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

Ancaster · November 4, 2023

Tonight I made hard boiled eggs. Or I should say I tried to make hard boiled eggs. I'm in a new place so new stove, and I used a new pot (Le Creuset), but I reckoned none of those would change how I should hard boil an egg, which I have done perfectly many, many times (Passover seders anybody?). Well, I did my usual thing, but when I went to peel them, they weren't even soft boiled. What the hell?

I mean, I know I moved from a second floor place to a fifth floor place, and that altitude affects cooking, but really? (Just kidding.)

shapeshifter · November 4, 2023

38 minutes ago, Ancaster said:

Tonight I made hard boiled eggs. Or I should say I tried to make hard boiled eggs. I'm in a new place so new stove, and I used a new pot (Le Creuset), but I reckoned none of those would change how I should hard boil an egg, which I have done perfectly many, many times (Passover seders anybody?). Well, I did my usual thing, but when I went to peel them, they weren't even soft boiled. What the hell?

I mean, I know I moved from a second floor place to a fifth floor place, and that altitude affects cooking, but really? (Just kidding.)

Ruling out the fantastical, such as a time-warp caused by an extraterrestrial abduction:

Worst case scenarios — just guessing and not based on any experience: Either you might have an electric short or a gas flow problem — either of which could be hazardous.
Or, if it’s a very modern stove (especially 2019 or newer), it probably has a default program setting that took over and decided you didn’t really want to boil anything.

My washer and drier are like this, with the manual and instructions having confusing grammar. I had to make a cheat sheet of how to do a rinse & spin or just a spin.

Ancaster · November 4, 2023

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Ruling out the fantastical, such as a time-warp caused by an extraterrestrial abduction:

Worst case scenarios — just guessing and not based on any experience: Either you might have an electric short or a gas flow problem — either of which could be hazardous.

Or, if it’s a very modern stove (especially 2019 or newer), it probably has a default program setting that took over and decided you didn’t really want to boil anything.

My washer and drier are like this, with the manual and instructions having confusing grammar. I had to make a cheat sheet of how to do a rinse & spin or just a spin.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to go with time-warp enabled extraterrestrial abduction since:

I have electric and the way I cook hard boiled eggs is bring room temperature eggs in room temperature water to a boil, turn off and leave for 12 minutes, then crack and cool under cold water. In theory (I think), a Le Creuset should be more efficient since cast iron retains heat.
Doesn't parse since I turn the stove off once boiling point is reached (see above).

So, I guess I'll see you all on the other side. 👾

Edited November 4, 2023 by Ancaster

shapeshifter · November 4, 2023

1 hour ago, Ancaster said:

I'm afraid I'm going to have to go with time-warp enabled extraterrestrial abduction since:

I have electric and the way I cook hard boiled eggs is bring room temperature eggs in room temperature water to a boil, turn off and leave for 12 minutes, then crack and cool under cold water. In theory (I think), a Le Creuset should be more efficient since cast iron retains heat.

Doesn't parse since I turn the stove off once boiling point is reached (see above).

So, I guess I'll see you all on the other side. 👾

Okay.
Not entirely ruling out 👽👾🛸…😆…

Try again with eggs from the same box.
If the eggs 🥚🥚come out hard boiled, I guess: “all’s well that ends well.”

But if they are again not hard boiled using your method as described (which is very similar to my method),
…then try a different batch of eggs?

Googling indicates that if chickens didn’t eat enough protein, this might happen, or if the eggs were “too fresh”

So, maybe try eggs from free-range chickens (that have eaten bugs and other protein)?
Or,
use eggs with an older sell-by date
— I prefer hard boiling eggs that are older because they’re easier to peel.

Edited November 4, 2023 by shapeshifter

PRgal · November 4, 2023

I have an induction cooktop and what I do is I bring eggs straight from the fridge to a boil, cover and wait 12 minutes. I don’t move the pot to another burner. It usually turns out okay. I never eat hard boiled eggs the same day, usually the following day.

theredhead77 · November 4, 2023

I make hard boiled eggs in my Instapot.

