Talking about the interesting stitch message, I recall from biology class many years ago that in the long run the pathogen generally is better off not killing us (not all of us anyway), since we supply nutrients etc.
I've been on this planet many decades. I've taught English, been a journalist, an editor and a proofreader. Yet only today did I discover that there is only one "r" in Sherbet. All these years I've thought it ended bert not bet. Brains are strange things.
Interesting...looks like there was a Substack UI update. There are extra spaces after the last message in a thread. Looks to be extra spaces for the vertical lines after.
"Italian Sounding" is a +US$60b industry. It is the marketing phenomenon consisting of words and images, color combinations (the Italian tricolor) and geographical references for brands that are evocative of Italy to promote and market products – especially but not exclusively agri-food – that are not actually Made in Italy.
Surely most of the $60B comes from Ragu, Classico, low rent espresso products etc. rather than the more niche things like San Marzanos and balsamic? I mean, even domestic San Marzanos are gonna cost $6/can. That's a pretty small market.
Pasta. Go to the aisle and they're almost all made by big companies with Italian flags on them - but they're mostly domestic. And they almost always extrude it through teflon-coated steel dies for speed & lower cost. If you're not having fresh, look for one that is "bronze cut", which means it's extruded through bronze. Bronze is rougher, softer metal - so pasta shudders and sticks as it flows through the die. It creates a rough exterior - which means sauces stick to them better.
100% of balsamic vinegar you buy is not balsamic vinegar. It is "balsamico di modena", which is cheap vinegar with color, lots of sugar, and thickeners added. It tastes good because it's basically sugar/vinegar. Real balsamic vinegar tastes good because it's aged like a fine wine. It costs a LOT. Do yourself a favor and throw out your balsamic vinegar and buy aged sherry vinegar instead. It's subtle, complex, and is not too expensive.
I don't because I don't think real balsamic is worth it. Or perhaps more accurately, my palate is not experienced enough to fully appreciate the difference.
San Marzano is a specific region in Italy, specifically the volcanic lands around Mt. Vesuvius. "Real" San Marzano tomatoes have a "D.O.P." stamped on the cans (Denominazione d’Origine Protteta), which signify that it's certified coming from that area. I've been to San Marzano. The area is tiny and there isn't nearly enough crops being grown around it to have every single grocery store in American carrying true San Marzano tomatoes. I have no proof of it, but I suspect that over 90% of San Marzano tomatoes are counterfeit.
There's a DOC pizzaria here in Shanghai that claims to use only DOP products but it's pretty bad (relative to cost and actual Italians involved in running the restaurant).
Dave Chang addressed this issue in his pizza episode of Ugly Delicious when he was in Japan, and he interviewed that guy saying "instead of making my pies with DOP, I use all Japanese ingredients". I went to a 12 seat pizzeria in Hokkaido, where the chef owner spent a decade in Italy learning how to make pizza and came back and opened a tiny restaurant. It was really really really good.
I recall reading some time in the past that more 'extra virgin italian' olive oil is sold than could be pressed from every single olive grown in italy.
I should try growing some next season. Tomatoes grow remarkably well in our garden. This past year we had a bumper crop of romas, tomatillos, and cherry tomatoes.
we just had our final harvest and it was over 200 green tomatoes. Put them in bags and boxes to see if that trick works and...it appears that it does. Getting a few turning red each day
Italy grows about 12% of the world's olives. Yet go to the grocery store - it dominates the olive oil aisle. Spain's olive oil production is almost five times larger than Italy. But Italy exports the same amount of oil as Spain. The math doesn't work. I estimate that about two-thirds of all olive oil is counterfeit Italian oil. My go-to olive oil is Terra Delyssa olive oil. It's Spanish. It's really cheap and good for the price.
Just to be clear, we buy two types of EVOO, one from Berkeley Bowl which is fine for everyday cooking and such, and the good stuff, which is only used for dipping bread or on fancy salads. Even the good stuff varies wildly in flavor profiles.
Usually get the California olive oil, though I did buy "Pompeiian" recently on sale and I notice that the olives come from a bunch of countries including Spain, Tunisia, Morocco, Greece, Argentina, U.S.A., Turkey, etc. identified by codes on the label.
Most bottles of olive oil will have letters demarcating which country the oil comes from. Most often it is a blend of Spain, Portugal, Lebanon, etc. And I have no problem with that at all.
I've tried having this conversation with my missus and it's too much for her to emotionally process (used to speak pretty good Italian, spent the summer in Florence, couple of visits as a kid) so we're still getting "Italian" oil.
2. Filet of sole w/spinach and quick and dirty sliced confit yukon golds
3. Chicken piccata
4. Prosciutto (that's it, that's the meal, especially if I'm not very hungry or had a big lunch)
5. Turkey and avocado sandwich
Not listed but probably more common than anything is the "quick graze through the fridge" meal. A handful of olives, a slice of cheese, three bites of last night's dinner, a piece of fruit etc. until I'm satisfied.
They're super soft and luscious. I slice them, layer them out in a skillet, douse in a shocking amount of olive oil, and stick in a hot oven for 35 minutes or so.
Not to speak for Scootie, but the confit potato recipe I just viewed uses EVOO to poach the potatoes. The potatoes are poached slowly at a low temp and yields a soft texture.
Related question - do folks on here with kids make the same thing for themselves as the kids every night? My kids would eat some combo of butter noodles, chicken wings, and cheese quesadillas for every meal, but obviously there is only so much of that sort of thing that a reasonable adult can take.
eh, 90% one meal once they weren't toddlers, but my wife will make one extra protein for my daughter if she's not eating what everyone else is. Personally, I kinda think that's not a good idea.
we have generally always cooked only one meal since the kids got done w/ baby food out of a jar. even back then we would grind up out dinner and feed it to them.
it was of course harder to get them to eat that stuff for first couple years, but since the kids have been 2-3 they have generally eaten almost everything.
i am sure that the variety of food in NYC also helps and they never seemed to be genetically picky eaters.
Same. As soon as cf-98 was eating actual foods we'd blend up whatever we're having and give it to her. Now we give her a sampling of whatever we're having for dinner and she usually eats it. It's much easier than making multiple meals each night.
