no doubt, our Irish bloodlines were involved as well. The moonshine lads!
In short, blame the Irish.
In the books of Spanish grammar and spelling, it is said and written: 'wiski'
«¡Camarero! ¡Una silla y medio wiski!» :snicker: https://www.rae.es/dpd/wiski
A chair and a half? :chin:
Quoting javi2541997
No need to worry>>
Quoting Jamal
In defence of we spud heads, that the craic was mighty we considered a point in our favor and we offer our last dram to any who fell foul of it. Sláinte.
[i]"What abilities (or perhaps maladies) would Hanoverian shoes beget to the wearer?"
"Where could one pick up a pair?"[/i]
And most importantly, "Should those caught with 'Hanoverian shoes' in their possession be incarcerated indefinitely?"
So many questions. So little time. Such is life perhaps. :chin:
Sláinte! ¡Salud! :cool:
Gaelic is such a beautiful language, my mates.
Owed largely to your mastery of ornithology, your Shotboxian scholarship is uncontested, but the reason your invitation has been delayed into the High Fellowship of Shotboxia is precisely as you've realized.
While you have this vast knowledge, you are not fully capable of imparting it, leaving the bulk of your mentees the same struggling dolts as when they arrived.
Do better and your invitation should be forthcoming, I assure you.
Go raibh maith agat, a chara :pray:
Another fellow, who said he was from Colombia, said: Oh! It's crazy how much it rains here in Europe. Time to cover myself and get home as quickly as possible!
And he left us at the bus stop... I must admit that the Colombian mate was the one who wore the best coat, and I guessed that it could protect him from this evil rain... I hope he is OK, and he reached his home safely.
That's how I spent the afternoon because it took about an hour and a half to get back home.
The Scotch always call whiskey the wrong word.
My desktop computer is dying. I don't think I'll buy a laptop or a tablet anytime soon, because I just don't need them much. Other than for this forum. Reading and posting from the phone is tedious.
Yikes
I was standing on a corner with a man from Columbia, South Carolina wearing a Columbia jacket when we absent-mindedly wandered beneath a waterfall, immediately engulfing ouselves in sheets of water. I asked the waterfall operator if those were chickpeas he was eating, and he yelled at me GARBANZO as if there were a difference.
He then died of sudden onset leukemia.
I hope he got home OK. He had the best coat.
%
True story
You need to be logged in for it to show. Too much of an embarrassment for nonmembers.
Operators... you know? Always operando.
Quoting Hanover
Fascinating. The best folks in your and my stories are the ones who wear the best coats. I hope the person in your story got home OK as well. By the way, it still rains. I don't want to commit the same mistake of yesterday and I will wear a better coat today. I hope the Colombian fellow will be there at the bus stop today...
It is disgusting when our bus stops announce the station shouting. For example: the following bus is number 57. PALOMERAS. But I think the Colombian friend has to take the number 141. PUENTE DE VALLECAS.
Two buses but a common destination: get home safely. Take care friends...
This is all political correctness gone mad, like bin-men being renamed "refuse disposal operatives". What's wrong with calling them "waterfallers" like we used to? Nothing to be ashamed of, and the coats are excellent. The best words are the ones that say what they mean, and mean what they say. Call me old-fashioned, but that's what my grandfather used to say, and he knew a thing or two about saying things. One day I'll tell you what he used to call a spade, but somewhere quiet because they might think it racist.
On a slightly different topic, here is something for everyone to enjoy.
:grin: :up:
Yeah. I thought the shoutbox went bye-bye. I didn't know you had to be logged in to see it. I think other categories are also hidden from the lurkers. lol.
Praxis is correct:
Quoting praxis
So it's not showing on your phone only because you're not logged in.
I would struggle if I had to use my phone for TPF. I use a desktop computer with clickety clackety mechanical keyboard as far as possible for everything. When that's not possible, e.g., in airport or bath, I use an iPad. Only in TPF emergencies do I visit it on my phone. I don't like touchscreen technology very much. It's designed for the soft fingers of Silicon Valley techies, not the rough, calloused, sinewy pads of a rugged Highlander.
