Dillards 40: Majoring in Grifting

[Fluffy14]

56 minutes ago, SapphireSlytherin said:

Actually, the heat/heads thing was disproven ages ago:  https://www.livescience.com/34411-body-heat-loss-head.html

What prompted this? Are there new photos somewhere?

Thanks. Jill's instagram.

[LacyMay]

3 hours ago, InThePrayerCloset said:

I don't think we take chronic pain as seriously in our culture as we should,

This, so much this. I've been living with pain for going on two years now (A nasty case of tenosynovitis in my wrist compounded by a fall and later a neck shoulder issue)- long story short my physiotherapist is my best friend. 

But early on it *amazed* me how many people just didn't get it. People would casually grab my arm or wrist  (knowing it was injured) or my favorite "oh but it can't be that bad" it's almost as if you're mobile so you must be fine. 

And it does take an emotional toll, it's discouraging, isolating,exhausting.... 

Excuse my little rant, I had a particularly rough physio appointment this week and I'm struggling with a recovery that just seems to be way slower than I wanted (22 months ago I thought this was a tweaked wrist that would clear up in 48 hours) 

 

Unrelated- 

Someone earlier asked about spray painting horses and if they should spray paint their dog. IIRC people will do this with horses as a form of emergency tagging in case they can't be evacuated and get loose or are let out. I believe it's so they can be returned once things start to settle down. If your dog is chipped/has a well fitting collar with ID tags you should be fine. I would be weary about using spray paint. 

There's a lot of great resources about emergency preparedness with pets (having extra copies of relevant paperwork in your emergency kit etc) 

Wherever you are be safe <3 

[jegfile]

6 hours ago, Bethella said:

We have a Duggar real estate thread 

 

Exactly what I was looking for! Thanks so much!

[FakePigtails]

Equating being Muslim with American food being novel to them is stupid. Disregarding Dullard idiocy though, there are plenty of American dishes that are new to people from other countries. I think we don't often realize how many things are rarely found outside the US (chocolate chip cookies, root beer, s'mores, etc.). Even within the US there are regional specialties that would be new to other Americans who had never been there. Chicago-style hot dogs, Tex-mex, Cajun and Creole food, regional styles of pizza, for some examples. Anyway, for those from other places, with the USA as a whole we have classic BBQ food, stuff like mac and cheese and casseroles (and more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/13/american-foods-iconic_n_5310440.html). Desserts like whoopie pies, gooey butter cake, pecan pie, pumpkin pie . . .. I've worked with international students and a lot is new even to pretty well-traveled (including previous vacations to the US) students from cosmopolitan areas.

And yeah, I'm a little hungry right now lol.

[Fundie Bunny]

11 minutes ago, FakePigtails said:

chocolate chip cookies

I'm not sure, but those are pretty much everywhere here

[cascarones]

@FakePigtails I agree completely. When I was an RA in college it was in the dorms that were mostly foreign or out of state kids and everyone was always really excited for American Thanksgiving, so we'd do a huge community one. Always tons of festival like fun, people would make dishes from home and we'd play all sorts of games with big countdown posters leading up to it. Desert always seemed to get the most wows besides the turkey parade. It always fell on me to make the paper mache cornucopia pinata! Now as an adult, it falls on me to just make the whole darn dinner and be a perfect hostess

If the Dillards are doing International Ministry I hope it's like that, building relationships and ties within a new community and not being judgy, shove it down your throat, this banana bread has strings attached. 

Random, but fun fact: Having access to a kitchen can reduce homesickness in college or boarding school students by up to 70%.

[singsingsing]

Chocolate chip cookies are an American thing?

When I was a teenager I went to visit my friend's family in the U.S. They were British immigrants. They were super British but also super American at the same time. It was a bit weird. So I never really knew what I was going to get with them. One day they asked me what kind of sandwich was my favourite, and I said, "Peanut butter" and they laughed at me. "No peanut butter in this house!" So I guess their British side won out there.

[SeekingAdventure]

@singsingsing I have never thought of it as an american thing, since we do have it here as well, but in Austria, but if you go to Subway for example they have 'American Chocolate Chip Cookies', same thing in stores. I think it is strange, I wouldn't have thought of it to be a american thing

[FakePigtails]

Chocolate chips aren't always available in other countries, and in any case, chocolate chip cookies were invented in the US. Maybe it's gotten better now but as of about 10 years ago it wasn't uncommon for American students going abroad to take chocolate chips with them to make the cookies for new friends and host families.

[Stormy]

8 minutes ago, FakePigtails said:

Chocolate chips aren't always available in other countries, and in any case, chocolate chip cookies were invented in the US. Maybe it's gotten better now but as of about 10 years ago it wasn't uncommon for American students going abroad to take chocolate chips with them to make the cookies for new friends and host families.

My brother studied abroad in Japan and couldn't find chocolate chips (or peanut butter!) that weren't ridiculously expensive. A generous care package soon followed.

