Home again.

On 6/28/07 2:54 PM, "me" wrote:

I did not grow up in a WM area either (in fact WM was not around when
I was growing up). However, economic realities being what they are,
and the lack of availability of other discount houses makes shopping
at WM necessary here.

I wish there were other places to shop..(other than high-end stores)..
WM pretty well has a monopoly here on "discounted" goods (within 50 or
more miles). They are not precisely my favorite company either, since
Sam Walton died, and they have been changing their policies
drastically ever since.. I might mention that many of the higher-end
shops also sell merchandise from China, which is where most of the
"slave labor" items come from, AFAIK.

me

I totally understand. Where I grew up, the big discount place in FL was
Zayre's - which was from Massachusetts, and we did plenty of shopping there.
Or at Jefferson's - which IIRC went out in the late 60s. Then there was
Jackson-Byron's - which was more like Target . My grandmother loved that
place for bargains. And of course, in NY we had EJ Korvette's.

Now with the big warehouse clubs, and the proliferation of dollar stores,
and Target, and Wal-Mart - I guess the smaller chains are gone. In one
small area here we have the Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Lowe's, and a discount
type strip, and within about a mile or two, Costco & Super Target. And
then Kohl's.

The poor labor practices are just a sad thing. So, I just do what I can,
but that doesn't mean it's really accurate.

Ellice
On Thu, 28 Jun 2007 12:42:44 GMT, ellice wrote:


Interesting. I've never grocery shopped in Wal-Mart. But, then again, I
didn't really grow up in the Wal-Mart region, and while now they are here, I
tend to avoid them based on the child-slave labor issue (there are other
bargain places to use).

Might just be how labelling of products is at different places.

Interesting far from stitching conversation.

ellice

Kate XXXXXX wrote:
Pat P wrote:

"Mirjam Bruck-Cohen" wrote in message
...

Ohhh Noble lady ,,,

i ground my coffee beans , half Brazilia Half Arabica ,,,, than make
my OWN filter ,,,,,,The whole house smells well ....
mirjam


Many years ago, there were three grocers` shops in our main street,
who roast and ground their own coffee! As they were pretty evenly
spaced out, you could practically walk from one end of the street to
the other breathing in that wonderful smell. I think I almost prefer
the smell to the taste!

Pat

After that smell the taste of even the best coffee is a slight
disappointment...

My aunt had a cat, one of the many "Smokies" (they had a bunch of cats
over the years, but only one name), that was wild for the smell of a
freshly opened can of coffee. He was so persistent that she finally
brewed him a cup, added a little milk to cool it and set it on the
floor. He took one tentative lick and fled the kitchen, clearly
believing that she was trying to poison him.

And my border collies love the smell of oranges being peeled, but can
hardly gag down the actual fruit itself. They usually take their orange
segments and hide them behind the toilet so the JRT, who actually does
like oranges, can't get them. It's so funny to watch Zane, a dog who
can pop a tennis ball with a single chomp, carrying off his orange
segments with the greatest delicacy - bite too hard and you get orange
juice in your mouth. He looks like he's carrying C-4.

On 6/28/07 6:09 PM, "Kate XXXXXX" wrote:

ellice wrote:
On 6/27/07 7:20 PM, "Kathleen" wrote:

ellice wrote:
On 6/26/07 6:25 PM, "Katherine" wrote:


On Jun 26, 3:16 pm, Karen C - California wrote:

Katherine wrote:
*snip*
I remember one summer when he swore that he wasn't eating anything
but what I prepared and he kept gaining weight. Turns out he was
DRINKING a minimum of two iced cappucinos every day!

Higs,
Katherine

Hey, the cappucino's won't do anything - they're just milk and some
expresso. But, the extra junk if it's full of syrup, etc - that'll drive
the calorie count way up.
I worked for a couple of architects who owned a tiny firm. Them, an
apprentice and me. Swenson's (an ice cream shop) opened up downstairs.
Afternoon malts quickly became a semi-weekly tradition. Although it
was the partners' treat I quickly realized that no good could come of
this and switched my own order to a blueberry phosphate with *lots* of
ice and seltzer. The guys stuck to their large hand-scooped chocolate
malts.

