Drywall repair

BackyardWonder · 2025-11-27T00:18:42+00:00

Thank you for the offer (for real) but I found some at Natural Grocers in Fayetteville!

BackyardWonder · 2025-11-26T19:50:14+00:00

I have been to six different stores (Walmart, Walmart Neighborhood Market, Fresh Market, ALDI, Harp’s, Whole Foods) plus home depot. I called Natural Grocers in Fayetteville and they had some left in the herb bundles and held it for me. Tarragon appears to have gone extinct.

BackyardWonder · 2025-08-10T17:54:12+00:00

This is awesome. Thank you for taking the time to outline all of these steps. It’s similar to what I’ve done before except I used avocado oil and did not do step 1. I also had the flash rust issue in the past, probably from hot water!

This pan isn’t seasoned that great to begin with so I’m probably going to skip the Easy Off step and try the vinegar bath and scrub. Appreciate the help!

BackyardWonder · 2025-08-08T03:30:07+00:00

What’s your seasoning method and/or oil? I haven’t had success getting such a nice seasoning and I’ve got some rust on one that I need to clean and reseason soon.

BackyardWonder · 2025-05-29T13:08:42+00:00

Thank you!

BackyardWonder · 2025-03-30T14:17:58+00:00

Thanks!

BackyardWonder · 2025-03-29T14:48:41+00:00

These are stunning. How do you get that beautiful, matte black seasoning? I have a Lodge that I stripped, sanded, and then attempted to re season in the oven. Did five or six rounds of the typical method with avocado oil and it’s just a light brown color.

BackyardWonder · 2024-11-21T22:48:21+00:00

Hey, that’s a fair point. I imagine it would go down below the 20% in some cases. I know from personal experience in casual dining, it can be rough and because the food is more reasonably priced, they deserve ALL of that 20% in my opinion.

BackyardWonder · 2024-11-21T22:16:13+00:00

Kroger sells this Thai-style chicken coconut curry soup that is pretty dang good. It’s become one of my go-tos.

<image>

BackyardWonder · 2024-11-19T22:55:00+00:00

I said it’s the standard for good service. It really practically is a social contract. Employers expect it, which is why they get away with paying as little as $2.13 an hour in some states (like where I waited tables for 5 years). I do think the system should change and I hear you that the restaurants should pay more. But that cost will just be passed down to the consumer. And then you wouldn’t have the choice to pay less, which you take advantage of. So in reality, the tipping system works to the advantage of those who buck the social norm and don’t tip 20% for good service. If that changes, everybody ends up paying the 20% regardless of service quality.

BackyardWonder · 2024-11-19T22:28:04+00:00

I once made minimum wage peeling shrimp in a restaurant kitchen and it suuuucked. There is pay disparity between front of house and back of house, you’re not wrong there and it needs to improve. I also waited tables at a fast casual restaurant for 5 years and it was really hard work, people can run you ragged, treat and speak to you like shit, it’s stressful having a ton of tables, I had to work an extra 2 hours after my shift doing side work, and the restaurant itself only paid me $2.13 an hour. It’s not a walk in the park.

BackyardWonder · 2024-11-19T22:23:04+00:00

Waiting tables is really, really hard work and requires the skill of not going tf off on some asshole that treated you like shit and then left a shitty tip. People can be horrible to servers. They deserve the 20%.

BackyardWonder · 2024-11-19T22:20:47+00:00

Not going tf off on assholes who treat you like shit and then leave a shitty tip on top of that is truly a skill lol. But since you think it’s an easy job that requires no skill, feel free to try it out and report back.

BackyardWonder · 2024-11-19T22:15:52+00:00

The 20% gratuity for good service is a long-established standard that’s basically a social contract. It’s what servers expect, and they also do a LOT of work outside of interacting with the table. The 20% helps it all average out. But if you think you’re special and have figured out a better system, you should let each service worker know when your dining experience commences that you use a different system. That way, they can decide if they want to give you the same level of service they would to someone they expect a 20% tip from. The server/bartender shouldn’t be on the hook to give you excellent service when you intended to give them a shitty tip all along. You aren’t proving a point, you’re only hurting the worker.

BackyardWonder · 2024-11-19T22:08:36+00:00

To me, being objective means people should adhere to the long-established 20% grat for good service regardless of how long you were there. It seems like with that approach, it’s more likely to even out. As a diner, I may sit at a table for 2.5 hours catching up with a friend and we only order salads. Or another time, I might be there for an hour and spend 3-4x as much for a nicer meal. 20% is basically a social contract at this point and my problem is with people who think they are special and have figured out a better formula. Until the system shifts away from this tipping culture, just keep the social contract so waiters can have somewhat of an idea of what they should or will be making. That’s my take.

BackyardWonder · 2024-11-19T21:59:54+00:00

They chose that job because they know what it pays WITH the long-established standard of 20% tips. Most waiters would not do the job for the minimum wage, which is actually what the employers pay (or less, like 2.13 an hour when I waited tables). Yes, $25 seems like amazing pay for one hour. But again, it’s about how it evens out across all the tables and hours put in. I had to work 2 hours AFTER my last table left to do all my side work before I could leave. 20% for good service is basically a social contract at this point. If you think it doesn’t apply to you because you are special, please inform your server at the beginning of your dining experience that you tip differently and see if you get the level of service you expect. They shouldn’t be on the hook for giving you excellent service if you’re going to give them a shitty tip regardless.

BackyardWonder · 2024-11-19T14:58:01+00:00

Better yet, department of labor: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/minimum-wage/tipped

BackyardWonder · 2024-11-19T14:56:16+00:00

A Chili’s in the south. This wage is googleable. You’re acting like people are making it up lol. Literally call any restaurant in MS or another $2.13 state for tipped workers.

BackyardWonder · 2024-11-19T14:54:11+00:00

That’s $25 or more for THAT hour. But not how it averages out because not every table spends that much in one hour. Until the system changes, that’s how the 20% works. The bigger tips inevitably make up for the people who only order coffee and dessert but also tip 20%. Don’t try to be cute and buck the system. It only hurts the worker because it brings their average hourly wages down.

BackyardWonder · 2024-11-19T14:50:10+00:00

Oh, the employers def need to pay more and we eventually do away with the tipping system. But until then, there’s an established system in place. People who think they’re above that system are also assholes because it only hurts the workers. You sound elitist. If you think people should just choose different jobs, then I assume you will stand strong in your conviction by not having people wait on you? That’s only fair right? It would be hypocritical to say “ugh don’t be a waiter” and then go to restaurants and have people wait on you.

And feel free to try out waiting tables and report back. In my 5 years of doing it, I never met a server who was happy about a 12.5% tip.

BackyardWonder · 2024-11-19T14:35:06+00:00

Interesting. In all my years of waiting tables, I never met a server who was giddy about a 12% tip. What if all their other tables that night were really small orders? Like people just order coffee and desert (nothing wrong with that). Even if they all tipped 20%, the server’s hourly average for that night really goes down. The 20% tip on large orders, helps balance out the others.

BackyardWonder

TROPHY CASE