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You are here: Home / Open Threads / The Best Thing

The Best Thing

by John Cole|  November 21, 200812:50 pm| 140 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

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About traveling to the West Coast is waking up at your normal wake-up time and it is 4 am.

Well, actually, the best thing is that they seem to use cilantro in everything, which is pretty awesome.

*** Update ***

I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before, but looking through books at the convention, rather than write their names down or collect business cards I do not want, I am just going to take a digital picture. Not sure why I never thought of this before.

Speaking of books, I finished the Limits of Power on the plane yesterday and will review it, finished Taking on the System last night, and plan to sit by the pool after dinner and read either Reputation: Portraits in Power or the Best American Political Writing 2008

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Reader Interactions

140Comments

  1. 1.

    Mazacote Yorquest

    November 21, 2008 at 12:54 pm

    Nice protection of Roethlisberger last night, no?

  2. 2.

    Ned Raggett

    November 21, 2008 at 12:54 pm

    Oh hell yeah. (Just got a fresh batch of cilantro in my CSA basket the other day and am pondering options.) Living near places with great Mexican *and* Vietnamese cuisine is a godsend.

    A good basic cilantro rice recipe I tried can be checked out here. (I should say I didn’t come up with it — I need to credit these things more properly, I realize.)

    Enjoy the weekend, sir!

  3. 3.

    Chuck

    November 21, 2008 at 12:57 pm

    The worst part of traveling to the East coast is getting up at your normal wake-up time, and it’s 4 a.m.

    The problem with the cilantro they put in everything is that they put it in everything. There’s a whole buch of stuff that doesn’t need cilantro.

    I sound grumpy, I guess I need a weekend…

  4. 4.

    tim serbo

    November 21, 2008 at 12:57 pm

    i’m one of those people who finds the taste of cilantro rebarbative. in fact i’m prey to the sneaking thought that there’s a massive food-industry conspiracy to make people believe cilantro is delicious, when in fact it makes everything taste like soap. people woke up to the lie that is the GWOT. maybe they’ll see the light on cilantro.

  5. 5.

    Keith

    November 21, 2008 at 12:57 pm

    True story: when my grandparents moved to Houston from Louisiana, and saw some at my uncle’s house, they tried to tell me the stuff is called "Mexican parsely". I corrected them with "no, pretty much everyone here calls it ‘cilantro’, unless they’re Asian, in which case, it’s ‘coriander’." The response? "THAT’S coriander?"

  6. 6.

    ninerdave

    November 21, 2008 at 12:57 pm

    Try and find a nice Thai place (Shouldn’t be hard in any west coast city). They’ll usually have a rice side seasoned with cilantro and peanuts. It’s delicious.

    Oh and if you get your mexican food from anywhere else but a shitty hole in the wall where they barely speak English, you’re doing it wrong.

  7. 7.

    wingnuts to iraq

    November 21, 2008 at 12:59 pm

    when you can’t get yourself to eat soap, eat cilantro

  8. 8.

    Tom Hilton

    November 21, 2008 at 12:59 pm

    Cilantro doesn’t make everything taste like soap. It tastes like soap itself, but it doesn’t make other things taste like soap.

    And off topic, Sarah Palin has given me an excuse to re-post the funniest sitcom moment ever.

  9. 9.

    ninerdave

    November 21, 2008 at 1:00 pm

    i’m one of those people who finds the taste of cilantro rebarbative.

    Don’t come over to my house then. Aside from garlic and onions, which go in everything I cook, cilantro is my next favorite ingredient.

  10. 10.

    TheHatOnMyCat

    November 21, 2008 at 1:02 pm

    If you are not used to eating a lot of cilantro, go easy at first, it can cause indigestion.

    And, what ninerdave said. The busy, ugly little place is the place for mexican food, whether you are in CA, AZ, NM or TX. And those are four different styles of food.

    Of course, for really good mexican food, you can always try …. Mexico. Somehow or other they do it well down there.

  11. 11.

    Tom Hilton

    November 21, 2008 at 1:02 pm

    Oh and if you get your mexican food from anywhere else but a shitty hole in the wall where they barely speak English, you’re doing it wrong.

    Agreed, so long as the phrase "shitty hole in the wall" also encompasses trucks.

  12. 12.

    ninerdave

    November 21, 2008 at 1:02 pm

    …About traveling to the West Coast is waking up at your normal wake-up time and it is 4 am.

    Yeah but the bars stay open until 5am your time.

  13. 13.

    DrDave

    November 21, 2008 at 1:03 pm

    Jesus John:

    Tunch lets you sleep until 7AM???

    (My Aussie Koda, had me up at 4AM EST today; he had an itch he needed scratched!)

  14. 14.

    ninerdave

    November 21, 2008 at 1:04 pm

    Agreed, so long as the phrase "shitty hole in the wall" also encompasses trucks.

    How could I forget the burrito trucks. You are of course, right.

  15. 15.

    Ned Raggett

    November 21, 2008 at 1:05 pm

    @ninerdave: Yeah but the bars stay open until 5am your time.

    Too goddamn true. (Then again, living near a couple of popular places as I do, I’m happy not to have them keeping me awake all night.)

  16. 16.

    J.

    November 21, 2008 at 1:08 pm

    I thought it was the beer and the wine and the warmth.

    Go Jets! (Am personally hoping they wear their New York Titans uniforms when they place Tennessee Sunday. How comedic would that be?)

  17. 17.

    ninerdave

    November 21, 2008 at 1:10 pm

    @Ned Raggett:

    When I was living in Chicago attending College, there was a bar across the street from where I lived called the South Loop Club (great burgers btw) that actually stayed open until 5am and re-opened at 6. Literally they’d kick you out sweep up the cigarette butts and let you back in.

    When I first moved there from the Bay Area where the bars close at 2, I thought what kind of lush would be at a bar between 2 and 5am? Took me about 2 weeks.

    I loved Chicago, but my liver did not.

  18. 18.

    robertdsc

    November 21, 2008 at 1:10 pm

    The wingnuts fail again at getting their grubby Cheetos-stained fingers on President-elect Obama’s birth certificate.

    The best Mexican place I’ve ever been to is one of those hole-in-the-wall places in East LA.

  19. 19.

    JGabriel

    November 21, 2008 at 1:12 pm

    John Cole:

    The Best Thing… About traveling to the West Coast is waking up at your normal wake-up time and it is 4 am.

    You’re doing it wrong.

    The best thing about travelling to the West Coast is sleeping in 3 hours and finding out it’s still 8 am.

    .

  20. 20.

