tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post116355888601724553..comments2024-03-29T05:01:52.320-05:00Comments on Althouse: "Chocolate thins blood and protects the heart in the same way as aspirin."Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163895625047267182006-11-18T18:20:00.000-06:002006-11-18T18:20:00.000-06:00Drill Sgt.: Northern Californian! It's nice to r...Drill Sgt.: Northern Californian! It's nice to run into another California expat, even if it's only in the Virtual Land of Ann.<BR/><BR/>You know, I'm in a mixed marriage: My wife if from Oakland, and I was born in LA (Hollywood, to be exact). So, yes, I've heard your exact words from my wife. "You stole our water!" To which I say, "Stuff it! We needed it!" She says, "We had real sourdough bread, not mediocre commercial garbage festooned with kitsch windmills." To which I say, "Yes, but few people on the planet grew up with as much plastic crap as I did. It just doesn't exist any more." To which my wife would say, "Thank God for that." And I reply, "Give me a little kiss. My distant relative, Peter Hardeman Burnett, was the first Governor of California." And my wife says, "My family's been in California for 120 years, and at least they weren't crooks like your colorful crew." I say, "Yes, but they weren't crooks in California. They did that sort of thing elsewhere." It's the fate of married people from either end of California to bicker when it comes to the Golden State.<BR/><BR/>Ronin: Amazing about Blue Chip. I thought they were long gone. At this point, it would be heaven to move to your part of California. Massachusetts has its charms, but, weird as it was, California will always be Home. And, of course, you can get See's by just walking into a store.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163824896536466262006-11-17T22:41:00.000-06:002006-11-17T22:41:00.000-06:00Theo: I wonder if someone is already doing a Lilek...Theo: I wonder if someone is already doing a Lileks-like SoCal blog. John Stodder might know, but he probably isn't reading this thread any more (if he ever was).<BR/><BR/>As for Blue Chip: Believe it or not, they are still in business! IIRC, they produce and implement sales incentive and similar other programs for companies.<BR/><BR/>(I'm glad to see you have your priorities in order with regard to nuclear response ;-)<BR/><BR/><B>Drill SGT:</B> Yes, I was born a sinner, but I sin no more, having long since relocated to the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. Now, who's a sinner? Hmmmmm? Are you taking <I>OUR</I> water?Randyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03071928294799081845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163816195175470042006-11-17T20:16:00.000-06:002006-11-17T20:16:00.000-06:00I on the other hand am a superior being... A North...I on the other hand am a superior being... A Northern Californian.<BR/><BR/>My memory is of sour dough, fresh and smelling of yeast. <BR/><BR/>You carpet baggers stole our water :)<BR/><BR/>For you Easterners, all land fights in the West are ultimately about waterThe Drill SGThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16394309533144027391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163730621596976782006-11-16T20:30:00.000-06:002006-11-16T20:30:00.000-06:00Sgt: Great link. Wow, does the sight of all that ...Sgt: Great link. Wow, does the sight of all that stuff bring back memories! Van de Kamp's was like Knudsen dairy products. It was just part of living in Southern California, and who could imagine it could possibly not be there?<BR/><BR/>And Ronin: Yes! My mother, especially, doted on Van de Kamp's products. She could bake if she wanted, but Van de Kamp's stuff was always a treat. I think I remember that bread, but I'd have to see a loaf to be sure. Excellent quality it all was, alas, now gone. Remember the revolving blue neon windmills? My grandmother, on the other hand, was a classic Grandmother from Central Casting. She baked apple pies every week, and snorted that Van de Kamp's made "percentage pies."<BR/><BR/>You know, we should start a <A HREF="http://www.lileks.com/index.html" REL="nofollow">Lileks</A>-esque group blog devoted to Southern California nostalgia. Having been away all these years, it's always a shock to go back. It just isn't the summer of '62 anymore, damnit, but it should be. That was the year I discovered Lost Lake (in the Cajon Pass), Sue (in my Social Studies class), and See's candies (in my aunt's living room). All memorable, but See's is the only one that's still available.