Sous vide is just a technique. It's usually best when combined with more traditional cooking methods to take advantage of each.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-19T14:21:01-05:00
@CB: the texture of salmon is wrong to me. It's not like Snapper or Cod. It's like a fish with the texture of meat. Even raw, it doesn't really taste much better. Which is why I never order it when I'm at a sushi restaurant.
Mike Kabala 2017-12-19T14:26:13-05:00
Swordfish is like that too, only I like it that way. I love a good swordfish steak.
Mike Kabala 2017-12-19T14:26:57-05:00
I agree with you about wine though. I've never developed a taste for it. Tastes like sour grapes to me.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-19T14:27:22-05:00
I must confess, I've never had swordfish. I might have to try it. I know they sell it at WholeFoods.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-19T14:28:30-05:00
@CB: Same here. I don't care what kind it is. Wine taste sour, even the sweet stuff. I can cook with it but for a beverage, no. I guess that means the French would never accept me. ;-)
Mike Kabala 2017-12-19T14:52:58-05:00
OK, new menu:
Salmon sushi,
Grilled swordfish steak with marinated lamb kidneys sous vide,
Fava beans (in honor of Hannibal Lecter)
A glass of Chardonnay
There should be something in there for anyone to love/hate. ;-)
Mike Kabala 2017-12-19T14:55:32-05:00
Oh ... and pierogis. Gotta have pierogis.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-19T15:22:12-05:00
@CB: Now that is a meal that you couldn't pay me to eat. Maybe the swordfish after I've scrapped off the gross and dumped a bottle of ketchup on it.
Mike Kabala 2017-12-19T15:25:04-05:00
@Geist, LOL. Actually, I was being nice. I could have also included fruitcake for dessert ... ;-)
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-19T15:28:09-05:00
@CB, lol, I don't know whether to be epicurious or revoited... ;)
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-19T15:29:53-05:00
@Geist, yeah, I've only had one wine that I ever enjoyed. After finding out the cost, I made sure not to remember the name though... ;) Is spiced wine the same as mulled? If so, yeah no... ;)
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-19T15:39:57-05:00
@CB: I am thinking of making Alton Brown's fruitcake. By all accounts, it's actually GOOD.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-19T15:42:54-05:00
@BaKhan: I'm not sure. It's what the host had in a crock pot and I decided to give it a try. There is one drink recipe that I have that is part white zinfandel, pineapple juice, cranberry juice and peach schnapps. Very tasty and the only time wine was drinkable.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-19T15:43:27-05:00
Bacon sous vide has got to be gross. Bacon should be fried in a pan so that it's nice a crispy.
Why do I bother asking people to help me with stuff at work? I always end up having to redo it all, taking twice as long as it originally should have taken. -.-
@Elan Lee: Happy holidays to you and yours as well.
Mike Kabala 2017-12-19T15:57:32-05:00
@Geist, bacon sous vide wouldn't make any sense, since it is so thin and the desired effect of crisping up the bacon is not achievable while submerged in a water bath. The surface of the bacon would never get hot enough and there would be nowhere for the bacon grease to drain until you open up the pouch. It's the same reason I remove the skin from my turkey breast and crisp it up in the oven.
You can't just use one cooking technique for everything. Boiled steak, anyone? ...
Mike Kabala 2017-12-19T15:58:47-05:00
Merry Christmas, Elan.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-19T16:01:59-05:00
Happy holiday Elan!
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-19T16:08:19-05:00
*squeals* Merry Christmas Elan! Hope to see you at the next GenCon or other convention. I'm still hoping you visit Awesome Con someday.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-19T16:12:52-05:00
@CB: I guess I'll stick with my crock pot. Most recipes you don't need to do much more than drop all the stuff in the pot and let it cook. There are a few that call for searing the meat first or baking it a bit before going into the crock pot (I did that with the turkey meatballs I made for one party) but you usually don't have to do that.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2017-12-19T18:36:06-05:00
WHOA! Wow, man, sorry I had places to go today! Great to see this much activity again, though!
`
Pate isn't illegal here, not that I've ever heard, neither are Kinder eggs anymore, I don't think.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2017-12-19T18:39:03-05:00
Hey, CB! Welcome back, great to hear from you again!
...
Though maybe not in this conversation, not one of the most appetizing we've had here...
`
I personally like wine quite a bit, and am one of the few people I know at my age (early 20s) who enjoys alot of dry red wines. Of all the styles of alcohol, though, beer is probably my favorite, though I'd love to get more into whiskeys.
`
CB, you've missed me on that menu, you'll need something based off of mushrooms, particularly sauteed. That's about the one thing I don't think I'll ever be able to eat in any way, especially if I was around to smell them sautee-ing.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2017-12-19T18:39:41-05:00
Elan, hey! Merry Christmas!
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2017-12-19T18:41:19-05:00
Ooh! I have to get a German deck of EK to take with me studying abroad!
Mike Kabala 2017-12-19T21:18:56-05:00
@Zem, maybe we can put mushrooms in with the kidney, or the fava beans ... don’t want to leave you out!
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-20T04:12:01-05:00
Morning kittens. Happy Hump Day.
The rest of this week should be pretty good. Hopefully less people in the office now that it's closer to the holiday. The worse of the work is done. Now it's just a marathon to get all the bills processed before the payment run deadline. Will still try to stick to the 8 hour workday. Haven't mailed a Christmas card. I lost the mailing list I had made up last year. *sigh* Getting this apartment organized is on my top list of things to do while off from work.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2017-12-20T07:02:43-05:00
CB, feel free... leave me out! ;)
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-20T09:15:10-05:00
Morning kittens!
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-20T09:17:17-05:00
So we got snow. Lots and lots of snow. Almost 10" yesterday/overnight. The roads were brutal last night, took me an hour and a half to get home, normally a ~40min drive. Oh boy. I hope its better today, I'm just wiped out. I had to start early today, but will have to stay till 5pm again as my boss called in sick again today. I'm trying not to have a pity party, but its getting tough! Wah!
