Useless Conversation

[Chimpy]

Considering that the bottle would be labeled, that means they actually believed that the correct name for malt vinegar is "Fish Sauce"

As in they grew up, asking each other to pass the fish sauce when they ate fish and chips.

Would they not have noticed when they went to buy it in the store, that malt vinegar is not labeled "fish sauce" in any manner?

They just buy it by the bottle that looks like the ones at Long John Silver's!

[01101010]

Wtf is fish sauce anyway? I've heard of sauces to dip fish in like tartar but...

[Trippy]

It's best not to know and just enjoy your favorite southeast Asian food in ignorance.

[rattran]

It's the gift of the gods to cooking. It and asafoetida are things you don't want to use as a condiment though.

[edit] Red Boat really does look about the same color as malt vinegar.

[apocrypha]

Fish sauce, or Nam Pla, is a very salty, strongly flavoured clear brown liquid made from fermented fish or shrimp, used in Eastern cooking a lot, particularly Thai and Indonesian AFAIK. You use it sparingly in things like salad dressings and sauces for meat & fish. It's very, very heavy in umami.

You really, really don't want to pour it on your fish & chips.

[Bunk]

Also Vietnamese. It's a key ingredient in the pork marinade for a Banh mi, the greatest sandwich ever invented.

[Teleku]

I'm a fan, but Fish Sauce is certainly not popular amongst a large hunk of the population.

[Bunk]

Mostly because people base what they think of it on what it tastes like straight up. Like Worcestershire Sauce, which is awesome, but would taste horrible straight up. And interestingly is also a fermented sauce that contains fish.

[justdave]

I went into  BestBuy the other day, it reminded me of Silo and Circuit City before they went under.  Nothing not on sale was reasonably priced, employees were sharking the customers and fighting for sales, shit was thinly stocked. 

Best Buy is the next domino to fall since you can get stuff they carry at better big box stores while you buy groceries, and on top of that there's internet.

A lot of big box stores are realising that a lot of their visitors are people coming to see what stuff actually looks like before going home to buy it on Amazon.

Or, hell, from their phone while still in the store. I'm amazed I've never had any sales drone try to give me shit for it.

[Merusk]

All this talk of Asian food has me wanting Pho again. Damnit.

[schild]

Heh, my neighbors borrowed fish sauce from me last night. They returned it this morning telling me it had gone bad.  Apparently they were asking for malt vinegar and their fish and fries were ruined.

These sound like Trump voters.

[rattran]

Worse, they're hippies.

[Bunk]

All this talk of Asian food has me wanting Pho again. Damnit.

Is it rare where you are? I have three Vietnamese restaurants in walking distance of my apartment. My previous apartment was on top of a Pho place.

[Chimpy]

Dude. Vancouver is not a good barometer for the availability of Asian cuisine elsewhere in North America.

[Hawkbit]

I didn't even realize Vietnamese food was an actual thing until I moved to the PNW. In Ohio everyplace is Chinese food. Thai? That's Chinese food. Mongolian BBQ? Chinese food. The only possible exception is a Japanese steakhouse, because of fucking course it is.

The idea of Pho and Bhan Mi is great, but the former is always too salty and the latter is usually gristle and ultra dry cuts of meat.

[HaemishM]

We actually have a really great place for Pho here called, appropriately enough, Saigon. They have an amazing fish stew type soup/Pho thing with squid and fish balls and shrimp that is just amazing. Good hot pots as well.

[Yegolev]

I hear that about Ingles all the time. Especially from my lake people up at Lanier. There's no Ingles in Toco Hills though, so there we are.

I checked and they definitely orbit the ATL at a safe distance, for some reason.  Next time you go into the mountains, pick up your groceries at one.  The one in Clayton has a Starbucks inside, and I think the one in Hiawassee also does.

[Chimpy]

Dude, what grocery store doesn't have a Starbucks inside?

[Paelos]

I hear that about Ingles all the time. Especially from my lake people up at Lanier. There's no Ingles in Toco Hills though, so there we are.

I checked and they definitely orbit the ATL at a safe distance, for some reason.  Next time you go into the mountains, pick up your groceries at one.  The one in Clayton has a Starbucks inside, and I think the one in Hiawassee also does.

