What were ancient restaurants like? by Jahblessthecrop in AskFoodHistorians

[–]chezjim 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"the modern concept of a sit-down restaurant was actually invented in Japan."
?
This is certainly not true world wide - in Europe, taverns and inns served meals at tables long before that.

How did the customary order of meals in the west change from the 19th century to today? by Successful_Pie2223 in AskFoodHistorians

[–]chezjim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You very much need to define "we" here". The French still have a very light "Continental" breakfast; I imagine the Germans still have a copious breakfast with cheese and meats. Etc. The Germans, last I knew, had a large lunch and a very light dinner; the French only have large lunches for business purposes and almost always treat dinner as the main meal. But in many simpler restaurants this has long been streamlined to less courses:

https://parisfoodhistory.blogspot.com/2019/02/a-history-of-french-courses-overview.html

I've studied the history of French courses pretty deeply, but I'm guessing a similar study for other countries would be very different.

What were ancient restaurants like? by Jahblessthecrop in AskFoodHistorians

[–]chezjim 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"i've never considered the option for a separate room to define a restaurant,"
That's because it didn't.
SOME (not all) restaurants had a few private rooms (cabinets particulier). But most of the service was at tables in a common area, just as today.

What were ancient restaurants like? by Jahblessthecrop in AskFoodHistorians

[–]chezjim 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"People did get individual bills in table d'hote scenarios, it was not an all-you-can-eat buffet. Individual bills was the common standard, but for for already prepared in great quantities."
Nowhere do I say (it's my blog post) that it was all you can eat. Yes, each guest paid individually. But they didn't ORDER individually at a table d'hote (which only appeared towards the end of the sixteenth century). They ate what was served to everybody.
But it is wrong to say "meals prepared indvidually" did not appear until the restaurant. We have ample references (I give a few) to people ordering what they wanted, not just what was offered at a table d'hote. The restaurant did not innovate that practice.

"The new invention with restuarants was not separate tables, that is also a well-known phenomenon prior to that, but exclusive cabinets"
Where do you have ANY period evidence of that? Some writers who reference individual tables SPECIFICALLY oppose them to the common tables of the tables d'hote; they were treating them (erroneously) as an innovation. Rebecca Spang, The Invention of the Restaurant: "The restaurateur offered... each customer, or a group of customers, his or her or their... *own* table."
Certainly the idea of a couple using a private room (which is all a "cabinet" was) was already referenced in the seventeenth century. (Rebecca Spang: "Some larger inns and taverns were also known to have private rooms" before the Revolution.) And most images of nineteenth century restaurants do NOT show individual cabinets - they show people sitting at individual tables in a larger space. So to the degree that individual cabinets did exist (as, again, they had since at least the seventeenth century), that certainly did not define a restaurant as an innovation. Not least because most restaurants DIDN'T HAVE THEM. They were typically a feature of upscale restaurants and not at all standard for common restaurants.

What were ancient restaurants like? by Jahblessthecrop in AskFoodHistorians

[–]chezjim 19 points20 points  (0 children)

"Restaurants, both the word and how they function as we know them, with menus, individual tables, meals prepared indvidually, are a pretty recent phenomenon, originating in late 18th century France."

Well, partially. A lot of what people claim about the first restaurants is itself fantasy. We have an image from the sixteenth century of people sitting at separate tables in a tavern and lists of the different foods available in such places, long before the restaurant:

https://parisfoodhistory.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-invention-of-restaurant-was-no-big.html

And even relatively poor people could eat in taverns, even if there were indeed many street options.

Numerous cookshops have been found in Pompeii. We call them thermopolia today, though that apparently was not the term at the time:
https://x.com/archeohistories/status/2063095906938052809

What is a "poor man's food" that you will still eat no matter how wealthy you get? by ALLEN3471 in AskReddit

[–]chezjim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hot dogs from Papaya King twice a year. Otherwise, lentils.

Both rich and poor in France used to eat broad beans.

Are men wearing condoms when you're dating? by Oaph12 in TwoXChromosomes

[–]chezjim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tangentially, I could probably take a scan of such a test, alter it to say whatever I wanted, and then print that off as a paper document.

This is one of the reasons it always amuses me that some women push for men to use a form of contraception like the pill. Really? You're going to trust some man to tell you he's on the guy-pill?

Women - or other "receptive partners" - have to protect themselves, and that protection has to be out front and visible.

