FREE/BARGAIN — Cookbooks

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

We have restaurants, mostly of the Mexican variety. And many chain restaurants. I do believe I said good ones.
Oh and if you factor in the rest of the Permian Basin, it adds up to 300,000.
Four years ago that count would have been closer to 500,000 but most of those people have gone home.
In 2010, population was 200,000. The other 80,000 came in for oil field work in about 2012 or so.

WolframAlpha showed the population of both towns soaring, starting around year 2000. Don't remember what the last date was for which they had information.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

WolframAlpha showed the population of both towns soaring, starting around year 2000. Don't remember what the last date was for which they had information.

Did you say 2000? Their data or their years are way off. I don't know what that site is but since I live here I think my data would be closer to right.
In 2000 between the two towns, we had less than 200,000 people. In 2001, people were getting transferred to Houston by the thousands. It wasn't until 2012 that we started getting people back and according to sale tax records, it jumped by 25% real quick. Just so you know, I think it is falling again since traffic has lightened up, rents are dropping and the September sales taxes dropped 17% from last year.
There was virtually no work here from 2000-2008. Because our main industry is oil. And our oil fields were shut down because a certain group of people were making more money by using foreign oil and price gouging. (Check gas prices from that era.)
You couldn't get renters because no one had money. Sales dropped. No one was hiring because if you had a job you kept it.
Now the colleges were booming due to laid off people going back to school on federal money.
Out here it seems to be feast or famine. It is a roller coaster out here. Though I have to say people (from here) were a bit smarter with their earnings this time around.
But then they had already lived through the boom/bust as kids.


Oh did that site just say the two towns because if it did they are at least 30,000 off. If they meant the entire region which includes various towns, it is close to accurate.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Did you say 2000? Their data or their years are way off.
<snip>

I'm not doubting you. I have used WolframAlpha for quite a few years and have seen no reason to think that their results are inaccurate, however. I like them because you can get the answers to certain kinds of questions fast, the answers are easy to locate, and you often (like with the population figures that you will get from the searches below), get the information in a graphical way which makes the information quick to grasp. Google is great, but it doesn't have those advantages.

Take it on a test drive.

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i...+midland+texas.

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i...n+odessa+texas.

Hmmm . . . I just noticed this interesting factoid about odessa: it has 1.1x the population of the Virgin Islands. You know, I had always wondered how they compared in population . . . .

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

I'm not doubting you. I have used WolframAlpha for quite a few years and have seen no reason to think that their results are inaccurate, however. I like them because you can get the answers to certain kinds of questions fast, the answers are easy to locate, and you often (like with the population figures that you will get from the searches below), get the information in a graphical way which makes the information quick to grasp. Google is great, but it doesn't have those advantages.

Take it on a test drive.

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i...+midland+texas.

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i...n+odessa+texas.

Hmmm . . . I just noticed this interesting factoid about odessa: it has 1.1x the population of the Virgin Islands. You know, I had always wondered how they compared in population . . . .

Looked. That table shows the spike at between 2010 and 2014 and is very accurate.

[ApK]

Hmmm . . . I just noticed this interesting factoid about odessa: it has 1.1x the population of the Virgin Islands. You know, I had always wondered how they compared in population . . . .

Grrrr! People are just ticking me off left and right today.
Factoid?!? So then it's untrue. If it were true it would be a "fact."

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by ApK

Grrrr! People are just ticking me off left and right today.
Factoid?!? So then it's untrue. If it were true it would be a "fact."

Yeah, I hadn't thought (consciously) about it, but "factoid" does have a slight connotation that the truthfulness could be somewhat in doubt. Under the circumstances (skepticism about WolframAlpha's accuracy), I think that that was the word to use, instead of "fact."

I have days like yours. Unfortunately, it's everyday.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

Under the circumstances (skepticism about WolframAlpha's accuracy), I think that that was the word to use, instead of "fact."

Hm. Well, OK, then. <douses torch, holsters pitchfork>

I have days like yours. Unfortunately, it's everyday.

I'm doing better with my metaphysical self-defense, but man, they ganged up on me yesterday.

