I Had A Random Thought...

[Dewar]

Recently, it seems like bread is molding so fast. I'm not sure if it's the relative humidity at our new place, the bread I'm buying, or time speeding up.

[JonCole]

Bread box?

[eot]

Recently, it seems like bread is molding so fast. I'm not sure if it's the relative humidity at our new place, the bread I'm buying, or time speeding up.

It varies a lot between different types of bread. The whiter the bread the faster it goes. Factory produced stuff is the worst in my experience.

 

 

I mostly cut out bread a couple of years ago (not strictly gluten free, but cut down on grains and grain carbs, still willing to cheat when convenient or for something particularly tasty).  And after quite awhile of not eating bread, I find it to often have a really strong, and not very pleasant, smell and taste.  Particularly if it's a doughy or yeasty bread.  I had a similar experience with soda when I cut it out, after months of not drinking one, they mostly taste like a syrupy mess now. 

 

It's funny how if you cut out a food for long enough, it can change how it tastes and smells to you. 

 

Yes, soda is repulsive if you haven't had it for a while. I mean, it's repulsive when the carbonation is gone too because then you feel what it actually tastes like.

[Griddlelol]

There's a huge difference between eating healthy and not being picky. I don't have any problem with someone who chooses to eat badly, it's hard not to, that shit is delicious. People who don't try new things is what really irritates me. I wouldn't be reccomending it if it tasted bad!

I cut out soda when I was an overweight teenager. Helped me lose a lot of weight very quickly. It's amazing how many calories are in 2-4 cans of coke.

[Merus]

You then realize that you have a decision to make that will determine the fate of the rest of your evening. You either double down and force them to eat the macaroni, resulting in the worst night you could imagine. Or you could let them have the chips and salsa and then have a nice evening where everyone is happy and the kids go to bed without issue. Then you remember that salsa is made from tomatoes and tomatoes are good for you. Why not just let them have chips and salsa? IT'S GOOD FOR THEM AFTER ALL RIGHT???

 

So yeah, my daughter had chips and salsa for dinner last night. Don't judge.

 

Okay, but I am stubborn enough to want to point out that your kids might be learning that sometimes if they throw a tantrum, they get to have whatever they want.

 

The advice I've seen, and I don't know whether you've already tried this, is to agree they don't have to eat the macaroni, but that if they get hungry, they are presented with the macaroni again. So it's not "macaroni" or "food I want", it's "macaroni" or "no food". I'd be interested to find out from real-world experience a) how quickly your kids calm down when they find out they don't have to eat the macaroni, and sunglasses) how quickly they fold.

 

Like, as a kid I didn't like pizza, so I'm at least somewhat sympathetic here.

[osmosisch]

Okay, but I am stubborn enough to want to point out that your kids might be learning that sometimes if they throw a tantrum, they get to have whatever they want.

 

The advice I've seen, and I don't know whether you've already tried this, is to agree they don't have to eat the macaroni, but that if they get hungry, they are presented with the macaroni again. So it's not "macaroni" or "food I want", it's "macaroni" or "no food". I'd be interested to find out from real-world experience a) how quickly your kids calm down when they find out they don't have to eat the macaroni, and sunglasses) how quickly they fold.

Yeah this is what we do. Mixed results.

Tantruming kids are calmly (well, as calmly as possible) removed from the room and asked to come back when they've calmed down.

@Mangela thanks for those stories, very irritating so well-presented

@Gormongous I have a problem with lumping vegetarianism in with 'dislikes'

[Gormongous]

@Gormongous I have a problem with lumping vegetarianism in with 'dislikes'

 

Oh, there are ethical vegetarians, but there are also vegetarians that just never liked meat very much, so they don't eat it. Somehow, no one gives them shit, unless they're the kind of person who gives all vegetarians shit, while all kinds of people are always trying to make me try spicy stuff. It's my sincere beliefs that what people eat is their own business and most people have way too many opinions about what pickiness is justified and what pickiness is right out.

[osmosisch]

I agree that giving people shit about what they choose to eat is irritating, and am sorry that you've had to deal with that.

That doesn't make me feel better about lumping vegetarianism (a moral stance even if it happens to intersect with one's preference) in with pure preferences.

[Gormongous]

That doesn't make me feel better about lumping vegetarianism (a moral stance even if it happens to intersect with one's preference) in with pure preferences.

 

Fair enough. I only meant to draw a comparison insofar as they're both circumstances where people won't eat something. There shouldn't have to be an "ism" attached to something to make it a legitimate position to take, even when it comes to food.

[osmosisch]

Fair enough. I only meant to draw a comparison insofar as they're both circumstances where people won't eat something. There shouldn't have to be an "ism" attached to something to make it a legitimate position to take, even when it comes to food.

I would say that something being an 'ism' actually should make it more prone to criticism since it implies a conscious decision based on assumptions one could argue/disagree with. It's the equivalence I object to.

[Gormongous]

I would say that something being an 'ism' actually should make it more prone to criticism since it implies a conscious decision based on assumptions one could argue/disagree with. It's the equivalence I object to.

 

Okay, noted. The equivalence I was drawing between "No, I'm a vegetarian" and "No, I don't like spicy food" was just that they're both answers to the same question, "Do you want to have some of this food?"

[osmosisch]

Okay, noted. The equivalence I was drawing between "No, I'm a vegetarian" and "No, I don't like spicy food" was that they're both answers to the same question, "Do you want to have some of this food?"

Right. And they're definitely equivalent answers in the sense that it's generally bad form to give people shit about their explanations.

(Within reason though; for example my wife refuses to eat tomato skin because her grandmother told her once that it 'sticks to her insides'. But even there I've stopped making fun of it. Personal growth can be so boring.)