Not that anyone cares, but I've had my Max Blackbird keyboard for eight years and it's still working well. Only problem is the backlights of the X, G, and full stop keys have died. I've just realized these keys are replaceable so I could get new ones.
Computer technology in general is designed for the amorphous, effervescent souls of Silicon Valley techies, not the resolute steel spirit of a wind-carved bogman towering over the wilds of Connemara.
Can I be a wind-carved bogman too?
It occurs to me that the lights are not in the keys themselves, so what I need is new lights, not new keys.
I think you've got the cojones for it. And 'tis surely a life, roaming the gusty wilds from Connemara to the Burren, hunting Hanovers (a type of nocturnal pig man, high in protein and fat), wolves at our beck and banshees at our back, the rivers our cups and the land our bowls, nature's gifts from which we sup and feast. Bonfires dance us round them and the moon leads us home to our faery queens to whom we grace the spoils of the hunt. A life of wind and roar and mud and guts, carousing through the nights and sleeping in the sun by the banks of the Shannon, our faery brides resting by our sides. Yes, 'tis surely a life.
[[I]This post is brought to you by Samsung Pro-Geek Touchscreen Technology. Samsung: Save your Pinkies[/i]!]
I imagine serial killers take pains over someone, even if they eventually treat that someone as a something. And the pain they take, eventually becomes pain for the person they take pains over...
But what do you do when the English redcoats come to burn you out, on the command of King Hanover?
This overlaps nicely with Un's post above. You see, populations of Hanovers overshoot unless culled regularly, so by doing for nature what she can't manage herself, we maintain a balance whereby there are not too many Hanovers rolling about the place yet enough so the hunt may continue and we bog men receive the necessary sustenance to continue to do what we bog men do. There are no redcoat objectors and no "King Hanover"--these are just myths we tell our children to keep them in line. And so, everything remains perfectly in balance in the wilds of Connemara.
I have heard of a similar place in Scotland were no nasties like redcoats and Kings exist, Brigadoon it's called but f***** if I can find it. :confused:
btw: for 50 quid, this is not completely unpalatable!
Let us now find our weakest link. Let the games begin.
I had not really thought about it before but the keyboard I use came with the Dell-All-In)One touch screen I bought 12 years ago, It has had a hard life but still works fine.
Quoting Baden
Gawd that sounds like a fantastic life. Where would one sign up?
That is not how you spell skulker. :wink:
Don't know the fancy terminology, but, anyway, it's like an abstract social critique, perhaps mostly of corporate culture, whatever along those lines, wrapped in some of today's buzzwords and such. ("abstract" because of the settings, sci-fi and horror aren't quite the best descriptions, and some dialogue is a bit...too written for the purpose)
I found some details vaguely though eerily familiar. Certain kinds of "coincidental protocols" in place giving an impersonal control to motivate, promote/demote, terminate, ..., exploitable behavior of individuals in crowds, anti-cooperation, ... (Mechanized capitalism?) A faint whiff of existentialism?
I'm guessing they used AI for Mallard to express unapproachability, non-caring. Might not have been so "clean" if represented by faces of present humans.
Fine acting (imo); otherwise you may hate, find boring, or like.
People go crazy in December too. They think the world is the last moment of existence, and they do weird things: buying unnecessary stuff at groceries or writing a will.
December is the month for short story activity.
You can either like it or dislike it, but we must admit that December is a cooler month than weird February or August.
How was the usual and customary malevolent overlord AI threatened? Somebody had the power cord in their hand and was about to pull the plug? A bomb had been glued to the CPU? A bigger, nastier, and even more malevolent AI was breathing down the cooling vents of the lesser AI?
Are you saying that people go crazy in December just the same as they go crazy during the other 11 months? Or in addition to everything else, people go uniquely crazy in December?