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-20T09:29:20-05:00
@BaKhan: Ouch! I'm sure we are due for a blizzard next month and I'm not looking forward to it. My apartment is on a hill and the buses shut down in my area real quick. I'm hoping not to have to work from home as my internet is spotty at best.
Do you guys have runs on the grocery stores when it snows like that?
Mike Kabala 2017-12-20T09:37:29-05:00
Morning guys. Yesterday was so much fun I'm back again today. Can you tell it's getting close to Christmas vacation time around here?
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-20T09:44:17-05:00
@Geist, I wouldn't even be able to work from home, all my work resources are at work so... All I could really is just lose the day. I've never seen any situation where theres been a "run" on the grocery stores. I don't think we have enough population density for that to happen. More than enough groceries for everyone, plus whilst we did get a lot of snow, its not unheard of (yes, its still Canada). It also isn't very cold as we're sitting at 10F right now, and cold is the real killer, not the snow. Its supposed to get colder closer to Christmas though...
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-20T09:45:30-05:00
@CB, good morning sir! Get a chance to sous vide any kidney's last night per chance? ;P
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-20T10:06:53-05:00
Morning CB! You cooking anything for Christmas? (Besides gross kidneys? Like a nice pecan pie?)
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-20T10:12:53-05:00
@BaKhan: If the weather men here say the words "snow storm", within a couple of hours, people will run to the store, fill up their carts to the brim with the belief that they will starve if they don't supply themselves with half a year's worth of food. The max the people of the region get stuck indoors is 5 days. The major roads get plowed and the underground parts of the subway are snow free so anyone living near those two things are still able to move around after 48 hours at most.
Most regions have grocery stores but the reaction is the same. Then they are left with lots of food that they have to consume before it goes bad. Last snow storm, the liquor stores were cleaned out and the morning after pill was gone a few days after the storm.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-20T10:22:11-05:00
@Geist, lol, that's hilarious! It like they can't go anywhere, so they get drunk and have unprotected sex? Too funny! Why not load up on booze and condoms? Then the whole morning after pill becomes moot, no? Still, I guess it is the human condition to panic and over react. Probably the closest thing I see to that here (and its miles away from that) is people waiting till the last minute to get/put on snow tires. Its like, yes hello, welcome to Canada, its October, time for snow tires. But no. People wait till it snows, then they freak out and panic about getting their tires. Silly people. ;)
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-20T10:37:52-05:00
@BaKhan: Most men don't like to wear them so a woman will take the risk. I think an 18 year bill would be more uncomfortable but that is just me.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-20T10:48:31-05:00
@Geist, yep, thats my thinking too. I actively didn't and don' want kids. I think I'm a good person (mostly), but I don't think I'd be a good parent, too many long term consequences for screwing up which I'm prone to... ;) So the way I see it, there are only two options, condoms, or getting snipped. I know its weird, but I'd rather not get snipped, so I have no issue with condoms, and don't even get why anyone would really.
Mike Kabala 2017-12-20T10:49:38-05:00
The last time I did any disaster prepping was during hurricane season. I already had about a month's supply of Soylent and plenty of dog food for my pup, so I just bought a flat of water and a bunch of high-powered flashlights.
The hurricanes passed us by, as they usually do in Charlotte and I wound up with several good flashlights and a reserve supply of food that doesn't spoil so quickly. My dog has never gone hungry either.
Mike Kabala 2017-12-20T10:54:18-05:00
If I do any cooking, it probably won't be until after Christmas. Last night I attended the company Christmas party. Most of my colleagues are Indian expatriates, so the food was almost entirely the spicy Indian variety. They also had some Papa John's pepperoni pizza on hand (way in the back), which was my salvation.
They hired a DJ who played electronic dance music at a very high volume. I think I can still feel the THUMP THUMP THUMP of the subwoofer rattling through my bones.
The good news is, this party only occurs once every year. ... I'm not a party person, I guess.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-20T10:56:16-05:00
@CB, thank goodness for that! We get the odd tornado around these parts, but we're not in any danger of hurricanes. I can't imagine how scary that particular display of mother nature's wrath would be up close and personal, its bad enough watching it on the news. I'm glad you weren't in the path of the last round! How is the pup doing?
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-20T11:02:27-05:00
@CB, sorry you don't like Indian food, to me that sounds delicious! At least they had some alternative, even if it was Papa John's (which isn't very good here, comparable to Domino's). I don't know many people out of their 20's that still enjoy loud electronic dance music (without chemical enhancements anyways...). I bet that you'd have more fun, if the food, music, and overall atmosphere was more suited to your tastes though. You could always do like the Muppets and have a me party! ;)
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-20T11:04:16-05:00
@CB: Hurricanes. That will be a big NOPE from me. One of the wonderful things about living in D.C. is that we seldom get those and even when we do, they don't cause the same amount of destruction.
I was seriously thinking of getting a small freezer for the apartment so that I can store more meats and stews but I don't have much room at the moment.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-20T11:07:12-05:00
@BaKhan: Most men don't want to get the snip or wear a condom. Anyone not in a committed marriage, both should be using protection. NOT just the female. But what do I know? That time has all but passed for me so the birth control pills are in my rear view mirror.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-20T11:09:05-05:00
I love Indian food. So yummy. I do avoid the more spicy dishes but there are still plenty of stuff to choose from.
Maybe I should see if any of them are open Christmas day?