[Max Ernst]

I mostly cut out bread a couple of years ago (not strictly gluten free, but cut down on grains and grain carbs, still willing to cheat when convenient or for something particularly tasty).  And after quite awhile of not eating bread, I find it to often have a really strong, and not very pleasant, smell and taste.  Particularly if it's a doughy or yeasty bread.  I had a similar experience with soda when I cut it out, after months of not drinking one, they mostly taste like a syrupy mess now. 

 

It's funny how if you cut out a food for long enough, it can change how it tastes and smells to you. 

Last week I had a Coke for the first time in three years and it was awful. Very heavy and my teeth hurt.

 

I wasn't a big junk food guy, but I stopped having soft drink over dinner, snacking on processed foods, and having milk in my coffee. I dropped ten kilograms pretty quickly.

 

It sounds like I stopped having fun, but really, the stuff I eat now is a lot tastier and I feel a lot better during the day.

[clyde]

I kinda want to see nature documentaries narrated by Jake and Chris Remo. 

I was just watching flying insects flying in spirals over a creek for a while and a narration by Chris Remo started playing in my head.  It was like:

 

Chris: Did you see this? That was crazy! This one insect was bigger than the others and was really noticeable then I looked down and there was a moth on my shoe! 

Jake: there was a moth on your shoe?

Chris: Yes!

Jake: Why was it on your shoe?

Chris: I don't know! But that's not the craziest part!

Jake: What was the craziest part?

Chris: I look over onto the boulder I'm sitting on and like within 3 feet I watch this flying insect (it could have been one that I was just watching, I'm not sure) totally eat an ant! He just landed on it and ate it!

Jake: It must have taken him a little time to eat the entire ant.

Chris: Maybe, but it didn't look like it!

Jake: What do you mean it didn't look like it?

Chris: It just landed on the ant and the ant was gone.

Jake: Was this a big flying insect?

Chris: Not that big!

Jake: It had to be bigger than the ant.

Chris: I don't think it was! It was crazy! And it was a big ant!

Jake: One of those big black ones?

Chris: YES!

[Badfinger]

Which one of these insects is most artisanal?

 

Was the skybox rad?

[tegan]

Were they ensorceled by the insects? 

[Mangela Lansbury]

I've recently changed my let's-check-internet-connectivity Google search from dogs wearing sunglasses to dogs on skateboards. I'm happy with this change in my life.

[clyde]

Were they ensorceled by the insects? 

 

I must have been. They were communicating with me through my own memories.

[Zeusthecat]

Okay, but I am stubborn enough to want to point out that your kids might be learning that sometimes if they throw a tantrum, they get to have whatever they want.

 

The advice I've seen, and I don't know whether you've already tried this, is to agree they don't have to eat the macaroni, but that if they get hungry, they are presented with the macaroni again. So it's not "macaroni" or "food I want", it's "macaroni" or "no food". I'd be interested to find out from real-world experience a) how quickly your kids calm down when they find out they don't have to eat the macaroni, and sunglasses) how quickly they fold.

 

Like, as a kid I didn't like pizza, so I'm at least somewhat sympathetic here.

 

I have to assume you don't have kids because if you did, you would know that these seemingly obvious and logical things are a lot easier in theory than they are in reality. Obviously we try to do what you're saying. That's about as common sense as it gets. Just go have some kids and then get back to me on how easy it is to do all these things the right way.

[Gormongous]

I have to assume you don't have kids because if you did, you would know that these seemingly obvious and logical things are a lot easier in theory than they are in reality. Obviously we try to do what you're saying. That's about as common sense as it gets. Just go have some kids and then get back to me on how easy it is to do all these things the right way.

 

Come on, having a kid is just like having a dog that slowly learns how to talk. They can't be that hard to train.

[clyde]

Gawd I hope no one has a kid just to gain legitimacy to their opinion.

[Zeusthecat]

Come on, having a kid is just like having a dog that slowly learns how to talk. They can't be that hard to train.

 

And just like with dogs, rubbing their nose in their own poop is a good way to get them to stop shitting on the floor.

 

 

Gawd I hope no one has a kid just to gain legitimacy to their opinion.

 

Yeah, something tells me that plan would backfire and instead they would end up on message boards telling other people without kids that they will never understand what it's like to try to raise kids. 

 

And I'll admit, I definitely held the same strong opinions about effective parenting that many others have. Then I had kids and realized I was a fucking fool.

[Mangela Lansbury]

I have to assume you don't have kids because if you did, you would know that these seemingly obvious and logical things are a lot easier in theory than they are in reality. Obviously we try to do what you're saying. That's about as common sense as it gets. Just go have some kids and then get back to me on how easy it is to do all these things the right way.

This just makes me think of all the conversations I have with my sister where she has to hang up because one of her kids is doing a thing, then she calls me back later and the kid starts throwing a fit about something else and she's just like OH FINE WHATEVER, HERE, IT'S FINE, JUST BE QUIET. Then she sighs and just says, "One thing at a time with these boys..."

[Bjorn]

I have to assume you don't have kids because if you did, you would know that these seemingly obvious and logical things are a lot easier in theory than they are in reality. Obviously we try to do what you're saying. That's about as common sense as it gets. Just go have some kids and then get back to me on how easy it is to do all these things the right way.

 

Also, it's different dealing with one versus multiples even.  I just had to raise one kid, so only ever had to worry about disciplining/educating/raising a single little human, while balancing the reality that she's a full fledged human with wants, desires, needs, emotions and all the perspectives and irrationalities that go along with being human.  Just from observation, it's even easier to reach a point of not-giving-a-shit-about-perfect-parenting some days when you're dealing with 2, 3 or more kids.

[Rilen]

Is there a reason why a world war I era British admiral talks like a pirate?

I assumed the first time a ship was named this was far earlier. Fun mental image, though!