Thyme For Cooking, the Blog

Pasta with Prosciutto and Chevre; It's Time to Calibrate; and a Rant on Big!

Remember my epiphany about my blog and website looking vastly different on different monitors? 

I decided it might not be prudent for me to recalibrate all the monitors I came in contact with. 

It would certainly be prudent to recalibrate my own.

After spending the morning tweaking controls, changing percentages and generally  mucking up my settings, I decided that, just possibly, someone else had done this before me.  Possibly, said person might even know exactly what to do.

On to Google!

I found 2 sites that I found very useful and you might, also.  Both sites explain how to calibrate your monitor settings and give verbal and visual examples to use. 
They are: http://www.momentskept.com/MonitorCalibration.htm
               http://www.photofriday.com/calibrate.php

I hope you find them as useful as I did.

And may all of our photos look as beautiful to everyone else as they do to us!

Now I have some questions/observations:

Does everyone in the U.S. live in family units of more than 5 with at least 2 rapidly growing teenage boys?

Are there no 1, 2 or 3 person households?

If you are relegated to living in a smaller family unit must you throw away 30% of your food or live on Lean Cuisine?

I recently heard a scary statistic that roughly 30% of all food purchased is thrown away.  The reasons were: actual spoilage and/or past the 'use-by' date.

I can now understand why. 

I like to have juice and cereal for breakfast.  I am one person.  I could not find either milk or orange juice in less than 1/2 gallon containers.  What do you people do if you need a cup of milk for something?  One could buy a quart and probably use it before it spoils, but a 1/2 gallon?

At my sister's I was having oatmeal for breakfast.  There was a 1/2 gallon of milk in the fridge with about 2 tbs. gone.  It was sour; she threw it out.  My b-i-l went to the store and bought another 1/2 gallon - and wondered if they should store that one for 2 weeks, also, (until it was bad) or just toss it now.

My choice for juice was the ubiquitous 1/2 gallon for roughly $4.50 or a six-pack of little individual juice boxes for roughly the same price, although about 1/3 the actual juice.

Why does everything have to be so big?  I understand the advantages of big, and, when I had a rapidly growing teenage boy, I bought big.  But, surely, there is a significant part of the population that would be interested in small, or, at least, smaller.

Then I went to Costco.  May I say WOW!  Perhaps I should say that bigger, er, louder.  I can certainly understand the appeal: for big events and big families.  And some things come in larger quantities of smaller containers that could be shared...
But, if I put that gallon of mayonnaise in my fridge along with the 1/2 gallon of ketchup, a quart of mustard, and a 5 lb block of cheese, that would fill it.  No more food!
Plus I'm pretty sure that I couldn't use it all before it spoiled - and had to be thrown out.  30%!

One more, then I'll shut-up before you all start flaming me:

Does everything come already seasoned/herbed/marinated?  Don't people realize how much added salt , chemicals and general junk is in the 'herb-flavored rice'?  The prepackaged Cuban Red Beans and Rice? 
Or how much extra you pay to have someone else pour the teriyaki marinade over your chicken breasts?

At the store I used to shop at, I asked why they no longer carried such things as plain brown rice, or even the trendier Jasmine (but plain).  The answer?  No one bought it.  What sold was the ready-made, prepackaged stuff.

I understand that the Whole Foods and Trader Joe's type store fill this need in the larger cities, but what about the smaller towns?  Is everything too convenient?  Don't people know that a simple vinaigrette can be made in about 20 seconds and one can add herbs to their own rice?

Well.... Some people know!  All of us who spend their time writing, cooking, eating, planning and obsessing about food know. 

Ruth, of Once Upon A Feast, knows.  That why she's spent the past year promoting all the wonderful pasta dishes we can make from scratch (or close).

I know the Presto Pasta Nights Big Birthday Bash was last week, but the banner is so cute....