    Napoleon

    November 21, 2008 at 1:14 pm

    @tim serbo:

    i’m one of those people who finds the taste of cilantro rebarbative. in fact i’m prey to the sneaking thought that there’s a massive food-industry conspiracy to make people believe cilantro is delicious, when in fact it makes everything taste like soap. people woke up to the lie that is the GWOT. maybe they’ll see the light on cilantro.

    That is purely a genetic phenomena, like being able to roll your tongue like a tube, being lactose intolerant or something like that. Something like 15% of the population taste soap when they eat cilantro

  21. 21.

    tim serbo

    November 21, 2008 at 1:14 pm

    gotta disagree with you, mr. hilton, hazardous as that is. cilantro is the nazi germany of herbs, taking over wherever it’s present. i love mexican, vietnamese, and indian cooking, and i spend a lot of time performing entree microsurgery with one tine of my fork.

    on to other topics: what the sam scratch is amity shlaes’s problem, anyhoo? people like to bitch that we’re still arguing over vietnam, but there’s a nontrivial minority of the populace that’s still got their knickers in a knot over the new deal. and shlaes is youngish! it’s a mystery far deeper than the question of cilantro’s allure.

  22. 22.

    DP

    November 21, 2008 at 1:17 pm

    Count me in the anti-Cilantro crowd.

    The stuff is nasty and is used in everything. Ugh.

  23. 23.

    T.Scheisskopf

    November 21, 2008 at 1:18 pm

    I am not sure how I would feel about Cilantro, in like, Jello.

  24. 24.

    Juan del Llano

    November 21, 2008 at 1:19 pm

    What’s a "coast"? Is that like a rift valley?? Can you go skiing there???

  25. 25.

    tim serbo

    November 21, 2008 at 1:19 pm

    cuchifritos trucks rule. also.

  26. 26.

    Napoleon

    November 21, 2008 at 1:20 pm

    The anti-cilantro crowd has a website.

    http://www.ihatecilantro.com/taste.php

  27. 27.

    cleek

    November 21, 2008 at 1:23 pm

    Cilantro doesn’t make everything taste like soap. It tastes like soap itself, but it doesn’t make other things taste like soap.

    cilantro only tastes like soap to some people. it’s a biological thing, like being able to taste PTC.

    ihatecilantro.com

  28. 28.

    Tom Hilton

    November 21, 2008 at 1:23 pm

    Agreed, so long as the phrase "shitty hole in the wall" also encompasses trucks.

    How could I forget the burrito trucks. You are of course, right.

    When I spent 6 weeks at trial in Modesto, the taco trucks were what kept me going. There’s an entire block of them within walking distance of the hotel where we were staying/working. The really sad thing is that there’s also a Taco Bell just a block from the trucks, and some people actually ate there. Depressing.

  29. 29.

    smiley

    November 21, 2008 at 1:23 pm

    @TheHatOnMyCat:

    Of course, for really good mexican food, you can always try …. Mexico. Somehow or other they do it well down there.

    So true. And much more varied than most people in the US realize. I’ve traveled all over central and south Mexico and they eat some pretty weird shit down there.

  30. 30.

    TheHatOnMyCat

    November 21, 2008 at 1:26 pm

    Cilantro works this way:

    Homemade salsa with cilantro = OMFG this is good! Can I get the recipe?

    Homemade salsa without cilantro = Meh

    To recap, with, OMFG. Without, meh.

  31. 31.

    tim serbo

    November 21, 2008 at 1:28 pm

    thanks, cleek and Napoleon, for the pointers. i am aware of all cilantro genetic theories, but the DFH in me prefers the massive conspiracy explanation.

  32. 32.

    Krista

    November 21, 2008 at 1:30 pm

    I remember reading that too, that there is an actual genetic reason why certain people find cilantro tastes like soap, whereas the rest of us find it tastes sort of like a cross between mint and parsley.

    Personally, I love it.

  33. 33.

    Redline

    November 21, 2008 at 1:31 pm

    Did you hear that soon Joe the Plumber will be a published author?

  34. 34.

    Ned Raggett

    November 21, 2008 at 1:31 pm

    Cilantro tolerance does vary, for sure. One of my best friends, an excellent cook, *really* doesn’t care for it much due to its potential to overpower. She makes excellent salsas but keeps the cilantro portion to a minimum to emphasize the tomatoes and other herbs and ingredients instead, and it’s always uniformly kickass.

  35. 35.

    EJ

    November 21, 2008 at 1:33 pm

    What is weird is that no one who finds that cilantro tastes like soap can grasp that most of us don’t taste that at all.

    It’s not like it tastes a little bit like soap to us and we’ve just gotten used to it – we are genetically incapable of tasting the chemical that you guys identify as tasting soapy.

  36. 36.

    gnomedad

    November 21, 2008 at 1:37 pm

    @Krista:

    I remember reading that too, that there is an actual genetic reason why certain people find cilantro tastes like soap, whereas the rest of us find it tastes sort of like a cross between mint and parsley.
    Personally, I love it.

    Librul relativist.

  37. 37.

    Cain

    November 21, 2008 at 1:37 pm

    If you’re south indian, coriander is used in a lot of dishes but usually as a topping unless you’re making some kind of green chutney or raita. I love rasam with coriander in it.. yum.

    Also John, you should make sure you have pho if you’re in the west coast. Best stuff evah!

    cain (who loves soupy dishes)

  38. 38.

    tim serbo

    November 21, 2008 at 1:37 pm

    no, EJ, i recognize it, i just don’t get it. failure of imagination on my part, i’m sure. some people really like heavy metal music, derive a lot of jouissance from it it, and i get that, but that doesn’t mean i can get any enjoyment out of metallica or pantera or slipknot.

  39. 39.

    MobiusKlein

    November 21, 2008 at 1:38 pm

    When I was a under 20, I thought it tasted like soap.
    When I was over 20, it tasted just fine, so who knows.

    By brother still despises it. (and I hate how I could enter a less than symbol, and it screwed up my post 100%)

  40. 40.

    Napoleon

    November 21, 2008 at 1:39 pm

    @tim serbo:

    Personally I like cilantro, and I am not in league with anyone, so I can assure you it is not a conspirisy. I even grow it on my deck in the summer and think it is one of the most fresh smelling and tasting herb.

    Having said that, once I heard that some people think it tastes like soap I tried some with that in mind, and I can taste a component to it that if for whatever reason I would suddenly taste it stronger then I did, or if the other taste components were suddenly not there for me, that cilantro would taste like soap. So I would guess that is what is happening with others. Either they can not taste some of the rest of it and are left with the soapy taste or they are really sensitive to the soapy aspect of it and it overwelmes them.

  41. 41.