I totally understand this. When I first stopped my "real" job, I ended up
as a supervisor/asst mngr in a Starbucks. Lots of fun. But, quickly I
learned what the calories were in those hefty drinks. So, also, not being
very much of a sweets person, that helped. But, you could see the regulars
coming in for their daily 500 calorie drink. The worst - a very nice
youngish woman, kind of puffy, with some skin issues - every day - a Caramel
Macchiato, made with 5 or 6 shots of expresso, and extra caramel syrup (in
the cup) and extra caramel sauce (on the top) and....instead of milk - with
Half'n'half. What a killer - clog your arteries, hype you up, and fatten
you up all at once.

Personally,I'm a cappucino drinker in winter, and iced latte's in summer -
maybe with 1 pump of syrup (about 20-30 cal). Always skim milk. Even on
Weight Watchers - that way I get my milk in. I do need something about
mid-afternoon.

As a good low point fix mid shop, a bucket of skinny latte is a great
pick-me-up. In the UK unsweetened, it works out at about 2 points.
The killer is the passion cake at 12 points a wedge! I only get 18
points in a whole day!

Exactly. Hence, I'm happy with a nice cappucino or latte. My big
indulgence - the occasional biscotti.

By about Labor Day, the three of them were bemoaning the extra notches
in their belts and were dumbfounded when I pointed out that their
Swenson's habit added an extra 3000 calories to their weekly intake.
They dropped the malted milk monkey and with no further effort, lost
their big bellies within about 6 weeks (I hate guys sometimes).

I can see this. One of my contractors years ago in science world had put a
cappucino machine in their kitchen for that particular group. When we'd go
over to meet - review some seriuos calculations, the first thing one of the
guys would immediately say (the chief investigators were a great pair, one
Israeli, the other German - both now American) "C'mon - let's make
cappucinos" . It was a hoot.

I hate guys for the quick weight loss thing as well. DH - who only does the
visit to the colonel when he's away or I'm not around - about once every 3
mnonths - can lose it sooooo quickly. His biggest issue - he still can eat
like the teenage boy jock that he was - so getting him to go with smaller
portions on some things, is the key. But, if he just cuts some sweet
indulgence - he loses quickly. Life just isn't fair.

ellice


Humph! DH has lost a stone just cutting down on the beer and swapping
some snacks to lower point stuff (but he has to be careful doing this as
he's a type 1 diabetic). I lost 70 lbs by being good, and am now
finding maintenance less easy than losing. 4 lbs up on goal, but still
staying to meetings!

Congratulations to you. I've been not so good the last couple of weeks -
not gaining, not losing. But, DH pretty steadily loses. The biggest thing
for us was cutting out late night meals. We are out quite late, often
(hockey and theatre things) - so by not eating a late dinner, or just
something really light that has helped.

Maybe you'll inspire me to get back on track! That and the clothes I'd like
to see on me instead of on hangers in the spare closet!

ellice

On 6/28/07 6:22 PM, "spampot" ""spampot"@NO SPAM orph.org" wrote:

Kate XXXXXX wrote:
ellice wrote:
On 6/27/07 10:47 PM, "spampot" ""spampot"@NO SPAM orph.org" wrote:

ellice wrote:
On 6/26/07 6:25 PM, "Katherine" wrote:

On Jun 26, 3:16 pm, Karen C - California wrote:
Katherine wrote:
Yepper! Which is why home cooking is better. You can regulate what
goes
into the meal.
Absolutely. But you can't regulate what goes into the husband
when he's
not home.

When we first got married, I was puzzled how he could be gaining
weight
on what I was feeding him. Then I found out. On his way to work, he
supplemented my healthy breakfast with a 600-calorie muffin slathered
with butter. He topped off the low-cal lunch I packed with a
bucket of
the Colonel's finest. After a low-fat dinner, he'd run an errand
by way
of either Dunkin Donuts or the ice cream shop.

It's not that I'm a bad cook, it's that I don't cook the way his
mother
did (with lots of salt, lots of fried food, gravy on everything)
and my
healthy meals made him feel "deprived".
OK, how long have you been married to m y Keith? g
I remember one summer when he swore that he wasn't eating anything
but what I prepared and he kept gaining weight. Turns out he was
DRINKING a minimum of two iced cappucinos every day!