Mike Kabala 2017-12-20T11:21:15-05:00
I love Indian food too. Unfortunately, it doesn't love me back.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-20T11:39:32-05:00
@Geist, in this day in age, even in a "committed relationship" both partners should still be using birth control! Unless they are actively trying for children. As someone who was a save the marriage baby (didn't work btw), I think that people shouldn't have kids unless they truly want them, nothing worse than not feeling wanted, imo.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-20T11:41:13-05:00
@CB, I too try and avoid anything that causes stomach upset. Thats why I can't eat turkey anymore, something in it really doesn't agree with me, and camping out in the bathroom isn't nearly as appalling as it sounds... ;) Fortunately for me, Indian food is all good, and as I have developed a taste for spicy (but not melt your brain) food, I enjoy most of it! ;)
Mike Kabala 2017-12-20T11:41:44-05:00
@Geist, BK, I got snipped long ago. However, with all of the STDs out there, I would have to think twice about whether or not to use a condom should I ever become sexually active again.
... That and stock up on those little blue pills too.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-20T11:42:22-05:00
I love milk! It don't love me back. The gas alone makes bloats me something awful. Funny enough, I can eat ice cream and not suffer.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-20T12:02:59-05:00
Not gonna lie: I'm scared to death of what menopause is going to do to me. I've heard so many horror stories. I'm praying that I get a lucky break and the symptoms will be mild, at best. Or I will be sleeping outside the next time I come to Kitten Con.
When are you going to come to KC Mike? It's a blast, for real!
Mike Kabala 2017-12-20T12:19:23-05:00
@Geist, I'll come to KittenCon when it's held in Charlotte.
... or Atlanta.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-20T12:24:05-05:00
How about Florida? Florida isn't far from Hotlanta. Maybe we can all meet up with BaKhan and his good lady visits Disney again.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-20T13:23:51-05:00
@Geist, well in my opinion, you can handle anything thats thrown your way, you are tough in ways that most people will never know! I have much faith in you m'lady!
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-20T13:25:51-05:00
@CB, I totally understand how Calgary can be underwhelming for sure, far from home and cold af most of the time. However, should you ever find yourself in these parts, you are more than welcome, anytime. ;) If we were able to work out a meet up down south, that would probably be best for everyone but GM and myself, but if I could make it work (and you know, convince my wife), I would love to!
Mike Kabala 2017-12-20T14:09:21-05:00
Had to rush home to rescue a package that was left at my front door in the rain. Outside box was soaking wet, but I got to it in time and the contents were undamaged.
What are these delivery service thinking? Do the think we all have someone who can just sit at home waiting for them all day?
I need to find out if there’s a way to tell Amazon never to use certain carriers. Either that, orbI need to change my shipping address ro the apartment office.
Mike Kabala 2017-12-20T14:18:07-05:00
I’d love to go to one of those, but the idea of traveling by myself is overwhelming. KC1 was just at a bad time for me. It was right after my wife had her stroke and not too long before her passing.
Still, I was able to fly out to attend my son’s wedding last fall, so with enough advance planning, I should be able to make it to a Con some time. I just need to get a little bit outside my comfort zone.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-20T14:18:57-05:00
@CB: I have some recent experience with that. The short answer is, no. You don't get to choose which carrier delivers your package. If you are ordering goods that come from Amazon, they use something called "Amazon Logistics". Basically some people they hire to deliver packages. If the package arrives to a house, they will leave it on the front porch. If a locked office building or apartment, they will ask for you to give them the access code.
If from an independent seller, you might contact them to make other arrangements. The only other option would be to call Amazon Logistics directly and see if you can work out an arrangement. That is what I had to do for a book I ordered and wanted to give as a present. In my situation, I have a UPS post office box so they put on record the hours that the place is open so that they wouldn't arrive when the place was closed and leave the package outside.
Mike Kabala 2017-12-20T14:19:25-05:00
I was in Calgary about a month befote the Winter Olympics and I really liked it. Didn’t look boring to me at all.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-20T14:21:12-05:00
I think their number is 877-252-2701. I got through pretty quickly even though it's Christmas season.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-20T15:09:00-05:00
It always confuses me which packages they just leave on the door step, and which ones I have to go to the depot to pick up. Its always the opposite of what I think the priorities should be. Over $200, they leave it, $20 or less, you have to go pick it up... lol, what can you do right?
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-20T15:14:47-05:00
@CB, I totally understand that. Travelling on your own is stressful! I get stressed when I am travelling with people too though, so I guess it just depends on what else is going on as well. Glad you were able to make it to your son's wedding, that's a pretty big day! I promise you, if you do decide to come up for one, once you are here, it will be stress free! You might get roped into decorating some cookies though, just for full disclosure... ;) I had forgotten that you'd been to Calgary before! Hopefully what you liked about it is still here, we've over doubled in size since back then ('88)! Lots to see and do, but also lots of fun to be had at home too!
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-20T15:40:32-05:00
I'm lucky in that the tenants leave any packages left outside apartment doors alone. Unlike the home owners who have the stuff stolen if it's sitting on the porch. Still, I don't mind paying for the UPS box that I have. They will sign for packages (the US postal service won't) and send you an alert when you get something.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-20T15:43:31-05:00
Like stuffing the Halloween goodie bags! Mmmm. I miss Scunchies.
I don't mind traveling alone. It give me the opportunity to see things at my own pace and maybe meet new people. The only time I hate being by myself is at amusement parks. You got to talk to someone while waiting nearly an hour in line for a ride.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2017-12-20T17:17:13-05:00
Wow, busy again! I wish I could've been around. Well... I could have, but it's my own fault I was up all night with my brother. Still, worth it.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2017-12-20T17:24:12-05:00
BaKhan, no need to rub it in that you got snow! ;)
And no, that's not trying to remind you that you were going to rub my face in the snow.
`
I've never really done any disaster prepping at all. We get tons of tornadoes here, and used to get good blizzards (recently just terrible ice storms), but my family's always had plenty of supplies. Even if we were low on food, we have years-old canned food we could finally go through, but it would be hard to run us out of food in the first place!