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163711793105779302006-11-16T15:16:00.000-06:002006-11-16T15:16:00.000-06:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Randyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03071928294799081845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163696863354408052006-11-16T11:07:00.000-06:002006-11-16T11:07:00.000-06:00Thanks, Drill Sgt. I didn't know they started out ...Thanks, Drill Sgt. I didn't know they started out with potato chips. As a child, I remember being surprised when one of my grandfathers talked about Laura Scudder as if she was a real person ("She used to make a good chip....") and then finding out he knew her from the time she first opened her potato chip shop.<BR/><BR/>(I have to confess that at first I thought you'd found someone making Van de Kamp's salt-rising bread today and was very excited. That reminds me that it's been some time since I did a google-check and that I ought to do so again.)<BR/><BR/>I wonder who owns the recipes? I do recall when Richard J. O'Neill, former head of the Democratic Party in Orange County, bought the restaurants and, IIRC, the frozen food operation, which is still in existence, undoubtedly with a large corporate owner today.Randyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03071928294799081845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163694013770799642006-11-16T10:20:00.000-06:002006-11-16T10:20:00.000-06:00Here you go roninhttp://www.park2parkla.com/030815...Here you go ronin<BR/><BR/>http://www.park2parkla.com/030815/vdklacc/vdklacc_treasures.cfm?p=1The Drill SGThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16394309533144027391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163687921543264432006-11-16T08:38:00.000-06:002006-11-16T08:38:00.000-06:00We, too, cried all night when we discovered vanill...We, too, cried all night when we discovered vanillin was being used. (I've always wondered <I>when</I> Blue Chip bought See's.) I think Buffet bought Blue Chip in the late '70's or early '80's. <BR/><BR/>I wonder if anyone grew up in Southern California and remembers Van de Kamps bakery products in the supermarkets (like Entenmanns is now). They had a bread, salt-rising bread, that my family loved - it wasn't Sunday morning without the odd smell (some might say off-putting smell ;) of salt-rising bread wafting through the house. <BR/><BR/>Alas, it disappeared in the '70's. Half my family would kill for a loaf of that today.Randyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03071928294799081845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163651673490687532006-11-15T22:34:00.000-06:002006-11-15T22:34:00.000-06:00Ronin: I didn't know that about Berkshire Hathawa...Ronin: I didn't know that about Berkshire Hathaway, either. Thanks for the fascinating bit of corporate history. <I><BR/><BR/>Blue Chip Stamps</I>! My God, that deal must be older than dirt. I remember sitting at our Fomica-topped dining table (fake walnut tones, of course) dabbing endless sheets of Blue Chip Stamps on a a sponge (pink cellulose, of course) and pasting them into cheap newsprint booklets (slightly too small, of course) so we could get an All-New Anodized Aluminum Jell-O Salad Mold Set. <BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.lileks.com/index.html" REL="nofollow">James Lileks</A> where are you? Wanna do a Blue Chip Stamp retrospective? You need some more California in your blog. <BR/><BR/>Anyway, it appears that Berkshire Hathaway and Charles Huggins meant relative stability at See's all these years. However, my wife did return from a trip home (to California, of course) a few years ago, and announced in sad tones that See's had started using—pardon the expression—<I>vanillin</I> (hiss! boo!). I remember literally wiping a tear from my eye. We had a sombre evening where the topic of conversation was the End of California as We Knew It. Now we find out it was all Warren Buffet's fault.<BR/><BR/>SteveS: Yes, Ronin has done his dirty work. I'm spending an evening trying to figure out how to get a pound or two of See's delivered in time for Thanksgiving. And, yes, who cares about the fate of the Republic. I totally agree: Warren Buffet and all the other plutocrats can do their worst. Just don't touch See's. <BR/><BR/>And if, God forbid, a terrorist attack were to damage any See's facility, that would be reason enough for me to justify a full nuclear response. I have my priorities straight.