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surveys-at-your-service · 3 years ago

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Survey #479

“war sends our sons to slaughter / another failed attack; there is no turning back”

Have you ever boycotted something? Yes: Chick-fil-A. Homophobic, transphobic pieces of shit. Has anyone ever borrowed something from you, and not returned it? Yes, a video game when I was little. I was so mad, lol. Do you vent a lot on social media? No. I don't want people to get annoyed with me. What was your first bill you started paying on your own? I haven't been responsible for any bills yet. What is your favorite charitable cause to donate to or volunteer for? I can't/don't do either really, but if I could, I'd probably donate to uhhhh... suicide prevention organizations. As for volunteering, definitely something with animals. Have you ever dated someone who wasn’t at all your usual type? No. What is something you have no patience for? Waiting at the doctor's office. Have you ever received a misdiagnosis? Yes. What’s that you’re listening to? I'm watching Gab play The Evil Within 2. What kind of relationship do you have with the last person you kissed? We're a couple. What is your biggest accomplishment in life? Still being alive. What is one thing that you really wish you could understand, but don’t? Political stuff. Economics. Have you ever been tutored or tutored someone yourself? I had an Algebra tutor the last time I was in college, and I had to strangle an anxiety attack down because I wasn't understanding the material AT ALL and felt so dumb and annoying. I never did it again. What was the last thing you said out loud (singing doesn’t count)? "It's really embarrassing," to Mom. It really is fucking humiliating that my ankles are swollen from walking/standing more and pushing my desk chair back against the resistance of the carpet. That's pathetic. I'm trying to focus on the fact it's good my body is even reacting to moving more, though. Is everything you have on actually yours? Yep. Do you ever just randomly drive around when you’re upset about something? I don't drive, but if I did, that would NOT be my method of de-stressing. What was the last act of creativity you displayed? Writing an RP post. What’s your favorite department in Wal-Mart? Uh, I guess where you can go see the plants and flowers. Do you find kite flying boring? I LOVED it as a kid. I'd still probably find it kinda fun. Do you have any interest in visiting Japan? Yes, but it's not a massive interest. I've heard the humidity can kill a bitch, and I am NOT into that. Have you ever run a cash register? Yes. I sucked. Have you ever worked as a server? No. Have you ever done the Bratz challenge on YouTube? No, but I saw James Charles do it and it was v unnerving, holy shit. Would you rather paint or carve a pumpkin? Carve. What was your worst experience in high school? My depression as a whole. How much did your senior prom dress cost you? I don't remember. Have you ever been in a serious romantic relationship? Three, if you include my current one. Which part of your body is the most muscular? Uh, nothing? What is the first site you check when you get online, generally? KM. Are you good at creative writing assignments? That's my forte. In elementary school, I actually won a I think county-wide creative writing short story assignment. Not to brag, but I've always been very proud of that, ha ha. Or would you rather just do an informative essay? That's easy for me too, but I prefer writing creatively. Are you more attracted to the badasses, or the goody-goody types? Definitely the goody-goodies. The "bad guys" have never appealed to me romantically. Do you raise your hand or participate in class? I did if I really wanted to ask something or was confident in an answer. What is something BIG you want to do with your life? Make a difference, somehow. What do you think of people who own wild animals? Do NOT just casually take in animals from the wild. That's selfish and just generally disgusting. If you're going to keep an animal generally described as wild and undomesticated, you'd better have a license and deserve that license. Know what you're doing and be certain that keeping the animal in captivity is in the animal's best interest for its unique case. Are you good at explaining things, in general? NOOOOOOOOO, I suck at that. Do you like visiting the mall? Why or why not? Not our mall, no. Its stores suck/are extremely limited, and SO much crime has happened there. Do you like window shopping? Why or why not? YESSSSSSS, mostly on Morph Market, a mostly reptile selling hub online. You can browse TONS of breeders and literally thousands of reptiles, especially ball pythons. They even have a tarantula section I like to look at sometimes. If you lost your job/home/etc., who would likely help you? If I'm losing my home, I'm assuming my mom is gone, so my dad. Why did you first kiss the last person you kissed? We were a couple and I felt like I was supposed to. At that time I didn't see him romantically, but I desperately wanted to. Funny how we're back together and I've no reservations against kissing him now. Feelings change, for sure. Plans for tonight? Girt and I will probably play some WoW Classic together. We've started playing that together, and it's lots of fun with him. :') Has anyone seen you kiss the last person you kissed? Actually, no. Have you ever been kissed in a car? Yeah. Do you think anyone has feelings for you? I know Girt does. Is there anyone in your life that knows right away something’s wrong with you? My mom. Who last made you smile? Girt, 'cuz he's a sweetheart. Where is your mother? She's in bed in her room. She feels like shit. Like, you would think she WASN'T vaccinated, though her long-time doctor has said she'd probably be dead without it while having Covid. Would you rather look at clouds or stars? Stars. Think about your biggest mistake, would you go back and change it? I absolutely would. Are you dating the person you last kissed? Yeup. What is the most immature item you own and actually use? Um. Idk. Do you always take a shower after you have sex? I... didn't know people did this? Like I know women are advised to pee after sex, but full-on showering? No. Do you like chocolate popsicles? Oh hell yeah. Are your parents proud of you? They claim to be. I don't see how. Are you interested in the ocean? Yeah; it's inarguably so fascinating. Hot dogs or hamburgers? I prefer burgers. Have you ever been to a Chinatown in any of the cities you’ve been to? No. Have you ever been to couple’s counseling? No. Do you have any dietary restrictions? No. Have you ever turned down a job offer? No. What’s the largest animal you’ve ever had as a pet? A dog named Cali that was a boxer mix. Do you ever pray, even if you don't believe in God? What exactly is the point if you don't believe in God...? Anyway, I don't. Have you ever been to Mexico? No. Have you ever gotten stuck in quicksand before? No. What's the shortest or longest length you've ever had your hair grow? To around the small of my back. The last nest you saw - was it a bird nest or a hornet's nest? I think a bird's? Do you enjoy Jeff Dunham? I don't know if I'd like him as a person, but I do think he's a funny comedian. Who is your favorite character from Frozen? I was never into the movies. I do think Elsa is kinda cool (no pun intended, lol), though. I like that she has her flaws. Did you finish high school? If not, do you plan on doing so? I did. Have you been in a simulator that mimicked a submarine or rollercoaster? A rollercoaster, yes. How often do you go out to eat instead of cooking for yourself? Mom and I try to avoid fast food for our health. We do a pretty good job at it, but sometimes for convenience's sake, we do eat it. What is the largest family of siblings that you know of? This is probably gonna come across as very judgmental, but... it really bothers me. I don't know how many kids she has now, but one of the dance moms from the studio has SO many children; I've completely lost count. Now if you want that many kids and can provide for them, that's cool. But that's not the case. She uses the "if God wants me to have a baby, then it will happen" mentality, and I'm just like... um, no hunny. Poor choices are leading to kids you're not adequately providing for. She uses no methods of protection and literally has twins whose room is a fucking closet. Ugh it just really bothers me. What foreign languages were offered to you at school? A whole lot. Only Spanish and I believe French were offered as in-school courses, but there were lots of online classes. If you were required to take a course right now, what would you choose? Photography. Team Biden or Team Trump? Over my dead body would I have voted for Trump. My vote went with Biden. What is an animal native to your country that may not exist in others? Bison are factually exclusive to North America. Note that bison and buffalo are different. What are some of your favorite autumn activities? Taking pictures of fall scenery. <3 What are some of your favorite winter activities? Going out in the snow. :') Especially with a camera. Do you eat a shit-ton the week before your period? uuugggghhHHHHHH yes Wendy's, McDonalds, or Burger King? Wendy's. What's the weirdest question you've ever asked Alexa? I've never asked Alexa anything. Do you prefer your apple cider to be warm or cold? I've actually never had it. Do you prefer your coffee hot or iced? Y'all know the story of me and coffee. Can you sing the alphabet backwards? I can't. Have you ever sent flowers or chocolates to yourself before? Ha ha, no. Is there any meat that you won't eat? Yeah, fish and ANYTHING that comes from a wild animal. Does your cat use anything other than it's scratching post as a scratcher? When we got him a scratcher WITH CATNIP, the lil butthead ignored it. -_- He scratches the carpet instead. Did you go through a vampire craze before? Are you still going through it? Nah. Have you ever forged your parents' signature on a poor test paper, etc? No. Has a bird ever pooped on you before? Omg, no. I'd die. Have you ever been sprayed by a skunk before? No. Are black jellybeans delicious or disgusting? I HATE them. Have you ever rolled down a grassy hill before? I have! I miss that.

#survey #surveys #random questions #lyrics: ''black rain'' by ozzy osbourne

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easyfoodnetwork · 5 years ago

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Stock Your Pantry With Ingredients from Around the World, Care of These Online Shops

Photo-illustration: Eater

A guide to buying everything from miso to paneer to prosciutto online

You’ve stocked your pantry with some basics, but now you can’t stop thinking about vegetable dum biryani, chorizo tacos, or nasi lemak. Maybe you can’t bring yourself to do anything but refresh Twitter, and snacks count as meals now, and you’re dreaming about salami and cornichons but you can’t really justify stepping out for such luxuries. (I’m not speaking from experience. Not at all.)