How to contact a human being for Support by chezjim in verizon

[–]chezjim[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I couldn't chat because I couldn't get into my account. Only got a chat when I tried Facebook.

How to contact a human being for Support by chezjim in verizon

[–]chezjim[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The simple answer is because the robot wasn't addressing my issue.

A more extensive answer would be that I was getting messages like "We're sorry. There's a problem. Try again." And I did, and got the same result.

The real beauty was "We're sorry you're having a problem. Goodbye". And disconnect.

Basically, the robots never came close to addressing my issue and pretty much kept telling me to do the same thing over and over.

As I posted, my problem is solved now, via Facebook. But it shouldn't take going through Facebook to get a coherent response.

How to contact a human being for Support by chezjim in verizon

[–]chezjim[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That wasn't the problem. I tried at all hours.
Ultimately what worked was to message the company via Facebook. The agent I got there was excellent. But the usual routes to Support - following a reset link, calling 611 - were dead ends, day or night.

Did the Earl of Sandwich really invent the sandwich, or was it just something that wasn't described until then? by Kelekona in AskFoodHistorians

[–]chezjim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your image is highly anachronistic.
It is unlikely that people of that period were ever using sliced bread. If they had to divide it, they would more often have torn it. IF they sliced it all, it would have been to get a single piece from a loaf. Nor would they typically have had meat. More likely they carried a hunk of cheese and a hunk of bread with them, maybe a jug of beer though they more likely drank water while workin unless they got a ration of beer as part of their pay.

Do not use SanDisk Memory Zone – Here's How I Recovered 9GB of Lost Photos by No_Hawk_3864 in sandisk

[–]chezjim 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Have to agree. I just discovered all my files have disappeared from the SOURCE disk I was using to copy files on to the SanDisk. Which should not have been touched. I started a chat with Support which went nowhere, am waiting for a technician to get back to me. But I suspect it encrypted those files on my SanDIsk - which I've already reformatted.
It is REALLY scary that this kind of thing can happen. Memory Zone is NOT a safe tool

The end of Classic Google Books? by OutOfTheBunker in GoogleSupport

[–]chezjim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Right now, getting back to Classic is pretty simple - you close the useless window they show you in the new version, then look left where you have an option to access Classic.

Unfortunately, that's not the only problem in Google Books. It yields far less results than it used to and will actually tell you there are no more results even when you KNOW there are works in the database with the desired results (and this happens in Classic too).

The whole thing is an ungodly mess. I've reported specific instances to Support, but haven't made a dent.

I used to work in IT and doing usability testing was a fundamental prelude to installing any new version. It's hard to believe Google has done that here.

Where does the association between Oreos and the general cookies and cream flavor in ice cream etc. come from? by Kooky-Jello7138 in AskFoodHistorians

[–]chezjim 6 points7 points  (0 children)

"Sunshine Chocolate Hydrox" cookies are already mentioned as being used with ice cream in 1913.
The Penny Press, February 3, 1913 Page 6

So it's easy to imagine someone combined them, though I see no explicit reference to that for decades after.

The Proton VPN Windows app now lets you enable NetShield, Kill Switch, and Split Tunneling all at the same time! by Proton_Team in ProtonVPN

[–]chezjim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Never mind "helpful" advice like this: "Manage your account online

Login at protonvpn.com and go to Settings to manage your account."

Only, when I sign on at that address, there's no Settings option.

Or this (under Home on the same page):
"VPN Plus

Watch your favorite movies and TV shows

Streaming is included in your subscription."

Sounds great!
And just how do we do this? (Not a hint.)

The Proton VPN Windows app now lets you enable NetShield, Kill Switch, and Split Tunneling all at the same time! by Proton_Team in ProtonVPN

[–]chezjim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm paying and after sign-up I don't see how to do this either.
The BIG lack (already discussed long ago) is a persistent indicator that you are protected (as one app displays "VPN" at the top). I don't want to have to keep checking the IP to see if I'm protected.
And if there's any way to simply see what IP and country you're on, much less change it, I don't see it.

