Author Topic: Cellar Scribblings  (Read 8734451 times)

Offline serious crayons

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Re: Cellar Scribblings
« Reply #15270 on: December 25, 2017, 12:11:53 pm »
You are right, Katherine, that's exactly what I do!  ;D

According to the paper, there was a major traffic jam outside our biggest mall on Friday. People had to wait for hours in their cars before they could leave the parking house. I wonder if they thought it worth the bargains they (maybe) made....

But snarky comments aside, and even if I personally prefer to ignore all of those holidays; as we all know the big retail companies and their commercial muscles do have a major impact on a lot of people. Not only on shopping habits and what to buy, but now also on what holidays to celebrate and how. I find that quite sad and upsetting.

I saw this article and thought of our discussion here:

https://www.citylab.com/design/2017/12/the-great-retail-retrofit/548753/

In late October of this year, the office-sharing startup WeWork announced that it was buying Lord & Taylor’s flagship store in New York City. Coming as this did in the wake of the bankruptcies of such long-established retailers as The Limited and Toys “R” Us, it was widely viewed as the latest harbinger of the “retail apocalypse.”

It isn’t just chain stores in economically distressed suburbs that are going belly up, but high-end luxury goods purveyors along the retail corridors of America’s leading cities, such as New York’s Madison Avenue, Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, and Chicago’s Miracle Mile. All told, roughly 100,000 retail jobs were lost between October 2016 and April 2017. In the next five years, one out of every four malls is projected to close, according to an analysis by Credit Suisse. The square footage of America’s already dead malls covers more land than the city of Boston.


I'm looking forward to repurposing malls. The Mall of America, which was for a long time (and maybe still) the biggest mall in the United States, lost some big stores and converted the space to fun museums about things like the Beatles and crime-fighting and Star Trek. I never go to those, either, but for some people they'd probably be a fun thing to do in the middle of winter.





Offline brianr

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Re: Cellar Scribblings
« Reply #15271 on: December 25, 2017, 02:24:00 pm »
Your menu sounds kind of like something out of Charles Dickens! So what'll it be today ... a goose?

I haven't had fruit mince pie in years. I used to as a child but I've never heard of anyone eating or serving it for decades on decades. What's funny is that although it was made entirely of raisins and other chopped up fruit, we always called it "mincemeat pie." And I was shocked to learn later that some people ate a thing with that name that had actual meat in it.

I think I did eat plum pudding once, many years ago, when my stepmother -- a good cook who likes making unusual or impressive desserts -- made it for Christmas Eve dinner. But I've never seen it as something you could buy at a store or order in a restaurant.

We do say "mince pies" but I added the word fruit to avoid any misunderstanding.  :)
I had cold ham and turkey. My sister would have had hot meat even though it can be in 30'C or more. (Actually Christmas Eve in Sydney was 38'C but it was only 25'C on Christmas day) It has been a continual argument with me and my brother-in-law who always wants a hot Christmas lunch. Of course my sister has to cook it. Actually I do not argue with him but with my sister who always ends up giving into him.
I bought a dozen mince pies (and now have 9 left  ;D ). We had them with coffee at church on Sunday as well. It would not be Christmas in Australia or New Zealand (and I am fairly sure England) without mince pies and plum pudding. My mum and now my sister always made the plum pudding about a month before. Mum was sad when her hands became too arthritic to chop up the fruit and now my sister faces the same problem, she is 83). She may have bought it this year I have not asked. I bought mine (actually 2 small ones). I probably have plum pudding for dessert in winter several times a week. It is not as rich as the ones made or bought for Christmas but I would be very surprised and annoyed if I could not find plum pudding on the shelf in the supermarket.

When I was a child, it was big thing to have chicken for Christmas but now chicken is so common, you have duck, turkey or (yes) goose) There is even something called turducken but I have never had it. Actually I prefer just plain chicken and only bought some slices of turkey at the deli on Saturday to go with the ham. Next year I will just have cold chicken and ham.

