feedmec00kies

"Long Island"? I've never heard everything bagels called "Long Island" bagels, and I grew up there. Is that a Seattle regional thing?

I don't know, TheSwede, it doesn't sound that disgusting. Anyway, I feel like the humor behind the ingredient's sourcing is more the point than preparing something incredible on a budget. If nealesmull is to make it with stuff that was cheap but not obviously so - not things you'd think, "God, he must have shopped at the gas station on the way home for this" - it just wouldn't be as funny. That said, I have no ideas at the moment, but I'll check in later. Your girlfriend sounds awesome if she'll enjoy what you're cooking up for her (literally and figuratively).

Yeah, completely alone in a significant quantity I found it had an almost unbearably strong flavor to it. And the boyfriend complained he could still taste it 10 minutes after he tasted some and washed the taste down with a soda...

I'm a Yankee myself, but reading her description it sounds as if it has a different, more crumbly texture than Velveeta. A search for "hoop cheese" or "rat trap cheese" on Google confirms that it probably isn't the same. This place in Vermont sells something labeled "rat trap cheese". If you can trust Wikipedia, this little stub is under the title "hoop cheese".

This probably belongs in a separate thread, but why all the vitriol towards Dominoes? I know, in NY you have hundreds of mom-and-pop pizza shops that probably produce better pizza (and hundreds more that produce worse!), but here in East Nowhere, Dominoes thin crust is the best stuff in town. Granted, it's a college town and most pizza places cater to the drunk frat boy crowd, but I actually like Dominoes thin crust pizza, and I'm not sure how I would improve it. ← I pity you. Just kidding. You're right, it seems a lot of the Dominoes-hatin' is coming from NY Metro area people, though I guess if you regularly see fit to make your own then you probably dislike Dominos as well. I think pizza, for most people, tends to be more of a convenience/fast food, though, so.. yeah. Having gone to school in an area with not so good pizza, I can attest to the fact that if I didn't know what "good pizza" tastes like, I probably wouldn't have disliked them all as much. Then again, the free pizza at student events was usually Papa John's the cheapest pizza probably on the face of this planet (due to 10000000 student specials). But going back to the pizza tracker... isn't their line of business all about gimmicks anyway?

It doesn't look quite as bad until you see the pictures of the guy making faces while he ate it. Well, I also thought it was kind of gross to look a the insides. My boyfriend, who has low gross-food-tolerance, couldn't finish looking at the pictures because they seemed so goopy.

Well of course! I know that the people I might double-dip with don't care (they're usually the beer people, nowadays...). If I was at an event, especially one where I didn't know many people, I would just spoon some of the dip on a plate or something - for my convenience, but also just in case (and so that I'm not standing around hogging the dip for myself). It's interesting that they point out that they never tested the germs to see what they actually were... considering there are plenty of normal, not-going-to-kill-you bacteria in people's mouths, it was probably overwhelmingly those bacterium... then again, that doesn't mean it's them exclusively. Then again, most bacteria need to be in great numbers to actually infect you, unless they're crazy e.Coli bacterium. And I'm pretty sure I saw another study about the 5-second rule proving that it was like.. 30 seconds, and that one was done on a cafeteria floor. And more important than that, who the hell is funding this stuff?

Whatever, I got my meningitis vaccine, and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. ;-) Anyway, double dipping is nothing. You can't be afraid of germs if you go to beer gatherings... shared glasses all over the place...

Someone actually bought and ate one: Don't blame me for your looking at these nasty pictures... MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!! Oh Reddit, I knew you'd find someone who found and ate one!

You know, I was just thinking about how food photography - which involves a lot of making things looks ultimately way better than they should or would - is one of the hardest and most impressive professions...

At least they don't track the pizza from Domino's to your door via GPS.

I was hoping for some information on this one. It was discounted at a local Japanese market (from about 15 dollars to 6), so I figured I might try it. I assume that it's because the date on the bottle says "08.02.14" which I take to mean this February, which would be why it was discounted. Still, I couldn't help being curious. Ignore how the background looks like I was trying. It was just because my boyfriend was trying to take a good picture of a bottle for reference on Ratebeer. Unfortunately, that means he didn't get a good close picture of the label, but I can take one later if necessary/requested. Anyway, the importer's label on the back says, "Igeta Yubikiri Shoyu Yukimaru", and lists the ingredients as "Soysauce [sic] (soybean, wheat, salt)." Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!