Edited November 4, 2023 by theredhead77

Ancaster · November 4, 2023

4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Okay.
Not entirely ruling out 👽👾🛸…😆…

Try again with eggs from the same box.
If the eggs 🥚🥚come out hard boiled, I guess: “all’s well that ends well.”

But if they are again not hard boiled using your method as described (which is very similar to my method),

…then try a different batch of eggs?

Googling indicates that if chickens didn’t eat enough protein, this might happen, or if the eggs were “too fresh”

So, maybe try eggs from free-range chickens (that have eaten bugs and other protein)?
Or,
use eggs with an older sell-by date
— I prefer hard boiling eggs that are older because they’re easier to peel.

Oh believe me, my eggs were plenty old 😉 (I may have alluded before to the fact that I'm a dirty European who doesn't adhere to certain practices deemed by many Americans to be self-evident, such as showering daily and throwing out perfectly safe food on its best-by/sell-by date!

I actually tried to salvage the original eggs by steaming them for about 10 minutes - (per search engine suggestions) - no joy. I tossed that lot in despair and started again in a different pan with my old method and they came out perfectly. Sadly, my guests and I went from an egg each to half an egg each in the dish they were meant for, but there was lots of other food so it was okay.

I had been thinking that maybe the Le Creuset* was the problem, since while it retains heat, maybe it needs to reach a certain core temperature to do so, so this quick method didn't allow for that. However, when I steamed the original underdone eggs I did so over a different, stainless steel pot over boiling water.

So, we're back to aliens, abductions, and any other-worldly happenings or conspiracy theories that people want to ponder on a (hopefully) lazy Sunday when we have nothing better to do than think about a random stranger's egg issues.

* As a linguist I am bothered by the "the Le Creuset", but it seemed too weird to say just "the Creuset." Anyone else? And anyone who can get a fourth "the" in a row in a sentence gets a prize of their choosing.

Edited November 4, 2023 by Ancaster
Embarrassingly (as a self-proclaimed linguist) I used to instead of too.

Anela · November 4, 2023

I've wanted to get a dutch oven, mainly to try making that no-knead bread, or sourdough. I don't like sourdough, but my dad does, and a gut health professional has pushed it as something that people with stomach issues, should be able to eat.

I can't justify the $70 (at least) for one that would withstand 500 degree temperatures, not yet. My stomach has also been a mess again recently, so I'm back to basics, and not making bread, or cookies, or anything like that. Just soup and smoothies.

On another note: I have the urge to get the fake Christmas tree out. For years, I've been the person who didn't get into Christmas until Thanksgiving, at least, but I just haven't been in the mood for it, either. This year, I'm still not in the mood, but I'm feeling the urge to try. When I was younger, I'd start in with the Christmas stuff in October (usually watching QVC as they sold decorations, and electronics to those shopping early).

Mondrianyone · November 4, 2023

13 minutes ago, Anela said:

I can't justify the $70 (at least) for one that would withstand 500 degree temperatures, not yet.

You can get a plain cast-iron Dutch oven (not enameled) for thirty bucks or so at one of the big discount stores, and I bet you could get one for significantly less at a thrift store, where I've often seen them. Not to encourage you to bake something you can't digest, just to let you know you don't need anything fancy to bake bread in (and the no-knead version really is easy).

Bastet · November 4, 2023

5 hours ago, Ancaster said:

(I may have alluded before to the fact that I'm a dirty European who doesn't adhere to certain practices deemed by many Americans to be self-evident, such as showering daily and throwing out perfectly safe food on its best-by/sell-by date!

I should live in Europe. I toss food if it's actually gone bad (I sniff, touch, and taste), not if some arbitrary date has passed, and I shower daily (well, nightly, in my case) on those rare weeks I have exercised or otherwise physically exerted myself each evening, but if I've just sat at my desk all day, there is no need for a shower that night. (I do wash my feet, though, since I walk around barefoot all day and like to slather lotion onto clean feet when I get into bed.)

