PRgal

Speaking of mayo, if you go to a Chinese restaurant and a menu item says it comes with "salad dressing," 99% of the time, you'd be given some type of mayo. Until probably the 80s, if you said that you were going to make a salad, people would think mean potato. Note: I actually HATE potato salad. But it's probably because I don't like mayo

I was in Jesus Christ, Superstar in high school. Despite auditioning every year, I never got in, except for JCS. And that was only because they needed strong voices and had more singing than the other shows we did. I could not dance and my acting skills (despite what I thought) were mediocre at best. :D. As a teen, I didn't think writing was my calling (and I won several writing awards!). I don't think I realized that it was until my 20s.

Here in Ontario, a child technically doesn't have to go to kindergarten. The requirement is that a child has to be enrolled in school the year they turn six. ETA: If you did not enroll your child in a public or private school for kindergarten and you wish to homeschool, you don't actually have to notify the local schools. However, it's courteous to do so. I don't understand this part ^^^ sounds sketchy, IMHO

I think things are still okay at the TDSB in Toronto. For now. However, there was a huge fuss about entrance requirements/priorities for specialized programs a few years back which gave priority to "underserved communities." They don't use "racialized" or "non-White" or anything like that because East Asians aren't considered "underserved." Anyway, this is the website to apply for specialized programs: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Elementary-School/School-Choices/Elementary-Central-Student-Interest-Programs/Application-and-Admissions

You know, I’d usually say that I’d like to use my Mom Voice/Attitude on “misbehaving” politicians, but this time, I have no words. I can’t even think about how I’d approach this sort of behaviour if my son tried it on me. His Terrible Twos through Eff You Five years were relatively tame compared to this.

And I don't even think they realized that.

Can we please not compare current prices to the 90s without factoring in the inflation? Just a thought.

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!