> > They have us all over a barrel, and absolute barrelocity
> > corrupts absolutely.
> ConEd is right in there pitching too.  

There used to be a big thing made about publicly-owned 
utilities. I never got the point of that.

> > > Better than criminals turned pro.
> > Depends on the criminals, and the Weird.  Who are sometimes the 
> > criminals.
> > It's the ones who don't appear strange and go to The City 
> > on the 7:29 local with their coats and ties and briefcases 
> > that we have more to worry about.
> They blend in and hide in the crowd, unlike the ones in leather pants 
> and purple hair.  

I'd have guessed that the ones in leather pants and purple hair
aren't really into crime, or at least the kind of crime that
would affect the likes of us.
 
> > I saw bits of the Johnny Depp version and found it
> > really inferior to Gene Wilder's, though it would 
> > have been fun to see Depp sing Pure Imagination, 
> > which Wilder gave an only slightly menacing, not
> > wholly deranged, aspect to.
> I saw parts of the Depp version too.  He took it to the dark side for 
> sure.  

So I went on line and heard a recording of Depp singing
something or other, and I no longer want to hear him sing
Pure Imagination.
 
> > Not the worst itinerary.  
> > By a long shot. Lilli bettered up a bit, and we remet
> > after a little snag caused by United abetted by Lilli's
> > not getting my messages and did a laundry ... where some
> > foreign matter got into the wash machine, and two learns
> > were learned today - don't run panty liners through the
> > wash, and don't drink a mouthful of root beer down the
> > wrong pipe while laughing about it. I'm still coughing
> > up sugar water an hour later.
> Panty liners and paper tissues.  I'm forever washing the tissues. 
> Darned things get EVERYWHERE. 

You should use paper towels instead. They wash.
 
> > > > I'm told some have done a mashed potato ice cream.  I'm not 
> > > > sure why. 
> > > As Edmund Hillary said, Because it's there.
> > Challenge accepted?  I've heard of black pepper too.
> > The one that weirds me out is olive oil ice cream. I mean ... why?
> > The last I've had. It's not horrid, just a little
> > strange - it's served with an appetizer, not as
> > dessert.
> Just as well. It might work well with an olive oil cake. 

Some restaurant served me an olive oil cake once - it was
a little peppery and a little cakey, but the main problem
was, as you can guess, the absence of butter.

> > > Are they Kosher?
> > Only on Christmas. 
> > A custom I always found peculiar.
> It's Tradition if you're East Coast Jewish. Movies and whatever's 
> open on Christmas. In really traditional households it's Chinese 
> food, but less observant folks will go out for Thai, Indian etc too.

No less peculiar. As in, why do anything at all on Christmas?

Chicken Lo Mein
categories: Kosher, Asianesque, pasta, main
servings: 4

8 oz spaghetti noodles
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tb olive oil
2 Tb sesame oil, divided
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 celery rib, thinly sliced
2 c coleslaw mix
2 stalks celery or bok choy, sliced
1 carrot, shredded
3 Tb soy sauce

Boil spaghetti until al dente and drain well.

Cut chicken breasts into small shredded pieces. 
Sprinkle with salt to taste. In a large skillet or 
wok heat olive oil and saute chicken until done. 
Remove, set aside and toss with 1 Tb sesame oil.

Add remaining sesame oil to skillet or wok and 
saute onion, garlic, celery, coleslaw mix, bok 
choy, and carrot until crispy tender (appx 5 min) 
adding more olive oil if needed.

Stir in spaghetti noodles and chicken. Add soy 
sauce and toss. Cook on low heat until noodles 
are nice and darkened.

Eileen Goltz, oukosher.org