Offline southendmd

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Re: Cellar Scribblings
« Reply #15272 on: December 26, 2017, 01:06:09 pm »
I love mince(meat-less) pie!  It's a tradition in our family to serve it at both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The fruit mince is sold in jars in many supermarkets in New England, not sure about other parts of the country. Add brandy and a pie crust and you're done!

It's particularly good with coffee at breakfast.

Offline CellarDweller

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Re: Cellar Scribblings
« Reply #15273 on: December 27, 2017, 12:20:49 am »
Hello Bettermost Friends!

I had a good time on Christmas Eve with family,  and then had Christmas day to myself to  relax.

Back to work today, and it was pretty slow.  I had everything done, and left for home 30 minutes early.


Tell him when l come up to him and ask to play the record, l'm gonna say: ''Voulez-vous jouer ce disque?''
'Voulez-vous, will you kiss my dick?'
Will you play my record? One-track mind!

Offline CellarDweller

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Re: Cellar Scribblings
« Reply #15274 on: December 27, 2017, 12:25:13 am »
I must admit, I've never had mincemeat pie....it just doesn't sound appealing to me.


Tell him when l come up to him and ask to play the record, l'm gonna say: ''Voulez-vous jouer ce disque?''
'Voulez-vous, will you kiss my dick?'
Will you play my record? One-track mind!

Offline serious crayons

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Re: Cellar Scribblings
« Reply #15275 on: December 27, 2017, 01:06:11 pm »
I love mince(meat-less) pie!  It's a tradition in our family to serve it at both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The fruit mince is sold in jars in many supermarkets in New England, not sure about other parts of the country. Add brandy and a pie crust and you're done!

It's particularly good with coffee at breakfast.

When I was growing up, it was relatively common in the Midwest. Not the brandy part, though, I don't think. That doesn't sound Midwestern.

Nowadays, while I'm sure I could find a jar of fruit mincemeat if I were determined, I don't remember often seeing them, even in foodie stores. And I don't hear many people talk about it, even in fond memories.

As an adult I adopted sweet-potato pie as my tradition. My recipe includes bourbon, and everybody loves it, Midwestern or not.



Offline brianr

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Re: Cellar Scribblings
« Reply #15276 on: December 27, 2017, 04:15:45 pm »
I do not like sweet potato. In NZ it is very popular but is called Kumura (Maori). I avoid it where possible.

Offline CellarDweller

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Re: Cellar Scribblings
« Reply #15277 on: December 27, 2017, 06:18:46 pm »
As an adult I adopted sweet-potato pie as my tradition. My recipe includes bourbon, and everybody loves it, Midwestern or not.

I do not like sweet potato. In NZ it is very popular but is called Kumura (Maori). I avoid it where possible.


I like sweet potato pie, but it's not necessarily a fave of mine.  If I didn't have it again,  I wouldn't miss it.


Tell him when l come up to him and ask to play the record, l'm gonna say: ''Voulez-vous jouer ce disque?''
'Voulez-vous, will you kiss my dick?'
Will you play my record? One-track mind!

Offline CellarDweller

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Re: Cellar Scribblings
« Reply #15278 on: December 28, 2017, 07:25:08 pm »
Today was my last day at work for the year.  :)

I have tomorrow off, and then the weekend, and New Year's Day.  :)

I'm going to my friends' house for a NYE party, so I have some baking to do!  :)   I'll be making some stromboli, and some mini-hot dogs  in puff pastry.


Tell him when l come up to him and ask to play the record, l'm gonna say: ''Voulez-vous jouer ce disque?''
'Voulez-vous, will you kiss my dick?'
Will you play my record? One-track mind!

Offline brianr

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Re: Cellar Scribblings
« Reply #15279 on: December 28, 2017, 07:59:48 pm »
   I'll be making some stromboli, and some mini-hot dogs  in puff pastry.
I had to look it up, I thought it was a volcano  ;D

As usual I will probably be in bed before 10pm. Depends what is on TV. I cannot remember the last time I saw the new year in, probably 2000 when even my 91 (at that date) year old mother stayed up.
They were taking down the giant Christmas tree (it is obviously fake, comes apart in sections and they used a crane) in the city square (called the Octagon) this morning and the giant sound stage had already been erected next to it.