HilversumJim's Profile

Consumer Reports Debunks the Teflon Pan/PFOA Exposure Myth (Via Treehugger)

It's time to stop the cookware/PFOA exposure myth spreading, and focus on the real exposure risks!

When I moved to the Netherlands 10 years ago, I was shocked (shocked, I say, shocked!) that stores were *closed* by 6pm and not open on sundays. Now, food stores can remain open until 8, but most of my shopping is done at the open markets. Most towns hold open markets for farmers and small businesspeople twice a week; I even bought a place right in front of where the market sets-up.

Around 4am they roll in...some small-scale industry like bread trucks, fruit and veg, some meats, on large mobile platforms (they go town to town all week long). Then come the real farmers who set up a wooden table, put out their eggs, potatoes, herbs and cheeses - these folks I tend to buy regularly from.

But that's another story - they're here twice a week, open from 6:30 to 3:30 - so I never buy more than I can eat in 3-4 days. That means a dozen eggs lasts 2 weeks, or I buy 3-4 potatoes and a pair of onions - not a 20lb bag. You can't even store such a thing here in the small homes of Holland. Most fridges are slightly larger than the ones you had in college; people buy fresh almost daily!

It's a heck of a change from going from large-scale Sam's Club shopping to 3 potatoes, but now everything is as cheap and fresh as possible and I've very little waste (living across from the market helps). I'm not sure I could go back...

Finally—Something on AT that I can actually buy near me! :)

I second the suggestion of a cat. I lived in a 140-year old home in Holland, where the settling sand base dropped the floor of the kitchen 2 inched below the bottom of the wall! Talk about having a hard time sealing the gap! Even when I did that, the mice would break in - luckily I kept most everything in plastic containers and hidden away in suspended cabinets (thanks Ikea). The only real solution was to get a cat - which offered company and pleasure, as well as the occasional dead mouse body that they'd toss about after the catch. My girlfriend, who grew up on a farm, always insisted that the cat be allowed to catch, play with and then dispose of the mouse. Yes, the cat ate the mouse...let nature be, as we say...

I enjoyed the article, as I often do here - but please, stop saying "de-tox". This is a fraudulent expression, as your liver, lungs, kidneys and skin do all the detoxifying themselves, and all it does is sell fraudulent diets and "treatments". Many of these fad detox diets are much more nutritionally damaging to the body than doing nothing. Surely the best way to "detox" is to not take so many toxins in to begin with.

Here's the real facts about detoxing:

http://www.canada.com/globaltv/national/health/story.html?id=3b648202-ef4f-4276-baf9-179053a54baf&p=1

http://esciencenews.com/sources/the.guardian.science/2009/01/04/detox.remedies.are.a.waste.money.say.scientists

http://cosmeticsurgerytoday.wordpress.com/2008/12/12/researchers-report-detox-diets-just-a-myth/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4574912.stm

Let's just enjoy blueberries for being blueberries, okay?

It's belated, but thanks greatly for that! I'll give it a try this christmas

Jenga! Easily a great party game.

And for the adults try "Extreme Jenga" - everytime you successfully pull a piece, you have to drink. It has a nice way of leveling off the action... ;)

(We make a concoction, usually Margaritas, and use that instead of the straight hard stuff)

Maike's right - it makes little sense unless it's in the middle of the room.

Also, the designer is German, not Dutch (the umlauts over the a - dead giveaway). He's from Karlsruhe, but works now in Amsterdam for Marcel Wanders, the Droog dude.

Think I'll head down to the Droog store today and see if he stuff is on display. Maybe it makes more sense in person...

Of course it "more emotional interaction between the phone and the user" - using this phone, you'd not juts look like an idiot, you'd FEEL more like one too.

(I'm a designer and I get annoyed when I hear that kind of excuse - "it's an emotional thing" - for some idiotic user-experience)

My lovely Aunt Joan used to make them as a side for Thanksgiving and Christmas: split them lengthwise (just the tender white parts), clean and dip them in egg, then italian bread crumbs and season liberally. Pan-fry them in olive oil until crispy brown, set aside to drain and then re-warm them in the oven slightly to serve with the turkey (and gravy - gravy on these crunchy babies, nomnomnom!)