Althouse: At the Zen Custard Café...

June 8, 2012

At the Zen Custard Café...

... turn off your mind, relax, and float downstream.

35 comments:

Meade said...: Yeah - root beer float downstream.; 6/8/12, 4:36 PM
Scott said...: Could you provide an appropriate home for a beautiful 18 month old spayed Golden Retriever? She's loving but she's an attention whore (as all of this breed are), and she likes to dig holes in the garden. If you need the challenge, email me via my profile link. Thanks.; 6/8/12, 4:38 PM
edutcher said...: It's tubular, babe (if I may call you, "babe", Madame).

For those of us who have been speculating just how bad Little Zero's numbers may be, something to conjure with.; 6/8/12, 4:55 PM
CWJ said...: Truer words were never spoken.

This photo and the earlier post SO make me think of Summer when I was young. All you would have to add is a pop machine that you'd have to pull the bottles out after you spent your dime! And then put them in the rack beside the machine after you'd done drinking.; 6/8/12, 4:55 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: Oh the Zen Frozen Custard Café, be sure to wear your fro or you get nothing.; 6/8/12, 5:02 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Turn off your mind..

First I had TEXTAll night Long..

Happy days are here
So leave your cares behind
Just relax your mind
It's so easy to do it

But when I googled turn off your mind, relax, and float downstream..

Its a Beatles.. I found a cover.; 6/8/12, 5:05 PM
Quaestor said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/8/12, 5:19 PM
Quaestor said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/8/12, 5:20 PM
Quaestor said...: Chip Ahoy wrote:
Oh the Zen Frozen Custard Café, be sure to wear your fro or you get nothing

Contemplate it quickly before it melts!

I have never understood this regional thing regarding the generic name. Some places (yankee-land, mostly) it's frozen custard, while elsewhere it's soft-serve ice-cream.

To me "custard" must be an egg dish -- egg, cream, sugar, nutmeg, heat -- viola! Custard. I can't detect any difference in taste, texture, method between "frozen custard" and "soft-serve", and I don't believe there's egg in "soft-serve", so what gives?

BTW, I think this all derives from the guy who invented a machine to make and dispense the product -- mainly a tank with an agitator which blends milk, cream, flavoring syrup and gelatin and then squeezes it out a nozzle with a pump.; 6/8/12, 5:22 PM
Farmer said...: Rusty said...
I'll bite.
Ask away.
No snark. No bullshit.

I'm looking for a shotgun for home defense. Shotgun rather than handgun for a few reasons, not the least of which is that my wife, God love her, has 20/Magoo vision and can't be trusted to hit the side of a barn door with a cannon from 15 paces.

A friend recommended a Mossberg but I'm trying to figure out whether to go with the Persuader or JIC. The three main criteria are 1. Reliability 2. Ease of use and 3. Lowest recoil possible, as my wife is a small lady (not a midget). I've read that the Persuader is available in 12, 20 gauge and .410 models. The only guns I've ever fired were 12 and 20 gauge shotguns when I was a kid. The 12-gauge knocked me on my ass but the 20-gauge was manageable so I figure my wife can handle it. I have no idea where a .410 lies on the recoil spectrum.; 6/8/12, 5:39 PM
JohnnyT1948 said...: So now a Judge in Milwaukee County posts ""Can you say Acting Governor Rebecca Kleifisch(sic)!" on his Facebook page. He insists it is because of his belief that Walker will be Romney's running mate rather than anything to do with the ongoing investigation. However, this brings up a question for the legal types here.

