Chit-Chat: What's On Your Mind Today?

[Calvada]

6 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

We all should be glad we need not follow the Chanukah tradition of 8 nights of gifts. I know one person who used to do that with her three kids. And continued way past an appropriate age, I thought. 

I can't imagine getting 8 gifts.  I've got a lot of siblings and my parents didn't have much money, so I'd get one "big" gift, an article of clothing, and then one small gift.  I remember when I was 14, I got a hair dryer & curling iron set, a bathrobe, and a paperback book, and I was thrilled.  For gifts on 8 straight nights, we would have been getting a left mitten one night and the right mitten the next night, or one sock of a pair one night and the other the next night. 

[EtheltoTillie]

8 hours ago, Calvada said:

I can't imagine getting 8 gifts.  I've got a lot of siblings and my parents didn't have much money, so I'd get one "big" gift, an article of clothing, and then one small gift.  I remember when I was 14, I got a hair dryer & curling iron set, a bathrobe, and a paperback book, and I was thrilled.  For gifts on 8 straight nights, we would have been getting a left mitten one night and the right mitten the next night, or one sock of a pair one night and the other the next night. 

I should have made clear that I knew not everyone follows that tradition. Only insane people lol. Too much work. That said even for my friend most of the gifts were smaller gifts. 

Edited December 1 by EtheltoTillie

[shapeshifter]

4 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

most of the gifts were smaller gifts. 

I only recall chocolate coins like these:

[EtheltoTillie]

Just now, shapeshifter said:

I only recall chocolate coins like these:

Boy, I really hate Chanukah gelt. It’s the worst quality chocolate. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

14 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I see instructions for making them like a quilt, with cotton fabric and batting. 

The one my sister has (and gave me) is padded microfiber cloth.  She got it from Amazon.

I decided to give one to a friend who just bought a vacation house, and is a cheapskate and is furnishing it with as many used and castoff-from-friends items as possible.  So in that spirit I planned to give her my lightly but actually used one, and get a new one for myself.

I avoid Amazon whenever possible, so I got one from Ebay that looked like the one I have, and on Ebay I could buy just one.  Definitely not the same product.  The Ebay one was thinner and not anywhere near as form-fitting as the one from Amazon.  It looked home-made--kind of slack.

No way was I keeping the crappy new one, or giving it to someone, so I returned it and blew the whole thing off.  Another internet retail fail because you can't feel of anything before you buy it.

[EtheltoTillie]

Allow me to expand on my Chanukah gelt peeve.  Just looking at the picture brings back bad memories.  You have to peel off the gold foil, and the sticky, rubbery so-called chocolate has already softened and made a mess.  A friend gave me some a year ago--what she was thinking, I cannot imagine--and I politely put it in my purse and later threw it away.  Children who are raised on bad kosher food think it's great.  Even adults who no longer keep kosher have some fond memory of this crap.  Since I was not raised on kosher food, I already had better comparisons as a child.

Edited December 1 by EtheltoTillie

[fairffaxx]

26 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I avoid Amazon whenever possible

Me too!  I've had good luck with Etsy (so far).

[Browncoat]

3 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Allow me to expand on my Chanukah gelt peeve.  Just looking at the picture brings back bad memories.  You have to peel off the gold foil, and the sticky, rubbery so-called chocolate has already softened and made a mess.  A friend gave me some a year ago--what she was thinking, I cannot imagine--and I politely put it in my purse and later threw it away.  Children who are raised on bad kosher food think it's great.  Even adults who no longer keep kosher have some fond memory of this crap.  Since I was not raised on kosher food, I already had better comparisons as a child.

I'm not Jewish, but we got those crappy chocolate coins, too!  When I was little little, I had to have help to peel off the foil.  Of course, I didn't know it was crappy chocolate then, so I ate it like it was good, even scraping the stuck-to-the-foil bits off and eating those.

Can't imagine eating those things now.

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Allow me to expand on my Chanukah gelt peeve.  Just looking at the picture brings back bad memories.

Same, and I'm not even Jewish.  A lot of my elementary school classmates were, though, so those were an annual staple in class.  I'd eat one to be polite, but blech!

[shapeshifter]

17 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

Of course, I didn't know it was crappy chocolate then, so I ate it like it was good, even scraping the stuck-to-the-foil bits off and eating those.

A coworker who was born "across the pond" brought back chocolates that literally melted in your mouth. It was a new experience for me.
I was reared on Hershey-type chocolate.
Even those gift boxes of mixed chocolates were pretty bad.
Now I know it's about climate and shipping. To deliver them in at least visually pleasing condition through all of stops and transfers, they need fillers so they'll keep their shape, especially if warmer climates are involved.