`
Not to mention for tornadoes and most weather, we're in a "Valley of the Blessed", where you can watch on the radar as the weather, every single time, just splits around us. On a map, between Lincoln and Omaha, though especially in my local area, weather systems just turn north or south of us. The last tornado to come close was like 25-30 years ago, though they're all around, and (unfortunately for me), the worst of snow- and rainstorms always pass just 20 miles away or so at closest.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2017-12-20T17:28:00-05:00
No foods really give me major troubles yet (except maybe thai food with the correct spiciness). If I were lactose intolerant, though, I would hate my life, and it wouldn't stop me from eating/drinking all sorts of dairy all the time.
In fact, I know a girl who's really intolerant, but any time she's around ice cream, cheese, milk, or other things, she takes the pain over the pain of not being able to have ice cream or milk!
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-20T17:53:32-05:00
@Zem, oh I didn't forget, don't worry... ;) Although, seeing as how I would have to be out in said snow with you, its highly unlikely to happen. ;) Also, allergies are total crap and I don't recommend them at all. Funny lactose allergy story, my sister is lactose intolerant and when she was pregnant, she had no issues with dairy! I remember going to her place for supper one night and we all had pizza. It wasn't until after dinner that it hit me, wait, my sister ate the pizza with us! The baby must have absorbed that which my sister couldn't, worked out as a nice bonus! Too bad she had morning sickness for months though... fair trade off? ;)
The foods that give me the most trouble is any fish except tuna(don't know why, but that one doesn't bother me). Then it's anything else from the seafood grouping. I do(or maybe did...could be gone now) have an intolerance to pork(caused me to sneeze a fair bit), but that never stopped me from enjoying it.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2017-12-20T22:11:21-05:00
BaKhan, dangit!
Though, I mean, if you want to ship some snow down for my yard, feel free to rub my face in it! ;)
`
Fruit allergies have been around a little in my family, though my brother's went away as he got older. I've never really had any problems like that though.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-21T07:20:45-05:00
Morning kittens.
Only 2 days left and I get to start my vacay! Despite it being so close to the holidays, I'm scheduled for a board game meetup this Saturday that will last from 1 pm to 11 pm and then on Sunday, I'm meeting some folks for a meal and games at Dave & Buster and then we head over to the independent theater for a showing of Die Hard. Then Christmas I'll spend a day at the movies and dinner at a restaurant. Then the start of relaxing at home the rest of the week begins.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-21T07:21:35-05:00
Hmmm...never heard of pork causing sneezes. I'd be in trouble because I love me some bacon and pork chops.
Mike Kabala 2017-12-21T09:16:09-05:00
Don't use LaserShip to send those snowballs. You're likely to wind up with a package that's soaked from the inside. :-)
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-21T09:46:59-05:00
Bah! Why are there people still in this office? I expected it to be nearly empty.
@BaKhan: We're supposed to get the 26th and 27th off, but because payroll has to be submitted by noon on Wednesday, we need to work it and take those days in lieu elsewhere.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2017-12-21T13:15:02-05:00
My schedule's pretty interesting. Tomorrow, we're watching the demolition of two old residence halls on campus (the ones that made the annoying construction noises all semester from 7-8am to as late as 7:30pm).
Christmas Adam, family Christmas. Christmas Eve, my mom's family Christmas, and Christmas day is my dad's family's Christmas. So 3 days in a row!
Mike Kabala 2017-12-21T14:24:23-05:00
OK, now I'm intrigued by something I found on Amazon. They are selling a dehydrated zebra tarantula in a can. I have added it to my cart, but haven't yet clicked on the checkout button. I'm very curious how this would taste. I would also want to make sure that I prepared it properly before trying it. Should I rehydrate it, or just eat it straight out of the can, like spider jerky? I've watched two YouTube videos made by people who have tried it so far.
Mike Kabala 2017-12-21T14:25:18-05:00
I think the spider definitely beats kidneys for shock effect.
Mike Kabala 2017-12-21T15:21:33-05:00
After thinking about it for a while longer, I decided to save it for later. Maybe I'll get up the courage to order it after Christmas.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2017-12-21T15:39:53-05:00
CB, whoa, that's an interesting find! I didn't even know that was a thing, very much less a food! I'd say that's probably well worth getting once and showing off to friends, and who knows, it may not taste like kidneys!
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-21T15:46:58-05:00
@CB: why in the world would you want to try spider? Aren't tarantulas suppose to be kinda hairy? So you are getting hair between your teeth while you eat a bug.
Ewww. I'd rather eat the kidney.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-21T15:48:21-05:00
And for shock effect, did you know that one of the farmers markets were selling pigs balls? He said some men use it as a natural Viagra. It's safe enough for women to eat it, just not a lot of it. For obvious reasons.
Nothing like being the second person in the office(only other person was the corporate controller...now my manager has also shown up).
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-22T10:28:02-05:00
Morning kittens!
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-22T10:28:45-05:00
@GM, I've got a full crew here, only a couple of people off for the holidays. Sadly, I also have a full work load today, so no slacking off... :(
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-22T10:34:33-05:00
@Geist, have you ever heard of prairie oysters? Alberta is cattle country, and that is actually a thing. When they geld the young male cows, they keep the testes and bread them and fry them up. I've never had them, but I've heard from some that they are delicious. Never heard any warning for women though.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-22T10:49:47-05:00
@BaKhan: Indeed I have. We have festivals here in the states where they are served to food adventurers. I'm more willing to try that than eat bugs. Ewww. Just no.
And to be clear, I'm talking about chomping on crispy fried bug. I'm willing to try cricket flour simply because it wouldn't gross me out.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-22T10:53:06-05:00
@Geist, the way I see it is that there are two real types of food. Those we eat because we like them, and those that we will only eat if we are starving. I put bugs, prairie oysters, offal, etc., in the latter category. Even cricket flour, I mean just why? If this were some doomsday apocalyptic type event, then ok, I'd probably learn to enjoy bugs, but its not, so just no! ;)
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-22T10:53:10-05:00
We have way more people in this office than I thought would be in. I'm not surprised my department is here since we are short staffed but I was hoping that there would be only a couple of others. This annoys me for some reason.
