[Stitchawl]

For I marched to the battles of the German trench
In a war that was bound to end all wars
Oh I must have killed a million men
And now they want me back again
But I ain't marchin' anymore

It's always the old to lead us to the war
It's always the young to fall
Now look at all we've won with the saber and the gun
Tell me is it worth it all

For I flew the final mission in the Japanese sky
Set off the mighty mushroom roar
When I saw the cities burning I knew that I was learning
That I ain't marchin' anymore

Now the labor leader's screamin'
when they close the missile plants,
United Fruit screams at the Cuban shore,
Call it "Peace" or call it "Treason,"
Call it "Love" or call it "Reason,"
But I ain't marchin' any more,
No I ain't marchin' any more

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgAiuHIBlVs )

Boy, I sure got in a whole ration of trouble when I played this at a gig the Officer's Club back in the day.... But that's another story.

Good morning, everyone! Sunny skies and fair winds... Looks as if it will be a good day. It's starting right, with some "Yorkshire" tea from Taylors of Harrowgate, and a plate of babbaganoush, although the garlic in it might melt my keyboard. I 'may' have put in a bit too much... (as if there really could be such a thing as 'too much' garlic! Ha!)

Originally Posted by VydorScope

Maybe next time I am eating oriental food I will attempt to learn the art of chop sticks.

Here's another surprise for you... The food will taste better. The reason being, the chopsticks don't hold as much 'sauces' as a fork or spoon will, so the balance of the ingredients comes through more clearly.

It actually isn't hard to learn to use them if you remember just three things:
1. Only the top stick moves. The bottom one NEVER moves (or shouldn't...) The bottom one is wedged into the webbing of your thumb and against the end of your ring finger, and it just sits there doing nothing. I prefer it to contact the tip of my ring finger while my wife contacts hers on the side near the tip.
2. The upper stick is held sort of like a pencil, using your first two fingers and thumb. That's the stick that moves, and holds the food against the bottom stick. (Do you know the Italian version of 'giving the bird?' Three fingers instead of just the middle finger? THAT is how the upper stick is held!
3. The tips must be even. After you've placed them correctly in your hand, tap the tips against the bottom of the dish to even them up.

Watch this video and you'll see exactly what I mean. Or this one. I keep 'my' thumb a little further back than in this video. I get more control. Hold the sticks closer to the end rather than to the food for better control. If you keep in mind threes three 'bold' ideas, it shouldn't take you more than 2-3 minutes to learn to use chopsticks to pick up larger solid things like a piece of chicken or a chunk of bamboo shoot. After 10 minutes you'll be able to pick up a grain of rice. Do NOT try to pick up soup.

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Chop sticks are great. We have some metal ones that are awesome.

Traditionally, metal chopsticks, especially long ones, are used in Korean dinning.
Except for....

Originally Posted by CRussel

I have some sterling silver chopsticks that someone gave me years and years ago.

... which were used by the rich and powerful, believing that if the food was poisoned, the silver would tarnish and could save their lives!

Personally, I like lacquered wooden chopsticks that have serrations at the bottom to help hold the food. The plastic Chinese chopsticks are a pain to use with noodles unless you use them the 'traditional' way; holding the bowl right against your chin and just starting the noodles into your mouth so you can hoover them up without the chopsticks. The Chinese in Singapore use their chopsticks to pick up food and load it onto spoons held in the opposite hand, then spoon the food into their mouths.

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

Till the child wakes up and finds his/her mother's severed hand on top of them

Oh, I always hated it when that happened!

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

I have a feeling that day care will handle some of these issues for us.

I was really strongly opposed to the idea of my son having to go to day care. I was furious. Screaming mad, but there was no other option at the time. But the fact is that daycare really turned my sweet little lump of clay into a functioning human being, and did a fantastic job of teaching him how to both adapt/play on his own and also function as part of the group society. They even potty trained him at an age we never would have thought possible. Of course, now that he's 37 the fact that we all still have to gather around an applaud when he pees into the toilet is a bit of a bother, but hey? It all works out.


Stitchawl