Good move, buyer. I would cancel a showing for any house in an HOA. Have never lived in one of those.
I agree much of good fantasy is sci fi (all the Robin Hobb, most of Ian McDonald) but will counter with:
Almost anything by Patricia McKillip
Kushiel's Dart/Chosen/Avatar
Some good fantasy is built around relationships or horror, not just focused on a technology. I also just finished The Lies of Locke Lamora, and while there is fantastical tech in it (alchemy, mages) it's certainly not mainly about that, and doesn't explore it much. And was very good.
So I don't know if your idea is unpopular, as there's a large overlap between science fiction enjoyers and fantasy enjoyers, including me - but I can and do enjoy fantasy stories that are not mostly exploration of a technology.
Which is the after?
Oh you might want to try Real Licorice. I like all of it really, even good & plentys candy but the ones that are less sweet do have much more of a molasses taste and less of an aniseed taste. None of them taste like actual licorice root, a good thing IMO, though it does make me wonder why it's called licorice.
I don't think you are alone in your dislike at all - I make a Halloween cocktail I call Black Jellybean and warn people - it's polarizing, nobody likes it, they either love it or hate it. When I was creating it my first thought was molasses and whiskey but oof that was foul - I ended up much lighter and tooth shattering sweet with cream soda, vodka, and sambucca and it does taste just like a black jellybean.
Fiddleheads are so good but we can't get them down here :(
I think technically I'm picky but just have a very long list of likes and very very short list of dislikes. Baked beans and sweet red beans - yuck, beans should not be sweet. I don't like ham, and don't like ketchup, will not eat things with perceptible ketchup (sunk deep in as an ingredient it's ok but I sub gochujang if cooking something myself). So I understand dislikes it just seems so limiting to have only a small set of likes and an unadventurous approach.
Licorice tastes like socks but fennel tastes good? Those flavors are so close. How do you feel about molasses?
Our boss got us Vietnamese food for lunch last week and one of the AP people was just going around the table saying "oh, no, I don't like tofu, oh no I don't like the noodles oh no I don't like those buns oh no I don't like those wraps" in a very judgemental sounding voice, I think they ended up with a plate of white rice.
Have never noticed what they eat for lunch but now I am wondering.
I do think a good palate is something you have to learn, and enjoying flavors and textures is something I taught my kids and something I value but:
Some people are supertasters and can't handle anything strong - it's like living with a bunch of hard of hearing people who yell so they can hear each other, but it hurts your ears.
And some people did not get exposed to new textures and flavors at the right time when they were young, that's the fault of their parents.
And I don't think anyone likes everything, if they do I would wonder if they even liked food or just didn't care. But I'm trying to think of something I wouldn't at least try? I guess if it smelled bad or looked extremely unappetizing I'd pass. I can imagine rare steak falling into "unappetizing looking" for someone. Not me, but someone.
Also - I have a coworker who likes and is knowledgeable about wine but so picky and limited with food, he went to Japan and ate chicken tenders! So we had a challenge last year - I said I would try wines to find some I like if he would try new foods to find some he likes. I won but he did find several new vegetables that he had never eaten but likes now. So sure sometimes it is simply unfamiliarity.
I think it involves first making mango wine and then distilling it & I'm not even sure how much of the flavor would come through after all that. I've never tried to distill anything, it seems fussy.
For the punch I am considering tepache de mango, because it would lend a persistent carbonation and can ferment it until it's pretty dry.
One day sourdough is not sour, and still easier than using commercial yeast. When I'm making sandwich bread I do it in a condensed timeline and the starter just works like a more robust version of yeast. You don't have to make "the sourdough" as my kids call it (they ask for it because they like it but I do understand y'all's preference.)
I use my starter to make bread, cinnamon rolls, donuts, once a puff pastry that was so annoying to make but maybe the best thing I've ever tasted. I just don't buy yeast anymore.
So, I saw this recipe that inspired me.
https://punchdrink.com/recipes/green-mango-martini/
But don't have mango eau de vie and not about to make it, and I think as written it would be too sweet for my palate. And of course everything needs ice here in the summer. I did make the green mango tequila.
