In today’s DOT @LemmyKilmister made some suggestions to diversify the site. The comments are well worth the read. It got me thinking about some different topics for Friday night NOTs. It is timely because my brain was getting full or empty depending on how you look at it. All the love to @brightersideoflife for doing it five times a week.
I normally stay away from hot button issues because of “The Internet”. Things can easily be misconstrued. Sarcasm and a dry sense of humor sometimes doesn’t travel well. Plus no one wants to be the bad behavior police. But maybe it is time to say “What the Dickens”.
So starting next week I would like to tackle some heavier issues. Animal rights, education, mental health, drugs, and eventually guns. There are a lot of smart people on this site and I would like to hear some of your opinions. Shrinking violets we are not.
Suggestions are welcome. If there is something you want to discuss let me know. At the end of the NOT I will post the following week’s topic. Next week’s topic will be all things DEATH. Personally I’m against it. Wills, DNR, assisted suicide, hospice care, and life after. Remember, save the death talk for next week. I’ll be your psychopomp – don’t forget your coins.
On a lighter note let’s talk pickles. They are not finger food. Pickles should be eaten with a fork. No one likes pickle fingers. Ellie says according to etiquette, pickles ARE finger food. What say you? As an aside, gherkins are horrible.
Gherkins are an excellent addition to a ham spread. As @Butcherbakertoiletrymaker would say, fight me.
I like the idea of actual deep topics on the NOTs. Only recommendation I have is either the title needs to be very clear or toss a content warning in the blurb so folks don’t accidentally wander into something.
I think abstract discussions of issues to be pretty dull — talk about guns almost always just goes over the same old ground.
What works a lot better in my opinion is figuring out what people are talking about when they talk about an abstraction, and then addressing that.
So if guns are really a proxy about safety, maybe bring up the issue of personal safety instead and ask how far people go in their lives to make their homes safe.
Trying to untangle everything about animal rights is impossible in a forum like this, so maybe the better way in is to talk about one issue, like when do you think it’s time to put a pet to sleep, or what’s your thought process on how many pets you can have.
@blue dogcollar
I appreciate the input. As this moves forward I hope we will be able to fine tune it. The subjects I mentioned are broad but can be narrowed down. I mentioned animal rights but really it will be about horse/dog racing. Thanks for taking the time.
I am decidedly not a fan of pickles as a sandwich/burger topping but I acknowledge that sometimes they add an extra oomph to a sauce or recipe.
Pickles are of the devil.
If I remember correctly you don’t eat onions either. Oh @Lymond you’re breaking my heart!
I had a guy interested in me a while back who I found out didn’t like onions or potatoes.
I told him we wouldn’t suit.
Haha! Sorry to make you sad @Hannibal. I eat most other things, though😊
You eat pickles with a fork? I’m dumbfounded. How? Do you spear one on a fork and take bites of it? Or cut it on your plate and eat the pieces with your fork?
I love pickles, I eat them almost every day. I eat a lot of cucumbers, either with hot sauce or chili crisp. I like pickled banana peppers and green beans too, and chow chow. I guess I just like vinegar.
I’m willing to try some heavier topics on the NOT. We can at least see how it goes, get to know each other a little better.
@Hannibal
Stab it at one end and takes bites. Cut up and added to tuna salad is great.
Interesting approach. I do like chopped pickle in tuna and even egg salad.
I like them on a burger & in potato salad but not a fan of straight pickles. I wanted to like fried pickles but found them way too salty. Although I should say this applies to American style pickles. Korean pickled cucumbers are awesome.
As a person of Korean origin, pickles (mostly of the non cucumber variety) are pretty much lifeblood of the cuisine.
I always like a good pickle. Except eggs, onions, duck eggs and pig’s feet.
I’m good with heavier topics. Discussion is good for understanding as my experience and views won’t be the same as others. At least we don’t freak out about disagreements… so far.
Yeah I’m not much of a fan of cucumbers in general, so I think this is part of my indifference to pickles.
Last summer I made bread-and-butter pickles but with sliced zucchini instead of cukes and holy fuck were those good!
Only slightly related (burgers) this story is really cool & now I’m going to go have a burger here next time I am near there,
https://www.king5.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/evening/olympic-peninsula-fat-smittys-veterans-burger-dollar-bucks-chainsaw-art/281-a1eb77cd-b6ea-4bcd-82e0-0106c160fd95
Gherkins are best for fondue. Thus sayeth The Swiss.