[SapphireSlytherin]

DH eats peanut butter and butter sandwiches. He thinks peanut butter and jelly is gross.

 

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

1 hour ago, SapphireSlytherin said:

DH eats peanut butter and butter sandwiches. He thinks peanut butter and jelly is gross.

(I really grossed out some folks the last time I mentioned this, so I'm putting it under a spoiler for any pb & j purists.)

Spoiler

My family has a 5 generation tradition of eating peanut butter and pickle sandwiches. (So we predate Sue Grafton's character, Kinsey Millhone, who also eats pb and pickle.) Some of us prefer dill pickles, some sweet. Pickle relish isn't bad in a pinch. My brother likes peanut butter, jam, and cheese, but I've never thought that sounded very good. But some nice crunchy Skippy peanut butter on whole wheat bread with dill pickle slices? Yum!

 

[Gobsmacked]

1 hour ago, Fundie Bunny said:

I'm not sure, but those are pretty much everywhere here

Chocolate chip cookies are def a uk thing too! 

Macaroni and cheese has always been a good cheap way to fill a growing family, especially in the days of weekly pay packets that didn't quite last until a Friday evening. Most factories paid in Saturday lunch times.  Mac and cheese served with lots of bread and butter filled hungry tummies when the cupboard was bare. 

 

[momofsquid]

5 minutes ago, Gobsmacked said:

Chocolate chip cookies are def a uk thing too! 

This is what I suspected. My British father was a chocolate chip cookie addict and he would have been highly suspicious of anything he hadn't known growing up. 

[lomo6]

Having spent a number of Thanksgivings abroad, cranberries and cranberry sauce are also a very North American thing. In the UK you can get canned cranberry "sauce" (more jelly...and not very good per my tastes), but that's about it.

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

Just now, lomo6 said:

Having spent a number of Thanksgivings abroad, cranberries and cranberry sauce are also a very North American thing. In the UK you can get canned cranberry "sauce" (more jelly...and not very good per my tastes), but that's about it.

Are pumpkins or canned pumpkin hard to find away from North America, in your experience?

[Darwinesque]

14 minutes ago, WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo? said:

Are pumpkins or canned pumpkin hard to find away from North America, in your experience?

I'm in the UK and had to buy tinned pumpkin puree for a pumpkin loaf cake from the American section of my supermarket. We have pumpkins for Halloween but not a lot else. We use butternut squash a lot.

Cranberry sauce is traditional at Christmas here, initially I think it was to cut through the richness of goose but now it's common with turkey, along with delicious bread sauce. 

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

4 minutes ago, Darwinesque said:

We use butternut squash a lot.

I remember really enjoying the "pumpkin" pies my mom made with butternut squash.  I usually stick to using the canned pumpkin puree when I bake. It saves so much time, money, and mess.

[LaParisienne]

23 minutes ago, WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo? said:

Are pumpkins or canned pumpkin hard to find away from North America, in your experience?

I know your question is not directed to me but still, I live in France and I've never seen canned pumpkin in supermarket. The only way I could buy it is per American food market (online shop) but it's like 6€ for a can. It's too much expensive for me, especially since I don't know if it's worth the price . Anyway, it does not stop me from cooking pumpkin pie

For pumpkins, you can really find them everywhere here. And children just love pumpkins soups.

[SapphireSlytherin]

We always load our luggage with canned pumpkin for my MIL. We fill that space with stuff we can't buy HERE, for our trip back to the States. lol

As for peanut butter and "weird things" - I had a neighbor who put peanut butter on his hotdogs.

 

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

@SapphireSlytherin--I know a woman who takes "American" foods to her son and family when she visits them in Scotland, but I don't think she's mentioned taking canned pumpkin. I think she usually takes graham crackers, but I can't remember any of the other foods she has mentioned. Isn't it funny and interesting what we miss when we can't get it?

[Palimpsest]

Why is every thread that I look at discussing food? 

If any of you UK people are traveling across the pond can I put in an order for McVities dark chocolate digestive biscuits, Hobnobs, and Cadbury's Flakes and Fruit and Nut.

Yes, I can buy them here (at a price) but they don't taste the same.  The chocolate is made by Hershy.

[WhoompThereItIs]

I was curious about the application process for CCSM (Cross Church School of Ministry), so created a fake one to see. Btw it's $15 to apply.

Bonus points if you catch the Easter eggs!

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[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

7 minutes ago, Palimpsest said:

Why is every thread that I look at discussing food? 

#1 Food (good or bad) is more interesting than the Duggars.

#2 We're all HUNGRY! Well, I am, at least.  Not sure it #2 is cause or effect.

[SapphireSlytherin]

28 minutes ago, Palimpsest said:

Yes, I can buy them here (at a price) but they don't taste the same.

Yeah, we don't buy those here anymore. My big thing is Walker's Crisps. I canNOT wait to get my hands on the malt-and-vinegar ones (gluten be damned) to "save" them!!!