December can be a a miserable weather month -- it can get very cold, it can snow a lot, and it can do other things. An ice storm is not out of the question. Greenish grass (sort of green) sometimes is in view on Christmas. I went grocery shopping on my bike this afternoon -- it was about 35ºF, quite nice for biking, No wind, no precipitation.
Fall and winter do have lots of holidays: Halloween, Armistice Day, Thanksgiving, St. Nicholas Day (12/6); St. Lucia's Day (12/13 very popular in Sweden and among the Swedish diaspora); Advent; 12 days of Christmas, of course--12/25--1/6.
Given my old and worthy handle -- bitter crank -- it won't surprise anyone that I like a snarky song to counteract all the sweetness and light of the season. I'm fond of the Chad Mitchell Trio -- dead now. Here's their 12 Days of Christmas from 1963, as would have been sung by a party of unreconstructed Nazis. (the trio liked to satirize right wingers, nazis, etc.)
People go uniquely crazy in December. In the rest of the months, I feel people are more chilled with life. I understand that vibe, indeed. Some folks think that December is related to something that is 'ending.'
To be honest with you, I would pay whatever to live the experience of December 1999. I was only two years old, so I don't remember anything. But I 'imagine' that people went crazier than at any time in our recent history. Experiencing the change to a new century had to be fabulous.
Quoting BC
I love 'miserable' weather. I rather like rainy and cloudy days than sunny ones. The lesser the sun, the better. This is the sense of my life.
Quoting BC
True, and those holidays are about friendship and sharing.
I remember 1999. Yeah, it was sort of exciting to enter a new day, new year, new century! A lot of people thought everything would fall apart on 1/1/2000 because of the Y2K problem -- old computer programs weren't thought to survive having to switch from 19xx to 20xx. Nothing happened.
I like our wonderful / bad December weather -- heavy snow, wind, cold. Snow is so transformative. The winter of 1983 - 1984 was particularly wonderful / bad. We had a snow storm at the end of November, then a solid month of very cold weather with lots of wind. Around Christmas it warmed up a little and snowed a lot more. By spring there was snow and ice all over everything.
Too bad... we always have bigger expectations than what actually happens. Don't we?
Quoting BC
It rings a bell to me... I guess I heard this song in a Ghibli film. But I can't remember what one exactly.
'overlaps nicely,' indeed. :roll:
The word for today is "synchronicity". Jung suggests that when you notice it - meaningful coincidence - you should follow it. Not chase it mind, just be guided somewhat. So in this case, extra diligence in the slaughter of @Hanovers at this time - not forever, a week or two, maybe.
I have no memory of that date as it seemed to roll by like any other New Year. I was 34 and I can't readily remember where I was living at the time. I think the third millennium actually began on Jan 1, 2001, but that's a technicality. Wasn't there some shit about Y2K leading to computer meltdowns in 2000? We probably bottled some water and bought some candles.
I was 27 years old. Probably I was a cynical bore, so don't take my word for it, but for me, although it felt pretty cool to be going into a new century, it was pretty much a normal New Year celebration, only a bit worse.
You see, New Year (Hogmanay) has always been my least favourite fiesta, because the weight of expectation to have a wild and crazy good time tends to hamper the enjoyment and spontaneity. Not only that, but it often means I am standing in a street unable to move for the mass of rude, loud, annoying human flesh surrounding me.
On December 31st, 1999, everything about this was more intense and more unpleasant, while the expectation was greater than ever. But I was still at an age when I thought, or pretended, that I was having a great time, leading to deep internal conflicts that I've never recovered from.
I'm a Christmas Boy and I like to be at home, with the whole family gathered around in the main kitchen to watch the wild boar roasting over the fire.
In fact, New Year was like that for me until I was about 16: a cosy domestic affair. I'll never recapture those days, will I? Is that one of the reasons people have children, I wonder?
I still believe vaping is a vast improvement on smoking from the perspective of health, but it's a hassle. If I'm out for the day I have to ensure it's charged before I go out, I need to take extra liquid, and the charger or a backup vape, and somewhere to put the vape itself, which is not tiny. Plus all vapes leak, even the ones that don't.