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163638143763500262006-11-15T18:49:00.000-06:002006-11-15T18:49:00.000-06:00MAXINE: Because Doctors never have agenda's right?...MAXINE: <I>Because Doctors never have agenda's right?</I><BR/><BR/>I wouldn't go to a doctor I didn't trust. My doctor rocks! <BR/><BR/>BRUCE: <I>Actually, I can drink wine in moderation, but drinking wine is social for me, and living alone, I refuse to drink alone, and, thus, no one glass of red wine.</I><BR/><BR/>I live alone but still think eating dinner without wine or beer is half-assed! Of course I drink more after dinner. Law school made me drink a lot more. And smoke a lot more. And eat more chocolate. <BR/><BR/>Chocolate recommendation: A German chocolate bar from Wendler called Schticht-Nougat-Barren. A layer of dark, a layer of light, and quite heavenly! <BR/><BR/>I'm also a fan of Marabou from Sweden, although their boxes of chocolates have declined severely in quality...I think because Kraft bought them. :(LoafingOafhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17398399168775034527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163627573358388282006-11-15T15:52:00.000-06:002006-11-15T15:52:00.000-06:00Steves & Theo: Dark chocolate Bordeaux are my favo...Steves & Theo: Dark chocolate Bordeaux are my favorite, although buttercreams and raspberry creams are right up there. They used to make a mint cream that was out of this world as well. <BR/><BR/>BTW, did you folks know who owns See's Candies? Berkshire Hathaway (Warren Buffet's company) bought it years ago as part of their purchase of Blue Chip Stamps (remember them, Theo?). Long-time President Charles Huggins just retired this year. Hope the new one is as committed to preservative-free candies made with all natural ingredients as Huggins was. (They did swith to using vanillin in some candies a few years ago, though.)Randyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03071928294799081845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163617338643495402006-11-15T13:02:00.000-06:002006-11-15T13:02:00.000-06:00Yes, Ronin and Steves, I'm a Californian expat liv...Yes, Ronin and Steves, I'm a Californian expat living in Massachusetts, and Steves, don't do that to me! I'm having a See's attack right now! I just finished lunch, checked this blog, and was heading back to work, when you had to go and remind me! Arrghh! Ann should not wonder about hand, but about See's attacks. Best American chocolate, hands down.<BR/><BR/>One reason I look forward to a visit from my mother-in-law is she always brings a two-pound box. Hope she shows up soon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163617118185329842006-11-15T12:58:00.000-06:002006-11-15T12:58:00.000-06:00Aspirin is available over the counter in several d...Aspirin is available over the counter in several dozen generic forms; before my last vacation, I bought a bottle of 100 tablets for $1.99 at CVS. If it's a billion-dollar industry, it's due to volume, and not margin. The notion of doctors getting kickbacks from the aspirin industry is about as likely as them getting kickbacks from the Mead corporation to keep using hand-written prescription pads (which, incidentally, is a much bigger source of worry to me than the overuse of aspirin).Independent Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14559237565237736636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163611067044529062006-11-15T11:17:00.000-06:002006-11-15T11:17:00.000-06:00I've been swallowing fish oil and Vit. E capsules ...I've been swallowing fish oil and Vit. E capsules an hour after lunch in my attempt to follow the "Shangri-La Diet," by Seth Roberts, a UC Berkeley professor of psychology. Even if the diet doesn't work, I figure that the fish oil is good for the heart and brain and Vit E is good for the skin, hair, and nails. <BR/><BR/>It's probably not enough flavorless calories to work as Professor Roberts describes, but I'm considering getting flax seed oil capsules and taking ten at a time.Susiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11039064530022676850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163608469796500602006-11-15T10:34:00.000-06:002006-11-15T10:34:00.000-06:00Oh, Maxine, I'm sorry, but much of what you are sa...Oh, Maxine, I'm sorry, but much of what you are saying seems so silly that there is no point in trying to respond, except to ask if the aspirin industry is so all-powerful why is it that just about every physician and hospital use or recommend Tylenol in most instances for pain relief? And its a generic drug, Maxine, produced by dozens of manufacturers, which means that the profit margins are not astronomical.