    Indylib

    November 21, 2008 at 1:40 pm

    @tim serbo:

    i’m one of those people who finds the taste of cilantro rebarbative

    Ditto. The stuff tastes horrible to me.

    I hated trying to find Mexican food without it when I lived in Cali.

  42. 42.

    cleek

    November 21, 2008 at 1:40 pm

    somewhat less fun than cilantro=soap, but still fun, is the fact that asparagus makes some people’s piss smell like sulphur, but not others’ – and that the trait seems to vary from country to country:

    Asparagus contains a sulfur compound called mercaptan. It is also found in onions, garlic, rotten eggs, and in the secretions of skunks. The signature smell occurs when this substance is broken down in your digestive system. Not all people have the gene for the enzyme that breaks down mercaptan, so some of you can eat all the asparagus you want without stinking up the place. One study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology found that only 46 percent of British people tested produced the odor while 100 percent of French people tested did. Insert your favorite French joke here________________________________.

  43. 43.

    Josh Hueco

    November 21, 2008 at 1:42 pm

    There was a really great company in Eugene, Ore. that made salsa with cilantro and sage. Believe it or not, it tasted great. It gave it a tang that was different than if they’d just used cilantro. The only problem was that it was sold in the fresh deli case at the supermarket, so it was really, really watery and didn’t last long.

  44. 44.

    Ack, Sysadmin of Evil

    November 21, 2008 at 1:47 pm

    cilantro is like trout. Some people love the stuff, but to me it tastes like the nastiest, most rotten excuse for food that ever existed.

    My fish geneticist Ph.D. neighbor says some portion of the population can smell/taste a rotten fish chemical in trout that most people don’t. I’m one of them, so I guess I can empathize with cilantro-haters, although I love the stuff.

  45. 45.

    tim serbo

    November 21, 2008 at 1:47 pm

    Napoleon, i appreciate that. quite touching, really, how we’re hugging out all our cilantro differences. but that doesn’t mean it’s safe to venture into the Mac-vs.-PC debate. they’ll settle the mideast before they settle that one.

  46. 46.

    JGabriel

    November 21, 2008 at 1:49 pm

    Napoleon:

    Personally I like cilantro, and I am not in league with anyone, so I can assure you it is not a conspiracy.

    Right. Like we’re gonna believe you’re not in a conspiracy just because you say you’re not in league with anyone.

    What kind of gullible idiots do you take us for …

    (Adjusts tin foil hat)

    … huh?

    .

  47. 47.

    Indylib

    November 21, 2008 at 1:51 pm

    @EJ:

    What is weird is that no one who finds that cilantro tastes like soap can grasp that most of us don’t taste that at all.
    It’s not like it tastes a little bit like soap to us and we’ve just gotten used to it – we are genetically incapable of tasting the chemical that you guys identify as tasting soapy.

    I can grasp that you like the taste just fine. What I can’t grasp in the Mexican restaurants who won’t offer a cilantro-free salsa for those of us who don’t like our chips dipped in a tomato/onion/garlic/Palmolive combo. Said restaurants abound in San Diego.

  48. 48.

    Krista

    November 21, 2008 at 1:54 pm

    One study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology found that only 46 percent of British people tested produced the odor while 100 percent of French people tested did.

    Isn’t that weird? I knew there was a genetic component to it, but I didn’t realize there was that stark of a breakdown via geographical region.

    Personally, I have since learned not to eat asparagus when I know I may have to use a public washroom at any point during the day.

  49. 49.

    tim serbo

    November 21, 2008 at 1:55 pm

    trout? never heard of that one. and indylib, all i can tell you is, stay out of manhattan mexican restaurants.

  50. 50.

    EJ

    November 21, 2008 at 1:55 pm

    If you live in So Cal for a few years you’d be amazed at quickly you go from "Yay, they put cilantro in everything!!!" to "Why do they gotta put so much goddam cilantro in everything?!?"

    And I like the stuff. People really need to ease up on it though.

  51. 51.

    Comrade Darkness

    November 21, 2008 at 1:55 pm

    @cleek: cilantro only tastes like soap to some people. it’s a biological thing, like being able to taste PTC.

    I think it’s more complicated than that. I think it has also to do with soil and growing conditions. The cilantro I buy at the store I love/adore/cherish/chop up on everything some 98% of the time. The cilantro I’ve attempted to grow over the years, tastes like soap. If it all tasted like the stuff I try to grow, I wouldn’t eat it.

    I have a to-die-for, easy-to-make recipe for tilapia curry from a balti cookbook that tastes like a mexican indian fusion fest. I can post it after John gives us the sign he is back in his rightful digs. Copious reliance on cilantro for flavor in this dish.

  52. 52.

    jaime

    November 21, 2008 at 1:57 pm

    Actually, the best thing about living on the west coast is football starts at 10:30 AM and finishes before dark.

  53. 53.

    cleek

    November 21, 2008 at 2:00 pm

    Personally, I have since learned not to eat asparagus when I know I may have to use a public washroom at any point during the day.

    i’ve thought about doing that… but i don’t. instead, i try to time my bathroom visits so that i can let the stink out without company.

    i gotta have my asparagus! (cause if i don’t, that’s another day we’ve gotta eat muthafukkin broccoli)

  54. 54.

    Jeff

    November 21, 2008 at 2:01 pm

    I’m another vote for the shitty hole in the wall places. It kills me to go to the Mexican restaurants back in DC where I grew up. You can always tell the East Coasters when they see fish tacos and burritos on the menu and recoil. Baja style Mexican food is just not in their vocabulary.

  55. 55.

    Gravenstone

    November 21, 2008 at 2:02 pm

    @cleek:

    Asparagus contains a sulfur compound called mercaptan. It is also found in onions, garlic, rotten eggs, and in the secretions of skunks.

    Indulging in a moment of pedantry, but "mercaptan" is a general chemical term for any compound containing an -SH bond. The chemical formed in the urine of most folks is specifically methyl mercaptan. Coincidentally, the same compound (or its ethyl cousin) is used as odorant for NG and LP.

    /pedant off

    Oh, and add me to the despises cilantro crowd. Can’t say it tastes like soap, I just loathe the taste of it normally.

  56. 56.

    Bill H

    November 21, 2008 at 2:06 pm

    Depending on where you are, it doesn’t have to be a hole in the wall. Fish tacos and carnitas street tacos at Rubio’s are justifiably world famous. They do not put cilantro in them. (Edit: well, maybe they do, but not very much.)

    And I just heard the cat throwing up somewhere but when I went to find it to clean it up… So there’s cat barf in the house somewhere which my wife will find when she gets home and give me dirty looks for not cleaning it up. She will not believe I could not find it. The cat presently is on my desk cheek-rubbing my monitor and purring. I have an exciting life.