There is a wide world of pantry items from global regional food cultures that you can use to add acidic brightness (think sumac), heat (a dab of yuzu kosho), and umami (a dash of fish sauce) to your dishes — just like your favorite restaurants do. Sometimes it just takes adding a couple of items to your pantry.

It’s always worth starting with your local specialty markets, bakeries, butchers, wine shops, restaurants, and coffee shops that you’d normally frequent, who may be doing local delivery or contactless pick-up. Check their social media feeds — you may find that they’re getting creative. In certain locations, wholesalers and CSAs that normally serve restaurants have opened business to home cooks and can deliver locally. Don’t forget to tip extra.

Meanwhile, many online retailers are overwhelmed and shipping may take longer than usual. As things develop, some may stop taking new orders or restrict their delivery zones (alas, Sahadi’s in Brooklyn). The list below includes stores that are still shipping nationwide as of this writing.

Many cooking traditions share ingredients, and our eating — both at restaurants and at home — increasingly crosses borders. With that in mind, I’ve organized this pantry shopping list by flavor profile and ingredient type. It’s by no means comprehensive. Let’s get shopping:

One-Stop Shops by Region

Unfortunately, there are entire culinary regions that have been omitted from this list. Please let us know of any hot tips.

Central America

igourmet

MexGrocer

Zocalo Foods

East Asia

H Mart

Yamibuy

Gotham Grove

The Japanese Pantry

Kayanoya

Nijiya

Europe

Despaña

Gustiamo

La Tienda

Mercado Little Spain

Portugalia

Real Good Food

Middle East

igourmet

New York Shuk

Nouri Brothers

Persian Basket

Shatila (sweets)

South Asian

I Shop Indian

igourmet

Southeast Asian

iourmet

Pinoy Groceri

Yamibuy

Cheese

Europe & North America

Arrowine, Cowgirl Creamery, Despaña, La Tienda, Murray’s Cheese, and Zingerman’s offer a variety of cheeses from across Europe and North America. A few of these also offer subscriptions.

If you’re splitting orders with friends or neighbors, you might also be interested in a big order from Zabar’s.

Middle East & South Asia

Murray’s Cheese sells feta. You can also try Persian Basket and igourmet for feta in olive oil and halloumi.

igourmet is one of the few online retailers selling paneer.

Condiments and Toppings

Asia

Soy sauce: Nijiya and H Mart for cooking, The Japanese Pantry for high quality, small batch soy sauce that you’ll want to use to finish dishes.

Sriracha and sambal oelek: Yamibuy

Yuzu kosho: The Milk Street Store, H Mart, and igourmet.

Middle East

Dukkah: New York Shuk

Preserved lemons: Chelsea Market Baskets, Milk Street, New York Shuk (or make your own)

Za’atar: Seed + Mill and New York Shuk

Meat and Seafood

Mediterranean Europe

Anchovies: igourmet, La Tienda, Murray’s Cheese

Cured meat: Whether you’re looking for speck, prosciutto, salami, chorizo, or ’nduja for snacking or dressing up a humble pot of beans, try La Tienda, Murray’s Cheese, and Olympia Provisions.

Tinned fish: Portugalia specializes in Portuguese tinned fish, including sardines and cod. You’ll find excellent, if pricey, Spanish canned seafood from Despaña’s online store and from La Tienda. Food52 usually sells canned sardines from BELA and may restock soon. Murray’s Cheese and Real Good Food sell a small selection of sardines and PNW-sourced tinned seafood, like smoked oysters.

Oils and Vinegars

Multiple Regions

Extra virgin olive oil: Pineapple Collaborative and Real Good Food have good “everyday” options.

Other styles — at varying price points — are available at Brightland, Real Good Food, Milk Street or Italian and Spanish specialty stores like Gustiamo.

East Asia

Rice vinegar: The Japanese Pantry (artisanal) or Nijiya (larger production)

Purple sweet potato vinegar: East Fork (shipping delays)

Toasted sesame oil: The Japanese Pantry sells a range of artisan toasted sesame oils, and a little goes a long way. H Mart is a good bet for supermarket versions.

Europe and North America

Apple cider vinegar: For extra-delicious if spendy apple cider vinegar, try “The Apple Cider Vinegar” from Pineapple Collaborative or Katz Gravenstein Apple Cider Vinegar (also available through Real Good Food).

Wine vinegar: There are many options for good salad and finishing wine vinegars, including Katz and Real Good Food. This is likely also an item you can order locally.

Seasoning and Spices

Caribbean

The Spice House sells Jamaican allspice, jerk and cajun seasoning blends, and tamarind paste.

East Asia

Chili garlic paste: Yamibuy sells a few options.

Dashi: For ingredients to make dashi (kombu, bonito flakes, and dried shiitake) as well as instant dashi, try H Mart, Nihon Ichiban, or Rakuten. The Japanese Pantry, Kayanoya, and Milk Street are also good for artisanal or small batch versions of these essentials.

Dried fish: Try the Japanese and Korean markets listed above. Real Good Food sells dried shrimp sourced from Louisiana.

Dried gochugaru and sansho peppers: Milk Street or igourmet

Fermented black bean: The Mala Market and Yamibuy

Fish sauce: Order from Red Boat directly, or try Son from Real Good Food.

Gochujang: Yamibuy and H Mart for supermarket brands. Gotham Grove specializes in gourmet Korean ingredients, with a few pricier, artisanal options for gochujang and ssamjang.

Miso and doenjang: Try the Japanese and Korean markets mentioned above or Milk Street. Gotham Grove also sells a small batch doenjang that is aged for three years.

Oyster sauce: Yamibuy

Sichuan pepper: The Mala Market specializes in Sichuan spices, including Sichuan peppercorns and other aromatic spices like star anise. Milk Street also sells Sichuan peppercorns.

Yuzu kosho: Milk Street, H Mart, and igourmet

Mediterranean Europe, Middle East, North Africa

Burlap & Barrel is an excellent source for single origin spices and seasonings, including sumac, Urfa chili, saffron, and smoked paprika.

igourmet, it should come as no surprise by now, is also a good source if you can’t find something. They carry Calabrian chilies.

The Milk Street Store and The Spice House are also good bets for Middle Eastern, African, and Asian flavors.

New York Shuk sells a variety of Middle Eastern and Sephardic seasonings and spices, including dukkah, harissa, ras el hanout, and hawaij.

Central America and South America

Burlap & Barrel is also good here for things like cumin and various types of chili.

The Spice House has a Latin American spice section, including aji amarillo ground chile, ancho chile, guajillo, and chile de arbol.

For whole dried chipotle and chipotle in adobo, also try MexGrocer, Zocalo Foods, igourmet, or Melissa’s.

For tamarind, try The Spice House.

South and Southeast Asia

Burlap & Barrel, Diaspora Co., and Rumi Spice are all stand-outs for ethically sourced single origin spices commonly used in South Asian and Southeast Asian cooking, including turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, and cumin. Milk Street and The Reluctant Trading Experiment are also worth checking. I Shop Indian and igourmet, once again, will fill any holes.

The Mala Market focuses on Sichuan spices, but many of the aromatic spices like star anise are also used in South Asian and Southeast Asian cooking.

The Spice House sells a variety of spices and harder-to-find ingredients like tamarind paste.

If you’re looking for shortcuts: For Indian cooking, Brooklyn Delhi sells its sauces direct. Chilicali sells various bumbu for Indonesian flavors, including galangal and sambal.

Other Pantry Items

Multiple Regions

Dried fruit: Bellaviva produces organic dried fruit from California’s Central Valley. New York City’s Russ & Daughters sells excellent dried fruit (the strawberries will ruin you forever).

Central America

Dried hibiscus: Burlap & Barrel, The Spice House, Alma Semillera

East Asia

Black sesame paste: The Japanese Pantry

Europe and North America

Capers and olives: Despaña, Gustiamo, La Tienda, Mercado Little Spain, Murray’s Cheese, igourmet, Real Good Food

Seasonal Jams: Ayako & Family (Seattle) and Sqirl (Los Angeles)

Middle East and North Africa

Dates: Joolie’s ships its fresh Medjool dates nationwide.

Date Syrup: Just Date Syrup

Preserved lemons: Chelsea Market Baskets, Milk Street, New York Shuk

Pomegranate molasses: Milk Street or Just Date Syrup

Tahini: You can order direct from Seed + Mill or Soom (which is currently only selling in 6-jar cases, but no complaints there).

Baking

With all purpose and run-of-the-mill (literally!) bread flour becoming harder and harder to come by, you may want to branch out into heritage flours.

Anson Mills freshly mills its cornmeal, grits, buckwheat, rye, oats, semolina, gluten free, and other specialty baking flours.

Central Milling, Hayden Flour Mills, and Maine Grains are excellent sources for pastry flours, bread flours, spelt, buckwheat, rye, and other grains. Availability varies from day to day, but they seem to be updating their websites frequently.

