Summer Vacation

British Museums

Delia Boylan — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 18:10:58 GMT

By far the best kid-friendly museums in the world are located in the U.K. We moved here two years ago and are amazed by the number and variety of "family activities"--backpacks, treasure hunts, art projects, etc--on exhibit at all museums every weekend, usually for free.

Also a tip for those wanting to introduce their kids to "Culture"-start early. If you take kids to museums when they are still babies, they'll come to think of it as normal and even fun by the time they're a bit older.

Are we talking about charisma or food?

NewsView — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:23:37 GMT

Quote:

"Perhaps even worse is the 'new school' pasta salad, which emerged in the '80s. It looks good: It's made with multicolored tortellini or fusilli in a thin, sweet vinaigrette and then gussied up with colorful canned olives and raw peppers or broccoli—garnishes that are the food equivalent of moussed bangs and shiny pouf skirts that can't make up for a fundamental lack of charisma."

Oh, please. That wordy metaphor reminds me of high school journalism, and besides that it really dates you (at the ripe old age range of ~28-38).

Having critiqued your wet-noodle wit, I will give you this much: The pasta tips are good.

Pasta Salad can be good

ravnwing — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:16:24 GMT

I have a recipie that I've been using for years and have brought to dozens of parties - not once have there been leftovers for me to cart home. It's astonishingly simple - farfallie cooked al dente and then cooled and tossed with a dressing of fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss in halved grape tomates and a healthy portion of fresh basal. Not greasy, not overly acidic, lots of fresh flavors...

You know that you're doing something right when people call you to make sure that you're brining the pasta salad.

ban dihydrogen monoxide NOW!!

gonogo20 — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 08:47:23 GMT

Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide! The Invisible Killer

Dihydrogen monoxide is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and kills uncounted thousands of people every year. Most of these deaths are caused by accidental inhalation of DHMO, but the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide do not end there. Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage. Symptoms of DHMO ingestion can include excessive sweating and urination, and possibly a bloated feeling, nausea, vomiting and body electrolyte imbalance. For those who have become dependent, DHMO withdrawal means certain death.

Dihydrogen monoxide:

is also known as hydroxyl acid, and is the major component of acid rain.
contributes to the "greenhouse effect."
may cause severe burns.
contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape.
accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals.
may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes.
has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients.

Contamination Is Reaching Epidemic Proportions!

Quantities of dihydrogen monoxide have been found in almost every stream, lake, and reservoir in America today. But the pollution is global, and the contaminant has even been found in Antarctic ice. DHMO has caused millions of dollars of property damage in the midwest, and recently California.

Despite the danger, dihydrogen monoxide is often used:

as an industrial solvent and coolant.
in nuclear power plants.
in the production of styrofoam.
as a fire retardant.
in many forms of cruel animal research.
in the distribution of pesticides. Even after washing, produce remains contaminated by this chemical.
as an additive in certain "junk-foods" and other food products.

Companies dump waste DHMO into rivers and the ocean, and nothing can be done to stop them because this practice is still legal. The impact on wildlife is extreme, and we cannot afford to ignore it any longer!

The Horror Must Be Stopped!

The American government has refused to ban the production, distribution, or use of this damaging chemical due to its "importance to the economic health of this nation." In fact, the navy and other military organizations are conducting experiments with DHMO, and designing multi-billion dollar devices to control and utilize it during warfare situations. Hundreds of military research facilities receive tons of it through a highly sophisticated underground distribution network. Many store large quantities for later use.

you know whats bad for the planet?

baltimore aureole — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:54:15 GMT

those "mosquito attractors" - the kind that use a tank of propane, and you set them in your back yard and they attract the mosquitos down there and kill them, so they don't come to your barbecue.

those things attract the mostquitos by turning the propane into a constant stream of C02, which attracts the mosquitos who get confused and think there's a sweaty animal which is about to provide a meal for them.

i'm not making this up. Those devices emit CO2 continuously for no good reason. Al Gore, listen up. Or do you already own one?

We're Methheads & we're in UR Grillz

NightSwimmer — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:35:33 GMT

If you choose propane when cooking out, please read this notice and take care when purchasing fuel.

"Taste the meat, not the heat."

