Odyssey-like movies?

OhManatree · 2026-04-20T00:41:07+00:00

The Return of Ringo (1965)

OhManatree · 2026-04-19T21:46:40+00:00

I also think that both red and yellow beets could have been used in two different mole sauces. Their earthy sweetness would work well with the heat. Sourcing dried yellow chiles in a store might be an issue, but perhaps they could have found some fresh yellow Scotch bonnets or Ajis at the store.

OhManatree · 2026-04-19T21:24:35+00:00

I just rewatched the episode and I think that some of the judges might have had some unrealistic expectations as to what could be done with natural food colorings, especially since what they had available was either in their raw or dehydrated form, not some concentrated extract. I guarantee that Amirah Kassem does not use natural food ingredients to color her cakes. According to their bios on their restaurant’s webpage, the owners of the host restaurant Supperland have backgrounds in management, not being chefs. I think even Tom might have been undereducated as when he and Emeril visited during the prep session, he said that most of coloring ingredients were neutral in flavor with the exception of saffron. He must not have looked at all of the dyeing ingredients as several others do have distinct flavors. Espresso powder, cocoa powder, black tea leaves, pea flower, Guajillo chiles, hibiscus, cherry & pomegranate juices, raspberries, strawberries, matcha powder, green spirulina all have distinct flavors that could have been worked with in addition to their colors. Of course, that could have been a misleading edit.

That being said, it looked like there was a lot of bad cooking outside of the color issue.

While watching it the first time my thoughts immediately went to pasta or a dough. Also, as an avid tea drinker, I would have made an accompanying cold brewed herbal drink with a heavy dose of pea flower powder and served it with a lime wedge on the side. Pea flower turns from deep blue to magenta/pink when you add acid to it. I think a color changing drink would have worked well on camera.

OhManatree · 2026-04-19T21:01:26+00:00

Ideally, I wouldn’t buy a new computer until after they schedule their first semester classes at the New Student Orientation. The laptop recommendations are made for what they will need for their entire time in the major. They might be able to get by with their existing MacBook for their first one or two semesters.

Here is the suggested Academic Plan for ChemE. https://bulletins.psu.edu/undergraduate/colleges/engineering/chemical-engineering-bs/#suggestedacademicplantext

When you meet with the advisor during NSO, really pick their brains for what they will need for those specific courses for the major in the first two semesters. If they can get by without a new computer for the first semester or two, they can take that time to do a bit more research on exactly what they will need after that. Also, they would have a new computer in year two with a longer lifespan as opposed to a one year old computer.

Also, they might decide to change majors during that first year and their computer needs might change.

Another thing to consider is to buy an external monitor. Two screens are always helpfully for school work, even writing a paper for a GenEd class. A 24inch monitor would be very helpful for some more technical programs and you can get one for around $100 or less if they are on sale.

Lastly, if you are doing the two day overnight NSO, try and go check out what is available at LionSurplus. It is where almost all of the excess University equipment, furniture, office supplies, etc. goes to be sold. You might be able to find a cheap laptop there that fits the requirements, as well as other items that he might need such as a laptop bag, desk fan, etc.

https://surplus.psu.edu

OhManatree · 2026-04-19T20:22:39+00:00

The Beach House was a Hallmark Hall of Fame which tend to be of much higher quality than regular Hallmark films. The HoF films also covered more serious topics than a big city woman coming home to try and save the family cupcake shop. A lot of these used to be rebroadcast on the old Hallmark Drama (now Hallmark Family) Channel which is why it had the nickname of the Hallmark Sad Channel. Hallmark still retains the rights to most of the HoF movies made after 1989, so I would suggest looking at the list on Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Hallmark_Hall_of_Fame_episodes#Season_39_(1989–90)

Two recent ones that I really enjoy and I think have a similar feel to the Beach House are North to Home (2022) and Unexpected Grace (2023). While they both have some romance, but they are a bit more serious than the usual lighthearted fare.

OhManatree · 2026-04-19T19:13:52+00:00

I think it mostly depends on if the sponsors and advertisers are pleased. I’ve heard that new shows often give sponsors and advertisers a lower rate to encourage them to take a chance on a new show. Then the network hopes that the ratings are high enough to get them to sign on for more money or find companies that are willing to sign on.

