Personal Kryptonite

[oside]

Math, Chemistry, Deductables, Copays, Politics....

[SloppyJ]

3 hours ago, CigarAsh said:

For me, it's electricity. I build things, use power tools regularly, am a solid craftsman. But anything inside the electrical box just freaks me out. I can know the electricity is off (because I turned if off) and I'm still terrified to change a light switch or anything involving the electrical in my house. I just know I'm going to die. 

^ This. I'll happily rebuild a motor over doing anything electrical. However, I'm too cheap to hire someone to do it so I end up doing it anyway and expecting to kill myself the whole time. 

It's completely irrational but might stem from the fact that I would always watch my dad and grandpa messing with electric fences while the other one snuck off and turned it on.  

[GrouchoMarx]

This is easy...

If you want something to grow like a plant, lawn, flower - I will kill it. Nothing grows in my presence.

Weeds, on the other hand, flourish when I'm around.

I'm GrouchoMarx and I approved this post.

[cigcars]

      * Cockroaches/water bugs.  Freak me the HELL out, mess up my night (or day). If I see one indoors everything has to come to a complete halt until I catch and kill it. I'll deal with spiders the size of a Buick. But roaches - uhn uhn     

[Islandboy]

30 minutes ago, GrouchoMarx said:

This is easy...

If you want something to grow like a plant, lawn, flower - I will kill it. Nothing grows in my presence.

Weeds, on the other hand, flourish when I'm around.

I'm GrouchoMarx and I approved this post.
 

That’s a fairly common curse. Now get off my lawn!!

[tengel78]

Plumbing.  Anything plumbing related that I do is almost guaranteed to leak.  Luckily, I'm fairly handy outside of plumbing (Electrical, woodworking, etc.)

[YOM'$]

Dried coconut for edibles and overreaching governments. (No further details provided)

[bnasse9900]

Horror movies.  Life is too fun to waste two hours on being scared. 

[Ken Gargett]

5 hours ago, Corylax18 said:

 

 

You two are both crazy! Give me a Hendricks/Tonic and some head cheese or a little scrapple and I am like a pig in shit! 

yes, add me to this. offal and gin. have not had either since last night.

[Miller1985]

Mice/Rats... I will run and try desperately not to scream like a little girl with a Hello Kitty backpack. 

 

[Capt. Brett]

Jack Daniels the smell alone makes me want to throw up.

[irratebass]

Like Prez I too am lost when it comes to tools, and it pisses me off / embarrasses me.

Bats.....nope, fk bats

Mustard, nope, unless it's honey mustard.

Smoked sausage

Potatoes

Bugs, I can do spiders, coz they eat bugs.

Stick shifts

That's all.....heres my man card.

[bman75]

Any kind of rollercoaster or amusement ride.  The sensation of falling is terrifying to me.

[TBird55]

Pickles, people seem to love them, i just don't get it.

[earthson]

Televised sports. When I used to play football, sure - it was exciting, because I had a vested interest in my team winning. But on the telly, I couldn't care less who wins or loses. I've tried at various sport-watching parties to get into it and watch for the skill, for upsets, for turnarounds and traditions, but I find it all dull, dull, dull. It's like watching people play a board game.

At these parties, I usually end up hanging out and drinking with all of the wives and girlfriends. Makes me look like an attentive, confident male while making my friends look like a bunch of drooling teenagers. Sorry, friends!

[Dodgeski]

9 hours ago, CigarAsh said:

For me, it's electricity. I build things, use power tools regularly, am a solid craftsman. But anything inside the electrical box just freaks me out. I can know the electricity is off (because I turned if off) and I'm still terrified to change a light switch or anything involving the electrical in my house. I just know I'm going to die. 

Good sir you are not alone in the fear of electricity. I do not like to work with anything i cannot see but I know can kill me in a flash. I live in an old farmhouse (1880s) that used to have power to some wires even with the fuses out. 

[Fuzz]

1 minute ago, earthson said:

Televised sports. When I used to play football, sure - it was exciting, because I had a vested interest in my team winning. But on the telly, I couldn't care less who wins or loses. I've tried at various sport-watching parties to get into it and watch for the skill, for upsets, for turnarounds and traditions, but I find it all dull, dull, dull. It's like watching people play a board game.

At these parties, I usually end up hanging out and drinking with all of the wives and girlfriends. Makes me look like an attentive, confident male while making my friends look like a bunch of drooling teenagers. Sorry, friends!

You've been watching the wrong sports. Full contact tiddlywinks, extreme stationary bike racing, hand grenade jai alai, model rocket darts, etc. Now those are sports to watch!

[earthson]

3 minutes ago, Fuzz said:

You've been watching the wrong sports. Full contact tiddlywinks, extreme stationary bike racing, hand grenade jai alai, model rocket darts, etc. Now those are sports to watch!