I've failed at sticking to 8 hours most of this week. I will not fail this today. Once I leave this office, I am not expected back until the new year. I cannot wait to get going. Got my desk mostly cleaned off, my coat is hanging in the coat room and once 2 pm hits, I'm out that door. Would have been in the office a little earlier but I was chatting with the security guard in our building and she gave me a possible part time job lead. Hopefully this leads to some extra income coming in.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-22T10:56:03-05:00
@BaKhan: There are different small companies that are saying we are heading toward a food shortage, what with the Earth warming up, water getting short, etc. So they are saying that bugs packs lots of nutritional goodness and are plentiful.
Still can't see myself eating them until the price/scarcity of other foods is more obvious.
Mike Kabala 2017-12-22T11:04:16-05:00
What's really weird is that Amazon is offering zebra tarantulas as a subscription ... so you can look forward to eating a large hairy dehydrated bug once per month!
I doubt that I would like them enough to do that.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-22T11:08:39-05:00
@Geist, all I can hope is to pass before this world totally turns to shite... ;) As far as scarcity goes, yes, raising animals for food is the least efficient means of getting sustenance. That said, cows are tasty, chickens are tasty, fish are tasty, etc. As long as I can have them, I will. If I can't then I will find a way to make bugs etc., tasty. Actually that would probably tip me over to being a vegetarian.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2017-12-22T11:12:40-05:00
all I can hope is to pass before this world totally turns to shite
Amen! I'm hoping the same thing as well.
I've tried to go vegan. The best I can manage is to go a few days to a week without meat and then have some bacon or a steak. Not my fault chicken meat taste so good. Especially with bbq sauce. I blame the French.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2017-12-22T11:13:25-05:00
@CB, I couldn't even imagine... I could see someone's (not mine) curiosity getting the better of them and trying a leg or something, but uggg, not for me. ;)
Sous vide is just a technique. It's usually best when combined with more traditional cooking methods to take advantage of each.
@CB: the texture of salmon is wrong to me. It's not like Snapper or Cod. It's like a fish with the texture of meat. Even raw, it doesn't really taste much better. Which is why I never order it when I'm at a sushi restaurant.
Swordfish is like that too, only I like it that way. I love a good swordfish steak.
I agree with you about wine though. I've never developed a taste for it. Tastes like sour grapes to me.
I must confess, I've never had swordfish. I might have to try it. I know they sell it at WholeFoods.
@CB: Same here. I don't care what kind it is. Wine taste sour, even the sweet stuff. I can cook with it but for a beverage, no. I guess that means the French would never accept me. ;-)
OK, new menu:
Salmon sushi,
Grilled swordfish steak with marinated lamb kidneys sous vide,
Fava beans (in honor of Hannibal Lecter)
A glass of Chardonnay
There should be something in there for anyone to love/hate. ;-)
Oh ... and pierogis. Gotta have pierogis.
@CB: Now that is a meal that you couldn't pay me to eat. Maybe the swordfish after I've scrapped off the gross and dumped a bottle of ketchup on it.
@Geist, LOL. Actually, I was being nice. I could have also included fruitcake for dessert ... ;-)
@CB, lol, I don't know whether to be epicurious or revoited... ;)
@Geist, yeah, I've only had one wine that I ever enjoyed. After finding out the cost, I made sure not to remember the name though... ;) Is spiced wine the same as mulled? If so, yeah no... ;)
@CB: I am thinking of making Alton Brown's fruitcake. By all accounts, it's actually GOOD.
@BaKhan: I'm not sure. It's what the host had in a crock pot and I decided to give it a try. There is one drink recipe that I have that is part white zinfandel, pineapple juice, cranberry juice and peach schnapps. Very tasty and the only time wine was drinkable.
Bacon sous vide has got to be gross. Bacon should be fried in a pan so that it's nice a crispy.
Happy holidays everyone!
Why do I bother asking people to help me with stuff at work? I always end up having to redo it all, taking twice as long as it originally should have taken. -.-
@Elan Lee: Happy holidays to you and yours as well.
@Geist, bacon sous vide wouldn't make any sense, since it is so thin and the desired effect of crisping up the bacon is not achievable while submerged in a water bath. The surface of the bacon would never get hot enough and there would be nowhere for the bacon grease to drain until you open up the pouch. It's the same reason I remove the skin from my turkey breast and crisp it up in the oven.
You can't just use one cooking technique for everything. Boiled steak, anyone? ...
Merry Christmas, Elan.
Happy holiday Elan!
*squeals* Merry Christmas Elan! Hope to see you at the next GenCon or other convention. I'm still hoping you visit Awesome Con someday.
@CB: I guess I'll stick with my crock pot. Most recipes you don't need to do much more than drop all the stuff in the pot and let it cook. There are a few that call for searing the meat first or baking it a bit before going into the crock pot (I did that with the turkey meatballs I made for one party) but you usually don't have to do that.
WHOA! Wow, man, sorry I had places to go today! Great to see this much activity again, though!
`
Pate isn't illegal here, not that I've ever heard, neither are Kinder eggs anymore, I don't think.
Hey, CB! Welcome back, great to hear from you again!
...
Though maybe not in this conversation, not one of the most appetizing we've had here...
`
I personally like wine quite a bit, and am one of the few people I know at my age (early 20s) who enjoys alot of dry red wines. Of all the styles of alcohol, though, beer is probably my favorite, though I'd love to get more into whiskeys.
`
CB, you've missed me on that menu, you'll need something based off of mushrooms, particularly sauteed. That's about the one thing I don't think I'll ever be able to eat in any way, especially if I was around to smell them sautee-ing.
Elan, hey! Merry Christmas!
Ooh! I have to get a German deck of EK to take with me studying abroad!
@Zem, maybe we can put mushrooms in with the kidney, or the fava beans ... don’t want to leave you out!
Morning kittens. Happy Hump Day.
