#Dutch peanut butter

[cowboycthulhu]

Inspired by a conversation I had with a non-American friend. Reblogs would be appreciated for a larger sample size

[tilbageidanmark]

Parents!

Please check your kids' Halloween candy!

I just found Hieronymus Bosch’s 'Garden of earthly delights' inside of a peanut butter cup.

[saviourkingslut]

the biggest Tabasco I've ever seen in 20 oz

OVER HALF A LITRE??? god i wish they sold that here

[overclockedopossum]

Reblog to stir prev so they don't burn on the bottom

"My first language has a perfect saying for this, but it doesn't make sense in english :("

Say it anyway! You don't owe them perfect clarity. Be profoundly cryptic, speak in riddles, make them ponder what the fuck you meant by that. The anglos, like porridge, must sometimes be stirred, so they don't burn stuck on the bottom of the pot.

[foodfarrago]

chocolate monster cookies

[msfbgraves]

Hubris?

Since they discontinued my preferred brand of peanut butter, I've been looking for a replacement. And then my eye was caught by a smallish jar of peanut butter that goes for €5,49, close to $6.

What on earth does that taste like to justify the price? It's more than nutella by far. What orgasmic delights do you offer, little jar, to presume such greatness? I saw a sale for $3 and I'm trying it out right now.

...

...

...

Smell was good. Ease of getting it on a sandwich was uncharacteristically good. But baby. You're not "mild". You're overly sweet. You're Skippy peanut butter for those who can't find Skippy peanut butter in a smallish Dutch supermarket and you cost more. I mean, when not on sale which I presume you'll be at times, and yet. What are you doing pretending to be for Dutch people, Calvé creamy? If I use this for peanut butter noodles I'll have to stick with unsweetened soy sauce. Again who are you even for? Americans are not going to buy you, darlin. *Shakes head in European*

[stvolanis]

my minds just so full of thoughts of s3 rafe w/ his little housewife!!

he’s so freaking sweet. Gushing to all of his buddies at the country club about the cute little bell who makes him the best meals after a hard day of tormenting the pogues! And all of them are just like “yeah..uhuh..okay..” cause he never shuts up about you! But when you bring them all a fresh batch of peanut butter cookies with that warm smile on your face, they completely understand why Rafe is so smitten with you C:

Rafe would spoil you rotten for treating him so good! shopping sprees on the weekends, and duh, your nails are always done!! you said you wanted a new vintage von dutch mini skirt that barely covers your ass? Done! Rafe bough 5 of them in different colors and styles. Anything you look at for a little too long, or your fingers barely graze over, will be bought so beware!! Don’t even get me started on how Rafe would have flowers sent to you when he’s away on missions, always so pretty and fresh, and always your favorites.

but Rafes favorite part about his housewife? The way you let him stuff your cunt no matter what. You’re cooking? He’s got you bent over with his mushroom tip pounding at your cervix as you desperately try to flip the pancakes before they burn. you’re folding clothes? He’ll bounce you up and down on his cock till you lose focus of what you’re supposed to be doing, too drunk on the way he feels inside of you. Cleaning? Of course he stresses you out when his cum spills onto the freshly mopped floor, so he has you lick it up!! “S’not my fault it wouldn’t all fit in your mouth.” He’d huff out.

his breeding kink would be through the roof with you! his mind spirals at the thought of you with you belly round and swollen, evidence of how good he is to you. You’re so sweet and gentle, you’d be such a good mama to his kids! He can imagine himself walking into his home to the sight of you with a toddler that looks just like the both of you being bounced on your hip. You’d pepper him with kisses, and your little one would crawl out of your arms just to be with him.

Safe to say, Rafe is definitely obsessed with you.

don’t be shy, ask to be a part of the tag list and request things!!

TAG LIST: @elvisalltheway101 @epthedream69 @claire-elvisgirl @elvisrealgf @littlehoneyposts @ireallydontcareanymorebrooo @luxuriouslokistan-3 @foxevxid @sapriao @parkbabyj @xiyingly @jazminsjaz @likeits2002 @www-interludeshadow-com @khxna @my-fabulousness-has-arrived @floredaqueen

[goblinguistics]

some etymology for pindakaas: it first appeared as a description for pienda-dokoen, a block of crushed peanuts from Suriname. When American peanut butter arrived in the Netherlands after WWII, a literal translation wasn’t possible because boter (butter) was a protected term. As such, the Dutch-Surinamese word pindakaas was loaned again for this word!