Ancaster · November 4, 2023

1 hour ago, Mondrianyone said:

You can get a plain cast-iron Dutch oven (not enameled) for thirty bucks or so at one of the big discount stores, and I bet you could get one for significantly less at a thrift store, where I've often seen them. Not to encourage you to bake something you can't digest, just to let you know you don't need anything fancy to bake bread in (and the no-knead version really is easy).

I used to make a no-knead, not-very-much-time-to-rise hallah that doesn't need (ha) a Dutch oven, just a baking sheet and, well, an oven. Let me know if you want the recipe and I'll try to dig it up.

Edited November 4, 2023 by Ancaster

shapeshifter · November 4, 2023

2 hours ago, Anela said:

I've wanted to get a dutch oven, mainly to try making that no-knead bread, or sourdough. I don't like sourdough, but my dad does, and a gut health professional has pushed it as something that people with stomach issues, should be able to eat.

I made sourdough bread for a couple of years when I had "only" 2 kids.
Now I buy it.
Wegman's has "Organic Sourdough Miche Bread," with "Miche" being either a fancy or a local term for mixed whole grain. You can get a half loaf instead. And make sure it's sliced. If it's not, ask them to do it. They don't mind.

But I prefer Trader Joe's 100% whole grain sourdough bread. It's just too far for me to justify going there.

If your Dad needs or wants more refined flour in his bread, Wegmans and Trader Joe's both have that too.

2 hours ago, Anela said:

I have the urge to get the fake Christmas tree out. For years, I've been the person who didn't get into Christmas until Thanksgiving, at least, but I just haven't been in the mood for it, either. This year, I'm still not in the mood, but I'm feeling the urge to try. When I was younger, I'd start in with the Christmas stuff in October (usually watching QVC as they sold decorations, and electronics to those shopping early).

Hey. If putting up Christmas stuff will lift your spirits, go for it!

ABay · November 5, 2023

For you, @Anela:

Mondrianyone · November 5, 2023

1 hour ago, Ancaster said:

I used to make a no-knead, not-very-much-time-to-rise hallah that doesn't need (ha) a Dutch oven, just a baking sheet and, well, an oven. Let me know if you want the recipe and I'll try to dig it up.

Thanks, I'm good on the challah. I've been braiding away since my grandmother taught me a hundred years ago. But I bet anyone without a Jewish grandma would be happy to see it. Challah makes the best French toast in the world.

emma675 · November 5, 2023

All of this bread talk is making me hungry, I adore sour dough bread. Unfortunately, I love sour dough bread with a soft crust and it seems to be impossible to find. I tried to bake it during Covid but I couldn't keep the starter alive at all.

EtheltoTillie · November 5, 2023

2 hours ago, Ancaster said:

I used to make a no-knead, not-very-much-time-to-rise hallah that doesn't need (ha) a Dutch oven, just a baking sheet and, well, an oven. Let me know if you want the recipe and I'll try to dig it up.

I totally want that recipe. No knead challah? Woohoo

16 minutes ago, Mondrianyone said:

Thanks, I'm good on the challah. I've been braiding away since my grandmother taught me a hundred years ago. But I bet anyone without a Jewish grandma would be happy to see it. Challah makes the best French toast in the world.

Ooh I’d like your recipe too. I never had a Jewish grandma. They died too soon.

Speaking of Wegman’s, I finally got to go to the new NYC store last week. Too big and too chaotic for me. It was frantic. We popped in and left. I have always heard wonderful things about their prepared foods.

Edited November 5, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

Ancaster · November 5, 2023

28 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I totally want that recipe. No knead challah? Woohoo

Ooh I’d like your recipe too. I never had a Jewish grandma. They died too soon.

Speaking of Wegman’s, I finally got to go to the new NYC store last week. Too big and too chaotic for me. It was frantic. We popped in and left. I have always heard wonderful things about their prepared foods.

I'll track it down tomorrow!

Gramto6 · November 5, 2023

I'd like that recipe too! Thanks!!

Ancaster · November 5, 2023

Wordle people, read on! Non Wordlers, skip right ahead.