Higs,
Katherine

Hey, the cappucino's won't do anything - they're just milk and some
expresso. But, the extra junk if it's full of syrup, etc - that'll
drive
the calorie count way up.

Ellice

The iced cappuccinos are usually sweetened, though.

The stuff the BK and MacDonalds is serving - absolutely. It's purposely
being marketed that way, iced coffees, etc. Dunkin Donut's as well.
Read/saw some show about the coffee wars.

But a true cappucino isn't. Of course, an iced cappucino is kind of an
oxymoron - in that cappucinos are traditionally espresso with a 50/50
foam-milk mix. Lattes are the straight milk - with a tiny bit of foam.
So, well, an iced cappucino is a tough thing - unless you're pouring
foamed
milk into a glass with ice & expresso. And then if you really get
into it -
there is the "wet" cappucino - which is higher percentage milk/lower
percentage foam & the "dry" cappucino - the opposite - more foam, less
milk.

In a coffee bar they won't sweeten unless you ask them to, or you're
ordering a sweetened drink recipe. Bottled Frappucino - definitely
addictive and sweet.

The things you can learn as a barista. So, I drink cappucinos because
it's
a little less "milky" than a latte.

ellice


Better yet: straight filter coffee with a splash of milk and no sugar or
sweeteners! That's what I usually drink unless I'm feeling shopped to
death!


You & me both, Kate. I stopped sweetening my coffee and tea back in
college (30-some years ago). And if I can't have real cream for my
coffee, I'll drink it black.

When I was a kid, I always remember my grandmother with a constant pot of
coffee. She had the old-fashioned double boiler in the house, and then
later, the Farberware "good" electric percolater - which didn't seem to
scorch the coffee and stayed hot for a couple of hours.

But, to the point - my DM drank coffee with just a little milk, DGM black.
My dad - drank everything with 2 tsp of sugar. So, the rule was when we
wanted to start drinking coffee, it wasn't candy, and we could use a little
milk, but no sugar. My mom always teased dad about the sweet coffee he
drank - but for us - no sugar. So, my DB and I drink it just with a little
milk, or black. And since I turned DH into a coffee addict, he drinks it
the same way. When we first were spending "time" together - and I realized
he had no coffee pot - we brought over a French press - I couldn't have none
at all. And my little grinder. Now, he's hooked. But, he will drink sweet
kind of iced lattes at times.

ellice

On 6/28/07 10:57 PM, "Mirjam Bruck-Cohen" wrote:

Ohhh Noble lady ,,,

i ground my coffee beans , half Brazilia Half Arabica ,,,, than make
my OWN filter ,,,,,,The whole house smells well ....
mirjam

Yup, the best part of morning coffee - the fresh ground beans. We vary
around, and one of our friends and us are trying to buy only fair-trade
certified coffee. She's ordering some that we get in 10# sacks, or we buy
from Caribou, and another local roaster here (that we can get in Costco for
a good price). This week it's been some really nice Costa Rican coffee.
Great in the heat.

Yum.

Ellice

Better yet: straight filter coffee with a splash of milk and no sugar or
sweeteners! That's what I usually drink unless I'm feeling shopped to
death!

--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

On 6/29/07 10:04 AM, "Kate XXXXXX"
wrote:

spampot wrote:

You & me both, Kate. I stopped sweetening my coffee and tea back in
college (30-some years ago). And if I can't have real cream for my
coffee, I'll drink it black.

The only coffee I've ever drunk sweetened is Turkish coffee, which is
usually half honey and half coffee grounds! Mad, but devine! I had
a Turkish bloke on one of my courses at college back in the 70's that
used to make it for me occasionally, as a swap for his other passion - a
shot of my duty free Laphraig!

I never have liked cream in coffee. It's best like the Laproaig -
unadulterated. These days I have to bow to the IBS and the gall bladder
hangover, and drink the coffee with a splash or three of skimmed or semi
skimmed milk, and the Laughin' Giggin' Water as a very occasional treat!