Pasta with Prosciutto and Chevre

1 red onion
2 cloves garlic
12 Greek or black olives, pitted
12 green olives, pitted
8 oz white beans (cannellini)
1 tbs olive oil
3 oz (60gr) fresh spinach
6 - 8 slices (4oz, 125gr) Prosciutto, Serrano, Bayonne (mine) or other dry-cured ham
2/3 box chevre (goat cheese) - the little cartons of creamy goat cheese, 5 oz (150 gr)
(Chavrie in U.S. Chevraux in France)
1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1 1/4 cup pasta

Cook pasta according to package instructions.
While waiting for the water to boil, prepare sauce:
Thickly slice onions. Mince garlic. Slice ham into large strips. Cut olives in half. Drain and rinse the beans.  If spinach leaves are large cut in half.  Heat oil in medium non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and sauté until tender.  Add garlic and ham. Sauté for 10 minutes longer, until ham is slightly crispy. Add olives, beans and goat cheese and heat through. When pasta is done, drain but don't shake every last bit of water off.  Put the spinach on top of the sauce in the skillet, add the hot pasta and stir to combine.  Sprinkle with cheese, stir again and serve.

This serves two.

In case your wondering, all these bits (except the ham and pasta) were leftovers from the weekend.  If you're really nice to me I'll tell you what else I made....

I am not among the crowd that throws out 30%.  Those use-by dates?   I usually give at least a 10-day grace period....longer if I still have it.

Vegetables? What Vegetables?

Many years ago, back in the beginning of time, when I lived in Minneapolis I used to shop at a 'high-end' supermarket.  There were chandeliers in the frozen food aisle and a gift shop selling Baccarat Crystal. 

It started out as a special occasion treat.  I'd go there for dinner party or holiday shopping because the selection was wonderful and the produce was better than anywhere else.  As my salary increased so did my trips to this market until, eventually, that was where I did all my shopping. 

The friend that I am staying with decided to host a small dinner party; not in my honor but to take advantage of my presence: I was to do the cooking!  To say she doesn't cook is a gross understatement.  We planned the menu and I agreed to do the shopping (as she wouldn't recognize half the stuff I wanted).

I set off to my old, favorite store.  First stop, Arborio rice for the risotto.  There were at least a million packages of 'just add water' flavors of every kind of rice dish imaginable.  Plain, old rice - the kind you have to actually cook?  Nope!  I found a few bags of organic brown rice, some regular 'rice', and that was about it.  No Jasmine, Basmati, Aborio, Carnaroli, brown Basmati.  In short: nothing of interest. 

On to produce.  Huge displays of oranges, neatly laid out in rows; lovely apples, also arranged attractively; miles of packaged baby carrots, baby spinach, baby romaine (what is it about size here?  Tiny vegetables and monstrous sweets?  Are they afraid to let the vegetables grow up?). 

The produce manager asked if he could help me find something.  I said, yes: vegetables.  He pointed to the long aisle of pre-packaged salad greens.  I explained that I was looking for actual vegetable still in their original form.  He apologized, said he might have a cauliflower in the back.  I asked him why, in spring, there were no peas or favas or fresh spinach, etc.  He said: demographics.  Their clients were very happy to pay more money for less variety, less interesting, less fresh food as long as they didn't have to do any work.  (Actually, I said that last part)

So far I had an empty basket.  On to the bakery.  They'd always had a lovely bakery.  I wasn't planning on a dessert, just a few Petit Four's to have with coffee. Did they have them?  Of course.  Each one was roughly a 4 inch cube (10cm).  Not very petite!  I may have made this comment out loud.  (I repeat: tiny vegetables; monstrous sweets) I was asked where I was from.  I explained that I live in France.  The response was:  Well, this is America.  We do things big here! 

I bought 2 brownie-type bars and cut each one in fourths.  (We didn't eat it all.)

I left the lovely store and headed out to the co-op.  I even had my own shopping bag that I brought with me from France (HyperU).  It was heaven!  Still no grown-up carrots but lovely leeks; bulk rice in every form and from every country imaginable, as well as grains, etc.; real goat's milk cheese; Greek yogurt; I had found my store!  Plus, everyone was friendly and so very helpful.