I do Wordle most days. I always start with a random word pulled out of the air from something around me, or a word I just heard on the radio, etc. Today for the first time ever I got 4 out of 5 greens! It felt so cool to see all those little green tiles turn over!

It reminded me that I like my system, rather than using one of the "recommended" starter words, or the same first two or three guesses every day to cover the most common letters. (I'd never even heard of this strategy until a couple of days ago.)

Yeah me and my random mind!

Mondrianyone · November 5, 2023

4 hours ago, Ancaster said:

I always start with a random word pulled out of the air from something around me, or a word I just heard on the radio, etc.

This is exactly how I play it. If I played the same word every day, I'd feel suffocated. It's meant to be a game, not a system.

Wait till you see all five turn green. It doesn't happen often, but it's pretty nifty when it does! It's as if the universe was talking just to you.

(Will post challah recipe later today.)

shapeshifter · November 5, 2023

4 hours ago, Ancaster said:

Wordle people, read on! Non Wordlers, skip right ahead.

I do Wordle most days. I always start with a random word pulled out of the air from something around me, or a word I just heard on the radio, etc. Today for the first time ever I got 4 out of 5 greens! It felt so cool to see all those little green tiles turn over!

It reminded me that I like my system, rather than using one of the "recommended" starter words, or the same first two or three guesses every day to cover the most common letters. (I'd never even heard of this strategy until a couple of days ago.)

Yeah me and my random mind!

7 minutes ago, Mondrianyone said:

This is exactly how I play it.

My Wordle strategy is much the same.
Because I pay $20/yr to torture myself with the New York Times crossword puzzles, I also get to post comments on the daily Wordles.
At least I think that's why.

Anyway, here's a gift link to today's "Wordle Review" but I'm not sure if it will let you click on the comments?
nytimes.com/2023/11/05/crosswords/wordle-review.html?unlocked_article_code=1.8Ew.J8NE.ryZBQuz0VurN&smid=url-share

As an experiment, after you (or anyone here) has clicked on this👆 link,
see if you can open this comment link:
https://nyti.ms/3u18TBb#permid=128951098
which is NOT MINE, but worth reading if you're a Wordler.

I just tested it in a browser in which *I think * I was not logged into my NYT Games account, and it worked.

Edited November 5, 2023 by shapeshifter

oliviabenson · November 5, 2023

I saw Aldi sell cast iron stuff it was affordable. I don’t need anymore kitchen stuff lol.

18 hours ago, Anela said:

I've wanted to get a dutch oven, mainly to try making that no-knead bread, or sourdough. I don't like sourdough, but my dad does, and a gut health professional has pushed it as something that people with stomach issues, should be able to eat.

I can't justify the $70 (at least) for one that would withstand 500 degree temperatures, not yet. My stomach has also been a mess again recently, so I'm back to basics, and not making bread, or cookies, or anything like that. Just soup and smoothies.

On another note: I have the urge to get the fake Christmas tree out. For years, I've been the person who didn't get into Christmas until Thanksgiving, at least, but I just haven't been in the mood for it, either. This year, I'm still not in the mood, but I'm feeling the urge to try. When I was younger, I'd start in with the Christmas stuff in October (usually watching QVC as they sold decorations, and electronics to those shopping early).

Laura Holt · November 5, 2023

Once (and where were the photographers and reporters??) I got wordle with the first word I played. I was way too proud of it 😀. Does anyone else play connections? It's one of the other games you can choose from after you conquer wordle. I really enjoy that one, even though some days I end up thinking "what the ever loving hell" after I don't finish it.

Ancaster · November 5, 2023

35 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

My Wordle strategy is much the same.
Because I pay $20/yr to torture myself with the New York Times crossword puzzles, I also get to post comments on the daily Wordles.
At least I think that's why.

Anyway, here's a gift link to today's "Wordle Review" but I'm not sure if it will let you click on the comments?
nytimes.com/2023/11/05/crosswords/wordle-review.html?unlocked_article_code=1.8Ew.J8NE.ryZBQuz0VurN&smid=url-share

As an experiment, after you (or anyone here) has clicked on this👆 link,
see if you can open this comment link:
https://nyti.ms/3u18TBb#permid=128951098
which is NOT MINE, but worth reading if you're a Wordler.