We do that most of the time, esp during week due to lack of time. But it can be limiting as they wont eat spicy things, anything too complicated, so sometimes we will make something simpler for the kids and a different thing for us. Just as a random example, i like cassolet, but there is no way in hell my kids woukd eat that
No joke, burritos compromise 35-40% of our dinners, followed by pasta with red sauce, and then everything else, including things such as fried rice, roasted butternut squash curries, and other similar one-pot dishes.
Do this every so often. Not a standard, but from time to time, it's a nice change of pace. Also, if due to events, "dinner" is very late, like after a night game, etc., I'll often go off the breakfast menu, since it might be closer to breakfast time than dinner.
i'm selling my 2011 Cervelo and leaving it here. . . and trying to shop for a new bike in the US. and Man, the supply chain issues are real! Bike shops want me to put down a full deposit right now for delivery in April. I wouldn't mind a 50% deposit, but I'm looking at bikes in the 4-5k range - and that's a lot of money out of pocket, especially at a time that I'm moving, and buying plane tickets and cleaning services and pulling from my US bank accounts. We'll see what happens when I get back - I really want a new bike but at this rate maybe it's used and I have to compromise (but probably then I get even more bike for my money)
I probably need to review our balance of stocks to bonds. the stocks and stock funds keep going up what seems unsustainably. (Tesla over $1K per share, wtf)
My target date fund made a huuuuuge distribution with a huuuge corresponding drop in price at the end of December. Thought it was a good time to lump sum my IRA contribution this week before the price recovers.
I took a package of pumpkin gnocchi (these: https://www.mammaemma.it/en/potato-gnocchi/potato-gnocchi-with-pumpkin/ ) and dumped it in a large cast iron frying pan, along with about 1 tbs of olive oil, 4oz of diced pancetta, a large handful of fresh sage leaves and a red onion cut into like eighths. Cooked it in a 425F oven for about 25 minutes, pulled it out and added 3tbs of heavy cream and a big handful of parmesan. Let that sit off the heat for 5 minutes or so, stir, and serve with a nice green salad. The heat from the cast iron lets the cheese melt and the cream thicken while it sits.
Ha. 1.5tbs of cream and 2oz of pancetta isn't going to give anyone a heart attack. I calculated the calories per serving and it was pretty reasonable -- around 625 all in. I think if I make it again I might throw in a few handfuls of spinach to wilt in the sauce at the end.
Don't skip on the feta. And go for the cheap kind of feta - the young/sour stuff, not the aged yummy stuff that goes on a cracker. The feta is the souring agent that adds the zip the dish was missing. I also used Mina brand harissa sauce.
I got Sundance Now to watch Le Bureau (very good, and i appreciate the gallic concept that a man with a nose that big can be an attractive lead). Is there anything else on Sundance worthwhile?
Watching season 1 of "Young Rock" on Peacock. Silly family sitcom about Dwayne Johnson's childhood during 3 time periods: his adolescence (about 10 y.o.); high school and his time at The U. The overarching story is that Dwayne is telling stories from his past during his presidential campaign in 2032. Surprisingly good, cute, mindless fun. The actors who play some old-time wrestlers are very good (especially Andre the Giant). Apparently the stories that are told in that show are true. I hope that is the case, because even if the stories are "mostly" true, his early life was pretty interesting. 16/19.
Saw Joel Coen's The Tragedy of MacBeth yesterday. I can highly recommend it. Visually stunning, heavily influenced by German Expressionism and films such as Sunrise by Murnau and Laughton's The Night of the Hunter. Denzel and Frances McDormand were -- unsurprisingly -- excellent in the lead roles.
Only watched the first episode so far. It was . . . fine, but didn't grab me in the same way Mandalorian did.
Part of it might be that I never thought Boba Fett was all that interesting of a character, aside from having a cool look. The show seems to assume that I'm interested in him as a person, rather than convincing me of why he's interesting. But again, that was only one episode so I don't want to jump to conclusions.
Drew Magary, who writes tv & sports opinion pieces for SF Gate that I tend to disagree with 95% of the time, totally panned it, FWIW. Again, he’s kind of a tool, so take with a grain of salt.
I did, however, totally enjoy his evisceration of Ben Roethlisberger following Monday Night’s ESPN love fest...Roethlisberger is a total clown, IMO, that has escaped prosecution for rape multiple times...dude’s a chump.
I really liked Drew's writing at Deadspin (especially Your Team Sucks and his Foodspin stuff) but I'm not going to take his opinion on the Book of Boba Fett. It's exactly what I want.
I haven't watched ROTJ in many many years and had forgotten he fell in the pit. I just rewatched it. I've got the new Boba Fett episode downloaded and just need to watch it.
They seem to be making the same mistake with rapid tests they made with masks back in 2020: downplaying their effectiveness, not because they don't work but because we are too low on supply. Only it's much worse right now because our government should have known that we needed more testing supply and procured it. All of this communication would be much better if you just leveled with people.
I think you're right about leveling with people. The folks who are determined to misunderstand or twist messages will do that anyway. Prof Tufekci is great, a real go-to for me for understanding the general "body of knowledge" around a very fast moving area of research in generalist language that's not condescending.
Agreed. Nothing destroys credibility faster than dishonesty, and mis-leading people, even out of necessity under exigent circumstances, usually backfires, to the point where you can't get people to listen to overwhelming evidence later. The current mess is in large part the result of this "spin" mentality that has been commonplace in recent times.
Never heard of a utility use “Major” in its name. I run a tribal utility and am updating our ordinance this year, maybe I should change the name and rebrand with Major.
One of my twins’ teachers is out all week. All three of my kids have roughly three or so of twenty students out in their classes. Still not as bad as my friend in Brooklyn who said that only 4 of 16 kids in his daughter’s first grade class showed up for the first day of school.
first day back in HS for the 17 y.o. Apparently her HS is teetering on the brink of the 5% active cases that triggers a review for a 2 week virtual decision, and she's torn between not really wanting 2 weeks of virtual school and not being that enthusiastic about being back in an enclosed space with a bunch of people she doesn't really trust in their mask use etc. I am basically counting on the odds (young, in good health, vaxxed / boosted, wearing a KN95) breaking in her favor.
