Duncan's Blog

tobacco [tuh-bak-oh]
noun
plural tobaccos, tobaccoes

1. any of several plants belonging to the genus Nicotiana, of the nightshade family, especially one of those species, as N. tabacum, whose leaves are prepared for smoking or chewing or as snuff.
   
   
2. the prepared leaves, as used in cigarettes, cigars, and pipes.
   
   
3. any product or products made from such leaves.

When last I looked, it was still legal in the 50 United States.

I can count the number of people I know who have the addiction. One is at work, another was a grad student in my cohort way back when, and a third is a cosmetologist I know in the Bay Area. I once asked the latter-most if he had ever tried quitting. He responded with a resounding, "No!" He's 63.

I used to be head-over-heels with a pothead who also liked to drink beer, or, more accurately, malt liquor. But when I would light up a cigarette he would get all ugly in my face with a high-and-mighty, holier-than-thou attitude on how disgusting the smell was. I was never a huge fan of the smell of weed. And I reminded him more than once that at least tobacco was legal and weed was not (at the time).

Poor thing once got picked up for toking a joint in public. He worked for the Board of Education and had an administrative day. He finished his work early and went to the park to feed the squirrels. It was February on the east coast. He pulled out peanuts and then pulled out some rolled bud. What he wasn't prepared for was the police presence in the park (thanks to the then mayor, Rudy Giuliani). He was swept up and hauled to the hoosegow. And they even threatened to tell his school's principal. Luckily for him, the principal was an ally.

I had smoking in my life for quite a long while... probably over 20 years. And the last time that I had quit -- which remains in the for good status -- was 24 years ago. My vital signs are within normal limits (although my oxygen saturation ranges between 95% - 97%. Never quite sure why it's never gotten back to 100%.

Today I read ways to increase saturation: grow plants, breathe fresh air, don't smoke...

Mushrooms seldom make the news. It's not a popular means to purposely poison someone (although, I must admit, of all the things I have worried about dying from relating to ingestion, I think mushrooms would be high up on the list).

So, what brings them up today (no pun/vulgarity intended)?

Mushroom coffee! Does anything sound grosser?

I like mushroom soup and cream of mushroom soup. They are delicious raw in salads (especially salade niçoise) or sautéed in EVOO for omelets. But using it as an additive in coffee? I have infused mushrooms into butter and have baked mushroom bread.

Adding mushroom (which, by the way, is as broad a category as 'tea') to the dietary regimen is quite similar to taking an OTC (over-the-counter) medication or even doing self-prescribing. I took a look at an abstract (Medicinal Mushrooms: Their Bioactive Components, Nutritional Value and Application in Functional Food Production—A Review) and attempted to see if I could understand the variety of mushrooms that are out there and what their healing properties might be. Here are the first four sentences:

"Medicinal mushrooms, e.g., Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus (Bull.) Pers.), Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis) P. Karst.), Chaga (Inonotus obliquus (Ach. ex Pers.) Pilát), Cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Berk.) G.H. Sung, J.M. Sung, Hywel-Jones and Spatafora), Shiitake (Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler), and Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor (L.) Lloyd), are considered new-generation foods and are of growing interest to consumers. They are characterised by a high content of biologically active compounds, including (1,3)(1,6)-beta-d-glucans, which are classified as dietary fibre, triterpenes, phenolic compounds, and sterols. Thanks to their low-fat content, they are a low-calorie product and are classified as a functional food. They have a beneficial effect on the organism through the improvement of its overall health and nutritional level."

It's kind of overwhelming. Needless to say, when someone from a marketing or business administration background takes something like this and tries to package it as the neatest thing since sliced bread, I raise my eyebrows with a sense of suspicion. As my sainted grandmother used to say, " Caveat emptor ! " And I generally live by that rule, as evidenced by how long I might have a product sitting in my Amazon account before I hit the SEND button.

I may look a bit more into these fungi for their healing properties. However, in the meantime, I will probably enjoy a few of them cleaned, sliced, and tossed into today's lunch salad.

"I've been rich and I've been poor. And let me tell you, rich is better!"

Boy, is that a cornball line?! But it's curious to note that both extremes of the socio-economic spectrum are modified as being unclean.

From the idioms dot come I found:
Meaning

• extremely rich.
• someone who is rich beyond measure.
• often refers to someone who has become rich by using unfair means.

Origin
The contemporary use of the term “filthy rich” is generally attributed to its inception in the United States in the 1920s. However, one can trace its etymological roots back to equivalent phrases like ‘filthy lucre.’

Several derivations of “filthy rich” have emerged over time. “Filthy stinking rich,” a variation, carries a stronger negative connotation and is often used to insinuate the corrupt or immoral nature of an individual’s wealth.

On a less disparaging note, the term “filthy loaded” serves as another alternative. This iteration of the phrase is often used in a lighter context. It carries a less harsh critique of the individual’s wealth.

