NERRRRRRRD!

[madbaker]

I had dinner last night with my mother at a reasonably nice seafood restaurant last night. The following is a reasonably accurate transcription of my behavior when the bread arrived.

I pick it up and look closely, noting that the crust is rather pale and the crumb looks substandard, i.e. there aren't a nice pattern of holes in the bread as carbon dioxide forms during the rising and baking process. Sniff. They put a salt wash on the crust - that accounts for some of the color lack, but not all. Chew. The bread is cold, doughy, underbaked. I hypothesize that they routinely underbake and then finish off in the oven for ten minutes just before serving (which would complete the baking and give more color to the crust) but that our particular batch has obviously been missed.

I think about requesting a new batch of bread, but forego the temptation.
Yes, this pretty much is my standard line of analysis at a restaurant. I can't help it.

Comments

[loup_noir]

Tim used to cringe whenever it was time to order coffee.

Do you use whole beans or does your coffee arrive in a can or a big bag?

How long has it been brewing?

It isn't flavored, is it?

Is it a dark roast?

Do you brew it strong or weak?

By this time, he would be settling under the table.

Coffee, my lifeblood!

[tsgeisel.livejournal.com]

How often do you get a chance to not just geek out, but demonstrate your geek fu to people who should know better? I mean, it's one thing to do so amongst people who already know, but it's another when it comes unexpectedly.

You should have asked for a new batch, and explained what you thought the problem was, had they asked.

[patsmor.livejournal.com]

He'd love to sit with me when I order iced tea:

Do you brew your own tea, or does it come out of your soda machine?
From teabags, or is it a concentrate?
Is it just plain black tea?
No fruit or flowers in it?

...
Aren't pickinesses fun?

[patsmor.livejournal.com]

I mentioned to the manager of one of my favorite restaurants the other night that the cornbread had too much baking powder in it. Usually their cornbread is to die for, needing no butter or other assistance. But last time it was bitter, with little pockets of unmixed powder.

I showed her one of the pieces, and asked if they'd changed mixes, or if someone new had made the batch that day. She went back and checked, and, yup, the entire day's batch was made by a new employee and the three pans she tasted were all that way. I felt useful! I didn't say "this is terrible!" but rather "I wonder..," while singing the praises of their usual recipe.

[patsmor.livejournal.com]

This is me walking into buildings with security:

Hmm, are those motion detection or continuously running cameras?
Are the guards paying attention to the badges?
Is that a metal detector?
Ooh, look, they have an infrared detector over there!
Do the elevators unlock depending on what your badge says?
I don't care what it looks like, that is not a sprinkler head. I think it's a sound detector for night-time.

I bet we all do this, more or less, in any of our geek-aptitudes....

[finickynarcane.livejournal.com]

Just never take us costume geeks to a "historical" film. You get five hours of that sort of behavior (all during the movie and for some hours afterward as other errors strike us).

[madbaker.livejournal.com]

Next time you're in San Francisco, you should hit up Blue Bottle Coffee. (http://www.bluebottlecoffee.net/) (They sell at the farmers' market on Saturdays, which is where I buy my coffee.) They only sell coffee that's been roasted within 48 hours, and the blend descriptions are like reading wine reviews.

Fascinatin'

[gaudete1066.livejournal.com]

Well, if you would nerd out so all could hear, I'd love to sit in the next booth and eavesdrop. I, personally, have no problem with people who nerdle interestingly on subjects that they've become all expertised an' stuff in. Viva Nerds-with-brains. Long may you assess, analyse, kvetch (where called for), and educate. Woot!