In Oregon, the state told the schools they should suspend extracurricular activities, or revert to (relatively) extreme extra protective matters. Zero school districts suspended them, though the largest school district in the state is going to require competitors to wear masks while playing. I predict that by MLK day, there will be more games to post schedule changes to than scores to.
It's a challenging time to have youth in the system. I don't mind not having to deal directly with a number of the issues involved on a daily basis; its tough enough dealing with it at the University level.
I am torn between "general parental worrying" and "well shit we've done what we can, short of pulling her out of school," which I think would be overreacting. I've at least got the level of reassurance that we're all vaccinated and boosted. My brother in the Portland suburbs has a fully vaccinated almost 8 year old (who just had a school exposure but is "testing to stay") and a wholly unvaccinated not-quite-five year old. Odds are she'd be fine if she got Omicron, but that's not entirely comforting.
I'm in the latter scenario (fully vaxxed 6 year old and not yet vaxxed 2 year old). Ultimately it comes down to the tradeoffs for me: the small risk to the youngest kid does not outweigh the negatives that come from keeping the kids home until God knows when. Both are in school (the latter in a nursery school).
Too much uncertainty to be comforted by the odds. Ugh.
I fervently hope that I'm not misreading the signs about Omicron. I remain hopeful that while Omicron is highly transmissible, it is not nearly as virulent as the earlier COVID variants.
I also take some hope from the fact that the flu epidemic of 1918 lasted about two years before it waned. Now, the flu is just an endemic virus and it is usually an inconvenience for young and healthy people; a concern for older and unhealthy folks.
One of the worst decisions by this Lakers front office in a long time, and that is an impressive feat. The Buss family cannot sell this team soon enough.
IT'S A FEW hours after dusk on a Monday in early December, and the Golden State Warriors' gleaming spaceship, the Chase Center, is about to transform into a vibrating dance party.
The frenzy will be identical to those created by superstar Stephen Curry's one-man scoring blitzkriegs, but Curry will be swaying and dancing with everyone else for a key stretch of this particular soiree -- watching the unlikeliest of sources forge a time-and-place memory.
With a sellout crowd of 18,064 looking on, the onslaught begins with a whimper. There's an early foul, then a turnover, then a miss from deep, then a blocked layup. It's all too familiar, his distractors say, a pattern in a disappointing, spotty career.
What a steal by the Warriors. Trading D'Angelo Russell (and 2 others) for him. He really is a perfect fit. A more athletic Klay (can make plays off the dribble better than Klay).
BRISBANE, Australia -- With his medical exemption approved, Novak Djokovic may have some explaining to do when he gets to Melbourne to defend his Australian Open title.
The exemption allows the top-ranked Djokovic entry to the tournament regardless of his vaccination status for COVID-19, a subject he has declined to clarify amid months of speculation that he could miss the season-opening major unless he can prove he's had two doses of a coronavirus vaccine.
That's a Victoria state government-mandated condition of entry for all players, staff, fans and officials entering Melbourne Park when the tournament starts on Jan. 17.
Novak Djokovic has been denied entry into Australia after initially being granted a medical exemption for the country's COVID-19 vaccination requirements so that the world's No. 1-ranked tennis player could play in the Australian Open.
Djokovic, left stranded at Melbourne's Tullamanrien airport overnight, was issued a letter by the Australian government saying his visa had been denied and he would be deported.
The Australian Border Force, in a statement issued Thursday, said it "will continue to ensure that those who arrive at our border comply with our laws and entry requirements," and also noted that Djokovic "had access to his phone."
2 Win and In scenarios this upcoming weekend, for the Raiders and 49ers. My Raiders have had everything thrown at them and refuse to quit. Hopefully they can pull it out one last time and prove all the doubters wrong.
LSU - with only 39 scholarship players available - played a WR at QB for the whole game. Their defense also was depleted as they failed to make K-State punt in the first half. Unsurprisingly, they lost. The Tigers had their first losing season since 1999.
Furd not allowing outside fans. I will never back limiting crowds at sports events again, especially considering Stanford has the hardest requirements to get into a game anyway out of anything, I would know considering I went to a game there last month. If its an individual institution putting this out than maybe I can back off a little but if this carries over to Santa Clara County and affects Santa Clara basketball games I'm going to be irate and livid. Banning sports in the county last year didn't solve anything, and limiting capacity won't do it now.
On the other hand, at least stanford won't have to worry about attendance, should be about the same anyway :)
Yesterday I went snowboarding in Southern California. Saw a guy in Cal beanie so I said Go Bears! He looked confused. He said "yeah? .... .... Go Bears...?" His wife then said Go Bears! with more confidence. It was kinda awkward.
The farther away from California, the more I do. So Singapore (once in the airport, once in Little India), Hong Kong (in the middle of the Umbrella Movement protests 6 years ago, 2 hours before I got teargassed) and on the Great Wall have all gotten the correct response. But the Great Wall guy was only an East Bay resident, not an actual alum - but I'll take it.
Yup. No 3 started 2 days ago. UCSC is requiring students to pre-travel test, post-travel test when they get on campus. Therefore, they're asking students to be back by this weekend (would still be remote next week), so they can teardown the post-test facilities. I think he wanted to stay home the full 2 weeks.
I agree with most of this, except receivers. I'll accept that Hunter is likely a starter. However, J-Mike and Hunter play the same position -- WR-X, the tall outside guy.
Also, I think we'd need to see offseason and spring development of the younger guys in order for them to displace the guys ahead of them on the depth chart. I think Baker and Sturdivant have more upside, but Mangum and Young are more developed as the slot and z receivers.
See, that is on Musgrave to fix...if JMS & Jeremiah Hunter are 2 of your best WRs, you find a way to get them on the field together. It’s focking simple...good coaches do this. It also explains why this is a below average college offense and Musgrave is a retread.
What about Mavin Anderson...does he figure in the rotation this year?
Talking about the interesting stitch message, I recall from biology class many years ago that in the long run the pathogen generally is better off not killing us (not all of us anyway), since we supply nutrients etc.