If Walker were to be indicted, would the act of having signed a recall petition be predjudicial enough to keep 900,000+ alleged citizens of Wisconsin off a jury? Or would Walkers lawyers have to use their challenges against them? Any thoughts?; 6/8/12, 5:58 PM
JohnnyT1948 said...: Oh, here's a link I forgot to add.
http://www.maciverinstitute.com/2012/06/does-judge-reveal-bias-with-facebook-posting/#.T9H-vljuQJ1.twitter; 6/8/12, 6:00 PM
Quaestor said...: The 12-gauge knocked me on my ass but the 20-gauge was manageable so I figure my wife can handle it. I have no idea where a .410 lies on the recoil spectrum

If you shoulder a 12-gauge properly it will not "knock you on your ass", though it may make your shoulder sore after a full round of trap. If your wife's eyesight is bad don't bother with a .410, the spread at practical combat ranges means you need to have a good aim at the center of mass of your target, else you risk only pissing off the attacker. The point of a home-defense weapon is to either to intimidate the attacker or to kill him outright as quickly as possible -- one shot one kill. Any other attitude (I'll fire a warning shot or I'll shoot to wound) is asking for big trouble. Better to have no weapon at all if this is the mindset of the prospective gun owner.

You might consider a 20-guage, but in all candor if you're going for home defense get a 12. And get a pump-action rather than a semi-auto gun -- they're more reliable and safer, you can store a pump with the mag filled but no round chambered in perfect safety with no chance of an accidental discharge. Plus you have the added benefit of that unmistakable sound a pump gun makes when you rack a shell into battery -- very intimidating to a thug in the dark.

Buy a 12-gauge designed for self-defense, such as the Mossberg 500 Tactical, because the barrel is short compared to a sporting shotgun. You don't want doorways and lamps to become a fatal obstacle in a kill-or-be-killed situation. The buy several boxes of 2" self-defense loads with O or OO (double-aught) buckshot. A pellet lighter than 0 may only wound an assailant, and at practical ranges indoors the lethality difference between 2", 2.5", and 2.75" shells is immaterial (the reduced recoil of a 2" load will be to your wife's advantage as well). Then go to a public skeet range and practice - practice - practice! Make your wife shoot the 12 until she looses all fear of the recoil, and she gains a reasonable degree of accuracy. If you get a professional to help you may be assured she will learn to handle the gun correctly from the outset, which will almost entirely reduce the "kick" to a manageable level.; 6/8/12, 6:16 PM
Anonymous said...: Hmmm, JohnnyT, those are fascinating possibilities.; 6/8/12, 6:18 PM
Michael said...: Farmer. Get a pump. The sound of the shell shucking into the chamber is chilling. 20 gauge. 410 would work but they are expensive and shells are often hard to locate plus the.y might not be lethal.; 6/8/12, 6:28 PM
Quaestor said...: If Walker were to be indicted, would the act of having signed a recall petition be predjudicial enough to keep 900,000+ alleged citizens of Wisconsin off a jury? Or would Walkers lawyers have to use their challenges against them? Any thoughts?

Why not speculate about Kleefisch's title in the event Scott Walker is abducted by aliens?

Note to Allie, Garage, RV, Ritmo and other deluded recallistas: The first step to master reality is to get real. You got your asses handed to you Tuesday. So get over it! You've got a tremendous uneaten chuck on your plates as it is, namely getting Loud Zero a second term, a prospect looking less likely by the day.; 6/8/12, 6:30 PM
ampersand said...: Wow. Look at what this Mayville Wi. guy builds and flies.; 6/8/12, 6:34 PM
Petunia said...: Academic point about juror challenges IMHO. If the Milwaukee County DA's office had ANYTHING after two years of this witch-hunt, they'd have leaked it a couple of weeks before the election.

I would think that including any juror (or judge) who signed the recall petitions or who worked for either campaign would constitute reversible error. So neither side should want them on the case.

Not sure if the attorneys would have to use challenges for that...IDK much about the specifics of Wisconsin crim pro.; 6/8/12, 6:35 PM
Anonymous said...: Quaestor, your'e behind my curve, I've said numerous times on this blog that I won't vote for Obama, so don't count me as an Obama fan.; 6/8/12, 6:38 PM
Scott said...: At the Zen Custard, if you order a cone, will they make you one with everything?; 6/8/12, 6:48 PM
Quaestor said...: At the Zen Custard, if you order a cone, will they make you one with everything?

Yes, but don't pay for it with a 20, because change only comes from within.; 6/8/12, 6:52 PM
JohnnyT1948 said...: "Academic point about juror challenges IMHO. If the Milwaukee County DA's office had ANYTHING after two years of this witch-hunt, they'd have leaked it a couple of weeks before the election."

