Natterings From Nepantla

The SO and I had been planning to get a new desktop computer one of these days, and I spotted a good deal at Costco last week when I was there for my COVID booster. Normally there would be gradual movement toward "huh, that seems good, maybe we should get that at some point," but with tariffs possibly coming tomorrow that could raise the cost of electronic devices significantly, we decided very quickly to go for it.

With the likely incoming health secretary being both very pro-milk and anti-seed oils, and my immune system still very negative on dairy, I've started stockpiling margarine.

And I'm ready to listen to my friends and my immigrant coworkers if they have something urgent to say. I realize I'm pretty lucky in only having to worry about collateral damage (probably), while some of you may be directly targeted.

Cotton Candy Day: Do you like cotton candy? (Also known as Fairy Floss.)

Yes, in sufficiently small amounts, like a mouthful or two.

Fried Rice Day AND Pepperoni Pizza Day: September 20 is both Fried Rice Day and Pepperoni Pizza Day. Which do you prefer? Do you make your own fried rice and/or pizza, or is it take-out only?

I'd say rice, except have I mentioned that rice turns out to be on the list of things my immune system doesn't like? I've come across a few references to hypoallergenic rice being developed in Japan. I'd like to try that sometime when it's available to the public.

I used to make my own fried rice, but I've also tried the fried rice from a number of food carts. Thai Pasta 2 had the best pineapple fried rice of them all.

World Plant Milk Day: Almond milk, oat milk, soy milk... Do you use plant-based milk rather than dairy milk? If yes, do you use it instead of dairy in everything (tea/coffee, baking, cereal, etc.) or only in specific instances? Have you tried various types of plant milk? Do you have a favourite?

Coconut milk has been my go-to for dinner recipes calling for milk or cream for a long time, since the SO is lactose-intolerant. I don't think I've tried any other milks on their own, but in the last year I've tried a lot of different dairy-free products using various plant milks. I can't say I have a preference there.

I got busy at Pemmi-Con, plus it looks like I totally overlooked the 8th.

8 – SCUD Day: SCUD Day stands for "Savor the Comic, Unplug the Drama" Day, and encourages those of us whose lives might have a touch too much drama to step back, relax, and enjoy the funnier side of life. Is there too much drama in your life right now? Even if there isn't, what would you do to turn the drama down a bit and enjoy a good laugh instead?

Whoever named this day was clearly not old enough to be paying attention to the news in 1991.

Not too much drama in my life right now. But I do find, crossing so many communities, that when there's drama in one place there's usually none in another.

21 – Junk Food Day: What is your favourite junk food? Is this something you eat regularly, or is it something you turn to when you're stressed, or that you reserve as a special treat or reward for yourself?

Onion rings are considered fast food, right? Maybe onion rings.

22 – Day Of the Cowboy: Do you like Westerns (either books, movies, or TV shows)? What about country and western music?

Not very into westerns. Country and western is fine, but not something I'd go out of my way for.

23 – Peanut Butter and Chocolate Day: Match made in heaven or something to be avoided at all costs?

An excellent idea! Insert now-standard whine about foods containing milk, though...

24 – Everybody Deserves a Massage Week: The third week of July is Everybody Deserves a Massage Week. Do you go for regular (or occasional) massages? Have you tried different types of massage: Swedish, Shiatsu, deep tissue, etc.? Do you have a favourite?

Nope, not interested, perfectly capable of relaxing without them.

25 – Hot Fudge Sundae Day OR Wine and Cheese Day: Which would you go for?

Hot fudge sundae, no contest. As long as it's non-dairy, etc.

26 – All or Nothing Day: If it was your last day on Earth, what would you do?

Depends on whether we're talking about just me expiring or some kind of apocalypse. If there's an apocalypse going on I guess I'd be busy.

27 – Refreshment Day: What is your go-to refreshment on hot summer days? Is this something you enjoy year-round, or that you mainly drink in the summer?

Just water. I've lost my taste for soda and I never liked alcohol.

28 – Talk in an Elevator Day: If you're with another person (or a group of people) and you get into an elevator, do you continue any conversation you were engaged in, or do you wait until you step out of the elevator? Does it unnerve or annoy you if someone starts talking to you in an elevator?

Depends on what the conversation is. Enthusing about the latest book, anime, or movie at a con? Keep talking. Information of a sensitive or personal nature with strangers in the elevator? Maybe not.

29 – Rain Day: Do you like rainy days? Does it rain a lot where you live? Have you ever been caught in a torrential downpour?

I don't mind rainy days in the winter, because they're better than most of the other winter options around here. (Snow, ice storm, or dry but with wind chill well below freezing.) I am more annoyed by them when the weather's supposed to be turning nice again. We don't get a lot of rain here in absolute amounts, but it does spend a lot of time raining.

30 – Whistleblower Day: Part of living in a country with a fair rule of law is making sure that corruption and misconduct do not go unnoticed. A whistleblower is an individual who reports suspicious activity, such as violations, exploitation, misrepresentations, or other infractions. The activity may be within an organization, either public or private. If you witnessed, or were aware of, corruption and misconduct in your workplace, would you speak up about it, even if it meant potentially losing your job?

I'd like to think so, but I kind of hope I never have to find out.

31 – Picnic Month: July is national Picnic Month. Have you ever been on a picnic? Do you enjoy eating outdoors? If you were organizing a picnic, what foods would you bring?

I have but not for a long time. I keep telling myself I want to go and have a little one-person picnic in the local park, but the weather seems to swing right from too cold to too hot and right back again so quickly. Probably I'd just bring a sandwich, a drink, and maybe a dessert.

Onion Ring Day: Onion rings or fries?

Onion rings! Though it turns out the breading frequently contains whey.

The first and some of the best onion rings I've ever had were from a place in the Bay Area called H. Salt Fish & Chips, where my parents would occasionally pick up Friday night dinner when I was a kid. Come to think of it I never knew exactly where it was.

Cheese Day: There are people who do not like cheese or cannot eat it for health reasons, while other people think it is one of the best foods, or ingredients for food recipes that was ever invented! Which category best describes you?

Love it and can't eat it anymore. There is a vegan substitute involving fermented cashew paste which does help make a remarkable facsimile of cheesecake, though.

I hadn't tried a new soup recipe in a while. This one came out great.

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 lb lean ground beef
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 can chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup pearl barley
4 cups beef stock or broth
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt

Just the thing for the unseasonably cold weather we've been having.

This year, sesame was added to the list of major allergens that have to be called out on labels in the US. The Washington Post reports that many food companies have responded by... adding sesame to their products.

The reasoning:

Some in the food industry say adding sesame flour is the safest path forward. They contend that they can’t sufficiently clean their equipment to guarantee it is free of sesame, as the Faster Act requires. And, under federal labeling rules, they can’t state that their products contain sesame unless the items actually contain it — so they’re adding sesame and labeling it.

So there are now a ton of products that people allergic to sesame used to be able to eat and now can't.

One company pointed out for actually honoring the spirit of the law and making sure no sesame cross-contamination occurs is, believe it or not, McDonald's. I've found that its menu is pretty friendly to my food sensitivities, so I'm actually not surprised.

Fish Fingers and Custard Day: to celebrate Doctor Who’s strange culinary experiment this day was declared fish fingers and custard day. Would you ever try this? What odd combinations of food do you like?

No, because whey. If there were a milk substitute involved, then probably once, even knowing that I probably wouldn't like it.

I may have mentioned this before but I think peanut butter and banana slices on a tortilla are excellent.