Presenteeism
Feb. 7th, 2008 07:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
livingdebI learned an obviously newly made-up word today: presenteeism. It's like absenteeism only you do actually show up to work, but you're not at your best because you're sleepy, sick, injured, distraught, drunk, or otherwise not in a position to easily do a full day's work.
I normally hate obviously newly made-up words, but I think that's because usually there's a perfectly good pre-existing word that means the same thing. I can't think of one with this meaning though.
I have been guilty all week, with very low energy. Must sleep more. But not now. Oh, oh! That could be my answer to the challenge Raaga123 likes to write your autobiography in exactly six words!
LiveJournal Topic - Who taught you how to cook?
1. Girl Scouts of America. Mom didn't really want to let people into the kitchen, but she did let me in for a brief period so that I could earn my cooking badge. Then my Girl Scout leaders taught me to cook on a campfire. And then I spent four summers as a camp counselor at a Girl Scout camp.
I learned that you don't need a cheese grater to grate cheese. You can use a large, dull knife. You also don't need a can opener to open a can. You can use a large, dull knife. (Don't try this at home. Though satisfyingly manly, it's very stupid--even if everything goes exactly according to plan, your knife is in worse shape afterwards. And I have used knives that are sharper on the backside than on the cutting side, so things really can get crazy.)
I also learned that it is possible to cook pasta so long that although it still looks like it is divided into separate little shapes, it doesn't feel like it in your mouth. I learned that if you put too much water in your pizza dough, and so you cook it like a pancake instead of the usual way, it doesn't make very good pizza. I learned you can put an awful lot of pepper in scrambled eggs and they still taste fine.
I learned that you can cook underground by digging a hole in the ground, lining it with foil, then putting in hot coals, then put in a dutch oven full of chicken and dumplings, then put more coals on the lid, then seal the foil, then put the rest of the dirt back in the hole. Wait several hours. (I guess it's like an outdoor crock pot.) Then when it's pouring down rain and no one else can get anything to cook, you can save the day.
I learned how to make a perfectly working oven out of a cardboard box, tin foil, a coat hanger, tape, scissors, a pie pan, and hot coals. Using three coals per 100 degrees works perfectly. (That's only for outdoor use.)
2. Mom. Mom can cook. During that cooking badge period, she even let me experiment. I invented peanut butter cake.
And in the eighth grade, my homemaking teacher made us collect at least ten recipes in each of at least eight categories. I got all my favorite recipes from Mom. Mom also collected recipes from other people, like Grandma D's chocolate bread pudding.
Because of Mom, I make good spaghetti and French toast and matzoh ball soup and I'm not afraid of making pie or quiche. Also that fruit bread dough is really thick and difficult to stir. And all the usual basics, like that you can make popcorn in a pan (and don't need Jiffy Pop or a microwave bag) and that things can look and even smell really disgusting during the prep stage but still come out yummy.
3. Other relatives. My aunt R. taught me that pancakes should be served hot off the griddle even if that means you have to make tiny pancakes so everyone can have one from each batch. (She also taught me that peanut butter can go bad and that old, rotten cabbage is disgusting.) Grandma D. showed us that mayonnaise mixed with fruit makes a yummy fruit salad (unbelievable, but true).
4. My college cafeteria. I worked there doing "prep." I did already know how to take donuts out of a box and set them neatly on a tray. But I didn't know the proper way to cut up various vegetables like bell peppers. I also learned that cream cheese tastes good in omelets and, in fact, that omelets can be cooked completely through.
5. Roommates. I learned how to make tuna biscuit bake and a few other things from C. I learned the fine rule that one should not be allowed to make baked goods in the house without giving some to your roommate from K. I learned to make various pancakes and rice pudding and that ice cream should be considered a staple from D. I learned about using fat-free catalina dressing for a quick taco salad from T. And how to make taco soup from S. And that scissors are a good kitchen tool from C. I learned about minced garlic in a jar, that the flavor in gravy doesn't come from the fat, and how to make perfect scrambled eggs from R.
I normally hate obviously newly made-up words, but I think that's because usually there's a perfectly good pre-existing word that means the same thing. I can't think of one with this meaning though.
I have been guilty all week, with very low energy. Must sleep more. But not now. Oh, oh! That could be my answer to the challenge Raaga123 likes to write your autobiography in exactly six words!
LiveJournal Topic - Who taught you how to cook?
1. Girl Scouts of America. Mom didn't really want to let people into the kitchen, but she did let me in for a brief period so that I could earn my cooking badge. Then my Girl Scout leaders taught me to cook on a campfire. And then I spent four summers as a camp counselor at a Girl Scout camp.
I learned that you don't need a cheese grater to grate cheese. You can use a large, dull knife. You also don't need a can opener to open a can. You can use a large, dull knife. (Don't try this at home. Though satisfyingly manly, it's very stupid--even if everything goes exactly according to plan, your knife is in worse shape afterwards. And I have used knives that are sharper on the backside than on the cutting side, so things really can get crazy.)
I also learned that it is possible to cook pasta so long that although it still looks like it is divided into separate little shapes, it doesn't feel like it in your mouth. I learned that if you put too much water in your pizza dough, and so you cook it like a pancake instead of the usual way, it doesn't make very good pizza. I learned you can put an awful lot of pepper in scrambled eggs and they still taste fine.
I learned that you can cook underground by digging a hole in the ground, lining it with foil, then putting in hot coals, then put in a dutch oven full of chicken and dumplings, then put more coals on the lid, then seal the foil, then put the rest of the dirt back in the hole. Wait several hours. (I guess it's like an outdoor crock pot.) Then when it's pouring down rain and no one else can get anything to cook, you can save the day.
I learned how to make a perfectly working oven out of a cardboard box, tin foil, a coat hanger, tape, scissors, a pie pan, and hot coals. Using three coals per 100 degrees works perfectly. (That's only for outdoor use.)
2. Mom. Mom can cook. During that cooking badge period, she even let me experiment. I invented peanut butter cake.
And in the eighth grade, my homemaking teacher made us collect at least ten recipes in each of at least eight categories. I got all my favorite recipes from Mom. Mom also collected recipes from other people, like Grandma D's chocolate bread pudding.
Because of Mom, I make good spaghetti and French toast and matzoh ball soup and I'm not afraid of making pie or quiche. Also that fruit bread dough is really thick and difficult to stir. And all the usual basics, like that you can make popcorn in a pan (and don't need Jiffy Pop or a microwave bag) and that things can look and even smell really disgusting during the prep stage but still come out yummy.
3. Other relatives. My aunt R. taught me that pancakes should be served hot off the griddle even if that means you have to make tiny pancakes so everyone can have one from each batch. (She also taught me that peanut butter can go bad and that old, rotten cabbage is disgusting.) Grandma D. showed us that mayonnaise mixed with fruit makes a yummy fruit salad (unbelievable, but true).
4. My college cafeteria. I worked there doing "prep." I did already know how to take donuts out of a box and set them neatly on a tray. But I didn't know the proper way to cut up various vegetables like bell peppers. I also learned that cream cheese tastes good in omelets and, in fact, that omelets can be cooked completely through.
5. Roommates. I learned how to make tuna biscuit bake and a few other things from C. I learned the fine rule that one should not be allowed to make baked goods in the house without giving some to your roommate from K. I learned to make various pancakes and rice pudding and that ice cream should be considered a staple from D. I learned about using fat-free catalina dressing for a quick taco salad from T. And how to make taco soup from S. And that scissors are a good kitchen tool from C. I learned about minced garlic in a jar, that the flavor in gravy doesn't come from the fat, and how to make perfect scrambled eggs from R.