I've been on this planet many decades. I've taught English, been a journalist, an editor and a proofreader. Yet only today did I discover that there is only one "r" in Sherbet. All these years I've thought it ended bert not bet. Brains are strange things.
Well, one does kinda pronounce like an "r" is there Sure-burt
Substack
Interesting...looks like there was a Substack UI update. There are extra spaces after the last message in a thread. Looks to be extra spaces for the vertical lines after.
i like the extra spaces. helps find stuff a little more easily.
"Italian Sounding" is a +US$60b industry. It is the marketing phenomenon consisting of words and images, color combinations (the Italian tricolor) and geographical references for brands that are evocative of Italy to promote and market products – especially but not exclusively agri-food – that are not actually Made in Italy.
The five that come to my mind are: olive oil, parmesan cheese, San Marzano tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar.
Surely most of the $60B comes from Ragu, Classico, low rent espresso products etc. rather than the more niche things like San Marzanos and balsamic? I mean, even domestic San Marzanos are gonna cost $6/can. That's a pretty small market.
Oh and mozzarella.
I still have the Kraft shaker can for specific uses - replicated Thanh Long's garlic noodles specifically.
Right on all counts again, Scootie.
That's four... what's the fifth? Prosciutto?
Come to think of it, yeah. Prosciutto di Parma is also a DOP. If you get prosciutto, it almost never comes from Parma. And it usually sucks.
Pasta. Go to the aisle and they're almost all made by big companies with Italian flags on them - but they're mostly domestic. And they almost always extrude it through teflon-coated steel dies for speed & lower cost. If you're not having fresh, look for one that is "bronze cut", which means it's extruded through bronze. Bronze is rougher, softer metal - so pasta shudders and sticks as it flows through the die. It creates a rough exterior - which means sauces stick to them better.
TIL!
we end up buying a lot brozne cut pasta, but now i know why
Your knowledge of food and food preparation never ceases to impress
Here's hoping Jack Plummer develops a similar understanding of the Musgrave offense..... ;-)
100% of balsamic vinegar you buy is not balsamic vinegar. It is "balsamico di modena", which is cheap vinegar with color, lots of sugar, and thickeners added. It tastes good because it's basically sugar/vinegar. Real balsamic vinegar tastes good because it's aged like a fine wine. It costs a LOT. Do yourself a favor and throw out your balsamic vinegar and buy aged sherry vinegar instead. It's subtle, complex, and is not too expensive.
I'm still trying to figure out how to get the real stuff.
I bet SGBear's gotta guy.
I wonder if Tavecchio's company sells real balsamic vinegar?
I don't because I don't think real balsamic is worth it. Or perhaps more accurately, my palate is not experienced enough to fully appreciate the difference.
It is very much worth it. You don't have to use a lot, a $20 250ml bottle will last a couple of years.
Got to be more of a "label detective" I guess.
San Marzano is a specific region in Italy, specifically the volcanic lands around Mt. Vesuvius. "Real" San Marzano tomatoes have a "D.O.P." stamped on the cans (Denominazione d’Origine Protteta), which signify that it's certified coming from that area. I've been to San Marzano. The area is tiny and there isn't nearly enough crops being grown around it to have every single grocery store in American carrying true San Marzano tomatoes. I have no proof of it, but I suspect that over 90% of San Marzano tomatoes are counterfeit.
There's a DOC pizzaria here in Shanghai that claims to use only DOP products but it's pretty bad (relative to cost and actual Italians involved in running the restaurant).
Dave Chang addressed this issue in his pizza episode of Ugly Delicious when he was in Japan, and he interviewed that guy saying "instead of making my pies with DOP, I use all Japanese ingredients". I went to a 12 seat pizzeria in Hokkaido, where the chef owner spent a decade in Italy learning how to make pizza and came back and opened a tiny restaurant. It was really really really good.
I recall reading some time in the past that more 'extra virgin italian' olive oil is sold than could be pressed from every single olive grown in italy.
I buy Posardi - tomatoes from Sardina
I grow some in my garden. They really are amazing for sauces
The best.
I should try growing some next season. Tomatoes grow remarkably well in our garden. This past year we had a bumper crop of romas, tomatillos, and cherry tomatoes.
we just had our final harvest and it was over 200 green tomatoes. Put them in bags and boxes to see if that trick works and...it appears that it does. Getting a few turning red each day
Cento brand, by the way, comes the the neighboring region.
Interesting. I sometimes buy real San Marzano canned tomatoes to make sauce and maybe it's just the whole "I paid more" but they do taste better.
I don't notice a difference at all.
Italy grows about 12% of the world's olives. Yet go to the grocery store - it dominates the olive oil aisle. Spain's olive oil production is almost five times larger than Italy. But Italy exports the same amount of oil as Spain. The math doesn't work. I estimate that about two-thirds of all olive oil is counterfeit Italian oil. My go-to olive oil is Terra Delyssa olive oil. It's Spanish. It's really cheap and good for the price.
Just to be clear, we buy two types of EVOO, one from Berkeley Bowl which is fine for everyday cooking and such, and the good stuff, which is only used for dipping bread or on fancy salads. Even the good stuff varies wildly in flavor profiles.
Usually get the California olive oil, though I did buy "Pompeiian" recently on sale and I notice that the olives come from a bunch of countries including Spain, Tunisia, Morocco, Greece, Argentina, U.S.A., Turkey, etc. identified by codes on the label.
we buy california olive oil. a) more local, b) good quality for the price, c) pretty sure its not counterfeit.
Yeah, 75% of the olive oil aisle around here is California grown. SGBear needs to move to an area with better groceries.
BRB. Buying a house in San Francisco.
It's very affordable.
I've had good EVOO from Spain, from BioOrto, they also sell EVOO from Italy as well, the best I've had recently came from Slovenia.
As a Slovene, I feel obligated to point out that it is Slovenia not Solvenia, tho i am sure was just a typo
Most bottles of olive oil will have letters demarcating which country the oil comes from. Most often it is a blend of Spain, Portugal, Lebanon, etc. And I have no problem with that at all.
I just checked our olive oil, whose bottle has an illustration of an olive branch and no Italian iconography. Sure enough, it's from Spain.
