Chalk it Up

Oh, wow. So this is a trend then. That's too bad.



I thought if fascinating, even a little hilarious, that they had re-purposed some food manufacturing equipment for the process. But then why not? They are chalk noodles after all.



That he brought the owner to tears with the comment something like "Chalk may be going extinct but let's make sure the best chalk is the last to go" said a lot.



I have a very small chalkboard, sort of a decorative piece of Americana (the office is full of the stuff), that is 11" wide by 22" tall. It's mostly for display but you can write on it. It's hanging on a wall.

And I have in storage in the back room a bona fide 67" wide x 47" schoolroom framed chalkboard, complete with the chalk tray spanning the entire bottom. My father salvaged it from Coontz Junior High in a charity event where, in particular, the brick was being salvaged to be resold to help a local notable person with a health problem (kidneys?). I took part in that. My father also took home a number of bricks for his own use and made an indoor and outdoor fireplace out of them. There was plenty of brick to go around. It was a yuge brick building.



The school burnt down on December 15, 1974. My brother was on the fire department at the time (but not working that shift) and phoned us about it in the middle of the night. Looking out the window, the sky was aglow in orange and red a mile or two away.

We went to the site and watched for a while. Later we learned that an engine truck had been parked too close to one of the walls. The wall collapsed and significantly damaged the truck.

Here's an assorted pack of the Hagoromo chalk for $12.50. If I could find a place to mount the large chalkboard, I just might get some. Note that the large chalkboard itself is quite heavy and it is no small matter to mount it anywhere.

Still, I totally get what they're talking about in regards to quality chalk. The crap you buy now just doesn't work well. Lots of dust. Doesn't draw smoothly. Tends to skip or draw not at all in places making a blotchy line. And the "feel" is just not good.

I'd love to try some to this chalk. Maybe I will get a small pack just to support a lost art. This one at Amazon is marketed as "non-toxic, for kids" but also notes it's for professional use as well. It's obviously just their regular chalk. As noted in the video, the chalk is actually edible.



This video is related (and also from Business Insider). I found it a bit heavy on the "saving an old culture" angle. As you said, these businesses need to make money. But there is an angle of keeping the old alive and appreciating it. It just goes a little what I think is "woke" heavy on it in this video.

But I was unaware of the types of deserts or candy such as that rainbow one. That's a lot of work to make it.

No argument with that, although I did like the portions showing the different treats and how (at least some of them) were made.



Yep. It all did sound a little too rehearsed and programmed.



Yep. That's sort of when something started to stink.



I hear that San Francisco has gone in the opposite direction. Not sure that's so good for tourism.

So in Singapore "It's a small world after all." I won't post the music. You really don't want to get that stuck in your head. We're living more and more in a theme-park world. Nothing is particularly real even as it strives so hard to ooze with "heritage."

I would love to sample some of those dishes. Have Mdm. Flu make some, pack it in dry ice, and send it over.

It's a special treat to eat somewhere that is family-owned...or at least is not a franchise. There is absolutely nothing special about eating at a chain restaurant. Some of them (Olive Garden) are passable. Most are a sad excuse for food.

That's why I like this one place near the office called Spiro's. It's owned by some chick. It's her menu. The pizza is way way over-salted (that's where I had my birthday lunch the other day). But the salads and sandwiches are pretty good. At least it doesn't resemble the cookie-cutter mediocre sameness of a franchise restaurant.

But, of course, some of the mom and pops can be pretty horrible as well. I used to go to this one Chinese restaurant just down the hill from us on a regular basis several years ago. But then the quality of their food went down measurably. Hell, whatever they were trying to pass off as chicken barely looked and tasted like chicken. Could have been poodle for all I knew.

That's a good looking plate of food, right there.

Speaking of food, Jacques Pépin is still doing his thing:



I haven't seen him on PBS in a long time. But I don't have the TV on much these days. I used to love watching him and Julia Child.

That's cool that he likes Pepin too. And, yeah, his old shows must be all over Roku and Tubi. But this one showed up in my YouTube feed and I realized I hadn't watched him in a while.

I love his confidence, his skill with the knife, and his explanations for why things are made the way they are. He's anything but an arrogant food snob (despite being French) although he excudes a gentle air of authority.

But you'll never see me chopping onions like he does.

Here's one from some years ago that starts out with:





I've never tried it, but he puts turnip in with the potatoes for mashed potatoes. And to see him carve up a chicken is to see skill on display. And it is exciting. French cooking is known for being very good and sophisticated. But I think I've learned through Pepin that the food is usually very simple. It's just quality ingredients prepared well.

I'm pretty sure there are a lot of hacks and posers out there. One would suppose that Pepin was doin' it right.

Interesting that talented people (your chef friend) are so often pricks. I'm not sure why.

I remember seeing the following segment on PBS a long time ago. Every since then I've tried to emulate his way of making omelets. Alas, my pan is not as good as the one he has, nor do I have his touch. Still, I get what he's talking about. And even if I was able to cook it like he does (the tender version...or either version), I don't think I could gather up and form that omelet at the end like he does. Still, it's worth trying to emulate his technique.