So far I can vouch for tequila, green mango and sauternes - it's a surprisingly good combination.
This is:
2.5 oz green mango infused tequila
1 oz Sauternes wine
.75 oz lemon
.25 oz Giffard Apricot (because I have no mango liqueur right now and did you hear Chinola is making a Guava liqueur? I am excited for that.)
Squirt of honey.
Shaken with ice.
My thoughts - the green mango tequila is tart and I think the lemon sort of muddies the flavor. I would try this again with more Sauternes and a splash of mango liqueur, leave out the honey and if it was too sweet adjust with citric or malic acid not lemon.
I would also like to try the green mango tequila with ginger beer but not today, this is a one and done.
And I was thinking to convert the recipe into a punch or sangria, a pitcher cocktail using a whole bottle of Sauternes, but I think that it might need to go in a different direction. Again, I do love the combination of the green mango with the Sauternes, and tequila - the main flavor combo is good. I've tried amchur and tequila - the green mango infused tequila worked so much better to get that flavor.
Let me think -
Mostly software training at work for systems they immediately abandoned.
My interior design skills languish for lack of money.
Most of the other stuff I can do gets some use I think.
I agree with service for 2 years (after high school before college) but public service in general not just military.
I get offers to buy my house, my neighbors house, and some house out in the suburbs belonging to someone named Daisy.
I have had this phone number for decades.
It is sometimes phishing I think, just to see if you will respond at all.
1 oz tequila blanco
1/2 oz each mezcal, Campari, passion fruit syrup, ginger syrup and lime.
Squirt of fire tincture
Shake these together and add 1-2 oz IPA beer.
I had to substitute apricot liqueur for the passion fruit and it's really good so I suspect anything fruity would be fine. Beer I used is Jai Alai and only 1 oz, I don't like it but as an ingredient in here can't taste it, must add something though. This is bitter in a great way, somehow not too sweet, I went a little heavy on the lime but close to the 1/2 oz. If you do like beer I think you could safely increase it past the 2 oz and still have something really nice.
The rainy season is finally here too. So happy to be out here watching the rain.
Sourdough donuts
Used the recipe on Perfect Loaf, way too long to detail here but the ingredients are, for 18 of them (he always has these weird odd measurements like 101, I do often round them with no ill effect but will write them as the recipe states):
203 g very active starter 100% hydration
253 g all purpose white flour
253 g strong white bread flour
187g eggs - use extra yolk to adjust to this weight
101 g butter
101 g white sugar
91 g water
10 g salt
It takes a couple days to finish these (I start Friday midnight to get Sunday morning donuts) but most of that time is waiting not working).
Couple of notes- he says the final rise takes 12 hours but that must be in a cold climate, here in the subtropics it took about 7 to be perfect. And when he says careful attention to shaping he means it, but it's easy if you keep the dough chilled, with the butter in the dough it's not too sticky. Don't be afraid to really stretch it when forming the little dough balls, you want a tight surface all over. If you can shape buns, and your starter is robust, this is about a foolproof recipe.
https://www.theperfectloaf.com/naturally-leavened-bomboloni-doughnuts/
I can't see the picture in the header, hopefully you can. Will put below too.
1 oz tequila claro (Tequila Ocho, la mejor)
1/2 oz mezcal
1/2 oz Luxardo Bitter Bianco (see note)
1/4 oz Ancho Reyes rojo
1 oz fresh pineapple juice (see note)
3/4 oz fresh lime juice
1/3 oz agave nectar (again, see note)
Shake all with ice, pour into chilled rocks glass over fresh ice. It is delicious.
Notes: I don't have that luxardo, used half Campari half bitter rhubarb liqueur; doubled the pineapple juice because I literally just made it and it's amazing. This doesn't need 1/3 oz of agave, less is better. Finally - it was quite difficult to make one of these with those teeny measurements. I would recommend making two at a time.
At least they are applying the rules to the guys who voted for them.