I just tested it in a browser in which *I think * I was not logged into my NYT Games account, and it worked.

Thanks for the links. They both allow access to the comments, and I read through a few. It seems like pretty much everyone who posts has the pre-planned frequent letter strategy - eg, SPOUT, BREAD, or TIDES, BEACH. One guy even posts his friend's attempts. I mean, I know I posted about my day's efforts, but, buddy, how sad is your life that you're posting to a bunch of random strangers daily about not only your results on a trivia game, but about someone who's one step even further removed?

The game analysis says that 83% of NYT's Wordlers use the random approach, which is interesting and somehow satisfying.

Like @Mondrianyonesaid, for me it's a game not a system, and this kind of approach is not for me. I did try the ADIEU approach once, but have never even been tempted again.

Ancaster · November 5, 2023

So, I looked for my no-knead challah recipe but it is, alas, lost. I checked out a couple online, and this one seems closest to what I used to do and what I'd probably use if I make it again:

https://www.food.com/recipe/easy-no-knead-challah-bread-390530

The biggest difference I remember is that I would "bloom" the yeast in warm, sweetened with sugar water before adding it to the flour, salt, fat and I used olive oil not butter, and no honey.

After letting the dough rise, covered with a cloth, for a couple/few of hours, I would "punch it down" and let it rise again for another hour or so. After I braided it I would bake it straight away rather than letting it rise further. I didn't refrigerate it unless I was making it the day before.

Sorry to be rather unhelpful - I'm not a baker, certainly not a bread baker, and as such, if I decided to make hallah again, I'd probably try the one above. Experienced bakers may know how to run with my suggested changes.

Good luck!

EtheltoTillie · November 5, 2023

Speaking of NYT puzzles, I just got an email that says they are raising the yearly rate to $30 as of December 18. But don't worry, puzzlers, as this helps them make puzzles better!

We'll forget about the removal of acrostic puzzles from the digital archive and system, about which I whined quite a bit about here earlier this year. Because that makes the Puzzle section better!

Incidentally, I do not do Wordle or Connections. I occasionally do Spelling Bee. I do the crosswords on Monday and Tuesday ('cause they're easy) and on Friday and Saturday ('cause they're interesting). I don't enjoy slogging through the other days.

Edited November 5, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

peacheslatour · November 5, 2023

30 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Speaking of NYT puzzles, I just got an email that says they are raising the yearly rate to $30 as of December 18. But don't worry, puzzlers, as this helps them make puzzles better!

We'll forget about the removal of acrostic puzzles from the digital archive and system, about which I whined quite a bit about here earlier this year. Because that makes the Puzzle section better!

Incidentally, I do not do Wordle or Connections. I occasionally do Spelling Bee. I do the crosswords on Monday and Tuesday ('cause they're easy) and on Friday and Saturday ('cause they're interesting). I don't enjoy slogging through the other days.

I do the NYT Crossword every day except Sunday. I would miss it dearly if it didn't show up in my Seattle Times every day.

shapeshifter · November 5, 2023

3 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I do the NYT Crossword every day except Sunday. I would miss it dearly if it didn't show up in my Seattle Times every day.

Thank you for this!👆
I just realized why Mom & Dad only did the Sunday NYT Crossword: When they moved to Hawaii in the 1980s, only the Sunday edition of the NYT was able to be delivered — it came late, but I don’t recall how many days late.

Edited November 5, 2023 by shapeshifter

annzeepark914 · November 6, 2023

22 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Speaking of Wegman’s, I finally got to go to the new NYC store last week. Too big and too chaotic for me. It was frantic. We popped in and left. I have always heard wonderful things about their prepared foods.

