Where's Faber?

Faber J. Fedor [faber at linuxnj.com]

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:50:25 -0400

On 10/09/09 19:05 -0700, Rick Moen wrote:

> [Snipping several recipients from your CC list.]
> 
> Quoting Someone Elided (someone_elided@someplace):
> 
> > What happened to Rick and Faber BTW?

Wait. What? There's traffic on this list?! I've only been seeing emails from Rick for the past several months. I assumed y'all moved over to a Yahoo Group or something and I've not followed, mostly out of laziness.

:-?

-- 
 
Regards,
 
Faber

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Thomas Adam [thomas.adam22 at gmail.com]

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:54:44 +0100

2009/9/11 Faber J. Fedor <[email protected]>:

Hey Faber,

> On 10/09/09 19:05 -0700, Rick Moen wrote:
>> [Snipping several recipients from your CC list.]
>>
>> Quoting Someone Elided (someone_elided@someplace):
>>
>> > What happened to Rick and Faber BTW?
>
> Wait. What? There's traffic on this list?! I've only been seeing emails from
> Rick for the past several months. I assumed y'all moved over to a Yahoo
> Group or something and I've not followed, mostly out of laziness.

We did for a while whilst Rick had several things to attend to. But now that he is thankfully OK and back in one piece, and able to administer the machine hosting mailman, I am not sure what's happening to the Yahoo Group -- I presume they'll be left to stagnate until such time that if we ever need them again, we can just do so -- as most of the "key" people are already subscribed anyhow.

-- Thomas Adam

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Ben Okopnik [ben at linuxgazette.net]

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:50:14 -0500

On Fri, Sep 11, 2009 at 09:50:25AM -0400, Faber Fedor wrote:

> 
> Wait. What? There's traffic on this list?!

Faber!!!

Good to see you here. Now that I know what it takes to drag you out of hibernation, I guess I'll have to schedule one... erm, whatever you'd like to call this... per week or so.

> I've only been seeing emails from
> Rick for the past several months.

Wo-oh. Have you been subbed to some 'Rick-only' list all this time? We've had everything here recently: Linux questions, non-Linux answers, giant flying multicolored turnips (that may have been the day I was taking my pain medication, though...) rhubarb [1], and so on.

> I assumed y'all moved over to a Yahoo
> Group or something and I've not followed, mostly out of laziness.

There is indeed a Yahoo group for staff discussion:

[[[Elided content]]]

> :-?

[1] http://linuxgazette.net/issue67/lg_backpage67.html , in case you've managed to forget.

-- 
* Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * http://LinuxGazette.NET *

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Steve Brown [steve.stevebrown at gmail.com]

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:31:18 +0100

On Fri, Sep 11, 2009 at 6:50 PM, Ben Okopnik <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Fri, Sep 11, 2009 at 09:50:25AM -0400, Faber Fedor wrote:

> [1] http://linuxgazette.net/issue67/lg_backpage67.html , in case you've
> managed to forget.

Well, I'm too young to know, so went and had a look.

I nearly choked on this:

'' Either the leaves or the stems are poisonous, so you shouldn't eat whichever one is the poisonous part. And whatever you do, don't eat the top part of the stem where it meets the leaves -- no matter which part of the plant is poisonous, there will be some poison where they meet. At least if you pick leaves or stems you have a 50/50 chance.

Also, whoever thinks that dipping raw rhubarb into sugar makes it edible is sadly deluded. The last time I tried that it was three weeks before my face went back to normal. (Some say I should eat it more often.)

-- 
Steve

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Thomas Adam [thomas.adam22 at gmail.com]

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:41:43 +0100

2009/9/11 Steve Brown <[email protected]>:

> I nearly choked on this:
>
> ''
> Either the leaves or the stems are poisonous, so you shouldn't eat
> whichever one is the poisonous part. And whatever you do, don't eat
> the top part of the stem where it meets the leaves -- no matter which
> part of the plant is poisonous, there will be some poison where they
> meet. At least if you pick leaves or stems you have a 50/50 chance.
> ``

It's true. Rhubarb happens to me my most favourite fruit. We used to grow it in our garden, and it's really tasty.

> Also, whoever thinks that dipping raw rhubarb into sugar makes it
> edible is sadly deluded.

I wasn't alive during WWII -- but my grandparents were. My grandmother recounted to me on several occasions how rhubarb prepared in this way was considered a "sweet" -- it was a nice treat, due to all the good rationing which was in place at the time.

> The last time I tried that it was three weeks before my face went back
> to normal. (Some say I should eat it more often.)

Do you like crumbles? That's why rhubarb is used -- its nice savoury flavour compliments the sweet crumble (and custard if added). Delicious. I often add a little lemon juice into the rhubarb and some apple as well. You can also add currants if you like.