The rest of this week should be pretty good. Hopefully less people in the office now that it's closer to the holiday. The worse of the work is done. Now it's just a marathon to get all the bills processed before the payment run deadline. Will still try to stick to the 8 hour workday. Haven't mailed a Christmas card. I lost the mailing list I had made up last year. *sigh* Getting this apartment organized is on my top list of things to do while off from work.
CB, feel free... leave me out! ;)
Morning kittens!
So we got snow. Lots and lots of snow. Almost 10" yesterday/overnight. The roads were brutal last night, took me an hour and a half to get home, normally a ~40min drive. Oh boy. I hope its better today, I'm just wiped out. I had to start early today, but will have to stay till 5pm again as my boss called in sick again today. I'm trying not to have a pity party, but its getting tough! Wah!
@BaKhan: Ouch! I'm sure we are due for a blizzard next month and I'm not looking forward to it. My apartment is on a hill and the buses shut down in my area real quick. I'm hoping not to have to work from home as my internet is spotty at best.
Do you guys have runs on the grocery stores when it snows like that?
Morning guys. Yesterday was so much fun I'm back again today. Can you tell it's getting close to Christmas vacation time around here?
@Geist, I wouldn't even be able to work from home, all my work resources are at work so... All I could really is just lose the day. I've never seen any situation where theres been a "run" on the grocery stores. I don't think we have enough population density for that to happen. More than enough groceries for everyone, plus whilst we did get a lot of snow, its not unheard of (yes, its still Canada). It also isn't very cold as we're sitting at 10F right now, and cold is the real killer, not the snow. Its supposed to get colder closer to Christmas though...
@CB, good morning sir! Get a chance to sous vide any kidney's last night per chance? ;P
Morning CB! You cooking anything for Christmas? (Besides gross kidneys? Like a nice pecan pie?)
@BaKhan: If the weather men here say the words "snow storm", within a couple of hours, people will run to the store, fill up their carts to the brim with the belief that they will starve if they don't supply themselves with half a year's worth of food. The max the people of the region get stuck indoors is 5 days. The major roads get plowed and the underground parts of the subway are snow free so anyone living near those two things are still able to move around after 48 hours at most.
Most regions have grocery stores but the reaction is the same. Then they are left with lots of food that they have to consume before it goes bad. Last snow storm, the liquor stores were cleaned out and the morning after pill was gone a few days after the storm.
@Geist, lol, that's hilarious! It like they can't go anywhere, so they get drunk and have unprotected sex? Too funny! Why not load up on booze and condoms? Then the whole morning after pill becomes moot, no? Still, I guess it is the human condition to panic and over react. Probably the closest thing I see to that here (and its miles away from that) is people waiting till the last minute to get/put on snow tires. Its like, yes hello, welcome to Canada, its October, time for snow tires. But no. People wait till it snows, then they freak out and panic about getting their tires. Silly people. ;)
@BaKhan: Most men don't like to wear them so a woman will take the risk. I think an 18 year bill would be more uncomfortable but that is just me.
@Geist, yep, thats my thinking too. I actively didn't and don' want kids. I think I'm a good person (mostly), but I don't think I'd be a good parent, too many long term consequences for screwing up which I'm prone to... ;) So the way I see it, there are only two options, condoms, or getting snipped. I know its weird, but I'd rather not get snipped, so I have no issue with condoms, and don't even get why anyone would really.
The last time I did any disaster prepping was during hurricane season. I already had about a month's supply of Soylent and plenty of dog food for my pup, so I just bought a flat of water and a bunch of high-powered flashlights.
The hurricanes passed us by, as they usually do in Charlotte and I wound up with several good flashlights and a reserve supply of food that doesn't spoil so quickly. My dog has never gone hungry either.
If I do any cooking, it probably won't be until after Christmas. Last night I attended the company Christmas party. Most of my colleagues are Indian expatriates, so the food was almost entirely the spicy Indian variety. They also had some Papa John's pepperoni pizza on hand (way in the back), which was my salvation.
They hired a DJ who played electronic dance music at a very high volume. I think I can still feel the THUMP THUMP THUMP of the subwoofer rattling through my bones.
The good news is, this party only occurs once every year. ... I'm not a party person, I guess.
@CB, thank goodness for that! We get the odd tornado around these parts, but we're not in any danger of hurricanes. I can't imagine how scary that particular display of mother nature's wrath would be up close and personal, its bad enough watching it on the news. I'm glad you weren't in the path of the last round! How is the pup doing?
@CB, sorry you don't like Indian food, to me that sounds delicious! At least they had some alternative, even if it was Papa John's (which isn't very good here, comparable to Domino's). I don't know many people out of their 20's that still enjoy loud electronic dance music (without chemical enhancements anyways...). I bet that you'd have more fun, if the food, music, and overall atmosphere was more suited to your tastes though. You could always do like the Muppets and have a me party! ;)
@CB: Hurricanes. That will be a big NOPE from me. One of the wonderful things about living in D.C. is that we seldom get those and even when we do, they don't cause the same amount of destruction.
I was seriously thinking of getting a small freezer for the apartment so that I can store more meats and stews but I don't have much room at the moment.
@BaKhan: Most men don't want to get the snip or wear a condom. Anyone not in a committed marriage, both should be using protection. NOT just the female. But what do I know? That time has all but passed for me so the birth control pills are in my rear view mirror.
I love Indian food. So yummy. I do avoid the more spicy dishes but there are still plenty of stuff to choose from.
Maybe I should see if any of them are open Christmas day?
I love Indian food too. Unfortunately, it doesn't love me back.
@Geist, in this day in age, even in a "committed relationship" both partners should still be using birth control! Unless they are actively trying for children. As someone who was a save the marriage baby (didn't work btw), I think that people shouldn't have kids unless they truly want them, nothing worse than not feeling wanted, imo.
