> > holidays mostly I guess, because generally during
> > the year we who don't actually have them around
> > tend to see them in stressful situations, shopping
> > or traveling or at restaurants.
> Those times can be stressful, it's true.  Notibly it always easier to take
kids
> shopping when you know that say at the end of the day or week or whatever
> you'll be returning "the kids" to their own parents.

That's part of why uncles and aunts and grandfolks 
and such often enjoy their young relatives more than
the parents do. Also there's the issue of more is not
necessarily better.
 
> >> Hershey's syrup instead of U-bet's syrup.
> > So guess what? Not only did Wegmans in Newark not carry
> > U-Bet, none of the staff, and we're talking guys who
> > were 50 or 60 years old and did not seem like oblivious
> > idiots, had even heard of it.
> That is kind of insane.  In NY yet.. :(

And it wasn't even that they were expressing the
famous upstate/downstate attitude - they seemed
genuinely baffled by my request.
 
> >After I told them that the
> > house brand or Hershey's wouldn't do, one of them had an
> > idea and led me to the cocktail fixings, where they had
> > pina colada mix and lime syrup, that sort of thing. I
> > told him it was a children's drink and then rather
> > pointedly went around the store putting back the (Lactaid)
> > milk and the bottles of seltzer.
> That's scary... I note that the online display for Wegmans in Ithaca says it
> does carry it, in "aisle 13B".  Ron says he's never noticed it there but then
> again he'd already ordered it online (he got 3 bottles (grin)). I'll have him
> check next time he goes just out of curiosity.

I'll remember Aisle 13B. But one thing the Shipps
found notable is that though there is a similarity
in the style in which the stores are set up, the
actual execution varies widely from store to store,
with some almost mirror image to others.

> It must have been great to see them again, I'm glad they were able to join in
> and I'm sure they enjoyed seeing you folks as well.  I hope the two of
them are
> doing ok now in this heat.. sure to be hard on anyone I think.  Ron and I sure
> feel it here.

It was, and we all wish you could have been there
to see them.
 
> > Here's to show that "fried pie" is multicultural.
> > Title: Fried Pies
> > M notes that you could put a chocolate filling in these as well.
> Yes, I think that would be good :)
 
Or pizza filling. Of course you remember Jeno's pizza
rolls? The story is that this very foresighted Italian
 guy called Luigino (Jeno for short) founded a Chinese-
food company (not a Chinese food company) called Chun
King, and discovering that the American public was
eating up the eggroll concept, decided to hybridize
these with one of his ancestral favorites, the peetsa
(why he didn't spell it that way when he misspelled
his own name I don't know), and came up with the pizza
roll, which made him rich and a household name.

--mm
Ants climbing trees
cat: mine, Chinese, amusing, simplified
servings: 2

1 bundle bean threads (2 oz or so)
3 oz ground pork
1 ts soy sauce
1 ts sherry
oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 ts minced ginger
1 ts chili paste with garlic
chicken broth
1 scallion, white and green, minced

Soak bean threads in warm water.

Mix pork, soy, sherry and let stand.

Drain bean threads and set aside.

Heat oil hot, adding aromatics. Hold your
breath. Add pork mixture and stir-fry until
done. Remove all to a warm bowl.

In the same pan, add bean threads and stir-fry
15-30 sec or so. Add broth gradually, I have no
idea how much, maybe up to a cup, until threads
have puffed up and are translucent and tender.
Put on a serving plate, spoon pork over, and
strew scallions over all.

Source: me

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