The thing with Wegmans? You need to go there at a time when very few others will be there (at least that's what I *try* do 😉). I'm going tomorrow (around 2:00) as I need to get a certain type of green olives (from the Mediterranean bar--Cerignola?)...they are so good with a nutty type of flavor. I bake them, w/ olive oil & lemon juice, on top of tilapia wrapped in parchment. And Belletieri's marinara that, IMO, is way better than Rao's & a lot cheaper. I might pick up some Thai noodles & green beans at the Asian bar, and some California rolls in the sushi section. Heh... it's a veritable trip around the world in that store!

shapeshifter · November 6, 2023

23 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Speaking of Wegman’s, I finally got to go to the new NYC store last week. Too big and too chaotic for me. It was frantic. We popped in and left. I have always heard wonderful things about their prepared foods.

1 minute ago, annzeepark914 said:

The thing with Wegmans? You need to go there at a time when very few others will be there (at least that's what I *try* do 😉). I'm going tomorrow (around 2:00)…

Yes. I try to go to Wegmans Tues-Thurs early-to-mid-day.
And I bring a list with the aisle numbers, which is especially useful if it is crowded.

But I definitely try to avoid weekend shopping now that I'm retired.
I leave that to those who can't shop during the week.

But when I was at my daughter's on a weekend, we did go to their mall.

EtheltoTillie · November 6, 2023

The difference is that you are going in a car. We don't shop in Manhattan that way. The new NYC Wegman's is a two-story affair. The main floor is huge and has the prepared foods, and you must go downstairs on an escalator to the regular supermarket area, which looks to be the size of a football field. I can't shop at a place like that without a car. Manhattan shoppers are using to walking home from their nearby grocery with small loads. I can't roam around a store that large and buy a huge load of groceries they way suburban shoppers do. When the hubbub of the novelty dies down, I may go back (the store is located downtown in the East Village, near NYU), and I may try some of the prepared foods, but there's no place to eat them. I'd still have to shlep them someplace. It doesn't really make sense for someone who doesn't live in the neighborhood.

There are some people who shop at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's and shlep groceries home on the subway, but I just don't understand that. I don't have the time or the strength. I don't understand why people like to do that, as I don't see that they are getting something that I can't get at another market. (I know that some people like certain Trader Joe's house brands.)

Edited November 6, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

shapeshifter · November 6, 2023

5 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

The difference is that you are going in a car. We don't shop in Manhattan that way. The new NYC Wegman's is a two-story affair. The main floor is huge and has the prepared foods, and you must go downstairs on an escalator to the regular supermarket area, which looks to be the size of a football field. I can't shop at a place like that without a car. Manhattan shoppers are using to walking home from their nearby grocery with small loads. I can't roam around a store that large and buy a huge load of groceries they way suburban shoppers do. When the hubbub of the novelty dies down, I may go back (the store is located downtown in the East Village, near NYU), and I may try some of the prepared foods, but there's no place to eat them. I'd still have to shlep them someplace. It doesn't really make sense for someone who doesn't live in the neighborhood.

There are some people who shop at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's and shlep groceries home on the subway, but I just don't understand that. I don't have the time or the strength. I don't understand why people like to do that, as I don't see that they are getting something that I can't get at another market. (I know that some people like certain Trader Joe's house brands.)

Ah. Yes.
My middle daughter lives in Chinatown and only shops at local "bodegas."

Maybe when you do go back you could note certain items you would like to order via Door Dash-type apps on some wintery night?

annzeepark914 · November 6, 2023

@EtheltoTillie For some reason I thought Wegmans was in Brooklyn, in that section close to Manhattan. And I thought you were also in Brooklyn (or Queens). Maybe just go some day during off hours and get something special that won't weigh much as you make your way home.

EtheltoTillie · November 6, 2023

I have a bodega on my corner, and it's great to pick up a container of milk or a sandwich. On the next block is my main supermarket. It's a small NYC chain called West Side Market. It is probably about half the size of a suburban CVS. Yet they have everything there. There is a real art to stocking these small supermarkets. It is a fully stocked supermarket where I can run through the entire store quickly and pick up what I need, and the checkout lines move super fast. They have great produce.
I could walk two more long blocks to a Whole Foods, but why bother? The shopping excursion would take me an hour or more, rather than 10 minutes. The lines are too long. Our local Whole Foods also has that annoying upstairs and downstairs setup, and it's just too big. The new Wegman's is probably twice as large.