My sister in Canada gets chocolates from Quebec that she says are of the "melt in your mouth" deliciousness. They didn't ship to the states when I looked them up a month ago. Maybe they do now? At least to my zip code? It's literally freezing here now.

I imagine those chocolate coins in the 1960s had a lot of wax or whatever in them to keep them from melting at room temperature so that the pictures on them were still legible. 

ETA: In college in the early 70s I had Cadbury chocolate for the first time. It was much better than Hershey. I don't think you can get it in the States anymore?

Edited December 1 by shapeshifter

[Dimity]

The gold foil chocolate reminds me of the chocolate pieces inside the cheaper Advent calendars you can buy.  I get that you're only paying $1.99 but that chocolate is pretty bad. 

[shapeshifter]

1 minute ago, Dimity said:

The gold foil chocolate reminds me of the chocolate pieces inside the cheaper Advent calendars you can buy.  I get that you're only paying $1.99 but that chocolate is pretty bad. 

And then there's the chocolate Easter bunnies, which are bigger. 
It's probably healthier for kids if the chocolate is so bad that they never finish the rabbit.

[EtheltoTillie]

15 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

And then there's the chocolate Easter bunnies, which are bigger. 
It's probably healthier for kids if the chocolate is so bad that they never finish the rabbit.

I'd forgotten those.  Yuck.  It's the same type of bad chocolate, except way more of it!  I was given one of those once. 

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Hershey-type chocolate.

My mind is boggled at its popularity, given its signature taste comes from the fact Hershey's chemist fucked up and the milk soured during the condensing process.  Hershey decided he'd unintentionally hit on the winning formula, and, shockingly, he had (in America), so that's how it's made to this day. 

Edited December 1 by Bastet

[EtheltoTillie]

Here's a really good tutorial for making a bowl cozy.

 

[Dimity]

Cadburys is the best for chocolate bars but I'll eat a Hershey bar too.  Boxed chocolate that I really liked were See's chocolates which my son was given at Christmas one year by a former employer.  I can't find them in the stores here though, and ordering them through Amazon is $$$$$.  Someday I'll go down the States (after the next election if all goes well) and get some!

[partofme]

32 minutes ago, Bastet said:

My mind is boggled at its popularity, given its signature taste comes from the fact Hershey fucked up and the milk soured during the condensing process.  He decided he'd unintentionally hit on the winning formula, and, shockingly, he had (in America), so that's how it's made to this day. 

I didn’t know this.  Hershey’s is the only chocolate candy that I‘ll eat.  I think the expensive European stuff tastes like garbage.  🤷‍♀️

[Bastet]

Just now, partofme said:

I think the expensive European stuff tastes like garbage.  🤷‍♀️

It tastes like chocolate (cocoa).  But if it's not your jam, it's not your jam.  My mom is the same way.  She won't even eat American dark chocolate, just milk chocolate -- because she doesn't actually like chocolate, she likes sugar.  So her favorite chocolate is See's milk chocolate.  And she'll eat Hershey's.  So I get her both, as I want her to have what she likes -- but I probably should demand a DNA test. 

(Fun fact:  While the milk souring during one of the trials being what led Hershey to declare "This is it!" is known, the specifics of that formula/process that lives to this day are not, but it's suspected butyric acid is what results and causes the distinctive sour tang.  Butyric acid naturally occurs in other things, too, including vomit.  If that's indeed the secret to its success/cause of its crime against chocolate, it validates all the people who've specifically expressed their dislike of Hershey's milk chocolate by saying "It tastes like puke!") 

Edited December 1 by Bastet

[PRgal]

8 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Boy, I really hate Chanukah gelt. It’s the worst quality chocolate. 

Gourmet gelt apparently exists.  A Canadian chocolate chain makes mediocre gelt.  They use the same ones for Lunar New Year and St. Patrick's Day (maybe we can call them "ethnic chocolate" then?).  These guys aren't exactly gourmet.  

[Absolom]

1 hour ago, Dimity said:

Cadburys is the best for chocolate bars but I'll eat a Hershey bar too.  Boxed chocolate that I really liked were See's chocolates which my son was given at Christmas one year by a former employer.  I can't find them in the stores here though, and ordering them through Amazon is $$$$$.  Someday I'll go down the States (after the next election if all goes well) and get some!

