Unutterably Silly So what are you doing RIGHT NOW?

[Crusader]

Originally Posted by dreams

Thank you for sharing! It was quite amazing and worth it, I agree. You have some nice photos and I went back a few pages to see them all. I wanted to see what you had labeled on the "labeled image" but I couldn't get the text larger on my laptop.

I loved your little PS to Santa.

Thanks.

You should be able to click on the labeled picture to open a larger image. If that's still too small right-click on the image and select "Copy image location " (think that's what it's called). Paste that as the URL and it should open the full size image.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by maianhvk

That's weird. Sony doesn't have a store exclusively for ereaders in its backyard?

To date, I've only seen one other e-reader even being used in Japan, and that was by another foreigner. The Japanese tend to use their mobile phones for virtually everything, including reading. This was the first time I've seen them being sold.

When I wanted to buy my reader back in '09, I had to order it from the US. But Japan is changing geometrically, and these days the Japanese people are becoming more and more aware of what is going on outside their borders. Prices are coming down on foods and clothing, Imported goods are being sold in more and more 'regular' stores, and E-readers are invading the market. Japan today is NOT what it was even five years ago, and my guess is that in another 5 years, I might even be able to buy mangosteens and durian in the supermarkets!


Stitchawl

[dreams]

Originally Posted by SneakySnake

Here you go! b<snip>

Oh! I almost forgot about my tea! Thanks, SS.

Originally Posted by Crusader

Thanks.

You should be able to click on the labeled picture to open a larger image. If that's still too small right-click on the image and select "Copy image location " (think that's what it's called). Paste that as the URL and it should open the full size image.

I'm off to bed, but I will try that tomorrow. Thank you.

[orlok]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

I might even be able to buy mangosteens and durian in the supermarkets!

& . The cultural divide strikes once again...

[Crusader]

Originally Posted by dreams

I'm off to bed, but I will try that tomorrow. Thank you.

You could try this link. It should go to the full size image directly.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

... and my guess is that in another 5 years, I might even be able to buy mangosteens and durian in the supermarkets!
Stitchawl

Originally Posted by orlok

& . The cultural divide strikes once again...

They are considered the Queen and King (respectively) of the fruit world. I can eat mangosteens until they come out my ears, and I never turn down durian if it's properly ripe! I just don't bring the whole durian into the house... It's the outer shell that smells so bad. The inner pods that you eat smell rather mild.


Stitchawl

[maianhvk]

I'm not a big fan of durian but mangosteens........

[Rumpelteazer]

Doing a happy dance.

After weeks of waiting for my father to check the leaky roof over my bedroom I threw a temper tantrum yesterday after a night of hardly any sleep. Today he climbed on the roof and saw that there were several tiles cracked and if the little window isn't leaking already it won't take long before it will. He's not comfortable to climb all the way up there so, to my surprise, he called his builder friend who works together with a good roofer. Usually when my father can't solve it himself it takes a long time and a lot of nagging before he calls in help, it seems my tantrum yesterday worked.

His friend just called back, don't know when the roofer can start but I'm sooooooooo relieved that everything is set in motion now. It's going to storm tonight and tomorrow again with lots of rain also predicted but at least the end is in sight now!

[orlok]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

They are considered the Queen and King (respectively) of the fruit world. I can eat mangosteens until they come out my ears, and I never turn down durian if it's properly ripe! I just don't bring the whole durian into the house... It's the outer shell that smells so bad. The inner pods that you eat smell rather mild.


Stitchawl

Two of the weirdest looking fruit I've ever seen. The durian looks like a blowfish .

And is the reddish flesh of the mangosteen edible, or is it just the funny looking white segments? What does it taste most like?

[maianhvk]

Originally Posted by orlok

Two of the weirdest looking fruit I've ever seen. The durian looks like a blowfish .

And is the reddish flesh of the mangosteen edible, or is it just the funny looking white segments? What does it taste most like?

blowfish I'm glad you know which part of a durian is edible. Perfect.