I've tried having this conversation with my missus and it's too much for her to emotionally process (used to speak pretty good Italian, spent the summer in Florence, couple of visits as a kid) so we're still getting "Italian" oil.
What are the five dishes that your family most commonly has for dinner?
1. Steamed salmon
2. Steamed chicken
3. Grilled salmon
4. Grilled chicken
(Can you tell my parents decided 10 years ago to only eat low fat/salt/flavor meals at home?)
Growing up it was:
1. Cantonese steamed pork with a salted egg
2. Pork and spinach dumplings
3. Steak cut into strips and served with Chinese broccoli
4. Chicken Casserole
1. Chicken cacciatore over rice
2. Filet of sole w/spinach and quick and dirty sliced confit yukon golds
3. Chicken piccata
4. Prosciutto (that's it, that's the meal, especially if I'm not very hungry or had a big lunch)
5. Turkey and avocado sandwich
Not listed but probably more common than anything is the "quick graze through the fridge" meal. A handful of olives, a slice of cheese, three bites of last night's dinner, a piece of fruit etc. until I'm satisfied.
What are confit potatoes like insomuch that you prefer them over, say, roasted?
They're super soft and luscious. I slice them, layer them out in a skillet, douse in a shocking amount of olive oil, and stick in a hot oven for 35 minutes or so.
Not to speak for Scootie, but the confit potato recipe I just viewed uses EVOO to poach the potatoes. The potatoes are poached slowly at a low temp and yields a soft texture.
See this link for more info - https://www.greedygourmet.com/recipes-for-diets/vegan/confit-potatoes/
I'm going to have to try this.
How is your new job writing for the J. Peterman catalog going?
pltm
Related question - do folks on here with kids make the same thing for themselves as the kids every night? My kids would eat some combo of butter noodles, chicken wings, and cheese quesadillas for every meal, but obviously there is only so much of that sort of thing that a reasonable adult can take.
My 6-year-old son is autistic and absolutely WILL NOT eat things that are not already his preferred items. So yeah, he gets separate meals.
eh, 90% one meal once they weren't toddlers, but my wife will make one extra protein for my daughter if she's not eating what everyone else is. Personally, I kinda think that's not a good idea.
we have generally always cooked only one meal since the kids got done w/ baby food out of a jar. even back then we would grind up out dinner and feed it to them.
it was of course harder to get them to eat that stuff for first couple years, but since the kids have been 2-3 they have generally eaten almost everything.
i am sure that the variety of food in NYC also helps and they never seemed to be genetically picky eaters.
our "biggest" complaint is that our kids w/ their refined palates have become extremely critical in a funny way.
"dad, that was a 2 out of 29. how do you expect us to eat this crap??!!"
on a 29 point scale (not 19), our daughters give the average weeknight dinner a 4-7.
that being said, 29 is supposed to be the best thing you ever ate, perhaps at a 3-star Michelin restaurant ...
at 0, we throw the food away and order pizza. this has been known to happen several times when some experimental recipe goes off the rails.
Ouch, unkinder than a serpent's tooth indeed.
Same. As soon as cf-98 was eating actual foods we'd blend up whatever we're having and give it to her. Now we give her a sampling of whatever we're having for dinner and she usually eats it. It's much easier than making multiple meals each night.
We do that most of the time, esp during week due to lack of time. But it can be limiting as they wont eat spicy things, anything too complicated, so sometimes we will make something simpler for the kids and a different thing for us. Just as a random example, i like cassolet, but there is no way in hell my kids woukd eat that
No joke, burritos compromise 35-40% of our dinners, followed by pasta with red sauce, and then everything else, including things such as fried rice, roasted butternut squash curries, and other similar one-pot dishes.
Burritos are so versatile that I could have one every night for weeks on end and not be sick of them, as long as the ingredients are varied.
As a family of one
-Khao man gai
-salmon mit cuit
-pasta bake with meat sauce and mozz
-noodles, be it pho, udon, ramen, etc with protein and veg, and 99.99% of the time a soft boiled egg
-tacos of some form
Too many to narrow it down to five, but honestly one that's common is some form of pasta.
Currently, it's:
spaghetti w/turkey meatballs & red sauce
hand-breaded chicken tenders and tossed chicken legs
some form of steak (either flank or tri-tip) either broiled or grilled, with rice and veggies
slow-roasted baby-back ribs (either BBQ or garlic flavor) with diced fried potatoes and veggies
and pan-sauteed fish (cod and salmon) with mac-n-cheese and steamed veggies.
It varies seasonally, but recently:
Fried rice, turkey chili, grilled shrimp caesar salad, enchiladas, and the-fridge-is-empty-let's-just-make-breakfast-for-dinner.
Breakfast for dinner is the most underrated dinner. It's what we got as kids when my dad was out of town.
Do this every so often. Not a standard, but from time to time, it's a nice change of pace. Also, if due to events, "dinner" is very late, like after a night game, etc., I'll often go off the breakfast menu, since it might be closer to breakfast time than dinner.
I do not like
As if that's a big surprise.
Nothing wrong with pancakes for dinner. We've done that with the kids before.
historically .. pasta w/ red sauce and sausages, ma-po tofu, skirt steak fajitas, keilbasa and perogies, rice and lentil dinner salad
going forward i expect this to change as we are trying not eat (red) meats.
also, older daughter has been diagnosed as lactose intolerant, so we need to adjust for that.
So many carbs. How do you stay so skinny?
i ride my bike a lot. the goal is 8000 km for this year, which is 100 mi/160km a week
in the warmer months that is not a problem, but it is hard to stay consistent all year
i'm selling my 2011 Cervelo and leaving it here. . . and trying to shop for a new bike in the US. and Man, the supply chain issues are real! Bike shops want me to put down a full deposit right now for delivery in April. I wouldn't mind a 50% deposit, but I'm looking at bikes in the 4-5k range - and that's a lot of money out of pocket, especially at a time that I'm moving, and buying plane tickets and cleaning services and pulling from my US bank accounts. We'll see what happens when I get back - I really want a new bike but at this rate maybe it's used and I have to compromise (but probably then I get even more bike for my money)
I can also thank my bike that I don't have to worry much about what I eat (or drink). o/
Chicken fajitas, turkey chili, chicken stir fry, honey-miso-yuzu-glazed salmon, carnitas.