Hank Hill

the elephant... uh, cow, in the room

eperker — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:09:17 GMT

I just wished you had mentioned the big elephant, or perhaps I should say cow, in the room. Anyone who is so concerned about their environmental impact of grilling meat that they would debate whether to use charcoal or gas really should consider not eating the meat. While charcoal or gas are such a minimal part of the overall greenhouse picture, the carbon and other greenhouse gasses released by fertilizing, farming, feeding and farting of cattle are actually a significant part of it.

Perhaps you should have dropped the central premise of the debate and suggested Americans pass on the porterhouse and enjoy some fresh grilled vegetables instead.

I might just bring the pasta salad Saturday...

GoBecky — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:33:19 GMT

People never really believe me on this, but there are downsides to living in South Florida. One is that there are enough Northern transplants in every neighborhood, every social group, that it's never fully safe to trust summer potluck food. Unless you've lived here a long time (or are, like myself, an actual native), you don't understand how unbelievably quickly food can go bad in 98 degree heat with 100% humidity. All the rules about cross-contamination, mayo that's been allowed to warm, etc? They exist for a reason, and it's called Florida. The last time I ate pasta salad at a cookout, the guest who made it (yes, with mayo) was scrupulous about keeping it cold - except for the 10 minutes when she stopped to get beer on the way over and left it in the car. No one knew about that until we'd spent the night puking. So yeah... I'm pretty wary of food not prepared by anyone I wouldn't entrust my (hypothetical) children with.

That said, not only do the tips here lead to safe food, but from the sounds of it, darn tasty food, too. I might even venture back into the land of pasta salad and make some myself for this weekend's parties!

Six Flags on $36 a day - no way

tamjak — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:25:08 GMT

Unless you pack your own food and go out to the parking lot to eat it.

I only find it affordable when I have a free ticket at a once a year occasion.

Dickerson is not Italian . . .

run75441 — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:54:22 GMT

Sara:

So the use of dry spices is not necessarily a no-no. I use them all the time in my spaghetti sauce and I will match mine against your anytime. True you can get a different flavor from fresh spices. Besides the point though for a picnic macaroni salad.

My dad always made macaroni salad for every picnic we ever attended and for all family events. He wasn't Italian like my mom was and he used the lowly all-American "floppy" ELBOW macaroni in his. A quick list of ingredients:

Elbow Macaroni

Mayonaise

Yellow Mustard

Sweet Relish

Green Onions

Celery and sometimes radishes and shredded carrot

Cherry tomatoes on top

and for spices:

Parsley ground in your hand

Basil

Oregano

salt

pepper

Shrimp

The ingredients were all added to taste and he knew the right proportions. If to dry, he would add some milk. Funny thing it always disappeared at the picnics and on family occassions. If warm out add some lemon juice to inhibit bacteria growth. Bugs don't like acid.

And when global cooling sets in?

JonFrum — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:25:38 GMT

Will you run out and buy charcoal to boil your coffee water? There has been no increase in world temperatures since 1998 - how's that for an inconvenient truth? We are due for a cooling period that will be kicking in any time now, if it hasn't already.

A rare feat

GeraldY — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:36:56 GMT

Someone has been able to write a food column that manages to outsnob the NYT Sunday Magazine food column. Isn't it possible to write a food column suggesting twists on pasta salad without gratuitously insulting a beloved American institution like the mayonnaise-based macaroni salad? People obviously like that salad--otherwise, why would it be so ubiquitous?

$36.00? Are you kidding me?

BluMizu — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:33:22 GMT

"A typical Six Flags visitor in 2007 spent $36 for the day, including parking, the price of a ticket, and meals."

Ok I dont know where you got your data but here's the deal: I went to Six Flags New England June 11th 2008 and parking was 15 dollars. A ticket was $29.99 at their new reduced prices. Water was over 3 dollars, and a hot dog was 7.00. Just these figures alone add up to more then your "typical visitor". What Six flags did you survey that i could have spent less than 40 dollars in??? Please let me know, because I'll be there.

BA's top 10 signs of economic confusion and distress

baltimore aureole — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:49:31 GMT

10 - gas is $4 a gallon, and people are scrimping at the grocery store in order to fill up the tank

9 - ford is delaying the introduction of its new (but no more efficient) pickup truck to make sure the outgoing model, which is highly unpopular, sells out first.