To demonstrate the bizarre hold that Whole Foods has on the public, during the early part of the pandemic, when they were limiting how many people could enter the supermarket at any given time, people were lining up outside that Whole Foods in the cold for an hour or more. I was still able to walk into the small market with no waiting. I'm just baffled when people do things like that.

3 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

@EtheltoTillie For some reason I thought Wegmans was in Brooklyn, in that section close to Manhattan. And I thought you were also in Brooklyn (or Queens). Maybe just go some day during off hours and get something special that won't weigh much as you make your way home.

The first NYC Wegman's was (and still is) in Brooklyn--it's been there for a while. It is not really close to Manhattan--one of those out of the way parts.

The new one is in the East Village as I said.

I live on the Upper West Side. I grew up in Queens. Yeah, I'll try it again. My office mate goes to the Jersey Shore in the summer. He sometimes brings stuff back from the Wegman's there.

Edited November 6, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

Mondrianyone · November 6, 2023

I just posted the challah recipe for anyone who wants it in the I Need a Recipe! thread at the Food & Drink board. I'd love to hear what results you get if you try it.

Ancaster · November 6, 2023

11 hours ago, Laura Holt said:

Once (and where were the photographers and reporters??) I got wordle with the first word I played. I was way too proud of it 😀. Does anyone else play connections? It's one of the other games you can choose from after you conquer wordle. I really enjoy that one, even though some days I end up thinking "what the ever loving hell" after I don't finish it.

Ooh, I just checked out Connections (didn't try one yet). I will definitely add it to my daily brain workout!

Do you know the British TV quiz show Only Connect with Victoria Coren Mitchell? It's fiendishly difficult, but fun to watch. I love Victoria Coren - she's wicked funny, insanely intelligent, used to be a world-class poker player, beautiful, and an all around lovely person, married to David Mitchell - also super intelligent with a great dry wit, and widely considered to be the luckiest man in the world being married to Victoria Coren!. It'll be available somewhere on cable I'm sure, but I don't know where. I'll track down a sample from YouTube.

Ancaster · November 6, 2023

Here you go. The connecting wall part, which is like the NYT quiz, starts around 19 minutes, but it's all worth watching if you have time. I hope people enjoy it!

Bastet · November 6, 2023

4 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

There is a real art to stocking these small supermarkets. It is a fully stocked supermarket where I can run through the entire store quickly and pick up what I need, and the checkout lines move super fast. They have great produce.

This is me with my local market. Real estate prices being what they are, undoubtedly mine (in L.A.) is even smaller than yours (in NYC), probably significantly, but they do a fantastic job with the space they have compared to the much larger chain outlets. Deli, butcher counter, cheese, olives, and nuts all have their size-appropriate nooks (and then some, in the case of the butcher counter following a renovation) plus a big chunk of the store devoted to local produce (their specialty) with some shelf-stable staples in the middle aisles. The only time I have to shop elsewhere is to get something boxed/canned/jarred they don't stock, and that's a small percentage of my shopping, so I mostly only visit a chain when they have a great deal on something.

(Whole Foods has a large selection, but I'm not giving Amazon my grocery money, so I only go there when they have something no one else does [sometimes that's the only place I can find horseradish root and/or chicken liver], and Trader Joe's has far better frozen and otherwise prepared foods than any other market, no question, but that's not how I shop/cook -- for raw ingredients, they're limited plus they have a bad habit of packaging things in plastic rather than leaving loose [and, in a car-dependent city, their parking lots are notoriously inadequate]. So, for me, it's a place to buy treats as gifts but otherwise avoid.)

EtheltoTillie · November 6, 2023

Thanks for posting, @Ancaster I watched the episode, and it is indeed fiendishly difficult. Some of us here watch Jeopardy!, and this is way more difficult, and a different kind of puzzle. I don't enjoy the kind of series puzzles where you have to find the next thing and it involves realizing the number of letters in a word or some such. Eh. But I admire the puzzle geeks who can grasp it quickly. The Only Connect show also skews very British in some of the knowledge, so it's not something I'd watch regularly. I really did enjoy the host and her quick wit.