Cross Stitching / Cross Snitching
Cross snitches get cross stitches….just sayin’….
DBD Not Official Financial Advice
I probably need to review our balance of stocks to bonds. the stocks and stock funds keep going up what seems unsustainably. (Tesla over $1K per share, wtf)
I just looked at this yesterday - and I am very heavy in equities and very light in fixed income.
My target date fund made a huuuuuge distribution with a huuuge corresponding drop in price at the end of December. Thought it was a good time to lump sum my IRA contribution this week before the price recovers.
I choose to read this as, "The stockpile of money I keep to go on dates to Target"
I've had some nice dates at Target. Specifically, the Starbucks within Target.
DBD Test Kitchen
On NYE I made a delicious gnocchi thing, riffing on a NYT recipe for crispy sheet pan gnocchi w/tomatoes and mozzarella that I still want to make (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022024-crispy-gnocchi-with-burst-tomatoes-and-mozzarella )
I took a package of pumpkin gnocchi (these: https://www.mammaemma.it/en/potato-gnocchi/potato-gnocchi-with-pumpkin/ ) and dumped it in a large cast iron frying pan, along with about 1 tbs of olive oil, 4oz of diced pancetta, a large handful of fresh sage leaves and a red onion cut into like eighths. Cooked it in a 425F oven for about 25 minutes, pulled it out and added 3tbs of heavy cream and a big handful of parmesan. Let that sit off the heat for 5 minutes or so, stir, and serve with a nice green salad. The heat from the cast iron lets the cheese melt and the cream thicken while it sits.
I really want to like gnocchi but I’ve never found a recipe or dish that I’ve actually enjoyed it.
The Trader Joe's Gorgonzola Gnocchi. No 2 loves them.
ha...at first I thought it said 3 lbs of heavy cream...
That sounds good... in an rather unhealthy way.
Ha. 1.5tbs of cream and 2oz of pancetta isn't going to give anyone a heart attack. I calculated the calories per serving and it was pretty reasonable -- around 625 all in. I think if I make it again I might throw in a few handfuls of spinach to wilt in the sauce at the end.
The Harissa chicken recipe I made two days ago was such a hit that the family demanded that it get added to the A-list rotation.
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/crockpot-honey-harissa-chicken-with-chickpeas-feta-and-jeweled-pomegranate-rice/
I saved that one yesterday to make this weekend.
Don't skip on the feta. And go for the cheap kind of feta - the young/sour stuff, not the aged yummy stuff that goes on a cracker. The feta is the souring agent that adds the zip the dish was missing. I also used Mina brand harissa sauce.
same
DBD AV Club
I got Sundance Now to watch Le Bureau (very good, and i appreciate the gallic concept that a man with a nose that big can be an attractive lead). Is there anything else on Sundance worthwhile?
Watching season 1 of "Young Rock" on Peacock. Silly family sitcom about Dwayne Johnson's childhood during 3 time periods: his adolescence (about 10 y.o.); high school and his time at The U. The overarching story is that Dwayne is telling stories from his past during his presidential campaign in 2032. Surprisingly good, cute, mindless fun. The actors who play some old-time wrestlers are very good (especially Andre the Giant). Apparently the stories that are told in that show are true. I hope that is the case, because even if the stories are "mostly" true, his early life was pretty interesting. 16/19.
I like Young Rock. It's great that Kod is also on the show...
Mayor of Kingstown - Paramount +... one of the best shows on TV right now. Heavy, violent, but incredibly well done....
part of the Taylor Sheridan extended universe!
Mugatu would say he’s Hansel-hot right now…
Saw Joel Coen's The Tragedy of MacBeth yesterday. I can highly recommend it. Visually stunning, heavily influenced by German Expressionism and films such as Sunrise by Murnau and Laughton's The Night of the Hunter. Denzel and Frances McDormand were -- unsurprisingly -- excellent in the lead roles.
Excited to see this. A Coen brother takes on my favorite Shakespearean tragedy? Yes please!
New Boba Fett
Only watched the first episode so far. It was . . . fine, but didn't grab me in the same way Mandalorian did.
Part of it might be that I never thought Boba Fett was all that interesting of a character, aside from having a cool look. The show seems to assume that I'm interested in him as a person, rather than convincing me of why he's interesting. But again, that was only one episode so I don't want to jump to conclusions.
We enjoyed it, want to see where it goes.
Drew Magary, who writes tv & sports opinion pieces for SF Gate that I tend to disagree with 95% of the time, totally panned it, FWIW. Again, he’s kind of a tool, so take with a grain of salt.
I did, however, totally enjoy his evisceration of Ben Roethlisberger following Monday Night’s ESPN love fest...Roethlisberger is a total clown, IMO, that has escaped prosecution for rape multiple times...dude’s a chump.
https://www.sfgate.com/sports-columns/article/a-proper-send-off-for-steelers-ben-roethlisberger-16748606.php?utm_campaign=CMS%20Sharing%20Tools%20(Premium)&utm_source=share-by-email&utm_medium=email
I really liked Drew's writing at Deadspin (especially Your Team Sucks and his Foodspin stuff) but I'm not going to take his opinion on the Book of Boba Fett. It's exactly what I want.
saw episode 1 last week. a little slow to develop, but interesting, good.
the first scene of his "resurgence" is pretty cool.
Did you see the Parks and Rec episdoe from 9 years ago?
https://youtu.be/-7L-XAbxx-E
I figured that was the Patton Oswalt filibuster. And I think he made it all up on the fly.
He's very funny and clever . . . but its not too too difficult to write a first scene with Boba emerging.
I haven't watched ROTJ in many many years and had forgotten he fell in the pit. I just rewatched it. I've got the new Boba Fett episode downloaded and just need to watch it.
That’s got Annie Murphy from Schitts Creek…I love her. I think Gangs of London is on AMC, no?
i started Kevin can fuck himself last year and was thinking about it recently but couldn't remember the name of the show or the network it was on.
