Feb 18

They Are OUR Children

My heart sank on Wednesday when I heard of another school shooting, this time in Parkland, Florida. As I’ve written before, I have a friend who was seriously injured in the Jewish Federation shooting twelve years ago. In that same post, I mentioned that I have family members who go duck- and deer-hunting every year. While I don’t begrudge anyone the right to own a rifle or shotgun for hunting purposes, I do draw the line at assault weapons with high-capacity magazines. These weapons are only useful for mass murder.

Here are my suggestions for common-sense legislation to avoid further mayhem, in schools or other settings.

Keep people under 21 from purchasing assault weapons. If legislators don’t have the cojones to ban assault weapons entirely, they can at least keep youngsters from purchasing them.

Repeal the law passed last year that makes it easier for mentally ill people to purchase firearms.

Persons who are under restraining orders should not be allowed to purchase firearms.

People who own assault weapons should be required to store them safely, preferably in a locked gun safe with the ammunition stored separately. If not, and the weapon is traced to a mass shooting, the owner should be held civilly and criminally liable.

Voters should hold their elected representatives responsible for introducing and voting for sensible gun legislation. If you haven’t heard the words of Emma González, one of the high school students who survived last week’s attack, you can do so at this link. We owe Emma and other students the right to attend school without fear. They are all our children.

 

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/02/18/they-are-our-children/

Feb 17

Singapore Chili Crab

When we first moved to Washington 15 years ago, Dungeness crabs were often $5 or $6 a pound. Nowadays they’re almost as expensive as Maine lobster is hereabouts. However, we splurged tonight for one of our favorite dishes, Singapore chili crab.

The average Dungeness crab weighs about 2 pounds, of which about 1/4 is meat. One crab serves two people quite amply. Our favorite Singapore chili crab recipe comes from Anya Von Bremzen’s Terrific Pacific cookbook. First you boil the live crab briefly. Some folks will buy a precooked crab or one that’s been killed and eviscerated at the market. Cooking it yourself assures that you’ve got a fresh crustacean. After boiling, take out the gills and guts and quarter the crab.

Preparing the rest of the dish is simple. First you stir-fry a mixture of garlic, ginger, shallots, and dried Thai chilis. A ketchup-based mixture gets stirred in, followed by the crab. Toss and cook the crab in the sauce for several minutes. The crab is taken out of the pan/wok, and the sauce is thickened with cornstarch paste and an egg. Turn off the burner before you add the egg to make sure that you don’t wind up with scrambled egg. Pour the sauce over the crab pieces and start eating.

Eating any crab is a messy affair. You’re cracking, cutting, and/or hammering the sucker to get at the meat. Shell and sauce are bound to land on your lap and anything stainable. Most crab restaurants will have butcher paper on the tables. Ample amounts of paper towels are recommended.  We served the crab with rice to sop up any excess sauce. I also made a cucumber salad to cut the richness of the crab. An India Pale Ale works as the beverage. A fine mess.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/02/17/singapore-chili-crab/

Feb 17

The New Computer Begets

My current laptop is getting long in the electrons, so I purchased a new one. As we’re preparing to migrate items to the new laptop, a few things have come up. Since a single purchase often snowballs into multiple outlays of cash (as in the Homeowner Begets), here we have the New Computer Begets.
My current version of Microsoft Office is no longer being supported. Since this company is going to the subscription model, I need to shell out $ for updates.
The new operating system is incompatible with my older version of FileMaker Pro. Not only will I have to buy a new version (cha-ching!), but I’ll need to convert my current files to the newer format. FileMaker warns that the conversion may result in “errors”. With nearly 3000 recipe records and over 500 cookbooks (see this post), correcting said errors could be a full-time job. (Oh boy, another one!)

 

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/02/17/the-new-computer-begets/

Feb 15

Unless You’re Poor

There’s a streak of mean in the other Washington and in many state capitals against people who are at the low end of the income scale. Consider the following:

Unless you’re poor, medical insurance often will be combined with dental insurance.

Unless you’re poor, the items in your grocery cart won’t engender much scrutiny.

Unless you’re poor, there will be no work requirements to receive government largesse.

Unless you’re poor, you won’t get jailed for not paying a parking ticket or possessing a single joint.

Unless you’re poor, you’ll get empathy for your struggles with alcohol or drug addiction.

Unless you’re poor, you won’t get flak if you choose to stay home with your preschool children.

And finally, unless you’re poor, your vote will be eagerly solicited by politicians.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/02/15/unless-youre-poor/

Feb 15

Fun with Home Repairs

It’s a design feature.