Obligatory:
I miss this show so much! They nailed every Portland trend & stereotype ever!
are you sharing the pickles?
with anyone other than ellie i mean….i assume its to late to avoid whatever shes got
if the answer to that is no…..then yeah…its fingerfood….youve already caught whats on offer
Broken record from Montreal here… Gibbys makes an excellent giant garlicky pickle which you eat with a knife and fork. They leave a dish of them on the table to snack on much in the way bread used to always be served “free” at restaurants. They are fabulous and the garlic breathe that ensues can knock your dinner date out. Pro tip: be sure to share the pickles.
Try as I might and I do love vinegar so I will always try one if they are served…but gherkins are always a disappointment.
Korean pickled cucumbers are fantastic!
I never heard of pickles set out like bread. That’s a great idea.
Whatever you do is gravy to me. I can do serious, or I can do pickles. But only if the company is right, and it’s right around here.
Bread & butter or sweet pickles are NOT pickles. Pickles are dill (preferably with garlic) and should be eaten by any means possible.
Goddamned right. WTF is wrong with so many people on this site?
None of us have the time to do that answer justice.
@lemmykilmister and I have two things in common:
We share a love for baseball and we both have PHDs…only he has a real one and my PHD is in conspiracy idiocy (really…ask me anything) so I feel our discussions are far more intriguing for me than they are for him?
…and he isn’t wrong…
so if anyone has a platform on which to spread the DS “word” and share links or encourage people to join our community, I implore you to do so. Let them know…
also for any lurkers paying attention…
to email admin@deadsplinter.com and we’ll be quick to get them/you situated.
@myopicprophet
just reporting some minor issues….
The last few days the site has been rather sluggish for me. Crashed and reloaded a few times when I try to comment. Also when I login I have to click into a post for it to work (instead of being able to login on the front page)
Thise issues were the result of a few updates that I fixed after a few hours so if you are still experiencing them you might need to clear your browser’s cache? If that doesn’t work please lmk.
I love pickles. Like, nearly al of them. Dill, kosher, garlicky, sweet, spicy pickles are one of the best foods on earth. Pickled okra, pickled mushrooms, pickled green beans, pickled beets. Kim chi is one of my favorite foods. All of the Korean and Japanese style pickled vegetables I’ve tried are amazing. Pickles with cheese and crackers. Pickles on sandwiches. Pickles in everything.
ETA: I generally am better at lighthearted discussions but I’m open to more meaty ones too. Maybe a little bit of both scattered across the week?
Pickles are divine, and the technique of pickling is ingenious, blessed, etc. But don’t mess with a good thing: I prefer dill pickles, and the best variety are called new pickles. Lightly pickled so they still have a crispness (as opposed to rubberiness) and they aren’t overwhelmed by sour or bitter vinegary notes. If you get a pickle spear (quartered lengthwise) from your local deli, chances are they’ll hand it to you wrapped in wax paper. Then and only then is it OK to eat without utensils (because the wax paper swaddling is protecting your fingers). I agree with @myopicprophet that bread & butter or sweet pickles are just not it.
Beyond the cucumber, kimchi and any Korean pickled veggie are superior dishes. Pickled cabbage can also be delicious prepped in that way the cabbage fixins are for pupusas. Yum. The pickled carrot whisps you get in Vietnamese restaurants are also tasty. I also swear by escabeche (especially the onions) as the crucial garnish that brings tacos from good to great.
One more note: shout out to @HammerZeitgeist for touting Montreal. The first time I tried fried pickles was at Mile End Deli (based in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, and started by Montrealer expats). It was late at night and I was their last customer, sitting at the counter after a punishing day and evening of work. The cooks were playing around before closing and proceeded to deep fry a number of things, one batch of which was dill pickles. They shared one with me, and it was a glorious thing of beauty. Fresh, lightly fried, still crisp and tasty, with the vinegar mellowing out the greasiness of the fryer. It was so good and I’ll never experience another to top it. I once ordered a plate of fried pickles whilst I was watching France narrowly lose Euro Cup, and it was the grossest, crassest, straight-from-the-freezer-bag, lowest common denominator variety of pub food possible. Montrealers know how to make a proper pickle.