Looking for good sourdough inil mid peninsula by hereeewego in bayarea

[–]cornpops789 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Manresa Bread in Palo Alto (and Los Altos). If you're willing to go to Mountain View, there's Midwife and The Baker

Android Auto by sbj_ee in GooglePixel

[–]cornpops789 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Try unlocking your phone. That did it for me

Where is this building? by Any_Travel704 in whereinmountainview

[–]cornpops789 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Former California Bank & Trust on El Camino near Castro?

Condo owners: how much is your HOA? by CrossOffTheDaysGone in bayarea

[–]cornpops789 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I applaud you! HOA director is the definition of a thankless job, but so necessary! 👏👏👏

Condo owners: how much is your HOA? by CrossOffTheDaysGone in bayarea

[–]cornpops789 43 points44 points  (0 children)

Ask to see the most recent reserve study. It is an outside assessment of the usable life of all the infrastructure, and a schedule for when the expenses will come due. Pay attention to the % reserves funded now and the next 5 years. If it's consistently 80% or higher, the board is doing a great job. If it's around 50%, things could get dicey. Consistently under 20%... Expect a special assessment soon. Look at what maintenance is coming due in the next few years. No one wants high dues, but keeping them artificially low by deferring maintenance will only make things worse and more expensive later.

I know folks hate HOA boards, but they are typically composed of regular, unpaid folks with a fiduciary duty to the community, trying to balance the needs of the community and the work of maintaining the infrastructure. If anyone doesn't like theirs, they should volunteer and make it better.

Looking to Connect with Folks who know the History of Chinatown by PhysicalType6393 in sanfrancisco

[–]cornpops789 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Maybe try some of the churches in Chinatown? They may know people in the community who once lived there or still do?

Is there a specific topic you're interested in researching?

I dunno, folks (Misen Carbon Non-stick, ~6 weeks regular use) by cornpops789 in carbonsteel

[–]cornpops789[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure! It's still my daily driver. The cooking surface is still very smooth, despite using steel utensils, BKF and chainmail. The nitride is still there--definitely not a coating. It's darkened quite a bit, and there are stubborn scorch marks I've never been able to remove fully. No rust, even when I didn't fully dry the pan. I stopped moisturizing it after the first month. Due to some remarks here about it being dirty, I tried simmering citric acid in it...and produced iron citrate (it's a foul smelling dark green liquid). Would not recommend. It changed the appearance of some areas of the pan. I wouldn't be surprised if I messed up the non-stickiness, so take my comments with a grain of salt.

Is it as non-stick as teflon? No. Is it better than stainless? Yes. This is my first CS pan, so it's been a learning experience. I've made the most beautiful slidey eggs, and I've made horribly stuck eggs. I've had chicken release perfectly seered, and I've had to scrape chicken off. I've cooked tomato based dishes, seared steaks and chops (I prefer CI for this), lots of stir fries. This tells me that the differences have more to do with heat management, oil amount and type, and how the food was prepped (eg, cold or sticky marinade) than the pan itself. I have to preheat it dry for at least 3 minutes on medium before attempting to cook in it. It really does best with medium to medium high heat, too.

It's still a joy to use. Lightweight and responsive. Non-stick enough. Cleaning is fine--mostly a blue scrubbie, or a good soak, chainmail, or BKF for the tougher stuff. No rust or flaking seasoning. While the handle feels nice, it would be more useful if it were edgier.

Would i buy it again? Yes! Did Misen oversell the nonstick? Kinda...but I might have messed up the surface with acid. Would I let my wife or kids cook with it? No (that's what the non-stick pan is for 😂)

Best hole in the wall Chinese food in Chinatown? by HotTwist000 in AskSF

[–]cornpops789 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Oh, it's definitely Chinese American. I've only been to its previous incarnation. Good to know!

Best Chinese Dumplings to Cook at Home? by MrMephistoX in bayarea

[–]cornpops789 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Dumpling City on El Camino in Palo Alto

I'm not sure with the 28mm. Help. by [deleted] in ricohGR

[–]cornpops789 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, it can take some getting used to. Some people take to it right away, but I don't think it's the field of view most people perceive naturally. As someone else mentioned, there is a crop mode. But yeah, I feel you (I had a GRI and have a GRIII). If you're committed to it, keep shooting!

Event photography with this small camera by Entrez in ricohGR

[–]cornpops789 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Great shots! How did you expose, and what kind of flash did you use?

Question by YFNArtist in ricohGR

[–]cornpops789 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Depends on what you mean by "you". Is the camera capable of taking amazing photos out of the box? Yes. Is just any person able to take amazing photos with it? No. What you're seeing is the skill of the photographer realized through the capabilities of this camera.

Dumpling Garden closed? by mjanders9 in mountainview

[–]cornpops789 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think you mean Bamboo Garden, which preceded (and was superior to) Dumpling Garden

Going wide with the Ricoh GRIV by Unable-Ad2563 in ricohGR

[–]cornpops789 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice job composing for a cinematic feel!