I agree with you on that, Petunia.
I was wondering how they could ever seat a jury in this state if an indictment were to occur.; 6/8/12, 7:19 PM
Almost Ali said...: I almost hate to wreck this cafe with another message about Barack Obama. Because "you" must be tired of hearing the same thing over and over, even when presented as a new revelation. But truth is, you've heard it all before - as far back as 2007, back when Barack was revving up his old-southy, gospel con - perfecting the cadence, tweaking the message.

But now virtually everyone would prefer to eat a frozen custard, preferably a Carvel, maybe a Dairy Queen - rather than listen to another minute from the... jive turkey.; 6/8/12, 7:29 PM
Rusty said...: Mossberg is a good home defence gun. There is a lot to reccomend 12 ga. First there are more different loads for 12 than the rest combined. You can get light loads in 2&1/2 or door breakers in 3 inch. 2 1/2 might be good for your wife as they kick less and are less likely to go through a wall into the next room.
My mom was 4 foot 10 and ninety pounds soaking wet. She. Was a pretty good shot with a 12 ga double.
The biggest problemif she is that small is that the stock both buttstock and forend may be too fat.
In that case consider the 20. I wouldn't reccomend anything lighter though. To be caught with anything less for the job at hand is to be considerably undergunned.

If she has never shot a gun before start out with the lightest loads possible.Don't worry about hitting anything at first, just familiarize yourselves withits operation.
Later you can shoot at targets.
Wear ear protection please.
Forgive the more than usual errors, I'm typing this on a kindle fire.; 6/8/12, 7:58 PM
kcom said...: "turn off your mind, relax, and float downstream."

Anyone gone tubing down the Apple River? When I lived in Minnesota that was a "thing to do" in the summer that brought us to Wisconsin.; 6/8/12, 8:11 PM
Quaestor said...: Meade wrote:
Yeah - root beer float downstream

Oh, I loved those root beer floats at Dairy Queen back in the old days when they were tall and substantial. Ah, a root beer float downstream at 12Mbps... Nowadays they're chintzy little things in tiny cups -- dial-up scale by comparison.; 6/8/12, 8:17 PM
jill815 said...: Quaestor said...

I have never understood this regional thing regarding the generic name. Some places (yankee-land, mostly) it's frozen custard, while elsewhere it's soft-serve ice-cream.

Quaestor, you poor thing, you must never have tasted a real frozen custard. It has egg and cream and far less air than the soft serve pablum you are trying to pass off as our custard. It tastes nothing like "soft serve" ice cream. I make the 2 hour trip a couple of times each summer to Fairfax, VA to get a taste of home at the Milwaukee Custard store.; 6/8/12, 8:20 PM
Anonymous said...: We have Kopps in Menomonee Falls, a neighboring community of Milwaukee, the best frozen custard I've ever had anywhere .; 6/8/12, 8:30 PM
pm317 said...: So all the hawks are gone? The runty one was testing its wings when I last saw him, hopping around on the nest and the ledge without the interference of the other two.; 6/8/12, 8:38 PM
wyo sis said...: pm317
There's a great video linked under the hawkcam shot showing runty flying away with amazing confidence. It made me tear up a little. I'm such an incurable mommie.; 6/8/12, 8:53 PM
pm317 said...: wow, look at this hawk video. What is with you Wisconsinites and wildlife?; 6/8/12, 8:57 PM
pm317 said...: wyo sis said...
------------

Thanks. Yes, I was just watching that and others after getting the link from the comments at the cam page.

'fly high and strong, little one!'; 6/8/12, 8:59 PM
MadisonMan said...: I don't know if Kopps is better than MFCs here in Madison, but I do love the burgers you can get at Kopps. Delightfully messy.

Quaestor, the mouth feel of custard is totally different from soft-serve like you get at DQ. And there are about a bazillion more calories in custard.; 6/8/12, 10:50 PM
AlanKH said...: How long 'till Mayor Bloomberg starts going after custard?; 6/9/12, 1:14 AM
God, An Original A-hole said...: I think you need to pay $250K for this post, Professor!; 6/9/12, 5:12 PM