So one day I got fed up with all that and stopped. Now I can quickly slip on my suit, grab keys and wallet, and shoot out the door in a moment's notice.
You are the same age as my parents. :smile:
I asked them, and they didn't remember anything special about December 31st 1999...
Quoting Tom Storm
You are right. That's when the 21st century actually started.
There are 365 days, and it is obvious that some are better than others. It is difficult to have a good experience all year. As much as I remember, I always tried to eat the grapes, but nonetheless, I ended up having bad years.
The paradox is, I still eat the grapes because if I don't do it, I feel like I will regret it all year until next December 31st.
Well done. I gave up 17 years ago, after various attempts. Harder to give up than booze (which I also gave up around 10 years ago). Life is no better or more enjoyable without these vices, but it is certainly cheaper and healthier.
Quoting Jamal
That's the key. Try to avoid triggers in the short term (6 months to a year) and if you do accidentally have a smoke (at a party, when drunk, say) don't commit the common mistake of saying, 'Well that's it, I'm back on them..." Just don't smoke the next day and keep the focus. I've just come back from hospital where my sister in law is in her final days with throat cancer... She's a year older than me. Don't smoke...
I'm not a big fan of compulsory parties, so most New Years I am in bed by 10.30pm. I don't think I have ever been on the streets during a New Year thing. I dislike crowds and drunks. Bah humbug....
Thanks. A friend of my younger brother just died of lung cancer. Four years younger than me.
I haven't really avoided all the triggers, and I've been close to giving in and buying a pack a couple of times, but I keep deciding not to.
That's what I did.
And the bit when I said I'd given up nicotine completely, in the first sentence of my post?
Quoting Vaskane
Try to give that up too.
Where our differences cease differing is in our disagreeableness over New Years Eve, a day that ought just involve flipping the calendar page, but instead trumped up into a huge celebration where nothing really changes.
I would always schedule a mountain getaway with another couple so I could pretend to have celebrated, but actually I has just hidden away until the day passed.
The one thing I regret, other than not having invented the beans in the computer gag, is not having worn glasses that looked like a 2000 where you looked through the zeros, or as you guys say, "zeds." Such is another of our differences.
I see. Well, since the notion of vaping without nicotine is absurd to me, I had not considered the possibility that somebody might misunderstand my post in the way you did. So, from that point of view: my bad. However, I made it pretty clear I gave up vaping in the same post.
The fact is, while @Tom Storm responded as a friend, you responded because you wanted to spout your opinion, and have absolutely no interest in my experience. Get lost.
Hard to believe, given your present sunny nature.
Quoting Hanover
:up: Fuck such!
Quoting Hanover
I can picture it now. Colorado, with moose and such.
Quoting Hanover
I watched that but could not see the funny side, unfortunately. Another of our differences.
Quoting Hanover
"Zed" is the word for the letter, not the number, you prat.
Our traditions hold us strongly.
The view from the living room.
That amount of snow and the blurred buildings in the distance give me a feeling of quiet and silence.
I wish we had a snow-covered atmosphere in the neighborhoods of Madrid as well.
Speaking of other sides I just noticed several of my favorite features of TPF are hidden when not logged in, primarily The Shoutbox and everything under the Symposium (all short stories) including the currently pinned short story discussion thread.
Is this intentional or just a software configuration of little to no concern or thought?
I am a little over three years off nicotine and it absolutely gets easier. I found alcohol infinitely harder to kick. Then again, I found nicotine harder to kick that heroin lmao...
I'm sure this has absolutely no value to you, but cigarettes and tobacco in general make me feel relatively sick now - and when i quit, it was entirely cold turkey due to a health scare so it was pure will power back then.
I stopped smoking after 50 odd years about 5 years ago and never had a craving. A craving is a desire to smoke, so if you have cravings you are in conflict. You want to stop but you also want to continue.
i advise you to look very closely at these cravings; what is it that you are feeling uncomfortable about, and that you imagine that smoking will improve?