And you eat the funny looking white part. It tastes... how to describe... like a concert of sweet and sour. Very mildly sour, but it's like spice: it deepens the taste of mangosteens.

There are some apples that taste good, and some bad. But I've never eaten any mangosteen that tasted less than wonderful.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by orlok

Two of the weirdest looking fruit I've ever seen. The durian looks like a blowfish .

And is the reddish flesh of the mangosteen edible, or is it just the funny looking white segments? What does it taste most like?

Only the white part of the mangosteen is eaten. The reddish black covering is very fiberous and hard. The inner white sections have a taste that is byond my ability to describe. Let me put it this way... Queen Victoria, having tasted them in a trip abroad, offered 50,000 pounds to anyone who could bring her fresh mangosteens...

Durian, on the other hand, require a devoted following. I happen to be among the group that really like it. The other group can't get past the smell. That smell is so bad that most S.E. Asian countries have LAWS prohibiting bringing durian onto public buses and trains, into public buildings, hotels, etc., etc. Most modern supermarkets in SE Asia remove the edible pulp from the spikey shell and pack that in cling film. Almost no smell this way and you can bring it home. When at its peak of ripeness, this pulp has the texture of soft ice cream. There are those who say that you can actually become 'drunk' from eating durian, but it's never happened to me... and I've tried. It's fun to watch durian devotees at night markets, gathering around the durian stalls. Everyone has his/her own way of deciding which durian is at it's peak. My method is to let the stall owner split open the shell so I can poke at the pods inside.

Durian is good. Mangosteens are fantastic. Simply fantastic. You can get a good idea of the taste of mangosteens from the canned pack, but like any canned fruits, the taste falls well short of its fresher kin.


Stitchawl

[SneakySnake]

are mangosteens the same as lychee?

Durian is super yuk! related to custard apple?

[maianhvk]

Originally Posted by SneakySnake

are mangosteens the same as lychee?

Durian is super yuk! related to custard apple?

No, mangosteens are sweeter, softer, smell better... in every way, just better.

As for custard apple... no, I don't think so. Durian is... different.

[dreams]

Originally Posted by Crusader

You could try this link. It should go to the full size image directly.

Thank you that work perfectly. The "jewel box" was an interesting name and I looked it up.

This cluster is one of the youngest known, with an estimated age of only 14 million years. It has an apparent magnitude of 4.2, and is located 6,440 light years from Earth and contains around 100 stars.

This famous group of young bright stars was named the Jewel Box from its description by Sir John Herschel as "a casket of variously coloured precious stones," which refers to its appearance in the telescope. The bright orange star Kappa Crucis contrasts strongly against its predominantly blue, hot companions. Kappa Crucis is a very large (hence very luminous) young star in its red supergiant stage, which paradoxically indicates that its life is drawing to a close.

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

Doing a happy dance.

After weeks of waiting for my father to check the leaky roof over my bedroom I threw a temper tantrum yesterday after a night of hardly any sleep. <snip>It's going to storm tonight and tomorrow again with lots of rain also predicted but at least the end is in sight now!

I'll do a happy dance with you. So glad that you are finally getting that taken care of.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by SneakySnake

are mangosteens the same as lychee?

No! Not even in the same ballpark! When lychee are ripe and fresh off the tree for less than 1-2 days, they are bright red, juicy, and delicious. Now... multiply that by about 500% THAT is the taste of ripe mangosteens!

Durian is super yuk! related to custard apple?

No relation. The inside of a durian contains large pods of creamy smooth 'stuff,' with a taste all its own. The outer spikey skin is the part that smells so badly, probably to attract the insects that pollinate it. Same problem with the giant Raffelasia blossoms, those one-meter wide flowers that stink like rotting meat. Durian come in two basic sizes; softball size grown in some countries and Basketball size grown in others. They taste the same to me.


Stitchawl