Pet Peeves: Aka Things That Make You Go "Gah!"

[MrSmith]

That's good to see. Thanks for posting those pictures! Such beautiful scenery, too. You're a pretty good photographer, @Moose135.

Edited May 19, 2017 by MrSmith

[Moose135]

Thank you!

[MrSmith]

31 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

Thank you!

I went and looked at some of the other pictures on your site (the Outer Banks ones). Those are absolutely spectacular! I'm sure you've worked very hard on your photography skills and that investment has certainly paid dividends. You really are quite skilled at framing the shot. Do you sell your photos? I particularly like this one and think it would look great as a wallpaper across my three monitors at home:
http://www.moose135photography.com/NorthCarolina/Outer-Banks/i-mchgr3t

There are other ones I like, too, and if the purchase price is reasonable, then I'd be able to fit that into my budget.

Edited to add: As a web developer, you should look at either removing the blue hyperlink border that shows up when you hover over a link OR consider adding a border to the links that is the same color as the background and only displays when the user isn't hovered over the link. That way, the thumbnail in the link doesn't seem to move right when it's hovered over.

Edited May 19, 2017 by MrSmith

[walnutqueen]

21 hours ago, KungFuBunny said:

Pet Peeve:

Buying bananas and the appearance of the dreaded fruit fly/gnat. Trying to kill the suckers

On Demand for Prime Time Channels - the inability to fast forward. The worst is watching a 2 hour show like The Voice and having to watch the same commercials over and over.

 

15 hours ago, riley702 said:

Argh! The last time I brought some of those damned things home, it took me months to completely eradicate them. I finally had to tape plastic wrap over all the drains every time they weren't being used.

I've had great success with a leftover half-glass of cream sherry placed near the fruit or sink drain.  Those little suckers can't resist it, and die swiftly (and probably painlessly).   :-)

[backformore]

On ‎5‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 5:59 PM, MrSmith said:

My wife and I have opted out of the Christmas consumerism for at least 10 years now. We get one gift for each of our nieces and nephews, and that's it. We don't get involved in the adult gift exchange and we don't get gifts for each other. We just try to spend as much time with each other and with family as we can during that time of year and be thankful for what we have. When the opportunity presents, we'll do something for someone else instead of racing out and crashing into everyone else on Black Friday (in particular). Black Friday always feels to me like a frenzied, compressed version of Needful Things. And don't even get me started on the insanity of stores being open on Thanksgiving Day. That's a rant that'll never end!

Replying late, sorry.  My extended family does the grab bag game where everyone (all the adults, kids still get gifts)  brings a wrapped gift, and people take turns choosing a gift.  On your turn you can either open a new one or "steal"  one that's open.   It is a lot more fun than what was happening prior, which would be a lot of exchanging of $20 gift cards and Christmas-printed socks.    We also added in that the gift has to be either a white elephant- type of re-gift, or a gag gift, and if you buy something new, it can't exceed $15.  it's great because to participate, you only have to buy ONE gift. 

[backformore]

On ‎5‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 11:36 AM, bilgistic said:

Does my desperate need to get groceries outweigh my utter disdain for un-pajama-ing and showering today?

On days I don't have to go in to the office until late, my husband HATES and cannot understand that I stay in pajamas until I have to get ready to go to work.  I have to dress professionally (kind of)  at work, and I just don't see the need to change out of pj's into "home"  clothes, and then change again.  

 

On ‎5‎/‎15‎/‎2017 at 9:41 AM, Sun-Bun said:

Amen to the online sales issue---this is especially problematic if you're a female, because women tend to buy into that party hostessing/makeup sales BS. Never mind that ALL that party hosting/sales BS is just a Pyramid Scheme/MLM quietly masquerading as a "business opportunity" for so many of these dumb housewives.

One month I got 8 different FB invites for these parties and realized I'd had enough and felt vaguely offended---did anyone actually want to hang out with me for *me* or because I'm gullible enough to buy their shit at their stupid parties?! I finally had to post and repost a message on my profile saying in a nice way, "If you're inviting me to a gathering just for the pleasure of my company, then I'll be there, but if you're inviting me out just to sell me your shit, sorry but I'M NOT INTERESTED!!!" 

 

I have a close relative who sells Avon.   What makes me nuts is that I'll buy something, once in a while, to be nice.   I get it in a cute shopping/gift bag, along with several catalogs for new merchandise.   I try to hand those back to her, but she doesn't want them.  I know that each Avon rep has to pay for those bags and catalogs, and I just put them in the recycling bin.   The thing is - the products are no better than what I can buy at the store.  And realistically, if I need lotion, or mascara, or whatever, I'd rather pick it up at Walgreens on my way to work. 

I'm also annoyed by stores that put every purchase in a cute rope-handle gift bag with the stores name on it.  I think they do this more at a mall, where they want you to carry around that advertisement so everyone can see where you shopped.   I'm ok with a shopping bag when I need one.  But enough is enough.   I bought a necklace on sale for $12.  tissue paper, in a box, then the box wrapped in more tissue, then a gift shopping bag.  All a bunch of paper I had to dispose of when I got home.