LOL - great analogy. Or any good single malt. I kind of like Dalwhinnie as
well. The best sweetened coffee - in India, at Brindhaven Gardens for the
evening late show - we sat on a terrace of the hotel that overlooks the
gardens, and ordered iced coffee (it was hot, late afternoon, early
evening). What I got - a huge and delicious coffee with ice-cream in it.
And probably some sweet milk as well. Yummy. Likely a million calories.

ellice

On 6/29/07 10:12 AM, "Kate XXXXXX"
wrote:

Mirjam Bruck-Cohen wrote:
Ohhh Noble lady ,,,

i ground my coffee beans , half Brazilia Half Arabica ,,,, than make
my OWN filter ,,,,,,The whole house smells well ....

We keep whole beans (currently a mild roast Columbian, some Celebes
Kolossi, and some Chiapas) in the freezer. I think my favourite is the
very seasonal Elephant ear. DH had a mill and grinds to order... We're
getting through 2 large 12 cup filter jugs per day at present, on the
days he works from home! The rest of the time I try to stick to weak
Earl Grey tea! I don't think we've made anything but filter coffee
since we got married, 25 years ago, and most of that time we have ground
it ourselves. I got used to such lovely coffee when my aunt lived in
Nairobi that...

OK, I'm a coffee snob! I don't like coffee well enough to drink
bad coffee, so we always have Whittards best efforts!

Now I'm really LOL. We could be friends. I'm a coffee snob as well. But,
will drink it in restaurants when it's not always the best. But, even
expensive coffee isn't so bad when you figure it out on the per cup cost -
for the house.

ellice

Sorry to all for the cross-posting. The header on my RCTN reader didn't
show the other groups when I replied.

So, again, sorry for the inconvenience and boredom and breach of netiquette.

Ellice - normally only lurking on RCTY and sweing.

"Kathleen" wrote in message
...
Kate XXXXXX wrote:
Pat P wrote:

"Mirjam Bruck-Cohen" wrote in message
...

Ohhh Noble lady ,,,

i ground my coffee beans , half Brazilia Half Arabica ,,,, than make
my OWN filter ,,,,,,The whole house smells well ....
mirjam


Many years ago, there were three grocers` shops in our main street, who
roast and ground their own coffee! As they were pretty evenly spaced
out, you could practically walk from one end of the street to the other
breathing in that wonderful smell. I think I almost prefer the smell to
the taste!

Pat

After that smell the taste of even the best coffee is a slight
disappointment...

My aunt had a cat, one of the many "Smokies" (they had a bunch of cats
over the years, but only one name), that was wild for the smell of a
freshly opened can of coffee. He was so persistent that she finally
brewed him a cup, added a little milk to cool it and set it on the floor.
He took one tentative lick and fled the kitchen, clearly believing that
she was trying to poison him.

And my border collies love the smell of oranges being peeled, but can
hardly gag down the actual fruit itself. They usually take their orange
segments and hide them behind the toilet so the JRT, who actually does
like oranges, can't get them. It's so funny to watch Zane, a dog who can
pop a tennis ball with a single chomp, carrying off his orange segments
with the greatest delicacy - bite too hard and you get orange juice in
your mouth. He looks like he's carrying C-4.

Isn`t it strange? Our Cavalier (Maggie) loves any fruit, especially
oranges. When John takes her for their morning walk, he sits under a tree,
peels an orange and shares it with her!

He just did it in time today though - we`ve had thunderstorms, torrential
rainshowers and really bad squalls ever since he got back! I had to dash
out between squalls and lash my scooter cover down before it sailed away, it
blew so hard, and it was as much as I could do to shut the front door again.
Brilliant sunshine at the moment, but you should see the black clouds all
around. I love this kind of weather, apart from the fact that it gives me a
headache.

Pat

ellice wrote:


I totally understand. Where I grew up, the big discount place in FL was
Zayre's - which was from Massachusetts, and we did plenty of shopping there.
Or at Jefferson's - which IIRC went out in the late 60s. Then there was
Jackson-Byron's - which was more like Target . My grandmother loved that
place for bargains. And of course, in NY we had EJ Korvette's.

That's a flash from the past! Zayre's! I remember them well. Also
Jefferson's and Jackson-Byron, but especially Zayre's. Now, I
understand Burdine's and Jordan Marsh are gone. I remember when J-M
came to Miami and we were so excited! Later, I worked there for a
while. Store detective. Had some adventures.
--
Joanne
stitches @ singerlady.reno.nv.us.earth.milky-way.com
http://members.tripod.com/~bernardschopen/