response 25 of 81:

Nov 23 04:01 UTC 2000

You can keep it in a plastic bag to keep out odors.  It would be more likely
to dry out than get soggy in a self-defrosting refrigerator.

I made sourdough type rye-wheat bread tonight.  One hour of rising the sponge
(semiliquid dough), add more flour, rise it another hour in a large pot with
a cover on it (to keep it humid and keep out the oxygen as the bacteria like
salty, humid, and low oxygen) and one hour rising in pans, then baked.  This
gives it more flavor, from the lactic acid bacteria.  Time to go eat it.

response 27 of 81:

Nov 23 10:13 UTC 2000

re#23, is it simply the weight of the hydrogenated fats, or their geometry?
Our chem teacher told us something about dispersion forces being greater
in "straight" carbon chains than in the bent ones of unsaturated chains,
but I haven't my chemistry book on hand so I'm quite possibly wrong...

response 29 of 81:

Nov 23 22:04 UTC 2000

Self-defrosting refrigerators are essentially dehumidifiers.  They keep
dumping all the moisture that builds up on the coils, so dry out the food.
I don't know about the disperson forces in hydrogenated fats, ask Rane.  I
only know that they are heavier because the hydrogens were added, but come
to think of it, hydrogen is pretty small and light.  

response 31 of 81:

Nov 24 06:17 UTC 2000

Rane? ;-)

response 33 of 81:

Nov 24 21:36 UTC 2000

Actually, our grocery section is only slightly, if at all, smaller than the
Maple Road Kroger, and dwarfs nearly everything else (bloody frustrating when
you have fifteen minutes to get to the breakroom and back).  I've noticed that
selection at Meijer is substantially better than Kroger, particularly in
categories like chips where we carry several smaller brands that are absent
from the Kroger aisles.  

The reason Kroger stocks mostly Lays is fairly simple--it sells.  The key is
keeping the large sellers in stock.

response 35 of 81:

Nov 25 14:19 UTC 2000

distributors pay supermarkets for shelf space.  per linear foot.  those items
found on the end caps don't get placed there because the store decided to put
those items on sale, they were paid to put them there.  the power of co-op
advertising and direct payments for placement are the primary factors in what
is on sale in a supermarket.  if a product bombs, it will be replaced by
another product, but only if payment is received in one form or another.  the
competition for shelf space is enormous and expensive.

response 37 of 81:

Nov 26 05:16 UTC 2000

I've heard that one should treat end cap placed products with suspicion,
because they're often where you get taken into buying something at higher
than the going rate.  Same for those floor displays that partially block
aisles.

response 39 of 81:

Nov 27 02:28 UTC 2000

re. 37
Not necessarily true. We moved things all over on th end caps in the
department store I worked in.  No particular reason.  And the items in the
aisles are there to attract the shopers attention, much like the items in the
checkout lanes in your grocery store.

response 41 of 81:

Nov 27 05:33 UTC 2000

I haven't seen endcaps having different prices than the regular location
at Meijers.  On the other hand, I have seen better bargains with other
brands or alternatives in the regular section - just because it's "on
sale" and on the endcap doesn't mean it's the best bargain.

With some items (batteries, light bulbs) it's fascinating to see just
how many different "regular" places these items have, and often there's
a different brand selection at each.  Of the two, batteries are the more
straight-forward; there's a big selection near the camera department,
then various small "end-cap" displays elsewhere, such as near the
checkout lanes, toys, etc.  Generally going to the camera goods section
is sufficient.  Lightbulbs, on the other hand, have several large
displays in the groceries, household goods, hardware, & perhaps
elsewhere - each with its own brands and prices.  I think groceries has
phillips, hardware has GE, and household goods used to have yugoslavia
bulbs.  Yugoslavia bulbs for some reason were cheapest.  Perhaps that's
because they were furthest from the groceries.

response 43 of 81:

Nov 27 14:09 UTC 2000

Meijer is *very* good at complimentary product stocking.  Batteries by
electronics, lightbulbs in various locations, and other examples I've noticed
but can't remember.

response 45 of 81:

Nov 27 16:47 UTC 2000

I have not noticed any difference between prices on endcaps and prices on
the regular shelf, at Meijer's or elsewhere.

I didn't mean to imply that McDonald's food is high quality.  I meant that
McDonald's treats its customers with more respect than many other fast
food chains do.

That may be because McDonald's is better managed than most other fast food
chains, at least around here.  Check the health department inspection
reports (as I did in Ingham County over some period of time while I lived
there): McDonald's consistently gets 98 or better.  Of course, they aren't
attempting much, so there aren't as many different food preparation
activities to lose points on.  Nonetheless, the consistency of almost
perfect scores reflects consistency of very attentive management.

McDonald's also serves far better coffee than (say) Burger King, and it
provides half-and-half instead of non-dairy creamer.

response 47 of 81:

Nov 27 18:21 UTC 2000

The potential for "near perfect" scores varies significantly between
counties. At least in the 80's and early 90's, and probably through the
present, Washtenaw County has restaurants that never break 90, which are
cleaner than most "near perfect" restaurants in other counties. We are
actually lucky to have such demanding health inspectors, although it isn't
always a source of joy to those in the restaurant business.

One thing that will cost an instant five points, and requires mandatory
reinspection, is "presence of insects." It is rarely checked, particularly
when the inspector doesn't want to reinspect or the County doesn't want to
pay for reinspection. But I can guarantee you that, with full access to any
restaurant's kitchen, I will find evidence of "presence of insects."

response 49 of 81:

Nov 28 18:18 UTC 2000

re #23: Whole milk is 3.5% fat.  I don't think this is because all cows 
produce milk with 3.5% fat; I think the milk is processed without much 
fat, then the fat is added to bring it up to 3.5%, or 2% for "reduced 
fat", or 1% for "low fat", or none is added back in for "non-fat".  It's 
not possible to buy it any more in America, but when I was a kid I had 
fresh, whole, non-processed milk a few times.  It was a different liquid 
than the milk sold in cartons in stores.

McDonald's varies widely in quality, but not as widely as Burger King.  
The McDonald's in Saline has become unacceptable in quality in the last 
year.  The one near the Meijer's on Carpenter Rd. has been miserably 
slow for years, and so has the one on Plymouth Rd.  I work at Domino 
Farms; if I want McDonald's for lunch, I drive to Washtenaw Ave in 
Pittsfield Township because it's quicker.

At it's best, Burger King is much better than anything produced by 
McDonalds.  A hot off the grill Whopper, which hasn't been 
mummified under a heat lamp, is great.  However, it's very unlikely 
you'll get anything at it's best from Burger King.