[Sca-cooks] loot, glorious loot

[jenne at fiedlerfamily.net]

Well, we had the family christmas yesterday, due to the fact that my
youngest and most spoilt brother is going to Texas with the fiancee for
Christmas. *rolls eyes* It was the usual ritual of serving enough food for
a small South American country to 5 people routine, with masses of
presents (mostly bought by me, as a way of getting my own back after years
of not being able to keep up with the munificience of presents bought by
brothers who worked 146 hours in the two week period before Christmas.
(One works for a caterer, one is a part time roofer and sometime
caterer... Fortunately, I got the bad feet in the family.)

Anyway, there was much loot. I especially lucked out in a Henckel's 10"
chef's knife (the younger newt, I mean brother, was going to give me a
secondhand professional set he had at home, but relented), and a cast-iron
8 quart dutch oven with tripod legs and cast-iron top. I also got a
digital camera, so I will never be safe from Olwen's scolding again, and
the Librarian action figure, as well a stunning tigereye pendant and
earrings.

In the Day of Shopping last thursday (can I spend all my Christmas money
and buy all my presents without ever getting near the mall?), I also
managed to pick up (for myself) a good number of kitchen gadgets at
Ollie's discount store -- a metal bench-knife thing, a good selection of
corks, cheesecloth, tiny whisks (excellent for making skin cremes), tiny
rubber spatulas, etc.  AND a 'dollar store' chain called Dollar General
has a series of serving ceramics in glazes that look quite passable-- a
one quart pitcher, an oval platter, bowls of various sizes, a small
covered tureen, a footed bowl, round platters, etc., all of them $5 and
under a piece.  I am giddily planning whole sets for handwashing and for
serving. :

-- Pani Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, Knowledge Pika jenne at fiedlerfamily.net
".. objections to the evils of political correctness have become a
hypocritical reflex that lets people justify all kinds of rude behavior
while telling themselves that they're actually standing up for freedom and
values and tradition and stuff."
-- Phil Agre, author, Red Rock Eater News Service.