Geechie Boy Mill is great for grits, corn flour, and other southern American staples

If you’re looking for masa to make your own tortillas, Masienda and Alma Semillera both specialize in heirloom corn varieties.

Katie Okamoto is a Los Angeles–based writer and former editor at Metropolis, the New York–based design and architecture monthly. Find her work at katieokamoto.com and occasionally on Twitter and Instagram. Photocredits: Laptop: Tawatchai Prakobkit / EyeEm / Getty; Dates: Joolies; Jasmine rice / Hmart; Sumac: Burlap and Barrel; Minerva Sardines: Portugalia; Hondashi: Hmart; Gochujang: Amazon; Olives: Murrays’ Cheese; Chorizo: Tienda

Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. For more information, see our ethics policy.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/2VMng7y https://ift.tt/3eHVZM6

Photo-illustration: Eater

A guide to buying everything from miso to paneer to prosciutto online

One-Stop Shops by Region

Unfortunately, there are entire culinary regions that have been omitted from this list. Please let us know of any hot tips.

Central America

igourmet

MexGrocer

Zocalo Foods

East Asia

H Mart

Yamibuy

Gotham Grove

The Japanese Pantry

Kayanoya

Nijiya

Europe

Despaña

Gustiamo

La Tienda

Mercado Little Spain

Portugalia

Real Good Food

Middle East

igourmet

New York Shuk

Nouri Brothers

Persian Basket

Shatila (sweets)

South Asian

I Shop Indian

igourmet

Southeast Asian

iourmet

Pinoy Groceri

Yamibuy

Cheese

Europe & North America

Arrowine, Cowgirl Creamery, Despaña, La Tienda, Murray’s Cheese, and Zingerman’s offer a variety of cheeses from across Europe and North America. A few of these also offer subscriptions.

If you’re splitting orders with friends or neighbors, you might also be interested in a big order from Zabar’s.

Middle East & South Asia

Murray’s Cheese sells feta. You can also try Persian Basket and igourmet for feta in olive oil and halloumi.

igourmet is one of the few online retailers selling paneer.

Condiments and Toppings

Asia

Soy sauce: Nijiya and H Mart for cooking, The Japanese Pantry for high quality, small batch soy sauce that you’ll want to use to finish dishes.

Sriracha and sambal oelek: Yamibuy

Yuzu kosho: The Milk Street Store, H Mart, and igourmet.

Middle East

Dukkah: New York Shuk

Preserved lemons: Chelsea Market Baskets, Milk Street, New York Shuk (or make your own)

Za’atar: Seed + Mill and New York Shuk

Meat and Seafood

Mediterranean Europe

Anchovies: igourmet, La Tienda, Murray’s Cheese

Cured meat: Whether you’re looking for speck, prosciutto, salami, chorizo, or ’nduja for snacking or dressing up a humble pot of beans, try La Tienda, Murray’s Cheese, and Olympia Provisions.

Oils and Vinegars

Multiple Regions

Extra virgin olive oil: Pineapple Collaborative and Real Good Food have good “everyday” options.

Other styles — at varying price points — are available at Brightland, Real Good Food, Milk Street or Italian and Spanish specialty stores like Gustiamo.

East Asia

Rice vinegar: The Japanese Pantry (artisanal) or Nijiya (larger production)

Purple sweet potato vinegar: East Fork (shipping delays)

Toasted sesame oil: The Japanese Pantry sells a range of artisan toasted sesame oils, and a little goes a long way. H Mart is a good bet for supermarket versions.

Europe and North America

Wine vinegar: There are many options for good salad and finishing wine vinegars, including Katz and Real Good Food. This is likely also an item you can order locally.

Seasoning and Spices

Caribbean

The Spice House sells Jamaican allspice, jerk and cajun seasoning blends, and tamarind paste.

East Asia

Chili garlic paste: Yamibuy sells a few options.

Dried fish: Try the Japanese and Korean markets listed above. Real Good Food sells dried shrimp sourced from Louisiana.

Dried gochugaru and sansho peppers: Milk Street or igourmet

Fermented black bean: The Mala Market and Yamibuy

Fish sauce: Order from Red Boat directly, or try Son from Real Good Food.

Gochujang: Yamibuy and H Mart for supermarket brands. Gotham Grove specializes in gourmet Korean ingredients, with a few pricier, artisanal options for gochujang and ssamjang.

Miso and doenjang: Try the Japanese and Korean markets mentioned above or Milk Street. Gotham Grove also sells a small batch doenjang that is aged for three years.

Oyster sauce: Yamibuy

Sichuan pepper: The Mala Market specializes in Sichuan spices, including Sichuan peppercorns and other aromatic spices like star anise. Milk Street also sells Sichuan peppercorns.

Yuzu kosho: Milk Street, H Mart, and igourmet

Mediterranean Europe, Middle East, North Africa

Burlap & Barrel is an excellent source for single origin spices and seasonings, including sumac, Urfa chili, saffron, and smoked paprika.

igourmet, it should come as no surprise by now, is also a good source if you can’t find something. They carry Calabrian chilies.

The Milk Street Store and The Spice House are also good bets for Middle Eastern, African, and Asian flavors.

New York Shuk sells a variety of Middle Eastern and Sephardic seasonings and spices, including dukkah, harissa, ras el hanout, and hawaij.

Central America and South America

Burlap & Barrel is also good here for things like cumin and various types of chili.

The Spice House has a Latin American spice section, including aji amarillo ground chile, ancho chile, guajillo, and chile de arbol.

For whole dried chipotle and chipotle in adobo, also try MexGrocer, Zocalo Foods, igourmet, or Melissa’s.

For tamarind, try The Spice House.

South and Southeast Asia

The Mala Market focuses on Sichuan spices, but many of the aromatic spices like star anise are also used in South Asian and Southeast Asian cooking.

The Spice House sells a variety of spices and harder-to-find ingredients like tamarind paste.

If you’re looking for shortcuts: For Indian cooking, Brooklyn Delhi sells its sauces direct. Chilicali sells various bumbu for Indonesian flavors, including galangal and sambal.

Other Pantry Items

Multiple Regions

Dried fruit: Bellaviva produces organic dried fruit from California’s Central Valley. New York City’s Russ & Daughters sells excellent dried fruit (the strawberries will ruin you forever).

Central America

Dried hibiscus: Burlap & Barrel, The Spice House, Alma Semillera

East Asia

Black sesame paste: The Japanese Pantry

Europe and North America

Capers and olives: Despaña, Gustiamo, La Tienda, Mercado Little Spain, Murray’s Cheese, igourmet, Real Good Food

Seasonal Jams: Ayako & Family (Seattle) and Sqirl (Los Angeles)

Middle East and North Africa

Dates: Joolie’s ships its fresh Medjool dates nationwide.

Date Syrup: Just Date Syrup

Preserved lemons: Chelsea Market Baskets, Milk Street, New York Shuk

Pomegranate molasses: Milk Street or Just Date Syrup

Tahini: You can order direct from Seed + Mill or Soom (which is currently only selling in 6-jar cases, but no complaints there).

Baking

With all purpose and run-of-the-mill (literally!) bread flour becoming harder and harder to come by, you may want to branch out into heritage flours.

Anson Mills freshly mills its cornmeal, grits, buckwheat, rye, oats, semolina, gluten free, and other specialty baking flours.

Geechie Boy Mill is great for grits, corn flour, and other southern American staples

If you’re looking for masa to make your own tortillas, Masienda and Alma Semillera both specialize in heirloom corn varieties.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/2VMng7y via Blogger https://ift.tt/2VPfJVB

#Blogger #cooking #Eater #food #recipes

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comicsbeat · 7 years ago

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Why can’t the world just be ruled by cabals of mighty librarian queens? Organizing to create policies, looking out for the marginalized, fighting censorship, advocating for the education and literacy of all – we’d be led into a golden age of knowledge and peace.

Or at least that’s the fantasy I conjured after attending my very first American Library Association annual conference this past weekend in New Orleans.

Okay, maybe it’s just the exceptional people who I hung out with – the librarians driving the growing acceptance of graphic novel collections around the world. Whip smart and passionate about their advocacy, I soon came to realize the thing that was most powerful about this group: not only do they love reading, they love it when YOU read, too, and they do everything they can to help more people enjoy reading.

https://twitter.com/librarylandia/status/1011285466560237568

This was undoubtedly a banner year for the graphic novel pavilion at ALA. Perhaps it was the lure of the exotic New Orleans setting – supposedly attendance geos up whenever the ALAAC is held in the Crescent City. But maybe it was destiny. Not only was it my own first ALA (something that shocked everyone I told) but the number of publishers attending for the first time or returning after a long absence was much remarked upon. Titan, Rebellion, Humanoids, the French Comics Association, Europe Comics, Zenescope and several other were set up for the first time. Fantagraphics and Boom were returning after long absences. And even DC, long represented by distributor Random House, had finally returned with a booth promoting their Ink, Zoom and Black Label lines.

The only publisher missing in action? Marvel Comics, a fact often noted that drew some tough talk from librarians. But that will be returned to.

