> > as such can be in Detroit, for 17K. Now, the average house in 
> Detroit 
> > is worth 60K, though this one probably would go for less, if it's 
> still 
> > standing.
> That same house in Boston would be 300K, is my guess. 

More like 4 or 5, but who's counting.

> > close to its metal value. Now the metal value would be a buck or 
> > so, but the purchasing power would be a billionth of a dollar.
> As long as the Venezuelan money was in specie, the villain would have 
> made out OK, especially he sold out at the height of the market in 
> the 80s and bought Apple stock instead.

I think he got killed off, or at least Ian Fleming did. It is
every child's dream, to surf the top of the investment wave
and voluntarily wipe out without being wiped out. 

> > > > been plumpish, nerdlyish, and a little awkward back in the day.
> > > That would describe a lot of us. 
> > Well, yeah, but his story shows that there may be some hope.
> A friend of mine, skinny as a rail, didn't get hitched for the first 
> time until he was almost 60.  Total geek/nerd with a thing for 
> marathon bike rides.  

Well, hitched and relationed are different, plus there
are late bloomers, plus as the population ages, the
pool (traditionally of women but true to some extent
of guys) gets more desperate and less selective.

> > > > I've never had a paper towel stuffed into a pocket get shredded 
> > > > in the wash, not that I'd know.
> > > Can't say I've ever run one through the wash.
> > Since I use paper towels extensively, sometimes cramming a
> > double in my back pocket while cooking the way sous-chefs do
> > a dishrag, ... .
> I only use them for greasy messes and cleaning up after the cat, more 
> or less. 

I use them for these purposes, even pets too, when I'm in
a household with one or, god forbid, more. Then I toss them.
For aqueous spills, I keep them around, and of course the
improvised snot rags also go into the back pocket, with the
expectable results.

> > > Butter is made from a waste product, at least if you're a cow, so 
> > > it's ecologically more sound than soy or corn oil. 
> > Except for the methane.
> Yeahwell.  It's a byproduct, so producing butter requires no extra 
> methane production.  It also tastes better, so there's that.

It requires keeping the cows barefoot and pregnant and in 
good physical condition, so the methane cost is not zero.

Beignets de Vinzel
categories: Swiss, dairy, snack
yield: 1 large batch

1 lb loaf English bread or small toast bread
400 g Gruy˙re, preferably Gruyere d'alpage
- or other full-fat hard cheese fit to be melted
pepper, nutmeg
3 eggs
2 Tb flour
1 ts baking powder
1 clove garlic
2 Tb kirsch or fruit brandy

The mighty Beignets de Vinzel is a cult dish from the Swiss
coast of Lake Geneva. In two villages on the Swiss coast
of Lake Geneva, Luins and Vinzel, you can eat cheese fritters
whose recipe was brought back by Swiss soldiers fighting for 
the French in the Crimean war (1853-1856).

Slice bread thin (1/2 cm, 1/5 in).

Break 2 eggs and add to the grated cheese. Season with nutmeg, 
pepper, and a crushed garlic clove.

Add the flour, baking powder, and brandy.

Separate the third egg and lightly beat the white. Wet the 
top side of each bread slice with a brush. You can also toast 
the bread beforehand, this gives an even better taste. 

Using a large tablespoon, press cheese dough on each slice
until you have a regular mound that covers the entire top.

Heat a deep-fryer or pot to 180C/360F. Prepare a reasonable 
amount of beignets in relation to your fryer's size. Lower them 
into the hot oil and watch. If they tend to float and keep 
their top out of the oil, just turn your fritters upside down 
with a slotted spoon so that they cook evenly. You need at least 
3 min in the bath for the cheese core to melt. 

Remove the fritters carefully and let the oil drip for a while. 
Then lay them delicately over absorbent paper.

These are best eaten hot while the cheese inside is still melted.

after Marianne Kaltenbach, Aus Schweizer K˙chen via fxcuisine.com