Grocery Shopping with your FSUW

[viking]

Do any of you grow your own? Do many FSUW enjoy the pleasure of gardening? I would grow tomatoes, cukes and some other veggies in my back yard, especially in some of the warmer climates like Fla and California where you can do this year round.

[Lily]

viking you read my mind

I don't enjoy gardening at all, but if organic food makes a considerable expenses item, I would not hesitate growing vegetables in the backyard to improve the family budget.

[mischief]

I don't enjoy gardening at all, but if organic food makes a considerable expenses item, I would not hesitate growing vegetables in the backyard to improve the family budget.

Lily, unless your time worth nothing to you, it will cost much more in the long run... in the southern states there are too much bugs and you have to get chemicals to keep them away... another story if you do enjoy gardening as a process...

[Wayne]

I grow a large garden every year.  I try to do everything organic.  If you use proper companion planting techniques, insects are less of a problem.  I would like to get some seeds of some of the older varieties of vegetables grown in Ukraine.

You should not allow your wife or Fiancee to experiment with various household cleaners.  Oven cleaner has harsh chemicals that are poisen.  You should never use it on pots and pans no matter how great it works.  Better to buy new pans!  Toilet bowl cleaner and brush would also cleans old pans, but no one would do that, I hope!  If you have a smooth, glass top range, use only the cleaners made for that purpose.  Stainless steel and Copper take special cleaners.  One simple and safe cleaner for that teapot is white vinigar.  The stains are from the Calcium in your water.  Wood floors take a special cleaner.  If you have granite counter tops or anything marble, using the wrong cleaner will destroy them! 

It is up to you to teach your wife or fiancee about the different cleaners and products that we have here, but she did not use them in FSU. 

My Grandmother and many of my Aunts always baked their own bread.  I can bake good bread, but have not done so for a long time.  The secret is buying the correct bread flour for the kind of bread you are making, and the proper yeast.  General purpose flour will never make good bread.  Just the standard oven in your range can make bread.  I like the hard crust "French" bread still warm from the oven.  If you have some home-made grape jelly to spread on it you will think you are in Heaven!

Grocery shopping can be made smoother for your woman is you know the store well and can lead her to the proper items.  For example, in the local Meijer store, there is a really long aisle with hundrens of types of bread, but the fresh, store baked bread is in a seperate area. 

[groovlstk]

You should not allow your wife or Fiancee to experiment with various household cleaners.It is up to you to teach your wife or fiancee about the different cleaners and products that we have here, but she did not use them in FSU. 

This is perfect in theory but in practice may not be so easy. The very act of "teaching" a grown woman about Western household stuff needs to be done in a very, very tactful manner. Just my experience, but I learned very quickly that regardless of how good my intentions were, I was much better of letting her learn some things on her own. Obviously something like household cleaners with the potential for health risk are Big Things, but don't sweat Small Things and shut up if, for instance, she wants to take a perfectly fresh, well-marbled, beautiful ribeye steak and smash it to pulp with a meat tenderizer prior to grilling it

[ScottinCrimea]

but don't sweat Small Things and shut up if, for instance, she wants to take a perfectly fresh, well-marbled, beautiful ribeye steak and smash it to pulp with a meat tenderizer prior to grilling it

Or if she does like mine did her first week here, look at a nice ribeye, say, "This is way too much for one person." and proceed to cut it up into small pieces for soup.

[groovlstk]

We owned a Breadman Pro for a while and it did a good job. Replaced it with a Zojirushi, and it is phenomenal. Here is a good site with machine reviews and recipes and more -- http://www.breadmachinedigest.com/

Freshly-baked bread - nothing better!

- Dan

Dan, do you have any links to Russian/Ukrainian bread recipes? I have a Zojirushi machine buried in my closet as I haven't had as much time to cook as when I was single. One of my wife's biggest complaints about American food is that she misses Russian bread, it would be great to show her how to make her own.

[Fashionista]

Do any of you grow your own? Do many FSUW enjoy the pleasure of gardening? I would grow tomatoes, cukes and some other veggies in my back yard, especially in some of the warmer climates like Fla and California where you can do this year round.

I have tried. All died.