Source

Ultimate Word Tournament!

Season 2

pindakaas (Dutch) /ˈpɪndaːˌkaːs/ peanut butter. (literally "peanut cheese")

щи (Russian) shchi [ɕːi] a soup (usually) made with meat broth and white cabbage, often served with sour cream.

[sgiandubh]

For no particular reason: Lola's homemade chocolate

Today is Lola the Corgi's presumed birthday. We chose it approximately, while at the vet's, because Lola's story is nothing short of a canine miracle. She jumped in my cab, somewhere in the humble outskirts of Bucharest, on Saint Nicholas' Day. The driver asked, absurdly, if that was 'my dog' and I simply answered 'well, now it is'.

Little did we know the shaking, stone cold and scared to death puppy was a very rare Cardigan Corgi - this came later, when a British friend was amazed at the recovery and pointed it out adamantly. She could have been stolen or simply lost, but we will never know and we never looked back.

All our dogs had Spanish names (except for cats, always boys and always Pasha, namesakes of a beloved Shipper Mom's childhood pet), simply because they are easy to learn and remember. In her case, Lola is for...

for well... for obvious locomotion reasons 🤣 #LolaFlores. Twelve years with a supremely intelligent and empathic friend deserved a batch of my homemade chocolate, don't you think?

Too bad she can't try it. But enough babbling, here goes.

You will need: 2 cups/ 250 grams milk powder - I recommend Nestlé's Carnation, if you can't get hold of Rarăul, the obscure, Communist local brand (so damn good); 2 sticks/200 grams full fat butter (I recommend Irish butter, always with excellent results), at room temperature, cubed; 7 Tablespoons/50 grams cocoa (Dutch, if you can, but I prefer either Ghirardelli or the Greek Ion brand, which I think are the best on this planet); 2½ cups/ 500 grams Demerara sugar (or caster sugar). A dash of instant coffee, for decorating. You can replace sugar by stevia sweetener (measure accordingly - I used this, because I was also cooking for a severe diabetic who can't control herself), with very good results. Optional: crushed tea biscuits or cookies in the US/chopped hazelnuts/pine nuts/walnuts/peanut butter (in swirls) - sky is the limit. For the adult version, feel free to add a hefty swig of brandy/rhum/whisky/bourbon/vodka/limoncello or hey, let's be totally dirty (sssh!), Bailey's.

In a nonstick pan, gently simmer 3/4 cup or 170 ml cold water with ALL the sugar. Stir nonstop (only with wooden spoon or silicone spatula, never metal - it lends a foul taste!) until you get a sort of thin syrup - basically the sugar should dissolve, nothing more. 2 to 3 minutes should be enough.

Add the cubed butter, stir gently until it melts and incorporates completely. 10 minutes max, but never stop stirring!

Take the pan off the heat. Gently pour dry milk in small batches, stirring and incorporating continuously. It should immediately thicken, sticky fudge consistency.

Gently mix the cocoa, with slow, ample bottom/top movements (you don't want it anywhere else but in that pan, for sure). Right consistency should be a thick ribbon, pouring from the spoon.

Back to the heat for about 30 to 45 seconds, stirring all the time. I have no idea why, but my grandma always insisted it was very important, go figure. Take off the heat and immediately add the nuts and (if you choose) the alcohol, mixing vigorously.

Pour into a well buttered loaf tin. Dust with instant coffee. Let cool, put into fridge for 6 hours minimum (overnight is better). Only cut with a wet knife. Devour and don't think about the damn calories.

I am sorry for the very, very old pic (2010, I think). Tonight, it was impossible to take a proper one 😱.

This is what we do call 'homemade chocolate' all over Eastern Europe, but to be honest, it's rather some very, very good fudge. The dry milk is a dead giveaway of the real age of the recipe, which is around 1945 - postwar rationing, of course.

You are welcome. You won't regret the 45 minutes you're likely to spend making it.