After talking with other friends I now understand that there are 2 types of shopper/stores here:  frantic feeders who pay more for less at the fancy stores and serious eaters who pay less for more at the co-op stores. 

I know which group I'm in! 

I am absolutely amazed, where ever you shop, at how expensive food is here!  All of you American foodie/cook/bloggers have my sympathy for the prices and my amazement and awe that you manage to eat so very well.  Oh yeah, been to Trader Joe's..... Lucky you!

The dinner party?  If I may humbly say: it was lovely.  The guests were convivial, the food good and the ambiance perfect.  a good time was had by all!

No Good Deed Shall Go Unpunished

Don't you hate it when you really, really try to do the right thing and someone won't let you?

Early in my career I was told that 25% of humans are basically honest, 25% basically dishonest and the remaining 50% as honest as the system or culture forces them to be.

I like to think of myself as one of the honest ones. 

Have you had the experience of being 'over-changed'?  The cashier gives you too much money back?  Usually I'm so astounded by the fact that, by the time I've re-done the math in my head, I'm out the door.  If it's a large amount, I go back (the guilt gets to me, every time).  If it's small, I probably ignore it - the hassle not being worth it to either of us.  One has to factor in that the cashier most likely can't do the math anyway.  Plus in France the customer is never right.

I went shopping with my sister the day before Christmas (yah, I know).  We went to a cute, little gift shop that was not at all busy, considering.  Amongst other things we found electric candles.  My mother loves candles but lives in an Assisted Living apartment.  They had recently banned the burning of real candles so these were just perfect.  They were $9.99 each. 

The cashier, it appeared, had left her Christmas Spirit at home, or maybe just ran out of it, but was still reasonably pleasant.  My sis and I chatted for a minute as we set the candles down and decided we would split the cost.  She gave her other purchases to the cashier and paid.  We continued to chat.  Then the cashier interrupted us (nicely) and said "That will be $18.68". 

Sis, confused for a minute, said "Oh, I thought I'd paid you".  The cashier said "for the candles".  I said "That's not right..." (ever the diplomat).  A brief argument ensued, me trying to point out that it couldn't possibly be right - 3 candles, 9.99 each  does not equal $18.68.  Half of 3 candles for 9.99 does not equal 18.68.  Nothing equals 18.68!  Even a math idiot ought to be able to figure that one out! 

I remained polite - I figured she would be so embarrassed when she finally had the 'eureka' moment that I didn't want to exacerbate the problem by being patronizing.  She absolutely refused to listen; just shook her head and repeated the figure.  Finally she started getting angry to the point I thought she would have us thrown out!  It was either pay up or leave without the candles....NOW!.  We paid.

For the next 15 minutes I'm doing math in my head....and doing it again.  Could she have only rung up 2?  $19.98, no that wasn't it.  Maybe she had read the number upside down: 6.66 x3 ...no, that was, weirdly, $19.98, too.  What about a sale?  25% off?  Nope.  50%?  No.  One third off?  No.  Two thirds?  Not that either.  I love puzzles but I hate to not be able to solve them.  With the aid of a calculator I finally determined that she had given us a 37.68% discount.  But these candles had a sign proclaiming them 'Not included in the sale'.  (There was a sale on some Christmas ornaments.)

We finally accepted the fact that we had been forcibly, knowingly cheated in reverse.  It was a very strange feeling.  We tried to do the right thing; disrupted the shop and made another person angry in the process.  Sis probably had to excuse my behavior next time she went in (She lives in France...)

It's true: 'No good deed shall go unpunished'.

The troll in the photo?  Just thought he was cute.  He was made by a small company that carves carousel animals and figures in my hometown. 

