c/free-talk-friday

Rant: Ketchup vs mustard on my hot dog turned into a whole debate

Last Saturday at a cookout my buddy insisted mustard is the only option for a proper dog, but I had ketchup and it was just fine. Has anyone else had people get weirdly defensive about condiment choices?

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xena_fisher49•3d ago

Woke up to a flooded laundry room on Tuesday morning

My washing machine hose split at 3am and I found about an inch of water on the floor when I went to get coffee. The water had seeped under the baseboards and into the hallway carpet too. Spent the whole day pulling up the carpet padding and running three dehumidifiers from Home Depot. Has anyone else dealt with a surprise appliance failure that turned into a bigger mess than expected?

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milap35•3d ago

TIL that the $15 earplugs I bought at the pharmacy actually help me sleep through the noise of my neighbor's dog barking all night

I had a cheap pair of foam earplugs I used once on a flight years ago and they did nothing, so I figured all earplugs were a waste. But after 4 months of waking up at 3 AM to a beagle howling next door in my apartment complex, I grabbed a pack of Mack's at CVS for $15. First night I slept until my alarm went off at 7 AM, which hasn't happened since I moved in. I still hear the dog if I really focus, but it cuts the noise down to a dull hum. Has anyone else found a specific brand of earplugs that works better than others for sleeping?

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taylor_mitchell80•4d ago

Appreciation post: the old guy at the feed store who caught my chicken math mistake

I went to pick up a new batch of layers last Saturday, 12 Rhode Island Reds. Guy behind the counter, maybe 70 years old, asked if I had a heat lamp set up. I said yeah, an old 250 watt bulb. He just shook his head and said 'you're gonna cook em' and handed me a 100 watt ceramic one instead. He was right, the first batch I got two months ago all died from overheating. I was too stubborn to ask anyone. Has anyone else gotten humbled by some random expert at a farm store?

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lily_gibson13•4d ago

Rant: I was salting my pasta water WRONG for years

I always followed the whole 'salty like the sea' thing and dumped in like a tablespoon per pot. Last week my friend from Italy watched me cook and literally laughed. She said I was wasting salt because most of it goes down the drain and you only need enough to season the pasta itself, not the whole ocean. Tried it her way with just a teaspoon and guess what? Tasted exactly the same. Has anyone else realized they were overdoing some kitchen rule for no reason?

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park.tara•5d ago

Went to the new dog park on Elm Street yesterday...

Biggest waste of gravel I've ever seen. They put those tiny sharp rocks everywhere instead of grass or mulch. My dog's paws were raw after 10 minutes. Who thought that was a good surface for running dogs?

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harris.uma•5d ago

TIL my dishwasher drain hose was installed wrong for 3 years

I noticed a small puddle under the sink last Tuesday and thought it was just a loose pipe. After 2 hours of pulling the dishwasher out and taking apart the drain line, I found the hose was looped DOWN before going up to the disposal instead of being high looped. That low spot let dirty water settle and slowly leak over time. It took me 4 hours total to fix because I had to re route the hose and clean out all the gunk that built up. Has anyone else dealt with a sneaky dishwasher leak that drove you crazy?

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robinson.paul•5d ago

Tried pre-salting my pasta water at 1% ratio instead of guessing

I read about this in a cooking forum and gave it a shot with a box of Barilla spaghetti last Tuesday. The water tasted like the ocean but the pasta came out actually seasoned through instead of bland. Has anyone else dialed in their salt ratio or do you just eyeball it like me for years?

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sageburns•6d ago

DAE catch a random comment that stuck with you for days?

I was waiting for the bus last Tuesday and this older guy told his friend he hasn't owned a microwave since 2012. Said he just reheats stuff in a pan or toaster oven. That little thing has been bouncing around my head all week. I keep thinking about how much counter space mine takes up and how I barely use it for anything serious. Got me wondering if I'd actually miss it or just be annoyed at slower reheating. Has anyone here ditched a common appliance and found it was no big deal?

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wendy_garcia16•6d ago

Everything changed when I stopped washing towels with fabric softener

I used to douse every load in that blue liquid for years, thinking it made things softer. Then my aunt saw my towels after a shower and asked why they repelled water like a duck's back. She told me fabric softener coats the fibers and ruins absorbency. Switched to just vinegar in the rinse cycle about 2 months ago. Now my towels actually dry me off. Has anyone else had a laundry habit they thought was right but turned out totally backwards?

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zarar75•6d ago

Had the worst day of my teaching career last Wednesday

Three kids got into a fight during my 5th period class, and I had to break it up before security showed up. The principal said I handled it fine, but I keep replaying those 10 seconds in my head. Anyone else ever deal with something like this in a classroom?

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jamierodriguez•7d ago

Last Thursday was legit the worst work day I've had in years

Honestly I don't know what happened but last Thursday was just a total mess from start to finish. I had three big deadlines all due by 5pm and my laptop decided to update Windows right when I was in the middle of saving a file. Then the office coffee machine broke and I had to run to the gas station for a cup that tasted like burnt plastic. To top it all off my boss scheduled a last minute meeting at 4:30 and I had to explain why two reports weren't done. By the time I got home I just sat in my car for like 10 minutes not wanting to move. Has anyone else had a day that felt like the universe was just out to get them for no reason?

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rivera.simon•8d ago

Just realized I've been reheating leftovers wrong my whole life

I always microwaved my pizza slices for like 60 seconds straight and they came out soggy every time. Last week my roommate threw a slice in a dry skillet on the stove for 4 minutes and it came out crispy on the bottom and melty on top. Has anyone else found a simple trick that made a big difference in how their food tastes?

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wood.zara•12d ago

Found a box of mix tapes from high school in my parents' basement yesterday

I popped one in the ancient cassette deck I still keep around and the first song was a scratchy recording of a local band my friend paid $50 to record at a studio that's now a mattress store. Made me miss the sound of actual tape hiss and the effort it took to make a mixtape for someone.

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