Random Rants 76: Argh! Augh! Ahhh!

[Cutlass]

Water pistols at dawn, sir.

Me you

 

[Phrossack]

Ah, that's another point in favour of cooking. It teaches patience.

Oh, and it does save money.

I could stand to learn patience, but just can't be bothered to invest that kind of time. I want to master patience NOW!

I recommend room temperature for all involved...except you of course. You just maintain a healthy body temperature. But the cookies and the tray; room temperature. This can be challenging with certain cookies. A still warm and gooey chocolate chip cookie for example just demands to be pried off the tray, even if it is in bits and pieces.

These were warm and gooey chocolate chips. Their tastiness demanded immediate and decisive action.

 

[MaryKB]

Yes, you want to let them cool about 15 minutes or so before you move them. What I do is lift my parchment paper off and put it on my cooling rack with the cookies, then when they're cool they'll slide right off.

Making cookies from scratch isn't hard at all, I can give you tips if you're interested. You're mostly mixing butter and sugar.

Or if you're here in the US I can send you cookies.

 

[Synobun]

<non-sarcastic observation> This is a personality flaw which you must address.

If it were so easy to simply enjoy something you dislike, I imagine everyone would dislike things a lot less than they do.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Here's a completely different rant: I hate it when authors put unnecessary romance subplots into books just for the sake of them.

 

[MaryKB]

Here's a completely different rant: I hate it when authors put unnecessary romance subplots into books just for the sake of them.

I'd rather have a superfluous romance than a car chase. I hate when I'm watching a movie and then for no good reason suddenly you're forced to watch some long boring chase scene where nothing actually happens, just eventually someone gets away.

 

[Takhisis]

If it were so easy to simply enjoy something you dislike, I imagine everyone would dislike things a lot less than they do.

Aren't you one of those people who enjoy eating broccoli?

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Aren't you one of those people who enjoy eating broccoli?

What's wrong with broccoli?

 

[Takhisis]

Oh glob another one.

 

[Broken_Erika]

What's wrong with broccoli?

It's one of the deadliest plants on Earth.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Oh glob another one.

I read something somewhere...

It claims that people are genetically predisposed to either like broccoli or hate it. Difference in the receptors in some group of taste buds. The theory was that at some point some part of the world underwent a plague that broccoli made people far less susceptible to, so the plague selected for people who liked broccoli. Anyone with a lot of those broccoli eating survivors strongly represented in their ancestry will like broccoli, despite the fact that the less evolved human is predisposed to recognize it as potentially poisonous.

I myself am apparently drawn from the survivor stock, because I really like broccoli.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I'd rather have a superfluous romance than a car chase. I hate when I'm watching a movie and then for no good reason suddenly you're forced to watch some long boring chase scene where nothing actually happens, just eventually someone gets away.

If you are ever interested in a superfluous romance during a car chase look me up. I'll see what I can arrange.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Here's a completely different rant: I hate it when authors put unnecessary romance subplots into books just for the sake of them.

Unfortunately, a lot of romance subplots are what the editors think will sell, and they insist the author include them even if they would derail the overall plot or ruin the author's original plans for the protagonist(s).

That's the only explanation I can come up with for why Ben Bova put all that unnecessary stuff into his Grand Tour novels... particularly when he didn't write the female half of the couple very well (I'm thinking of the woman in Mercury... I can't remember her name, which is a good indication right there that she's a boring character and I can't imagine why the protagonist wouldn't just move on after she betrayed him for one of the men who helped set him up).

I'd rather have a superfluous romance than a car chase. I hate when I'm watching a movie and then for no good reason suddenly you're forced to watch some long boring chase scene where nothing actually happens, just eventually someone gets away.

Both superfluous romances and car chases are a problem when you really can't think of a reason to have them. The same can be said for spaceships chasing each other and shooting at each other. That's one of the reasons I find modern Star Trek (especially nuTrek) so boring - it had both superfluous shoot-em-up scenes and a superfluous romance.

Oh glob another one.

 

[MaryKB]

Wait .. who doesn't like broccoli?? Lightly steamed broccoli tastes just wonderfully delightful.

My favorite romance plots are where she has two guys to choose between. Both are almost always polar opposites, and you really struggle with who you hope she'll end up with (or you totally hate one and you stress out at her bad choices) Probably why stories like Bridget Jones are sooo good.

 

[The_J]

I read something somewhere...

It claims that people are genetically predisposed to either like broccoli or hate it. Difference in the receptors in some group of taste buds. The theory was that at some point some part of the world underwent a plague that broccoli made people far less susceptible to, so the plague selected for people who liked broccoli. Anyone with a lot of those broccoli eating survivors strongly represented in their ancestry will like broccoli, despite the fact that the less evolved human is predisposed to recognize it as potentially poisonous.

I myself am apparently drawn from the survivor stock, because I really like broccoli.

This seems to apply only to bitter taste though https://www.nature.com/news/2006/060918/full/news060918-1.html .
So no excuse if you don't taste anything bitter in there.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Unfortunately, a lot of romance subplots are what the editors think will sell, and they insist the author include them even if they would derail the overall plot or ruin the author's original plans for the protagonist(s).

That's the only explanation I can come up with for why Ben Bova put all that unnecessary stuff into his Grand Tour novels... particularly when he didn't write the female half of the couple very well (I'm thinking of the woman in Mercury... I can't remember her name, which is a good indication right there that she's a boring character and I can't imagine why the protagonist wouldn't just move on after she betrayed him for one of the men who helped set him up).

Based on his own performance as editor at Analog I doubt that anyone had to work terribly hard to convince Ben Bova that sex sells. Analog prospered under his leadership, and not by ignoring the realities of the marketplace.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

This seems to apply only to bitter taste though https://www.nature.com/news/2006/060918/full/news060918-1.html .
So no excuse if you don't taste anything bitter in there.

First line says it all:

"In the name of science (and for a small fee), 35 brave individuals volunteered to take part in an extensive taste test of raw broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and 25 other bitter vegetables."

My response was "they're bitter?"

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

I think she got to my mail before i could. I don't know yet

EDIT: Ok, she didn't. Maybe I worry too mcuh.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Based on his own performance as editor at Analog I doubt that anyone had to work terribly hard to convince Ben Bova that sex sells. Analog prospered under his leadership, and not by ignoring the realities of the marketplace.

Unfortunately, he must have missed noticing that while it may sell, it didn't do anything to really enhance his novel. It's one thing if the relationship is essential to the plot. That's the case in some of his novels (ie. Moonbase, Moonwar, and the novels featuring Lars Fuchs). But as mentioned, there are other novels where it's just padding the story and gets in the way. Bova should have realized that.

First line says it all:

"In the name of science (and for a small fee), 35 brave individuals volunteered to take part in an extensive taste test of raw broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and 25 other bitter vegetables."

My response was "they're bitter?"

How do they explain people who love broccoli and spinach but hate most of the others? I can't stand cauliflower unless it's pickled.

 

[Takhisis]

I read something somewhere...

It claims that people are genetically predisposed to either like broccoli or hate it. Difference in the receptors in some group of taste buds. The theory was that at some point some part of the world underwent a plague that broccoli made people far less susceptible to, so the plague selected for people who liked broccoli. Anyone with a lot of those broccoli eating survivors strongly represented in their ancestry will like broccoli, despite the fact that the less evolved human is predisposed to recognize it as potentially poisonous.

I myself am apparently drawn from the survivor stock, because I really like broccoli.

What do you mean ‘potentially’?

It must probably be a recessive gene now that I think of it. Older generations in my family eat the stuff.

I can't stand cauliflower

You are forgiven.