The next time I need salsa I'll have to try that brand that Uncle Ken mentioned. Usually I go for some hot sauce and not salsa; to me, salsa is more of an item used as a dip with tortilla chips, something used in combination with guacamole. Ketchup is supposed to be a little sweet, I think, but maybe that's the way it's always been in order to appeal to the American palate. I don't stock ketchup in my larder and it's been a long time since I've used any. There doesn't seem to be any tomato taste in ketchup any more but it could be my taste buds are losing their mojo. Is it just me or does it seem like a lot of food items are tasting sweeter? There seems to be a lot of added sugar in everything these days, whether it's the corn stuff or the cane stuff. As an example it's almost impossible to find a reasonably priced peanut butter without any sugar added. Mr. Beagles mentioned that when ingredients are removed the price goes up, like when they took the lead out of gasoline, but that may be a different case. Removing the lead lowers the octane rating of gasoline so they probably had to add something else to keep the engine from knocking. High octane leaded gasoline was great until we found out how toxic it is; the manufacturers knew but the general public didn't. They kept that secret a long time.
Can the stuff you buy at the local Shell station even be called gasoline any more? Some of it is only 15% gasoline (E85), the rest of it is ethanol. I'm not sure if you can even buy alcohol-free gasoline any more, but I haven't kept up with the fuel situation since I got rid of my bike. Modern vehicles with their computerized fuel systems don't have a problem with alcohol in the fuel but older vehicles with carburetors had all kinds of problems with the alcohol dissolving certain engine parts, or so I've heard.
-----
What's the big deal about the use of tear gas at the border? It was done a few times during the Obama administration from what I've read and it wasn't a big deal then. Tear gas is a great way to get an unruly crowd to back off and there's nothing better to clear out your sinuses. My only exposure to tear gas was in the army, not an experience I wish to repeat. Rumor had it they had other types of gas available, including one that would make you defecate on the spot. I would hate to see a cloud of that stuff blowing my way. Maybe when they were testing those different gases they came up with phrase "either shit or go blind."
-----
The delayed Thanksgiving meal at my sister's place was nice, but not very traditional. No turkey or mashed potatoes, there was curry honey chicken and couscous instead; very tasty. The young folk (Millennials?) have come up with a new holiday, Friendsgiving. Same kind of meal as Thanksgiving but with friends and no family, held the Saturday after the Thursday meal. Seems like a good idea to me; you don't have to choose between spending the holiday with your family or your friends, you can do both. The kids are alright.
-----
It's hard for to determine whether or not General Motors is in any real financial trouble with the plant closings. Demand for regular cars is way down and they are stopping production of six models. Trucks and SUVs are selling great, though. Some automotive pundits are speculating that the plant closings are only temporary and are a ploy to put GM in a better position when it comes time to renegotiate union contracts next year. Time will tell what's going to happen next; Trump is in a real tizzy about this but he'll never admit that his tariff policies have anything to do with GM's problems. During the Eisenhower administration some guy said, "What is good for the country is good for General Motors—and vice versa," but Trump has turned that idea on it's head. What a world we live in.
No comments:
Post a Comment