[dneid]

Or if she does like mine did her first week here, look at a nice ribeye, say, "This is way too much for one person." and proceed to cut it up into small pieces for soup.

Ouch!!! That is a third degree felony here in Texas if reported.  Heck in some small towns here, they will send in the local SWAT team to rescue the steak!  Need to sure I teach her about such things as soon as she gets here.  Of course, I need to find her first.

[groovlstk]

Ouch!!! That is a third degree felony here in Texas if reported.  Heck in some small towns here, they will send in the local SWAT team to rescue the steak!  Need to sure I teach her about such things as soon as she gets here.  Of course, I need to find her first.

Dale, one thing I discovered early on is that there are many, many things I needed to "teach" my wife when she arrived. Some important for her safety, others to make regular tasks easier, etc. But you have to be cognizant of the fact that she has a lot of pride and most women you date who have been living on their own for years are comfortable doing things their way. One of the issues you may face is that your girl has been ferociously independent for years... suddenly she arrives in the US and she's dependent upon you for EVERYTHING. She needs to know that she has her own territory and too much advice can come off as too much "teacher" or "dad" and not enough husband. It didn't take long for me to realize that I had to write off the small stuff and worry only about things of immediate importance.

[I/O]

I was much better of letting her learn some things on her own.

I think I said (On another subject) about 12 months back, here somewhere, there is times when you have to wring your hands and let them bloody their own nose. Groov, as I have come to expect from you, again, spot on.

Wayne: You can't "Mother Hen" these girls forever. My view is, so what if she uses chlorine by mistake to clean the sink when she should have used something else, SHE KNOWS she got it wrong, she doesn't need me to tell her and she sure as hell doesn't need me hovering around telling her, you should do it this way or that way. Keep an eye on what is happening (from a distance) and throw the odd suggestion here or there but basically shut up and be there if needed.

shut up if, for instance, she wants to take a perfectly fresh, well-marbled, beautiful ribeye steak and smash it to pulp with a meat tenderizer prior to grilling it

Or wash the poor thing in water...................................

Or if she does like mine did her first week here, look at a nice ribeye, say, "This is way too much for one person." and proceed to cut it up into small pieces for soup.

LOL, yeah been through that one too. "We" now understand there is several grades of steak available and some are NOT for soup.

OK guys and KenC in particular, here's a laugh at my expense. Monday evening is supermarket evening, the ONE and ONLY time I am prepared to go near the supermarket. Sometime back here, we discussed my buying several and her buying one of different items. KenC wished me good luck on changing that one. Well it seems there must be some Irish in me somewhere because last evening, we had not one, but 5 different, quite animated discussions in various supermarket isles because she wanted two or more of a particular item, so of course I argued strongly in favour of only one.

I/O

[groovlstk]

I think I said (On another subject) about 12 months back, here somewhere, there is times when you have to wring your hands and let them bloody their own nose. Groov, as I have come to expect from you, again, spot on.

Thanks I/O, wish I could say I had this knowledge beforehand to avoid some grief, not after the tears 

Or wash the poor thing in water...................................

LOL, yeah been through that one too. "We" now understand there is several grades of steak available and some are NOT for soup.

You know, I MIGHT have overlooked the meat tenderizing part, but when she dipped the mushy red mess in breadcrumbs, I couldn't hold back 

[KenC]

Groov,
Just buy her a couple of cheap pork tenderloins and let her have at it!
Hide the good meat out of sight!

I/O,
What do you boys downunder call it? arsehole?
Keep it up and you'll be a bachelor again soon.
KenC

[SANDRO43]

You should not allow your wife or Fiancee to experiment with various household cleaners. Oven cleaner has harsh chemicals that are poisen.  You should never use it on pots and pans no matter how great it works.  Better to buy new pans! Toilet bowl cleaner and brush would also cleans old pans, but no one would do that, I hope! If you have a smooth, glass top range, use only the cleaners made for that purpose. Stainless steel and Copper take special cleaners. One simple and safe cleaner for that teapot is white vinigar.  The stains are from the Calcium in your water. Wood floors take a special cleaner.  If you have granite counter tops or anything marble, using the wrong cleaner will destroy them!