Wow, that's a great find. I'm especially proud of the researchers who did that study about fish consumption in the Seychelles, Peru and Samoa, since they're from my alma mater. Maybe my tuition money did some good besides just paying administrators exhorbitant amounts. But seriously, it's an interesting article. Reminds us that it's so easy to prove pretty much any opinion if you're selective about the information you present. (edited to fix tag i broke)

Dried seasoned seaweed Shrimp chips (often Calbee's Wasabi-flavored ones, but I've tried different ones too) Noodles A pack of individual portion things of miso soup Not that those are the only things I buy, but those are pretty consistent. I'd buy more things regularly if it wasn't pretty much on my way home.

And here's my problem with all these open-ended statements. It's not a win-win policy for everyone. What about the farmers who are raising the meat/poulty what have you? What happens to their income. What happens to the factory farms - a reduction of 10% in their profit margin leads to what? More beef/poultry in even less space and even more inhumanely raised animals/birds to make up for the lost profit? What happens to restaurants? Do some of them close and their already poorly paid staff find themselves jobless? And on and on it goes. I am not anti-enviromentalist, not anti humane treatment for animals, not anti-health about our consumption. I am anti - statements that don't take into account all the consequences. ← Agreed. It's very easy to say it's "win-win" when you don't actually consider how every person could actually be affected by it. And - dare I say it - sometimes people are too much in a socio-economic bubble to see it all. On the point of the farmers raising the animals, Michael Pollan's March 2002 NYT Magazine article "Power Steer" is a reminder that unfortunately, a lot of those farmers are lucky to make money to cover raising the animal to begin with.

I feel like I personally dislike the term because it kind of has an elitist tinge to it... even when, as some suggested, people claim to be "foodies" without much real knowledge. Then again, most of those terms would probably bother me... especially the French-based ones. I generally am opposed to "labels," though, for one's enjoyment of food or otherwise. They are a good tool to not actually have to talk to people and have a real discussion. They "pidgeon-hole" you, and I don't like those kinds of blanket statements (I guess it's the cultural anthropologist in me). Whenever I use these "labels" to describe myself, I usually do air-quotes (yeah, I'm like that ) because they just don't really mean that much really. At least I don't think so. That said, I think food enthusiast is an OK one that I think I might use for myself in the future.

The only day of pi(e) I celebrate is Pi Day. Period. Once, I was being nice to an acquaintance/friend in HS and entered his Pi Day competition (he was running it). I memorized 100 decimal places of Pi and got 2nd place. I won an apple pie. :-D (I'd celebrate with a pie of some sort today just because... er... well... pies are yummy.. but I probably won't have time to make one nor will find one to eat. Unless they make beer into pie...)

I'll have to check back on my copy of Fast Food Nation, but I think I recall reading that while the USDA is a government organization, it is heavily influenced by the meat industry... as any part of the government can be influenced by a lobbying group (ch-ching!). Also, due to all sorts of legislation and changes made (I think) in the late 70s early 80s (definitely during the Reagan administration, if not previously as well), the strength and jurisdiction of the USDA have been heavily cut. That isn't to say that this is a specifically food-related problem. Similar goings-on in the government departments in charge of mining are apparently at least partly to blame for those mining accidents we've heard about in the past decade. It's all about a lack of oversight and resources, which often are a result of lobbying more than anything else, I think.