[chiara-klara-claire]

funny idioms

My personal selection of idioms collected here and there. my posts - resources masterpost | aesthetic idioms | words with cute literal meaning

Icelandic 🇮🇸

Ég borga bara með reiðufé 🐑💰 - I only pay with an angry sheep: Okay, but I don't have to like it

að taka einhvern í bakaríið 🥯 - to take someone to the bakery: used as a threat, often in sports, when your adversary is about to experience a heavy defeat.

Finnish 🇫🇮 @finnish-sayings

kissanristiäiset 🐱 - a cat’s christening: an unimportant event or holiday

nakki ja muusi 🍲 - in the year sausage and mashed potatoes: long ago

Ilma on kuin linnunmaitoa 🥛🐦- The weather is like bird’s milk: The weather is wonderful.

Hänella ei ole kaikki muumit laksossa - he/she doesn’t have all the moomins in the valley: they’re crazy

Norwegian 🇳🇴 @hazel3017

Nappe seg i løken 🧅 - Yank the onion: a man who masturbates

Høy på pæra 🍐- High on pears: someone who is arrogant (head gets so big it looks like a pear)  

Det er helt Texas! : That’s completely Texas! That’s crazy!

Swedish 🇸🇪( @escapenorth-blog )

Den är paj 🥧 - It’s pie. “It doesn’t work.”

du är ute och cyklar! 🚲 - you’re out and riding your bike! “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Fårskalle 🐑 💀 - sheep skull ; hissen går inte gela vägen upp- the elevator doesn’t go all the way up: stupid

släng dig i väggen - throw yourself against a wall: take a hike 🌲

Danish 🇩🇰 @vikinglanguage

der er kommunister i lysthuset*- communists are in the funhouse: when someone has their period 🩸🏠

skide grønne grise 🐖 💩 - to shit green pigs: be extremely frightened 😰

gåsevin 🍷🦆– goose wine: Water

pølsetysker 🌭 🇩🇪 – sausage german: a very German German or just a way to call Germans you dislike

ikke helt appelsinfri* 🍊 - not entirely orange-free: drunk 🤠

at tale flydende svensk* 🗣🇸🇪 - to speak Swedish fluently / tale i den store hvide telefon**☎️- talk in the big white telefon / ringe til Ulrik** 📞 : to call Ulrik: to throw up 🤮

at skyde papegøjen 🦜🔫- to shoot the parrot: to have luck

Dutch 🇳🇱

Helaas Pindakaas 🥜 - too bad peanut butter (“peanut cheese”): too bad, which rhymes with pindakaas = 🇩🇪 Schade Marmelade: same as Dutch, but with jam

German 🇩🇪 this post by @for-the-love-of-wolves-studies and this @moami

einen Clown zum Frühstück essen/frühstücken 🤡 🍽️- eating a clown for breakfast: not behaving decently/having bad humor

bekannt wie ein bunter Hund 🐶 🌈 - known as a colorful dog: someone known all over town

fuchsteufelswild 🦊 - fox devil wild: super mad

einen Vogel haben 🐦 - to have a bird: to be crazy

Ich glaub mein Schwein pfeift 🐷 - I think my pig whistles: I think I’m dreaming  

die Gurkentruppe 🥒 - cucumber brigade: bunch of bunglers  

Durch den Kakao ziehen 🍫-  throw someone into chocolate: to make fun of somebody or something, to roast someone

die beleidigte Leberwurst spielen 🌭 - to play the offended liver sausage: being very resentful

Hans Wurst 🌭 - Hans Sausage: name to call a stupid person (both m/f)

jetzt haben wir den Salat 🥗 - now we have the salad: look at this disaster that we now have 

jemanden hinwünschen, wo der Pfeffer wächst 🧂 - wish somebody would be where pepper grows: to want somebody to be as far away as possible

nah am Wasser gebaut 💧- built close to the water: someone that is easily moved to tears

italian 🇮🇹

Cascare dal pero 🍐 🌳  - fall from the pear tree - find out about something when you were supposed to know it

Far venire il latte alle ginocchia 🥛- make milk come from one’s knees: being a pain/ annoying,

