PRgal

This is why I buy a 1 kg bag of frozen, boneless, skinless (and unseasoned) chicken! Well, I mostly buy it in strip form, but I'll occasionally get larger ones. The fully cooked chicken one finds at supermarkets tend to have a lot more sodium than I like. And as you know, I do most of my groceries online. One of the stores I use that does direct delivery (i.e. not through Instacart/Uber/DoorDash) will note the province a product is from for some items (e.g. produce). With those greenhouses, I'm more or less able to get everything I want. And I don't make rice at home (I know, shock and horror, not just from people here, but my ancestors), so no need to worry about rice from the US.

Huh? "Father of IVF" means the first person who made IVF possible, producing a live birth. That happened in the UK, in the late 70s (first baby was born in 1978). There's a Netflix movie about it, called Joy (the baby's name is Louise Joy Brown). Plus, does Orange Man even know what IVF really is? And those who believe that life begins at conception, well, does that mean all those embryos produced can't be frozen (my little guy was in the deep freeze for ~8-10 years before thawing. The first baby born from that batch is in high school while the last one (that we know of) is a toddler).

@lookeyloo And now everyone's about local again. But things are still grown differently. I don't usually got to farmer's markets, but have from time to time. I do try to get things that are grown locally, however. And with technology, some things can be grown indoors, in greenhouses, so I'm still able to get leafy green vegetables in the dead of winter!

So yesterday, I published a post on how I sometimes wondered what my ancestors think of my cooking. At the end, I asked readers whether I should write a second part, where there IS a time travelling ancestor who comes to 2025. What are your thoughts? I don't want to be too mean and make that person dreadful to be with and seemingly stupid by our standards either.

Sometimes, I feel like I’m from a very different world and view things from a very different light. Is it just me? Is it neurodivergence?

It could be regional? Like the whole "gentrification" issue I have. That said, I'm still waiting for a cha chaan teng that is really, truly upscale and not just mid-range (in the downtown Toronto area, anyway). If they made burgers upscale, I don't see why they haven't yet done that here, like they have with dim sum. I get the vibe that it's gatekeeping.

I don't think they'd be predominantly Russian. And Ontario people: A gentle reminder to vote today (if you haven't already. I voted by mail last week)!

I have never either. Around here, sushi places are often seen as "classy." And I also don't get the "gentrification" = racist thing either. It's more of a socio-economic thing. So if, say, an upscale dim sum restaurant opens in Chinatown, it IS indeed "gentrifying" the neighbourhood, but it's still a restaurant that serves cuisine from the same/similar cultural background. Around here, the clientele would still largely be ethnic Chinese. Now if it's a second generation restaurant, MAYBE you can play the bias card. We second gen/first gen Canadians aren't exactly culturally Chinese!

Same with most canned foods. Save for fish, most canned items require a can opener, which a lot of people won't have. I've seen glass jars of beans at some health food stores, which are an optiion too. What's really interesting is that so-called gold card for the ultra-wealthy. It sounds like there's a double standard going on here for non-White residents. If you're wealthy, then you're okay (since these people are most likely Middle Eastern, South Asian or maybe East Asian).

They screen kids for skipping before they enter kindergarten? I thought it was picked up while in kindergarten (or preschool)? If he had Chinese immigrant parents, then that's more than a fail, that's "you're dishonouring your long gone ancestors going back to Xia Dynasty*" fail. *According to Wikipedia, the Xia Dynasty is associated with the early Bronze Age (or could be a mythical dynasty that didn't really exist. There are no written documents)

A child died of the measles in Texas. I've heard that those most affected are from a religious community that doesn't typically vaccinate. Can anyone clarify?

Who do you follow, because I see no such thing on mine. I see a lot of posts on neurodivergency and health/food influencers though.

A lot of upscale restaurants were on delivery apps during the pandemic and we ordered from those places a lot. Then, when things opened up again, we (or my parents) took him to these restaurants. He's well-exposed. He even eats calamari. He won't eat anything TOO spicy, but has a higher tolerance than either my husband or myself (which is pretty low). He doesn't usually like salad - the only two he'll eat are Caesar and the one my dad makes.

