Imagine this. The year is 2008. The U.S. is in the midst of one of the worst housing crises in ages. There are more foreclosures than ever and it’s expected to get worse. Two hundred and sixty or more major mortgage lenders have gone out of business. The mortgage companies that are still in business are suffering at the hand of major monetary losses. Mortgage lending is very challenging to say the least. Home values have declined significantly. Millions of people owe more on their home than what a sale would yield. The credit crunch started in the home loan market, but has trickled down to numerous other credit markets including auto loans, personal loans, business loans, and equipment loans. The banks have tightened up big time. Wait, wait just a second. I’m not imagining this. It’s reality. So, you’re in the market for some new construction equipment, but you have lower credit scores and the bank has turned you down. You say to yourself, “what do I do now”?
Archive for the 'Food and Drink' Category
By definition only those beverages which are obtained through fermentation of grapes are called wines. Those which are produced from rice or starchy raw materials are called rice wine, sake or barley wine. Those wines which are produced from any other thing are called fruit wines.
The pros and cons of chemicals in fermentation process
Fermentation was used in ancient times to prevent food from getting spoiled. Today, it is better known for the addition of alcohol than anything else. The alcohol percentage in the wine is due to the fermentation started and supported by the sugar. In order to prevent the growth of the toxic organisms, the modern world adds sulphur dioxide to the wine. The advantages of this additive are that it is an excellent anti-oxidant which can totally stabilize the wine fermentation and prevent damage.
Change is afoot in the wine-making industry. Traditional wine-makers in Europe are horrified by the transformation by science and technology of the ancient art of making wine. Vintners in Spain, and particularly France, have shunned the new technology, and it has been to their detriment. Some people think that the changes that have come about because of science are a bad thing because they sometimes have increased yield at the expense of quality. Other people think that these traditionalists are snobby and worried that high-quality, complex wines will become cheaper. Good or bad, change is definitely here.
If you cook rice more than a couple times each month you want a countertop electric rice cooker. The electric rice cooker is a clever device that is as simple to use as a toaster but always produces magical results. It’s a tribute to human ingenuity how this simple kitchen small appliance does its magic and cooks rice, every kind of rice, perfectly every time. How is it that a rice cooker knows when to switch from the cooking” mode to the keep warm mode automatically?
I’m not a wine connoisseur. I don’t even own a decanter. (Some of my married friends own several.)
But I like wine, especially trying different kinds. There are tons of resources out there to help you learn about wine. But I don’t have time to read them. Instead, I choose to learn by doing, or . . . by drinking. My only problem is knowing which bottle to pick.
If you put me in a wine store with over a thousand bottles, I either need a sommelier or a psychiatrist.
