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February 20, 2008

Some things I need help with

I need a little help with chat etiquette, which I guess could be called "chatiquette," but that seems annoying. Is there a standard salutation required to see if someone's free and their boss isn't standing right behind them? Or can you assume that if they're online then they're available? Basically, is it a) ok that I sometimes open a chat with Geetika by rhapsodizing about my new sexy underwear or b) not okay?

I also need a little help picking out asparagus. What does one look for in an asparagus bunch? For a long time I thought the skinniest asparagus was the best, but at Safeway you can only get them in thick, dried-out-looking stalks, so now I don't know. It usually turns out okay if I drown them in oil and salt and pepper and roast them until they're all flimsy, like a co-ed in a hot tub. But it would be nice to taste their intended flavor.

This is not my asparagus.

Posted by didofoot at February 20, 2008 10:07 AM

Comments

asparagus

i think if they're online you can talk about underwear. feel free to tell me about your underwear, i'm curious.

Posted by: michele at February 20, 2008 11:14 AM

I turned to my old friend the antique Joy of Cooking to see what they say about asparagus. Sadly, it is uncharacteristically unhelpful on the subject, recommending merely that you peel them after taking them out of the can, drown them in white sauce, and serve them lukewarm. But my Mediterranean vegetable cookbook, which seems more prepared to deal with vegetables in their natural state, insists that thick-stalked asparagus are no less good than their skinny counterparts, and that it's more important that you find asparagus that have tightly closed, dense tips and that are firm over the length of the stalk, not, and I quote, "floppy or twisty or wrinkly."

I'm sure there's a chat acronym (chatronym?) for Is Your Boss Standing Behind You Or Can I Talk About Panties?, but sadly, I do not frequently have people IMing me about their undergarments.

Posted by: katie at February 20, 2008 11:22 AM

Maybe not, Katie, but I did text you about panties last week.

Can you go to the farmer's market and interrogate the vegetable vendors about asparagus? Maybe they're hiding the really good asparagi that don't make it to Safeway, and if you ask they will show and/or sell them to you.

Posted by: Dianna at February 20, 2008 11:38 AM

My mom actually instructed me on asparagus-buying on Monday. She agrees with Katie's cookbook - you want asparagus to be tight with the tips, just like Gene when he's dining out. If you really want good produce, visit Golden Produce, which is across Church Street from Safeway. They just opened up a second storefront on the same block which sells non-produce items. If you are shopping before 8 PM and aren't looking for bulk items or alcohol (they have booze, but it's pricey), check it out. Closer than Whole Foods, and way less evil.

I think you're in trouble if your boss is behind you and you're chatting, regardless of subject matter, so don't sweat it. Also, Geetika works from home two days a week, so go nuts with the panty chats, I say.

Posted by: sean at February 20, 2008 07:41 PM

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