First of all, not even having to do with food: In the past, I'd been involved in all sorts of social justice activism, and I know the point is to piss people off and make them respond. Understanding your perspective (in terms of how you frame your "argument"), I highly suggest you amend it. You might think you're getting through to people by making them react, but if they don't already agree with the points you make, they will pretty much just treat you like a fly buzzing near their ear. You have to understand other people's arguments and feelings too, if you're going to have a real dialog that doesn't just dissolve into a flame war. Anyway... In another thread ("Reforming Vegetarians"), I had a little rant about the situation of food in this country, points within which I think are important to bring up at this time. (Bold text added for emphasis.) I think it would be prudent for you to read that article I linked to. You may not intend it, but it certainly feels like there is a class-blind perspective in your argument - the perspective that JimH and others object to (myself included), with reason. Yes, it would be ideal if food improved in this country - it might even be cheaper to operate Medicare/Medicaid as a result. However, calling on this nation's poor - as part of the greater population - to change the foods they buy as if they were anyone else is not reasonable. There are many, MANY factors involved in the choices one makes in the food they eat, and some people do not have the time, financial means, et cetera, to make ethics their #1 priority or a factor at all. Even if they want to. Don't assume that, since they buy "processed foods," that they believe that it's the tastiest and/or best food out there. Maybe making things from scratch ends up taking less time when calculated out, with time spent on medical treatment and such added to the equation. However, I'm sure many of these people don't feel they have the time to investigate these options. Don't assume that how things taste is more important than getting enough calories to work the next day. I'll say more later, but right now I'm supposed to be working. (edited for a little more clarity)

Dorm rooms and East Village apartments don't have dishwashers, at least not to the best of my knowledge. Believe me, if there was a dishwasher, my boyfriend wouldn't be leaving the dishes in the sink while he procrastinates dealing with them. I also hate putting things like measuring cups - things that I may or may not need before everything else gets washed - in to sit and wait to be cleaned. Sorry, not to hate on your measuring cup! I'm sure it works for you!

I'll return to respond to the rest later, but I keep forgetting to say this and it's important, so I'll say it now. First, that's not really so different from what I was saying originally. I was criticized for suggesting my "compact" digital camera as not worth the money. Having a good eye for detail and framing is more important than anything else. Secondly, if you're using that picture as an example of depth of field using a "compact", keep in mind that that's in macro mode. Which wouldn't really help much for taking pictures of cakes, unless they're reaaaaaaaaaally small and cute. Mmmm, small cute cakes. Anyway, more on the other things later. I'm tired and lazy.

Speaking of product suggestions, anyone use the towel wallmount paper towel holder? I'm in the market for a wall-mounted one (because I just don't have the counter space for.. well.. anything), and I like dispensers that are one-handed operation, for times when I have only one clean hand (like meat-juice times). I like that the page says "Not recommended for use in microwave." Hehehehe. Man, I looked at the "About OXO" section of their site... makes me want to work for them.

What don't you like about it? I don't have any myself, but have used them in the kitchen where I teach and like them fine. I have the baby one (2 oz.), which I use for cocktails, and wouldn't be without it. Actually I have 5. I love them. ← I wanna know, too! I have this one and love it. It pours well (doesn't dribble like my glass Corning ones always did), I love the top view measuring lines and like the big separate handle - I can grasp it easily, even on my 'bad hand' days. What issues did you have with the design. Not arguing, just curious ! Kim ← A big one for me... it was harder to clean. You've got that crease-y thing, instead of the smooth wall. Also.. well, I guess it's from my science nerd days.. I don't like the top-view measuring lines. One word - meniscus. Not accurate unless you look at it at eye-level! Then again, not specific to the OXO measuring cups, it's plastic. I've never been a fan of plastic measuring cups, even if Pyrex ones can drop and break... when you measure something greasy, it always seems so much harder to clean plastic. For something like comfort, though, I can understand... but then again, that's a large part of why OXO products are so good to begin with!

Hopefully it's only temporary and you'll be able to eat all the blue cheese you want again. Very unfortunate that you're having all these problems with foods.

Yeah, I bought the OXO grater because it was rated well by Cooks Illustrated. A different grater actually won (Cuisipro Accutec Box Grater, because it's apparently sharper) but due to complaints by readers that it fell apart in the dishwasher, they recommend the OXO for people who were in the market for a new grater. I use my Microplane for nutmeg, and I'm not sure whether or not the OXO would be sharp enough for that. However, I've used the OXO box grater for cheese (cheddar and other similar cheeses) and potatoes. I'm very happy with it, and have got to say that the clear storage container is a great feature (it also has rubber on the bottom, so it doesn't slide around). I would certainly recommend it. OXO does really make some great products... although their measuring cup is poorly designed, and I would never even consider purchasing it. (I have, in fact, used it... my boyfriend's suitemate had one. Neither my boyfriend or I are fans of the design.) I agree that I would probably stick to their kitchen gadgetry over other kinds of products (like knives... and I haven't even seen their pots and pans.. didn't even know they exist!).