Zompist Bboard Again

Starbeam wrote: ↑Fri Dec 26, 2025 9:25 amwhile Ramadan is very much not a party time.

Admittedly neither is anytime else given the Islamic ban on alcohol.

Speaking of Ramadan, apparently there are solutions to the problems caused by when one is in an area with midnight sun or darkness at noon during Ramadan...

malloc wrote: ↑Fri Dec 26, 2025 11:14 am

Starbeam wrote: ↑Fri Dec 26, 2025 9:25 amwhile Ramadan is very much not a party time.

Admittedly neither is anytime else given the Islamic ban on alcohol.

Just because one may not drink alcohol does not make an Iftar not a party.

Starbeam wrote: ↑Fri Dec 26, 2025 9:25 am I say "happy holidays" to not assume somebody celebrates Christmas, but i honestly consider it more of a labor/ winter break thing than some religious holiday. I also don't think the other holidays this season besides Kwanzaa are too festive anyway. Hanukka is actually one of the least important holidays in Judaism, while Ramadan is very much not a party time.There is New Year's, but it feels more like time's birthday than an actual holiday, if that makes sense.

To me, "Happy Holidays" refers to the cluster of holidays from Christmas Eve to New Year's Day. I am neither a Jew nor a Muslim, so Hanukkah and Ramadan do not really matter to me.

WeepingElf wrote: ↑Fri Dec 26, 2025 3:58 am You can't play in F major if your instrument drones in G major.

Unless you're doing jazz (niiiiiiice), of course, or certain other avant-garde genres where the concept of "harmony" is regarded as a foolish preoccupation of mainstream musicians who are terrified of a little dissonance..

Playing in F major against a B major drone, of course, is more challenging, but no doubt someone somewhere has done it without bending their eardrums, metaphorically speaking.

WeepingElf wrote: ↑Fri Dec 26, 2025 2:03 pm
To me, "Happy Holidays" refers to the cluster of holidays from Christmas Eve to New Year's Day. I am neither a Jew nor a Muslim, so Hanukkah and Ramadan do not really matter to me.

Well, the whole original idea behind "Happy Holidays", at least in the USA, was to acknowledge that other religious and cultural traditions aside from Christianity exist, too. That's why it became such a big Right vs. Left culture war issue over there.

Raphael wrote: ↑Fri Dec 26, 2025 4:52 am

frohebitterkeit

You can do that‽ And a quick question, why -e on frohe but not bitter?

No, I don't think you really can. Or, if you could do it as one word, you would probably have to write it as "Frohbitterkeit", without the first "e". But I meant it as two words, which are written as one word because I couldn't be bothered to insert a hyphen or an underline or a blank space into the file name. And "Frohe Bitterkeit" has to start with "frohe" instead of "froh" because any word ending in "-keit" is grammatically feminine (unless I've overlooked some exception), so the adjective "froh" has to take the feminine form "frohe".

Ah, I misparsed it. ”Frohe Bitterkeit“ makes¹ sense, and I should have got it really, but I read “Frohebitter-keit“ and got confused about the morphology.

¹ At least grammatical

Our far-right likes to make up problems for it to solve, and I think this year they tried to import the 'Happy Holidays' moral panic.
I don't think it translates really well. Nobody's really bothered by 'Joyeux Noël' or showed any hints than they are. (Some will of course grumble about consumerism, or their less reputable family members)

'Joyeuses fêtes' means Christmas and New Years' Eve, as far as I know? We're not terribly aware of Hanukkah here.
In any case, a bit too late for Merry Christmas, but I hope everything's going well for all of you.

Since it seems a forgone conclusion that I will get convicted of speeding, my insurance rates will soar, forcing me to tighten my budget considerably. It really is quite a puzzle trying to find stuff left to cut. I have already eliminated most luxuries or never got into them in the first place: no streaming services, no vacations, not even booze. All that remains is literally giving up coffee and avocado toast and possibly finding ways to reduce my electric bill further.

How do people from the USA usually eat pie? That is, apple pie or blueberry pie or something like that? I mean, under normal circumstances, and not in the context of one of those pie eating contests you have every now and then?