  57. 57.

    greynoldsct00

    November 21, 2008 at 2:06 pm

    The really sad thing is that there’s also a Taco Bell just a block from the trucks, and some people actually ate there. Depressing.

    Probably tourists. The small shack-like ones are also good.

  58. 58.

    smiley

    November 21, 2008 at 2:07 pm

    @jaime:

    Actually, the best thing about living on the west coast is football starts at 10:30 AM and finishes before dark.

    This was the part I liked best when I lived out there. My wife wouldn’t get nearly as upset with me as she did on the east coast. I could watch the earlier game (which was usually the one I was most interested anyway) and still have much of the afternoon daylight to do the things she wanted to do.

  59. 59.

    greynoldsct00

    November 21, 2008 at 2:08 pm

    Man, this is making hungry. I remember a little place in Dana Point, CA that served shrimp tacos, among other things… they were sooooo good!

  60. 60.

    smiley

    November 21, 2008 at 2:12 pm

    @Gravenstone:

    Oh, and add me to the despises cilantro crowd. Can’t say it tastes like soap, I just loathe the taste of it normally.

    Same with me but loathe is a bit strong.

    @cleek:

    somewhat less fun than cilantro=soap, but still fun, is the fact that asparagus makes some people’s piss smell like sulphur,

    Makes mine smell but I’ve never associated it with a sulfur smell. BTW, I read somewhere that is the reason Babe Ruth refused to eat it. Don’t know if that’s actually true.

  61. 61.

    greynoldsct00

    November 21, 2008 at 2:15 pm

    And I just heard the cat throwing up somewhere but when I went to find it to clean it up… So there’s cat barf in the house somewhere which my wife will find when she gets home and give me dirty looks for not cleaning it up. She will not believe I could not find it. The cat presently is on my desk cheek-rubbing my monitor and purring. I have an exciting life.

    Your life experience is typical when you have kittehs.

  62. 62.

    gnomedad

    November 21, 2008 at 2:16 pm

    Asparagus contains a sulfur compound called mercaptan.

    I didn’t know that, though I’ve experienced the, uh, phenomenon. That’s also the stuff they put in natural gas so you can smell it.

  63. 63.

    Indylib

    November 21, 2008 at 2:17 pm

    Best hole in the wall mexican food in San Diego is Santanas. Open 24/7, breakfast burritos made with real potatoes. I would take one home and eat it with my own salsa.

    Fish tacos at Rubios are OK. Best ones are from the shacks on the beach. My favorite was one in Pacific Beach that didn’t have a name displayed anywhere I could see.

  64. 64.

    tim serbo

    November 21, 2008 at 2:17 pm

    @BH: nice thing about bunnies is they can’t barf. poop, on the other hand…

  65. 65.

    smiley

    November 21, 2008 at 2:19 pm

    @cleek:

    One study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology found that only 46 percent of British people tested produced the odor while 100 percent of French people tested did.

    Another unintended consequence of the Battle of Hastings?

  66. 66.

    J.

    November 21, 2008 at 2:24 pm

    @Napoleon (#26):

    I guess everyone does have a website now. Hate cilantro. Way overused. Will check it out. Thanks!

  67. 67.

    Stoic

    November 21, 2008 at 2:25 pm

    Read Gordon S. Wood’s The Radicalism of the American Revolution. The last paragraph is especially instructive.

  68. 68.

    greynoldsct00

    November 21, 2008 at 2:25 pm

    John’s gonna be thrilled when he sees the direction this thread has taken…

  69. 69.

    CaseyL

    November 21, 2008 at 2:31 pm

    That is purely a genetic phenomena, like being able to roll your tongue like a tube, being lactose intolerant or something like that. Something like 15% of the population taste soap when they eat cilantro

    Thank you thank you thank you THANK YOU!!!

    I’ve been telling people that for years and they keep telling me that no, I just have to keep trying to like the stuff.

    Are we playing Where The Hell is John? Because it’s pretty obvious he’s at the American Book Expo in L.A., which I would about give my eyeteeth to attend.

  70. 70.

    Brick Oven Bill

    November 21, 2008 at 2:32 pm

    Mercaptan is contained in us, and therefore contained in kerogen, the precursor to oil and gas. Then we put it back in. So while it may stink, it is related to catagenesis, which is related to why Finger is a dingbat. And we should all feel better about that. Enjoy the tacos.

  71. 71.

    Steve

    November 21, 2008 at 2:44 pm

    Best hole in the wall mexican food in San Diego is Santanas.

    Heresy. There were 3 better places within a 10 minute walk of my apartment across the street from USD.

    Edited to add: I don’t really even know if Santana’s can be described as "hole-in-the-wall". It’s more of an extremely small chain.

  72. 72.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    November 21, 2008 at 2:45 pm

    I think cilantro tastes soapy too but I fucking love it. It’s fresh and clean and it’s like getting a mouth bath while ya eat.

  73. 73.

    Comrade Tax Analyst

    November 21, 2008 at 2:57 pm

    EJ
    What is weird is that no one who finds that cilantro tastes like soap can grasp that most of us don’t taste that at all.
    It’s not like it tastes a little bit like soap to us and we’ve just gotten used to it – we are genetically incapable of tasting the chemical that you guys identify as tasting soapy.

    Sometimes it tastes "slightly soapy" to me…not overwhelmingly so, but not all that yummy, either…but other times it does not…which I know does not make a whole lot of sense. When I don’t get that taste it really adds a lot to a carne asada soft taco, so I always just ask them to go easy on it and if I get the "slightly soapy" taste I can just scrape them away.

  74. 74.

    LiberalTarian

    November 21, 2008 at 2:57 pm

    John–West coast?! Time to taste the west coast microbrews! There are some fabulous ones. WA OR CA? You gotta try the norcal beers and Portland has some great ones.

    Gonna fess up where you are? huh? huh?

  75. 75.

    TheHatOnMyCat

    November 21, 2008 at 2:58 pm

    I think soap tastes awful and I never put it on my tacos.

  76. 76.

    libarbarian

    November 21, 2008 at 2:59 pm

    FUCK CILANTRO!

    There, I said it.

  77. 77.

    LiberalTarian

    November 21, 2008 at 3:01 pm

    I am not opinionated about cilantro. In fact, in some things I really like it, like Jim Boy’s carnitas tacos. Carnitas, onions, and cilantro fried in a corn tortilla. Keep off the Parmesan, thank you.