Andare a rane** 🐸 - go (as) frogs: something like online connection is lagging

fare la figura del cioccolataio 🍫 - make a chocolatier’s impression: to make a fool of yourself, be responsible for embarrassing cockups

Che pizza! 🍕 - What a pizza!: “Nuts!”/ used Wien you are bored or annoyed at something

Essere alla frutta 🍎 🍌 - to be at [the moment of] fruit: when the situation is very bad (meals usually end with eating fruit), to emphasize this some people might say al caffè, al dolce ☕️ 🍰(coffee, dessert time)

Un limone 🍋- a lemon: a make out session

French 🇫🇷 this

Chanter en yaourt - sing in yogurt: singing in gibberish, random sounds pretending to sing in [English]

Poser un lapin 🐇 - to put a rabbit: To stand someone up

Avoir le cafard 🪳 - to have the cockroach: To be depressed

Tomber dans les pommes 🍎🍏 - To fall in the apples: To faint

Donner sa langue au chat 👅 🐈- to give one’s tongue to the cat: I have no idea/I give up. used to say you don’t know about something and are unable to give an answer.

Polish 🇵🇱 @pol-ski this post

można z konie kraść 🐎- you can steal horses with him: a trustworthy person

co ma piernik do wiatracka - what does gingerbread have to do with a windmill: it’s irrelevant

*: apparently not used much but wanted to include them cause they’re hilarious; **: maybe regional/use limited to an area

Thanks for contributions: @dasloddl (de), @tetsunabouquet (nl)

[nicoline1998enilocin]

Flufftober Day 20 | Spooky celebration

Pairing | Sebastian Stan x Female!Reader

Word count | 2.2K

Summary | You moved to the U.S. not too long ago, and this year will be your first Halloween celebration there. When your friend Sebastian finds out you’ve never celebrated it, he's taking out all the stops to make your first Halloween a spooky celebration to never forget.

Warning(s) | This is your official trigger warning. Do not proceed if any of these topics upset you. RPF, Reader is Dutch but lives in the U.S., friends to lovers, mutual pining, use of pet names (Pumpkin, Trouble), flirting, very light angst, implied smut.

Prompt(s) | 20. Pumpkin | @flufftober

A/n | As someone who has never celebrated Halloween before (Hi, welcome to my side of the world 🇳🇱), I couldn't resist writing a Halloween story with some of the most cliché things because this would be my absolute dream. This is written for day 20 of my Flufftober 2023 Challenge, and I hope you will all enjoy this as much as I did when writing it 🖤

Likes, comments and reblogs will be very much appreciated 🧡

Divider is made by @cafekitsune | GIF credit to the owner

Main Masterlist | Sebastian Stan Masterlist | Flufftober Masterlist

Ever since you told Sebastian you've never celebrated Halloween before, he's insisted on celebrating together and giving you an unforgettable first Halloween in the U.S.

That's exactly how you found yourself at his house this morning, decked out in an all-black outfit, combined with your Halloween sweatshirt that had Sebastian laughing loudly when he opened the door for you.

''Mornin' Pumpkin,'' he says as he pulls you in for a hug, and you can't help but fist your hands into the back of his Halloween hoodie.

''Good morning, Trouble,'' you say when he finally lets you go, though you wish you could have stayed in his arms for just a little longer.

''Ready to have the best Halloween celebration of your life?!'' he asks, and you're immediately excited. Sebastian's enthusiasm is slowly catching on to you, and you couldn't be happier to be here with him, having the best of times together.

You did feel a little bad when he told you he blew off plans with his other friends to be with you today, but what you don't know is that he'd much rather be here with you, the girl he has had a massive crush on ever since somebody introduced you to him a few months ago.

''So, will you tell me what we will do today? Aside from trick-or-treating, of course,'' you say, because that's the only thing Sebastian has confirmed. You both picked out a costume for tonight, but the rest of the day would be a surprise.

He looks at you for a second and contemplates telling you, but instead, he grabs your hand and leads you to the kitchen for your first activity of the day. ''Why don't you come along and find out?''

As soon as his fingers intertwine with yours, your heart skips a beat or two, and Sebastian feels a slight shock of electricity shooting through him at the feeling that makes him smirk in a way you can't help but love.

