A nationwide ritual was lost here in the UK when Kit-Kat packaging was changed. (Did this happen elsewhere too?) They used to be wrapped in tinfoil so you'd have two satisfying parts of the eating experience. 1) running your thumbnail down the tinfoil to split it neatly, parallel to the chocolatey trench between bars 2) splitting off a single bar for immediate consumption.
Now, the plastic packaging means you only get to indulge in the second bit, but even that's difficult cause you have to take the whole thing out the wrapper and get chocolate all over your hands. I was mildly perturbed by this development.
Also, back when I used to get easter eggs as a kid I'd always have to smash it against my forehead before eating. But that was a pretty common ritual. I think.
not a ritual for consumption, but I noticed recently that when I'm cooking and need to rap a spoon against the edge of the pot to clear off stuck bits, I rap the same number of times and in the same tempo every time - which is the same number and tempo as my mom did when she cooked.
I love knowing this about random food rituals, and it made me realize how many arcane ones I have around food, just because they make me happy. Additionally, my family always has a lusty, glass-clinking 'Cheers!' before a meal -- only now, because my youngest child went through a perverse phase wherein she wouldn't Cheers, thereby robbing the savoriness from the ritual (I'm not kidding), we clink glasses and say, 'Family norms and rituals!' Yes, it's a bit of social pressure, but it is also just so silly that we are all happy to participate again, and savoriness is restored.
Also can I just say that stuff on narcissism is so useful. I was raised with the mantra that "self praise is no recommendation" and unfortunately, as I have discovered, in a job interview self-praise is the ONLY recommendation. I have had to do a lot of "unlearning" in therapy about this and reckon with a lot of feedback I've received over the years about lack of confidence in e.g. job interviews because I have such a difficult time saying that I do something well or would be well-qualified for e.g. a job. Incidentally, it turns out that a side effect of this has been finding fault or excuses for achievements, and writing them off as "not that good". I also completely agree with Patrick McKenzie's statement you quoted!
That bit about whether you're worried about the line or not feels true for pretty much everything. Also interesting that you mention hypertext and such. Just read a post about the early days of Hypercard. We have so many ways to use these tools we have and many of us are really misusing them.
I've been here for four newsletters and it is quickly becoming a favorite. Keep it coming.
The bit on lying reminds of the Seven Deadly Sins. I like to say that there is only One Deadly Metasin. Incorrigibleness: a failure to correct oneself. It is not that sin is so bad - everyone sins - it is that we fail to change for the better.
Bruce G. At Easter time, eating the chocolate bunnies, I always eat the ears first, then the tail, then the rest of the bunny. It doesn't make much sense, but I've been doing it for 60 years now.
Apparently the way I eat pies is a bit unusual. My ritual is: take off the lid, flip it over, scrape and eat the 'inside' of the lid, eat the rest of the lid, eat the filling of the pie, scrape and eat the inside of the pie crust, eat the rest of the pie crust. I don't know why, but it is just really good this way!
I also like to eat Mint Slice cookies in a particular way: bite all the way around the edge to expose the biscuit and mint filling, bite off the chocolate layer at the bottom, bite off the chocolate layer and mint filling at the top, until all that is left is the biscuit layer. This works best with Mint Slices that have been in the fridge because the chocolate comes away in a clean layer!
Prima content as usual! But I can't refrain from chiming in, the How Stuff Works article you linked to is total baloney! MJ was not the first to do the moonwalk, not by a longshot - he merely popularized it.
I believe Narcissus was in love with the image of himself reflected in the pool of water. He did not realize that the reflected image was in fact himself. His parents were water gods and his moment of realization was at the pool of water. Narcissus becomes able to love himself only when he learns to love that self as an object. Ego loving the soul not ego loving ego.
For our children: we had everyday breakfast cereal, but certain ones were special treats known as Saturday Cereal and could only be eaten that day. From thenceforth “Saturday Cereal” was longhand for anything ritualistically saved for a special occasion.
Also: Intermittent fasting has re-enchanted our daily eating. We so look forward to 11:00 am when first eat for the day and also bid heartfelt farewells when we stop eating by 7:00 pm. We truly note food tastes better this way
A nationwide ritual was lost here in the UK when Kit-Kat packaging was changed. (Did this happen elsewhere too?) They used to be wrapped in tinfoil so you'd have two satisfying parts of the eating experience. 1) running your thumbnail down the tinfoil to split it neatly, parallel to the chocolatey trench between bars 2) splitting off a single bar for immediate consumption.
