h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I was quite baffled the first time I saw part of a Martha Stewart show, quite by accident, zapping during commercials.

She was cooking, together with a male professional chef - and she lectured him in a tone that made it sound as if she was talking to a child!

He was just about to empty a saucepan of water, that had been used for cooking pasta, when she barked out 'hold it right there!' advising him to *first* turn on the cold water tap *before* pouring the hot water into the sink.

Why, you may ask? Because, obviously it will lessen the risk that you scald yourself with the hot steam...

Oh rubbish! I've cooked pasta quite a lot in my life, and I've never managed to scald myself. And I bet the professional chef has cooked way much more pasta than I have...

And, which seems to be added as an afterthought because Martha realized that it sounded a bit... silly? - it's 'easier on the pipes'.

Huh? Come again?

Next time I happened to zap into her show during commercials, she was instructing people on how to pack a dishwasher. I kid you not. OK, so I've never owned a dishwasher, nor did my parents, but I know which kind of stuff you can let soak in hot water, and what kind of stuff is better to just wash right away, no soaking.

One thing I did learn was 'never place stainless steel cutlery next to silver cutlery' but then, it'd never occur to me to put silver cutlery into a dishwasher, I'd handwash it. Common sense?

And tonight: 'how to turn and rotate your mattress', something that you should obviously do every now and then, with complete practical demonstration involving two people.



I've been 'rotating' my mattresses for years - single handedly! Heck, I've even unscrewed the gables from the bed itself and rotated it - single handedly...

Bah! What ever happened to parents passing on their 'useful things to know' to their children?

Is 'common sense' an endangered trait, about to become extinct?

Not sure about the evolutionary aspects, but whatever is going on has made the obnoxious Mx. Stewart a pile of $$$

Nice rant, btw

I'm afraid it's that evolutionary thing indeed. Or maybe her magic is to let the rest of the universe feel themselves ever so smart and wise.

Ooooh - that's sly, Hati... *feels smug*

I like my pasta on a plate....... nice rant


RJR

Do you know what the scary thing is? This phenomenon is not strictly US-related, it happens here in Sweden too...

At work, a lot of the time I find myself coming up with suggestions on how to improve things, or make things easier - and those younger than I constantly remark 'oooh, you're so smart' when I myself just see it as common sense.

I'm not all that smart, just sensible, OK?

Common sense says that *of course* it's easier to do things this way.

Common sense says that it'd be more effective doing things this way.

And yet, why am I the only one to make these suggestions?

Oh - hang on... could it be that I don't care if I make a fool of myself?

Could it be because I tend to 'oversimplify' things when trying to explain them - and then it turns out that people actually appreciated me being so detailed?

Could it be that others just nod and pretend to understand even when they don't, while I'm the one to ask 'stupid' questions?

Most of the time the questions aren't even regarded as 'stupid' but rather 'oh, good point, we hadn't thought of that'...

Maybe it comes with age? Have you joined the society yet?

so how do you like your pasta???



(i'm really fed-up this evening and in need of cheering up)

(goes to be fed-up some where else)

brilliant, ti

know what? you should have your own tv-show where you could lecture people on how to rant properly

Yes, yes - I can see Swedish TV

And I think you're absolutely right, not even having seen Mrs Stewart, I often think that "common sense things" seem not to be passed down/on anymore. Don't even get me started on common good behaviour...!

But then, I am a member of the thingy

ah, yes, good behaviour. i have vague memories...

actually one of the pleasures of my life is being extremely well behaved around little old ladies i don't even know and who walk around looking rather grumpy. they light up like a christmas tree with surprise when offered a seat in a and such



(not counting the occasions where they hit me over my head with their s because they are sure i'm just trying to steal their )

You see! this is exactly why we put Martha Stewart in jail! That stuff about "insider trading" and stock fraud was all made up, it was just frustration with the level of her "advice" - unfortunately that's not illegal so we needed something else.

http://www.mrsmegabyte.com/links.html

Martha's lawyers have been busy. Most of the links on that page are dead.

she prolly cleaned them with some fancy new polish she invented