[Via unblague via parens binubus]
Visual DNA
March 18, 2007 by
Why I Am a Dork.
March 5, 2007 by
Because every time someone says something about using Thomson & Thomson for a trademark search, I think of Thomson & Thompson.
Dubliner
February 25, 2007 by
A friend of mine recently said, “What cheese should I buy if I’m not at la fromagerie? What if I’m just at [gigantor supermarket] and want some normal cheese to eat? What should I buy then?”
Well, without digressing into what exactly a “normal” cheese is supposed to be, or why it’s so worth the extra trip to a well-stocked cheese monger, I thought, “okay… what would I buy?”
I can tell you what I would not buy. I would not buy a cheese that was labeled “cheese product” or “cheese food”. Nor would I buy a “brie” that comes in a plastic container. Why not just spread paste on your baguette?
But there are some decent mass-market cheeses that are pretty tasty and easy to find in many major chain groceries. Today I give you one such cheese: Dubliner.
Dubliner is marketed under the Kerrygold brand but is actually made by a large dairy/food ingredients manufacturer in Cork called Carbery. Their website lists several varieties of Dubliner, but I’ve only encountered the “Vintage” and the “White”. Today, I’ll be tasting the “White” as it seems to be the most commonly available.
Dubliner is an aged cheese, similar to a cheddar. (The Kerrygold website calls it “not unlike a cheddar…”) Well, if you like aged cheddar, you will probably like Dubliner. It’s not a sharp as some aged cheddars I’ve had, but it is pleasantly sharp and nutty. It has a nice, tight curd and is dry–slightly flakey, but melts nicely in your mouth.
Those Carbery folks do have a good sense of “mouthfeel”. Even the white, which I gather is not aged as long as the “vintage” has a few calcium lactate crystals, which I just love encountering in an aged cheese.
Overall, Dubliner is a very nice mass-market cheese and a great snack cheese. This recipe for Guinness Dubliner cheese soup also sounds pretty good. So if you are in the local mega-mart and you want to grab some cheese without making a special trip to a cheese shop, I’d say Dubliner isn’t a bad way to go at all!
Why I’ll Never Do Business with LaSalle Flowers Again
February 15, 2007 by
I am never using LaSalle Flowers again. Which makes me sad because I used to love this shop. Here’s why…
Each year for Valentine’s Day, I get my wife a bunch of white tulips because she loves them and I love her. I always used to get my flowers from the LaSalle Flower shop in Chicago, because they have quality flowers and do an outstanding job with arrangements.
This year, I went in and placed my order a week before Valentine’s Day. I wrote out a card. The shop let me know that they couldn’t guarantee a delivery time, being Valentine’s Day and all, which was fine with me, so long as the flowers were delivered on Valentine’s Day. And while her office was open.
They weren’t.
They were delivered at 5:02pm. Two minutes after her office closes. The deliver person did catch the receptionist and was able to squeeze them in. My wife had already left for the day. I’d picked her up myself at 4:55. We probably passed the delivery van on the road. On our way home, I called the shop to find out where the flowers were. They told me they would look into it and then never returned my call.
Now, I do understand it was Valentine’s Day and they are super busy. I’m not trying to be unreasonable. But when you count on a business like this and they don’t deliver, I think customer service demands stepping up to the plate.
The only thing the shop was willing to do to make amends in the situation was deliver the flowers to another location (i.e. pick them up at my wife’s office and take them to our home) or take them back for a refund. Take back a bouquet of flowers from my wife??! Yes, they seriously suggested that as an option!
I buy, or rather, bought flowers from LaSalle Street on a regular basis. My wife always loves their arrangements. Unfortunately, after the employees and manager today were rude, unapologetic, and unwilling to give me any kind of credit for what was their mistake, I’m not buying flowers from them again.
It’s about customer service. If they had returned my call in the first place and offered a credit of some kind, I’d be a really happy customer, writing a story about a great local business. Hell, even if they had just apologized profusely–I do understand it’s a busy day for them. Instead, here I am, writing a warning to others not to patronize a business that clearly doesn’t get customer service.
When I called again this morning, they were rude and completely unsympathetic. Do you know they didn’t apologize to me once? Not the employee who took my call. Not the manager she handed me off to. A simple apology would have created a lot of good will. Instead, here’s how my conversation with the manager ended today:
“So, you’re telling me that even though I’m a loyal customer, and it was your mistake in not getting the flowers out on-time, there is absolutely nothing you’re willing to do to make amends and keep my business?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m sorry I will never be doing business with your shop again.”