<BR/><BR/>By the way, some of the things you recommend using instead can be quite dangerous and have serious side effects.Randyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03071928294799081845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163607880338908772006-11-15T10:24:00.001-06:002006-11-15T10:24:00.001-06:00Steves: I like your idea - if has "sports" in the ...Steves: I like your idea - if has "sports" in the name, it must be good for you! As I was born and raised in California, See's chocolate will probably always be my favorite.<BR/><BR/>El Presidente: You got that right! The hospital was less than 5 minutes away.Randyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03071928294799081845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163607348835460922006-11-15T10:15:00.000-06:002006-11-15T10:15:00.000-06:00Maxine is obviously a plant by the fish oil indust...Maxine is obviously a plant by the fish oil industry.<BR/><BR/>"Anything that has the power to help you, might also have the power to harm you."<BR/><BR/>That is why, in the socialist paradise, we avoid anything that could help you.<BR/><BR/>And by the way, when having a heart attack, the best hospital is the closest hospital.El Presidentehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16810633399405341591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163605814176688962006-11-15T09:50:00.000-06:002006-11-15T09:50:00.000-06:00"I'd only take aspirin if my doctor told me to"Bec..."I'd only take aspirin if my doctor told me to"<BR/><BR/>Because Doctors never have agenda's right? Doctors never push the latest and greatest drug for reasons other than your own well-being, right? And aspirin isn't a billion dollar industry, right?<BR/><BR/>Look, if I felt a stroke coming on (and there are signs), or if I felt a pounding headache (which I never get) that wouldn't go away...<BR/><BR/>....I might take two or three aspirin.<BR/><BR/>In an emergency, which is in keeping with the manner aspirin was intended.<BR/><BR/>That was the intended use. Natural, or unnatural, It was never intended to be popped like candy.<BR/><BR/>Chocolate is a bean from the ground. Coffee is a bean from the ground. Those things speed the blood flow. I think there are better alternatives to even those. Like black beans----that's a dark bean without nearly the caffeine, or fat of chocolate.<BR/><BR/>Fish is brain food, why? .....it speeds blood to the brain, which is why it prevents stroke (fish has mercury though) so the fish-oil capsules are better.<BR/><BR/>Aspirin is big business now, but remember there's a dark side to everything. Anything that has the power to help you, might also have the power to harm you.<BR/><BR/>But, nobody thinks about that. What happens when you need your blood, to, in fact, clot....and it won't because you've now been popping aspirin like candy....on the advice of your oh-so-trusted doctor.<BR/><BR/>I was brought up to question Doctors at every turn...which is why they (and others) can't stand me.<BR/><BR/>Go make some dark black bean soup...that's a dark bean, add some red pepper flakes, and finish with a few fish oil capsules......that'll do the same exact thing as aspirin without the drug-like risks, and without the fat or caffeine of chocolate and coffee, and it certainly tastes a whole lot better than....Aspirin!<BR/><BR/>Peace, MaxineMaxine Weisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18164122931399241972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163603477317979092006-11-15T09:11:00.000-06:002006-11-15T09:11:00.000-06:00I knew Maxine would tear you a new one for this po...I knew Maxine would tear you a new one for this post!knoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13231876226573540476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163600647384398792006-11-15T08:24:00.000-06:002006-11-15T08:24:00.000-06:00This is, of course, just another excuse for women ...This is, of course, just another excuse for women to eat chocolate, as if one were needed.<BR/><BR/>That said, the answer is to eat the more expensive chocolates without most of the bad stuff in it. And, of course, just like red wine, do it in moderation.