Ditto. I'll also have mashed chickpea (not hummus...it's chunky) with green onions and/or chives.

I’m so glad that there are fellow mayo non-fans out there! I was beginning to think I was the only one! I make egg salad at home with Greek yogurt and quark style cottage cheese.

My grandmother never allowed my mom to cook so my mom never learned. And she never really taught me, either. So the whole idea of being able to cook ancestral cuisine? Nope, not me. I'm not ashamed, but I always feel that I SHOULD. And there's a toxic woman, a girl I went to high school with who constantly tells me that I shouldn't have to justify myself. But when you're ALWAYS being told that your experiences are weird/different/odd with no positive vibe at all, then yes, you have to over explain! You can't ignore that. Especially these days.

Karaoke was a MUST HAVE at all Chinese banquets in the 90s (at least in Toronto and Hong Kong)! If you booked a private room for your multicourse dinner, you probably had karaoke. Most of the singers were people your parents' age so we kids drowned the noise out listening to our mixed tapes on our Walkmans. One or two kids might also have their GameBoys with them.

Although it would also depend on one's parents. My paternal grandfather died in his early 70s (colon cancer). My dad is turning 78 this year and his siblings are all in their 70s as well (I think my youngest aunt is 70 or 71). But then again, my paternal grandmother lived until she was 96 or 97!

My son would LOVE that (I would too). He loves soup and most of all, he loves grilled cheese/anything with cheese. He recently devoured an adult sized grilled cheese (super thick challah and at least two different types of cheese) - the first time I saw him do it (he usually eats about 3/4). He loves cheese, period (including blue cheese). My husband has a work thing tonight, so I think I'm going to make scallops for dinner! Scallops are the only non-fish seafood that I eat and my son loves them. I'm not sure whether to serve it with noodles or quinoa.

@shapeshifter: Isn't that daughter around my age? $20 in the 90s was quite a bit and you could get A LOT of snacks with that money back then. I was given $20 a week to spend on lunch and save up. Lunch in the school cafeteria was $2.50 for a hot lunch and milk or $2 for a sandwich and milk. I'd have $10 left over if I didn't get snacks or eat off campus.

Les Miz is NOT about the French Revolution. It's about the June Rebellion of 1832. There are several anniversary concerts that should be available for streaming that, IMHO, are much better than the 2011 movie.

@KittyMom4 & @Calvada: I'm 45 and feel the same way! My parents always criticize me on what I eat, telling me it's not "nutritious enough." I eat a lot of plant based proteins and they think I'm nuts (no pun intended)! And since the pandemic, I'm basically wearing leggings and a long top. At least in colder months. I'll dress up a bit more in the summer.

What makes this reformer MEGA versus a "regular" reformer?

What's interesting is that the points system we have in Canada actually made it EASIER for people with NON-EUROPEAN origins to come. You'd think a higher education, ability to speak English, yadda would mean more Europeans, but nope, not at all. That's how my parents got in back in the 70s (well, they were also partially educated in Canada too. Dad did his first master's degree while my mom dropped out (no, it wasn't because of me. They were already citizens when I was born)).

Most of the other boys in his class are better at sitting still from what's being communicated to parents. He IS young for his grade, however. And an only child. I think my guy also thinks reading fiction is a chore because he always wants to take off to get water or go to the bathroom! But I want him to enjoy fiction, especially childhood classics like the Henry or Fudge books. We ARE on a wait list for an OT eval (for possible functional and/or sensory issues since he likes eating with his hands. He can't/won't say WHY he likes eating non-finger foods that way though. We had pancakes recently and he attempted to eat it with a knife and fork, but ended up finishing it with fingers (I made him wash his hands after. I mean, syrup, right?)). We are also looking into speech language pathology since he's forgetting the "s" sound at the end of words and also doesn't realize he's not pronouncing the long a sound in words like cake and bake. He told his grandparents he had "pankicks" for brunch, for example. And that we "bicked" applesauce brownies. This is why I'm trying to get my parents to ONLY speak Cantonese with him when my husband isn't around. Saying "pankicks" is almost definitely from Hong Kong English.