Anyone know a good florist in Chicago?
Update: Oh. My. God. You are not going to believe this!! My wife was out of the office and she got a call from the receptionist… the shop sent someone to take back the flowers!! Unreal. I specifically told the manager this morning that we were keeping the flowers (and they already charged my card.) My wife told the receptionist to let them take them, at least she’s pissed off at them, not me! Still, can you believe that??! Maybe they read this post and decided to retaliate. 🙂
Dear Canada
February 8, 2007 by
Thank you for the frigid blast of arctic air. We do not mean to seem ungrateful, but we find the sub-zero temperatures are not to our liking. With so many wonderful things to export, perhaps next year you might consider sending down national health care?
Respectfully,
Your Neighbor to the South
Fish gotta swim and hearts gotta bleed…
February 1, 2007 by
Molly Ivins passed away after battling cancer. Like many people, my first exposure to Ivins was with Bushwhacked which is a great book. I’d highly recommend checking out it and some of her others, as well. She had a great heart and great humor.
Un-Conference: LexThink
January 29, 2007 by
Over at LexThink they are undergoing some changes, with an updated logo (that still leaves _a lot_ to be desired, in my never humble opinion) and a new tag line, “the legal unconference company.”
One of the LexThink principals, Dennis Kennedy has a nice roundup of un-conference posts and I wanted to throw in my two cents.
I’ve only had the pleasure of attending one LexThink event, Blawgthink 2005, but it was one of the single best and most productive conferences I’ve been to. There are some different opinions on what an “unconference” is or should be, but I think that LexThink does a tremendous job with their implementation/interpretation.
I think is important to realize that an “unconference” does not mean “unstructured”. Instead, the structure is organic and comes from the desires and goals of the attendees, not a mandated structure from the conference organizers. The result is that you learn far more in an unconference session (generally)–at least I do.
That isn’t to say that every session is a hit. It takes the right presenter to be fluid enough to work well in an environment that isn’t rigid and pre-planned. That’s one of the LexThink strengths–finding the right people. It also takes an open mind and a willingness of the attendees to take charge of their own agenda and not to settle for being spoon fed information. Sometimes, one or the other isn’t there and the result is a lack-luster session.
But surprisingly often, the attendees are excited about having some input and step up, and the presenters are excited about the interest from their audience. The excitement is contagious, a feedback loop of sorts. When everything comes together, the result can be a fantastic, interesting, and *productive* session where more information flows in all directions and learning abounds.
I know I sound a bit like an evangelist, but seriously, give an unconference a try sometime, it’s worth the risk. It won’t cost you anything but time and chances are you’ve wasted plenty of that in traditional conferences already.
Disposable Printers
January 23, 2007 by
My wife and I have a Samsung ML-2510 laser printer at home. It’s a nice little printer–definitely not high volume, but for the limited printing we do at home, it’s been great.
Well, recently, the toner has started to fade. No big deal, it just needs a new cartridge. So I go on-line to order a new cartridge, and I discover this deal to purchase a new printer for $59.99. How much for a new toner? $77.
Bears vs. Colts
January 21, 2007 by
I’ve come down with a cold (which really sucks, since classes start again tomorrow). So pretty much all I’ve done all day long is watch football, which is very out of character for me.
That said, as a Hoosier by birth and a Chicagoan by choice, this is going to be an awesome Superbowl!!!
Munster
January 21, 2007 by
Munster is a washed rind, raw cow’s milk cheese, which hails from the Alsace region in France. Real Munster enjoys AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controlee) protection, which means if you don’t see “AOC” on the label, it’s not the real deal.
Munster should also not be confused with Muenster, which is an American cheese, and really bears no resemblance to actual Munster.
Real Munster is not a cheese for the weak of nose or those who don’t enjoy a strong cheese. I bought a fresh piece, cut right before my eyes from a whole round. My wife thought it smelled like old sweat socks and made me put it in it’s own grocery bag, least it contaminate everything. It has a beautiful, red rind and a straw colored, semi-soft interior, which has some small air bubbles in it.
Like many washed rind cheeses, the flavor of Munster is on par with the smell. If you are not a strong cheese fan, then you may want to proceed with caution. The cheese has a strong barnyard taste, with a hint of vegetation and slight tangy/astringent aftertaste. Because it’s a washed rind cheese, it’s also slightly salty–I think it would go pretty well with beer.
If you are a strong cheese lover, you owe it to yourself to taste a real Munster, it’s delicious. However, if you don’t have the nose or palette for a strong cheese, start with some milder raw milk offerings before you jump in with this one.