See's is mainly sold through their stores or website.  My daughter lives near a store so I can usually expect a box at Christmas.  

[Anela]

This is reminding me that I should have bought the Flake bars from the world market, when they finally had them in stock.  They’re usually sold out.  
I have Lindor, in the kitchen, right now.  

I used to like Hershey’s, when I was little, but not anymore. 

[partofme]

52 minutes ago, Bastet said:

It tastes like chocolate (cocoa).  But if it's not your jam, it's not your jam.  My mom is the same way.  She won't even eat American dark chocolate, just milk chocolate -- because she doesn't actually like chocolate, she likes sugar.  So her favorite chocolate is See's milk chocolate.  And she'll eat Hershey's

Yeah I’m like your mom, I don’t like dark chocolate, though I will occasionally eat a Mounds bar which is dark chocolate.  I never heard of Sea’s.  I love Hershey’s milk chocolate.  

[Salacious Kitty]

See's is the bomb! I'm lucky to have a store nearby, but you can order online. 

[Ancaster]

On 11/30/2024 at 10:07 AM, EtheltoTillie said:

We have to give cash to the doormen and parking attendants.  I give something to the cleaning person and the hairstylist.  I don't have to buy actual stuff for anybody, thank goodness. 

What do you mean, "we HAVE  to"?  Who's forcing you?

Edited December 1 by Ancaster

[Ancaster]

On 11/30/2024 at 11:50 AM, Quof said:

Luckily I only have to buy for a couple of people.   

I had hoped to get something personal and support local businesses, but I'm immobile due to an accident a few weeks ago. So there will be no in person shopping, nor any Christmas baking from me.  I hate giving gift cards, but that may be what they all get, sent straight from Amazon.

My mother does not need a single thing, and each year I try to convince her to simply forego the entire exchange.   It stresses her out to try to buy something for me, and I work really hard to come up with some things she might enjoy (she doesn't enjoy much).  We don't see each other, just send gifts by mail/courier.  In recent years, I have convinced her to do less and less, so this year may be the year I truly do nothing.  As a concession to the season, I'm trying to find a local florist that will deliver an elaborately decorated fresh wreath for her front door.  

 

That sounds like the perfect gift , and certainly not doing "nothing".  Maybe you could have the note on the card (don't they usually offer one in this kind of scenario?) read - Happy Christmas Mom, here's my gift exchange for this year!  Love, Quof.

[Ancaster]

23 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I am the cleaning person and hairstylist, so that takes care of that, LOL.
For my 2¾-year old grandson who has more toys than most daycare centers (my daughter now puts a bunch in the basement and swaps them out every couple of weeks🙃)  I got a grandma from eBay for when we play with his FP house and Barn, which stays upstairs because the 10½ month-old plays with them too:

The daughter & son-in-law get an occasional house cleaner paid for by me (because I'm not able to do it anymore and they work a lot of hours and have 2 babies), the struggling daughter gets $$, the oldest is a conundrum. She's picky and refuses money. 
A few years ago my sister said we weren't doing gifts anymore, but sometimes she still sends something I don't want or need, which makes me more sensitive to my oldest daughter's aversion to gifts.

 I'm sure I sound like a broken record, but make a donation.  She must like something or have some interest that has an appropriate cause/concern that she can't find fault with.  Animals/the environment/women's shelter/local library.

[Ancaster]

There's chocolate and then there's American "chocolate".

Edited December 2 by Ancaster

[ABay]

I try to patronize local chocolatiers when I can. In CT, there's Munson's and in Western New York Alethea's and Sweet Jenny's. SJ doesn't ship but the other two do. When i need a quick fix, M&Ms or Cadbury will do.

[annzeepark914]

Maybe the like/dislike of US vs other countries' chocolates is similar to the cilantro like/dislike.  I like Hershey's chocolate bars with almonds, & Kisses.  Love to use Ghirardelli cocoa when making cookies and the semisweet bars for bark. I taste sour milk in European chocolates. 

[EtheltoTillie]

58 minutes ago, Ancaster said:

What do you mean, "we HAVE  to"?  Who's forcing you?

The custom that means I get good service from the staff.  And cordial relations.  You really have to do this.  It's part of your cost of living.

Edited December 2 by EtheltoTillie

[PRgal]

56 minutes ago, Ancaster said:

There's chocolate and then there's American "chocolate".

Kind of like how KitKat is Hershey's in the US and Nestle for the rest of the world?  I'm still jealous of the all the flavours they have in Japan though. 

