The totally off-topic thread

[Cruiser Elite]

You are of course assuming being a mod is rewarding :shock:

Not assuming - I know - serfty has shown me his pay slips!

 

[cove]

Having to deal with some riff raff here would require some reward CE!
Are you back in MEL?
Did your new model work a treat?

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Having to deal with some riff raff here would require some reward CE!

On that point I concur - you and I have met some of them - a challenging experience to say the least!

Are you back in MEL??

Negatory big cove - PVG for the night - just about to head to Kabb at Xin Tian Di for dinner - I love that restaurant.

Did your new model work a treat?

Looks, runs. rides and works like a charm - thrilled with it. As for our Chinese partners / manufacturers - OMG they test your patience. Big plus - after 5 or 6yrs fumbling around with one main manufacturer we have happened across what might be our saviour - owner is Taiwanese - not Chinese - he does indeed have a grasp of that elusive concept called Quality Control!

 

[straitman]

Today we are in Pisco, Peru which is one giant desert. A large cruise ship looks so out of place.

(Sorry I can't seem to attach a photo)

Now I have a better connection I have attached the errant photo.

 

[JohnM]

Now I have a better connection I have attached the errant photo.
View attachment 39295

I recently posted a TR with lots of very similar scenery: High, dry and breathless in the Atacama desert Fascinating region.

 

[straitman]

I recently posted a TR with lots of very similar scenery: High, dry and breathless in the Atacama desert Fascinating region.

Very fascinating.

I forgot to mention the beach was on the other side of the road. :shock:

 

[drross]

Very fascinating.

I forgot to mention the beach was on the other side of the road. :shock:

daughter was there only 6 weeks ago! posted some magnificant photos

 

[hummel]

...fun? :shock: I've thought about getting a bike a few times but one quick walk usually convinces me otherwise:

Road accidents kill more people in China than cancer, Lancet study finds | South China Morning Post

Getting pretty cool further north too, hummel: -2 in NKG this week but that didn't stop Cruiser Elite turning up in just a shirt and light jacket, muttering about soft-somethings?...didn't quite catch it.

I was trying to tell my staff how smoking causes lung cancer etc they looked at me like I was talking gibberish.

The bike is just to get around the city and get a bit of exercise in after a long day at factories. Fun trying to keep up with the old ladies on their electric bikes.

Home now and back in the warmth of MEL. Not too keen on going north China this tine if year. ☺

 

[JohnK]

I'm in 2 minds on that one, every time a bit of sunshine appears the cloud quickly comes back in front of it :shock:

I have no doubt. It's all doom and gloom. Not much sunshine to be seen although I am hoping that changes on 24 December.

Yeah. Two steps forward one step back. Sometimes two. Occasionally three or four back.

It feels like for me I am hardly ever going forward.

 

[anat0l]

Thanks for the scallop searing tips as before. Even though the call is for a very hot pan, I have a slight feeling that even the pan in this case was too hot. I was so afraid that the scallops would sear too quickly for the inside to cook through effectively (and whilst I realise you can eat good scallops nearly raw...). The butter burned very badly after batch #2 that washed out the pan and put on a new charge of olive oil and butter. There was oil splatter everywhere.

Apart from that, here is the final dish. Seared scallops with pea puree and pancetta, garnished with gremolata and a lemon, white wine and butter sauce. Well received by the flatmates.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Thanks for the scallop searing tips as before. Even though the call is for a very hot pan, I have a slight feeling that even the pan in this case was too hot. I was so afraid that the scallops would sear too quickly for the inside to cook through effectively (and whilst I realise you can eat good scallops nearly raw...). The butter burned very badly after batch #2 that washed out the pan and put on a new charge of olive oil and butter. There was oil splatter everywhere.

Apart from that, here is the final dish. Seared scallops with pea puree and pancetta, garnished with gremolata and a lemon, white wine and butter sauce. Well received by the flatmates.

View attachment 39384

Looks beautiful

 

[cove]

Being better at eating than cooking scallops I go to the Sir Stamford in Macquarie Street in Sydney or Gourmet Seafood at The Mezz in Mount Hawthorn in Perth making sure you go to the eastern end shop seeing there are two similar shops. Seared scallops are just yummy.
Now if you can sear them I can drop in to help test your searing pretty much any time/place!
Neither place mentioned is "a bargain" but I am very happy with the taste test.

 

[vetrade]

Thanks for the scallop searing tips as before. Even though the call is for a very hot pan, I have a slight feeling that even the pan in this case was too hot. I was so afraid that the scallops would sear too quickly for the inside to cook through effectively (and whilst I realise you can eat good scallops nearly raw...). The butter burned very badly after batch #2 that washed out the pan and put on a new charge of olive oil and butter. There was oil splatter everywhere.

Apart from that, here is the final dish. Seared scallops with pea puree and pancetta, garnished with gremolata and a lemon, white wine and butter sauce. Well received by the flatmates.

Impressive effort!

 

[Pushka]

Looks beautiful

It does. And I don't even like scallops.

 

[ellen10]

Thanks for the scallop searing tips as before. Even though the call is for a very hot pan, I have a slight feeling that even the pan in this case was too hot. I was so afraid that the scallops would sear too quickly for the inside to cook through effectively (and whilst I realise you can eat good scallops nearly raw...). The butter burned very badly after batch #2 that washed out the pan and put on a new charge of olive oil and butter. There was oil splatter everywhere.

Apart from that, here is the final dish. Seared scallops with pea puree and pancetta, garnished with gremolata and a lemon, white wine and butter sauce. Well received by the flatmates.

View attachment 39384

mmmmm....looks and sounds yum!!

 

[RooFlyer]

Ohhhh ... scallops. When I was growing up in the '60s, dad used to come home on Sunday afternoon with a couple of kilos wrapped in grease proof paper and newspaper, bought fresh of the Hobart waterfront. Mum used to cook then in curried sauce a BIG pot. Not as delicate as Anot0l's cuisine but equally as yummy, I bet. <drools>

 

[medhead]

They don't look like potato.

 

[JohnK]

Take your rubbish with you? Is this an early April Fool's joke?

 

[QF WP]

No, it's not a joking matter - terrorists like using rubbish bin. If you are eating or drinking something on the platform, put your used wrapper/can etc in your bag and put it in the next bin you see (at your destination).

 

[QF WP]

How 12 days of Christmas have become 12 pubs

Dublin's pubs are experiencing a new phenomenon - the 12 days of Christmas have turned into the 12 pubs of Christmas... visited all in one night.

Read more: BBC News - The 12 pubs of Christmas