lperry

^ I got to it by clicking through on a Bing news search for "Hadeed Carpet Yelp", so it may be accessible that way. I didn't add the link because I thought there might be a cookie in there somewhere. I'm still quite surprised that Yelp has that much of an impact on business. I have never used it.

When M&M Mars makes this April Fools' Day joke on their Facebook page...

Try a power drill. (It's a vertical video.)

^ You realize your northern neighbors had dinner in the snow, right?

There are people who are sensitive to it, and Don may be one of them. The Smithsonian magazine had a nice piece last fall. My only objection is to the title, which I think can easily be interpreted as a bit unkind, and unkindness tends to stop people from reading, thus defeating the purpose of the article, to educate, but that's a different issue.

It may not stop them, but the issue is one of understanding scientific principles, and, while MSG is a relatively innocuous example, something like, say, immunization of children, is not. In this case, the placebo effect is also irrelevant. So the "I believe it, it must be true" issue, or something akin to the "20 uses of cider vinegar" posts I see on Facebook (it cures cancer, toenail fungus, and promotes world peace, apparently), are symptomatic of a larger problem with scientific literacy, at least in my mind. To keep this on topic, I'll add the edit that, when I was 12, I broke out in hives after eating Chinese takeout. This occurred before I knew anything about MSG, or hives, for that matter. It was just damned itchy, and it took a good dose of Benadryl to stop it. My Mom blamed MSG, but I've never had it happen again, and I'm sure I've been served MSG again. Who knows.

Crimini mushrooms in a red wine, balsamic, honey reduction, served over quinoa. Roasted broccoli.

Nah. There's no chance of being hit. Or, at least, not a good chance, assuming you did something aim-worthy.

To Mother Nature. You win. I am completely, utterly, beaten into submission.

Picture an archer at target practice. The archer is going for both precision and accuracy. She shoots five arrows, and all of them hit within a five-inch circle, but on a nearby tree instead of in the target. This is precision. She shoots another five arrows, and all of them hit the very large target, but they are scattered about on it. This is accuracy. She shoots the final five arrows, and each of them hits within the tiny circle in the middle of the target. This is precision and accuracy. Precision is the ability to hit the same target multiple times. Accuracy is the ability to hit the correct target multiple times.

Please report back if they are any good. I have been thinking about them for some time, but was afraid to risk it for such a large bag. I have a great learning tool for the latter if you really want to know...

I like the Indian market in the shopping center across Little RIver Turnpike from Home Depot at Braddock road. I can't remember the name, but it is clean, organized, and the spices are very fresh. Last night, roasted butternut squash risotto and roasted broccoli.

Yesterday was spent in the garden. On the alive list: lavender, sorrel, three Scarlet Nantes carrots that were accidentally left in the ground last fall, and both the regular and lemon thyme (go French plants!). The garlic chives have come back with a vengeance, spreading over about a meter of real estate (let me know if you want some), and the small clump of regular chives are getting choked out by them. I'm considering potting the garlic chives to keep them contained. I found a green branch on the giant rosemary, lifted it to get a better look, and realized too late that it had rooted in the ground and I had accidentally pulled it up bare-root (doh!) It's in a pot now, and there appears to be one more live branch, so I didn't completely lose the plant. Dead: sage (that one was a bit of a shock), oregano (also surprising), catnip, lemon verbena, and at least some branches on the fig. Still waiting for sprouts on that one. Seeds got started and are in the basement under grow lights. I'm afraid to use the cold frame for seeds with the 20 degree temperatures forecast for this week. Chives, leeks, fennel, celery, celeriac, and cauliflower are planted. I may do the hot weather plants later this week or next. I still need to go get some manure for two of the beds. The other two got bags of rabbit "berries" during the winter, so they will be ready when the early vegetables are ready to go out. It's been an awful winter. I look forward to some warmer weather and more time outside.

Great Wall has both those things - I've bought them there in the past. I don't think H Mart has the preserved vegetable. Uncle Liu's Hot Pot is in the same shopping center, and, although I have never been, all of my Mandarin teachers have recommended it.

^ FWIW, we find that the service at the Shirlington location is much better and friendlier than at the Del Ray store.

Carvel still exists? Carvel of the Saturday-morning-cartoon-interrupting ads with the guy who sounded like a cross between Mel from Mel's Diner and The Aardvark? Mom always made our birthday cakes, but I always wanted to try one from Carvel.

The cardiac patients I know, who are friends and relatives, aren't put on low carb or low calorie so much as low saturated fats, and animal fats are anathema. Yes, I know there's a study out demonstrating sat fats aren't as evil as some think, but the advice from their doctors has not changed. Enter the fake meats, particularly sausage.

It has been my experience that these types of things are for cardiac patients who ate a few too many of the original cheesesteaks, but now are on strict diets.

Thai Royal in North Old Town is much better than both Thai Peppers in Del Ray and T.H.A.I. in Shirlington, although the Shirlington lunch bowls are pretty good.

I'm curious if the wineries themselves are interested in having Virginia wine on the national stage, or if they simply want to sell out every year to whomever cares to buy. It seems from the other comments that there is not enough wine to go around in the Commonwealth, much less to be distributed more widely.

MOM's in Alexandria has seeds out from the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. I know all the seeds aren't grown here, but it is a Virginia-based company, which is kind of nice. I picked up seeds for a few herbs including holy basil.

We used to have happy hours for our running group at Monroe's, and I haven't been in a while, but I always had a good experience there. They typically have an interesting red and white Italian wine on special. I've enjoyed every one I've tried, and I've tried quite a few. The bar food is pretty good bar food, I remember the veggie pizza and the flatbread with tapenade being enjoyable, but I think they make very nice salads. I know people don't typically talk a lot about salads at restaurants, however, having been served some atrocious ones (spoiled greens, overdressed, underdressed, puckeringly acidic), I know I can always count on something done well at Monroe's.

Mesclun in a tarragon vinaigrete, topped with Fuji apple and manchego. Carrot, grapefruit, ginger juice, the anti-winter cocktail. The mesclun was one of those boxes of Earth-something Farms that a neighbor gave me before she headed out on vacation. That stuff goes bad approximately three seconds after you take it out of the store.

Leek and roasted tomato risotto, finished with goat's cheese and a little butter. Steamed green beans in a tarragon, Dijon vinaigrette. Cháteau du Moulin Entre deux Mers Blanc 2012 (Last Bottle) (I wish I had bought much, much more.)

Thanks for hosting me. I hope people learned something new!