[MrSmith]

7 minutes ago, backformore said:

I'm also annoyed by stores that put every purchase in a cute rope-handle gift bag with the stores name on it.  I think they do this more at a mall, where they want you to carry around that advertisement so everyone can see where you shopped.   I'm ok with a shopping bag when I need one.  But enough is enough.   I bought a necklace on sale for $12.  tissue paper, in a box, then the box wrapped in more tissue, then a gift shopping bag.  All a bunch of paper I had to dispose of when I got home.

Could. Not. Resist!

[backformore]

On ‎5‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 11:09 AM, ZaldamoWilder said:

Grocery bagging method.   Look, I know it's common sense and a little bit old school.  The thing my customers liked best about me was that I'd look at stuff on the belt, no matter the order in which it was loaded, and scan/bag like stuff with like stuff, not just all the cold together, all the dairy cold together, all the shelf fruit with shelf fruit, cold/fridge fruit with fridge fruit, no non foods with foods, no straining the bag or super heavy loads.   But, I'm 49 lol and the way yawl like your stuff organized would take a level of forethought and predetermination that your average cashier not only doesn't have time for but shit, doesn't care about like that.  They see hundreds of people a day, they're not even thinking of your groceries as individually categorized items, it's just some stuff on a belt.  Literally, the sooner they get you outta here, the better.  I only did it because I'm ocd about going to the trouble of picking out bread, eggs and potato chips only to have em laying on the bottom of the oranges.

Yes, and, please, everyone, Keep in mind a lot of the grocery chains hire teens and young adults with disabilities, and sometimes they're doing the best they can.   At our local store, one of the baggers has an intellectual disability and one has autism.   They are trained, but they get easily flustered, and can either do the job quickly, or accurately, but not both.

[walnutqueen]

1 hour ago, MrSmith said:

Could. Not. Resist!

 

To me, this is perfect.  ;-)

[TurtlePower]

7 hours ago, Moose135 said:

You can still drive across it, but the road takes you to a couple of parking areas overlooking the dam.  They added a new section of interstate highway that bypasses the dam itself to help with traffic flow.  There is an walkway on the side of the interstate where you can look down on the dam.

This is the bridge for the highway that bypasses the dam:

And here's the view of the dam from the walkway on the bridge:

So that's what it looks like from the bypass bridge. I'm too chicken to go out there even though I drive across they bridge daily. Another reason I won't go on it is that too many people have jumped to their deaths from it (and then we get called to handle it). 

[Petunia13]

8 hours ago, backformore said:

Yes, and, please, everyone, Keep in mind a lot of the grocery chains hire teens and young adults with disabilities, and sometimes they're doing the best they can.   At our local store, one of the baggers has an intellectual disability and one has autism.   They are trained, but they get easily flustered, and can either do the job quickly, or accurately, but not both.

The baggers we have who have disabilities are pretty fast and accurate! I've noticed some cashiers have less patience with them or are not good at communication. Today I was buying food and a woman was ahead of me getting a midsize order. And the girl had gotten it all bagged up with a few organized items to the side. She told the cashier in a professional tone "paper bag for the chemicals please." And the cashier made some quip to the customer like "oh she's telling me what to do haha. Fine I'll help you" I think what she was conveying was the boxed borax and dishwasher detergent etc would be easier to tote in the paper bag but she was out of them at the end of the lane? Anyhow it's like ...can the commentary and help her bag she's doing better than you lol. Also it's hard for her to chose her words, I've noticed, so it's probably better to encourage her. 

[DeLurker]

I go to one Kroger in my area where two are closer because of a bagger there.  He's just so genuinely nice and always tell me sincerely to have a nice day.

[bubbls]

My pet peeve today and every day is organic food proselytizing and the religion of fear it creates. No microwaves, no aluminum foil, organic this or free range that, only olive oil, water purifiers, etc. How do these people climb into their Prius and make it to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's without collapsing in terror at breathing all that non purified air??!! I'd go stark raving mad if I was so terrified of a little Walmart butter or water out of the sink. The thing is if they want to live like that fine, but they feel the desperate need to proselytize constantly about it. They're the Jehovah's Witnesses of the food world. 

[BookWoman56]

I use a water purifier because where I live, there is enough calcium carbonate (limestone) in the water that if you pour a glass of unpurified water, you can literally see particles of it in the water. AFAIK, the limestone is not harmful and some studies suggest it may act as a dietary supplement, but it makes me uneasy to drink a glass of water that looks as if it has a lot of dust in it. On the issue of organic food, in theory it's better to eat food that has not been treated with pesticides and that does not have preservatives added to it. In practice, however, my experience has been that if you don't consume organic produce within roughly 24 hours of purchasing it, then there is a high risk it will have started to rot. That plus the higher cost means I'm generally okay with buying regular produce; I have neither the time nor inclination to go to the store every other day to get organic produce so that it doesn't go bad before I use it. Growing up, my extended family had their own large vegetable garden, so we grew most of our own vegetables, and I definitely prefer the taste of something you picked a few hours ago versus something that was picked, transported to a store, and then put out for display. I don't currently have that option, but within the next year or two I hope to have enough of a yard to grow at least a few herbs and other items for home consumption. 

