Random thing you love right now that doesn't deserve its own thread

doubtingthomas396 wrote:
staygold wrote:

Random Thing I Love: No Notifications

Last week I turned all the notifications off on my phone. All the popups. All the numbers over tiles showing unread notifications. Everything.

Pardon my language.

HOLY sh*t. Life changing. I check email, texts, phone calls, social media, etc, when I want. No more pressure. No more tiny red notification or banner popup compelling me to do something, respond, or get back to someone. It's been so liberating and awesome. I keep the important people (family) on for notifications but everyone else can wait till I have the time or will to respond. It's the epitome of a random thing I love and I would encourage anyone and everyone else to give it a try.

I love this.

If more people tried to live like it was 2006 (or even 1996), imagine how much happier we’d all be.

It's definitely awesome. I dumped all social media a while back, and for messaging services (e.g. email, Messenger, etc.), I have all notifications turned off. I've long held to the viewpoint that my phone is for my convenience, not anyone else's. I'm old enough that I lived many years during which it was entirely feasible (and normal) to leave home and be entirely out of reach via phone for the whole day. Somehow we all managed to survive and prosper. This weird anxiety people have about missing an emergency call or message doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Odds are nothing will change if it takes a couple of hours to reach you. Hell, I'm a doctor and I don't stress about leaving my phone at home if I go for a run. Emergency services exist for a reason, and I don't delude myself that I'm so important that my presence will be immediately necessary anywhere.

The only time I carry a phone full-time is when I'm the on-call duty physician, and I hate that damned digital leash more than I can say. I can actually feel my stress level being higher just by carrying that slab-shaped Sword of Damocles.

So hurray for not just cutting cords, but cutting leashes too! Down with the tyranny of notifications! Let us rise up and take charge of our attention-spans again!

The company I work for. Due to HIPPA, can't say much. Only that they are awesome!

I can say that they protected you from an abusive client. And yes, they are awesome for that.

We are going to be getting a hedgehog on wednesday.

I would prefer a dog or even a (blech) cat. But my youngest daughter is allergic to both, and my wife is allergic to cats.

My oldest had (for about 2 months) a Guinea Pig, and hated it, so of course my youngest (who it is for) wants nothing to do with that. So, for the last year, she has decided she wanted a hedgehog.

Meet Quasimodo, soon to be renamed ?? (My vote was for McNugget. My oldest daughter agreed completely, my wife and youngest put a hard veto on it.)

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/Nz8JssR.jpg)

fenomas wrote:

If were to leave JP (don't think I could, because food) I think what I'd miss would be tonkatsu. Don't know personally but I've heard a lot of expats here say you can't find it done right elsewhere. And it's soooo good done right.

I have had pretty good tonkatsu here in the Raleigh area, but it still doesn't quite measure up to the tonkatsu I had in the little mall across the street from our hotel in Tokyo when I visited... Mmmm... so good.

Ranger Rick wrote:
fenomas wrote:

If were to leave JP (don't think I could, because food) I think what I'd miss would be tonkatsu. Don't know personally but I've heard a lot of expats here say you can't find it done right elsewhere. And it's soooo good done right.

I have had pretty good tonkatsu here in the Raleigh area, but it still doesn't quite measure up to the tonkatsu I had in the little mall across the street from our hotel in Tokyo when I visited... Mmmm... so good.

Waraji lays out some really top quality tonkatsu, but you're right it doesn't compare to the stuff i had when i was over there. I don;t know if thats because it was really better, or if it was just because it was on the trip. Taste is so subjective.

You can get amazing authentic Japanese food all over the West Coast and Hawaii. Outside of that, if you're in an area that has Asian supermarkets, you can usually find everything you need to make your own.

vypre wrote:

You can get amazing authentic Japanese food all over the West Coast and Hawaii. Outside of that, if you're in an area that has Asian supermarkets, you can usually find everything you need to make your own.

You're right, but the corollary is that you can also get terrible inauthentic Japanese food all over the West Coast too.

Also amazing inauthentic Japanese food. We've got all kinds!

zeroKFE wrote:

Also amazing inauthentic Japanese food. We've got all kinds!

I’m a fan of deliciousness in all its forms, authentic or not.

doubtingthomas396 wrote:

I’m a fan of deliciousness in all its forms, authentic or not.

*gasp*

IMAGE(https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.MnP8wuFTq9bsYtujBZSfegAAAA&pid=Api&rs=1)

I've only had JP food overseas once or twice, I don't know much about it. But I've heard people claim that with tonkatsu, apart from authenticity or whatever it's also just hard to get the right kind of pork outside JP, there being a whole industry for it here, etc.

But at the same time I'm also deeply suspicious of anything "foodies" say. They tend to sound like audiophiles talking about gold-plated stereo cables.

fenomas wrote:

I've only had JP food overseas once or twice, I don't know much about it. But I've heard people claim that with tonkatsu, apart from authenticity or whatever it's also just hard to get the right kind of pork outside JP, there being a whole industry for it here, etc.