If the smoker has died, one might be unhappy and mourn him, but one does not want to resurrect him. Perhaps he is not dead, but still trying to conduct your life with his little white stick "Time to pause and take a breath" he might say, or "take a moment's break to reflect on the day so far", or "look how empty your life is without me", or the silliest one of all, "you are doing so well at not smoking, you deserve a little reward; have a cigarette." Find out what you really crave...
Why do people always talk about giving up, as if it were either a sacrifice or a defeat? I've taken early retirement from punishing myself!
It is intentional and of little to no concern. :smile:
No no, every word of support is like a hand ... supporting me. Even @unenlightened's.
Cigarettes, vaping, alcohol, weed, etc. -- all are ways of separating us from cash in exchange for little. The new temperance message is that "there is no safe amount of alcohol". The occasional bottle of beer is killing something, so just don't.
I'm not convinced by the absolute sobriety for everybody all the time everywhere message. We are all going to die of something, sooner or later, and in the meantime, there should be space for festivity and release.
There was a New Yorker cartoon depicting a sober party of people sitting around a living room. Caption: "Remember when we all smoked and drank and had fun?"
Quoting BC
I don't know which message to take away.
Pick your poisons prudently; apply a cost-benefit analysis. The occasional good brew delivers more pleasure than the cheaper acrid taste of a cigarette. The primary lever of the tobacco industry is that their product is strongly addictive. It doesn't take long for the user to require nicotine to feel normal. Alcohol is addictive too, but most people who drink alcohol occasionally do not become addicted.
Moderation, of course. immoderate use of alcohol and smoking in combination is very high risk.
The trouble with nicotine is that it is addictive in the relatively small doses which cigarettes provide, making it more likely that one will get hooked through occasional use. Most people can safely drink alcohol occasionally without addiction developing.
Stick with psychedelics. Which incidentally, have a very good success rate at kicking nicotine
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4342293/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27441452/
https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/members/faculties/addictions-psychiatry/addictions---essay-prize-winner---james-marsh.pdf?sfvrsn=71d7b5db_5 (more tempered here)
In psychology, resilience is the capacity to deal with stress without trauma. I suggest that it constitutes a measure of 'character' as distinguished from 'ego'. It should not be confused, however with 'rigidity'; to the contrary, rigidity is the fossilisation of traumatic stress - a 'coping mechanism' that continues even when there is nothing to 'cope' with.
In ecology, resilience is similarly the capacity of an ecosystem to deal with changes of climate, disease, pollution and so on. A key feature here is diversity. A monoculture is highly susceptible to disease, for example.
As much as Angela Merkel and the Dutch financial ministers, Hanover.
It took you 50 years for a reason, dude.
This is my third year off nicotine entirely. It's only gotten easier.
Nothing easier than not doing shit you don't want to do. It's not wanting that's tough.
This is the most genius statement anyone has ever made. Holy shit, the depth of reasoning, the boldness of nonlinearity. Magical.
I recall you were giving up a few years ago, but you neglected to report back on your progress. Well done, good to know.
Never. Such is a gateway to @Baden's fags.
There is a shockingly small selection of beige Hawaiian shirts available online.
A good possible marketing and investment opportunity if I’ve ever seen one.
(and I haven’t)
Beige is the new beige.
The huimble thing to say is that those who have stumbled but then struggled and succeeded are stronger than those who never stumbled.
This comment doesn't work to my advantage here, so I say it only for the purpsoe of sounding wise, but not to the extent it makes me look weaker for not having been weaker.
I'm in the BC timescale: 28 years ago. I had a (relatively youthful) heart attack. It was still bloody hard to give up. I knew the craving was over when I stopped counting the nicotine-free days, which was somewhere in the fifty-somethings. Now, imagine, that must be over 9,000 days! My heart still troubles me, but it took the organ 24 years to give me a sharp kick again. Here's to your lungs.
