Stone

Would you like me to drop off some food for you? I've learned that "mild discomfort" is doctor speak for "extreme pain." One nurse said, "If they told you how much it will hurt, you might not show up."

Do lemons have to be refrigerated? Do carrots have to be refrigerated -- or put with the onions in a dark, dry cabinet? If I cook a steak (or any other "solid" piece of meat) and accidentally leave it on the countertop overnight, is it safe to eat if I sear it well to kill anything on the outside? Or do the dangerous beasties get inside?

The Bureau (Sundance Channel). Five seasons following members of the French undercover intelligence community. One of the best shows I've seen in a long time. Highly recommended. Resident Alien (Syfy). One season following an alien who came to destroy all human life on Earth but crash-landed and could not find him "bomb." One of the worst shows I've seen. Well, kind of. It's well produced. It's fun to watch. It's just so poorly written, directed and acted that it's painful. For All Mankind (Apple +). What if the Soviets got to the moon first? Interesting show. Well done.

I believe the advent of cooking and eating meat is one of the factors that led to homo sapiens rise and we're specifically adapted for it. We lack the large "gut" necessary to fully digest plant materials and the jaw muscles for chewing lots of plants. And, of course, we can only get full protein from certain plants or by eating others in combination. Seems like a lousy way to build an herbivore. We can still eat raw meat, but cooking it partially breaks it down allowing us to extract the nutrients quicker as it passes through our bodies.

Graffiti Art Wonders Where to Draw the Line. One is art. One is junk. Can you tell the difference?

I recently watched a documentary on Sundance Channel called "No One Saw a Thing". It's about a small town in Northwest Missouri where the townsfolk all got together to murder the town bully. Forty years ago, and no one has been charged with the crime. Every time someone tries to tell you that the Red states are filled with nice, God-loving people who just want to go to church and bake biscuits for their grandchildren, force them to watch an episode of this.

Is this right? I always thought English cut was parallel to the bone, squarish, one bone per piece, with a big cap of meat.

A new take-out place opened next to Brooklyn Bagels just off Broadway. I fear it's not destined be here long. I just don't think the city is ready for Georgian food. I tried a spinach and feta pie and kabdari. The spinach pie was good -- nice soft bread and good flavor. Nothing great, but it avoided the greasiness these often have. the Kabdari was a soft flatbread stuffed with stewed pork. Again, it was good but nothing great. I really like the soft texture of the bread. The pork was tender and mildly spiced. They gave us a Churchkhela -- a long cigar of walnuts in dried grape jui

I'm so tired of all this pandering to the mid-west. On another note, the daughter of the guy who designed the Vince Lombardi trophy was so upset seeing Tom Brady throw it over the water that she lost two-nights' sleep.

So, the Eco-marketers have sold us on unscented laundry detergent. And, it seems, they've also sold us on laundry scent crystals, to add the scent back when using unscented laundry detergent.

Will this replace a kitchen aid? Can it do an Italian meringue? Buttercream? Nougat?

Fatty Arbuckle? Woody is innocent.

These are very enjoyable. As usual, the English countryside is one of the best aspects of the show. Damn, it's beautiful there.

It reminded me of the Cowboys/Niners NFC championship game from '93 (or thereabouts). The Niners were up 21 - 0 in about 5 minutes. The Cowboys almost came back to win that one (arguably would have if Switzer didn't get a 15-yard penalty at the end). I was pretty worried about the Steelers coming back last night. Quote of the night after the game: "Roethlisberger is crying like one of the women he raped."