    We have a really cheap and yummy Mexican place in downtown Sac–Alejandro’s Taqueria. Get there before noon though, or the line is out the door. Really fast. Only draw back is they don’t sell beer. :)

  78. 78.

    TheHatOnMyCat

    November 21, 2008 at 3:02 pm

    Unless I need to wash a taco, I mean.

  79. 79.

    Michael57

    November 21, 2008 at 3:02 pm

    I met Bacevich at a local Peace Action conference–he was the keynote speaker–some of what he had to say didn’t exactly resonate with the crowd, but they could tell he was on the side of the angels.

    Gotta say I like cilantro.

    Question: why all the Amazon links? The publishers’ websites have just as much info and you aren’t favoring one retailer over another when you use them.

  80. 80.

    ninerdave

    November 21, 2008 at 3:12 pm

    My fish geneticist Ph.D. neighbor says some portion of the population can smell/taste a rotten fish chemical in trout that most people don’t. I’m one of them, so I guess I can empathize with cilantro-haters, although I love the stuff.

    I feel about fish like cilantro haters feel about cilantro.

    With the exception of shrimp, scallops and lobster, anything else that comes out of the sea tastes like fish. I keep trying it from time to time to see if my tastes will change, so far no go. The smell of it cooking is gag inducing to me.

  81. 81.

    ninerdave

    November 21, 2008 at 3:15 pm

    but that doesn’t mean it’s safe to venture into the Mac-vs.-PC debate. they’ll settle the mideast before they settle that one.

    Sure it’s settled. Macs rule!

  82. 82.

    DougJ

    November 21, 2008 at 3:16 pm

    About traveling to the West Coast is waking up at your normal wake-up time and it is 4 am.

    The best thing is waking up at 10 am and having football games on already. Damn I miss that.

  83. 83.

    Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse

    November 21, 2008 at 3:17 pm

    Hillary is rumoured to be taking the SoS job.

    And MSNBC says Tim Geithner to Treasury. Sorry, Larry.

  84. 84.

    Zifnab

    November 21, 2008 at 3:18 pm

    @ninerdave:

    Sure it’s settled. Macs rule drool!

    Fix’d.

  85. 85.

    Atanarjuat

    November 21, 2008 at 3:24 pm

    Only a bunch of snooty, self-absorbed elitist liberals would gratuitously debate the merits (or lack thereof) of cilantro — which is, as someone correctly observed above, simply CORIANDER, but I guess the exotic-sounding variation appeals more to hard-left multiculturalists and America Last dead-enders.

    – Country First.

  86. 86.

    ninerdave

    November 21, 2008 at 3:24 pm

    Asparagus pee = teh funny. Of course I think farts are funny too.

  87. 87.

    Comrade Tax Analyst

    November 21, 2008 at 3:24 pm

    TheHatOnMyCat
    I think soap tastes awful and I never put it on my tacos.

    What about shampoo? Or real poo, for that matter?

  88. 88.

    TheHatOnMyCat

    November 21, 2008 at 3:25 pm

    Macs rule?

    In what universe? In 25 years, what’s the highest market share they have ever held?

    Amazing that with a product so good, they have managed to keep a lid on sales all these years. I mean, decades.

  89. 89.

    Comrade Darkness

    November 21, 2008 at 3:26 pm

    Getting tired of too much cilantro is like getting tired of being on a beach vacation. I’m sure it would happen eventually, but I would not complain about making the attempt.

  90. 90.

    TheHatOnMyCat

    November 21, 2008 at 3:27 pm

    What about shampoo? Or real poo, for that matter?

    In poo, I prefer real to sham.

    But not on a taco. Or an enchilada.

  91. 91.

    ninerdave

    November 21, 2008 at 3:27 pm

    John—West coast?! Time to taste the west coast microbrews!

    True dat.

    if you are indeed in LA take a trip down to the San Deigo area and check out Stone Brewing

    Or just hit up a BevMo, go to the 22oz beer section. They’ll have some there.

    The Double Bastard was just released and is awesome.

  92. 92.

    ninerdave

    November 21, 2008 at 3:29 pm

    Amazing that with a product so good, they have managed to keep a lid on sales all these years. I mean, decades.

    I’ve never had a virus, keep it below 25%, please.

  93. 93.

    Comrade Tax Analyst

    November 21, 2008 at 3:29 pm

    Atanarjuat
    Only a bunch of snooty, self-absorbed elitist liberals would gratuitously debate the merits (or lack thereof) of cilantro—which is, as someone correctly observed above, simply CORIANDER, but I guess the exotic-sounding variation appeals more to hard-left multiculturalists and America Last dead-enders.
    – Country First.

    So?

  94. 94.

    TheHatOnMyCat

    November 21, 2008 at 3:30 pm

    Of course I think farts are funny too.

    Few things are as funny as a fart.

  95. 95.

    Shaolin

    November 21, 2008 at 3:30 pm

    Hmmm. I think I’d really like a fish taco right about now. Thanks, fellas.

  96. 96.

    ninerdave

    November 21, 2008 at 3:32 pm

    @Comrade Tax Analyst:

    Question to the cliantro = soap people. Do coriander seeds taste the same way? Or is it something in the leaves.

  97. 97.

    TheHatOnMyCat

    November 21, 2008 at 3:33 pm

    I’ve never had a virus, keep it below 25%, please.

    Point taken.

  98. 98.

    TheAssInTheHatOnMyCat(Formerly Comrade Tax Analyst)

    November 21, 2008 at 3:38 pm

    TheHatOnMyCat
    Of course I think farts are funny too.
    Few things are as funny as a fart.

    Yes, agreed…as long as there’s no real poo involved.

  99. 99.

    Comrade Darkness

    November 21, 2008 at 3:38 pm

    @ninerdave, damn straight. Don’t buy a mac, please. Stay away. I hear microsoft is repackaging vista soon, buy that.

    Macs rule?
    In what universe? In 25 years, what’s the highest market share they have ever held?

    Yeah those numbers are only just above BMW and Mercedes global market share, and those suck too.

  100. 100.

    TheHatOnMyCat

    November 21, 2008 at 3:39 pm

    Only a bunch of snooty, self-absorbed elitist liberals would gratuitously debate the merits (or lack thereof) of cilantro—which is, as someone correctly observed above, simply CORIANDER, but I guess the exotic-sounding variation appeals more to hard-left multiculturalists and America Last dead-enders.

    You’d be surprised, even stupid and uneducated Republicans will talk about food. Everybody talks about food.

    Sure, in your world, it’s Cheetos versus Red Vines, but still, it’s the same principle.

  101. 101.