Congrats. I haven't really tried, but part of that is the excuse I give to myself that I'm a "light" smoker; about 2-4 a day. It's long been an after-work ritual.
That is an impressive control mechanism.
I'm loath to accept compliments about my smoking. I chalk it up to smoking American Spirits, which some consider to be a minimum of two cigarettes in one.
I've never had time for smoking or drinking. My only vice is this, lying, and fucking supermodels.
Thats a single vice? Nice dude.
I'm not sure what this has to do with vice other than your clear addiction to scholarly Shoutbox research. Truly a hard habit to kick.
Quoting Hanover
And I've never had time for scholarly Shoutbox research. Except when I do. Which is occasional and often coincides with when I have time for smoking and drinking. I ask you, as the Brits (?) say.
I have an irrational hatred of people who smoke less than 10 a day, and people who can take it or leave it.
You finally realize it's a disgusting combination? :grin:
I had half of a big omelette for breakfast. It had onions and cheese in it and was cooked in the oven. To go with this I had a coffee that was spicy because I used my coffee grinder for spices yesterday.
Oh and a chicken drumstick.
Although it made me cry... Yes, I gave up on combining Japanese cuisine and Spanish products. These two are not destined to go together.
Quoting Jamal
Spicy coffee? I never thought of this sublime drink. I want to taste it right now.
There used to be a restaurant in Denia that combined Japanese and Mexican cuisines. And it wasn’t like you might expect: some Mexican dishes and a few sushi or tempura dishes. No, their combinatorial granularity was much finer, i.e., they actually tried to combine the cuisines in the same dishes, like you did. Sushi with guacamole and jalapeños, refried edamame beans, that kind of thing. I was willing to try it but it was not nice.
Quoting javi2541997
Well, as discussed here in the Shoutbox before, the Turks and others put cardamom in their coffee, so it’s not totally crazy.
I haven't been surprised because Turkish folks put cardamom in coffee, but the fact that I never heard of this mix until today!
It is time to try something new tomorrow morning while I eat the classic toasts with tomato and olive oil.
Where the similarities between my preferred women and coffee diverge is that I like my coffee in a cup whereas I like my women in a box.
This guy puts his arm around the black guy next to him and tells the waitress, "I like my coffee the same way I like my men!"
The waitress says, "We don't have gay coffee."
I had a café au lait at Starbucks today, It was not bad. Not terrific. $4 small size. At least the milk was nice and frothy. French roast would have been better in the café but they didn't have any. Second rate coffee kiosk, but it's where we were.
I was at the mall (remember those?) and I happened upon a Clarks shoe store. They were still selling Wallabees, those moccasin like boots with the rubbery soles. I still had a pair in my closet (likely from 1982, the same year the gay coffee joke hit the scene) that I went home and sported for the first time in decades. I must say, I looked smart in my Wallabees and Adidas sweat pants, especially with my striking blue eyes.
I bought a couple of pairs of other styles as well, immediately garnering compliments at work like "where'd you get the old man shoes"?
Those shoes are the perfect shoes to wear when telling wippersnappers to get the fuck off my lawn.
I despise Starblechs, but ironically, today I was in an inordinate hurry, and found a dumb glass bottle of Starblechs mocha chilled coffee drink thing in a convenient location, bought it quickly with cash (such a NY story), and chugged it on the train. It sucked. And was mostly sugar. Almost no caffeine kick. The day got better form there, but then it got worse. And then better. Maybe I'll write a musical about it.
At least the dumb glass bottle was recyclable. Did you deposit the empty bottle in a receptacle where dilatory agents might eventually collect and channel it into the resource recovery stream?
Im used to five shots at once, so I suffer this with anyone a barista can fit in a cup
Yes.
Quoting BC
It's still in my bag, but I will.
Quoting AmadeusD
Five shots is roughly 250mg of caffeine, so about 50mg more than I'm used to consuming, but I get it.