Calcium carbonate (CaCO₃, aka lime, limestone, calcite, etc.) is always present in aqueduct water, to a greater or lesser extent (the oldest test for water hardness consisted in adding a measured quantity of Marseilles soap, those yellow bars once used for washing clothes, shaking the lot and measuring the resulting foam height: the lower its level, the harder the water ). It forms deposits of crystals wherever water flows, from bothersome sediments in washing machines to beatiful stalactites and stalagmites in dark caverns.

It's a salt resulting in theory from the combination of Calcium with Hydrocarbonic Acid (H₂CO₃), a weak acid which seldom occurs naturally since it tends to decompose into H₂O (water) and CO₂ (carbon dioxide). As such, its salts can be easily decomposed by stronger acids, found in many familiar acidic compounds:

- Vinegar (acetic acid)
- Lemon juice (citric acid)
- Bleach (hypochloric acid, also used as pool disinfectant)
- Muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid)

Their effectiveness is a function of their acidic concentration (pH), and can be estimated by observing the flow of CO₂ bubbles produced, a trickle in the weaker cases, a violent froth with muriatic acid.

Of course, they should be used to remove calcium deposits from acid-resistant surfaces only, such as glass, ceramics, stainless steel (not a coincidence that these materials are ubiquitous in chemical labs ).

They can be applied sparingly to marble, itself a metamorphic form of limestone (its crystalline lattice being more compact and stronger, having formed under high pressures), and more freely to granite, consisting mostly of silicates.

[Simoni]

Or if she does like mine did her first week here, look at a nice ribeye, say, "This is way too much for one person." and proceed to cut it up into small pieces for soup.

This is SO funny :-) LOL

[Gator]

Stainless steel and Copper take special cleaners.

Being an American does not prevent us from doing something stupid.  Many years ago I was working in the kitchen intently at the counter on some homeowner project.  My AW wife sliced some celery sticks to munch on as a snack, and she then returned to cleaning her copper pans. 

I had a few celery sticks and then complained to my wife that the green dipping sauce was not good, and too hot even for wasabi.  She looked at me in horror and screamed "Stop!" - I had been dipping the celery in an open container of copper cleaner.

We frantically called the poison center.  They kept asking, "How old is the child?" and I kept saying "42", to which they asked, "Did you say 4 or 2?"

I survived it without any problems, but I would not recommend it as a substitute for wasabi, even if they look the same.

Can a RW do any worse?

[I/O]

I/O,
What do you boys downunder call it? arsehole?
Keep it up and you'll be a bachelor again soon.
KenC

Lol, she suggested something along those lines the other day and my response........"You have a sister don't you"? The counter response......................................go figure.

I/O

[mischief]

Being an American does not prevent us from doing something stupid.  Many years ago I was working in the kitchen intently at the counter on some homeowner project.  My AW wife sliced some celery sticks to munch on as a snack, and she then returned to cleaning her copper pans. 

I had a few celery sticks and then complained to my wife that the green dipping sauce was not good, and too hot even for wasabi.  She looked at me in horror and screamed "Stop!" - I had been dipping the celery in an open container of copper cleaner.

We frantically called the poison center.  They kept asking, "How old is the child?" and I kept saying "42", to which they asked, "Did you say 4 or 2?"

I survived it without any problems, but I would not recommend it as a substitute for wasabi, even if they look the same.

Can a RW do any worse?

Gator, that's just too funny!!

[KenC]

Being an American does not prevent us from doing something stupid.  Many years ago I was working in the kitchen intently at the counter on some homeowner project.  My AW wife sliced some celery sticks to munch on as a snack, and she then returned to cleaning her copper pans. 

I had a few celery sticks and then complained to my wife that the green dipping sauce was not good, and too hot even for wasabi.  She looked at me in horror and screamed "Stop!" - I had been dipping the celery in an open container of copper cleaner.

We frantically called the poison center.  They kept asking, "How old is the child?" and I kept saying "42", to which they asked, "Did you say 4 or 2?"

I survived it without any problems, but I would not recommend it as a substitute for wasabi, even if they look the same.

Can a RW do any worse?