I can get behind Aiki Do competitions/demonstrations. I find that very relaxing, akin to how some folks must feel watching the ocean waves roll in.

[Phinz]

9 hours ago, helix said:

Snakes !!!!

+1 for snakes.

+100 for snakes that swim. Ugh... nothing more evil than snakes in the water with you, straight up nightmare material!

 

[PuffDaddie]

The best oysters are from The gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana.

[Guest Nekhyludov]

5 minutes ago, PuffDaddie said:

The best oysters are from The gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana.

Yup. Little cocktail suace, put it on a saltine. Doesn't get any better. 

[Ken Gargett]

5 minutes ago, PuffDaddie said:

The best oysters are from The gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana.

they'd be the deepwater specials, then?

is there a country on this earth, where oysters grow, that does not genuinely believe theirs are superior to all comers?

i've attached an article from a site called inahalfshell - if you google world's best oysters, there are a squillion options. i'm sure we could find 11 more. and the site is, i believe, an american site so no local bias.

 

11 International Oysters to Travel For

Want to know where the world's best oysters come from? Here are 11 varieties that any oyster connoisseur would adore.

If you want to truly understand the essence of a place, then go in search for its oysters. These ancient creatures will reveal a lot about the world–from the subtle flecks of color in the shells to the way that they are devoured–the oyster evokes the hidden truth behind the land, water, and people. In the most eloquent words of a fellow ostreaphile at Travel + Leisure:

Rare is the culture that doesn’t love oysters. They are everywhere. But they’re also decidedly Somewhere: within its singular shell, each oyster carries its provenance like a fingerprint. Knocking one back is like mainlining the cove it came from. — Peter Jon Lindberg

During the last two months of 2010, I had the incredible opportunity to travel around the world for business. When I wasn’t working or sleeping, I was hunting for oysters. I succeeded in finding them in 10 of the 14 countries that I visited. In some places, oysters were easy to find. In others, it was nearly impossible. I tried over 30 new kinds of oysters and noted my very favorites. Keep in mind that most, if not all of these oysters are NOT sold in the U.S. market. The federal government currently has tight restrictions on oyster imports from outside of North America, which makes them a serious destination food. So here is my top 11 for 2011. If you love to travel, explore, eat, and savor, keep this list close at hand. Make the world your oyster too!

1. Tasmania from Australia: Raised and harvested from the land down under, these plump gigas oysters are deliciously creamy and adventurous in texture. The seaweed-flavored saltiness evokes an image of the majestic ocean with frothy white surf, and then it transitions into a gentle sweetness that leaves a clean, crisp aftertaste. They’re a substantial size, so if you’re a petite oyster eater, brace yourself. Their consistently bright and buttery flavors make it a staple among the “elites” (Belon, Fine de Claire, Gillardeau, Kumamoto) in the Asian market.

2. Namibian Pacific from Namibia: Exotic places produce exotic flavors. Thanks to the nutrient-rich waters of Walvis Bay, these African gigas oysters grow quickly to be lusciously plump. They aren’t very salty, but packed with other earthy minerals. A punch of copper-zinc-steel flavors will linger in the back of your throat until you take a few gulps (maybe a whole glass) of water.  In 2008, repeat red tide events devastated the population, wiping out up to 80-90% of yields. Given the limited quantity and distribution, Namibia oysters are a rare treat for any adventure seeker.

Santa Catarina Oysters with lime at Satyricon in Rio de Janeiro

3. Santa Catarina from Brazil: The quintessential Brazilian experience would be to have this oyster with a drizzle of lime, then followed by a sip of caipirinha. Sit back, relax, and your mind will go blissfully blank. Santa Catarinas are quite salty, which the lime helps to balance out. There’s also some rocky minerality and vegetal tones in the meat. At the time, I swore that it kind of tasted like bean sprouts (in a good way!) While Rio de Janeiro is a prominent coastal city, I discovered that the people there are surprisingly detached to shellfish and seafood. (Meat is the name of the game there.) I was only able to find a couple of places that offered oysters– one all-you-can-eat ordeal and another ultra high end seafood restaurant. Head south to Florianópolis, where oysters are king. That’s also where you’ll find the freshest Santa Catarina oysters around.

4. Kelly Galway from Ireland: The native Irish ostrea edulis (European flat) oyster is like the gregarious, bodybuilding uncle of the Belon. Its got a similar round discus shell, but 150% bigger than the biggest Belons that I’ve encountered. The adductor muscle is filled with soy sauce-like savoriness and is extremely large. In fact, it makes it look like the oyster is smiling like :-D. While I’m not the biggest flat oyster fan, I could eat two or three dozen of these Kelly Galways. They paired extremely well with a 2009 Rias Baixas from Bodegas Terras Gauda. The perfect time to enjoy these would be at the Galway International Oyster Festival in Ireland!