It wasn’t just publishers – the people who were attending for the first time, besides me, Berger Books; Karen Berger, Black Crown’s Shelly Bond, Lion Forge’s Carol Burrell, Aftershocks Steve Rotterdam, Dynamite’s Alan Payne and many, many others were experiencing the library market first hand for the first time, joining such veterans as our own Torsten Adair, and Random House Graphics’ Gina Gagliano.

They all came together in NoLA’s voodoo tinged fever swamp perhaps to present an alternative to the twitter culture wars and comics shop vs Wal-Mart narrative that was keeping everyone else busy. And it was also the cusp of a milestone obscure outside the library world but momentous inside it; the establishment of a Graphic Novel Round Table. In the hierarchy of the ALA this classification allows for membership dues, budgets and greater resources for organizing projects. The drive was spearheaded by Tina Coleman, who’s been organizing the graphic novel pavilion and the artist alley at ALA for several years, with a bold squadron of graphic novel library knights behind her as shown in this photo.

The effects of this new roundtable may not be seen directly outside the library world, but we’ll feel its influence in future endeavors. It also marks a momentous trek from the base camp that began back in 2002, when comics first invaded the ALA with a presentation by Neil Gaiman, Colleen Doran, Art Spiegelman and Jeff Smith, four swashbuckling creators whose talents and charisma could not help but win over the library world.

Anyhoo, I know I’m waxing rhapsodical over a conference. Maybe it’s just the effects of dehydration and overheating as I wandered the 97-degree swamp of Chartres St – maybe it’s destiny.

So let’s go back! I arrived in New Orleans back on Thursday. Looking around the gate at Newark airport, most of my fellow passengers were women reading books. It was a very ALA bound crowd.

The event kicked off with a reception for the French Comics Association at the French Consulate in New Orleans. That was as swell as you might imagine, a huge, gracious mansion opened for the evening to the library cabal plus a few publishers and the French comics contingent of Barroux (Alpha), Cati Baur (Four Sisters), Aurélie Neyret (Cici’s Journal), Benjamin Reiss (Super Tokyoland), Julie Rocheleau (About Betty’s Boob), Eve Tharlet (The Wild Cat: Mr. Badger & Mrs. Fox) as well as French BD industry folks.

Flore Piacentino of the French Publishers Association gave a little talk and mentioned the influence of manga, bande desinee and “comics” coming together. I’ve often heard the three great branches of world graphic literature around the world categorized like this, and maybe it’s time for us in the US to accept the “comics” name with pride for our bombastic yet fantastic strain of storytelling. Standing in the hot backyard of the manse, with its mix of Haunted Mansion moldings and mid-century furniture, it was fun to hear of the panels and meetings to come.

After the reception, I grabbed some dinner with Karen Berger, Eva Volin and Robyn Brenner, Berger Books and the library world exchanging information over some super tasty shrimp and grits. Not only was this to be a weekend of smart talk, but a food marathon of surviving crusty bread, butter drenched fish and the occasional vegetable.

The next morning the conference kicked off. Here it must be mentioned that a teeny little con war broke out, GraphiCon vs Library Con. The first is a forum organized by the ALA GN interest group – and this year focused on adult graphic novel collection, a frontier topic where best practices are still being developed. Library Con was held across the hall and in somewhat the same time period and is organized by Random House. There was some grumbling about the timing, although both programs were arranged to fill up the time before Michele Obama’s keynote and the exhibit hall opening at 5:30. There were some great panels on both programs, and certainly a lot to do. Random House did stack the deck a bit by offering a free boxed lunch. I decided to eat half of an egg salad sandwich from Starbucks instead. This delicacy is no longer available in NYC – probably because it’s too fattening for diet conscious New Yorkers – but one half made a great breakfast and the second half made a good lunch!

Graphic Con kicked off with a panel on “Building and Justifying Adult Graphic Novel Collections in Public and Academic Libraries” with Andrew Woodrow Butcher, Amanda Melilli (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) Marcela Peres (Lewiston Public Library, ME), and creators Ezra Claytan Daniels and Eric Shanower.

The main point of all the programming is that just as kids and YA collections – now well established at most libraries – started out slow, adult collections need to build on the success of those other age groups. Shelving remains a problem though. A recurring villain was “741.5” the Dewey Decimal category where graphic novels are shoved into one big blob. How to organize within this number – by author or series or age rating – is an ongoing issue.

Also what to collect is hard to pin down since there are more lists and awards for juvenile categories. (The Beat was mentioned several times as a resource for more information on graphic novels, giving me a serious case of “must do more!”) Adult collections are still built on a case by case basis. “Going online to find titles is not the best approach. One size doesn’t fit all since libraries don’t all have the same users and needs,” said UNLV’s Mellili. “You want it to be a reflection of the rest of your collection.”

Peres had a few success stories. She said the adult collection at her library has grown from 300 check outs a year to 1300 over the last five years. She’s also used innovative marketing approaches, such as a GN reading group held at a local brewery.

Shanower noted that his Age of Bronze was still finding an audience in libraries. “I don’t think there’s resistance like there might have been in 20th century, but there is still education that needs to be made.” Asked about whether his book has ever been challenged he joked “I wish it would be!”

Subsequent panels delved more into the topic from the publisher and creator sides. Image has a robust library program, led by Chloe Ramos Peterson, a former librarian herself, and the importance of catalogs, lists, newsletter and other resources for librarians was repeatedly mentioned. For creators, sometimes it does become a content issue – one scene may push a title from a comfy home in the YA section to an uncertain future in the adult collection, and it’s a decision creators have to weigh.

Reader resistance was also mentioned a few times. “Some adults are just embarrassed to be seen checking out comics,” said one librarian (sorry my notes don’t say who.) Overcoming this resistance with events and education is a slow but necessary step.

After the library conferences wrapped up everyone but me went off to see Michelle Obama speak. People had been lined up since 9 am – a different kind of Hall H indeed – and I didn’t want to get caught in a long line.

The exhibit hall for ALA has a kind of mini preview night – very mini as it’s only 90 minutes long – and after the keynote, everyone filed in. A big topic when I was around – maybe because I kept bringing it up – was the announcement of DC’s Wal-Mart exclusive. I had a lively discussion of the topic over dinner with retailer Brian Hibbs who, like myself, had been brought to the show by Lion Forge to liaise with the library world. (Brian promises he’ll have one of his epic columns about the experience next week.)

As lot of our discussion can be seen in the piece that I wrote the next morning. Brian feels strongly that exclusives that the DM can’t get are the wrong way to build a bigger audience for comics, but that’s his story to tell and I’ll leave him to state his own case.

Saturday, for me, was more of the same, wandering the vast hall to find the comics folks, and chatting them up. The Ernest Morial Convention Center – a place I haven’t been since before Katrina – is very very long and narrow and the show floor had the GN stage and pavilion at one end, with long stretches of library tech in between, studded with pockets of publishers.

Despite all the excitement over books, many exhibits at ALA are given over to actual library tech. I don’t really know what all those scanners and conveyor belt sorters did, so I will leave librarians to explain what they were looking for. Fantagraphics had set up with Norton, D&Q with McMillan, Uncivilized and Iron Circus in Consortium, Dark Horse and DC set up side by side in the Random House aisle. Some publishers made the decision to be in the distro area, but many other stuck it out in the GN pavilion, notably IDW/Top Shelf, Boom and all of the manga publishers on hand, Viz, TokyoPop, Yen Press and Udon. While it was all the way at the end of the hall, the Graphic Novel Stage served as a focal point.

There were many creators on hand, including a host of the DC Zoom and DC Ink writers, and of course the whole artist alley, which was small but significant. Due to the size of the hall, crowds would tend to come in waves. Much like BEA there were often long lines for signings, and librarians love free stuff just like everyone else.

I did attend the presentation DC Zoom and DC Ink lines led by VP Michele Wells and featuring writers Mariko Tamaki, Danielle Paige, Shea Fontana, Ridley Pearson, Kami Garcia, Meg Cabot, and Lauren Myracle. Unlike the long ago Minx (which this is often compared to) these lines feature veteran YA and kids authors who bring their own followings to an initiative aimed firmly at bookstores. It’s funny how retailers aren’t worried about THESE comics, isn’t it?

The mood was very different from the usual superhero hype panel, which usually consists of something like the following. “Remember issue #327 of Amygdala Man, where he finds a pair of underpants on the beach? Well in issue #600 we’re going to find out who they belong to and how it fits in with what Sprawlmeister has been up to.”

Instead the plans all spoke to the aspirational and emotional state of the young superheroes, with their motivations and family issues being covered to show how they overcame – or didn’t – problems to be heroes. Basic stuff really. The giveaway booklets for both lines featured sizable previews of most titles, and the art is sharp on these! As mentioned on twitter, DC Superhero Girls is the real disruption in the superhero biz, with thousands and thousands of copies sold and a whole generation of girls coming to love these characters.

Saturday night saw a sort of comics social event of the ALA, the Will Eisner Library Grant Reception, led by Carl and Anne Gropper and John Shableski. Grants were presented to two libraries for their projects, and a few speeches were made. Jason Latour (above) delivered a key note, noting how styrange it was “for a kid who spent a lot of time in detention to be talking to a room full of librarians.” Olivier Jalabert of Glenát also delivered some very funny remarks.