@CB, I too try and avoid anything that causes stomach upset. Thats why I can't eat turkey anymore, something in it really doesn't agree with me, and camping out in the bathroom isn't nearly as appalling as it sounds... ;) Fortunately for me, Indian food is all good, and as I have developed a taste for spicy (but not melt your brain) food, I enjoy most of it! ;)
@Geist, BK, I got snipped long ago. However, with all of the STDs out there, I would have to think twice about whether or not to use a condom should I ever become sexually active again.
... That and stock up on those little blue pills too.
I love milk! It don't love me back. The gas alone makes bloats me something awful. Funny enough, I can eat ice cream and not suffer.
Not gonna lie: I'm scared to death of what menopause is going to do to me. I've heard so many horror stories. I'm praying that I get a lucky break and the symptoms will be mild, at best. Or I will be sleeping outside the next time I come to Kitten Con.
When are you going to come to KC Mike? It's a blast, for real!
@Geist, I'll come to KittenCon when it's held in Charlotte.
... or Atlanta.
How about Florida? Florida isn't far from Hotlanta. Maybe we can all meet up with BaKhan and his good lady visits Disney again.
@Geist, well in my opinion, you can handle anything thats thrown your way, you are tough in ways that most people will never know! I have much faith in you m'lady!
@CB, I totally understand how Calgary can be underwhelming for sure, far from home and cold af most of the time. However, should you ever find yourself in these parts, you are more than welcome, anytime. ;) If we were able to work out a meet up down south, that would probably be best for everyone but GM and myself, but if I could make it work (and you know, convince my wife), I would love to!
Had to rush home to rescue a package that was left at my front door in the rain. Outside box was soaking wet, but I got to it in time and the contents were undamaged.
What are these delivery service thinking? Do the think we all have someone who can just sit at home waiting for them all day?
I need to find out if there’s a way to tell Amazon never to use certain carriers. Either that, orbI need to change my shipping address ro the apartment office.
I’d love to go to one of those, but the idea of traveling by myself is overwhelming. KC1 was just at a bad time for me. It was right after my wife had her stroke and not too long before her passing.
Still, I was able to fly out to attend my son’s wedding last fall, so with enough advance planning, I should be able to make it to a Con some time. I just need to get a little bit outside my comfort zone.
@CB: I have some recent experience with that. The short answer is, no. You don't get to choose which carrier delivers your package. If you are ordering goods that come from Amazon, they use something called "Amazon Logistics". Basically some people they hire to deliver packages. If the package arrives to a house, they will leave it on the front porch. If a locked office building or apartment, they will ask for you to give them the access code.
If from an independent seller, you might contact them to make other arrangements. The only other option would be to call Amazon Logistics directly and see if you can work out an arrangement. That is what I had to do for a book I ordered and wanted to give as a present. In my situation, I have a UPS post office box so they put on record the hours that the place is open so that they wouldn't arrive when the place was closed and leave the package outside.
I was in Calgary about a month befote the Winter Olympics and I really liked it. Didn’t look boring to me at all.
I think their number is 877-252-2701. I got through pretty quickly even though it's Christmas season.
It always confuses me which packages they just leave on the door step, and which ones I have to go to the depot to pick up. Its always the opposite of what I think the priorities should be. Over $200, they leave it, $20 or less, you have to go pick it up... lol, what can you do right?
@CB, I totally understand that. Travelling on your own is stressful! I get stressed when I am travelling with people too though, so I guess it just depends on what else is going on as well. Glad you were able to make it to your son's wedding, that's a pretty big day! I promise you, if you do decide to come up for one, once you are here, it will be stress free! You might get roped into decorating some cookies though, just for full disclosure... ;) I had forgotten that you'd been to Calgary before! Hopefully what you liked about it is still here, we've over doubled in size since back then ('88)! Lots to see and do, but also lots of fun to be had at home too!
I'm lucky in that the tenants leave any packages left outside apartment doors alone. Unlike the home owners who have the stuff stolen if it's sitting on the porch. Still, I don't mind paying for the UPS box that I have. They will sign for packages (the US postal service won't) and send you an alert when you get something.
Like stuffing the Halloween goodie bags! Mmmm. I miss Scunchies.
I don't mind traveling alone. It give me the opportunity to see things at my own pace and maybe meet new people. The only time I hate being by myself is at amusement parks. You got to talk to someone while waiting nearly an hour in line for a ride.
Wow, busy again! I wish I could've been around. Well... I could have, but it's my own fault I was up all night with my brother. Still, worth it.
BaKhan, no need to rub it in that you got snow! ;)
And no, that's not trying to remind you that you were going to rub my face in the snow.
`
I've never really done any disaster prepping at all. We get tons of tornadoes here, and used to get good blizzards (recently just terrible ice storms), but my family's always had plenty of supplies. Even if we were low on food, we have years-old canned food we could finally go through, but it would be hard to run us out of food in the first place!
`
Not to mention for tornadoes and most weather, we're in a "Valley of the Blessed", where you can watch on the radar as the weather, every single time, just splits around us. On a map, between Lincoln and Omaha, though especially in my local area, weather systems just turn north or south of us. The last tornado to come close was like 25-30 years ago, though they're all around, and (unfortunately for me), the worst of snow- and rainstorms always pass just 20 miles away or so at closest.
No foods really give me major troubles yet (except maybe thai food with the correct spiciness). If I were lactose intolerant, though, I would hate my life, and it wouldn't stop me from eating/drinking all sorts of dairy all the time.
In fact, I know a girl who's really intolerant, but any time she's around ice cream, cheese, milk, or other things, she takes the pain over the pain of not being able to have ice cream or milk!
@Zem, oh I didn't forget, don't worry... ;) Although, seeing as how I would have to be out in said snow with you, its highly unlikely to happen. ;) Also, allergies are total crap and I don't recommend them at all. Funny lactose allergy story, my sister is lactose intolerant and when she was pregnant, she had no issues with dairy! I remember going to her place for supper one night and we all had pizza. It wasn't until after dinner that it hit me, wait, my sister ate the pizza with us! The baby must have absorbed that which my sister couldn't, worked out as a nice bonus! Too bad she had morning sickness for months though... fair trade off? ;)
The foods that give me the most trouble is any fish except tuna(don't know why, but that one doesn't bother me). Then it's anything else from the seafood grouping. I do(or maybe did...could be gone now) have an intolerance to pork(caused me to sneeze a fair bit), but that never stopped me from enjoying it.