8 - a beach restaurant which opened 2 months ago is permanently closed already - and its allegely "peak season"

7 - people are willing to spend $3,500 on a "euro style scooter" which they can't ride in the rain, or during the 6 months of the year with inclement weather, in order to "save on gas".

6 - (the russians are coming - part 1) some russian oil baron bought donald trumps florida mansion for $100 million.

5 - (the russians are coming - part 2) oddly enough, resort shops are still willing to import russian shopgirls at minimal wage and minimal housing suitability, rather than pay actual american teens to work in their stores. why does obama think unilaterally abrogating NAFTA is going to put americans back to work when clothing stores and restaurants won't put americans back to work?

4 - some brazilian company thinks it can get rich quick by acquiring the Busweiser Beer company and raising prices.

3 - senator russ feingold assured the public that there is no connection between oil supply and pump prices, that we need not ever drill for oil again (just build windmills, russ? but ted kennedy vetoed the one i wanted to put offshore. he said it would ruin his million dollar view)

2 - we'd pretty pray that global warming is real - if it isn't, then millions of families could have their heat turned off for non-payment this winter

1 - slate, which is not known for its economic expertise, thinks that the potential bankruptcy of an amusement park chain might be a more horrific blow to the economy than the tens of thousands of financial jobs which have already been lost to the subprime crisis . . .

charcoal v propane

mrbantesir — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:56:12 GMT

When using propane I turn on the grill, wait a few minutes, then cook. When cooking is complete I turn off the grill.

With charcoal, I light the coals, wait a few minutes (more than with gas), then cook. When cooking is complete the coals keep burning - and emitting CO2. I snuff the fire by cutting off the O2 supply, but that takes a while.

Including the environmental impact of the extra burn time would probably move the need toward gas being the eco friendly choice.

Smaller Museums

atlanticmo — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:39:36 GMT

We've had good luck at smaller museums. They are often less crowded and easier for kids to take it all in.

Here are some examples:

Heritage Museum and Gardens in Sandwich, MA (This is a great combination of indoor and outdoor and a ride on the antique carousel is included with the price of admission)

The Museum of Holography in Chicago, IL (a funky little place not far from Oprah's studio)

The Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester, MA (This is basically a small castle in an indudusrial area that is FULL of the most amazing collection of suits of armor this side of London).

The Central Park Zoo in New York, NY (not a museum but worth mentioning since it is the perfect size it also has shows by the Wildlife Theater included)

Please post any that you know of.

I miss Astroworld

Selene212 — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:40:19 GMT

Bring it back!

That is all.

Why am I reading Slate?

rocketeer — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:51:13 GMT

Wow -- "is it better for the planet to grill with charcoal or gas...???" what a staggering issue to consider! Heady stuff, indeed. I'm sure I'll be awake all night pondering this cataclysmic question.

Are we to accept that this article is actually journalism -- or just the result of a slow day around the newsroom water cooler, i.e., journalistic navel gazing gone to seed?

This article represents the "apogee" of journalistic endeavor - (the point in the orbit of an object..that is at the greatest distance from the center...) or maybe "bottom of the barrel" is a more appropriate description.

My personal preference is to simply place the raw burgers on the grill rack and lightly fire them with a WWII vintage M1A1 Flame Thrower, but sh*t, the lingering napalm induced crispy-critter residue really tends to overshadow the good old red meat flavor...

The greenest is the leanest

jbjosh135 — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:09:23 GMT

"I'm wondering about the greenest method for cooking up my legendary T-bones and sweet sausages."

Don't cook T-bones and sweet sausages period. Consuming meat is one of the least green things you can do, a lot less green than choosing to cook with gas rather than charcoal.

Not Charcoal or Gas but Wood!

