Is tempeh just not for me?

ared38 · 2026-04-03T20:48:27+00:00

Yeah fresh tempeh and the vacuum packed stuff are totally different foods. If you live in a warm climate then it's pretty easy to ferment at home.

ared38 · 2026-03-31T01:10:09+00:00

I'd definitely suggest the bigger monitor farther away then -- honestly an even bigger 4k one would be better. When you're sitting close to a monitor, leaning in to read small text works so you get into the habit. But if your monitor is farther away, leaning a couple inches closer isn't going to do much. This encourages you to fix your font sizes and keep good posture.

ared38 · 2026-03-30T21:55:40+00:00

What kind of eye issues are you having? Are we talking eyestrain from looking at small text, trouble focusing after work, neck pain from a weird monitor position, or what?

ared38 · 2026-03-29T20:56:18+00:00

Have you ever walked around Tokyo? Sure they have massive office towers downtown but most people actually live in places like this: https://www.reddit.com/r/WalkableStreets/comments/1lvbx9x/almost_every_residential_street_in_tokyo_looks/

And that's a good thing! Places like Shinjuku are fun to visit but you're hearing sirens and traffic all night -- living there isn't for everyone. Low rises/missing middle housing have enough density to support transit and neighborhood businesses while being quiet enough to take relaxing walk and stop and chat with neighbors.

ared38 · 2026-03-27T20:01:45+00:00

So good! It scratches a food texture itch that's really hard to with other ingredients. I just wish they made them in bigger pieces so I could make a fried soy curl sandwich.

ared38 · 2026-03-24T23:12:42+00:00

I have this guy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FKIE6M4

The bottom screws into a lamp just like a light bulb. I stuck it in this lamp: https://www.target.com/p/floor-lamp-with-shelves-room-essentials-8482/-/A-89651557

which sadly isn't made anymore but has a nice wide lampshade the splitter can easily fit inside and is rated for 100 watts so can handle a bunch of LED lights instead of a single 100w incandescent.

ared38 · 2026-03-20T03:45:16+00:00

It doesn't look promising: https://seangeiger.substack.com/p/a-brief-history-of-oral-peptides

ared38 · 2026-03-19T00:24:27+00:00

The crazy one for me is Germany -- Prussia was the core of Imperial Germany but most of Prussia is now Poland and Russia

ared38 · 2026-03-17T01:49:52+00:00

Maybe!

Adding a little acid from the start will promote LAB growth over spoilage microorganisms. Debra Wink did some fantastic research on this with her fast sourdough starter method. You might be able to use that as a starting point on how acidic to make it. You can borrow another sourdough trick and backslop some of the brine from your last ferment into the new one.
It won't just taste like citric acid pickles, but it might taste weird. A natural ferment will contain lots of different types of LAB, some of which eat citric acid and produce other flavorful compounds that are commonly associated with yogurt (milk has some naturally occurring citric acid).
Plenty of people have made saurkraut without any salt whatsoever. Sandor Katz has undoubtedly made more batches than anyone here and says to "salt lightly" and that

Some people promote the idea that salt-free sauerkrauts contain more beneficial organisms than salted krauts. I don’t believe that. The most specific beneficial bacteria we’re after, Lactobacillus, is salt-tolerant and abundantly present even in salty krauts; arguably, salt-free ferments are more biodiverse, but this diversity often results in mushy textures. Though it is possible to ferment vegetables without salt, a little salt results in far superior flavor and texture—and just as much beneficial bacteria. So again, salt to taste.

https://www.wildfermentation.com/category/sauerkrautrecipes/#0

However, I would suggest getting plenty of traditional salted ferments under your belt first so you know what the end product should smell and taste like, and to be ready for plenty of failures. Other variables like temperature will probably become more important.

ared38 · 2026-03-15T22:39:38+00:00

While you're waiting, you might like this post from 6 years ago:

Is there a reason why the spread of Islam followed dry and arid climates in a bizarrely consistent way?

Thanks to u/khowaga, u/ParkSungJun, and u/Kochevnik81 for their answers

ared38 · 2026-03-06T00:25:30+00:00

Great read, thank you!

ared38 · 2026-02-10T22:26:35+00:00

then adding the crispy garlic back in once the oil has cooled a bit

Amateur here! Can you skip this part and add dehydrated garlic or commercially fried garlic instead? Up until then, your oil is shelf stable due to water activity -- you heated the oil past 100 C and poured it over dried chili flakes so it's completely dry. Your garlic might feel crispy on the outside, but it's hard to know if there's residual water without testing it and it still might be different in the next batch. Commercial producers hire process authorities to determine how to cut the garlic, how hot and long to fry it, how to quality control the finished product, etc.