No, Julian did not put his fist through the wall after reading another article on the fracas in the other Washington. I noticed a wet spot on the floor below this. The repair contractor came out and diagnosed a leak in the flashing on the upper deck. Now we need to wait until we get an estimate on what it will cost to fix this. Fortunately, this is the homeowners’ association problem.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/02/15/fun-with-home-repairs/

Feb 07

Ta-Ta, Tesla

Elon Musk sent a Tesla roadster into space yesterday. Today Tesla sent me an email revising the delivery date on the Model 3, for which I’d plunked down a $1000 deposit. It’s been moved back to early 2019. This is too long for me to wait, since I have to sell Die Frau (the Jetta not-so-clean diesel) back to Volkswagen by the end of this year. So I canceled my order. I hope the deposit didn’t go into space with the roadster.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/02/07/ta-ta-tesla/

Feb 04

Another Super Bowl Party

We hosted another Super Bowl party at Casa Sammamish this weekend. It was a smaller group than usual, but we still made a boatload of food. In honor of the teams, we made Boston-style baked beans and Philadelphia cheese steaks. We also made our time-honored Miami-style chicken wings. Our friends brought chips, salsa, salad, wine, beer, cider, and brownies. In addition to eating and drinking, we actually watched the game.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/02/04/another-super-bowl-party/

Feb 03

Mid-Winter on the Sammamish

You would think that the rain and cool weather would keep folks off the river. You would think wrong. Despite the area reverting to rainforest, someone’s always on the river. This morning I saw two stand-up paddle boarders and a kayak in a short time. There’s a rowing school that routinely has students paddling up and down the river in all weather. Folks up here know they won’t dissolve in the rain. However, they may take on a greenish cast from the moss…

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/02/03/mid-winter-on-the-sammamish/

Jan 30

Informed Consent for Potluck Offerings

Over the years I’ve made many culinary experiments for work, church, and neighborhood potlucks. My statistics project in grad school was comparing responses to brownies made with cocoa and butter vs. brownies made with unsweetened chocolate, using a captive audience of students in the food science lab I taught. I’ve often joked that my friends and coworkers should grant informed consent to try some of my offerings. Therefore, to keep on the good side of my friends in my workplace’s Institutional Review Board, I’ve drafted the following Informed Consent document.

Informed Consent

The Effect of XXXXX on Potluck Satisfaction

Principal Investigator: Cindy Fuller

Sponsor: Cindy Fuller

INTRODUCTION

To help provide sustenance for this potluck, I have made XXXXX. This is a recipe from {}, and it was selected because it looked good to me and was easy to make the night before. This is the first time I’ve made it or brought it to a potluck.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS RESEARCH?

This is a research study. The purpose of this research is to see if my friends like this recipe, and if it’s worth making again.

WHAT DOES THE STUDY INVOLVE?

The study involves tasting XXXXX. Participation is entirely voluntary. You can participate in this study if you  want to try XXXXX. If you are allergic to or intolerant of any of the ingredients in XXXXX, you should not participate.

WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE HARMS AND SIDE EFFECTS?

You may be allergic to or intolerant of the ingredients in XXXXX. Although every effort has been made to assure a wholesome product, there is a small chance of food poisoning. [I usually avoid this by bringing bread, salad, or other items that aren’t as prone to food poisoning.]

RISKS AND DISCOMFORTS

You may overeat XXXXX and be unable to do productive work for the rest of the afternoon.

WHAT IF NEW INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE?

If a better recipe for XXXXX  is found, you will be notified.

WILL THIS STUDY HELP ME?

You may receive a copy of the recipe for XXXXX upon request. Otherwise, this study may not benefit you.

DO I HAVE TO TAKE PART IN THE STUDY?

No. Your participation is completely voluntary.

TREATMENT AND COMPENSATION

I cannot offer treatment or compensation for food poisoning, broken teeth, dental cavities, or weight gain caused by eating XXXXX.

WHAT WILL THE STUDY COST ME?

The study should cost you nothing.

WHO IS PAYING FOR THIS RESEARCH STUDY?

Cindy Fuller bought the ingredients and made XXXXX.

WILL TAKING PART IN THIS STUDY BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL?

Yes, unless you decide to blog about it.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/01/30/informed-consent-for-potluck-offerings/

Jan 28

Cell Phone Sabbaths

As I’ve mentioned in an earlier post, 24/7 access is overrated. I usually leave my cell phone at home on the weekends. I don’t need it. It also means it won’t ring at inopportune times, like during the silent prayer/meditation time at church. Not that I’d actually get a call, since I’m picky about who receives my cell number, I just don’t like the idea of being interrupted. Remember the 13th or so commandment: Remember the Sabbath day, and leave your cell phone at home.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/01/28/cell-phone-sabbaths/

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