When the two of you walk into the kitchen, you can see a lot of different ingredients to make Halloween treats. He has also chosen some fun recipes to make together, which are nicely displayed on the counter.

''So, we could start by making some of our treats that we could munch on throughout the day. I picked many recipes from cookies to cake pops and some hearty options if that's more your thing,'' he says as your eyes glide over the ingredients.

''Oh, you bought peanut butter cups!'' you say enthusiastically and grab one to eat right away; these are some of your favorite candies you have discovered ever since moving to the U.S.

Sebastian already misses your touch as soon as you let go of his hand, but the way his heart flutters at the sight of you being happy with something as simple as some chocolate.

''What shall we make first?'' you ask with your mouth still half full, and the laugh that escapes Sebastian's chest sets your insides on fire. You secretly wish you could hear him laugh like that daily, but for now, you're soaking up every minute of attention he's willing to give you.

You look through the recipes until you suddenly feel Sebastian stand behind you, and your breath hitches slightly when he places his hands on your upper arms. You squeeze your eyes shut while trying to keep your composure, though it's not as easy.

''You can pick whatever you want to make, Pumpkin; it's your first Halloween after all,'' he whispers in your ear, and his warm breath against your ear makes goosebumps erupt all over your neck.

''H-how about some spooky cookies?'' you say, your voice slightly shaky from the closeness of Sebastian, though you're trying to convince it doesn't mean anything. You're just friends, nothing more.

''Sounds perfect,'' he says before walking to the counter and getting all the necessary ingredients; he'd already laid out everything, so it was done within no time.

The two of you have spent a significant amount of time in the kitchen by the time it's 3 PM, but you two have made a whole load of delicious treats, from cookies to cupcakes and from cake pops to Jello shots.

''Right, everything is clean, so what is our next activity?'' you ask, and you pop one more peanut butter cup into your mouth as you look at Sebastian, giving him a shy smile as you catch him staring at you.

''W-what?'' he says, his cheeks turning bright red as he knows you've caught him admiring your soft features.

''You're living up to your nickname, aren't you, Trouble? I asked what our next activity is,'' you say with a chuckle, and suddenly, it's like a light turns on in Sebastian's head.

''Oh, right! Pumpkin carving!'' he exclaims happily before running outside and getting the two pumpkins he picked out by hand, perfect for your first time carving a pumpkin.

He plops them down on the kitchen counter before running to his pantry, where he's getting two pumpkin carving kits—a green one for himself and a pink one for you.

''Here's your very own kit with everything you could ever need to carve your pumpkin,'' he says, and you happily take it from him before sitting on a stool by the counter, ready to carve.

When Sebastian takes his place next to you, you can't help but scoot your chair just a little closer, wanting to be as close to Sebastian as possible while still having room to carve. At that moment, a thought creeps into your head that you can't seem to let go of.

''Are you sure you'd rather be here with me than celebrate Halloween with your other friends? I know you said you're okay with just me, but-'' Sebastian doesn't let you finish your thought.

''Pumpkin, please listen to me when I say this, okay? There is not a single place in this world where I'd rather be than right here by your side. I'm honored to share your first Halloween with you, and I'm not letting anything get in the way,'' he says.

To emphasize his point, he grabs your face as he says that, and his hands feel warm on your skin, instantly making you melt into his touch. He brings your face to him before kissing your forehead softly.

Your eyes flutter shut as his lips press on your skin, and you can't help but smile widely. It feels like you've never done anything else, and it melts every last fear and anxiety away.

The rest of the afternoon is spent carving your pumpkins. Where you went for a standard jack-o-lantern design, Sebastian gave it a funny face, and you have rarely laughed so hard as you did when he finally showed you his result.

By the time dinner time rolls around, you're getting pretty hungry despite having snacked on some of the treats you made earlier.

''Shall we order some take-out and watch a scary movie?'' Sebastian offers, and you'd love to do just that.

''How about pizza? I wouldn't mind sharing one if you're up for it,'' you offer, and Sebastian agrees immediately. The pizza is ordered within less than ten minutes, and now it's time to get settled onto the couch together.