My guess would be the lease prices and/or land values. They can probably operate on slimmer margins OTP to service their customer base because OH is lower.

[Merusk]

All this talk of Asian food has me wanting Pho again. Damnit.

Is it rare where you are? I have three Vietnamese restaurants in walking distance of my apartment. My previous apartment was on top of a Pho place.

There's three places I know of in Cinci that serve it.  The best one is downtown and closed on weekends while also being too far to drive during lunch. The one near my office is mediocre though affordable.  My biggest complaint is the broth wasn't seasoned well and the jalapeño were sliced lengthwise. Who the hell does that.

The third I haven't tried but it's also too far to hit during lunch. So instead I had a general tso healthy choice steamer.  What a terrible compromise.

There should be someplace in Vegas I can get a good one next week.

[Bunk]

Dude. Vancouver is not a good barometer for the availability of Asian cuisine elsewhere in North America.

Fair enough. I do get spoiled here.

The main street two blocks from me has the following in a two block stretch:  Gastro Pub, Sushi, Chinese (North American and Authentic), Mexican, Thai, Falafal, Ukrainian Bakery, Vietnamese, Tim Hortons, Greasy Spoon Diner, Starbucks, McDonalds, Subway, Greek, Pizza, a Salad place, Donair. I've set foot in the McD's there once in 18 months. Expand by a block and you can add in a high end Malaysian place and a fancy Schnitzel house.

[Abagadro]

Hope all our Seattle/Vancouver/Portland folks have battened down the hatches. That storm looks very nasty.

[Hawkbit]

Hope all our Seattle/Vancouver/Portland folks have battened down the hatches. That storm looks very nasty.

Backyard status: swamp. Basement has a bit of water trickling in already. :/ I also don't think my fence is going to make it through tomorrow.

[01101010]

Hope all our Seattle/Vancouver/Portland folks have battened down the hatches. That storm looks very nasty.

My buddy from Chicago is flying to Spokane thru Seattle to meet up with his brother to go to the Washington State game tomorrow. Said his flight was delayed for an hour due to rain. Never heard of that before... high winds, snow, ice...sure, but rain? crazy.

[Chimpy]

Well, the ground control tower they built at Seatac a few years ago can't actually see the entire airfield when visibility is low so heavy rain would probably make visibility pretty low 

[Merusk]

Dude, what grocery store doesn't have a Starbucks inside?

Piggly Wiggly.

And since you asked, I'd suggest you just keep on drivin'.

[01101010]

Dude, what grocery store doesn't have a Starbucks inside?

Piggly Wiggly.

And since you asked, I'd suggest you just keep on drivin'.

Yeah. That store is "where you go when you've fucked up once too often in Walmart"

[koro]

My small town's Piggly Wiggly is literally the only grocery store within 20 miles.

[Engels]

I bought Seattle Emergency supplies just now. A rack of seltzer and a pound of espresso beans. Let the wrath of the gods descend!

[Nebu]

I bought Seattle Emergency supplies just now. A rack of seltzer and a pound of espresso beans. Let the wrath of the gods descend!

Don't forget salt for when it starts raining slugs.

[Soln]

We're NE of Seattle in a home surrounded by 100+ foot tall evergreens.  So here's hoping they don't fall on house, car or young kids.  Once I learn about generators, we'll have one for next inevitable outages.

[schild]

Am finally back to Austin. Fuck New England. Fuck it forever and ever.

[IainC]

Tax office sent me a postcard today. To my home. Telling me that they don't have my address on file.

[HaemishM]

Tax office sent me a postcard today. To my home. Telling me that they don't have my address on file.

[Father mike]

Tax office sent me a postcard today. To my home. Telling me that they don't have my address on file.

That's not as Kafka-esque as it sounds at first.  Post offices - especially in rural areas - are crazy good at teasing out how to get mail to the right person.  Over the years we have gotten mail with address oddities ranging from transposed digits all the way up to "The new lady doctor in town" written on the outside of an envelope (with appropriate postage!)

Unless the postcard had your address printed on it by the tax office.  Then it's just retarded.