CooksWithFire — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:21:56 GMT

The efficiency of the cooker would probably be the biggest green factor, since grills are typically in the single digits as far as fuel efficiency.
But just considering fuel, wood may be the greenest.
Wood needs less processing and transportation than charcoal, and 2/3 or more of the original energy of wood is lost in the charcoal making process.
Wood recycles carbon or uses carbon that is already In the carbon cycle.
Gas pumps new carbon from under ground into the system.
To grill over wood you need very clean combustion and a way to keep the fat out of the fire.
I develop Green Technology in my garage as a hobby.
I have a new wood burner under development, that is so clean burning and efficient, you can grill directly over wood flames. It cooks cleaner than charcoal or gas because it minimizes the fat in the fire, and the associated carcinogens. You start cooking in 5 minutes!
Search YouTube for “Wood Fired Grill” to see my first prototype.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4RHGShSwuE
CooksOverFire

You use less with gas

flashedarling — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:57:33 GMT

One reason I prefer gas is that you have more control over the cooking time. I love grilling but I hardly ever cook for more than 2. With a charcoal grill I have to spend 20 minutes waiting for the bricks to heat up then they are hot for another hour and a half. I only need about 20 minutes of that heat to cook and then I'm done. So it seems like a waste of energy with that extra hour of heat that I don't need.

With gas it is ready almost as soon as a turn it on and then as soon as I'm done I can turn it off.

This seems to give gas a definate advantage in energy use in my eyes at least. I was really hoping this article would have tackled this part of the argument.

Also need to consider the warm up time for the charcoal

jorobins — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:49:10 GMT

I used to use charcoal before before I switched to gas. Few things that the article fail to mention about the cons of charcoal.

You need to wait about 15 minutes for the charcoal grill to get to right temperature for grilling (as opposed to maybe 5 minutes for a gas grill)
Also it's not a 1 to 1 comparison in terms of BTUs used for grilling. With charcoal, you put in a certain amount of briquettes and you are not going to use all of the charcoal. maybe a 1/4 is going to be wasted at the end which is where the disposal part comes in. In gas you can turn on/off the gas like a faucet preventing waste.

So you need to probably add in some inefficiency factors for these sort of issues before equating that 1 charcoal BTU=1 gas BTU.

Jose

make it southwestern

sciascia14 — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:19:49 GMT

I'm usually cooking for myself so I use smaller amounts. Double for a crowd.

1/2 lb orzo or conchigliete

1 14.5 oz can black beans

1 cup super sweet corn kernels

minced garlic (1-2 large cloves)

2-3 scallions, sliced thinly

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, minced (seeds optional)

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, mexican oregano to taste

juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Cook pasta according to package directions. Toss with a little oil and allow to cool. Combine other ingredients in a large bowl. Add pasta, toss, and allow to sit long enough to allow flavors to meld. This is delicious warm, cold, or at room temp.

"mom - do we HAFTA go to another museum?"

baltimore aureole — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:10:17 GMT

no danni, we're not going to waste the wonderful summer weather traipsing from one museum to another, despite what the dullards at slate say. as evidenced repeatedly, in this current article, they haven't a clue about raising kids.

earth to slate: the "museum season" is not summertime. you take your kids to a museum when the weather is crappy outside and would be watching TV or playing videogames.

summers are for swimming or hiking or camping.

anyone who has spent even 5 minutes on the Washington Mall in sweltering 95 degree heat would agree that summer is not museum season.

i rate this article a zero.

Wood pellet BBQs

Scoot'r-d — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:48:02 GMT

There is a 3rd option. From the wood pellet heating stoves that are very efficient home heaters comes the wood pellet BBQs. These use hard wood pellets made just for cooking, cherry, hickory and so forth. They are not charcoal but compressed sawdust made into round pellets that appear much like rabbit food or pooh. They are dry, use no additives and completely burn leaving no residue.

The units are interesting in their design as well. They have burner plates that employ electric elements just to ignite the pellet load. The volume of the pellet load determines the heat of the unit. Since the pellets burn completely the pellet load is fed by an automated drop loader. The drop loader uses an electric dispensing wheel to drop load pellets at a given rate from a supply bin. The supply rate determines the actual temp maintained by the system. Further they use a fan to evenly distribute the heat/smoke so the BBQ is in actuality a wood fired convection oven with an automated temperature control.

As an old school enthusiast I now use charcoal. Its main problem is heat management. I am seriously considering adding of these pellet BBQs to compliment my outdoor cooking rig.

Carbon footprint? Someone needs to invent flatus control on domestic cattle and global warming will end. Problem solved.