If you like Jeopardy! or any quiz program, try the new movie on Hulu, The Quiz Lady. It's a lot of fun, starring Awkwafina and Sandra Oh as sisters.

I tried the NYT Connections puzzle, and it was kind of fun. I might keep at it.

Mondrianyone · November 6, 2023

12 hours ago, Ancaster said:

Here you go. The connecting wall part, which is like the NYT quiz, starts around 19 minutes, but it's all worth watching if you have time. I hope people enjoy it!

Jeez, I think of myself as being pretty good at that sort of thing, but this was next-level crazy hard! I need to decide if I want to torture myself again. (I did get a few of the wall connections, so I'm not a total moron.) Thanks, @Ancaster!

ABay · November 6, 2023

I LOVE Only Connect! I found it on YT during lockdown and am now addicted.

Laura Holt · November 6, 2023

Random cute kid moment. Out with the family yesterday and my 8 yr old granddaughter almost went into the men's room by mistake. She made me "pinkie swear" that I wouldn't tell anyone. So shhh, don't pass this on 😀.

JustHereForFood · November 6, 2023

I have recently walked into men's bathroom at Starbucks by mistake. I didn't mind much, but the man at the urinal looked a bit scared.

A tip for the staff designing the doors: these signs only make sense if they are next to each other, otherwise if you can only see one at a time because the bathrooms are at the opposite ends of the corridor, it's not very clear (at least to me) which is supposed to be which:

Laura Holt · November 6, 2023

Absolutely agreed. I'd take that triangle to be a dress either way at least at first glance anyway. If they are going to have separate washrooms why do the designers have to try so hard to be clever?

peacheslatour · November 6, 2023

48 minutes ago, Laura Holt said:

Absolutely agreed. I'd take that triangle to be a dress either way at least at first glance anyway. If they are going to have separate washrooms why do the designers have to try so hard to be clever?

image.png.1a2faffa5c28a05493a7e774a6b610d8.png

shapeshifter · November 6, 2023

54 minutes ago, Laura Holt said:

I'd take that triangle to be a dress either way at least at first glance anyway.

Just checking for future reference:
The triangle on the left is supposed to be for women, right?

image.png.c6c50fd4dd8e1a23ce31089db68764e7.png

JustHereForFood · November 6, 2023

3 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Just checking for future reference:
The triangle on the left is supposed to be for women, right?

Yes. But I'm still waiting to see any man wearing anything that resembles the triangle on the right.

shapeshifter · November 6, 2023

1 minute ago, JustHereForFood said:

Yes. But I'm still waiting to see any man wearing anything that resembles the triangle on the right.

Superhero garb?
Star Trek uniforms (male and female)?
Or possibly football or hockey padding?

But I had dresses and blazers with shoulder pads shaped that way in the 1980s-90s. (See Designing Women reruns)

Or Joan Crawford, 1946: https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/award-winning-actress-joan-crawford-models-a-two-piece-silk-news-photo/515174344

joan-crawford-modeling-adrian-dress.jpg?s=2048x2048&w=gi&k=20&c=s7f2dGQZz-0evJm6dfgm1oWkh1rbHFgYFMfFGVUhqdY=

theredhead77 · November 7, 2023

8 hours ago, Laura Holt said:

Random cute kid moment. Out with the family yesterday and my 8 yr old granddaughter almost went into the men's room by mistake. She made me "pinkie swear" that I wouldn't tell anyone. So shhh, don't pass this on 😀.

Years ago I walked into the men's room at work. Like opened the door and got a few steps in before realizing it. Thankfully, there wasn't anyone in there.

7 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

... and wipe your drips off the seat!

annzeepark914 · November 7, 2023

Speaking of drops on the seats, about 20 years ago I read an article that said some study had concluded that a public toilet seat was cleaner (germ-wise) than an office desk, keyboard and/or telephone. Gee..while I was writing this post, a full screen Wawa ad appeared on my smartphone. 🤬

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