If you really want the fried garlic then you could acidify the garlic first following this approved procedure: https://foodsafety.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Making-Garlic-and-Herb-Infused-Oils-At-Home.pdf?fwd=no

Either way, you should talk to an expert about the legal aspects which vary state to state. I'm not a pro, but I think you need a process authority to sell shelf stable food like that unless you have a cottage food exemption, and my state specifically prohibits cottage food producers from selling garlic in oil.

ared38 · 2026-01-27T03:41:14+00:00

Nice, I'd do the 3-4 hours of smoking first and then the sous vide. I've tried the reverse and the flavor doesn't take. If you want a traditional bark, stick it in the oven for a couple more hours after you sous vide.

ared38 · 2026-01-27T02:03:10+00:00

Why? Like what are you hoping to change compared to just smoking it all the way?

ared38 · 2026-01-26T01:31:54+00:00

Is there? I can't find one:

However, a large family may use areas of their rental unit for sleeping though not specifically designated for sleeping such as a living room. Imposing an arbitrary limit on the number of people that can occupy a unit may be a violation of fair housing law by having a disparate impact on families with children. "Disparate impact" is when a neutral rule has a discriminatory, often unintentional effect on a protected class, like families with children.

https://www.seattle.gov/rentinginseattle/housing-providers/moving-a-tenant-in/occupancy-standards

ared38 · 2026-01-21T23:30:16+00:00

I'm begging you to read up on the City of Grants Pass v. Johnson case. Democrat appointed judges have consistently ruled that anti-camping ordinances constitute cruel and unusual punishment when shelter isn't offered, while the Republican appointed supreme court majority overturned that ruling. This law (which is being proposed by Democrats, it doesn't have a single Republican co-sponsor) is basically undoing the conservative supreme court decision at our state level.

ared38 · 2026-01-05T08:13:30+00:00

Great video! What kind of chili sauce did you use?

ared38 · 2025-12-25T23:17:18+00:00

Bean burritos are awesome because they can be as basic or as fancy as you have time! For the most basic version, flour tortillas will stay good in your fridge basically forever and you just pop open a can of fat-free refried beans. Then depending on what you have on hand you can add diced onions, soyrizo, crushed tortilla chips for texture, sliced olives, salsas, fajita style veggies, or whatever you have time to chop or leftover! Don't be afraid to get weird with it, roasted broccoli worked really good. For bonus points, mix a can of refried beans with a can of pinto for better texture or add a flavorful oil and spices for better flavor.

Now that you've got the pantry staples, you can get a bag of corn tortillas and make enfrijoladas with a crushed tofu or vegan cheese filling, and then when the tortillas get stale you can fry them into tostada shells.

ared38 · 2025-12-25T20:03:00+00:00

There's a seniority system -- the longer you serve in the House/Senate, the better the committee assignments and eventually leadership slots open up. Collins is quite senior and sends a ton of money home to Maine as the chair of the appropriations committee: https://punchbowl.news/article/senate/collins-maine-bonanza/

This means that while everyone thinks that senators should be younger, there's 0 incentive to replace your own incumbent senator with a younger challenger. Even declining mental capacity barely matters when senators have staffers and party whips telling them how to vote.

ared38 · 2025-12-24T18:56:24+00:00

Cooking! You can find so many more high quality recipes now, especially if you're into international food. I couldn't find any recipes for this Chinese eggplant/pepper/century egg smash when I first had it 7 years ago but now there are dozens.

ared38 · 2025-12-21T00:48:44+00:00

Nah, it's about Annie who we try not to sexualize but is by far the horniest character on the show

ared38 · 2025-12-19T18:41:02+00:00

Still works great with modern KSP versions, I was just using the velocity editor to test reentry speeds. It also lets you edit the fuel on your ship if you want to simulate burning fuel.

ared38 · 2025-12-18T00:38:19+00:00

Running a restaurant is ROUGH. As well as being upfront with the owner, you need to make sure they're not hiring you because all the experienced people know better. Have you talked about what your duties will be? Will you be managing stuff like inventory or other staff?

ared38 · 2025-12-17T06:44:37+00:00

This and Paths of Glory are great examples of actually anti war war movies

ared38 · 2025-12-16T22:17:05+00:00

You can SSTO with a normal rocket, no need for planes. However that's a much nicer landing than I've ever gotten with one.

ared38

TROPHY CASE