[FormerMod-a1]

I have had the complete opposite experience with organic produce (and dairy) - it lasts at least twice as long as the non-organic stuff.  The first time I bought organic produce I could believe how long the blueberries lasted.  I love blueberries and bought a large container, but then got sick and wasn't eating much, and then had work travel. Anyway, they lasted several weeks.  Same with eggs and milk. I don't drink milk often so always buy like a quart when I need some and regular milk goes bad so fast.  The organic can last a month or more.  My parents "poo-poo" the organic 'movement' but bought organic milk or cream once for some reason and have not gone back.  They couldn't believe how long it lasted.

That said, I don't buy all organic.  I try to buy organic dairy, though, for lack of hormones and the above mentioned ability to last forever w/o going bad.  When I can I buy fruits/veg from local farmer stands, otherwise I don't care if it's organic or not - I just buy what looks and smells best.  Meat I'm very sporadic with, I prefer organic but it's so expensive.  Especially the good organic (since not all organic is the same, not by a long shot).  I do  only buy wild-caught fish, when I buy fish.

[Bastet]

I don't buy organic everything, either.  With animal-based products, I often do, but it's kind of a secondary effect of my various self-imposed rules for the ethical consumption of meat, eggs, and dairy; it's about how the animal was kept, fed, and (if applicable) slaughtered.  With produce, I generally follow the "dirty dozen" principle, but it's not that straightforward, either -- what pesticide is used matters (and there are organic pesticides I don't want any part of, either).  Basically, I try to go straight to the source as much as possible -- having a backyard garden and supplementing with trips to the farmers market, getting much of my meat from a friend's farm (this means it's frozen, but I can't beat the quality control), buying eggs from a couple down the street who raise chickens, etc. 

But, bringing this back to peeves, I, too, am annoyed by those who try to convert others like it's A Cause - and, on the flip side, by the "oh, it's all hooey, so you're an idiot to care" crowd.  Just eat what you want, re-heat your food how you want, clean the house how you want, etc. and let others do the same.  It's good to share information and opinions on these types of issues when that's a topic of conversation, certainly, but trying to hound - or shame - someone into following one's own guidelines is ineffectual, not to mention pretty damn rude.

[DeLurker]

I think only the people who don't have to worry about sticking to a budget can be so extreme on their eating habits.  That being said, there are a few foods that I do go organic (or as close to it) if the price is doesn't make my soul wither and die.  But a lot of the organic foods have started to drop in price to where they are close enough to non-organic that the price difference is no big deal.  I consistently get my organic carrots and celery at Trader Joe's because the price difference is maybe $0.25.

[KungFuBunny]

51 minutes ago, DeLurker said:

I think only the people who don't have to worry about sticking to a budget can be so extreme on their eating habits.  That being said, there are a few foods that I do go organic (or as close to it) if the price is doesn't make my soul wither and die.  But a lot of the organic foods have started to drop in price to where they are close enough to non-organic that the price difference is no big deal.  I consistently get my organic carrots and celery at Trader Joe's because the price difference is maybe $0.25.

When the first Whole Foods opened up in the city, we called it Whole Paycheck

The question I have is, is there an Organic Police Patrol? How closely is the Organic Food Industry regulated?

Years ago, there was a small store that sold vegetarian foods. A study was done and a bunch of items were tested and they found meat in 30% of their stock. They carried all different "brands" of vegetarian food.

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, KungFuBunny said:

When the first Whole Foods opened up in the city, we called it Whole Paycheck

The question I have is, is there an Organic Police Patrol? How closely is the Organic Food Industry regulated?

Years ago, there was a small store that sold vegetarian foods. A study was done and a bunch of items were tested and they found meat in 30% of their stock. They carried all different "brands" of vegetarian food.

Organic is ridiculously under-to basically unregulated.  And, because of wind and pollination and whatnot, there's really no such thing as purely organic food anyway.  Just more organic.  Our global food supply is seriously messed up.

[harrie]

55 minutes ago, KungFuBunny said:

The question I have is, is there an Organic Police Patrol? How closely is the Organic Food Industry regulated?

 

The USDA oversees organic regulations on a national level; so in that case, not as closely as one might think.  There are a lot of loophole-type things, like the requirement/statement that a free-range chicken has access to the outdoors meaning that the chicken can look out a window at it and not necessarily be able to go outside and scratch, wander a little, etc. 

Standards may have changed over time, but when I started paying attention to this stuff, the State of California organic regulations were the gold standard, so we looked for products that advertised meeting that standard.  I don't actually wear a tin foil hat, but I also believe that the USDA's organic standards are a little relaxed in order to make them big business-friendly. 

The stuff we eat is a mix of organic, local (when possible), and not at all organic; we also grow a lot of our own veggies in our semi-short summer window of time. I like buying meats, eggs, dairy, and stuff from my neighbors, though; it helps our local economy  (which really needs the help), and if something is ever bad, I can go right to the source about it.  So far, I haven't had to.

[bubbls]

IMO the organic movement may have started legit, but it's nothing but a big money making scheme these days. It's Big Organic. I grow a garden that happens to be organic because I'm lazy. It's not a religion for me. You won't see any recipes I share that look like this, and this is not an exaggeration:

1 free range, antibiotic-free chicken 

1 cup organic butter from free range, antibiotic-free cows. Or goats. Or sheep.