The event was another one where the spirit of Will Eisner was conjured. In a display of unique clairvoyance, he foresaw the rise of the graphic novel. Perhaps New Orleans was the place for his ghost to appear and see that his works were good.

Sunday was pretty much just more of all of this. I did the “Underrated and Overrated graphic Novels” panel, a terrifying chance to go on the record with some disses, but I won’t reveal what was said. My fellow panelist Gene Ha did repeatedly ding Chris Hart, whose “anatomy books” for artists are cheesy and full of mistakes, so I’ll go along with that: Christopher Hart isnogood!

I also popped into a panel featuring Mark Siegel in a panel discussion with First Second star authors Vera Brosgol and Ngozi Ukazu. At one point in the free-flowing conversation, Vera and Ngozi were asked why their artwork connects with readers both inside and outside the comics ‘geekdom’. Vera answered with a tip for young artists: “make the eyes bigger.” And the conversation went on into why humans are hardwired to love baby features, and sometimes cartooning might just tap into that – the appeal of “neoteny” in current comics styles hasn’t been much explored, so here’s your cue!

Also the great Raina, so often mentioned, was in attendance, although just to hang out, and led to this epic photo.

https://twitter.com/goraina/status/1010976229065940992

Sunday afternoon was also the big day for the presentation to the ALA governing board about the Graphic Novel Round Table. The librarians presenting the proposal had been nervous about it all weekend. Honestly no one thought it wouldn’t be picked up. When a call for interested parties went out they hoped for 200 responses but got 1000.

And that’s really the bottom line about the ALA. Librarians love comics not because it’s a secret hobby they try to fob off on other people – graphic novels are highly circulated books in libraries. There is an avid readership and a growing need for more information about all of it. I think a lot of first time ALA attendees thought that their job would be trying to persuade librarians to give comics a try, but the reality is that curators are way ahead of that – they’re always looking for MORE information about the publishers and authors their patrons are interested in, and more information to justify their purchasing budgets. They are hungry for more books that people can read and enjoy.

Far from the roil of the DM, graphic novels were clearly on the upswing “Graphic novels are big and they’re just going to get bigger,” someone at the Disney booth, of all places, told me.

Creator Frank Cammuso had an even more blunt assessment. “I think libraries saved comics,” he told me. Looking back at how comics emerged from the wreck of the post speculation market into the manga-fueled era of bookstore comics, and the recovery following Borders going under, library sales have risen steadily, an invisible but integral part of the business for publishers smart enough to get in on it. The numbers don’t lie: There are an estimated 119,487 libraries in the US, including 16,000 public libraries and nearly 100,000 school libraries. A hit in this market dwarfs the direct sales market, and doesn’t even show up on Bookscan.

So yeah, it was a good time. Despite all the shit going on in the outside world, I couldn’t help but feel optimistic as I made one last stroll through the feels-like-105-degree sauna of New Orleans. Perhaps I was just infected with a swamp dream, maybe it was just the low-stress experience of spending a whole weekend surrounded by smart, literate people. Maybe I was just bathed in the smiles and fellowship of people talking about the thing they love. For me, the ALA in New Orleans was the time and place to be feel good about what we’ve accomplished and look forward to doing even more.

https://twitter.com/marcelaphane/status/1011631881396391936

ALA 2018: Graphic novels shine in a very different Hall H Why can’t the world just be ruled by cabals of mighty librarian queens? Organizing to create policies, …

#alaac 2018 #First Second #gnrt #Graphic Novels #hall h #librarians #new orleans #tina coleman

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sciforce · 6 years ago

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IoT in e-commerce: how connected world can change trade

Internet of Things is one of the hottest topics today that penetrates all spheres of life from healthcare to commerce. The commercial sector was among the first to adopt the idea of intelligent devices monitoring goods: Coca-Cola, for example, was implementing vending machines that reported how much stock they had left, and whether the drinks were cold as early as 1982!

Such great interest and enthusiasm are indicators of the potential of the IoT in commerce even before it moved to the Internet. Nowadays, when e-commerce is getting more and more of the market, the possibilities for the IoT application become boundless.

E-commerce, or internet commerce, refers to the activity of buying and selling goods or services via the internet, as well as the transfer of money and data to execute these transactions. E-commerce is often used in connection with the sale of physical products online, but it can describe any kind of commercial transaction made online, using such technologies as mobile commerce, electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange, inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems.

With such a broad scope of e-commerce, it goes without saying it may benefit from the Internet of Things in many ways.

During Marketing

Market analysis

The Internet of Things helps e-commerce businesses analyze their market and customers’ needs to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Collected data from IoT connected devices will be more and more used in the future to get insight into people’s lifestyle and habits and to create a better targeted marketing campaign based on the new knowledge.

For instance, businesses would be able to recognize shopping patterns in search trends and online browsing and to sell targeted products to their customers. The IoT allows tailoring products, services and offers to customers’ choice On the other hand, getting more insights into consumers’ behavior enables businesses to influence purchase decisions.

Personalized approach

With the IoT possibilities for personal recommendations are endless: personalized advertising can, for example, target a specific group of customers. In the connected world, you can turn on a heater in winter, and the device would send information to an online store where you have an account and they would be able to send recommendations for slippers, hot cocoa, warm sweater and so on.

If you think that this is distant future, remember that even now some insurance companies are getting data collected by car rental companies about drivers habits and issues obtained through IoT devices such as GPS, movement and speed sensors, etc. One step further to an e-commerce platform — and drivers would get personal discounts for winter tires, glasses — or anti-alcohol drugs.

Consistent Marketing

Countless consumer surveys profess the importance of mobile phones to the purchasing process. But since the usability of mobile retail apps is still lower than desktop versions, people would rather go to their main computer to make a final decision. Therefore, marketers have to tie the mobile and desktop marketing together for each individual customer. The Internet of Things can detect devices that belong to the same individual, allowing businesses to market to the individual rather than the device.

In the Warehouse

Inventory management

Probably one of applications that come immediately to mind and one of the oldest that’s still applicable today is detecting when you’re running low on a product and automatically ordering more before you run out. By now, the whole stock management process can be done by the IoT.

IoT sensors, RFID tags or other types of chips make management of inventory in real-time possible, streamlining the entire flow. These IoT devices improve the monitoring and tracking of inventory items, reducing human errors and human hours required to track the inventory.

At the same time, keeping track of inventory is not the only function of IoT chips. With their help, such information like product type, manufacturer’s name, expiry dates and batch IDs can be automatically stored in the system. This can help warehouse workers find correct items, track and analyze the number of sold products and make predictions on the future sales. Smart shelves are useful in reducing customer dissatisfaction due to out of the stock products.

Ambient conditions control

IoT helps not only optimize inventory but also monitor and control conditions in warehouses: temperature-monitoring sensors, to name one example, can be used to check the optimum temperature for perishable products and send alerts whenever needed. The same can be applied to other ambient conditions, such as humidity, vibration, or noise levels.

Warehouse maintenance

In the warehouses, IoT sensors can be also used to control the state of equipment, for example, they can examine the forklifts for predictive maintenance to reduce the loss of productivity.

Ultimately, the IoT is one of the first steps to warehouse robotization: Amazon uses warehouse robots in picking and packing process. At present, robots can move at 8 km/h and load parcels of over 300 kg and these figures will be growing.

On the Way

Logistics and supply chain management

Starting with order preparation, an interrupted and efficient supply chain is crucial for a successful e-commerce business.

The IoT ensures that goods move from one place to another without risks of being lost. RFID and GPS technologies can track the shipped items in transit at every stage of their journey. IoT devices can provide the full picture, giving information about location, track, temperature, the driver, or even the weather. It also becomes possible to manage the route and speed of the shipped products, along with predicting about the arrival time periods, avoiding losing shipments or misplacing them. Sensors can be used in delivery trucks as well for real-time monitoring of the deliveries and decreasing losses.

Self-driving cars

Industry giants like Google, Tesla Motors, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, BMW or Nissan have started to introduce IoT for cars. Though nowadays we can speak only of slow-speed robots working at warehouses, the fast development of self-driving vehicles makes it possible to use them to deliver parcels sold on e-commerce platforms. Posten Norge — Norwegian postal service, for instance, has already declared its plans to use small self-driving devices to deliver parcels in the months to come.

Focus on customers

Alternatively, the IoT can be used to enhance the delivery customer experience by sending automated messages to inform customers of the status of their package. For example, the first notification can be sent a couple of days before the delivery date, and then another a couple of hours before the item arrives, so that the customers don’t have to worry about missing the delivery and the state of their order.

By the Consumers

Smart homes

As a rule, smart home systems are not associated with e-commerce. Nevertheless, they can impact the way consumers will buy things online in the future. Rather than sitting down at their computer and browsing for the item they want, they will simply tell their assistant to buy it. This, in turn, will change the marketing strategy of e-commerce brands, as they will have to optimize their websites and products to appeal to AI rather than to a human. For example, if a user asks their virtual assistant to buy some sticky notes, the assistant is likely to select the same product for everyone who makes the same request. This could lead to a significant boost in sales for the item in the top spot, while others are ignored entirely.