Gator,
TFF!
Years ago my Grandparents took my Great Grandfather to their cottage on Lake Erie in Canada.  Well Great Grandpops never learned English (speaking or reading.)  In the morning GGP came flying out of the bathroom swearing and yelling in Russian.  My grandma almost split a gut laughing at him.  Apparently GGP thought my uncle's Brylcream was toothpaste!
KenC

[I/O]

Gator: Do not feel bad. At the tender age of 14 I was left to batch a few days whilst my parents were away for whatever reason.

I arrived home from school late one winter evening and looking in the freezer, decided these (mothers own making) pre made burger/steaks looked like the go and they would have been if not for.....................

Mother had a habit of leaning towards economics and part of that was using those bastard concentrate dishwashing sachets. She loaded them in used, 1/2 gallon oil containers, filled them with water to complete the mix and NEVER marked them as such. The colour and viscosity of the brew was very close to light cooking oil..............you can figure the rest for yourself and no I didn't eat the burger steaks, but they did make a frightening site in the hot pan part filled with mother's brew.

It/I have been the butt of family jokes about this one for 30 odd years now. IIRC, I ended up having cheese on toast for dinner that day.

I/O

[Gator]

I/O,  Add some gasoline to your Mum's brew and you have a Downunder version of Napalm.

I suppose the foam was a visual clue.  My problem is that the paste looked so appetizing - light green color and consistency of wasabi.  Even the container with its top off looked inviting.

Definitely not idiot-proof.  Being a gullible idiot, I should sue.

P. S.  You look so Ozzie in your new avatar.

[Wayne]

OK, what about the child resistant containers that pills and many other items come in.  Do they have them in FSU? 

Did anyone ever use dish soap for hand washing in the dishwasher?  What about the wrong soap in the clothes washer?  These mistakes could make a big mess.

Actually, I did obtain the Russian instructions for my Kirby vacuum.

Vinegar is usually only 5% acid, so very week.  Hydocloric acid is very stong and dangurous to use.  It is mostly used to clean excess mortar from brick work. 

If you are remodeling your kitchen, I would suggest soap stone rather than granite or marble for counter tops.  It is more resistant to stains and does not absorb liquids so easier to clean.  It is able to take high heat.  You can even buy a kitchen sink carved out of one large piece of soap stone. 

[myrddin]

Did anyone ever use dish soap for hand washing in the dishwasher?  These mistakes could make a big mess.

Don't know if this counts but I did that in college.  No FSU connection except I was 18 months home from Moscow.

I will confirm the big mess part.

[SANDRO43]

If you are remodeling your kitchen, I would suggest soap stone rather than granite or marble for counter tops.  It is more resistant to stains and does not absorb liquids so easier to clean.  It is able to take high heat. 

Interesting you should mention soapstone, called pietra ollare here (from Latin olla=pot), a schist used since ancient times in some of our Central Alpine valleys for cooking utensils (www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bpl/arch/2005/00000047/00000002/art00005).

analysed samples show
(1) low total open porosity (0.73–2.85%) with meso- and micropores prevailing over macropores;
(2) regular linear expansion up to 700°C, good thermal stability up to 1200°C and negligible weight loss (< 1%) to 500°C;
(3) high thermal expansion (5.57 x 10–6 °C–1 < 25–100°C < 8.89 x 10–6°C–1). The results indicate that, under the thermal conditions typical of the traditional medieval ‘open fire system’ (600°C), the Italian ‘pietra ollare’ from the Central Alps was an excellent fire-resistant geomaterial, which did not undergo any significant transformation as a result of thermal shocks.

http://sp.lyellcollection.org/cgi/content/abstract/257/1/229

[HiTech]

OK, what about the child resistant containers that pills and many other items come in.  Do they have them in FSU? 

I do not think they do in the Ukraine.
Alyona had her first attempt to open an motrin bottle over New years. She had to ask how.
Also ibuprofen seems very rare if at all in the Ukraine. I have not been able to find it.

My shopping story is in the Ukraine. Happened to watch another Ukraine women getting mushrooms from the big frozen bulk food section. 2 crates next to each other. One of mushrooms one of mixed veggies including mushrooms. Mixed was about 2 copecs less per kilo. Of course I watch for the next few minutes as she picks out the mushrooms from the mixed veggies with the scope.

And on the same food trip, I was accused of not being interested enough in the shopping detail.

HiTech