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Years ago (back when I was "Nick" at egullet) TB had a thread here, or was contributing to it, and I sent him a PM asking how he stayed so slim while eating so much. He replied he smoked three packs of cigarettes a day... Maybe he's recently given up smoking. That could do it. I read that he gave it up a few years back when his daughter was born. Then the fabled "midlife crisis"? TB's one of a kind and it's worth cutting him some slack.

Years ago (back when I was "Nick" at egullet) TB had a thread here, or was contributing to it, and I sent him a PM asking how he stayed so slim while eating so much. He replied he smoked three packs of cigarettes a day... Maybe he's recently given up smoking. That could do it.

While I'm not Christian, or member of any religion, that wouldn't bother me. If they started proselytizing at the table, that would be different. How did you happen to notice it on the host stand? And take the time to copy it down?

I put them in a Ziplock container like this with cover and put them in the fridge. They keep two or three days, or longer if rinsed in a strainer every day or two.

It does -- andI just googled Allahabad to see you on a map. Hmm. Close to Nepal and a 17 hour drive to visit the DL in Dharamsala.

Haphazard. Here in midcoast Maine (North Waldoboro) it's six miles to the local chain grocery (Hannaford), which isn't all that great - and seventeen miles to Damariscotta to a better Hannaford, a good local grocery, and a coop. I'm trying to cut down on driving and it's my hope (wishful thinking?) that someday soon I'll only leave the house to go shopping every two weeks. (My shop is across the road so I don't have to drive to work.)

Same here. Manicardi Aceto Balsamico di Modena 6. I probably bought it ten years ago, or more, and it's still 3/4 full. Just never got into it.

At the beginning of this thread was a link to a 2003 Q&A on knife sharpening and maintenance and Joe Talmadge dropped by to answer a question I had. It's something I hadn't figured out and here's the question I asked... In all my years of sharpening knives, after years of sharpening a knife, the tip always gets blunter and blunter as time goes on. In other words, I can take a perfectly good boning knife and after ten years or so the tip is close to a ninety degree angle to the heel. It's still sharp, but I've lost the point. What am I doing wrong? Here's link to Q&A page. Back then I was "Nick" (at top of page) and after I get done blathering I ask the question. Scroll, or page down, about halfway and Talmadge pops in with an answer. He also gets into dry vs. oil using stones. Thought I'd post this in case others have had problems with blunting the tips of knives. I sure have - from jack knives to boning knives.

Many of the Gurkha, or Khukuri, knives from Nepal are made from truck springs. The steel is pretty tough and it's a useful knife for some things. Especially for limbing small trees after they've been cut. This link is a pic of virtually the same knife I have - blade, bolster, and handle. But the scabbard is much nicer.

The problem does seem to be endemic to the motorized appliance industry in general. I remember converting between Amps, Watts, and horsepower when trying to buy a vacuum cleaner and the same when buying a blender and feeling like I really didn't know much more as a result of all the calculations. Not that it will help much, but... Watts = amps x volts. And, as above, 746 watts = one horsepower. So a one horse mixer would draw about 6 amps @ 120 volts. But, none of this means much as a straight electric resistance load could draw 746 watts and not do anything except convert that to heat. So that leaves us with how much of the electricity is converted to horsepower and how much is lost in resistive loads in the motor in a mixer. Lets also take a look at motor sizes. I have a Viking "Professional" 5 quart mixer (which I like). It's rated at 800 watts, or a little over over one horsepower, and the motor is about 3" in diameter x 5" long and probably weighs less than 2 pounds. On the other hand, a typical Baldor one horsepower general purpose motor is about 7" diameter x 12" long and weighs 34 pounds. To say the least, it's hard to believe the motor in my Viking puts out the same power as the Baldor. (I chose Baldor as an example because they're very good motors.)

Dick, That's really interesting. Has the case been settled? I noticed in your link the lawnmower and lawnmower engine makers have a "Power Labeling Task Force which provides Defendants the means, opportunity and cover to meet, discuss, conspire, conceal and further their fraudulent horsepower misrepresentations." I wonder if home appliance makers in general, and mixer manufacturers in particular, have a similar group.

746 watts = one horsepower = lifting 33,000 pounds one foot in one minute. Try doing that with any mixer... Eta: any one horsepower mixer. Or anything that's rated as one horsepower on the consumer market.

Nice work, dcarch. What did you use to cut the cold saw? And did you anneal, and re-harden and temper, or do all the work cold? But, why did you leave the teeth on the end of the knife? Questions, questions, questions...

You have it about right. 746 watts equals one horsepower. 1000 watts equals 1.34 horsepower.

No hard feelings on this side. No hard feelings here either. Just had to get in a dig about your set-up.

Okay. You guys are the experts. I'll leave it to you. But, I have been in the steel working business (my own) for nearly forty years and have been sharpening knives, and much else, longer than that. But, you're the experts.... PS. Dakki, going by the pic, you run a pretty sloppy operation. I'd be ashamed if my shop looked like that.

Color. I've been hardening and tempering steel since 1968.

Just have to comment on this... A friend owns a slaughterhouse and wholesale/retail meat store. They sharpen their knives on an unbacked belt sander and one day I tried it. I didn't think it worked as well as I could do at home on diamond stones, but it was faster. Main thing is that the knife didn't heat that much. I never got close to changing the temper.

Getting back to the oldest condiment in the fridge.... I have a 4 pound tub of South River miso that I've had since 2003 - and it was 3 year old (barley) miso when I got it. I've been aging it and it's getting really good. One of these days I'll start using it...

Good Umeboshi plums will last for years. How do you tell a good one from a bad one? It's hard to describe. The coops around here haven't been carrying any that look that good so I've been getting Mitoku from this place.

As others have noted... electric motor driven abrasives can quickly ruin a knife if you're not very careful.

Good Umeboshi plums will last for years.

Back to the beginning... Jaymes, were the beans spoiled by being out overnight? I've left out pintos, rice, even some stews and braises (covered), without any problems. I never put hot, or even very warm, food in fridge.

What were the results? I've used wood boards for 50 years with no problems....

"Gouter" brings to mind gout. People might get the idea they're going to get gout eating there?