Just a random thought I had...

Times haven't been as tight in the Bulmash household lately as they were when I wrote my post on the amazing long-term low price of Top Ramen (even now, Costco's price is up less than 4% in 2 years and I've seen it as cheap as 7-for-a-buck at Fred Meyer in recent months). But while we didn't eat Top Ramen when I was battling long-term unemployment, we've been eating it for fun while I've been employed.

It all started when my Facebook friend, Ray Everett-Church, posted a link to a newspaper article on the growing popularity of small ramen shops. Unlike Top Ramen, these were noodle houses that slaved for hours to make the perfect noodle broth and were drawing a legion of American fans who were learning the difference between "real" ramen and the pale packaged imitation we knew here in America. It made me realize that I could make up some Top Ramen, "improve" the broth with a little soy sauce and ginger, and add some meat and vegetables to actually make it a passable meal that my two young sons might actually eat.

The general recipe is to warm a package of frozen broccoli, a package of frozen corn, and around a half pound of Chinese barbecue pork (chopped into bite-size pieces) in a mix of ramen broth and "improvements" while more broth comes to a boil and the ramen is cooked in it for a few minutes. Because my youngest is two years old and hot broth does not mix well with that age, the noodles are pulled from the broth pot and put in the veggies and meat pan to soak up the last of the improved broth and release a little starch to thicken whatever broth is not absorbed.

It's like porky, chickeny, Asian spaghetti, full of veggies, and the boys love it. I make it about twice a month as a special treat. Even my wife likes taking leftovers to work in her lunch. One day I'd love to step up my ramen game with a slow cooked broth and some higher quality noodles. But as a quick meal that's ready in about 20 minutes and gets my kids decent portions of three food groups, it's something I don't hate, and even though saving money isn't as high a priority as it was, it's still nice that the whole thing basically makes 6 portions for less than the cost of two Happy Meals.

Got this from a spammer...

At the beginning he's "larryp Willson with the Henry & Company" and he signs it as "Mr. Rev Henry Willson". Guy doesn't even know his own name.

RECEIVED:

My name is larryp Willson with the Henry & Company Inc And i am sending this email to your business in regards to the order for some Fire extinguishers and the Sizes that i am looking for are :4.082 kg; 15.7 lb. and please can you send me an email reply back with the price of each that plus tax without shipping And also i will like to know the Types of Credit card you do Accept for the Payment And i will be Looking forward to hear back from you so that we can proceed with the Order / Payment / Pick Up And delivery Details....And i want your contact name and Phone number so that i will go ahead and call you to proceed.Kind Regards.....
Mr Rev Henry Willson

REPLIED:

Dear Reverend Willson,

We do not have fire extinguishers, but I can make you an excellent deal on some gack. It has flame retardant properties and it's only slightly smelly, though I guess maybe it gets smellier if you throw it on something that's burning.

Either way, I've got an entire warehouse full of gack and no one is buying it, so I'll be glad to make you a very good deal if you want to buy it.

SEPTEMBER 9 - HE REPLIES!

May the Good GOD richly bless you, I will like you to get me the prices of the Gack, Also i will like to know do you ship international or do i have to recommend a shipping COMPANY WHOM WILL GET TO YOUR LOCATION FOR PICK UP AS SOON AS THE ORDER GETS READY FOR PICK UP..Also i will like you to tell me if you do take Credit Card's as a form of Payment.. I will be waiting for your Reply have a good and blessed Day

Blessing
Rev. Wilson

And, apparently, he's changed his name again. It's now Wilson with one L.

SEPTEMBER 9 - I REPLY BACK

Reverend Wilson,

To ship Gack internationally, I would need to apply for a license as the exportation of Gack is strictly regulated. I will need from you:

* The country to which it must be shipped

* The address in that country

* The name of the receiving agent at that address

* The name of the receiving agent's mother or father in case he/she is unavailable

* A description of what the receiving agent looks like so the shipper can recognize him or her. A photo would be okay.

* A photo of the receiving agent's mother or father in case the receiving agent is unavailable.

Our price on the Gack is $3 per kilo with a discount rate of $2200 per tonne. We do not accept credit cards. We accept cash and cashier's checks. You may also wire us money via Western Union.

The shipping cost on the Gack would depend on how much you were ordering and where it must be shipped to. As the quantity goes up, economies of scale enter the picture.

Thanks,

Greg

AND THEN HE REPLIED...

ok send me money soo tghat buy tha dcmnM Z

SO I REPLIED...

I'm sorry, Reverend Wilson. Your last message was unintelligible.

Do you have a drinking problem?

I think he figured out I'm messing with him. We'll see if he replies again.

I was browsing photos this evening, prepping more installments for my happiness site, when I saw a photo of a plane in the snow. After the recent heat wave, I thought about how it would be snowing again in 4 or 5 months, and came up with this little gem:

When it's too hot, we want to be cooler. When it's too cold, we want to be warmer. When it's just right, we want to be younger.

Feel free to quote me.