    Krista

    November 21, 2008 at 3:40 pm

    With the exception of shrimp, scallops and lobster, anything else that comes out of the sea tastes like fish. I keep trying it from time to time to see if my tastes will change, so far no go. The smell of it cooking is gag inducing to me.

    Oh that’s sad. I lurrrve fish, especially salmon, trout and tuna (rare tuna, not that stuff in a can).

    And is it just me, or is the term "fish taco" slightly giggle-inducing due to it sounding like a euphemism for…ahem…you know….

  102. 102.

    TheHatOnMyCat

    November 21, 2008 at 3:41 pm

    Yeah those numbers are only just above BMW and Mercedes

    Those are luxury products. They don’t get you to work any faster than a seven year old Malibu.

    People will pay for luxury. Are you going to claim that Mac is a luxury brand?

    Okay, that explains the steady lack of market share. And the inflated prices.

  103. 103.

    Krista

    November 21, 2008 at 3:42 pm

    Few things are as funny as a fart.

    Agreed. I love working in a two-person office. We curse and burp all day long, and an accidental fart is cause for utter hilarity.

  104. 104.

    TheHatOnMyCat

    November 21, 2008 at 3:44 pm

    With the exception of shrimp, scallops and lobster, anything else that comes out of the sea tastes like fish.

    I really don’t think anything tastes better than good fresh fish and seafood.

    The two best things I ever ate were scallops, and swordfish. The best piece of swordfish I ever ate was so good, to this day, I can’t believe that anything could possibly taste so good. I mean, it was like mouth heroin.

  105. 105.

    TheAssInTheHatOnMyCat(Formerly Comrade Tax Analyst)

    November 21, 2008 at 3:47 pm

    ninerdave
    @Comrade Tax Analyst:
    Question to the cliantro = soap people. Do coriander seeds taste the same way? Or is it something in the leaves.

    I’m not sure I’ve had anything with coriander seeds in it within the last couple decades, so I’m the wrong one to ask about that.

    However, I don’t recall ever tasting anything that had that "slightly soapy" taste I’ve occasionally encountered in cilantro…except actual soap, of course. That doesn’t really answer your question either, because I can’t say whether there were any coriander seeds in any of it.

  106. 106.

    Common Sense

    November 21, 2008 at 3:47 pm

    @TheHatOnMyCat:

    Macs rule?

    In what universe? In 25 years, what’s the highest market share they have ever held?

    Amazing that with a product so good, they have managed to keep a lid on sales all these years. I mean, decades.

    I agree. Popularity is the perfect metric by which to measure quality.

    American Idol is much better than Arrested Development. After all, what’s the highest share of the viewing demo Arrested Development ever got?

    Hootie and the Blowfish were a far greater band than The Grateful Dead. I think the Dead had maybe one platinum record. At one point 1 out of every 10 people in America owned Hootie’s first album.

    Dan Brown is a far better writer than Michael Chabon. I mean, what was Chabon’s best selling book? And whose movie adaptation made more?

  107. 107.

    fledermaus

    November 21, 2008 at 4:00 pm

    About traveling to the West Coast is waking up at your normal wake-up time and it is 4 am.

    Incorrect. The best thing is that football starts at 10AM on sunday.

  108. 108.

    Comrade Darkness

    November 21, 2008 at 4:00 pm

    @TheHatOnMyCat,

    I would say it’s a high-end brand, for certain. Luxury branding would only come into play if their profit margin were about 4 times what it is now, and their units sold would be a little high volume to keep up an image of real exclusivity.

    My partner just got one of the new unibody aluminum enclosure mac book pros. Damn, that’s a slick machine, just the feel of it (okay, I have a machine and tool fetish of sorts, I’ll confess) and solid as a rock when you pick it up. But that works for him. Used PPC macs cheaper off ebay work for me. I think when people say that a brand "rules" they mean it works for them, and enhances *their* life. Why people take that as a personal affront about their own choice is weird. Do whatever you want.

    Btw, apple’s *laptop* market share in the u.s. is 20% overall, at the high end, something like 40%. Vanilla desktops are a commodity item, not a good place for Apple to compete. They won’t ever have that market. Here’s your high end brand evidence.

  109. 109.

    Indylib

    November 21, 2008 at 4:02 pm

    @Steve:

    I don’t really even know if Santana’s can be described as "hole-in-the-wall". It’s more of an extremely small chain.

    Santanas started out as hole-in-wall and expanded a little, but not much. Still locally owned and very downscale.

    I don’t know about La Jolla (what constitutes hole-in-the-wall in La Jolla?), but Santana’s has better food than the otherplaces I tried in PB.

  110. 110.

    TheHatOnMyCat

    November 21, 2008 at 4:05 pm

    Popularity is the perfect metric by which to measure quality.

    It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty good.

    That’s why the Corolla and Civic outsell all the their competitors combined, pretty much.

    But twenty five years and Apple can’t get more than 3-4 percent market share with its supposedly superior product, I think that tells you a lot.

    Well, not you, but somebody with a lick of sense.

    How do you make a direct comparison, anyway, when I can buy three of one thing for the price of one of another, and the three pretty much work as advertised and do the same work as the more expensive thing? Is that about quality, or just about snobbery?

  111. 111.

    Tom Hilton

    November 21, 2008 at 4:11 pm

    @ Comrade Darkness:

    I think it’s more complicated than that. I think it has also to do with soil and growing conditions. The cilantro I buy at the store I love/adore/cherish/chop up on everything some 98% of the time. The cilantro I’ve attempted to grow over the years, tastes like soap. If it all tasted like the stuff I try to grow, I wouldn’t eat it.

    I’ve also noted that there seems to be more of the soapy flavor in the stems than in the leaves. I’m careful now to cut out the stems when I’m chopping cilantro, and I’m much happier with the results.

    @ greynoldsct00:

    Probably tourists. The small shack-like ones are also good.

    I don’t think so. These were weekdays, so I think the tourist population was probably minimal (in Modesto, ‘tourist’ means on the way to or from Yosemite). Another data point: two Mexican restaurants next door to each other, well away from downtown and the highway (so not a lot of tourists even on weekends), one with a full parking lot and one with a mostly empty lot; the full lot place was bland and mediocre and filled with Gringos (who looked to be locals), while the empty lot place (Las Islitas, for future reference) was tasty and interesting and had no Gringos except for us.

    @ LiberalTarian: if you’re in Sacto, ever been to El Mercadito on Northgate @ Potomac? (My late parents lived two blocks away from there, so I became very familiar with the place.) Best tacos I’ve had in Sacramento, at taco truck prices. And yes, it really is a small market.

  112. 112.

    TheHatOnMyCat

    November 21, 2008 at 4:13 pm

    Btw, apple’s laptop market share in the u.s. is 20% overall, at the high end, something like 40%.