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, Ancaster said:

 I'm sure I sound like a broken record, but make a donation.  She must like something or have some interest that has an appropriate cause/concern that she can't find fault with.  Animals/the environment/women's shelter/local library.

Actually, that might work.

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Maybe the like/dislike of US vs other countries' chocolates is similar to the cilantro like/dislike.

If someone just doesn't like cilantro like someone who just doesn't like American chocolate, that's analogous, but a lot of people who dislike cilantro do so because, to them, it tastes not like cilantro, but like soap -- it's a genetic variant in the relevant olfactory genes that brings the aldehydes front and center and distorts the taste. 

I'm not aware of any similar phenomenon where someone translates the taste of American (milk, particularly Hershey) chocolate as something else altogether and dislikes it based on that altered taste, just people who don't like it because it tastes as it tastes.

4 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

I taste sour milk in European chocolates. 

It's not there.  European chocolate has less milk/cream than its US counterparts, and no sour milk.

[annzeepark914]

8 minutes ago, Bastet said:

If someone just doesn't like cilantro like someone who just doesn't like American chocolate, that's analogous, but a lot of people who dislike cilantro do so because, to them, it tastes not like cilantro, but like soap -- it's a genetic variant in the relevant olfactory genes that brings the aldehydes front and center and distorts the taste. 

I'm not aware of any similar phenomenon where someone translates the taste of American (milk, particularly Hershey) chocolate as something else altogether and dislikes it based on that altered taste, just people who don't like it because it tastes as it tastes.

It's not there.  European chocolate has less milk/cream than its US counterparts, and no sour milk.

There's no soap in cilantro and yet people say that's what it tastes like. I know there isn't sour milk in European chocolates, but that's what I taste. 

[Bastet]

Just now, annzeepark914 said:

There's no soap in cilantro and yet people say that's what it tastes like. I know there isn't sour milk in European chocolates, but that's what I taste. 

Of course there is no soap in cilantro, but there is aldehyde that in the case of those with the relevant genetic variant translates in those people who eat cilantro tasting it like soap.  If there's also a genetic variant to explain tasting sour milk in European chocolate, despite it not actually being there, I haven't come across it.  I'm also quite pleasantly drunk leading up to tomorrow's return to work, so I'm happy to be proven wrong.

[Browncoat]

I like Galaxy chocolate when I'm in the UK.  Cadbury's is okay -- not as good as it used to be.  My favorite in the states is Chuao (mostly their dark varieties), along with Ghirardelli and Dove.  Except for Galaxy, I tend not to like milk chocolate, and I think white chocolate is an abomination unto the land.

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

There's no soap in cilantro and yet people say that's what it tastes like.

Probably I just haven’t eaten/tasted enough soap or cilantro to reach an accurate conclusion, but I only know that I don’t like the taste of foods that have cilantro in them
— which is different than when someone says a prejudice or preference is “generational” or “a Boomer thing” and I feel misjudged or belittled because of my particular age
— likewise if it’s a trait or preference being assigned to women but which I do not happen to have…but I don’t seem to hear those quite as much any more.

But back to cilantro and soap:
Do most people know what soap tastes like? Do all soaps taste the same? Is it a flavor, or is it more of an unpleasant sensation?

Am I going to go set up taste tests for myself comparing soap and cilantro? No.
When my daughter gives me some food that has cilantro in it without mentioning it, do I invariably not want more than one bite? Yes.
When my daughter asks if the food having cilantro tastes like soap, I don’t have an answer.

But garlic hasn’t tasted “good” to me since I had chemo 8 years ago, so maybe I would have liked cilantro if I’d knowingly had it before chemo?
And if my dislike of cilantro is chemo-related, is it only for the chemo drugs of Oxaliplatin (not used for breast cancer?) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)?

Edited December 2 by shapeshifter

[Ancaster]

11 hours ago, PRgal said:

Kind of like how KitKat is Hershey's in the US and Nestle for the rest of the world?  I'm still jealous of the all the flavours they have in Japan though. 

I think you're in Toronto, right?  If you can, try one of the large Asian supermarkets.  Here in the (US) Pacific Northwest, you can get a variety of Japanese KitKat flavours at Uwajimaya (also CostPlus World Market).

Edited December 2 by Ancaster

[PRgal]

1 hour ago, Ancaster said:

I think you're in Toronto, right?  If you can, try one of the large Asian supermarkets.  Here in the (US) Pacific Northwest, you can get a variety of Japanese KitKat flavours at Uwajimaya (also CostPlus World Market).