That means that in the nearest future businesses will have to appeal to assistant AI’s in the same way they now optimize our websites for Google’s search algorithms.

Dash buttons

Dash Button, offered by Amazon, is a small battery-operated device that can be stuck to any surface in a house, and it lets consumers instantly order household items they are about to run out of. Once they have set up a Dash Button using the device’s accompanying mobile app, all they need to order more of a product is to push the button and the order will be immediately automatically placed via the home’s Wi-Fi.

Dash buttons are an excellent way for businesses to establish their brand in a household long-term. They also can help manufacturers of durable goods maintain a relationship with their customer over the decades-long lifespan of their product. In the future, a refrigerator might come with several customizable buttons that can be used to order one’s favorite products.

Instead of a Conclusion: IoT Big Data Management

Though applications of the IoT in e-commerce are impressive, the real alpha and omega of the IoT is big data. Yet, if row, that data is useless. All information has to be stocked to further be analyzed. This is the only way you can unlock the real benefit of the IoT in your e-commerce operations, by getting the 360° view of your customers’ activities and identify relationships. Only with big data analysis you will discover opportunities and be able to engage with your online customers in the most relevant way.

Deep machine learning is the technology that is able to deduce data relationship and will go side by side with the IoT in every new development step.

#internet of things #future #ecommerce #big data #technology

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melvinfellerstuff · 6 years ago

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Melvin Feller Business Ministries Group Looks at You as an Uncover Real Estate Investor

Melvin Feller Business Ministries Group in Burkburnett Ministries and Dallas Texas and Lawton Oklahoma. Our mission is to call and equip a generation of Christian entrepreneurs to do business as ministry. We provide workshops and resources that help companies discover how to do business God’s way and provide a positive outreach as the director. When the heart of a business is service rather than self it can be transformed into a fruitful business ministry earning a profit and being of service to the community and their customers. Melvin Feller is currently pursuing another graduate degree in business organizations.

Is there anyone in your town that does not know that you buy houses? If so, you are not doing as well at marketing as you should be. I hear investors saying all the time that they are not getting seller calls and subsequently are not getting the leads they need to find deals. I say step up the marketing and the sellers will call. Not only that but if you are shouting to the world that you buy problem properties, eventually you will be known for what you do and sellers will call you strictly on your reputation. THAT is cost effective marketing.

I was in Home Depot a few weeks ago and passed a couple of people in an aisle. As I walked by, I overheard one say, “That is the house man”. Now I had never seen either of those people and have no idea who they are but that experience lets me know that I must be doing my job at letting the world know my business is buying houses. There are many ways to let the world know what you do. Some ways are cheap and some are more expensive. You are going to have to try many things and get a feel for what produces for you best in your area. I have tried many kinds of marketing techniques and have come back to a few that constantly produce enough results for me to buy the 2 or 3 houses I want to buy every single month. They are as follows:

Classified Ads

The classified ad in the largest paper in the area is by far the largest producer of leads I have found. I know it is expensive and I know there are times it does not generate calls but if you are, going to stay in the biz just put it in there and leave it. Get used to it being part of the cost of doing business. I pay about $300.00 a month for my 4-line ad and that is the commercial rate. I run it 24/7, 365 days a year.

Over the past 3 years, I have seen many “investor” ads come and go. Most folks put them in for a couple of weeks and then pull them or try just putting them in on the weekends. IT HAS NOT GOING TO WORK! Put it in the paper and leave it. It will more than pay for itself, believe me. If you are worried because there are several in there, do not be. They are there because they are getting calls. Just be sure and actually answer your phone.

When a new ad pops up in my paper, I will always call. 9 times out of 10 I get a message. This is a big turn off to someone who needs a solution now. They want to talk to someone who can qualm their anxiety and tell them everything is going to be all right. Your answering machine will not do that. As for what to put in the ad, you will have to work on this one. I have tried several and the one I have now has not changed for over 2 years. I have not changed it because I get calls. My ad is:

CASH FOR HOUSES

In 48 Hours!

Any area, price or condition

Call xxx-xxx-xxxx

Now I have had other investors jockey for position and change their ad copy to be ahead of mine in the column but it has not made any difference. Do not worry about those things, just get the ad out there and leave it. It may take a few weeks to get going but sellers will call! Once you have your classified ad running than start working on your other ideas. If you only implement one idea a week, within a couple of months you will have a tremendously powerful real estate buying machine.

Ads in the “Freebie” Papers

I also run ads in the freebie papers here. These are the “Thrifty Nickel”, or the “Green Sheet” or whatever they are called in your area. I run both a column ad and a display in this paper and spend about $150.00 a month for these. They pull in seller leads fairly well and have always justified the costs. Remember that these people are usually open to negotiating on your rates and you can probably get a better rate if you commit to a longer contract.

Bandit Signs

Bandit signs are great. They are some of the best lead generating tools around. I have yet to put out a bunch and not be bombarded with calls right after. I just don’t put them out that often. I might put out 5 or so a month and the ones that stay continue to pull in calls. At an average cost of less than $2.00 apiece, they are one of the best values around. Check the internet for sign companies for cheaper prices. I use 18 x 24 signs and place them at high traffic intersections around town. I also place one in the front yard immediately upon buying any house.

I have bought several homes in the same neighborhoods because of this. You can use either contractor stakes or the wire stakes with your signs. I like the contractor stakes because they do not bend like the wire ones, in addition, they are cheaper. Just nail the sign to it with the roofing nails with the orange or green plastic tops or you can use screws. There are many variations on what your wording on the sign can say. Keep in mind that traffic will be moving so you want to keep your message short and sweet so it can be read. My signs say:

I BUY HOUSES

Cash in 48 Hours!

Any area, price, condition

xxx-xxx-xxx

Notice that it is the same as my newspaper ad? I like to brand my advertising because I think that helps with recognition. My signs are white with dark blue letters. Some folks swear by black on yellow or black on orange. Again, I say it’s not what or how you say it but the fact that you DO say it that counts. When dealing with bandit signs, be sure that your local code enforcement laws are tolerant of them.

Flyers

Flyers are another inexpensive way to get the word out that you buy houses. Just create a flyer telling people what you do and how to get in contact with you. Make copies for $.05 cents apiece and you have some inexpensive advertising. It really is that simple. Then place these flyers on every bulletin board in your town. I also place some of them in those plastic sheet protectors so the rain will not destroy them and put them up on telephone poles around neighborhoods I like to buy in. While not as large as the bandit signs, on poles actually IN the neighborhood they still attract calls. I carry a file with me in my truck and place them up whenever I stop at a grocery store or Wal-Mart. Some other places to put them are:

Laundromats

Taped to the inside of Pay phones

On the counter of any business that will allow you

Bulletin boards at Wal-Mart or K-Mart

Grocery store bulletin boards

Fax to Mortgage Brokers

Fax to Real Estate Agents

Take them Door to Door in target neighborhoods

Employment Center Bulletin board

County Courthouse Bulletin board

These are just a few examples. Any place that will allow you to put one is a good place. You can never let too many people know that you buy houses!

Promotional Items

These are some of my favorites and most fun. While they are not the top producers of leads or the least expensive, they will sure set you apart from the average investor.

Pen Knives – These tiny Swiss army knives are the coolest. They are actually key chains engraved with your message, mine being: WE BUY HOUSES- All cash or take over payments within 48 hours! Xxx-xxx-xxx I guarantee if you give one of these to someone, they will keep it and if they think of selling, they will think of you. They are about $1.50 apiece.

Key Chains – I give these to all my buyers with the keys to their new house on them and leave them all over the place. They come in the shape of a house or #1 or whatever style you like and have your message on them. You can guess what mine says. Cost – about $. 25 cents apiece.

Pens – I use these all the time. Whenever I sign a sales receipt or anything, I leave my pen. I cannot tell you how many calls I have gotten off these things and since I always need one, I always have one to give away. My attorney even has a supply on his closing table. Mine are the “click” type and have my message repeating around the barrel. I have two types printed. One for sellers says “We Buy Houses!” and one for buyers says “Everyone Qualifies”. Cost – about $.21 cents apiece.

Coin Holders – These you hardly find any more so everyone is surprised when I have them. I leave these things everywhere. Mine are bright yellow with blue letters and my message. Cost – about $.30 cents apiece.

I leave all of these promotional items everywhere, on the top of gas pumps, on end-cap displays in grocery stores and in department stores. I look at it this way, if I give away 100 pens, 50 knives and 50 coin holders a month, that is only a little over $100 bucks a month. That is still cheap advertising.

Business Cards

I order business cards by the 1000’s and you should as well. They are cheap, mine are about $50.00 for 2000, and I pass them out everywhere. I leave my cards everywhere, in pay phones, on restaurant tables, my kids even have their own supply to pass out. Try to get a box a week out. The card does not have to be fancy, in fact the simpler the better. My card is bright yellow with blue letters and says:

WE BUY HOUSES

Foreclosure? Need Repairs? Bad Tenants? Divorce?

CASH IN 48 HOURS!

OFFERS MADE ON ALL CALLS!