What, No Guns in the Bank? ...and other Random Thoughts

The usual U.S. signs of 'no shirt, no shoes, no service' have added disclaimers in Minnesota implying that people carrying concealed weapons, a.k.a. guns, (hard to carry a concealed crossbow) are not welcome in most places of business.  I think that rather takes the fun out of it.  One of former governor Jesse "the Bod" "the Mind" Ventura's legacies in this fine state is to allow regular humans to carry guns in their pockets, socks, bras, etc.  It was pointed out (quite vehemently, I might add) that not just ANYONE can get permission to do this.  This, naturally, makes me want to see if I could (being 'not just anyone').  Does give one pause in a crowd.....

Along with gun-toting, the locals have taken to dropping Mentos into cola bottles to watch the eruptions.  Apparently it has become quite the thing and there are lots of videos, websites, etc.
Seems like the waste of perfectly good junk food....but we did have to give it a go....Notice that we used a generic cola....
There is, of course, argument over which is better Coke or Pepsi.  Not to drink, silly, but which makes the higher geyser!

Coke doesn't need anymore hype.  Collecting is big in the U.S.  If one is good, 100 must be better.  There is a whole town (Stillwater) devoted to people and their collections: antiques, books, old records, stamps, coins, etc.; all the usual stuff.  But, in recent years, marketers have wanted to bring the joy of collecting down a notch, so the average person can participate freely without spending a lot much cash....on a single object.  We now can collect: beanie babies, sno-babies,  decorative plates (in a series, of course), to name but a few; or, as in the picture, complete villages of (insert theme here).  This is a photo of a small part of the Coca-Cola Christmas village.  Price for a complete village: around $5,000.00.  That's along way from a $6.99 Beanie Baby.

And who can forget the beloved 'Walter the Farting Dog'?  What the F_?  This is new.  Whatever happened to Beatrix Potter?  I wasn't even allowed to say 'fart' let alone read books about it.  This is just one of a series about Walter. 
A new method of teaching reading with 'potty humor'?  Will little boys learn to read if they can giggle over the words?  Is America growing up and no longer making red-faced fun over body functions....naw, they're still laughing behind the (book) covers.

Last, but not least, is the picture that I embarrassed my family taking....of the monstrous Shrimp Cocktail.
Aren't they just humongous?  They are considered finger food so there were no utensils available for cutting - and no place to cut them anyway.  Just dip and eat.  At least it was all mine so I could double-dip all I wanted.... 

Season's Greetings!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Where the Beef Is....

I sit corrected.  The restaurant, 'Nosh', that I posted about on Monday and implied was expensive, isn't.  The steakhouse we went to last night is.  One can always get into the debate as to whether or not it the food was worth it....

The restaurant, Murray's, is a Minneapolis institution.  It's been around for 60 years and is home to the 'Silver Butter Knife' and 'Golden Butter Knife' steaks; the name meaning that the steaks can be cut with a butter knife....and they can.  Murray's has some of the best, if not the best, beef anywhere in in the Midwest, if not the country.  It is always cooked perfectly, carved tableside, and presented with panache.  In typical U.S. fashion the portions are large.  The beef is so good that one does try to eat it all but it's a challenge. 

The steaks are for two or three and allow a hefty 14 oz (420gr) per person.  The 'Silver' is $85.00 for two or $125.00 for three.  The 'Golden' is more. 

As a traditional steakhouse should, they also offer the other staples, Onion Soup, French Fried Onion Rings, Caesar Salad and, my favorite, Shrimp Cocktail.  Both DS and I agreed that one can get too much of a good thing.  The shrimp in the Cocktail were huge.  Not just large, huge! We each had five shrimp, total weight had to be close to 16 oz (500gr).  One should be able to eat a shrimp, dipped in the horseradish/cocktail sauce in two, maybe three bites.  These took all of six bites.  Neither of us could eat more than three shrimp.

