Flip-flops

Flip-flops are also known as jandals in New Zealand; chappal, Hawaii chappel, Qainchi (scissor-like) chappals in India and Pakistan; thongs in Australia; slip-slops in South Africa; go-aheads in the South Pacific; ojotas or chancletas in Spain; chancletas o sandalias in Mexico, Central America and South America; and japanke (literally, Japanese) in Croatia.

Flip-flops are a very basic type of footwear. I could never get used to the feel of the strap between my toes, so I don't wear them. And know I have an even better reason not to.

This week, Flip-flops: best thing you could ever have or bane to man's existence?

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "I don't believe in the no-win scenario." - Admiral James Kirk, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

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Flip Flops

Culinary Uses of the Potato

Potatoes are prepared in many ways: skin-on or peeled, whole or cut up, with seasonings or without. The only requirement involves cooking to break down the starch. Most potato dishes are served hot, but some are first cooked then served cold, notably potato salad and potato chips/crisps.

This week, the culinary uses of the potato.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "It can be argued that a human is ultimately the sum of his experiences." - Captain Benjamin Sisko, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, "Emissary"

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Culinary Uses of the Potato

Five Familiar Numbers and the Logic Behind Them

Given how digital the world has become, we are hardly bothered by having to deal with one string of numbers after the next: credit card numbers, social security numbers, IP addresses and so on. Do these numbers hold any meaning, or are they just random sequences in a database?

This week, a look Five Familiar Numbers and the Logic Behind Them.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "No man should understand where his dreams come from, Data." - Doctor Noonien Soong to Commander Data, Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Birthright, Part 1"

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5 Familiar Numbers and the Logic Behind Them

Refrigerators

At the start of the 20th Century, about half of households in the United States relied on melting ice (in an icebox) to keep food cold, while the remaining half had no cooled storage at all possibly excepting a "root cellar." The ice used for household storage was expensive because ice had to be cut from winter ponds (or mechanically produced), stored centrally until needed, and delivered regularly.

Then along came the refrigerator, one of many devices that changed the way we live. I wonder how many people have been told to close the door on the refrigerator since they were invented?

This week, a look refrigerators.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Another dream that failed. There's nothing sadder." - Captain James Kirk, Star Trek: The Original Series, “This Side of Paradise”

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Refrigerators

Jelly Beans

In case you haven’t worked it out on your own yet, National Jelly Bean Day is a day set aside to enjoy jelly beans in all their gummy deliciousness. While not a federally recognized national holiday, April 22nd is now known as “National Jelly Bean Day”, a time to sit back with a bowl of jelly beans and enjoy their wide variety of flavors.

This week, a look at...what else...jelly beans.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "I am superior, sir, in many ways. But I would gladly give it up, to be human." - Commander Data, Star Trek: The Next Generation, “Encounter at Farpoint”

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National Jelly Bean Day

Cooking Oils

Cooking oil is purified fat of plant origin, which is usually liquid at room temperature (saturated oils such as coconut and palm are more solid at room temperature than other oils).

Many types vegetable oils are also used for cooking. The generic term "vegetable oil" when used to label a cooking oil product refers to a blend of a variety of oils often based on palm, corn, soybean or sunflower oils.

This week, a look at various cooking oils.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life." - Admiral James Kirk, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

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Glossary of Cooking Oils

The Fake-Food Detectives

A fashion fake may be easy to spot: the label says BURBERRY, but the pattern is slightly off-color, the price is too good to be true, and the vendor is operating out of a corner market.

But fake food? Not that easy, partly because most of us don't even think to look for it. We assume that if the label says EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL or WILD SALMON, that's what's we're getting. According to a whole host of experts, we shouldn't be so sure.

This week, a look at the fake food detectives.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "I've found that when you don't think about a problem, sometimes the solution comes to you." - Commander Chakotay, Star Trek: Voyager, "Flashback"

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The Fake-Food Detectives