-- Thomas Adam

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Steve Brown [steve.stevebrown at gmail.com]

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:45:10 +0100

On Fri, Sep 11, 2009 at 06:41:43PM +0100, Thomas Adam wrote:

> 2009/9/11 Steve Brown <[email protected]>:
> > I nearly choked on this:
> >
> > ''
> > Either the leaves or the stems are poisonous, so you shouldn't eat
> > whichever one is the poisonous part. And whatever you do, don't eat
> > the top part of the stem where it meets the leaves -- no matter which
> > part of the plant is poisonous, there will be some poison where they
> > meet. At least if you pick leaves or stems you have a 50/50 chance.
> > ``
> 
> It's true.  Rhubarb happens to me my most favourite fruit.  We used to
> grow it in our garden, and it's really tasty.

I was laughing at the nonchalent way that the author mentioned the poisonous nature of rhubarb - take your chances - if it doesn't kill you, you'll love it.

> > Also, whoever thinks that dipping raw rhubarb into sugar makes it
> > edible is sadly deluded.
> 
> I wasn't alive during WWII -- but my grandparents were.  My
> grandmother recounted to me on several occasions how rhubarb prepared
> in this way was considered a "sweet" -- it was a nice treat, due to
> all the good rationing which was in place at the time.

Rhubarb is far too sour to eat raw, I'm convinced that it will dissolve the enamel on my teeth and most likely eat it's way through my stomach lining.

> > The last time I tried that it was three weeks before my face went back
> > to normal. (Some say I should eat it more often.)
> 
> Do you like crumbles?  That's why rhubarb is used -- its nice savoury
> flavour compliments the sweet crumble (and custard if added).
> Delicious.  I often add a little lemon juice into the rhubarb and some
> apple as well.  You can also add currants if you like.

Rhubarb crumble is the very best way to eat it. It's beautiful with pears too. My old Nan swore that stewed rhubarb and custard was a gift from God.

-- 
Steve

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Rick Moen [rick at linuxmafia.com]

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:45:43 -0700

Quoting Steve Brown ([email protected]):

> Also, whoever thinks that dipping raw rhubarb into sugar makes it
> edible is sadly deluded.

Ack! Even without toxins, the pucker-power aspects would lead one to not try that twice.

Just so you know, our vegetable garden at Chez Moen includes several rhubarb patches. The stems (without leaves) -- which are entirely safe -- get cooked by yrs. truly in some pies that seem to meet with wide approval.

Anyway, getting even ill at all, much less seriously so, from ingesting the oxalic acid and other toxins in rhubarb leaves and flowers would require a dedicated effort at self-injury, as the concentration's just not very high.

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Thomas Adam [thomas.adam22 at gmail.com]

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:51:51 +0100

2009/9/11 Rick Moen <[email protected]>:

> Quoting Steve Brown ([email protected]):
>
>> Also, whoever thinks that dipping raw rhubarb into sugar makes it
>> edible is sadly deluded.
>
> Ack! �Even without toxins, the pucker-power aspects would lead one
> to not try that twice.

Heh -- try it next time on all our behalves of course. I personally haven't tried it.

> Just so you know, our vegetable garden at Chez Moen includes several
> rhubarb patches. �The stems (without leaves) -- which are entirely safe --
> get cooked by yrs. truly in some pies that seem to meet with wide
> approval.

Yummy. I bet some mango chutney on the side would go nicely with that.

-- Thomas Adam

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Ben Okopnik [ben at linuxgazette.net]

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:54:25 -0500

On Fri, Sep 11, 2009 at 06:31:18PM +0100, Steve Brown wrote:

> On Fri, Sep 11, 2009 at 6:50 PM, Ben Okopnik <[email protected]> wrote:
> > On Fri, Sep 11, 2009 at 09:50:25AM -0400, Faber Fedor wrote:
> 
> > [1] http://linuxgazette.net/issue67/lg_backpage67.html , in case you've
> > managed to forget. 
> 
> Well, I'm too young to know, so went and had a look.

Oh, dear. I don't want to get a reputation as a Corrupter of the Young... well, I do, but I don't see anything wrong with steering kids away from Microsoft products. "Psst! Hey, kid - wanna try this Linux distro? Gowan, the first one is Free..."

> The last time I tried that it was three weeks before my face went back
> to normal. (Some say I should eat it more often.)

Ouch! I think I had a similar reaction to durian, last time I tried to have any - although it wasn't in reaction to poison. I think my face stayed twisted in a grimace of horror and disbelief for about three weeks. Mind you, I'd eaten the stuff before, a number of times; I just happen to think that I've reached my lifetime quota, and my "durian exposure meter" is pegged.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian

-- 
* Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * http://LinuxGazette.NET *

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Breen Mullins [breen.mullins at gmail.com]

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:27:05 -0700

On Fri, Sep 11, 2009 at 10:31, Steve Brown <[email protected]> wrote:

> Also, whoever thinks that dipping raw rhubarb into sugar makes it
> edible is sadly deluded.
>

In one of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books, she relates the story of serving dessert from 'pie plant' without sugar. The first one to taste it added a couple of tablespoons ...

-- 
Breen Mullins
<[email protected]>

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