I am so sorry to announce this... I don't have cardamom in my house. I just noticed it when I went to the kitchen to have my breakfast. I hope Mercadona sells some, and I can buy it as quickly as possible. I can't let this year end without tasting spicy coffee.
I hate to break it to you, but Cardamom is quite expensive. But worth it, I guess, if you feel so inclined. I've never added it to coffee but can't imagine the flavor explosion. Good luck. And maybe be judicious!
A brief comment on the combo of tea with turmeric and black pepper.
The taste of the green tea is usually flowery, but when you put black pepper on it, there is a hint of saltiness that fits well. Turmeric is similar to ginger, and the aroma is reminiscent of mustard, and I noticed that the colour of the tea turned yellowish.
I looked it up and it was under $6.00 for a 1.8 ounce jar at Walmart. I would expect a jar to last anywhere between 1/4 to 1/3 a lifetime, so it's not all that expensive.
Maybe you need special cardamom and Walmart won't due, but if you're willing to eat the cardamom of the common man, you can probably squeeze it into your budget.
If you would send me your tax returns and other financial information, I can prepare a budget for you that allows for sufficient cardomom consumption if you would like.
The bad feelings engendered by that day caused us to burn what god foresaken saffron we had left so we would not again by cursed by those riches.
God damn that spice! God damn it to hell!
Haha! :lol: No one got it.
I might be remembering it wrong, but I'm pretty sure, about 6 months ago, when I went to buy a container of cardamom (ground) from my homey at the Syrian bakery, it was $14 for the same size container in which other spices cost about $4. I could be wrong. If this is special cardamom then I won't fight it. Check mate, atheists.
Are you sure?
Quoting Hanover
Hanover is right on his thesis on the cost of saffron. I consulted the Mercadona official app, and 100 grams cost €437.50. It is very expensive.
(Please consider that Mercadona prices are more reliable than the Wall Street stock market or Tokyo Stock Exchange)
The cheapest spice in the market is parsley, just €5.27 for 100 grams.
Does salt count as a spice?
No. The salt is a mineral.
I think that sort of relegation is offensive to salt. But, should you insist that it be treated as a red headed step-child, I would then point out that cinnamon is the cheapest of all spices. This determination is based upon my research, which shows that it's a bark derivative and each tree has more than enough bark to keep it warm and comfortable, leaving us with plenty of that fun spice for our muffins and festive coffee drinks..
I point out for @Jamal where I said "this determination" because my pet peeve is when people use the term "this" but then don't describe what "this" is, leaving us with a statement like "This is based upon my reseach." Such is so annoying.
I point out for you that you would say "Salt is a mineral," and not include the article "The" in that sentence.
I point out for @baden that I mean nothing offensive when I refer to the many red headed step-children of Ireland as those most often mistreated and cast aside. Be it known that I fully believe that red headed step children are just as good as other step children, but I would assume they are of a much more fiery disposition, but that too might be a stereotype.
I point out for @Noble Dust that if you're still broke ass from your over-consumption of cardamom, you might enjoy a salt and cinnamon sandwich until pay day.
I point out for @BC that regardless of how I like my coffee, I do like me a cinnamon girl because if you have a cinnamon girl you can be happy for the rest of your life.
OK. Every mistake is a lesson learned. Thanks, Teacher Hanover
I want to point out to @T Clark that, regardless, he is in our dreams and minds, although he is not present at the moment.
My agreement with such is not an existent.
Hey does anyone use the word "snazzy" these days. Anyone mind if I bring it back?
Not that it was ever cool. Unlike "cool", which is just cool enough to stay its course through the ocean of language, leaving the flotsam of fashionable but transient terms in the dust. :chin:
I like this idea and throw the full support of my reputation and office behind it.
I don't want to flood the market with Z related words, so we can hold off on this other idea, but I like the word jazzed as well. As in, I am so jazzed by your snazzy get up I can hardly contain myself.
Did you know that in the UK they use the word "nil" for Z?
Bodacious. I'm on board.
A great poet, writer and political activist. Too short a life at 65 but Benjamin leaves a fantastic legacy.