See, I was ok with that part of the bit: rules for pluralisation are weird in lots of languages, so that’s a fair strain of humour to attempt. I just hated the lack of effort to land it with the proper Latin case.

Agreed completely. It was an eat-it-or-lose-it fridge situation.

Oranges Juliorum, surely? Plural genitive? This is Exhibit A in quid opus editoribus Gawker ect ect ect.

I was eating duck pastrami with extra-extra mayo while reading this article. It’s not quite cause and effect but it’s close enough for irony, maybe?

Your absolutely right and they deserve the bulk of the credit for that. That said, I can’t help thinking that I still find the countries I’ve listed to be among the most family-friendly in the world (I’d add China and Vietnam now, which I didn’t visit as a child). There’s some kid of correlation, I think, between a…

I don’t want to sound unsympathetic to the restaurant here - I put on soundproof headphones if there’s a child under 15 in view on any flight/train trip/other occasion where I can’t just leave. I appreciate that one of their intents is to protect the quality of my evening out. But, one of the reasons I’m here on this…

I appreciate both the recommendation and the Le Creuset love. That said, your comment made me realize that I’m essentially no different than the guy who’s owned half a dozen Porsches, thinking “maybe I’ll try a Ferrari next time.” Need to go shower off that comparison now, and spend some time appreciating the (31 year…

Sorry I can’t help with brands - I’m now on my 48th hour in North America, so I’m useless for that sort of thing here. If your area’s populous enough that it has a restaurant supply store catering specifically to Asian restaurants, I’d suggest picking a random mid-priced carbon steel wok from their shelves. They are…

Are you somewhere you can get one made (ie somewhere with a large Chinese diaspora settlement) or do you have to buy a branded one? If it’s the former, go to a couple of Chinese supermarkets and ask for recommendations. If it’s the latter, all I can tell you is that you want carbon steel, not stainless or non-stick.…

Can you recommend any brands? I’ve got a bunch of 20+ year old Le Creuset, all in great shape, but I have terminal “grass is greener” syndrome and wonder who else makes the good stuff.

If I’m ever knighted, I promise to adopt this as my motto and have it featured on my coat of arms.

36 hours ago, I moved back to Canada after 30 years away. I’m in a courtesy apartment about 200m from an IGA and I think I have imprinted on it the way chicks do with the mother hen. I’ve been in four times (also been to Tim’s four times but that’s just reflex). There are basically no brands there that I remember from…

Dear God, how does this not have all the stars?

Did he say which music he’s playing? I would not like to be a clerk at a 7-11 where Shostakovich’s Leningrad is blasting 24/7... The mental health issues would be catastrophic.

It’s the week for taste memories: I had some grilled octopus on Sunday that took me right back to the first dinner of my honeymoon.

Use your stock fats as well. Especially the really unhealthy red-meat ones. I know they’re going to try to kill me. I don’t care. Refritos are not health food and cardiologists need to make a living too.

Hi Brian! Really interesting read - thanks for posting it. I’ve only had a few of the whiskies you described, all while in Japan, generally the no-age-statement stuff and a couple of the Chichibus (which I had no idea were so expensive until days after I’d tried them.) I don’t have the alcohol vocab to describe what I…

Supermarket mayonnaise or (worse) salad cream. I know mayonnaise. I love mayonnaise. I will eat good mayonnaise with a spoon or, lacking one, my finger. That shit is not mayonnaise and is almost certainly a petroleum byproduct regardless of what the label claims. My wife says she knows I really love her because I…

I agree with you that cilantro sensitivity is a genetic thing but I think it may not be 100% of the cause. I spent most of my 20s and 30s taking steroids (medical condition, not gym beast) and hating cilantro. Around the same time I stopped taking the drugs, I started not-liking-but-not-minding the flavour, at least…

To be fair, that better describes my career than it does my breakfast preferences but I take your point.