Exchanges with People that Make Your Brain Hurt

[artk2002]

This is brain-hurty in a funny way. Keep in mind that the Students are 11.

Me: Can anyone name a non-renewable natural resource?
Student:  Oil!
Me: Great! How about a renewable resource?
Student 2: Trees? Corn? 
Me: Sure. 
Student 3: wait.  CRUD MONKEYS!.  If corn oil is from corn, and olive oil is from olives...is baby oil from babies??

"Are they made from real Girl Scouts?"

[Lorelei_Evil]

I thought of that too, Art!   

[BabyMama]

I cannot read the comments at the bottom of craft/recipe blogs anymore. Some of the questions make my head hurt. The latest was on a recipe blog. The recipe had very straightforward measurements--things were in whole cups, whole tablespoons, even numbered amount of egg, etc. And there were only six or seven ingredients. Someone asked how they could cut the recipe in half. Um, use math??  And then someone actually posted the "conversion" for them. 

Then there are always the people who ask if you can use substitutions. Which is fine sometimes--when it's something like a jam recipe where the type of fruit will affect the end result. But asking whether you can sub sausage in for bacon in a baked egg dish...really? And the people who ask if they can substitute soy/almond milk for regular. Why would the blogger know? If they used soy/almond milk regularly, they probably would have used it in the recipe. You're the one who's going dairy-free. Don't make the blogger responsible for deciding whether your dairy-free substitution will still make the recipe taste all right.

[Tea Drinker]

I might ask "do you know if that works with soy milk?" because there are people who do cook with both dairy and soy (or almond milk or other substitutes) and know some of what works and what's iffy. (I can and do happily eat all sorts of dairy, but my girlfriend can't, so I do swap some things.) I wouldn't expect every cook or baker to know, but it doesn't seem like a weird question.

[sevenday]

Re the soy milk question: When I see comments like that, I usually assume that they are asking the other readers rather than the original author of the recipe.  The one thing that drives me nuts regarding recipes... when someone goes, "This really wasn't very good.  Oh, and I substituted X for Y, used half of Z, omitted W..." Really? And you're saying the recipe sucked after you made a zillion revisions to it?  I realize that certain subs (applesauce for oil, etc) are decently well known and reasonable, but if you're going to substantially alter the recipe and then say it's bad, you're not even giving accurate feedback on the original recipe!   On the flip side, I've seen some that say "This recipe was great! I added Z and reduced W by a little bit..." OK, that's relatively useful information...

[KenveeB]

Re the soy milk question: When I see comments like that, I usually assume that they are asking the other readers rather than the original author of the recipe.  The one thing that drives me nuts regarding recipes... when someone goes, "This really wasn't very good.  Oh, and I substituted X for Y, used half of Z, omitted W..." Really? And you're saying the recipe sucked after you made a zillion revisions to it?  I realize that certain subs (applesauce for oil, etc) are decently well known and reasonable, but if you're going to substantially alter the recipe and then say it's bad, you're not even giving accurate feedback on the original recipe!   On the flip side, I've seen some that say "This recipe was great! I added Z and reduced W by a little bit..." OK, that's relatively useful information...

I love those comments. I like knowing what I can do to adjust a recipe if I don't like an ingredient or want something heartier, etc. I'm not a very creative chef, so seeing how someone else has modified it is very helpfully.

[ladyknight1]

I have a book from my library that has a recipe for a chocolate cream filling. I began making it yesterday, then realized my heavy whipping cream was frozen, and after cold defrosting, it had separated. I spent hours trying to whip, then chill, then trying again, with no success.

I then found a recipe for pastry cream that used half & half, and followed the basic instructions, stirring the chocolate, butter and rum mixture into it at the end. It came out well, but I can't judge the original recipe, since I didn't have what it required. However, I would still consider my version suitable to share with others who run into a similar situation. I just wouldn't judge then end result off the original recipe.

[lilfox]

<snip>
On the flip side, I've seen some that say "This recipe was great! I added Z and reduced W by a little bit..." OK, that's relatively useful information...