2 tablespoons good non-gmo olive oil

2 cups organic non-gmo onions

3 cups organic, non-gmo bell peppers

Edited May 20, 2017 by bubbls

[Bastet]

31 minutes ago, bubbls said:

1 free range, antibiotic-free chicken 

1 cup organic butter from free range, antibiotic-free cows. Or goats. Or sheep.

2 tablespoons good non-gmo olive oil

2 cups organic non-gmo onions

3 cups organic, non-gmo bell peppers

Oh my.  And I thought it was bad when Ina Garten would call for "good extra virgin olive oil" or "good vanilla extract" in her recipes.  Why, thank heavens you specified, Ina, or I'd have used total crap.

[ABay]

@harrie, you've reminded me of when I first moved here and went grocery shopping. Looking at the dairy case, I saw a local brand of milk called COW. That's all I saw: COW. Much later, I noticed the very small Farmer's above COW. I still think of it as just COW.

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

Oh my.  And I thought it was bad when Ina Garten would call for "good extra virgin olive oil" or "good vanilla extract" in her recipes.  Why, thank heavens you specified, Ina, or I'd have used total crap.

I'm not sure why this reminded me of this, but when I was a kid my mom would watch Wheel of Fortune.  Almost every night, during the introductions, some woman would say "I'm married to my husband" or some man would say "I'm married to my wife."  Sometimes they would add an adjective like wonderful. Anyway, for some reason that would bug the heck out of me and I would look at my mom and say "Obviously she's married to her husband, who else would she be married to?" 

I guess too much clarification was what reminded me. 

[riley702]

11 hours ago, DeLurker said:

I go to one Kroger in my area where two are closer because of a bagger there.  He's just so genuinely nice and always tell me sincerely to have a nice day.

 

22 hours ago, Petunia13 said:

The baggers we have who have disabilities are pretty fast and accurate! I've noticed some cashiers have less patience with them or are not good at communication. Today I was buying food and a woman was ahead of me getting a midsize order. And the girl had gotten it all bagged up with a few organized items to the side. She told the cashier in a professional tone "paper bag for the chemicals please." And the cashier made some quip to the customer like "oh she's telling me what to do haha. Fine I'll help you" I think what she was conveying was the boxed borax and dishwasher detergent etc would be easier to tote in the paper bag but she was out of them at the end of the lane? Anyhow it's like ...can the commentary and help her bag she's doing better than you lol. Also it's hard for her to chose her words, I've noticed, so it's probably better to encourage her. 

Maybe you guys should drop a postcard to the managers of those stores telling them how much you enjoy so-and-so, and that you patronize them in part due to those employees? It would be nice for them to get recognized for their hard work and great attitude.

4 hours ago, Bastet said:

I, too, am annoyed by those who try to convert others like it's A Cause - and, on the flip side, by the "oh, it's all hooey, so you're an idiot to care" crowd.  Just eat what you want, re-heat your food how you want, clean the house how you want, etc. and let others do the same.  It's good to share information and opinions on these types of issues when that's a topic of conversation, certainly, but trying to hound - or shame - someone into following one's own guidelines is ineffectual, not to mention pretty damn rude.

I wish I could give this more than one thumb up. Brava!

Edited May 21, 2017 by riley702

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

I'm not sure why this reminded me of this, but when I was a kid my mom would watch Wheel of Fortune.  Almost every night, during the introductions, some woman would say "I'm married to my husband" or some man would say "I'm married to my wife."  Sometimes they would add an adjective like wonderful. Anyway, for some reason that would bug the heck out of me and I would look at my mom and say "Obviously she's married to her husband, who else would she be married to?" 

And that reminds me that when I used to watch Wheel of Fortune, I'd get so annoyed that the married men always talked about being married to "my beautiful wife So-and-So."  Not my intelligent wife, accomplished wife, compassionate wife, hilarious wife, or even just wonderful wife (or, even better, just her name without some fawning adjective) -- nine times out of ten, it was specifically and exclusively about her looks.  Women did not do this; there was not some rash of "my handsome husband So-and-So." 

Edited May 21, 2017 by Bastet

[Petunia13]

@riley702 I was talking about the store I work at. 

[MrSmith]

17 hours ago, bubbls said:

My pet peeve today and every day is organic food proselytizing and the religion of fear it creates. No microwaves, no aluminum foil, organic this or free range that, only olive oil, water purifiers, etc. How do these people climb into their Prius and make it to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's without collapsing in terror at breathing all that non purified air??!! I'd go stark raving mad if I was so terrified of a little Walmart butter or water out of the sink. The thing is if they want to live like that fine, but they feel the desperate need to proselytize constantly about it. They're the Jehovah's Witnesses of the food world. 

I'll add to this: The irrational rage/fear/whatever omnivores exhibit toward those people who have chosen to be herbivores only. Ten years ago (wow! Hard to believe it's been that long) I worked for Verizon in a landline repair call center. There was a woman who was either vegetarian or vegan; I think she was just vegetarian. Anyway, any time there was an employee pot luck, a couple of other women always prepared something and claimed it was vegetarian. What they each prepared over time varied, of course, and the one constant was that neither woman's contribution was actually vegetarian. I never understood why those two had to do that. Did they feel threatened by someone else's dietary choice? Or perhaps just think her dietary choices were silly? I did speak to one of the two offenders once and told her that by "sneaking" meat into her dishes she could actually make the vegetarian lady sick. Of course, she didn't act on this information. And I say "sneaking" because the vegetarian lady could always smell the meat in their dishes and also learned over time that they couldn't be trusted. (Apparently, if you haven't eaten/cooked meat in a long time, the odor/aroma of cooked meat is easily detectable, like cigarette smoke for a non-smoker. I'll never know because they'll have to pry my steak from my cold, dead hands.)