[GtrsRGr8]

There's an open secret (I know, that's an oxymoron, but as an established writer, I possess an artistic license. ) that Americans don't think very highly of British cooking/food. Actually, some of their dishes sound great to me (blood pudding is not one of them). And, we Americans who post must always keep in mind that there are more than Americans who read the posts on MobileRead--many of them are British (in fact, I get feeling that MobileRead may have been started by Brits, or at least a significant number of Brits were among the founders of it). Therefore, they very well might welcome this book about British food. And, as you may know, the author of this book is not some ordinary British chef or cook (see book description below). Finally, the negativity among some of us Yanks toward British food may be that we've never really eaten good British food.

As well as having a huge markdown, and resulting super low price, this book has great "bang for the buck," given its 464 pages!

The Little Book of Fast Food. By Nigel Slater. Rated 4.4 stars, from 44 reviews at Amazon; let me add the ratings at GoodReads, too, because they are very high there, too, and GoodReaders raters tend to be more frugal with their ratings scores: 4.16 from 478 reviews. Print list price $27.99; digital list price $14.99; Kindle price now $1.99. Ten Speed Press, publisher. 464 pages. https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Little-Bo.../dp/B00JI58TGU.

Book Description
Britain's foremost food writer returns with a deliciously simple collection of over 600 ideas for satisfying meals that are quick and easy to get to the table.

In this little book of fast food, Nigel Slater presents a wholly enjoyable ode to those times when you just want to eat. Pairing more than 600 ideas for deliciously simple meals with the same elegant prose and delightful photography that captivated fans of Tender, Ripe, and Notes from the Larder, Eat is bursting with recipes that are easy to get to the table, oftentimes in under an hour: a humble fig and ricotta toast; sizzling chorizo with shallots and potatoes; a one-pan Sunday lunch. From quick meals to comfort food, Nigel Slater has crafted a charming, inspired collection of simple food—done well.

[Cinisajoy]

Some British food looks good too.
The Brits I know use more spices than we do.
But then American Southern food confuses them too.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

<snip>
The Brits I know use more spices than we do.

I wasn't aware. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of British food is fish and chips, and it doesn't seem like it would be spicy, but I could be wrong.[/QUOTE]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

But then American Southern food confuses them too.

Good. Let them stay confused. That will mean that there will be that much more for us.

The Brits who have visited or live in Africa (of which there are many--the U.K. at one time owned a huge chunk of it) probably don't find it as strange. Southern food evolved from African food that the slaves introduced to the Colonies. Many of the plants used in the cooking of it are indigenous to Africa, and weren't known here until the slaves brought them over.

If they are confused by Southern food, they would be absolutely befuddled by soul food.

[Cinisajoy]

You are right fish and chips are not spicy at all.
.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

You are right fish and chips are not spicy at all.
.

They aren't in the U.S., in the relatively few places where you can get them. Greasy, yes. Spicy, no.

Speaking of which, we are getting a Captain D's here. They serve (battered) fish and the fish is quite good. We did have a Long John Silver's as late as about 15 years ago, but it shut down for some reason. Their fish and chips is exceptional, IMHO.

You may not have heard of either one of those restaurants. I am almost certain that Captain D's is headquartered in Nashville; LJ Silver's is based out of Lexington, Kentucky (about 70 miles east of Louisville). And both are still what you would probably call "regional" restaurant chains.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

They aren't in the U.S., in the relatively few places where you can get them. Greasy, yes. Spicy, no.

Speaking of which, we are getting a Captain D's here. They serve (battered) fish and the fish is quite good. We did have a Long John Silver's as late as about 15 years ago, but it shut down for some reason. Their fish and chips is exceptional, IMHO.

You may not have heard of either one of those restaurants. I am almost certain that Captain D's is headquartered in Nashville; LJ Silver's is based out of Lexington, Kentucky (about 70 miles east of Louisville). And both are still what you would probably call "regional" restaurant chains.

LJS is a big box chain. Not regional in any sense. If it is advertised on cable TV, it is nationwide. For what it is worth, I loved LJS crunchies. We have one here. In1986, there were 2 or 3 in Albuquerque NM. I bet the reason for the closure was 2 fold. Not enough profit and managers that liked the cookie jar.

[Cinisajoy]

Oh GtrsRGr8, turns out our local grocery store can special order me halibut at $30 a pound.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Oh GtrsRGr8, turns out our local grocery store can special order me halibut at $30 a pound.

Well, at that price you really need to stock up! ha