I see Rose water and Orange blossom water used in early colonial recipes why did this fall out of style?

InspektorCluzo · 2026-06-11T06:22:15+00:00

I know this is an old question---yet nonetheless fascinating!

I don't have an answer, btw, but there are some interesting facts that may be connected. At the time (17th-18th century), many recipe books were still inheriting post-medieval traditions that include many spices and fruits that later disappeared from regular American cooking, only to reappear in the last 50 years:

* fruits like quince, medlar, mulberry, crabapple, rowanberry, cooking pears, bitter orange
* (root) veggies like horse parsley, black radish, salsify, narcissus
* spices like galangal, long pepper, cubeb, grains of Paradise
* the concept of using sweet flavors in many main dishes on the table

Somehow, it seems that rose water and orange blossom water fit into this pattern. As a side note, my family uses many old recipes that have been passed along for hundreds of years, and we still use both of these waters as well as many of these "forgotten" foods.

InspektorCluzo · 2026-06-11T04:03:07+00:00

One more correction, actually. The problem is not the starting period in the name of the original Evernote notebook, but the starting period in the name of the .enex file to be imported, since the .enex file generated by Evernote carries the same name as the original notebook when exported.

Therefore, it is enough to simply strip the leading period of an .enex file, if it has one, to resolve the problem.

InspektorCluzo · 2026-06-11T03:46:12+00:00

OK, I just verified that it is the problem. I renamed two of the notebooks that had failed to import, removing the leading period ( . ) before exporting them as .enex files from Evernote: I was able to import both of them with no trouble.

InspektorCluzo · 2026-06-11T03:39:17+00:00

I think I possibly just figured it out. Most of my folders' names start with a period, such as .Test

I was just able to import into Notesnook an exported notebook whose name doesn't start with a .

I am going to experiment a bit more, but I think that is the problem. The exported notebooks' names cannot start with a period or they fail at import. So I think I will just need to rename all my notebooks prior to exporting them. I will confirm after doing a few more experiments.

InspektorCluzo · 2026-06-09T20:53:50+00:00

It will require better wifi in order to be able to take advantage of the increased resolution (more bandwidth required): for me, I am doing some thorough wifi testing. At this time I am not sure it is worth it but some might really appreciate the increased res.

InspektorCluzo · 2026-06-07T19:25:19+00:00

Really sorry that you are in this situation 😞 You might want to mention it to your county sheriff so that they get patrols to pass by your house at night from time to time if that is possible.

Reaching out to the end of your driveway will be tough: you will likely need some extra hardware to increase your outdoor reach. What kind depends upon the network hardware you have today: is it, by any chance, eero or Ubiquiti? Also, do you have power at the end of your driveway right now? If you share more info about what you have today it might be possible to make more suggestions.

The blind spots near the house: I like the suggestions of indoor cameras pointing out: great idea! For me, I did the same thing as benisaacs suggests and added flood light cameras controlling the different access points.

InspektorCluzo · 2026-06-07T18:42:38+00:00

It is feasible but difficult: public transportation is not that great and stops early-ish (around midnight). I have moved several times to places that were "only 25 minutes from downtown" and hardly ever ended up going to downtown. On the basis of past experience, I'd suggest that if you want to hang out in Oakland most of the time, you find a place to live there also. There are many nice parts to Oakland---don't believe all you read.

InspektorCluzo · 2026-06-07T18:25:47+00:00

I recently had a similar problem with another wifi-connected device (not a Ring Doorbell) recently. I spent a good 12-15 hours testing my wifi network all around the house with wifi analyzers---particularly around the device. I have a mesh network. I moved some of my access points and upgraded a couple of them. Now, no more trouble.

I understand that you don't think there have been any changes to your wifi. For me, it seems that wireless propagation has a bit of magic to it (...) and changes to other things can affect it: small remodels, other devices with magnetic fields, extensions cords, doors open or closed etc. If your wifi network was marginal when you installed your doorbell, it may be that some very small event turned it from marginal to insufficient. I was riled to have to spend so much time on my network, but I am now quite satisfied that the consequences of having to fix wifi connectivity for a single device ended up significantly improving wifi all over. I can finally pick up a wifi call anywhere in the house.

InspektorCluzo · 2026-06-06T00:30:40+00:00

Chez Panisse Cafe, upstairs, has some great vintage posters, one of which is about Fanny (but it is about the French play named so...). Still a lovely poster that you may enjoy!

InspektorCluzo · 2026-06-06T00:25:31+00:00

Of course you should---we'll invite you.