Edited to add: We buy free range turkey, which I believe is also organic. Much better tasting and lot more dark meat (I eat dark; she eats white). Of course, it's also something like 2x to 4x the cost, but totally worth it in our opinion. We won't go back.

Edited May 21, 2017 by MrSmith

[bubbls]

13 hours ago, Bastet said:

Oh my.  And I thought it was bad when Ina Garten would call for "good extra virgin olive oil" or "good vanilla extract" in her recipes.  Why, thank heavens you specified, Ina, or I'd have used total crap.

I was actually going to bring her up but didn't want my post to be too long. I always talk back and ask her if my Walmart olive oil is considered good, hehe. 

[MrSmith]

12 hours ago, Bastet said:

And that reminds me that when I used to watch Wheel of Fortune, I'd get so annoyed that the married men always talked about being married to "my beautiful wife So-and-So."  Not my intelligent wife, accomplished wife, compassionate wife, hilarious wife, or even just wonderful wife (or, even better, just her name without some fawning adjective) -- nine times out of ten, it was specifically and exclusively about her looks.  Women did not do this; there was not some rash of "my handsome husband So-and-So." 

Hey! I like to fawn over my wife. :D

You can't blame men for doing this, really. It's only natural. In my case, even when I say "beautiful", I'm not describing only her looks. I suspect it's like that for a lot of men.

[TurtlePower]

3 hours ago, MrSmith said:

Edited to add: We buy free range turkey, which I believe is also organic. Much better tasting and lot more dark meat (I eat dark; she eats white). Of course, it's also something like 2x to 4x the cost, but totally worth it in our opinion. We won't go back.

I'm the same with eggs. When possible we get them from people who have backyard hens. The yolks are larger and brighter and the eggs are more nutritious. We're going to get our own chickens next spring so we won't have to worry about where our eggs come from. 

[MrSmith]

5 minutes ago, TurtlePower said:

I'm the same with eggs. When possible we get them from people who have backyard hens. The yolks are larger and brighter and the eggs are more nutritious. We're going to get our own chickens next spring so we won't have to worry about where our eggs come from. 

Wish we could do that. I think Red Wing would let us, but we rent and also the backyard is just not big enough for even a small chicken coop.

[DeLurker]

16 hours ago, ABay said:

@harrie, you've reminded me of when I first moved here and went grocery shopping. Looking at the dairy case, I saw a local brand of milk called COW. That's all I saw: COW. Much later, I noticed the very small Farmer's above COW. I still think of it as just COW.

In my house Laughing Cow Cheese is just cow cheese.  We only like the Swiss so if cow cheese is on the shopping list it only means that one. 

1 hour ago, TurtlePower said:

I'm the same with eggs. When possible we get them from people who have backyard hens. The yolks are larger and brighter and the eggs are more nutritious. We're going to get our own chickens next spring so we won't have to worry about where our eggs come from. 

True about backyard hen eggs, but they are a lot of work.  My brother had some, I think 5, for about a year and he spent a couple hours each week keeping the coop clean.  Not sure if he was doing it more frequently than other people do. 

[TattleTeeny]

20 hours ago, DeLurker said:

I think only the people who don't have to worry about sticking to a budget can be so extreme on their eating habits.  That being said, there are a few foods that I do go organic (or as close to it) if the price is doesn't make my soul wither and die.  But a lot of the organic foods have started to drop in price to where they are close enough to non-organic that the price difference is no big deal.  I consistently get my organic carrots and celery at Trader Joe's because the price difference is maybe $0.25.

This reminds me of a FB peeve: that elitist meme people keep posting about low-income, overweight people feeding their families McDonald's or whatever--always posted by people who, it seems, don't know how gross and uninformed they are as to how much fast food costs vs. healthier grocery-store options. Same goes for that infuriating rant about fast-food workers not deserving to advocate for higher wages--the one that includes a comparative rundown of what military people earn, and also, I believe, says something ever-so-intelligent like, "get out and get an education if you want a better wage." 

Actually, most memes I see lately fill me with a peevish aggravation.

Quote

Did they feel threatened by someone else's dietary choice? Or perhaps just think her dietary choices were silly?

Ugh, yes, I think that many otherwise rational people do sometimes think/feel these things! It's nuts to me; in social situations, I sometimes try to keep what I'm eating on the down-low to avoid the inevitable questions that sometimes verge on accusatory at worst and patronizing at best. And the there's the ill-informed debunking. Always with the debunking attempts!

Edited May 21, 2017 by TattleTeeny

[Katy M]

5 hours ago, MrSmith said:

Anyway, any time there was an employee pot luck, a couple of other women always prepared something and claimed it was vegetarian. What they each prepared over time varied, of course, and the one constant was that neither woman's contribution was actually vegetarian.

That's really weird.  To the best of my knowledge, you can't accidentally not know something is not vegetarian.  Meat is pretty obviously meat.   But, that sounds really passive-aggressive, but also really weird.  What was their end game?  What was their motivation?  Just weird.