Our Crumbling Democracy
Dems hold caucus about filibuster. Sinema tells Schumer to pound sand.
https://twitter.com/alaynatreene/status/1478718391414403075
NY State DA drops charges against Gov. Cuomo
https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/Soares-confirms-We-are-declining-to-prosecute-16748320.php
[Grabs popcorn]
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/capitol-riot-panel-weighs-televised-hearings-during-prime-time/ar-AASqUmp
Peter Navarro (ex Trump administration official) goes on TV and basically confesses (brags) about Jan 6.
Candidate for NV Sec of State admits the same thing
https://twitter.com/AccountableGOP/status/1478406073476395014
Host Ari Melber with the chefskiss.gif response:
https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1478522771093082112
Today in Omicron
Zeynep Tufekci in the NYT sums up much of the problem with CDC and other government messaging.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/05/opinion/omicron-covid-testing-cdc.html
They seem to be making the same mistake with rapid tests they made with masks back in 2020: downplaying their effectiveness, not because they don't work but because we are too low on supply. Only it's much worse right now because our government should have known that we needed more testing supply and procured it. All of this communication would be much better if you just leveled with people.
I think you're right about leveling with people. The folks who are determined to misunderstand or twist messages will do that anyway. Prof Tufekci is great, a real go-to for me for understanding the general "body of knowledge" around a very fast moving area of research in generalist language that's not condescending.
Agreed. Nothing destroys credibility faster than dishonesty, and mis-leading people, even out of necessity under exigent circumstances, usually backfires, to the point where you can't get people to listen to overwhelming evidence later. The current mess is in large part the result of this "spin" mentality that has been commonplace in recent times.
I am reminded of my step-father's style of communication when I see this stuff written up. It pisses me off because it is, at its base, dishonest.
Our office just switched to a mixed work from home and work from office setting.
Here at EBMWU we've added 25 more COVID positives among staff in the last two days.
Observations -
1) Omicron is the most highly transmissible variant by far and
2) We're definitely spiking.
What does EBMWU? East Bay Municipal Water Utility?
East Bay Major Water Utility.
Never heard of a utility use “Major” in its name. I run a tribal utility and am updating our ordinance this year, maybe I should change the name and rebrand with Major.
Yours needs to be Chief, chief.
Only if it's a euphemism.
Geez. Really?
Scootie works at Stagecoach Bank. I work at EBMWU. Euphemisms.
Yee Bum Woo
Love it.
It didn't. It's secret code because NO REAL WORKPLACES.
Oops...there you go.
One of my twins’ teachers is out all week. All three of my kids have roughly three or so of twenty students out in their classes. Still not as bad as my friend in Brooklyn who said that only 4 of 16 kids in his daughter’s first grade class showed up for the first day of school.
first day back in HS for the 17 y.o. Apparently her HS is teetering on the brink of the 5% active cases that triggers a review for a 2 week virtual decision, and she's torn between not really wanting 2 weeks of virtual school and not being that enthusiastic about being back in an enclosed space with a bunch of people she doesn't really trust in their mask use etc. I am basically counting on the odds (young, in good health, vaxxed / boosted, wearing a KN95) breaking in her favor.
In Oregon, the state told the schools they should suspend extracurricular activities, or revert to (relatively) extreme extra protective matters. Zero school districts suspended them, though the largest school district in the state is going to require competitors to wear masks while playing. I predict that by MLK day, there will be more games to post schedule changes to than scores to.
Good Lynch to her. Hopefully just wearing her KN95 mask will keep her safe.
we shall see, it wasn't exactly an airtight fit, but it's better than a cloth mask, which is what she was wearing until winter break started.
It's a challenging time to have youth in the system. I don't mind not having to deal directly with a number of the issues involved on a daily basis; its tough enough dealing with it at the University level.
I am torn between "general parental worrying" and "well shit we've done what we can, short of pulling her out of school," which I think would be overreacting. I've at least got the level of reassurance that we're all vaccinated and boosted. My brother in the Portland suburbs has a fully vaccinated almost 8 year old (who just had a school exposure but is "testing to stay") and a wholly unvaccinated not-quite-five year old. Odds are she'd be fine if she got Omicron, but that's not entirely comforting.
The more I hear about parenting from you guys, the more terrified I am about that concept in general.
I'm in the latter scenario (fully vaxxed 6 year old and not yet vaxxed 2 year old). Ultimately it comes down to the tradeoffs for me: the small risk to the youngest kid does not outweigh the negatives that come from keeping the kids home until God knows when. Both are in school (the latter in a nursery school).
Too much uncertainty to be comforted by the odds. Ugh.
I fervently hope that I'm not misreading the signs about Omicron. I remain hopeful that while Omicron is highly transmissible, it is not nearly as virulent as the earlier COVID variants.
I also take some hope from the fact that the flu epidemic of 1918 lasted about two years before it waned. Now, the flu is just an endemic virus and it is usually an inconvenience for young and healthy people; a concern for older and unhealthy folks.
whole family tested negative (luckily) after living in known positive person for nearly a week.
strange how contagious it is and yet how good the vaccines are and how random it all is.
Pro
Russell Westbrook has first zero turnover game since 2016, breaking a 407 game streak.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/32997266/russell-westbrook-first-turnover-free-game-2016-los-angeles-lakers-outlast-sacramento-kings
One of the worst decisions by this Lakers front office in a long time, and that is an impressive feat. The Buss family cannot sell this team soon enough.
or not. ;)
I'm starting to realize that I don't care all that much one way or another.
Clearly this stat is a bit of a troll on Russ, but how low bar of a bar is it? I looked at other PGs:
Steph Curry: 8 games
Trae Young: 87 games
Coby White: 1 game
Malcolm Brogdan: 0 games
Jrue Holiday: 9 games
Cade Cunningham: never happened in 26 game career
Kemba Walker: 4 games
D'Angelo Russell: 8 games
Dennis Schroder: 23
Patty Mills: 5 games
Then I saw that Russ easily has the highest TOV in the league and has more than double that of someone like Ja Morant.
'He's a perfect fit for us': Inside the Golden State Warriors' reclamation of former No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/32994009/perfect-fit-us-golden-state-warriors-reclamation-former-no-1-pick-andrew-wiggins
IT'S A FEW hours after dusk on a Monday in early December, and the Golden State Warriors' gleaming spaceship, the Chase Center, is about to transform into a vibrating dance party.