I have lived in Europe too long.  I used to be amazed at such gigantic offerings.  Now I find them slightly off-putting.  I would rather have had five more normal size shrimp with a more normal price tag and more flavor.  I also found the service, while warm and friendly, lacking a certain professionalism I have become accustomed to.  There was a tray of dirty dishes on a stand next to our table for the entire evening and the salad my DS ordered, admittedly as an afterthought, never appeared...although they remembered it later.  When one is paying these prices one expects better.  We went because when we lived here it was always a special treat to go to Murray's.  It's Christmas, we decided to treat ourselves again.  It's true, one can't go back.  I doubt we will go back to Murray's again.  But I will remember every bite of that steak....it was that good.  I know they get a quality of beef that is unavailable to us mere mortals...and they do cook it perfectly....but when we can get such wonderful food back home in France (or Spain) for a fraction of the cost, we find ourselves unwilling to pay these prices.  If only we could get the beef...

I assume the other items on the menu are equally good; we've never tried them.  What would be the point of going to Murray's and having fish?

What's with all the Cookbooks?

Even here in the (supposedly) laid-back Midwest everyone is in a hurry.  If one hesitates a nano-second after the light turns green, the honking starts.  Multi-tasking is the rule:  People driving, eating and talking on their 'cell' phones, all at the same time, all of the time.  It's kind of scary for us country bumpkins from rural France.

When we went to visit my mother we asked the desk clerk where to have lunch.  Her advice was a new place, an 'authentic Irish Pub' (apparently every pub in Ireland has been boxed up and exported to the rest of the world).  Her recommendation wasn't based on the quality of the food (excellent) or the prices (lunch for under $7.00) but on the fact that the food was served in under 5 minutes. 

I have grown accustomed to eating in Europe.  When we lived in Andorra we had a regular Saturday lunch with the other expats.  Starting with drinks (coffee, usually), then a 3 course lunch with wine, and ending with more coffees, lunch usually lasted about 3 hours.  Admittedly this is a bit long for an ordinary lunch, but the 10 minutes allotted here is a bit short.  Meals in Andorra, Spain and France (and most of Europe) are a time to enjoy food and each other's company; to relax and reconnect with our friends and family.  Here it's barely a blip in the day; a pause to stuff ones face, as it were.  My son loves having me join him and his friends for dinner: the first thing I normally say to the 'waitperson whose name is Tiffany' is to please not bring the starters before we have finished looking at the wine list and wait 10 minutes after we've finished the starters before bringing the main course.  Said waitperson usually has a hard time grasping this routine, especially since we're expected to be done with dinner in 30 minutes.  The concept of leisurely eating interspersed with conversation seems to have disappeared.  Everyone has better things to do; they finish the meal and rush off. 

Of course we all have times when we just want a quick bite, that's why there are fast food restaurants, cafes and, in France, bakeries; but the habit seems to have spilt over into all of the restaurants.  One is still eating the soup or salad when the main course is put on the table.

On the other hand, one can get an amazing variety of food here for very little money.  Surrounding any shopping area there are dozens of restaurants which are a kind of cross between fast food and fine-dining.  One can get Asian, Italian, Mexican and American food; your meal can come in a bread bowl, a frying pan or on a plate.  It's almost always more than one person can eat, the staff is quick to bring the little white boxes to carry it out and the prices are under $10.00.  And they're crowded....all of the time.  Everyone eats out.

Uh oh....I just had an epiphany.   If no one cooks that means they all eat out, all of the time; which means they need cheap, filling food, a wide variety to keep it interesting, fast service and low prices so they can afford it.  That makes sense.   

But wait, when I was in the bookstore the other day the cookbook section had more than tripled in the past year.  If no one cooks, what do they do with all the books?  Why are there kitchen remodeling stores everywhere?  Why do new houses have huge kitchens with professional ranges?  I'm so confused....think I'll go to lunch.....

Small Town Fine Dining...An Oxymoron? Not Anymore!