Filthy Rich first appeared in print in an Ohio newspaper, The Lima News, published in February 1929. The article criticized the exploitative, get-rich-quick attitudes prevalent during the economic crash. Some were benefiting from those who had to sell their homes at desperate prices.

Earlier influences on this idiom can be traced back to the Latin word ‘lucrum,’ meaning “gain,” and the related term “filthy lucre,” found in (1 Timothy 3:8).

In and around the 1400s, the word lucre meant money or riches, but pointed to it negatively. The filthy part of this expression points out something that has been done unduly. At the time, “foul or filthy lucre” was popular, which eventually changed to “filthy rich.”

The phrase ‘filthy lucre’ has been used since the 16th century to describe money gained through dishonorable means. But the phrase “filthy rich” turned this concept into a concise, biting critique of excessive and often unjust wealth. In 1526, William Tindale used it in his work.

The usage and interpretations of the idiom “filthy rich” have undergone significant transformation over time. In the early 1900s, it grew in popularity and started encapsulating a wider variety of meanings. It began to allude not just to wealth amassed through dubious means but also to the sheer scale of an individual’s fortune. And it is no longer used in just a negative way; it could be referring to the magnitude of richness too.

Source: theidioms.com

Dirt poor, by contrast, didn't get so much of a write-up.

Extreme poverty
The term "dirt poor" refers to extreme poverty, indicating a lack of basic resources and financial stability. It is often used to describe individuals or families living in very poor conditions, and the expression dates back to the 1930s in the United States, alluding to the idea that poor people often live in dirty or squalid environments. In essence, being "dirt poor" means lacking nearly all material means for living.

I belong to the middle class. That's the class that is also known as the dying class. We are sometimes distinguished as lower- vs upper-middle class. I'm guessing the lower-middle class are the ones who are referred to as living from paycheck to paycheck. It means they work, get little to no assistance from the government, and have to rely on frugality or tight budgeting practices in order to stretch a buck.

The upper-middle class have extra left over for things such as philanthropy, eating in nicer restaurants, making investments that yield interest. I used to take in boarders to make ends meet.

My income has pretty much been of honest wage, so I guess I don't qualify as filthy or dirt.

This is where you write something about your late nights with the knife, vegetables, fruit, and metric food scale.

In the wee hours of the night, there is a moment wherein decision-making challenges occur. Do I :
* go to sleep;
* (binge) watch some old TV programs,
* re-clean the tub, toilet, and bathroom sinks,
* visit FACEBOOK, Silverdaddies, GameColony, or
* work on the preparation of the next day's breakfast and lunch?

My usual choice is food preparation for the following day. I still measure and weigh whatever it is I eat if I make it myself. And lately, breakfast has included some vegetables that sauté nicely, such as onions, sweet bell peppers, mushrooms. I also run the steamer from time to time for baby carrots and Lesure peas.

I once asked a co- about her favorite things to do outside work. She said, "I like to eat and I like to sleep." She didn't even mention sex. I guess she gets tired of it, but who gets tired from eating and/or sleeping?

The only thing about meal prep that I don't ever do is marinating. The only time anything in my kitchen soaks, is for the overnight groundwork for softening beans. A good overnight in vinegar infused water does wonders for tenderizing dried legumes.

Meal prep gives me a starting point for calorie counting. It's easier to adjust the numbers before you put all the ingredients together. Sometimes ingredients can be cut by 25-50% and substituted with different herbs or seasonings to make up for the decrease in volume.

It's a good habit.

I have always thought of it as the Hamburger Helper of the vegetarian/vegan world.

It's basically a mix of herbs, spices, and ingredients that don't fall into those two categories. It is mixed with tofu (usually soft or silky, but I insist upon firm or extra firm) and then fried in oil with vegetables and/or mushrooms of your choice.

Tofu Scramble used to be available in health food stores in pre-packaged form. I looked it up online and found a product labelled FreshJax that offers it in a jar.

The FreshJax Tofu Scramble seasoning contains the following ingredients:

• Nutritional yeast (Dried yeast, thiamine hydrochloride, niacin, riboflavin, organic onion, Indian Black Salt, organic garlic, organic paprika, organic turmeric).
  This seasoning is designed to enhance the flavor of tofu scrambles and is suitable for a vegan diet. (Taken from Tofu Scramble® Spicy Seasoning – FreshJax)

These days I'm thinking of making it myself. I used to go to a health food store/vegetarian café whose proprietor used to mix it up himself in the back. The store, sadly, became collateral damage during the Altadena fires in January, 2025. So now I am combing the Internet to find recipes for the mix and looking at which combination seems the most inviting.

Tofu scramble is a wonderful way to get protein and to reduce daily egg consumption. It's not that I have anything against eggs, it's that I am trying to reduce cholesterol. Eggs are actually one of my favorite forms of protein!