The frenzy will be identical to those created by superstar Stephen Curry's one-man scoring blitzkriegs, but Curry will be swaying and dancing with everyone else for a key stretch of this particular soiree -- watching the unlikeliest of sources forge a time-and-place memory.
With a sellout crowd of 18,064 looking on, the onslaught begins with a whimper. There's an early foul, then a turnover, then a miss from deep, then a blocked layup. It's all too familiar, his distractors say, a pattern in a disappointing, spotty career.
What a steal by the Warriors. Trading D'Angelo Russell (and 2 others) for him. He really is a perfect fit. A more athletic Klay (can make plays off the dribble better than Klay).
Novak Djokovic needs to prove vaccine exemption ahead of Australian Open or go home: Australian PM
https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/32997513/novak-djokovic-needs-prove-exemption-go-home-australian-pm
BRISBANE, Australia -- With his medical exemption approved, Novak Djokovic may have some explaining to do when he gets to Melbourne to defend his Australian Open title.
The exemption allows the top-ranked Djokovic entry to the tournament regardless of his vaccination status for COVID-19, a subject he has declined to clarify amid months of speculation that he could miss the season-opening major unless he can prove he's had two doses of a coronavirus vaccine.
That's a Victoria state government-mandated condition of entry for all players, staff, fans and officials entering Melbourne Park when the tournament starts on Jan. 17.
Joker, Out.
Novak Djokovic denied entry into Australia after initial COVID-19 medical exemption
https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/33001055/novak-djokovic-denied-entry-australia-initial-covid-19-medical-exemption
Novak Djokovic has been denied entry into Australia after initially being granted a medical exemption for the country's COVID-19 vaccination requirements so that the world's No. 1-ranked tennis player could play in the Australian Open.
Djokovic, left stranded at Melbourne's Tullamanrien airport overnight, was issued a letter by the Australian government saying his visa had been denied and he would be deported.
The Australian Border Force, in a statement issued Thursday, said it "will continue to ensure that those who arrive at our border comply with our laws and entry requirements," and also noted that Djokovic "had access to his phone."
Apparently he's arrived & they're not letting him into the country because he has the wrong visa for an exemption. Oops.
Or he could swing by a drug store and get vaccinated.
oh please, stop being reasonable.
2 Win and In scenarios this upcoming weekend, for the Raiders and 49ers. My Raiders have had everything thrown at them and refuse to quit. Hopefully they can pull it out one last time and prove all the doubters wrong.
I was shocked the Raiders were in control of their own destiny before last week's game. I thought for sure they were knocked out.
Lets GOOOOOO!
Other College
Christopher Brooks flips from Purdue to... [checks notes] BYU
https://twitter.com/chris_br0oks26/status/1478785637515812867
The penultimate game of the season...
LSU - with only 39 scholarship players available - played a WR at QB for the whole game. Their defense also was depleted as they failed to make K-State punt in the first half. Unsurprisingly, they lost. The Tigers had their first losing season since 1999.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/matchup?gameId=401331241
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2022/01/04/lsu-losing-record-kansas-state-texas-bowl/9100267002/
Am I the last person to know that neighborhood adult Andre Carter was the DL coach at LSU for the last couple of years??
I also did not know this!
Surprisingly chippy game from what I saw (not much, honestly)
Furd not allowing outside fans. I will never back limiting crowds at sports events again, especially considering Stanford has the hardest requirements to get into a game anyway out of anything, I would know considering I went to a game there last month. If its an individual institution putting this out than maybe I can back off a little but if this carries over to Santa Clara County and affects Santa Clara basketball games I'm going to be irate and livid. Banning sports in the county last year didn't solve anything, and limiting capacity won't do it now.
On the other hand, at least stanford won't have to worry about attendance, should be about the same anyway :)
I notice the elite private colleges seem to be implementing some of the strictest lockdown rules at the moment, which is interesting.
Cal
Go Bears!!!
Yesterday I went snowboarding in Southern California. Saw a guy in Cal beanie so I said Go Bears! He looked confused. He said "yeah? .... .... Go Bears...?" His wife then said Go Bears! with more confidence. It was kinda awkward.
this is why I don't go bears anyone anymore
The farther away from California, the more I do. So Singapore (once in the airport, once in Little India), Hong Kong (in the middle of the Umbrella Movement protests 6 years ago, 2 hours before I got teargassed) and on the Great Wall have all gotten the correct response. But the Great Wall guy was only an East Bay resident, not an actual alum - but I'll take it.
Hmmm...
https://twitter.com/mzinshteyn/status/1478526872526856194
I wonder if Cal will change their minds before classes start. Almost 2 more weeks before they start correct?
The other UC campuses already started because they're on the quarter system, so Cal has some more time to decide.
Yup. No 3 started 2 days ago. UCSC is requiring students to pre-travel test, post-travel test when they get on campus. Therefore, they're asking students to be back by this weekend (would still be remote next week), so they can teardown the post-test facilities. I think he wanted to stay home the full 2 weeks.
I'm wondering what the starting 11 on offense looks like next year, should really be interesting.
My provisional O:
QB J Plummer
RB D Moore/C Street
WR J Hunter
WR J.R. Baker
WR J.M Sturdivant
TE K Latu/J Terry
LT W Craig
LG B Coleman
C M Cindric
RG E Johnson
RT B Rohme
I agree with most of this, except receivers. I'll accept that Hunter is likely a starter. However, J-Mike and Hunter play the same position -- WR-X, the tall outside guy.
Also, I think we'd need to see offseason and spring development of the younger guys in order for them to displace the guys ahead of them on the depth chart. I think Baker and Sturdivant have more upside, but Mangum and Young are more developed as the slot and z receivers.
See, that is on Musgrave to fix...if JMS & Jeremiah Hunter are 2 of your best WRs, you find a way to get them on the field together. It’s focking simple...good coaches do this. It also explains why this is a below average college offense and Musgrave is a retread.
What about Mavin Anderson...does he figure in the rotation this year?
And is Kai Millner likely bolting for the portal?
Who is Kai Millner? I’ve never seen the guy.
Might as well be Kaiser Soze…..