In most of the small towns (and the larger ones) near where I grew up fine-dining has kind of gone out of style.  30 years ago there were nice restaurants and supper clubs where one could get a shrimp cocktail, salad wedge of Iceberg lettuce with blue cheese dressing and a good steak, fish, or lobster tail.  One had a vodka gimlet before dinner and, probably another one with.  Wine was rare.  People 'dressed up' to go out to dinner.  It was an event, not the norm.  In recent years there were fewer places that served this type of food and the ambiance, even in these, changed.  Men wore blue jeans and didn't take their baseball caps off; women...the same.  The mark of a good restaurant became how fast the food was served, how much was on the plate and how low the price.  People expected to have dinner for two for under $20.00.  It became more and more challenging for those of us who were more concerned about food and wine than quantity and price.  The size of the doggie bag was never my hallmark of a good meal.

There was always the odd place that would open, serving 'weird' food, like lamb chops, crisp-tender vegetables, tuna that was still a fish and not out of a can (FGS!) and wine by the bottle.  If they were good they would become a 'destination' for the people from the 'cities', and the doctors from Mayo (the clinic - which is less than an hour away).  The locals would go once, maybe twice.  Some of the more adventurous might become regulars.  In most cases these restaurants would only be open during the warm, summer months when there were tourists about and people were willing to travel a bit.  Come winter, with all of the cold and snow, they closed.  Usually, these places made certain that at least some items on their menu would be considered reasonable by the locals: lasagne for $8.00, a chicken breast for $10.00.  The biggest complaint would be the fact that soup and salad were not included with the price of the main course.  As a confirmed foodie, the food was good and a most welcome change.

Two years ago, the restaurant scene was kicked up another notch with the opening of 'Nosh'.  I knew of it for most of its existence but never went.  I was told it was French (international cuisine using fresh, local ingredients....hmmm, sounds good), expensive, (yup, we ate the best they had to offer, had before dinner drinks and wine with dinner (tough day) and barely squeaked out under $150.00) and the food was 'weird' (well, if the locals thought that I thought it was a positive sign).  The Foie Gras was as good as any I've had in France, the Hanger Steak with Green Peppercorns melted in the mouth and when I asked for a bit of cheese rather than dessert they managed to come up with a lovely Chevre, and a luscious double cream.  They were busy, which I thought encouraging, but no locals.  Apparently many of them had tried it once, but never returned.  The diners that night were, like us, out-of-towners.  Sadly, the buildings owners have raised the rent to the point that 'Nosh' will be moving, closer to the cities.  Hopefully they will be a success in their new location....and, maybe, even stay open for another winter... 

Five Things Mon Mari Doesn't Know About Holidays

For years mon mari and I traveled together.  Then we moved to Ireland/Andorra/France and it changed.  For the first five years I was still working in the U.S. and flew back and forth 5 or 6 times a year, by myself.  Mon mari would join me every two years or so.  Since I quit working I still make two trips a year; mon mari, every two years.  I have become accustomed to the way I do things on my own.  What I didn't realize before was how many things mon mari doesn't know about proper travel behavior:

He doesn't know how to behave on the plane.  He didn't have a single glass of champagne or wine; didn't catch up on reading or napping and didn't even eat the dessert (normally the only edible part of the meal).  What did he do?  Found the computer games on the monitor....Admittedly, it did keep him quiet for the entire trip....

He doesn't know how to shop.  Let's say that one wanted to buy a lavender sweater: He is of the opinion that in the first store that one actually finds a sweater in the requisite color that one should buy it....and leave all the other shops bereft of one's patronage!  I mean, we're in Minneapolis!  There have to be a million malls with a trillion stores each!  We have ground to cover; merchandise to finger; things to look at! There are SALES everywhere! I don't shop in France; too many things to do.  But when I'm here, visiting, I like to do it right.  I don't actually buy much, that's not the point.  One must look at everything to be sure the actual purchase (should it occur) is perfect.

