Squeezing? Maybe? I’m old enough that I’m not going to do anything to restrict the flow that my prostate isn’t already doing lol

They gotta keep them quotas

Νεατ¡

Completely unrelated.

Do you run a script to automatically convert th to Thor, or is it a key binding to the symbol? Or something else? Just curious.

Also, yes, addiction and fascination are two different things. I miss when headlines were puns

So I got curious and went down the Wikipedia rabbit hole. Here’s the first paragraph from the apple butter article:

The roots of apple butter lie in Limburg (Belgium and the Netherlands) and Rhineland (Germany), conceived during the Middle Ages, when the first monasteries (with large orchards) appeared. The production of the butter was a perfect way to conserve part of the fruit production of the monasteries[1] in that region, at a time when almost every village had its own apple-butter producers. The production of apple butter was also a popular way of using apples in colonial America, well into the 19th century.

So yeah, apple butter has roots in Germany, at least for central Europe. However, other fruit butters have other origins, such as Lekvar and Powidi, as you mentioned. At the same time Latwerge and Apfelkraut were developing in Germany, monasteries in the British Isles were also developing apple butter as a preservation technique. It seems the tradition/technique developed in parallel as a communal way of preserving fruit.

Since grandma’s recipe included a sweetener it likely has its roots in the British Isles, where honey would be added to the preserves as a sweetener. Her apple tree produced a fairly sour soft apple, which also would inform that decision. The pies were amazing

I had tomato ice cream and tomato beer in Iceland. It was better than the fish jerky

Not sure if joking so I’ll answer seriously…

Like apple butter, or pear butter. Maybe it’s an Appalachian thing, I dunno. You chop up the fruit, let’s say apples, and slow cook them for a few hours. Then puree them, add cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, whatever, and a bunch of sugar. Can the results. We always used small mason jars that had been in the family for God only knows how long.

Grandma wouldn’t use a blender, she was old school. She’d add all the ingredients together in a big stock pot, drop a silver dollar in the bottom, and stir for hours, until she couldn’t hear the coin move around anymore. I say she stirred for hours, but she’d “enlist” the help of the kids, and later, daughters-in-law, and eventually grandchildren. She was born in 1912, so I reckon it was just her way

Tomato butter is a little different, after you separate the tomato buttercream and add seasoning and vinegar, add back the tomato buttercream until the consistency is where you like it

Ketchup is a fruit butter, not a jam.

Cooked, pureed fruit with sugar and spices, no pectin. Not a jam

Ooh ooh, I know how to get on a list!

Ahem

Luigi did nothing wrong

I’m so old I remember reading the ingredients on the shampoo bottle because my brother took the bathroom joke book with him after pooping.

I’m so old I remember grabbing The Onion from the free dispenser outside my apartment building.

I’m so old I get a PSA test annually and need to schedule a colonoscopy

I do regret not ordering the matching embroidered “Face” and “Ass” towels from an ad in The Onion when I had a chance.

You don’t take the Sears catalogue into the outhouse for the paper, you take it for the lingerie section. If you need a book of good wiping paper you take the Farmers Almanac

Ahhh, regulatory capture. As American as regime change

Exactly!

While CICO is universally true, it doesn’t account for a few other factors. For instance, gut microbiome. Gut flora has a strong affect on cravings. Also mental and emotional health also affect self control and regulation. Food “science” has created craving monstrosities snacks that are as addictive as cigarettes. Personal health issues like PCOS and thyroid dysfunction will affect how many calories are consumed by the body and how those calories are used within the body.

So yes, eat less and lose weight. Sure. Some people can lose weight eating junk. For others it creates a reward cascade in the brain that leads to overeating. Just eat less. For some that’s as practical as telling a lifelong smoker to give up the habit. And that’s why medical alternatives to self control exist, but aren’t successful without addressing the root cause of the obesity.

I’m Appalachian. Yes I’m of Scotch-Irish descent and my family name is most definitely English, but I’m Appalachian. My forbears were rednecks and communists. And bigots. And public servants. And settlers (murderers of many indigenous peoples). And Union soldiers. In my ancestry are victims of rape and rapists. I’m most comfortable in Northern Scotland and Southern Scandinavia. The land calls out to something ancient within me. I want to raise sheep and live above a barn. My tribe is nebulous, and I’m at peace with that. Some are not.

The United States is a melting pot, and personal identity is both exalted and at the same time completely irrelevant. You’re “American” first, and everything else second. Some people cling to a tribe or identity to call their own. Since no one in Europe knows what a “Packer” is, they’ll say they’re Norwegian-American. They want recognition of their tribe. They want to identify with something bigger, and have the security of others of their tribe when they travel. They want connection. I would hazard that most who put their foot in their mouth while traveling don’t realize the faux pas. They think it’s a way of connecting with others from another place.

“Oh! You’re Italian? Hey, so am I! My mom makes the best Fettuccine Alfredo. I love cannoli. Do you like pizza? Please see me. Please accept me. I’m alone here and no one will riff with me. I’m trying to connect. I’m trying to meet you halfway. I’m trying…”

I’m surprised you didn’t have a series of backup tape drivers connected by SCSI lol

Oh wait, that’s more like twelve year old technology

At first I was like “9TB!? That’s like a billion bajillion. It’s like Dr Evil demanding $100 billion in 1969!”

And then I realized I have over 9TB of liberated media on my NAS. I really need to adjust my concept of technology, not to mention the passage of time.

I mean, 911 was only ten years ago, right? Right!?