Do you think the order of ice and drink in your glass is important?

I do. Ice first.

Especially if you are mixing more than one liquid in the glass: ice, juice, bubbly water. In that order.

Not everyone agrees, but it’s like brewing tea. You’re meant to first put the tea bag, then pour the water onto the tea, and let it steep. That’s the proper way, anyway. Well, proper if you’re using a tea bag rather than loose tea, but that’s another story altogether.

So, does it matter to you? How about ice vs no ice? And do you even mix juice and water? We’re big mixers, and the ice is important to most in my house – and worth specifying if we’re requesting a drink from one another. If only we had crushed ice on hand, our beverages would really get ideal.

Where do you stand on ice order (or tea order, for that matter)?

I like to jot down my ideas and notes whenever I think of them, so I can work on them later. Sometimes a grocery list on the fridge has some strange words in the corner (small dishes) or a meal plan scrawled on an envelope back might also have “iced tea vs lemonade + bubbly?” in bold printing across the bottom. Usually I’m making dinner and have an idea but not the time to write it out so I just chuck the important words onto a paper that’s already stuck to the fridge (so I won’t lose the note as well as the idea) and get back to the chopping or the stove or what have you.

Then, when I have time to think it out, I write something about small dishes, or iced tea vs lemonade, and where I stand on bubbly lemonade.

But occasionally I’ll gather these scraps of paper and receipts and napkins from the car to consolidate the list and get started with writing, but I won’t understand one of the notes. Like this list, from the notebook in the car:

• French toast + syrup
• lobster roll (lobster/bread/mayo)
• buttermilk onion rings

What is this?

Let me shed some insight:

• I don’t typically like French toast; once every couple of years is fine with me.
• I’ve never eaten a lobster roll. (but of course it would include lobster/bread/mayo)
• no ideas about the onion rings, though I would like some

So, now I’m really stumped.

It’s not like me to not remember this at all: if I had been planning on making these things there’s be some forgotten buttermilk in the fridge, or talk of where to get the lobster. Maybe a sliced bakery challah that only made it as far as morning toast, but, no, the kitchen holds a crusty peasant loaf, no shellfish and 2% milk.

If I figure it out, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, any thoughts from you couldn’t hurt.

How do you feel about carrots in your salad?

Not carrot salad, but carrots as an ingredient in your mixed green salad, alongside tomato, cucumber, radish, pepper… whatever you normally add.

The reason I ask, is I’m not too sure about it.  They’re just too hard. You can’t easily pierce them with your fork the way you do the rest of the vegetables. And if you can’t pierce them, it’s because they’re too thick which means that the whole mouthful is just carrot and you’re chewing and chewing but not on salad, on carrot.

I find if the carrots are grated, it works better. Then the little pieces just cling to the lettuce greens or stick to the cucumber slices and you can taste them without tasting only them. But sometimes I don’t want to bother grating carrot.

Thin slices are a nice middle ground, but still… I’m starting to think I don’t really want carrots in my salad.

Am I the only one with this problem?

I’m taking a little break from all food thoughts.

It won’t be long, because I always have lots of food thoughts, but I have some other things to do.

Please keep checking back, or keep an eye on your in-box/reader if you already follow my blog; I might post some pieces sporadically until I’m back on schedule.

Either way, thanks for reading.

And in the meantime, maybe look back at some posts you’ve missed:

• my problem with milk
• fresh peas
• a coffee at home