He doesn't know how to behave in malls.  Yesterday he suggested we go to the Mall of America, you know, the one with 800 shops, an underwater aquarium and an amusement park in the center (see my Photo Album  - 'Malls in America').  I was excited.  Perhaps my first assessment was wrong and he did know how to shop.   No, he proved me right (as usual).  He wanted to see a movie,  The MOA has 25 theatres.  We saw 'Deja Vu', which was great....but we didn't need to see it at the mall on Thursday (a great shopping day) - we could have gone to the neighborhood theater on Sunday (horrible shopping day).

He doesn't know how to have lunch when on holiday.  Here we are, in the MOA, with 100 fast food restaurants of every nationality, 35 casual cafes of every cuisine and 10 fine-dining restaurants.  We have a choice of everything from dim sum to lobster tails.  Where do we go?  McDonald's.  Need I say more?

Finally, he doesn't know how to go to the premier supermarket in Minneapolis with a food blogger.  I planned on starting in the right-hand corner closest to the door and carefully going through it, aisle by aisle, looking, touching, drooling, making notes, etc.  He headed straight to the Chinese buffet for take-out (dinner) and was ready to leave in 5 minutes. 

Today we head over to Wisconsin to visit my family; small-town Wisconsin.  Resturants close, not for Monday night, but for the winter.  No cable T.V. and my cell-phone probably won't work.  Maybe I'll stop and pick up a video game for him.....

We Made It - The Joys of Travel

International travel has changed since we first ventured across the pond.  It used to be a pleasure....well, if not a pleasure at least tolerable; an opportunity to catch up on the reading; relax without the phones ringing; a time to reflect and to plan the upcoming trip. 

Now, it's just a challenge to be endured; something to get through so that you can end up in the place you want to be, hopefully with your luggage....all of it. 

Our trip actually went very smoothly, all things considered.  Our flight to Minneapolis left from London at noon.  Because of the new guidelines/requirements we had to fly to London the day before in order to be at the airport the required hours before flight time.  At the airport in Bordeaux I was even allowed to take my handbag out of my cabin bag!  We stayed at a hotel connected to the airport so we didn't need to bother with any other transportation; had a lovely dinner, breakfast and a leisurely stroll to the check-in counter in the morning.  We were there 2:45 before our flight departure.  Because we were early and had e-tickets, check-in was a breeze.  Then came the challenge: actually getting into the departure lounge. We saw the sign pointing to departures, then started walking to the end of the line, and walked....and walked....and walked.  Finally we joined the crowd at the far wall and slowly made our way forward.  All the while we stood in line we had security people patrolling: take your jacket off; please; only one cabin bag, please; yes, your tiny, little purse qualifies as a second bag; no, you can't take that; take your bracelet off; and so on.  Obviously, their purpose was to keep things moving but it was a bit like being back in first grade....with the nuns.

We eventually separated into 8 lines, pass the multitude of cameras, answered 'the questions' for the fourth time and went through the sacred doors into the departure lounge.  Now, whoever designed this next bit had a nasty sense of humor:  all 8 lines converged into 1 snake line right inside the door.  Even the Brit's, who are notorious for their ability to queue, get a bit irritated when, after 40 minutes in a slow line, they are now faced with group chaos, everyone jostling for position in the new line.  After another 20 minutes we finally manage to get to one of the 6 x-ray machines: shoes, jackets, coats, scarves, belts - off; liquids, etc. in the little plastic bag (that must fit into your cabin bag...and you must prove it) presented for inspection; a quick, but thorough pat down and we're in.  We have 20 minutes to spare before boarding!

In the departure lounge, where the shops are, the attitude is totally different.  My handbag comes back out of my cabin bag and every shop owner assures me that there is no problem in actually taking multiple bags onto the airplane; it's just that security bit. 

The only other interesting occurrence was betting on how much alcohol the pilot sitting across the aisle from us (we assume dead-heading home) could consume.  We counted 6 beers and two full-size bottles of champaign - the last bottle in the last 40 minutes before landing....and that's only after we started counting (we were bored).  I hope he wasn't driving from Minneapolis....I really hope he wasn't flying.....