''I have taken the liberty to choose a movie for today, but I'm sure you'll love it,'' Sebastian says as he plops down on the couch, followed by you on his side.

As Sebastian places his arm on the couch's backrest, you take your place and snuggle into his side, a blanket spread over both your laps and your head resting against his shoulder.

''Are you comfortable, Pumpkin?'' he asks, and with a soft sigh and a barely audible 'yes,' he wraps his left arm around your shoulders, his thumb rubbing circles on your upper arm.

Neither of you had planned this, but as soon as you find your place, you're very comfortable, and Sebastian isn't complaining either. Well, except that he might be enjoying it too much. Thank God for thick blankets, he thinks to himself.

He turns on the first Saw movie, and it doesn't take long for you to bury your head in his chest, only looking out of the corner of your eye. You've never enjoyed these movies, though you're happy to have Sebastian as your protector now.

When the suspense gets thicker, the doorbell suddenly rings, and you jump up, shrieking loudly as you get scared by the sound, and Sebastian can't help but laugh uncontrollably.

''Asshole!'' you whisper shout as he quickly gets up and goes to pay the delivery guy for the pizza. You've already got two plates and drinks for dinner by the time he's back, though he doesn't seem even remotely sorry for his action earlier.

''You know you love me, Pumpkin,'' he says, but you can't help but get flustered as he tells you those words. You quickly turn your gaze away before sitting down, getting a slice of pizza, and getting ready to finish the movie.

When the pizza is gone, the movie is also finished, and you have found your earlier spot by Sebastian again, though this time your legs are lying over his, and you are very comfortable.

''We should get changed for trick-or-treating, Pumpkin. It's the most important part of the night!'' Sebastian says after the two of you just sat there in silence and cuddled for a little while, enjoying each other's company.

It takes a little while for the two of you to be changed and ready to go out together. You've decided to dress up as Hermione Granger from Harry Potter, and Sebastian has opted to go as Professor Severus Snape.

''You look outstanding!'' you tell Sebastian as he walks down the stairs after getting entirely dressed in the other outfit, so when you're ready, you two get out the door and on your way for your first-ever trick-or-treat experience.

It definitely did not disappoint, but by the time you're back, you are practically shivering from the cold, so as soon as you're back inside, Sebastian grabs you in his arms and cuddles you tightly until you're all warmed up.

''Let's change into something more comfortable, and I'll make a campfire outside. We can bring our treats and something warm to drink to warm up a little,'' he offers, and you happily agree.

''Trouble? Could I borrow some of your sweatpants? I didn't bring any since I didn't think I'd need them,'' you say, and before you know it, you're sitting outside with Sebastian, being warmed by the fire. He turned on some soft background music, and the evening could not end in a better way. Or so you think.

''Pumpkin?'' Sebastian suddenly asks, and you look up at him with curiosity in your eyes.

''Would you have this dance with me? I've always dreamt of dancing by the fire, and there's not a single person I'd rather dance with than you,'' he says, a red color creeping onto his cheeks.

''I'd be honored to,'' you say, and you get up, grabbing Sebastian's stretched-out hand, and he pulls you close. Your breath hitches slightly as your front is pressed against his, but you can't get enough of him. It will never be close enough.

The two of you sway back and forth; your head is resting against his chest, and you can hear him letting out a content sigh right now. The two of you stay like this until you feel Sebastian's hand move up.

His hand slides over your back and shoulder, softly caressing the skin on your neck before cupping your cheek and tilting your head backward slightly.

Your heart starts hammering in your chest as you see the look in his eyes, and his eyes flick from your eyes to your lips and back up to yours.

''Can I kiss you?'' he asked, barely audible, but it was just enough for you to hear, and after a slight nod, you closed the distance between the two of you. Your lips press against his slowly, tenderly, and it feels nothing short of perfect.

He tilts his head to the right before asking for access by swiping his tongue over your bottom lip, and almost as if you're on autopilot, your lips part so your tongues can dance together in a passionate kiss.

A soft moan leaves your lips when his teeth nibble ever so slightly on your bottom lip, and you're already missing him when he pulls away.

''I can't tell you how long I've wanted to do that,'' he says, and the smile you flash him tells him all he needs to know. He placed his mouth on yours again before leaning down and grabbing the backs of your thighs to lift you.