You still won’t get the variety they have there!  You’d typically find strawberry, matcha, caramel and such.  The big chain (T&T, which us expanding to Bellevue) we have here has six.  There are other chains, but this is the one that doesn’t seem to judge you when you shop there and speak English to staff.  

[annzeepark914]

The first time I tasted "soap" in my food was from a small frozen meal. I looked at the ingredients list & noted something I'd not eaten before, cilantro. So I avoided it until I started going to Thai & Vietnamese restaurants where fresh cilantro is used. I really liked it, especially used along with fresh lime. 

[shapeshifter]

2 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

The first time I tasted "soap" in my food was from a small frozen meal. I looked at the ingredients list & noted something I'd not eaten before, cilantro. So I avoided it until I started going to Thai & Vietnamese restaurants where fresh cilantro is used. I really liked it, especially used along with fresh lime. 

I will make an effort to try something with fresh cilantro.

Back to this so-called "soap" taste. When you taste frozen or otherwise not fresh cilantro, do you think: Oh. This tastes just like soap.
Or is it more like: Oh. This tastes like what people say soap tastes like. 
Or…?

[ABay]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

But back to cilantro and soap:
Do most people know what soap tastes like? Do all soaps taste the same? Is it a flavor, or is it more of an unpleasant sensation?

Sorry for the ad at the start!

[annzeepark914]

Just now, shapeshifter said:

I will make an effort to try something with fresh cilantro.

Back to this so-called "soap" taste. When you taste frozen or otherwise not fresh cilantro, do you think: Oh. This tastes just like soap.
Or is it more like: Oh. This tastes like what people say soap tastes like. 
Or…?

I tasted soap and was puzzled (what in the world is wrong with this frozen meal???) 

[EtheltoTillie]

There's a funny commercial currently running with the adult actor from A Christmas Story.  Kelly Clarkson gives him a gift--it's the leg lamp from the movie.  I can't tell you what is being advertised.  Shows it's not an effective ad!

ETA:  Google tells me it's Wayfair. 

Edited December 2 by EtheltoTillie

[Ohiopirate02]

4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I will make an effort to try something with fresh cilantro.

Back to this so-called "soap" taste. When you taste frozen or otherwise not fresh cilantro, do you think: Oh. This tastes just like soap.
Or is it more like: Oh. This tastes like what people say soap tastes like. 
Or…?

As someone who has the cilantro tastes like soap gene, it literally does taste like soap. And I know it tastes like soap because I have inadvertently tasted soap before and accidentally sprayed Chanel #5 the wrong way getting some in my mouth. That accidental spray of perfume tasted like cilantro because both cilantro and Chanel #5 have aldehydes in them.

[annzeepark914]

@shapeshifter If you're going to try fresh cilantro, do it by ordering Vietnamese food...like pho. They give you the soup and you start adding the garnishes: chopped scallions, maybe slivers of mint leaves, fresh lime to squirt, and just do a pinch of a cilantro leaf. Maybe you should enjoy the pho w/o the cilantro until you're near the bottom of the bowl. This way if you still dislike cilantro you didn't ruin a whole bowl of soup 🤗💚🥣

[EtheltoTillie]

6 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

@shapeshifter If you're going to try fresh cilantro, do it by ordering Vietnamese food...like pho. They give you the soup and you start adding the garnishes: chopped scallions, maybe slivers of mint leaves, fresh lime to squirt, and just do a pinch of a cilantro leaf. Maybe you should enjoy the pho w/o the cilantro until you're near the bottom of the bowl. This way if you still dislike cilantro you didn't ruin a whole bowl of soup 🤗💚🥣

Also good in Thai food.  Like Thai chicken soup--essentially regular chicken soup with some coconut milk. 

[PRgal]

I made the mistake of not adding a leavening agent to my cottage cheese and oat bran bread yesterday.  It turned out meh......

[annzeepark914]

9 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Also good in Thai food.  Like Thai chicken soup--essentially regular chicken soup with some coconut milk. 

I used to make that a lot. Bamboo shoots, fresh ginger, fresh mint, lemon grass (always a bit frustrating to get to the core). Thanks for mentioning Thai chicken soup. I need to make some since the weather is so cold & windy this week. On Friday I wore a winter coat for the first time in 8 or 9 months.

[oliviabenson]

I went to Aldi on black Friday and it was practically empty. It was super nice! I didn't buy much junk either. Still my bill came to $95. I almost fainted. Sigh.

First time the store was practically empty of customers!