Now, the plastic packaging means you only get to indulge in the second bit, but even that's difficult cause you have to take the whole thing out the wrapper and get chocolate all over your hands. I was mildly perturbed by this development.
Also, back when I used to get easter eggs as a kid I'd always have to smash it against my forehead before eating. But that was a pretty common ritual. I think.
not a ritual for consumption, but I noticed recently that when I'm cooking and need to rap a spoon against the edge of the pot to clear off stuck bits, I rap the same number of times and in the same tempo every time - which is the same number and tempo as my mom did when she cooked.
I love knowing this about random food rituals, and it made me realize how many arcane ones I have around food, just because they make me happy. Additionally, my family always has a lusty, glass-clinking 'Cheers!' before a meal -- only now, because my youngest child went through a perverse phase wherein she wouldn't Cheers, thereby robbing the savoriness from the ritual (I'm not kidding), we clink glasses and say, 'Family norms and rituals!' Yes, it's a bit of social pressure, but it is also just so silly that we are all happy to participate again, and savoriness is restored.
Also can I just say that stuff on narcissism is so useful. I was raised with the mantra that "self praise is no recommendation" and unfortunately, as I have discovered, in a job interview self-praise is the ONLY recommendation. I have had to do a lot of "unlearning" in therapy about this and reckon with a lot of feedback I've received over the years about lack of confidence in e.g. job interviews because I have such a difficult time saying that I do something well or would be well-qualified for e.g. a job. Incidentally, it turns out that a side effect of this has been finding fault or excuses for achievements, and writing them off as "not that good". I also completely agree with Patrick McKenzie's statement you quoted!
Big fan of the Calvino and Borges content! Would love to see even more in the future :)
That bit about whether you're worried about the line or not feels true for pretty much everything. Also interesting that you mention hypertext and such. Just read a post about the early days of Hypercard. We have so many ways to use these tools we have and many of us are really misusing them.
I've been here for four newsletters and it is quickly becoming a favorite. Keep it coming.
The bit on lying reminds of the Seven Deadly Sins. I like to say that there is only One Deadly Metasin. Incorrigibleness: a failure to correct oneself. It is not that sin is so bad - everyone sins - it is that we fail to change for the better.
The stuff about food rituals makes me think I should start saying grace, or something like it (I'm an atheist) before meals.
Bruce G. At Easter time, eating the chocolate bunnies, I always eat the ears first, then the tail, then the rest of the bunny. It doesn't make much sense, but I've been doing it for 60 years now.
Apparently the way I eat pies is a bit unusual. My ritual is: take off the lid, flip it over, scrape and eat the 'inside' of the lid, eat the rest of the lid, eat the filling of the pie, scrape and eat the inside of the pie crust, eat the rest of the pie crust. I don't know why, but it is just really good this way!
I also like to eat Mint Slice cookies in a particular way: bite all the way around the edge to expose the biscuit and mint filling, bite off the chocolate layer at the bottom, bite off the chocolate layer and mint filling at the top, until all that is left is the biscuit layer. This works best with Mint Slices that have been in the fridge because the chocolate comes away in a clean layer!
Also I saw this meme ages ago about having to test tongs before you use them (https://cheezburger.com/9225893888/quality-control) and it just makes me laugh every time I think of it.
Prima content as usual! But I can't refrain from chiming in, the How Stuff Works article you linked to is total baloney! MJ was not the first to do the moonwalk, not by a longshot - he merely popularized it.
I believe Narcissus was in love with the image of himself reflected in the pool of water. He did not realize that the reflected image was in fact himself. His parents were water gods and his moment of realization was at the pool of water. Narcissus becomes able to love himself only when he learns to love that self as an object. Ego loving the soul not ego loving ego.
For our children: we had everyday breakfast cereal, but certain ones were special treats known as Saturday Cereal and could only be eaten that day. From thenceforth “Saturday Cereal” was longhand for anything ritualistically saved for a special occasion.
Also: Intermittent fasting has re-enchanted our daily eating. We so look forward to 11:00 am when first eat for the day and also bid heartfelt farewells when we stop eating by 7:00 pm. We truly note food tastes better this way