<BR/><BR/>Since I can't eat chocolate in moderation (despite being a guy), I will forgo this, as I do red wine. Actually, I can drink wine in moderation, but drinking wine is social for me, and living alone, I refuse to drink alone, and, thus, no one glass of red wine.Bruce Haydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10815293023158025662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163600259194672552006-11-15T08:17:00.000-06:002006-11-15T08:17:00.000-06:00Wow, as someone with a family disposition to heart...Wow, as someone with a family disposition to heart problems (Mom's male relatives all die around 50), this is fascinating reading. But I'm the youngest of 3 brothers, so I call my brothers the canaries in the coalmine. They're still alive.<BR/><BR/>And I eat chocolate every day!MadisonManhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01212179466758420208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163584528934032402006-11-15T03:55:00.000-06:002006-11-15T03:55:00.000-06:00MAXINE: There are plenty of NATURAL substancesThe ...MAXINE: <I>There are plenty of NATURAL substances</I><BR/><BR/>The words "natural" and "unnatural" are pretty much meangingless. Everything is part of nature. What makes aspirin "unnatural" compared with your fish oil capsules? <BR/><BR/>But I'd only take aspirin on a regular basis if a doctor told me to.LoafingOafhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17398399168775034527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163577576531611022006-11-15T01:59:00.000-06:002006-11-15T01:59:00.000-06:00I recently received a free bag of Adora Dark Choco...I recently received a free bag of Adora Dark Chocolate, a disc of which contains half a days worth of calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin K.<BR/><BR/>It tastes like any other dark chocolate, but I feel very healthy eating it because it's a vitamin.Susiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11039064530022676850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163568030529865712006-11-14T23:20:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:20:00.000-06:00Drill Sgt: And my indications were not on the left...Drill Sgt: And my indications were not on the left but on the right side (and always will be in my case, according to the cardiologist). Go figure. In fact, had I not had fee-for-service medical insurance but HMO coverage, the Internist probably would not have been allowed to refer me to the cardiologist the first time, due to the unusual right-side symptoms and an apparently clean EKG. But he could. So he did. Three days later, I lasted less than 2 minutes on a treadmill before symptoms started appearing. While waiting for the cardiologist, the nurse kept popping in what seemed like every 30 seconds to check on me. When he arrived, the cardiologist graciously offered me a choice: "You can have your heart attack at home or in the hospital. But, I'd prefer you have it in the hospital." How could I refuse so polite a suggestion? (I aged a year while there, too: in at 44 out at 45. Funniest part of meeting the cardiologist was when he said "You look great for 55!" And I said, "But I'm 44! I was born in '55.")Randyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03071928294799081845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1163566752642091172006-11-14T22:59:00.000-06:002006-11-14T22:59:00.000-06:00Aspirin is a drug. Shame on the Althouse blog.Sill...Aspirin is a drug. Shame on the Althouse blog.<BR/><BR/>Silly me, I like using things in the manner for which they were intended. Aspirin was never intended to be a vitamin.<BR/><BR/>The risks are potential ruin to the lining of the stomach, stomach upsets, bleeding problems....<BR/><BR/>People take aspirin for blood clots. It stops the blood from clotting, but think about it:<BR/><BR/>If you cut yourself, don't you WANT the blood to clot, in that case?<BR/><BR/>Yet, you've been popping Aspirin like vitamins, you're increasing your chances of bleeding to death.<BR/><BR/>Bloody noses. There are times when you need the blood to clot, Aspirin interferes with that.<BR/><BR/>Aspirin is a billion dollar industry, and they've been very clever on getting Doctors (kick-backs) and adversting promotion.<BR/><BR/>There are plenty of NATURAL substances which increase bloodflow. Cayenne pepper, fish, or better fish oil caspules....soy, beans of all kinds, spicy foods.<BR/><BR/>Don't be fooled by the Aspirin racket. <BR/><BR/>Peace, MaxineMaxine Weisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18164122931399241972noreply@blogger.com