    Oh hell, if you are doing that, why not just claim that Apple has 100% of the overpriced snobby computer market?

    It’s a point I am glad to concede, but it doesn’t prove that its product is better. Well, to you it probably does. But not to me.

    If the Mac is so good, why hasn’t it penetrated the enterprise market? The server market? Where are the racks of Macs dishing up those files and web pages? Down the street at the law firm of Snooty, Snooty and Snooty? But not here at Plain Vanilla Get ‘er Done Inc, my friends.

    It will, I suppose, when admins start buying computers to treat them like jewelry instead of like disposable work engines. I’m sure that day is right around the corner.

  113. 113.

    Tom Hilton

    November 21, 2008 at 4:15 pm

    Las Islitas, by the way, had a sign that I figured was God’s way of telling me to blog.

  114. 114.

    Comrade Darkness

    November 21, 2008 at 4:18 pm

    or just about snobbery?

    Ah, there’s the root of it.

    Since this is such a sensitive issue, apparently, just chalk it up to: someone has to pay for the R&D. Good design that makes a car or a computer or a phone a pleasure to use, is expensive. Someone has to take the risk of making a new market, and when they succeed, why shouldn’t they get rewarded for that? I’m looking at you, Blackberry "Touch" owners. Sheesh. Copycatting is SO easy.

    Added: you just keep hashing the same tired points. The answers to some of your litany have to do with breaking into a client-server locked in monopoly, but that’s a totally different topic. You never addressed my main point, which is why does it matter to you so much? Use whatever you damn well please. Windows drives me bonkers, if it doesn’t you, that’s great, you get cheaper computing. Personally, I’d slit my wrists if I were forced to use XP for more than an hour.

  115. 115.

    Zuzu's Petals

    November 21, 2008 at 4:25 pm

    @Tom Hilton:

    Northgate, huh? Ever try the 524 restaurant there? I’ve only been to the one on 12th St., and not since they had the fire, but the food is good and it sure qualifies as a hole-in-the-wall.

    The best tamales I’ve ever had outside of Mexico came from a woman who used to bike around my neighborhood with a cooler full.

    Granted, I’m vegetarian, so I only had the corn tamales, which she swore had no lard…but they were deelish.

  116. 116.

    TheHatOnMyCat

    November 21, 2008 at 4:31 pm

    you just keep hashing the same tired points.

    You mean, the winning ones? Mac is an overpriced luxury product and the last time I looked worldwide market share was 2%.

    Pretty impressive after all these years. Build a better mousetrap, and the world will run away as fast as it can, isn’t that the old saying?

    But please, carry on with your diatribe. I’m here all day.

    You never addressed my main point, which is why does it matter to you so much?

    Where did I say it bothered me at all? I’m just fucking with your snobby argument. I couldn’t care less about it. Are you already into the straw? Wow, you cave easily.

    Come back when you actually have a case.

  117. 117.

    Delia

    November 21, 2008 at 4:39 pm

    And I just heard the cat throwing up somewhere but when I went to find it to clean it up… So there’s cat barf in the house somewhere

    Dammit. You just reminded me. I heard the cat making barking noises on the bed in the middle of the night. I threw her off the bed, but I know there’s cat barf somewhere in the bedroom which I had forgotten about. Now I’ve got to forget about cilantro (which I like just fine) and go find it.

  118. 118.

    tim serbo

    November 21, 2008 at 4:39 pm

    damn, i knew the mere mention of Macs and PCs would put the cat among the pigeons. nice to know there are some things that can still be relied upon.

    ninerdave, coriander seeds taste like concentrated starbursts of awful, as if sarah palin were winking at you and battery acid squirted out her eye.

    uh, kinda.

  119. 119.

    teak111

    November 21, 2008 at 4:46 pm

    I’m betting you’re in San Diego at a convention, physical doctors and rehab conv. "Sit outside by the pool after dinner?" Sf is too cold for that. Anaheim and LB don’t have conv this weekend. I am tracking you down, JC. Now, hotels with pools in the downtown area, pith helmets, pasty white skin…..

    If you are in sd, agree with above, off the beaten path has the best mex. I like Marietta’s in La Mesa (best margy in town), or even Cozumel’s in UTC (chain but good). But there are plenty more. Don’t eat at the mall, rather hit the gaslamp, lot of interesting food there.

  120. 120.

    Steve

    November 21, 2008 at 4:49 pm

    I don’t know about La Jolla (what constitutes hole-in-the-wall in La Jolla?)

    I was living near (and attending) University of San Diego, in Linda Vista. There are a few great little places around the school (one in particular called JV’s that is spectacular).

    Edited to add: what made that particular place a hole-in-the-wall was that, before they expanded, the space was 50% kitchen and 10% salsa bar. Seating space was not a priority.

  121. 121.

    Tom Hilton

    November 21, 2008 at 4:49 pm

    @ Zuzu’s Petals: Haven’t been to 524, I’ll have to try it next time I’m up that way.

    I would recommend the adobado and the al pastor at El Mercadito, but I suppose they’re not really very vegetarian-friendly.

    Speaking of books, I finished the Limits of Power on the plane yesterday and will review it, finished Taking on the System last night, and plan to sit by the pool after dinner and read either Reputation: Portraits in Power or the Best American Political Writing 2008

    You know, John, there’s this exciting new invention that all the cool kids are raving about these days. It’s called fiction. Check it out sometime.

  122. 122.

    South of I-10

    November 21, 2008 at 5:01 pm

    @cleek: I did not know there was a genetic reason for my not liking cilantro. I don’t mind a little bit, but if there is alot it tastes horrible to me. I never equated the taste with soap. To me, a lot of cilantro tastes like stink bugs smell.

  123. 123.

    Jeff

    November 21, 2008 at 5:08 pm

    @Steve: Pacific Beach. Actually, there are plenty of hole-in-the-wall places in La Jolla. They’ve just been there since the 50’s or earlier.

  124. 124.

    smiley

    November 21, 2008 at 5:26 pm

    @South of I-10:

    To me, a lot of cilantro tastes like stink bugs smell.

    Heh. I think we established that we’re both from Louisiana in a thread a while back (though I haven’t lived there in nearly 30 years — go there at least once a year, lots of family there though, can’t do without proper gumbo). I had a friend who grew up in AL at my house a few weeks ago who informed me that they found a "stink bug" on the inside of the window of the bedroom where they were staying. "There’s a stink bug in my bedroom. Do you call them that?", they said. My response was, "Is there another name for them?"