XXX-XXX-XXXX

Car Magnetics

Magnetics are one of those things where you spend once and get use for a long time. Mine cost about $75.00 and are yellow with blue letters. They say:

WE BUY HOUSES!

FA$T CA$H

XXX-XXX-XXXX

I have gotten several deals from these signs. Remember to order a smaller set for the back of your car/truck. People have more of a chance to read the message when they are riding behind you.

Clothing

I like golf shirts and oxford dress shirts with my logo on them. There is plenty of advertising, houses, that will help you design a logo if you do not have one or use the one you already have. There is no charge for set up and all items ordered include your embroidered logo free. They also have cool baseball caps and other stuff there as well. They have specials for new customers at great prices.

I pass my hats out to everyone I know who wears one and have given away many shirts as well. They really look nice and present a nice image for your business.

Other Advertising Tools

There are many other forms of advertising, some I have tried in the past such as billboards, door hangers, yellow pages, television and radio advertising. I even have a traveling billboard, an old SUV painted bright yellow with blue WE BUY HOUSES! In addition, my phone number that I drive around and park overnight at different places. It gets the calls! Get the marketing going and let the world know whom to call when they have a house to sell. If that phone is not ringing, you are not making money!

Melvin Feller Business Ministries Group in Texas and Oklahoma. Melvin Feller founded Melvin Feller Business Consultants Group and Burkburnett former grace Ministries director in the 1970s to help individuals and organizations achieve their specific Victory. Victory as defined by the individual or organization are achieving strategic objectives, exceeding goals, getting results or desired outcomes and a positive outreach with grace and as a ministries. He has extensive experience assisting businesses achieve top and bottom line results. He has broad practical experience creating WINNERS in many organizations and industries. He has hands-on experience in executive leadership, operations, logistics, sales, program management, organizational development, training, and customer service. He was a Burkburnett man. He has coached teams to achieve results in strategic planning, business development, organizational design, sales, and customer response and business process improvement. He has prepared and presented many workshops nationally and internationally.

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easyfoodnetwork · 5 years ago

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Photo-illustration: Eater A guide to buying everything from miso to paneer to prosciutto online You’ve stocked your pantry with some basics, but now you can’t stop thinking about vegetable dum biryani, chorizo tacos, or nasi lemak. Maybe you can’t bring yourself to do anything but refresh Twitter, and snacks count as meals now, and you’re dreaming about salami and cornichons but you can’t really justify stepping out for such luxuries. (I’m not speaking from experience. Not at all.) There is a wide world of pantry items from global regional food cultures that you can use to add acidic brightness (think sumac), heat (a dab of yuzu kosho), and umami (a dash of fish sauce) to your dishes — just like your favorite restaurants do. Sometimes it just takes adding a couple of items to your pantry. It’s always worth starting with your local specialty markets, bakeries, butchers, wine shops, restaurants, and coffee shops that you’d normally frequent, who may be doing local delivery or contactless pick-up. Check their social media feeds — you may find that they’re getting creative. In certain locations, wholesalers and CSAs that normally serve restaurants have opened business to home cooks and can deliver locally. Don’t forget to tip extra. Meanwhile, many online retailers are overwhelmed and shipping may take longer than usual. As things develop, some may stop taking new orders or restrict their delivery zones (alas, Sahadi’s in Brooklyn). The list below includes stores that are still shipping nationwide as of this writing. Many cooking traditions share ingredients, and our eating — both at restaurants and at home — increasingly crosses borders. With that in mind, I’ve organized this pantry shopping list by flavor profile and ingredient type. It’s by no means comprehensive. Let’s get shopping: One-Stop Shops by Region Unfortunately, there are entire culinary regions that have been omitted from this list. Please let us know of any hot tips. Central America igourmet MexGrocer Zocalo Foods East Asia H Mart Yamibuy Gotham Grove The Japanese Pantry Kayanoya Nijiya Europe Despaña Gustiamo La Tienda Mercado Little Spain Portugalia Real Good Food Middle East igourmet New York Shuk Nouri Brothers Persian Basket Shatila (sweets) South Asian I Shop Indian igourmet Southeast Asian iourmet Pinoy Groceri Yamibuy Cheese Europe & North America Arrowine, Cowgirl Creamery, Despaña, La Tienda, Murray’s Cheese, and Zingerman’s offer a variety of cheeses from across Europe and North America. A few of these also offer subscriptions. If you’re splitting orders with friends or neighbors, you might also be interested in a big order from Zabar’s. Middle East & South Asia Murray’s Cheese sells feta. You can also try Persian Basket and igourmet for feta in olive oil and halloumi. igourmet is one of the few online retailers selling paneer. Condiments and Toppings Asia Soy sauce: Nijiya and H Mart for cooking, The Japanese Pantry for high quality, small batch soy sauce that you’ll want to use to finish dishes. Sriracha and sambal oelek: Yamibuy Yuzu kosho: The Milk Street Store, H Mart, and igourmet. Middle East Dukkah: New York Shuk Preserved lemons: Chelsea Market Baskets, Milk Street, New York Shuk (or make your own) Za’atar: Seed + Mill and New York Shuk Meat and Seafood Mediterranean Europe Anchovies: igourmet, La Tienda, Murray’s Cheese Cured meat: Whether you’re looking for speck, prosciutto, salami, chorizo, or ’nduja for snacking or dressing up a humble pot of beans, try La Tienda, Murray’s Cheese, and Olympia Provisions. Tinned fish: Portugalia specializes in Portuguese tinned fish, including sardines and cod. You’ll find excellent, if pricey, Spanish canned seafood from Despaña’s online store and from La Tienda. Food52 usually sells canned sardines from BELA and may restock soon. Murray’s Cheese and Real Good Food sell a small selection of sardines and PNW-sourced tinned seafood, like smoked oysters. Oils and Vinegars Multiple Regions Extra virgin olive oil: Pineapple Collaborative and Real Good Food have good “everyday” options. Other styles — at varying price points — are available at Brightland, Real Good Food, Milk Street or Italian and Spanish specialty stores like Gustiamo. East Asia Rice vinegar: The Japanese Pantry (artisanal) or Nijiya (larger production) Purple sweet potato vinegar: East Fork (shipping delays) Toasted sesame oil: The Japanese Pantry sells a range of artisan toasted sesame oils, and a little goes a long way. H Mart is a good bet for supermarket versions. Europe and North America Apple cider vinegar: For extra-delicious if spendy apple cider vinegar, try “The Apple Cider Vinegar” from Pineapple Collaborative or Katz Gravenstein Apple Cider Vinegar (also available through Real Good Food). Wine vinegar: There are many options for good salad and finishing wine vinegars, including Katz and Real Good Food. This is likely also an item you can order locally. Seasoning and Spices Caribbean The Spice House sells Jamaican allspice, jerk and cajun seasoning blends, and tamarind paste. East Asia Chili garlic paste: Yamibuy sells a few options. Dashi: For ingredients to make dashi (kombu, bonito flakes, and dried shiitake) as well as instant dashi, try H Mart, Nihon Ichiban, or Rakuten. The Japanese Pantry, Kayanoya, and Milk Street are also good for artisanal or small batch versions of these essentials. Dried fish: Try the Japanese and Korean markets listed above. Real Good Food sells dried shrimp sourced from Louisiana. Dried gochugaru and sansho peppers: Milk Street or igourmet Fermented black bean: The Mala Market and Yamibuy Fish sauce: Order from Red Boat directly, or try Son from Real Good Food. Gochujang: Yamibuy and H Mart for supermarket brands. Gotham Grove specializes in gourmet Korean ingredients, with a few pricier, artisanal options for gochujang and ssamjang. Miso and doenjang: Try the Japanese and Korean markets mentioned above or Milk Street. Gotham Grove also sells a small batch doenjang that is aged for three years. Oyster sauce: Yamibuy Sichuan pepper: The Mala Market specializes in Sichuan spices, including Sichuan peppercorns and other aromatic spices like star anise. Milk Street also sells Sichuan peppercorns. Yuzu kosho: Milk Street, H Mart, and igourmet Mediterranean Europe, Middle East, North Africa Burlap & Barrel is an excellent source for single origin spices and seasonings, including sumac, Urfa chili, saffron, and smoked paprika. igourmet, it should come as no surprise by now, is also a good source if you can’t find something. They carry Calabrian chilies. The Milk Street Store and The Spice House are also good bets for Middle Eastern, African, and Asian flavors. New York Shuk sells a variety of Middle Eastern and Sephardic seasonings and spices, including dukkah, harissa, ras el hanout, and hawaij. Central America and South America Burlap & Barrel is also good here for things like cumin and various types of chili. The Spice House has a Latin American spice section, including aji amarillo ground chile, ancho chile, guajillo, and chile de arbol. For whole dried chipotle and chipotle in adobo, also try MexGrocer, Zocalo Foods, igourmet, or Melissa’s. For tamarind, try The Spice House. South and Southeast Asia Burlap & Barrel, Diaspora Co., and Rumi Spice are all stand-outs for ethically sourced single origin spices commonly used in South Asian and Southeast Asian cooking, including turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, and cumin. Milk Street and The Reluctant Trading Experiment are also worth checking. I Shop Indian and igourmet, once again, will fill any holes. The Mala Market focuses on Sichuan spices, but many of the aromatic spices like star anise are also used in South Asian and Southeast Asian cooking. The Spice House sells a variety of spices and harder-to-find ingredients like tamarind paste. If you’re looking for shortcuts: For Indian cooking, Brooklyn Delhi sells its sauces direct. Chilicali sells various bumbu for Indonesian flavors, including galangal and sambal. Other Pantry Items Multiple Regions Dried fruit: Bellaviva produces organic dried fruit from California’s Central Valley. New York City’s Russ & Daughters sells excellent dried fruit (the strawberries will ruin you forever). Central America Dried hibiscus: Burlap & Barrel, The Spice House, Alma Semillera East Asia Black sesame paste: The Japanese Pantry Europe and North America Capers and olives: Despaña, Gustiamo, La Tienda, Mercado Little Spain, Murray’s Cheese, igourmet, Real Good Food Seasonal Jams: Ayako & Family (Seattle) and Sqirl (Los Angeles) Middle East and North Africa Dates: Joolie’s ships its fresh Medjool dates nationwide. Date Syrup: Just Date Syrup Preserved lemons: Chelsea Market Baskets, Milk Street, New York Shuk Pomegranate molasses: Milk Street or Just Date Syrup Tahini: You can order direct from Seed + Mill or Soom (which is currently only selling in 6-jar cases, but no complaints there). Baking With all purpose and run-of-the-mill (literally!) bread flour becoming harder and harder to come by, you may want to branch out into heritage flours. Anson Mills freshly mills its cornmeal, grits, buckwheat, rye, oats, semolina, gluten free, and other specialty baking flours. Central Milling, Hayden Flour Mills, and Maine Grains are excellent sources for pastry flours, bread flours, spelt, buckwheat, rye, and other grains. Availability varies from day to day, but they seem to be updating their websites frequently. Geechie Boy Mill is great for grits, corn flour, and other southern American staples If you’re looking for masa to make your own tortillas, Masienda and Alma Semillera both specialize in heirloom corn varieties. Katie Okamoto is a Los Angeles–based writer and former editor at Metropolis, the New York–based design and architecture monthly. Find her work at katieokamoto.com and occasionally on Twitter and Instagram. Photocredits: Laptop: Tawatchai Prakobkit / EyeEm / Getty; Dates: Joolies; Jasmine rice / Hmart; Sumac: Burlap and Barrel; Minerva Sardines: Portugalia; Hondashi: Hmart; Gochujang: Amazon; Olives: Murrays’ Cheese; Chorizo: Tienda Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. For more information, see our ethics policy. from Eater - All https://ift.tt/2VMng7y