Vegan is another story, and it is possible to make an honest mistake on that.  Until I was told by a vegan friend, I hadn't thought about honey not being vegan, just for example.   And, I also learned that some vegans don't consider veggies that were fertilized with you-know-what as being vegan, either.

[TurtlePower]

27 minutes ago, TattleTeeny said:

This reminds me of a FB peeve: that elitist meme people keep posting about low-income, overweight people feeding their families McDonald's or whatever--always posted by people who, it seems, don't know how gross and uninformed they are as to how much fast food costs vs. healthier grocery-store options. Same goes for that infuriating rant about fast-food workers not deserving to advocate for higher wages--the one that includes a comparative rundown of what military people earn, and also, I believe, says something ever-so-intelligent like, "get out and get an education if you want a better wage." 

Actually, most memes I see lately fill me with a peevish aggravation.

Ugh, yes, I think that many otherwise rational people do sometimes think/feel these things! It's nuts to me; in social situations, I sometimes try to keep what I'm eating on the down-low to avoid the inevitable questions that sometimes verge on accusatory at worst and patronizing at best. And the there's the ill-informed debunking. Always with the debunking attempts!

Oh dear, this discussion:). I'm not elitist, mean, nor do I post such memes--but from my own personal experience living on a meager income early in my career, I was able to eat both very cheaply and healthfully. I bought what was on sale, not what I wanted and went with whole foods and dry goods like beans. Yes it required more preparation and planning, but it is possible. In fact, a fast food meal cost more than my meals. 

I realize that explanation is a Pet Peeve for some but isn't that why we're here?

[TattleTeeny]

I'm a filthy hippie vegan and I make little errors here and there! Part of that is due to not wanting to create a big old scene about it while ordering food, and part is trying to be cool to people who try to accommodate me. While I'm not gonna eat turkey on Thanksgiving, I might just adopt a "don't ask, don't tell" policy on the side dishes my BF's family went to all the trouble to make for a dinner they specifically invited me to. It might make me a poser or hypocrite in the eyes of staunch (or militant) fellow vegans, but I still have to live in society and I have no desire to make anyone feel bad. All I know is I do my best not to consume any animal products; it's not their job to make sure that happens.

 

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Oh dear, this discussion:). I'm not elitist, mean, nor do I post such memes--but from my own personal experience living on a meager income early in my career, I was able to eat both very cheaply and healthfully. I bought what was on sale, not what I wanted and went with whole foods and dry goods like beans. Yes it required more preparation and planning, but it is possible. In fact, a fast food meal cost more than my meals. 

Oh, I have no doubt that it's possible to do so. But I also think those memes are targeting people that don't have the time or knowledge or energy or lifestyle or even environment to take that approach. The memes are posted by people who seem to tend to not take a deeper look at what might drive someone else's decisions; they see it, agree in the immediate, and repost. 

Edited May 21, 2017 by TattleTeeny

[Katy M]

2 minutes ago, TattleTeeny said:

I'm a filthy hippie vegan and I make little errors here and there! Part of that is due to not wanting to create a big old scene about it while ordering food, and part is trying to be cool to people who try to accommodate me. While I'm not gonna eat turkey on Thanksgiving, I might just adopt a "don't ask, don't tell" policy on the side dishes my BF's family went to all the trouble to make for a dinner they specifically invited me to. It might make me a poser or hypocrite in the eyes of staunch (or militant) fellow vegans, but I still have to live in society and I have no desire to make anyone feel bad. All I know is I do my best not to consume any animal products; it's not their job to make sure that happens.

First of all, I want to state that I've never said anything to her about it, but my friend who is a vegan will order a salad and forget to ask for no cheese, or something like that.  So, she will then send it back.  I find that odd, because I would think it would be worse to just throw the food away then to eat it.  You know the restaurant isn't going to scrape the cheese off and use it again.

[TattleTeeny]

I've just gone ahead and eaten a salad with parmesan shavings that you kind of can't easily get rid of. I look at it as a "bonus," haha! (I love cheese, I just have chosen to give it up.) It would be cool, however, if menus were consistent in listing ingredients; I don't need my hand held or anything, but when I see Item A has what looks to be a complete list of what's in it, I'll assume that Items B-Z follow suit. And my peeve with that is not even necessarily non-vegan stuff--its ONIONS! Come on, the Whatever Sandwich says it comes with tomatoes and onions; when the This Other Thing Sandwich says tomatoes but not onions, I assume it means it!

And that's my policy with leather and suede too (and makeup, lotions, etc.); I didn't toss out all my old belts, purses, shoes, and jackets, and I might actually keep a gift that someone gives me without realizing (a wallet or something). I don't buy anything like that new anymore, but I will buy it in a vintage or secondhand store. From the POV of someone who does not want animals harmed my benefit, it definitely seems much worse to summarily trash it! I mean, the damage has happened already and I would rather not have that be completely in vain. Similarly, if my friend's bathroom has a soap from a brand I don't support, I'm not gonna not wash my hands with it!

And as for Thanksgiving, I did buy and make my BF sliced turkey and mashed potatoes with butter because he likes it. We "hid out" at home last year; I think I ate a vegan frozen pizza, haha!