But at the same time I'm also deeply suspicious of anything "foodies" say. They tend to sound like audiophiles talking about gold-plated stereo cables. :D

But mah gold-plated HDMI cables!

fenomas wrote:

I've only had JP food overseas once or twice, I don't know much about it. But I've heard people claim that with tonkatsu, apart from authenticity or whatever it's also just hard to get the right kind of pork outside JP, there being a whole industry for it here, etc.

But at the same time I'm also deeply suspicious of anything "foodies" say. They tend to sound like audiophiles talking about gold-plated stereo cables. :D

Berkshire pork is the kind that I see waved around in foodie circles, usually

Since the tonkatsu discussion seems to be going places, here's a bit of history on the subject. I lived 6 years in Japan - a total of 3 on the main island of Honshu and another 3 in Okinawa - and I continue to travel there fairly regularly for work; I was surprised to learn the Japanese had all but banned the consumption of meat from the late-1100s until the late-1800s.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/20...

The article was written in Japan, so I am assuming the claims are fairly accurate.

mudbunny wrote:

We are going to be getting a hedgehog on wednesday.

I would prefer a dog or even a (blech) cat. But my youngest daughter is allergic to both, and my wife is allergic to cats.

My oldest had (for about 2 months) a Guinea Pig, and hated it, so of course my youngest (who it is for) wants nothing to do with that. So, for the last year, she has decided she wanted a hedgehog.

Meet Quasimodo, soon to be renamed ?? (My vote was for McNugget. My oldest daughter agreed completely, my wife and youngest put a hard veto on it.)

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/Nz8JssR.jpg)

What if you dropped the "mc" and went with:

NUGGET

fenomas wrote:

I've only had JP food overseas once or twice, I don't know much about it. But I've heard people claim that with tonkatsu, apart from authenticity or whatever it's also just hard to get the right kind of pork outside JP, there being a whole industry for it here, etc.

Getting good Japanese food outside of Japan is like trying to get proper Fish and Chips or good crusty bread outside of England. It's flatly impossible. Some things only exist in their proper place. Outside of those places, you may have an approximation of the body, but you lack the soul.

Today's dinner:

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/ScXJMR5.jpg)

Okon OH MYYYY Yaki

The Japan influence in this thread is so strong posters have started turning into George Takei!

fenomas wrote:

Today's dinner:

美味しいそう!

Dinner last night was homemade Japanese-style curry with potatoes and sautéed onions, rice, and naan bread. Plenty of leftovers for lunch today with enough to share with my coworkers. YUM!

I'll say that may taste great, but it looks disgusting.

It looks a bit like a Bakewell tart that’s been left under a bridge for three weeks but I’m sure it’s yummy.

Coldstream wrote:
fenomas wrote:

I've only had JP food overseas once or twice, I don't know much about it. But I've heard people claim that with tonkatsu, apart from authenticity or whatever it's also just hard to get the right kind of pork outside JP, there being a whole industry for it here, etc.

Getting good Japanese food outside of Japan is like trying to get proper Fish and Chips or good crusty bread outside of England. It's flatly impossible. Some things only exist in their proper place. Outside of those places, you may have an approximation of the body, but you lack the soul. :D

I was all set to argue with this...

Then I realized that I haven’t had a decent chicken wing (that I haven’t made myself) since I left Buffalo.

And the less said about roast beef sandwiches made outside of Bills country the better the better. If you can even get horseradish it’s mixed with mayonnaise, and you might was well ask for Martian Ambergris as order a kimmelweck roll.

The website T-Shirt Hell is still online

DoubtingThomas, Baltimore Pit Beef sandwich places often offer a horseradish sauce made with raw horseradish, vinegar, sugar, water and salt. No mayonnaise in sight, although a slice of onion may make an appearance. The beef is rubbed and cooked over lump hardwood charcoal in pits, then sliced thin (while hot) and served on demand, on a bun.

If you're in the area, you'll probably enjoy it.

Coldstream wrote:
fenomas wrote:

I've only had JP food overseas once or twice, I don't know much about it. But I've heard people claim that with tonkatsu, apart from authenticity or whatever it's also just hard to get the right kind of pork outside JP, there being a whole industry for it here, etc.

Getting good Japanese food outside of Japan is like trying to get proper Fish and Chips or good crusty bread outside of England. It's flatly impossible. Some things only exist in their proper place. Outside of those places, you may have an approximation of the body, but you lack the soul. :D

Not sure this statement is supported by evidence.

Bruce wrote:
Coldstream wrote:
fenomas wrote:

I've only had JP food overseas once or twice, I don't know much about it. But I've heard people claim that with tonkatsu, apart from authenticity or whatever it's also just hard to get the right kind of pork outside JP, there being a whole industry for it here, etc.

Getting good Japanese food outside of Japan is like trying to get proper Fish and Chips or good crusty bread outside of England. It's flatly impossible. Some things only exist in their proper place. Outside of those places, you may have an approximation of the body, but you lack the soul. :D

Not sure this statement is supported by evidence.

If you have the queen on your money, you're still a part of the Empire. Any decent crusty bread in Oz is automatically claimed by England.