When he pulls back, he looks at you with a question in his eyes, and you assure him you want this, too. The rest of the night, you spend every last second exploring each other's bodies and making love until the sun returns.

You would be now if you weren't already in love with this man. Your first Halloween ever has also turned into your favorite one, and it's all thanks to Sebastian.

[soup-of-the-daisies]

i saw the sirius headcanons by @lesbianmckinnonn which inspired me,,, so obviously here’s some james ones from me

second tallest of the fearsome foursome, but like ✨tastefully✨ tall. a modest six feet, just abouts (sirius is the tallest and he looms over people)

was a very lonely child (paranoid parents who had zero friends with children his age), which is part of the reason why he latched onto sirius so intensely shortly after meeting him

more about his childhood: got spoiled rotten in an almost literal way. his parents were busy people and he had to entertain himself with his toys. whenever his parents weren’t there for an important part of his early life, he got a new gift to ease the hurt

compulsively will share everything he’s got as a result. it’s how he shows love. one time he gave peter his old racing broom and peter hit him over the head with a dirty sock

attracted to sirius but tells himself that everybody stares longingly at their best friend’s chest. or neck. or fingers. or mouth. or—

has one dimple

his family is indo-dutch but they’re quiet about it (as indo families usually are). when sirius came to live with them the jar of sambal became a staple on the dinner table, as they had to cut down on the spice in their meals but they didn’t want to let go of it entirely

thinks english food has no taste other than salt. would’ve KILLED for some nasi goreng at hogwarts. had his parents send him sambal after week after the start of his first year to put on his peanut butter sandwich

isn’t very hairy despite the hair on his head being really thick and remus once said his forearm is ‘smooth, like an eel’. james then ordered peter to hit remus over the head with a dirty sock

can’t grow a beard it becomes really patchy lol

bites his nails (lily grouses that he’s lucky he’s got long nailbeds)

is really lean and wiry, like harry, but could probably lift all three of his mates on his back and carry them to class without breaking a sweat

he allows remus to take advantage of this on the really bad days before and after a full moon and lets everyone think he’s just showing off

c a n n o t sit still for the life of him. rip king you would’ve loved fidget spinners and popits

[foodfarrago]

five layer brownie blondies

[justforbooks]

The River of Consciousness by Oliver Sacks

These posthumously published essays range from psychiatry to plagiarism to near-death experiences

One March in the mid 1990s I checked into a hotel in Helsinki. I dropped my bag on the floor and, wondering what Finnish daytime television was like, switched on the TV. A darkened room with a dining table came into focus, and around it were six people having a conversation. To my surprise, all were speaking English, then a face I knew filled the screen – it was Oliver Sacks. Then another, Stephen Jay Gould, and another, Daniel Dennett. I had books by all three. It was snowing outside, and Helsinki seemed suddenly less inviting; I sat down on the bed and began to watch.

A Dutch TV company had assembled these men, together with Freeman Dyson, Stephen Toulmin and Rupert Sheldrake, for the round-table finale of a documentary series on science and the meaning of life. The series, A Glorious Accident, didn’t seem to have invited any women to take part but even so I watched it to the end – three hours later. The participants’ areas of expertise were diverse: biology, physics, palaeontology, neuroscience, philosophy. As the only practising clinician, Sacks made perceptive and valuable contributions – and was clearly having fun.

Sacks died nine years ago in August 30, 2015. A melanoma of the eye, diagnosed nine years earlier, had recurred and metastasised to his liver. The New York Times had referred to Sacks as the “poet laureate of medicine”, and carried an obituary that said that neurological conditions were for him occasions “for eloquent meditations on consciousness and the human condition”. In his last year he put the finishing touches to a memoir (On the Move), and completed some final magazine essays collected soon after his death (Gratitude). In one of his last newspaper pieces he wrote: “I have several other books nearly finished.” We might expect further posthumous essay collections to be on the way.