Edited May 21, 2017 by TattleTeeny

[MrSmith]

34 minutes ago, TattleTeeny said:

This reminds me of a FB peeve: that elitist meme people keep posting about low-income, overweight people feeding their families McDonald's or whatever--always posted by people who, it seems, don't know how gross and uninformed they are as to how much fast food costs vs. healthier grocery-store options.

You know you've hit a nerve when someone comes along and quotes you multiple times. So, here we go! (Rant pre-check: I'm mostly on your side in this.)

I don't tend to ding people for going fast food. Typically, they can't cook and they may not have the time to learn or to do it, even if they do learn. (I've known too many people working 2 jobs to stay alive.) That said, if they have the time and either know how or are willing to learn, you can eat just as cheaply by grocery shopping as on fast food. If you're a smart shopper, you can actually eat cheaper from the grocery store. The thing you can't do is buy much processed food because it costs a fortune.

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Same goes for that infuriating rant about fast-food workers not deserving to advocate for higher wages--the one that includes a comparative rundown of what military people earn, and also, I believe, says something ever-so-intelligent like, "get out and get an education if you want a better wage." 

This one hits a little close to home for me. My wife is dyslexic and there is no way she would be able to get a college degree, in spite of being very intelligent and a quick learner. People think that just having the college degree gets you a middle class life, and many employers think you have to have a college degree to perform whatever role and duties for which they need an employee. Both things are not true. If something happened to me, my wife would be one of those working a job asking if you would like fries with that (or the equivalent). Regardless whether the minimum wage was supposed to be a living wage*, my opinion is that it should be; we have too many people working minimum wage jobs and employers continue to look for wages to depress wages (or, at best, keep them stagnant).

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Actually, most memes I see lately fill me with a peevish aggravation.

I hate memes. HATE them.

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Ugh, yes, I think that many otherwise rational people do sometimes think/feel these things! It's nuts to me; in social situations, I sometimes try to keep what I'm eating on the down-low to avoid the inevitable questions that sometimes verge on accusatory at worst and patronizing at best. And the there's the ill-informed debunking. Always with the debunking attempts!

I hate that, and I'm not even vegetarian. I don't get why people feel the need to do this to other people over their food choices. Who cares? You're not eating it! I'm happy to let other people decide their own dietary choices and for them to let me decide mine. The same goes for alcohol: I don't drink alcoholic beverages, and I don't care whether or not someone else chooses to. They're an adult. If they want a beer, have a beer. Took my wife's family a long time to realize that was my attitude. They're big beer drinkers, especially her brothers, while I'm generally a teetotaler.

[TattleTeeny]

Haha, MrSmith--I don't even know if I knew that I was quoting the same person for everything! And I can't find anything you say that I disagree with (no nerve hit, I swear). I suppose my main issue is that the ones posting the nonsense don't know anything about the people whom the memes are meant to call out. For instance, maybe the dude at McDonald's is working for his education already! Comparing him to an underpaid soldier is apples and bologna, as the determination of one paycheck isn't based on that of the other, and the McD's employees wouldn't be directly pulling dough out of the military's pockets--it's not one group "hogging" some finite pile of money. But, generally, this current climate is really bringing a certain type of hypocrisy to the forefront in so many issues--and not one intelligently or accurately summed up in a dumb meme!

Edited May 21, 2017 by TattleTeeny

[MrSmith]

1 minute ago, TattleTeeny said:

Haha, MrSmith--I don't even know if I knew that I was quoting the same person for everything! And I can't find anything you say that I disagree with (no nerve hit, I swear).

No, I meant I was multi-quoting you. And it hit a nerve for me because all that stuff really irritates* me, too. (* I'm being nice in using the word "irritates".....)

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I suppose my main issue is that the ones posting the nonsense don't know anything about the people whom the memes are meant to call out. For instance, maybe the dude at McDonald's is working for his education already!

Exactly! This is why it pisses me off so badly, too. And even if the guy at McD's isn't working for his education, what's to say he doesn't have plans to? Life is full of interruptions and complications, and some things just don't turn out the way people had planned, which isn't necessarily anyone's fault, either.

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But, generally, this current climate is really bringing a certain type of hypocrisy to the forefront in so many issues--and not one intelligently summed up in a dumb meme!

Ugh. So true. I'm so tired of the fighting, anger, and disrespect. It seemed like, when I was a teenager in the mid and late 80's, that people looked for the common ground and shared interests and built from there; by comparison, it seems like all people do anymore is find the ways in which they differ & disagree and then instigate fights and hurl insults. I'm officially worn down and tired of all of it.

[TattleTeeny]

Ohhhh, haha! I'm sorry--I misinterpreted! I blame the memes and the attitudes. Oy, my own dad basically called me an uninformed sheep of my chosen leanings (I'm not the "first to have been tricked into drinking the Kool-Aid," I believe were his words--love you too, Dad! I always thought you'd be proud to have a daughter who educates herself and makes her own decisions) and my doting uncles keep flinging around "snowflake" (as if making a concerted effort to make changes indicates something pampered and delicate about a person!) and a made-up word that ends with "tards." Nice.

