Starry Wisdom

Entropic Words from Neilathotep

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Food Review: The Dekopon

I first learned of the dekopon almost two years ago while listening to the Splendid Table podcast. If you don’t know, the dekopon, known as the Sumo in the US is probably the best citrus fruit to have ever existed. Developed in Japan in the 1970s, it is a hybrid of a seedless mandarin and a variety of tangerine. The fruit peels easily, as the rumply skin is not really attached to the fruit itself. The membrane that divides the sections is rather soft, and is easy to chew. And the the inside of the sections is a wonderfully bright, smooth orange, almost like some sort of fruit chew candy. And then there is the taste – vastly sweet, but with enough acid to balance, the taste of this fruit is like some sort of embodiment of the platonic ideal of citrus.

This year seems to be the first year of bumper crops, as I have heard reports of them being available in Chicago and Boston, as well as having them fairly readily available here in California, where they are grown. Evidently the season lasts through the middle of April or so, and I recommend my readers make an effort to try one or more while there is time!

image courtesy of freshelectrons

posted by neil at 6:02 pm
under food,Product Review  

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Socks (again)

A while ago, as you probably don’t remember, I wrote a post about white athletic socks almost a year ago. Well, I’m back to talk about some other socks. Because I need to make a post since I didn’t get around to one yesterday.

In addition to oodles of white athletic socks, I also had a few pairs of rather nice hiking boot socks. Socks that are designed to wick moisture away from your skin, and provide extra padding in hiking boots which are, you know, not as comfy as sneakers. But the moisture part is more important, since hiking boots tend to be waterproof, which works both ways – water doesn’t get in, and sweat doesn’t get out. When sweat stays in, and you are wearing normal cotton socks, the sweat stays close to your feet, and you end up with wet, and sad feet at the end of the day. Also, there is sometimes some squeaking. Also, I’m getting the feeling that my small readership will be dropping off here…

The above is important because for the past couple of months, post ankle surgery, I’ve been relegated to wearing only hiking boots, for added support and protection. The boot socks of course get worn whenever they are clean, but it’s hard to keep 3 pairs of socks clean at all times. So I’ve been wearing white socks more than I’d like to. Well, the other day I got an email coupon for free shipping and 40% off clearance items (or such) from landsend, a company which I’ve been ordering a bunch of basic clothes – solid tshirts, sweaters, button down collar shirts from in the past few months. I do recommend them for reasonably quality clothes at a pretty good price, particularly on sale, but that’s not the main review here. Instead, I shall be reviewing their Ragg socks of which I purchased 4 pairs of recently.

I am wearing the light grey heather sock today, and so far it’s rather comfortable. The sock is a bit longer than I expected (very much over the calf) and longer than my other boot socks. They are definitely not as nice as my $25 dollar a pair smartwool socks, but they are nice and soft. So far, and it’s only been a few hours, they’ve done a good job at keeping my feet dry, despite being warm and thick. I might have to update this review tonight, but right now, I am definitely endorsing these socks, particularly if you can get them on sale – but even at full price, they are a good deal.

posted by neil at 11:15 am
under Product Review  

Powered by WordPress