Millions of Sacks’s books have been printed around the world, and he once spoke of receiving 200 letters a week from admirers. For those thousands of correspondents, The River of Consciousness will feel like a reprieve – we get to spend time again with Sacks the botanist, the historian of science, the marine biologist and, of course, the neurologist. There are 10 essays here, the majority published previously in the New York Review of Books (the collection is dedicated to its late editor Robert Silvers). Their subject matter reflects the agility of Sacks’s enthusiasms, moving from forgetting and neglect in science to Freud’s early work on the neuroanatomy of fish; from the mental lives of plants and invertebrates to the malleability of our perception of speed.

The essay on speed has some characteristic flourishes: of Parkinson’s disease, Sacks writes that “being in a slowed state is like being stuck in a vat of peanut butter, while being in an accelerated state is like being on ice”. He is as good on near-death experiences: “There is an intense sense of immediacy and reality, and a dramatic acceleration of thought and perception and reaction.” Sacks has a Jain-like reverence for insects, and delights in comparative neuroanatomical facts: an octopus may have six times more neurons than a mouse; many plants possess nervous systems that move at a thousandth the speed of our own.

Plagiarism troubled Sacks, and an essay on memory dovetails with one on creativity, examining how someone can copy another’s work through unconscious repatternings of memory. “Memory arises not only from experience,” he concludes, “but from the intercourse of many minds.” He quotes the letters between Mark Twain and Helen Keller on plagiarism, and his own correspondence with Harold Pinter (whose play A Kind of Alaska was inspired by Sacks’s Awakenings). Most of his books are mentioned in passing, and the chosen essays stand as a kind of testament or gazetteer to their range. Reading them, I was reminded of something Annie Dillard said about the essay form: “The essay is, and has been, all over the map. There’s nothing you cannot do with it; no subject matter is forbidden, no structure is proscribed.”

Some of the slighter pieces here suffer from being placed between more substantial work, and in one, only one, Sacks’s argument loses coherence. But even then I was conscious of the great premium he placed on flights of ideas: “If the stream of thought is too fast, it may lose itself, break into a torrent of superficial distractions and tangents, dissolve into a brilliant incoherence, a phantasmagoric, almost dreamlike delirium.”

Sacks was deliriously in love with details – to the irritation of his editors – and he crammed his books with them. When the text couldn’t take any more, he spilled them over to the bottom of the page. It’s in the footnotes that his treasures are often to be found: in a two-page footnote to his essay “Scotoma: Forgetting and Neglect in Science”, Sacks outlines how urgent is the need for reconciliation between psychiatry and neurology, divided now for nearly a century. A “scotoma” is a blind spot in the vision, an area of darkness conjured by irregularities in brain or retinal function:

If one looks at the charts of patients institutionalized in asylums and state hospitals in the 1920s and 1930s, one finds extremely detailed clinical and phenomenological observations, often embedded in narratives of an almost novelistic richness and density ... this richness and detail and phenomenological openness have disappeared, and one finds instead meagre notes that give no real picture of the patient or his world.

Through the course of the 20th century, the US Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (a book conceived to facilitate health insurance billing) has, Sacks insists, impoverished clinical language. “Present-day psychiatric charts in hospitals are almost completely devoid of the depth and density of information one finds in the older charts, and will be of little use in helping us to bring about the synthesis of neuroscience with psychiatric knowledge that we so need.” Earlier in the book he singled out one of the defining moments of that schism, when in 1893 Freud gave up looking for elements of brain pathology that might be relevant to mental health: “The lesion in hysterical paralyses must be completely independent of the nervous system,” Freud wrote, “since in its paralyses and other manifestations hysteria behaves as though anatomy did not exist or as though it had no knowledge of it.”

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[sovereign-skyy]

Real talk: what is the best way to complete a peanut butter sandwich?

Maybe a particular jelly? Maybe a particular vegetable? Maybe a particular dessert item?

Oh this one is easy:

Chocolate. Flakes.

Or as we call them over here, Chocoladevlokken. These lil bitches are meant as a sandwich topping and they're absolutely awesome, they taste great on their own and even better with peanut butter!

It was between this or hagelslag, another Dutch chocolate topping, but these bad boys are just more suited to consumption with pindakaas (peanut butter) (yes peanut butter is called peanut cheese in dutch) (thats because we can't legally use butter for products that aren't butter)

Anyway you're welcome for giving you the objectively right answer :3