Sydney Rock Oysters at C’s Steakfood & Steakhouse in Jakarta

5. Sydney Rock from Australia: This Saccostrea glomerata oyster is a completely different species than any found in North America and lives everywhere around Australia and New Zealand. They are sturdy, adaptable and can tolerate a wide range of salinity levels. Their slender, cylindrical bodies are nestled in a sharply fluted shell with light-colored mantles that appear to be “shrunken” inwards– as if they were cold (brrr). Upon the first bite, the firm and elastic texture only adds to their tenacious reputation. These oysters can vary in taste, depending on where they are harvested in Australia. The ones that I tasted were earthy and pungent in flavor. They had a wonderfully nostalgic fishiness to them that reminded me of smoked or salted seafood.

6. Speciales Gillardeau from France: Considered to be the crème de la crème among French varieties, the Speciales Gillardeau has captured the discerning palettes of gourmands everywhere. This tender-bodied oyster is rolling with rich, broth-like savoriness that I immediately associate to really awesome miso soup. A smaller size will offer up even more vibrant flavors than larger ones. Don’t mistake them for the regular Gillardeau oysters– they are not quite the same. Gillardeau’s are not as sweet and complex in flavor. Though they may give off a nutty taste, which could be interesting to explore as well.

7. Fines de Claire from France: This is another favorite among Parisians and apparently throughout the world (I observed them being sold at fine restaurants in London, Brussels, Moscow, Dubai, Shanghai and Hong Kong). The elongated shell houses a slender and delicate body. The meat varies in saltiness, but possesses a crisp, fruity flavor. I’ve encountered Fine de Claires that have a melon rind finish. Fines de Claires must be fattened in a salty marsh bed (aka claire), where they will filter nutrient-rich water for a minimum of 2 months.

8. Jersey Coast from Jersey: Completely unrelated to the Jersey Shore or Snooki– there’s no need for that kind of a situation. (Bad pun, I know, but I couldn’t help myself). These deep-cupped oysters are from the little island of Jersey: a breathtakingly beautiful, environmentally-conscious, and culturally diverse place just north of the Normandy coastline. All Jersey oysters are harvested from the Royal Bay of Grouville, which gets a daily influx of some of the cleanest sea water in Europe. The meat is supple, crisp, and very savory, which was a bit addicting (kind of like like potato chips, but 2000% healthier!)

Senpoushi Oyster at Fish House Oyster Bar in Tokyo

9. Senpoushi from Japan: At the Fish House Oyster Bar in Ebisu, a quiet neighborhood in Shibuya, Tokyo, a brochure of oysters from all over the country and world was bestowed upon me. Depending on the time of year, different varieties will be in season. It is challenging to experience the true essence of the oyster here due to Japan’s strict raw shellfish regulations. However, despite the post-harvest processing, the Senpoushi still managed to taste great. The body is long and shallow, while the meat is pleasantly creamy. It’s moderately salty and has incredible umami.

10. Bouzigues from France: Shellfish farming is a serious business in the Étang de Thau, the second largest lake in France. People produce both plates (edulis, flat) or creuse (gigas) oysters in the brackish waters. I tried the flat variety in Hamburg and was pleasantly surprised by its crunchy texture and fruity flavor. It had an aftertaste very much like watermelon rind– which was both unusual and refreshing. The best way to enjoy this oyster is to head directly over to Bouzigues and do an oyster tour and tasting.

11. Loch Ryan from Scotland: This oyster is intense in character and heralds from a historic maritime place. The Statistical Account of Scotland 1791-99 recorded that Loch Ryan “abounds with oysters of a most excellent flavour.” Today, both native (wild) and rock (farmed) oysters are harvested. These flat edulis oysters have a tangy, long-lasting metallic flavor that lingers in the back of your mouth. Smaller sizes are more potent in taste, while the larger sizes are more mild and sweet. Pair them with a full bodied white wine to enhance the taste of both.

[scap99]

30 minutes ago, Fuzz said:

You've been watching the wrong sports. Full contact tiddlywinks, extreme stationary bike racing, hand grenade jai alai, model rocket darts, etc. Now those are sports to watch!

I watched ladies curling world championship last night.  Canadian chicks vs South Korean chicks.  I was torn on who I wanted to win because they were so damn cute.

[scap99]

@Ken Gargett

The oysters from the bays of the Gulf of Mexico come from fairly shallow waters.

[Capt. Brett]

16 minutes ago, PuffDaddie said:

The best oysters are from The gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana.

Some of the best I ever had.