Edited May 21, 2017 by TattleTeeny

[Blergh]

I've always thought the term 'grass fed' butter is funny inasmuch as I've yet to see butter attempt to eat grass and I think I'd call an exterminator or animal control if I ever saw that happen! LOL

[Jaded]

On 5/20/2017 at 2:02 PM, bubbls said:

My pet peeve today and every day is organic food proselytizing and the religion of fear it creates. No microwaves, no aluminum foil, organic this or free range that, only olive oil, water purifiers, etc. How do these people climb into their Prius and make it to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's without collapsing in terror at breathing all that non purified air??!! I'd go stark raving mad if I was so terrified of a little Walmart butter or water out of the sink. The thing is if they want to live like that fine, but they feel the desperate need to proselytize constantly about it. They're the Jehovah's Witnesses of the food world. 

I recently tried Organic Heinz ketchup and was surprised that it tastes even better then Simply Heinz which is also made with real sugar instead of corn syrup. I know there are other ketchup brands made with real sugar now but Heinz has a flavor I really prefer. I haven't really ventured into anything else organic except for salsa. Do people still use the catsup spelling for ketchup? The catsup version has always driven me crazy.

1 hour ago, TattleTeeny said:

This reminds me of a FB peeve: that elitist meme people keep posting about low-income, overweight people feeding their families McDonald's or whatever--always posted by people who, it seems, don't know how gross and uninformed they are as to how much fast food costs vs. healthier grocery-store options. Same goes for that infuriating rant about fast-food workers not deserving to advocate for higher wages--the one that includes a comparative rundown of what military people earn, and also, I believe, says something ever-so-intelligent like, "get out and get an education if you want a better wage." 

I'm a member of a FB group that likes to discuss Fast Food history like places that aren't around anymore, different menu items, over the years different building styles and etc. Until the mods cracked down there were a lot of people that liked to go on about "burger flippers" not deserving higher wages since they "all pretty much suck" at their jobs. The other popular put down was that they better be careful asking for higher wages because a robot could come in and do their job just as easily.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 5/15/2017 at 10:14 AM, KungFuBunny said:

I line up my things on the conveyor belt the way I want them bagged, but it doesn't work. The clerk will reach further out to grab an item instead of scanning the item at the head of the conveyor belt. I can't explain their logic. Why aren't you scanning the case of soda at the head of the belt, instead you're reaching down the pile to grab the jar of pickles? Wait now you're grabbing my half and half. I don't want the glass jar next to the cardboard container of dairy in the same bag...sigh

Amen!  I always bag my own groceries and I'm careful to put them on the conveyor belt in the order I want them to come through.

I also don't use the entire width of the conveyor belt because I don't like them stacking up at the head where there's that angled piece of metal to guide them over to the cashier's side.  Too much opportunity for randomness.  My groceries should march in line right over the scanner.

As for baggers, I always tell them that I'm going to bag my own groceries because I'm going to violate their Baggers' Code of Ethics.  I use very big bags that become very heavy, and the bags don't stand on their own so I lay them on their side and toss shit it.  But that shit is already organized (if the cashier hasn't gone rogue, that is) so I don't have to be careful.

 

On 5/16/2017 at 9:16 AM, magicdog said:

A related pet peeve: hired help (in any capacity) who either speak no English or pretend they can't.  I'm tired of the smile and nod routine.  

I don't mind, and in fact found out there isn't just one word for straw (like for a beverage) in Spanish--it depends on where the person comes from. 

But I got an extra caesar salad the other day at La Madeleine because the woman didn't speak English.  I ordered a sandwich and salad and the guy brought my salad out first, and I finished it, and then the woman brought my sandwich with another salad.  I said I'd already gotten the salad (and she even picked up my used plate and fork), but we just weren't communicating, so I gave up and let her give it to me.  And I ate it; I don't waste food.

 

22 hours ago, aquarian1 said:

I don't drink milk often so always buy like a quart when I need some and regular milk goes bad so fast.  The organic can last a month or more.  My parents "poo-poo" the organic 'movement' but bought organic milk or cream once for some reason and have not gone back.  They couldn't believe how long it lasted.

The long life has to do with the milk being ultrapasteurized (UHT), and organic milk is usually ultrapasteurized.  Some non-organic milk is also unpasteurized, but it's not common--I see it at a grocery chain called WinCo in the Pacific Northwest, and it has a very long shelf date. 

 

1 hour ago, TattleTeeny said:

This reminds me of a FB peeve: that elitist meme people keep posting

I'm not on Facebook, and I don't know what a meme is.  I keep hearing about them, but have somehow avoided an actual example or description.  I'm gonna see how long I can stay ignorant.

[TattleTeeny]

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I'm gonna see how long I can stay ignorant.

I feel that this is a sound and sensible plan.

[Wings]

On groceries.  I put all of the items that don't need refrigeration at the front of the line because I leave them in my trunk until after I have put the other stuff away.  If I get distracted* they can stay in the trunk for days! 

 

* or lazy.  :^)  I HATE putting groceries away.  

[MrSmith]

19 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

And I ate it; I don't waste food.

Completely agree. I dislike wasting food. It's disrespectful to whatever creature(s) provided the meal, usually at the cost of their own lives.

[StatisticalOutlier]

If you use those insulated bags, most employees will figure out to group the cold items together in those bags, or you can say, "The cold stuff goes in there."  So that's one battle that can be won in the bagging wars.