http://easyfoodnetwork.blogspot.com/2020/04/stock-your-pantry-with-ingredients-from.html

#EasyFoodNetwork #ComfortFoodRecipes #EasyRecipes #GoodFood #BestComfortFoodRecipes #TastyFoodv

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jamesfitz789 · 7 years ago

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K-pop, bibimbap and taekwondo: it’s the best of Korean London

It was after the 1988 Seoul Olympics that Koreans decided they really wanted to see more of the world. London has become home to Europe’s biggest community of Koreans - and while that word is mostly used to describe the people and culture from the South, you do also come across some who’ve fled here from the regime in the North.

Unlike Chinatown, right in central London, Koreatown has grown up in the peaceful suburb of New Malden. Some estimate there are as many as 20,000 Koreans living in this understated enclave on the Surrey fringe. Why? Because some big businesses like Samsung, and the original embassy, were based here for a while. Koreans sure like convenience!

Now though, you can find K-this and K-that all over London – be it restaurants, supermarkets, and even K-pop dance classes. We call it the Korean Wave! The Korean Cultural Centre near Trafalgar Square organises big celebratory events as well as daily activities, from taekwondo classes to lessons in bojagi and jogakbo (traditional crafts), which I teach myself. As a Korean Londoner, I enjoy a multicultural lifestyle but when I want to feel close to home, these places give comfort to my soul – and my tummy. Yoojin Kim. Interview by James FitzGerald

Do it like a Korean – Yoojin’s tips

Our tradition of anju encourages sharing dishes (oh, and alcohol too) with as many friends as you can squeeze round a table. To many, Korean food means barbecue-it-yourself restaurants for meat-lovers. But our Buddhist culture also means that vegetarian cuisine is key to any good menu. One of my regular spots for veggie bibimbap and namul is Arang in Golden Square. But if you’re still craving the unlimited ‘KBBQ’ experience, get down to New Malden’s Kimchi Village: a buffet place with a queue often stretching out the door. In this part of town you can also hide away in a noraebang (Seoul-style private karaoke booth) or get coffee-in-a-can and other groceries unfamiliar to Brits at the H-Mart superstore.

London’s Korean culture will just keep on flourishing this year. The K-Music Festival begins on 15 September at the Union Chapel in Islington. If you thought our only style was ‘Gangnam’, wait until you hear opening act Black String - who fuse jazz with traditional folk instruments. And don’t miss the Korean Film Festival, which gets underway in October. Horror is our best-known film genre - and I can’t wait for Bluebeard, with Cho Jin-woong, the charismatic star of Handmaiden.

Did you know?

You may notice square, metal chopsticks in Korean restaurants - a unique tradition. The metal helped the ancient nobility to detect poison in their food.

#places #london #food #korean #new malden #stuff #korean film festival #k-music festival

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keeponwinking · 8 years ago

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One of the things I did when I first came to Germany was look for a good Asian restaurant and grocery store. I’ll take almost anything if it is good, but what my heart wants most is the comfort of Korean food!

If you think I’m crazy for expecting Korean food in Germany, then you really don’t the range of diversity that is in Europe!

Which is why you will find that it is not hard to find an Asian or Korean dish offered in most places. However after two years I was beginning to think I would never find a place I could shop in comfort or a restaurant with authentic flavors and an inviting atmosphere. A lot of the places I did came across, or visited through recommendations of others, felt a bit run down. As if they were popular and trendy years ago but allowed time to pass them by. The best of which were family owned with satisfyingly portions served with big hearts.

Frankfurt itself has quiet a few nice places if you are already downtown, so many it’s actually hard to decide which one is my favorite. So the jury is still out. Unfortunately they are terribly inconvenient without accessible parking if you are coming from out of town.

However I did find an Honorable mention last year while in Berlin. My friend recommended we try out Kimchi Princess based on the online reviews. While I was not prepared to find this treasure among gratified warehouses and ghetto looking apartments on the east side of town, it was mouthwatering and everything I wanted. Plus it had nice selection of vegetarian dishes!

Revitalized by the proof that good Korean food was out there, I decided to tap my deep mafia connections. So I went to the one place I knew I could make my petition… and asked my favorite Starbucks barista for guidance.

“Oh, you like Korean food do you?”

I get this all the time now that I’m older. I have this Asian-European-American blend that confuses everyone. I could be Asian… but I could be that other Asian… but who care because everyone likes Korean, right?

“Yes, I’m half Korean! I love it!”

She looks me over me with suspicion.

Satisfied that I’m not wearing a wire and that maybe I really am a devotee, she tells me… she knows a place. An all you can eat buffet in a business district and a grocery store in a warehouse at discrete location. I admit that the mention of a Korean buffet makes me nervous. But it’s too late now. There is no backing out. So we set up a time to meetup.

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Once we arrived at our top-secret destination, we were introduced to Momo. A sleek business casual restaurant offering a lunchtime buffet on Friday with options to order sushi, bento, and Japanese or Korean classic dishes.

We were fortunate to arrive just as the doors opened ahead of the lunchtime rush. Looking back on the experience I probably ate more than I should because it had been such a long time since I had anything outside of my own pitiful attempts. Although given the full house we saw there it looked like I wasn’t the only one who was hungry for a taste of home.

Where to go: You can visit this MoMo at Mergenthaleralle 55, 65760 Eschborn.

Open: Monday-Friday 11:30-14:30, and 17:30-22:00

Website: Check out the menu at www.eat-momo.de and their Facebook page at Restaurant MoMo.

No longer scared of where my mafia friend’s connections might take me, I jumped into the car. Take me to the warehouse!

Surprisingly it wasn’t too far away.

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Out of all the Asian grocery stores “convenient” to me, this one was by far the best! The store was clean and it didn’t feel crowded! It offered a good selection of all my favorites in different variations.

While not a massive H Mart, it did have a few products that were new… or at least to me. Most importantly the pricing was fair and that was the icing on the cake for me.

Where to go: You can find the Green Mart grocery store at Rudolf Diesel Strasse 7, 65760, Eschborn

Open: Monday-Friday 0900-1900, Saturday 0900-1700

Website: www.greenmartmall.com

There is no way I could have found this gem on my own. It was off the beaten path with no signs advertising its secret location…

so with special Thanks to Lina, you’re all now in the know!

Do you have a place you love and think we should try? Send me a message because my chopsticks are not afraid to try someplace new!

European Seoul Searching One of the things I did when I first came to Germany was look for a good Asian restaurant and grocery store.

#Seoul Food

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