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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: August 3rd, 2023

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  • I think they’re convenient for hanging plants, but with most of my plants I’m more concerned about overwatering than underwatering so they’re not ideal.

    My calathea is the only plant I’d say truly thrives in a self-watering pot. I have a few others in self-watering pots- philodendrons, alocasias, aglaonemas- that are varying levels of ambivalent about their pots. I need to be careful not to leave them too wet and will likely be repotting them into normal draining pots.


  • This is something I worry about as well (mid-thirties millennial), but I’m really hoping it won’t be a problem. Anecdotally, I don’t notice any appreciable difference between myself and my dad (technically a boomer) when it comes to technology, but my mom isn’t as comfortable. I think it’s because my dad spends more time using various types of current tech and is willing to troubleshoot on his own, so maybe it’s just a matter of continued exposure and a willingness to learn.

    At the same time I see my grandparents really struggle with digital interfaces because they didn’t grow up with them and don’t find them intuitive, in a way that can’t be explained by lack of curiosity. It’s almost like they’re not fluent in the language because they missed a critical period of learning in childhood? If a brand new, extremely different way to interface with the world takes over, I guess I could see myself and my peers struggling as well.









  • I highly recommend subscribing to a meal delivery kit for a few weeks, I think they’re fantastic for beginners. Reasons:

    • Grocery shopping and ingredient portioning is already done for you, allowing you to focus on the cooking
    • Ability to try new ingredients without committing to buying a full quantity of the ingredient. It sucks when you buy a specific sauce for a new recipe you want to try, only to realize you’re never going to want to use it again.
    • Enough choices in recipes but not an overwhelming amount; there are so many recipes and resources online that that’s all you need to learn, but it can be overwhelming and hard to know where to start
    • Recipes are generally standardized, well-tested, and don’t require special equipment or advanced techniques

    I definitely don’t recommend doing this long term because it starts to get repetitive and is ultimately more expensive than doing your own shopping and planning, but it removes quite a few barriers to entry. Home Chef was the one I enjoyed the most personally but Blue Apron is also reliable and liked by many. Once you are comfortable with the basics you can really just search any recipe you’re interested in and just go for it; follow your interests and the skills will come with experience.



  • It’s basically the same for me! I’d say anchovies/fish sauce in general. My first introduction was through Thai fish sauce, which I grew up with and learned how to use in Thai cooking. Then, I started cooking with anchovies in oil and Worcestershire sauce in what I viewed as their respective cuisines. At some point I understood the similar role these ingredients played in providing the umami element needed to complete a dish, and that made me feel more confident using them in a wider variety of foods and “across” cuisines as needed. Used in the appropriate amount, they won’t overpower a dish or turn it fishy; a little bit provides so much flavor!