Thread 19 - TalkLair: "The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long"

[Kucinghitam]

(Previous thread 18)

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat...

In the TalkLair, the fairy lights are festooned on the mantlepiece, the tree is twinkling with baubles, the mince pies are in the oven, the MN legendary chicken is ready to feed the hordes. The denizens of the lair are a welcoming bunch, always eager for general chit-chat on all manner of topics. We just won’t mention the gnawed bones of our prey over there in the corner of the cave…

Many years since I've seen Paris, Texas, Gonners, thanks! I was never the biggest fan of the film, but the soundtrack is sublime.

Cold damp weather doesn't help with joint pains, either, Bear, sympathies.

In happier news, Operation Sofa Replacement is now complete. The old one was taken away yesterday, and its replacement arrived this afternoon. So it does look a lot tidier, and is done before DS arrives next week after all.

Yay for Sofa News!

Yes, I sometimes worry about my love of Paris, Texas - it has to be in the top 10 of depressing films! But the soundtrack is outstanding, as is the cinematography and Harry Dean Stanton's performance.

Today was indeed a day of optimistic weather. There are crocuses in the lawn and the view from my kitchen window gave me hope for brighter days to come.

I sympathise with your shoulder woes @BetjemansBear - I broke my shoulder last March and it’s still not right. Im not having physio any more but the physios thought it could take a year or two to get everything working properly. That said, the big improvements happened in the first six months but it’s definitely still improving little by little. I should be exercising it properly more though so I’m not helping myself as much as I could.

Thanks, Kuc, healing vibes are very welcome.

My people!
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5485872-are-you-tired-of-the-never-ending-dismal-weather?

Pissing down with rain again today and I only went and forgot my umbrella this morning. Have knocked off work but am just staring hopelessly out of the office window, like it's going to stop raining any time soon this month.

It's Yorkshire! What do you expect? 😃

It's not been too bad here (nearer to Calais than to London) - yesterday was calm and sunny and I went to the hairdresser. I walked home and arrived still looking neatly coiffed! But today has been pretty foul and some idiot woman has just knocked on the door trying to sell lottery tickets which, she said, were "in favour of breast cancer". I'm pretty sure that's not what she meant to say, but I didn't stop to point it out as the wind was blasting the heavy drizzle through the front door.

I'm having the "I hate this bloody country and want to go back to Italy/Spain/Germany/Austria" rage. Again!

Northern Ireland has had the wettest January since records began. So far, it has also rained every day of February.

I was in Northern Ireland from 1967-69 and only remember the weather because when one of my school friends (who must have been born in 1950/51) moved to London she mentioned that she had never seen snow before! She obviously didn't care for it, as she only lasted about 6 months. 😉

Its been miserable, grey, windy and wet here for over a week. The sea was huge today and its roaring at the moment, I wonder how bad it'd be without double glazing.

Sorry to hear about your tendon woes, BB. I knackered both my elbows about this time last year and they weren't right till September. At its worst, I couldn't open a new jar, or brush my hair properly.

Thanks @SinnerBoy - it's a real drag, isn't it. I also knackered a thumb and elbow last year and it was just as those were getting better that my shoulder went.

"Siri, insert that Jimmy Nail picture when he's got the mad hair."

"What do you mean there's 1000 hits, just pick any one."

Not sorry!

Hey!

I'm way uglier than Jimmy Nail!

Hahaha!

I quite fancy Jimmy Nail, but I'm an absolute pushover for a Geordie accent.

I've just made Laksa Lemak, Singaporean recipe, which is a sort of rice-noodle soup with chicken, prawns, tofu, lots of spices + coconut milk. The only problem is the tofu - I like the slithery Japanese variety, but could only get that very chewy vegan stuff from the Tofoo Company and am a bit suspicious. We shall see! I have a vague memory of using it once before and thinking it tasted as though it came straight from a rubber plantation.

Singapore curry laksa is very nice, I must admit! I think the traditional tofu that goes with it is the puffy fried stuff (taufu pok). Definitely a specialist Chinese supermarket ingredient.

I've bought the Tofoo branded product before. It's horrible (by East Asian standards), chewy, lumpy-textured and full of meat-imitating smugness. Even my teen DDs sneeringly call it Wokefu because they know what proper tofu should be like.

There is such a thing as good tofu? Really? 😀

Our tiny Tesco (and I think the big one) has proper slippery Japanes style.tofu in cartons in the world food section.

Really, I promise!

I absolutely love tofu, there are so many varieties, and they are amazing at absorbing the flavours of soups and sauces. But you have to try it in proper Asian cuisine, else you would get a terrible impression.

@ProfessorBinturong Same here, our small local Sainsbos (student area) has those long-life cartons of silken Japanese tofu. But I suspect not all areas would have supermarkets that bother carrying such a niche product.

We're really not obscure-food central here¹, so if our Tesco express has it I expect most will.

¹ But if you want to try 6 different potato breads within a 2-mimute walk, this is the town.

I always thought tofu was bland, but edible, then I had some in a Japanese restaurant and was delighted. It just needs marinating properly, in something tasty. Or served with some dips.

I like tofu but I first had it in Taiwan where it was cooked properly. Mapo tofu, usually minced pork and tofu in a spicy sauce, is absolutely delicious.

Yes, that Yutaka stuff is really very good indeed. I can confirm that the Tofoo stuff is disgusting to the extent that we picked it out and dropped it into an empty bowl in the middle of the table. I shall have to do my next shop from Tesco.

Still raining here, so I've been fantasy shopping for a house somewhere further south.

Rather tempted by this one, and it's excellent origin story: https://castleist.com/400k-maldaresti-romania-historic-fortified-house-for-sale/

Fascinating building. I'd like a closer look at the roof tiles and I also wonder about those heavy wood contraptions. Cheese press, maybe?