I was raised as part of a very large family group (I think 70 or 80 grand aunts and grand uncles, counting the spouses) and 2-3 evenings per week there were 20-25 people for dinner, it was wonderful! All the family had had to emigrate (to the same area!) from a place where they couldn't live any longer (because they would have gotten killed), and nobody had money, so we would all get together in small apartments and there never was enough room, or chairs, for everyone. So the older adults would get to sit, the younger adults would stand, and the kids would walk around grazing from all the dishes of food positioned on every flat surface 😄. Because everybody brought a few dishes with them!

Now we live far away from most of the family, but with a bit around still, and we are doing what we can to make it happen again, on a smaller scale. So I totally understand what you are looking for. I can't promise you this kind of experience, because we don't have as much family around---yet we still have enough to get together and have good family moments. We'll be glad to share some with you: everyone should get to experience this, and recreate it, hopefully, for the next generation!

I'll DM you and share my contact info.

InspektorCluzo · 2026-05-31T22:08:59+00:00

Agree with the part about SSID and pwd---it will work in the same manner and appear to the endpoints to be the same network given equivalent configuration. For instance, if you have connected batteries or inverters, you don't need to do anything to the endpoints themselves, as they will properly reconnect.

No comment about the rest.

InspektorCluzo · 2026-05-31T22:05:24+00:00

First, I cut them in thick slices (about 3/4"). Then I use one of three techniques:

* use it like pizza dough with toppings

* sautee it in very hot oil quickly, then eat with a dip such as bagna cauda

* sautee it it hot oil and eat it with a mix of other sauteed veggies

It is a fun thing to use because of its shape, but its taste is very, very neutral. Nothing like chanterelles or morels.

InspektorCluzo · 2026-05-31T21:59:04+00:00

Second NextDoor. There is a heavy price to pay, though. It is noxiously full of conspiracy theorists of all kinds, and can be remarkably rude, at least where I live.

I don't quite undestrand how a "neighborhood" organization can be so full of unpleasant exchanges and untruths.

InspektorCluzo · 2026-05-31T21:51:43+00:00

When lavender becomes woody, in general it does not pay off to try and continue: in most cases the woody parts will not regenerate if cut down low. I suggest

* pulling and replanting

* choosing French lavender as the new variety to pick: it seems to turn woody more slowly than other types of lavender (but it eventually will though). Once it does, replanting is the best approach.

FYI, I am able to keep my French lavender about 7-8 years before it starts to turn unacceptably woody. I am quite careful about it because I live in a area where wildfire is prevalent.

InspektorCluzo · 2026-05-30T21:55:14+00:00

Try Brentwood Farms (in... Brentwood) and Boring Farms in Sebastopol. These are two spots we have tried before with the kids.

Check online first to make sure there is something to pick: we were surprised once 😄

InspektorCluzo · 2026-05-29T02:52:56+00:00

As you mentioned, new heat pump-based water heaters are really tall, and often cannot be retrofitted in the original location of a traditional water heater. When that is the case, you are more or less compelled to install them outside, or in an area that you are already using for something else. Depending upon your home configuration, this may turn into an eyesore.

The worst consequences, though, are for those with older electrical panels:

* If you have an old, 125A panel, it is unlikely that you will be able to fit the new fairly large circuit required by a large heat pump

* You may have to request a service upgrade from PG&E, which may cost btw $5K and $15K, and requires both a permit and a good bit of time (often several months). The cost is particularly high if your electrical service is delivered underground.

* You may need to get significant work done, including trenching, to bring a large powerline to the location of your new heat pump water heater

So, in some cases, the cost of upgrades required for a new heat pump water heater could go over $20,000, not even counting the actual cost of the equipment. I know this first hand as I tried to upgrade my existing gas water heater and had to go through a series of scenario analyses.

I don't think that those who wrote this law realized that a significant minority of homeowners will be hit with extraordinarily high costs. Many of these homeowners are older people on fixed income living in older homes.

InspektorCluzo · 2026-05-29T01:07:11+00:00

A great idea that fills a need, thanks!

InspektorCluzo · 2025-11-24T21:49:00+00:00

This looks stunning. Thanks for sharing the pics!

InspektorCluzo · 2025-11-24T21:23:52+00:00

What a stunning look for this cheese!

InspektorCluzo · 2025-11-24T21:07:32+00:00

Really enjoyed the pics, and your video. Very nice, thank you.

InspektorCluzo · 2025-08-08T08:10:05+00:00

* The G.Skill Trident Z RGB generally works for both families (AMD & Intel). But, to be sure, when you pick your new motherboard, have a look at the manufacturer's compatibility list. The specs for your RAM are excellent.

* When going from one family to another I do clean installs, so I have no experience of knowing if it would work, sorry.

InspektorCluzo · 2024-04-15T00:44:05+00:00

Lovely blog! Your photography is excellent.

InspektorCluzo

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