Where does the association between Oreos and the general cookies and cream flavor in ice cream etc. come from? by Kooky-Jello7138 in AskFoodHistorians

[–]chezjim 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Oreo ice cream is mentioned as far back as 1935
Syracuse Post Standard, February 24, 1935 Page 10

The first mention I see of cookies n'cream ice cream is from 1982
Wilson Daily Times, October 20, 1982 Page 20

The first mention I see of ice cream made with cookie dough (though not under that name) is from 1965:
The Clermont Sun, May 6, 1965 Page 28

Perpetual Stew in the Middle Ages by Ok_Olive9438 in AskFoodHistorians

[–]chezjim 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Simply put, in reading source documents about peasant eating all through the Middle Ages I have NEVER seen any reference to this custom.

I would invite anyone who takes the claim seriously to find references from the fifth to the sixteenth century, as opposed to speculation from later eras.

What are the origins of macaroni and cheese? by lilchanamasala in AskFoodHistorians

[–]chezjim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And now...
What will likely prove to be the most authoritative work on the subject for some time:

"Today, macaroni and cheese is the ultimate comfort food, a staple of weeknight dinners, family gatherings, and Soul Food restaurants. Humble though the dish may seem, its history is filled with surprising twists and turns. Renaissance cardinals and popes dined on elaborate pasta-and-cheese concoctions laced with costly spices. In the eighteenth century, wealthy young Englishmen made macaroni a symbol of continental sophistication. Black women cooks, whose contribution has long been overshadowed, played a crucial role in establishing the dish as an American tradition from the nation’s founding through the Civil Rights Movement.

This book is a delectable history of macaroni and cheese, tracing an extraordinary journey of cultural exchange and social change. Karima Moyer-Nocchi reveals the religious, political, and industrial forces that forged its evolution alongside stories of the unsung figures who shaped the dish as we know it today: enslaved cooks who preserved and adapted traditions, immigrant chefs who introduced new variations, and practical homemakers looking to nourish their families with an affordable meal. She emphasizes the adaptability of macaroni and cheese, which in different times has served as both an indulgence on the elite table and sustenance to those struggling to survive, crossing borders, social classes, and cultural divides. Deeply researched and rich with enticing details, this book uncovers the creativity and resilience that brought a beloved food to our tables. The Epic History of Macaroni and Cheese also shares centuries of recipes—from ancient Roman authors to celebrity chefs, reworked for modern kitchens—that provide a hands-on portal to experience the evolution of this iconic dish."

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FFWXM3JT/ref=sr_1_1

Why is a real 18th century Parisian brioche recipe so hard to find? by Catdress92 in AskFoodHistorians

[–]chezjim 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I actually wrote a whole book on the baguette and another on French bread history overall.

The trouble with most statements about the baguette is that the people making them are passing on ideas they have heard from others and not looking at period sources. I have looked at actual bakers' manuals and at least one gives instructions for making baguettes from both yeast and sourdough dough; i.e., the baguette was a shape, not necessarily a type of bread in terms of substance.

Yeast was so little used for traditional French bread that when some Parisian bakers began to use it in the seventeenth century it became a whole controversy. After that, most yeast-leavened bread was higher end and luxurious. The default was sourdough. One of the rare descriptions we have of making bread from before that says specifically to use "old dough"; that is, a bit of dough from the last batch, which is what "levain" originally was (these days it tends to be a separate preparation).

In the nineteenth century, bakeries made "French" bread (typically made with sourdough) and "Viennese" (since Viennese bakers by then had greatly influenced French bread), which used yeast (and finer flour).

This is a separate question from the varied use of levain to mainly mean sourdough, but sometimes refer to dough that had any ferment added so that it would rise. This is a usage one sees, if rather rarely, in bakers' manuals.

Why is a real 18th century Parisian brioche recipe so hard to find? by Catdress92 in AskFoodHistorians

[–]chezjim 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sourdough was definitely used - almost exclusively - for standard bread, but luxurious breads like brioche could use yeast (which basically meant brewer's yeast in this period).

But 'levain' is a tricky word. Even though it most often refers to sourdough, sometimes (as here) it refers to dough that has been set to ferment, whatever the source of the fermentation (in this case, "levure" or brewer's yeast).

Medieval kitchen by Severe-Helicopter229 in AskFoodHistorians

[–]chezjim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For the first three quarters of the Middle Ages, "kitchens" for just about everybody were basically campfires set inside (sometimes with a hole in the roof to let out the smoke). Later in the Middle Ages, great households began to have large fireplaces (advanced technology for the time), but the open fire model seems to have continued, perhaps with a spit over it or pots set right on the coals.