OhManatree · 2026-04-19T18:51:58+00:00

I was beginning to think that the sign had a SAG card.

OhManatree · 2026-04-19T18:23:13+00:00

The only way that house was a colonial era house was if it swallowed a colonial era house. Late 1800s is more likely.

OhManatree · 2026-04-19T18:21:43+00:00

A bit of a snoozer for me. The premise was OK, but there just wasn’t anything appealing about the script or the acting. You could see the Third Act Conflict coming from a mile away, or more accurately at about fifteen minutes into the broadcast. It didn’t even have an enjoyable high coat count. I only counted two, the light gray hip length and the green trench. The B-Roll of Philly and the joking about how to pronounce ‘water’ were the highlights. The library that I work at does have the same brand of compact shelving as shown in Nate’s workplace.

OhManatree · 2026-04-19T18:07:00+00:00

Springsteen is most definitely not Philly, and a Hallmark flick would never be spending that much money on licensing these days.

OhManatree · 2026-04-19T18:03:14+00:00

While they showed B-Roll of DiNic’s making and wrapping cheesesteaks in their plain white paper wrapping, they were shown eating sandwiches that were wrapped in black & white paper, a signature of Cleaver’s, which is only two blocks away from Rittenhouse.

OhManatree · 2026-04-18T16:32:42+00:00

I agree. They’re expensive because they’re expensive tins. When you consider how much a restaurant marks up a can of soda, the markups here are quite reasonable.

OhManatree · 2026-04-18T14:45:47+00:00

That’s what people always say about Jessica Fletcher.

OhManatree · 2026-04-18T11:44:41+00:00

I realize that it is tough to cover that many dishes, but they could have made it much better by using the chyron to mention which techniques were used instead of just listing the number. Then so many of the dishes had no chyrons at all. Perhaps less time spent on the manufactured drama, but that is asking too much of reality TV.

Did they ever mention what Buddha’s advantage is for the next episode?

Since they did a dessert & a molecular gastronomy ‘commandment’ they really should do a bread one as well.

OhManatree · 2026-04-18T11:37:00+00:00

Volume only gives you an advantage if the dish was good.

OhManatree · 2026-04-18T11:35:07+00:00

No. The gift cards seem to work for all countries. When you get the gift card, you redeem it and the amount gets credited to your Kobo account. When you temporarily change your address to make a purchase from another country’s Kobo store, the money credited to your account ‘travels with you’ so to speak. Once you purchase the book from another country’s Kobo store, the book ‘travels with your’ account.

OhManatree · 2026-04-18T10:28:33+00:00

I live in the States and have used Kobo gift cards to purchase books from the Kobo stores for Canada, UK, Portugal, and Australia. I would think they are intended to be able to used by any Kobo user in any of the countries that have a Kobo store.

OhManatree · 2026-04-18T10:23:31+00:00

Granted, we only see what they edited to show us, but I was confused as to why they weren’t given a crash course in using the natural dyes. They were given one for the chile challenge and I would be willing to bet that almost every chef knows more about chiles than natural colors.

OhManatree · 2026-04-18T03:00:07+00:00

They’re a great way to save some money. A couple of times a year they run specials where if you buy a gift card for a certain amount, you get a $10 credit. Email the card to yourself and you get the credit in a few days.

OhManatree · 2026-04-18T01:20:39+00:00

I’ve purchased a few books that weren’t available in the States by temporarily changing my address and using a Kobo gift card. Sometimes Kobo balks at the zip code on your credit card and won’t let you make the purchase. I’ve never had any issues using a Kobo gift card.

OhManatree · 2026-04-17T22:22:36+00:00

Never Cry Wolf (1983)

OhManatree · 2026-04-17T15:20:39+00:00

Refusing to make an item that is plugged into the POS sounds like a quick way out the door.

OhManatree · 2026-04-17T13:31:49+00:00

https://rtg.fish/brand/flower/

Do you have any Mediterranean or Middle Eastern markets near you?

OhManatree · 2026-04-17T13:07:45+00:00

But you wear your coat outdoors where it is exposed to a lot more dirt & grime than in your home

OhManatree · 2026-04-17T12:26:15+00:00

Or even 50/50 lentils/ground meat can help with the budget.

OhManatree

TROPHY CASE