chromedome

My mom's been collecting piggies for years, but has had to stop because her little apartment has only so much space. So this year I had an inspiration, and bought her a calendar with pictures of cute little teacup pigs from some farm down in the US. That way she gets her piggie fix, but doesn't have to use up one of the few remaining flat surfaces in her living space. This year I hope to take her out to the boar farm I used to buy from when my restaurant was open. The only thing cuter than an avalanche of happy, squealing, playing piglets is a that same avalanche made up of dappled, fuzzy boar piglets.

Came across this earlier... https://www.theringer.com/tv/2018/12/18/18145918/anthony-bourdain-parts-unknown-no-reservations-death-show-posthumous-cnn-travel-channel-cooks-tour

Yeah, it's not exactly artisanal. Though they do now have a little shop where they make truffles by hand for the tourists, and for those who are less intimately acquainted with how it all works (ie, those same tourists) I'm sure it's fascinating to tour an actual working chocolate factory. There's an annual chocolate festival there, and they make a "chocolate moose" for the occasion (there's also a dude in a moose costume for people to get pictures with). One higher-skilled position at the plant is the "chicken bone maker." For those of you who haven't been to this vicinity, "chicken bones" are a regional candy made of pink, cinnamon-flavored hard candy with a soft chocolate center. They're basically tube-shaped, with flattened ends where they're cut to length. The name, of course, comes from the resemblance to a chicken's thigh bone when you snap off the ends to get at the marrow. These are still pulled and cut by hand, as they have been since the late 19th century, and apparently only four people at a time have the necessary skill and experience to make them consistently to spec (presumably they have a few trained up well enough to step in as needed, and refine their skills to the desired level, in case of emergency). Another family business, Robertson's of Truro in N.S., makes them as well, but the Robertson version lacks the intense cinnamon punch of the Ganong version. Robertson's, for its part, is locally renowned for its ribbon candy and "barley toys," clear or red translucent candies in the shape of teddy bears, trains and such. From the name I assume they were once made from orgeat, though that's no longer the case. I have a few bags of each kicking around here to go out into the candy trays for the next week or so, and sent some as a novelty to my step-grandkids in California. On an unrelated grandkid note, we caught the 8 yo picky eater filching leftover Brussels sprouts from the pan after dinner a couple of nights ago. I've filed that one under "great moments in grand-parenting."

If you're ever up this way (Atlantic Canada) you can buy chocolates direct from the Ganong factory in St Stephen, "Canada's chocolate town," a sort of small-scale Hershey PA.

Tot circles. The aliens have visited.

Funny how that works...

At least nobody asked you "why a duck?"

Humph. Having finally paid for one, I suppose I should make a point of occasionally using it for something. Gonna have to carve out a little time for that, I guess. After the holidays.

I can only assume they're what anyone else would call stone-ground oats, since grinding is what stones do. I can't imagine they're got a machine lined with obsidian blades, or anything silly like that.

I'm guessing those oats are finer than the steel-cut oats I keep on hand for my morning oatmeal. Probably what I'd know as "Scotch oats," I'd guess.

There's a little Middle Eastern cafe in the YMCA in Saint John, as of a week ago. That one's perfectly logical, because the Y hosts a number of programs for new arrivals and we have a lot of Syrian refugees here. The cafe is operated by two of those recent arrivals, a pair of women who live nearby. I haven't been to the gym since they opened because of this damned crud that's going around (I seldom get sick but this one's holding on, and in my GF's case it turned to pneumonia) but I certainly plan to within the next few days.

I think of the scene with the lemonade vendor every time I make lemonade (just turned 55, myself, and raised a couple of Marx Brothers fans currently aged 30 and 25).

Mine, too. I'm the opposite of most people, I'm terribly disappointed if I pick what I think is oatmeal raisin and it turns out to be chocolate chip. I'm okay with a chocolate chip cookie occasionally, but usually it won't get eaten after that first bite.

I've had similar things happen, and the main requirement is patience. It's basically just sugar, and therefore water soluble. Clear the surrounding area as best you can, and damp it down liberally with a sponge or cloth. Let it sit for 8 or 10 hours, then give it a good wipe with the cloth to get up anything loose/dissolved, and re-wet it again. The second time, you'll be able to get more of it off. The third time or fourth time, it should be moistened right down to the cupboard's surface. At that stage you can take a scraper or spatula to get up most of it, then get the rest with a wet cloth and a green scrubbie.

https://qz.com/quartzy/1487485/the-scientific-case-for-eating-bread/

Sherman's Lagoon had one of my favorite food-related strips, which alas I can't find online. Sherman asks Ernest (IIRC), "Have you ever eaten something you haven't tasted in years, and it just brings back all kinds of memories you've forgotten?" Ernest: "It's a well-known phenomenon. In fact the great French novelist, Marcel Proust, wrote a whole series of novels about it." Sherman, incredulous: "Boogers?"

https://gizmodo.com/whats-the-most-dangerous-food-of-all-time-1830979433

Well, that makes sense. I mean, Spam's popular, but not a real staple like veal kidneys.

My GF has three fondue pots (!!!) so both the cheese and hot oil variants can happen at once and in a reasonably large company. We've only done that once in the few years we've been together. Viewed as a meal, it's rather a disproportionate amount of fuss (to my mind, at least). Of course, the whole point of the exercise is that it's not simply a meal, it's a social occasion. And it takes less time than, say...a game of Monopoly.

At the restaurant where I worked in Edmonton, the chef preferred Kenwood stand mixers because you could get a mouli/food mill accessory for them. The screen insert sat in the bowl, and there were angled paddles that attached to the mixer and pressed the food through. I don't remember what we used it for, probably fruit for sorbets, but it worked great and was a huge time saver. On the downside, those Kenwoods sound like a cement mixer when they're running. Real workhorses, but loud.

Yup. Scratch whichever itch is itchiest that week.

LOL I had to look at that a few times before it fell into place... I read it originally as "-38C," and I knew that just couldn't be right.

Sooooo....taking a break from the keto thing? (No judging here, my GF has to do that once a month or so as well.)

I'm a sucker for syntax humour myself. The first year we were together, my (now-) ex asked me to throw her over a dish towel. So I did. I found it much funnier than she did. (To clarify, for those who wonder, she became my ex almost 20 years later so I doubt that was part of it...)