I was on the fence about posting a comment like that to a recipe, since I know it's kind of a running joke that most of the comments on a recipe are people talking about their modifications while still rating the original recipe.  I mean, I know it's probably a good original recipe, but if it appears that a number of people changed it and only had the modified version, what they're rating really isn't the original.  Especially if they give it 5 stars but talk about how they changed something because they felt the original recipe wouldn't have turned out so well.

My changes were to a highly rated cream of chicken and wild rice soup.  I used turkey (stock and meat), half n half instead of cream, left out celery, and added couscous in addition to rice - turned out really well!  But it wasn't the original recipe, so it's not really fair of me to rate it...

[Carotte]

A bit long, and part brain-hurt with a side of wall driving.
I was tricked into answering the landline today (which I never do at my parent's house since it's never for me) and it was one of my mom's "friend" (friend from the variety of 'she driving me bonker but she's having trouble, and her health, and the daughter who did that, and the SIL who blah-blah-blah' - old family friend that my mom somewhat has pity for. Long story, her and her daughter could fill up ehell for a good few years.)
Anyway, I had to chit-chat while telling her that my mom wasn't home. She asked if I wasn't working today, I said that no, I had finished my internship recently so I was looking for work.
Most people when told that give me the compulsory "oh, I hope you'll find something you'll like / I'm sure that won't be too hard for you / I'll cross my fingers for you.." but with a cheery 'everything is going to be fine tone'. We all know finding work isn't easy but there's no need to be a Debby downer, even more if I've barely started applying/looking for jobs.
Well she was. All pity like in her voice, all "well it's going to be tough. maybe you'll find something to keep you waiting until you find something you like".
I was all    , that's not something to say! Even if your life is miserable, I didn't ask you for your opinion so if you have nothing nice to say don't say it. 

[Moray]

Lol, I guess my brain is hurting as to why you were "all    "

It's clear you don't like this woman, but that sounds like a sympathetic "don't give up", even if she phrased it oddly.

[Carotte]

Lol, I guess my brain is hurting as to why you were "all    "

It's clear you don't like this woman, but that sounds like a sympathetic "don't give up", even if she phrased it oddly.

It was the tone of her voice, it's not easy to describe but that made all the difference. It was almost like she was implying that I wouldn't be worthy of actually getting a job I would like. I haven't spoken in ages with her but it struck me as odd and a bit mean, not what I was expecting.
I'm sorry that she has had all that happened to her, I only hear bywords of what is up with her everyonce in a while and I do think that she's pretty brave with all the things life's handed her on a plate. And I understand that people in her situation can become somewhat bitter - it's just that she's barely an acquaintance of mine now, so I wasn't expecting the slighting.

[Thipu1]

Before the Miss America pageant there was an interesting Pre-show about the preparations and training for the contestants.  One segment concerned training for the Q&A.

That was when the brain hurt came.

'What are your views on euthanasia?'

'That's a vaccine, right?'
 

[Yvaine]

Lol, I guess my brain is hurting as to why you were "all    "

It's clear you don't like this woman, but that sounds like a sympathetic "don't give up", even if she phrased it oddly.

It was the tone of her voice, it's not easy to describe but that made all the difference. It was almost like she was implying that I wouldn't be worthy of actually getting a job I would like. I haven't spoken in ages with her but it struck me as odd and a bit mean, not what I was expecting.

I think I know the type, actually. I have a friend who I don't go shopping with nearly as much anymore, because she talks like neither of us "deserve" things we actually like and should be grateful for whatever the store is selling. More than once I've dithered about an item because the store didn't have exactly what I wanted, and her response was "Well, you're not going to find what you want, so you'll just have to get something." And I'm like "the heck with that, I'm trying another store!" Stores aren't putting out goods as a kindness to me!  It's business and I can give my money to someone else who has what I want! She does this with stuff she's buying for herself too.

[Snooks]

Before the Miss America pageant there was an interesting Pre-show about the preparations and training for the contestants.  One segment concerned training for the Q&A.

That was when the brain hurt came.

'What are your views on euthanasia?'

'That's a vaccine, right?'
 

Against death?

[Nora]

Before the Miss America pageant there was an interesting Pre-show about the preparations and training for the contestants.  One segment concerned training for the Q&A.

That was when the brain hurt came.

'What are your views on euthanasia?'

'That's a vaccine, right?'
 

Against death?

Against life.