BaKhan, dangit!
Though, I mean, if you want to ship some snow down for my yard, feel free to rub my face in it! ;)
`
Fruit allergies have been around a little in my family, though my brother's went away as he got older. I've never really had any problems like that though.
Morning kittens.
Only 2 days left and I get to start my vacay! Despite it being so close to the holidays, I'm scheduled for a board game meetup this Saturday that will last from 1 pm to 11 pm and then on Sunday, I'm meeting some folks for a meal and games at Dave & Buster and then we head over to the independent theater for a showing of Die Hard. Then Christmas I'll spend a day at the movies and dinner at a restaurant. Then the start of relaxing at home the rest of the week begins.
Hmmm...never heard of pork causing sneezes. I'd be in trouble because I love me some bacon and pork chops.
Don't use LaserShip to send those snowballs. You're likely to wind up with a package that's soaked from the inside. :-)
Bah! Why are there people still in this office? I expected it to be nearly empty.
Morning kittens!
Morning kittens. Only another two days until my three day weekend...then back at it on Tuesday.
@GM, I think its the same for us, but I'm not sure. We might get the tuesday off as well. I hopeful, but not expectant. ;)
@BaKhan: We're supposed to get the 26th and 27th off, but because payroll has to be submitted by noon on Wednesday, we need to work it and take those days in lieu elsewhere.
My schedule's pretty interesting. Tomorrow, we're watching the demolition of two old residence halls on campus (the ones that made the annoying construction noises all semester from 7-8am to as late as 7:30pm).
Christmas Adam, family Christmas. Christmas Eve, my mom's family Christmas, and Christmas day is my dad's family's Christmas. So 3 days in a row!
OK, now I'm intrigued by something I found on Amazon. They are selling a dehydrated zebra tarantula in a can. I have added it to my cart, but haven't yet clicked on the checkout button. I'm very curious how this would taste. I would also want to make sure that I prepared it properly before trying it. Should I rehydrate it, or just eat it straight out of the can, like spider jerky? I've watched two YouTube videos made by people who have tried it so far.
I think the spider definitely beats kidneys for shock effect.
After thinking about it for a while longer, I decided to save it for later. Maybe I'll get up the courage to order it after Christmas.
CB, whoa, that's an interesting find! I didn't even know that was a thing, very much less a food! I'd say that's probably well worth getting once and showing off to friends, and who knows, it may not taste like kidneys!
@CB: why in the world would you want to try spider? Aren't tarantulas suppose to be kinda hairy? So you are getting hair between your teeth while you eat a bug.
Ewww. I'd rather eat the kidney.
And for shock effect, did you know that one of the farmers markets were selling pigs balls? He said some men use it as a natural Viagra. It's safe enough for women to eat it, just not a lot of it. For obvious reasons.
Morning kittens.
Nothing like being the second person in the office(only other person was the corporate controller...now my manager has also shown up).
Morning kittens!
@GM, I've got a full crew here, only a couple of people off for the holidays. Sadly, I also have a full work load today, so no slacking off... :(
@Geist, have you ever heard of prairie oysters? Alberta is cattle country, and that is actually a thing. When they geld the young male cows, they keep the testes and bread them and fry them up. I've never had them, but I've heard from some that they are delicious. Never heard any warning for women though.
@BaKhan: Indeed I have. We have festivals here in the states where they are served to food adventurers. I'm more willing to try that than eat bugs. Ewww. Just no.
And to be clear, I'm talking about chomping on crispy fried bug. I'm willing to try cricket flour simply because it wouldn't gross me out.
@Geist, the way I see it is that there are two real types of food. Those we eat because we like them, and those that we will only eat if we are starving. I put bugs, prairie oysters, offal, etc., in the latter category. Even cricket flour, I mean just why? If this were some doomsday apocalyptic type event, then ok, I'd probably learn to enjoy bugs, but its not, so just no! ;)
We have way more people in this office than I thought would be in. I'm not surprised my department is here since we are short staffed but I was hoping that there would be only a couple of others. This annoys me for some reason.
I've failed at sticking to 8 hours most of this week. I will not fail this today. Once I leave this office, I am not expected back until the new year. I cannot wait to get going. Got my desk mostly cleaned off, my coat is hanging in the coat room and once 2 pm hits, I'm out that door. Would have been in the office a little earlier but I was chatting with the security guard in our building and she gave me a possible part time job lead. Hopefully this leads to some extra income coming in.
@BaKhan: There are different small companies that are saying we are heading toward a food shortage, what with the Earth warming up, water getting short, etc. So they are saying that bugs packs lots of nutritional goodness and are plentiful.
Still can't see myself eating them until the price/scarcity of other foods is more obvious.
What's really weird is that Amazon is offering zebra tarantulas as a subscription ... so you can look forward to eating a large hairy dehydrated bug once per month!
I doubt that I would like them enough to do that.
@Geist, all I can hope is to pass before this world totally turns to shite... ;) As far as scarcity goes, yes, raising animals for food is the least efficient means of getting sustenance. That said, cows are tasty, chickens are tasty, fish are tasty, etc. As long as I can have them, I will. If I can't then I will find a way to make bugs etc., tasty. Actually that would probably tip me over to being a vegetarian.
all I can hope is to pass before this world totally turns to shite
Amen! I'm hoping the same thing as well.
I've tried to go vegan. The best I can manage is to go a few days to a week without meat and then have some bacon or a steak. Not my fault chicken meat taste so good. Especially with bbq sauce. I blame the French.
@CB, I couldn't even imagine... I could see someone's (not mine) curiosity getting the better of them and trying a leg or something, but uggg, not for me. ;)