    I’d be interested to know if those, I believe, beetles live in other parts of the country and if they’re called "stink bugs." I don’t remember seeing them in other parts of the country where I’ve lived (northwest, midwest, northeast). Any BJers still following this thread care to respond?

  125. 125.

    Original Lee

    November 21, 2008 at 5:28 pm

    Re: mercaptan. Not any compound with an S-H bond. Mercaptan is a specific organic compound with the chemical formula CH3SH, and therefore belongs to the class of compounds known as thiols. (Our friend grain alcohol has a chemical composition of CH3CH2OH, so you can see they are closely related.)

    The stinky pee after eating asparagus thing: everybody produces mercaptan in their urine after eating asparagus, but the ability to *detect* the smell is a genetic trait. Interesting that there is such a difference by geography between France and England in the distribution of that genetic trait, though.

  126. 126.

    Original Lee

    November 21, 2008 at 5:32 pm

    BTW, if you want a really stinky compound, try selenophene, which is furan with the oxygen atom replaced by a selenium atom.

  127. 127.

    AnneLaurie

    November 21, 2008 at 5:35 pm

    Depending on how & where they’re grown, herbs can contain more or less of the various chemical compounds that give them flavor. Those with really strong volatile oils vary the most, which is why store-bought rosemary and cilantro are a "safer" choice for most cooking purposes than home-grown… kinda the opposite of tomatoes.

    nice thing about bunnies is they can’t barf. poop, on the other hand…

    Well, bunnies can be litter-trained. On the other hand, I’ve been told that even cats will, um, help with the random raisin cleanup, which is one reason why we don’t have a house bunny, because it’s complicated enough keeping the catboxes in a part of the house that the dogs don’t access.

    With the exception of shrimp, scallops and lobster, anything else that comes out of the sea tastes like fish.

    Eww! Scallops are safe (they’re my fallback at seafood joints) but flavor-wise I find the "sea cockroaches" at the extreme end of the avoidance scale. I can taste one part shrimp/lobster to a million parts actual food product, and it will make me gag. My family went on vacation in Mystic CT when I was six, and I actually passed out & fell off a pier after 48 hours of not being able to eat *anything* for the smell of BAIT. And, no, it’s not that I haven’t tried "the right kind" of fish… my dad was a seafood-fanatic dockmaster in New York City, and then my father-in-law was a fanatic fisherman in Michigan, so I’ve tried most of the edible varieties of things-out-of-the-water, salt or fresh, and (scallops excepted) they ALL stink & taste nasty to me. In my experience, fish-noshers are worse for "You only think you don’t like it because you haven’t tried it *my* way" than horny men trying to persuade… well, okay, Krista’s already giggling so you can finish that line yourself.

  128. 128.

    Ack, Sysadmin of Evil

    November 21, 2008 at 5:35 pm

    smiley:

    We’re having a stink bug explosion here in Maryland right now. They have decided that our house is a very nice place to hole up for the winter. I’ve been catching them and throwing them outside for weeks.

  129. 129.

    smiley

    November 21, 2008 at 5:37 pm

    @Original Lee:

    Interesting that there is such a difference by geography between France and England in the distribution of that genetic trait, though.

    Maybe it’s stupid but that was the starting point of my comment @65. Did the Normans introduce the gene to the British Isles? I’d be interested in the prevalence in other parts of the world.

  130. 130.

    smiley

    November 21, 2008 at 5:49 pm

    @Ack, Sysadmin of Evil:

    We’re having a stink bug explosion here in Maryland right now.

    Maryland doesn’t count. It was a border state, damn it! 8^)

  131. 131.

    Blue Raven

    November 21, 2008 at 5:53 pm

    Jeez, people. Someone pulls one of the top two best ways to get a bunch of geeks and wannabe geeks riled up and you fall for it, but let in one troll parody and most of y’all see it for what it is (the other I will not name for fear of starting it up, but it’s one Unix geeks are intimately familiar with). Your hot buttons, let me show you them.

  132. 132.

    ksmiami

    November 21, 2008 at 5:58 pm

    John – enjoy the spiciest food. I swear San Diego is one of the only places where you can get the best Mexican food in el norte… OTOH if you are in LA, hit a taco truck and el coyote for drinks

  133. 133.

    Tattoosydney

    November 21, 2008 at 5:58 pm

    Speaking of books, I finished the Limits of Power on the plane yesterday and will review it, finished Taking on the System last night, and plan to sit by the pool after dinner and read either Reputation: Portraits in Power or the Best American Political Writing 2008

    You party animal, you.

  134. 134.

    robertdsc

    November 21, 2008 at 6:03 pm

    The President-Elect settles the matter nicely:
    Obama is a Mac guy.

  135. 135.

    South of I-10

    November 21, 2008 at 6:19 pm

    @smiley: As soon as I hit submit, I thought that half the people will probably have no idea what I am talking about. Stink bugs are the bane of my existence. You know how they just fly at you every once in a while? I have longish curly hair, so if one gets in there, it is not fun. I hate them! Do they serve any useful purpose whatsoever?

  136. 136.

    [delurk]...[/delurk]

    November 21, 2008 at 6:29 pm

    Late to the party, I know. The flavor component that some people perceive as "soapy" in cilantro is a result of oxidation. It becomes objectionable if cilantro leaves are cut or crushed and not immediately added to the hot food. The longer they sit around after they’re chopped, the worse it gets. The same thing happens to green onion.

    In the first quarter of this year, in retail sales of computers over $1000, Macs had 66% of the US market: 64% laptops and 70% desktops. You get what you pay for, and since no amount of money that has ever been printed would induce me to use Winblows, or any other Microshaft product, I’m not interested in any of the $400 e-waste products they sell at Best Buy.

  137. 137.

    smiley

    November 21, 2008 at 6:40 pm

    @South of I-10:

    Do they serve any useful purpose whatsoever?

    I hope they eat something worse than your hair. Maybe one of the entomologists here can weight in.

  138. 138.

    Steve

    November 21, 2008 at 7:09 pm

    @smiley:
    Growing up in California we called them stink bugs; I live in Maryland now and I have had to explain the name to people.

    @Ack, Sysadmin of Evil:
    I haven’t seen any stink bugs, but the crickets seem to love my apartment as a winter retreat (although I think it’s finally too cold for them, since I haven’t seen any in a couple weeks).

  139. 139.

    rachel

    November 21, 2008 at 8:32 pm

    @Ned Raggett: You know what would be good in that? 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts.

  140. 140.

    Zuzu's Petals

    November 21, 2008 at 9:32 pm

    @Tom Hilton:

    Well, I can’t vouch for the place as it is now, just that my Mexican-American friends went there and what I got was pretty good at the time … years ago.

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