Are People Really that Bad?

     If you believe the news, whether it’s on Facebook, national news or some magazine it’s depressing. You’re led to believe the world is filled with scumbags. There’s no denying that this world has it’s fair share, but I believe there are far more good people. The thing is good people doing good deeds or just living an upstanding life aren’t news worthy. Well, except for three minutes on Friday night when the national news has an uplifting story.
     People put most of the blame on TV news, but that would be a mistake because social media sites publish news all day long. The problem with that is people can post virtually anything without being monitored, so there’s a lot of fake news. To call it fake news is mild, because much of it is just outright lies.
     It would be impossible for Facebook, Twitter, YouYube, or any of the hundreds of other sites to protect against the many fake news post made on a daily basis. It doesn’t take a cyber expert to make fake news post look legit but just because it looks legitimate doesn’t mean it is. The main purpose of these fake post is to get a click or even better a share which promotes the lies.
     To be honest, I’m not always sure which stories are true and which ones are false, so I rarely click or share them. Even the heartfelt stories about animals or children could be fake, because it’s really all about the clicks and shares. Many people become accidental promoters of fake news, because they believe what they’ve read. We have been raised to trust others until they prove their self to be untrustworthy which is a good characteristic. However, the Internet social media sites are not trustworthy, because much of the information posted is fake. This is the reason I have trust issues with information posted on social media sites.
     Getting back to the main topic of, how bad are people. In my experience the people I meet on a daily basis are friendly and in some cases kind and generous. Am I just lucky? I don’t think so. I believe if you have positive expectations it will increase your chances of interacting with similar people.
      The bottom line is that I believe there are many more good people than bad. You meet them everyday, look around. “Just Saying . . . ?”

Soup - Meal or Side Dish?

     I like soup, I really do but I’m not in love with soup. Many of the women in my family love soup. I get that, it’s comfort food. But, I think of it more as a side dish, to go with a grilled sandwich. Chili and any hearty stew-like soup are different. They are a meal, not a side dish. Cornbread is the side dish in that scenario.
     My wife makes a number of different soups, all good, but her question is always the same. “Isn’t this soup delicious?” If she asked, "How do you like the soup?" That could easily be answered in a positive way.
     Her wording of the question begs a one-word answer, yes or no. Well, no is definitely the wrong answer, because the soup is good, but delicious might be a stretch. Hot apple pie with a scope of French vanilla ice cream is delicious. Do you see the predicament?
     Thin watery soup can be good, in some cases really good but delicious? So a one-word answer to that question makes you feel like your being questioned by a prosecuting attorney. Any elaboration beyond a one-word answer is unacceptable.
     “Your Honor, can you please direct to the witness to answer the question with a yes or no. An explanation is not needed or desired.”
     A detailed explanation would help prevent the following response. “No soup for you.”
     I believe the best way to enhance the flavor and enjoyment of the less hearty soups is the use of bread heels. Dipping the heels in the watery soup is the best way to drive the flavor toward delicious. But if you really want to ramp up the game have a slice of apple pie ala mode sitting next to your soup. “Just Saying . . . ?

Pie or Not

Take a look at this list and tell me which one isn’t a dessert. “Apple pie, peach pie, lemon meringue pie, pot pie, chocolate cream pie, pumpkin pie, moon pie, cherry pie, and rhubarb pie” I’ll set my watch. “Go ahead, I’ll wait. Num, num, num, num, num, num, num, num, num, num.” That’s me waiting.

            “Times up, I need your answer.” If you chose pot pie, you have my support. All the other pies on the list are desserts. Chocolate syrup, Carmel topping, and ice cream pair well with any of these pies. Pot pies are not a dessert. The toppings listed above would not enhance their flavor. I know it’s hard to believe that ice cream or chocolate wouldn’t enhance the flavor of another food, but think about it. Pot pie isn’t a dessert. Drizzling chocolate over any pot pie does a disservice to the chocolate. 

            Despite what Wikipedia may say, I believe the true origin of pot pies goes back to the days of yore when no food was wasted. Everything was thrown into a pot and cooked for hours. Some marketing guy decided if they put it in a pie crust they could call the dish, pot pie. Likely, the same guy that negotiated the deal with the Native Americans to buy Manhattan for $24. The pot pie name worked for many, but some us have not been fooled. It was the first marketing scam; maybe we’ll call it Piegate.

            Sorry if I have offended all the pot pie lovers but it’s better to know the truth. No matter how you dress up a pot pie, with lobster, shrimp, salmon, chorizo it’s still made in a pot and it’s not pie. It’s considered a comfort food but I receive no comfort from it.

            If you have chosen moon pie, I have to disagree with your choice. It’s a dessert, dipped in chocolate, well not your high-end artisanal kind, more like plastic chocolate, but it still qualifies as a dessert.

            If you selected Rhubarb pie, I can’t put up a good argument to call it a dessert. Rhubarb is a vegetable that is used as a fruit or another way of thinking about it is a vegetable that identifies as a fruit. We have all heard that phrase thrown around recently. I’m not qualified to answer whether this is truly a pie because I’ve never tried it. It’s just that Rhubarb is a harsh word and doesn’t feel like it has pie like qualities. 

            Your thoughts?