Raphael wrote: ↑Mon Dec 29, 2025 11:55 am How do people from the USA usually eat pie? That is, apple pie or blueberry pie or something like that? I mean, under normal circumstances, and not in the context of one of those pie eating contests you have every now and then?

With a fork?

I'm not sure what you're wondering about. It's a dessert— you order it and eat it, if you like pie. Or someone makes it for you.

zompist wrote: ↑Mon Dec 29, 2025 12:33 pm
With a fork?

I'm not sure what you're wondering about. It's a dessert— you order it and eat it, if you like pie. Or someone makes it for you.

Yes, I was wondering about utensils, or lack thereof. Thank you!

If pizza counts as a pie, often it’s hands-only per slice.

Man in Space wrote: ↑Mon Dec 29, 2025 1:58 pm If pizza counts as a pie, often it’s hands-only per slice.

But how would it look or feel like to try that with apple or blueberry pie?

Raphael wrote: ↑Mon Dec 29, 2025 3:14 pm

Man in Space wrote: ↑Mon Dec 29, 2025 1:58 pm If pizza counts as a pie, often it’s hands-only per slice.

But how would it look or feel like to try that with apple or blueberry pie?

Inadvisable? Those pies tend to be gooey.

Yes, that's my point. Besides, am I misremembering something, or are these pies usually served in the pans in which they're baked.

Raphael wrote: ↑Mon Dec 29, 2025 4:22 pm Yes, that's my point. Besides, am I misremembering something, or are these pies usually served in the pans in which they're baked.

Not really. You cut up the pie and put individual slices onto a plate.

Do you not have pies in Germany? Or tortes?

zompist wrote: ↑Mon Dec 29, 2025 5:09 pm

Raphael wrote: ↑Mon Dec 29, 2025 4:22 pm Yes, that's my point. Besides, am I misremembering something, or are these pies usually served in the pans in which they're baked.

Not really. You cut up the pie and put individual slices onto a plate.

Do you not have pies in Germany? Or tortes?

Not a German (though I play one on TV sometimes), but while there are pies and cakes in German bakeries which are very delicious, they often aren't as runny filling-wise as the fruit pies like one normally in the US. For example, a Strudel with apple filling will tend to have a quite thick/viscous filling compared to a typical US cherry pie, for example. Come to think of it, in fact, there really aren't a lot of pastries that I'd consider a direct equivalent to a US fruit pie... even the cherry pie-like thing I'd bought in Tulipland (aka the Netherlands) was more a cake, even despite the topping.

But to re-emphasize your point, the pie plate is for presentation purposes only, if at all. Even for a more viscous filling like a pumpkin pie, you still remove the slices from the pan and plate them.

On a random aside, another big difference I notice between US and European pies/cakes is sweetness: if I make a pie for my coworkers, I normally have to halve the sugar or it's far too sweet for them! And a lot of restaurant food in the US also tends to be quite overly salty or sweet for my palate, sometimes at the expense of other flavors. (The flavor difference between American Dr Pepper and the European Dr Pepper, for example, is quite considerable.)

doctor shark wrote: ↑Tue Dec 30, 2025 8:46 am
Not a German (though I play one on TV sometimes),

This sounds fascinating!

but while there are pies and cakes in German bakeries which are very delicious, they often aren't as runny filling-wise as the fruit pies like one normally in the US. For example, a Strudel with apple filling will tend to have a quite thick/viscous filling compared to a typical US cherry pie, for example. Come to think of it, in fact, there really aren't a lot of pastries that I'd consider a direct equivalent to a US fruit pie... even the cherry pie-like thing I'd bought in Tulipland (aka the Netherlands) was more a cake, even despite the topping.

But to re-emphasize your point, the pie plate is for presentation purposes only, if at all. Even for a more viscous filling like a pumpkin pie, you still remove the slices from the pan and plate them.

Thank you, doctor shark, I was thinking of what to say in response to zompist's question, and you put it better than I could have done.

Two horrible years back to back, unprecedented even for me. Honestly not sure I can handle another disastrous year. Unfortunately all signs point to further challenges and hurdles, certainly for the first few months.