Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. With summer, come visions of fresh veggies from the garden or from the local farmer’s market. I don’t have a garden now… too many pests to fight off, but I do have six potted tomato plants that I keep up close to the garage away from prying eyes and mouths. They are primarily cherry tomatoes, and the first few have ripened and been devoured. There is nothing like a tomato right off the bush. As a footnote, tomatoes are actually a fruit, but in 1893 the Supreme Court ruled that tomatoes are vegetables because that is what people think they are. There was a tariff on imported vegetables but not on fruit, and the importer wanted their money back on the tomatoes, however, the court decided despite their scientific name it was understood by all consumers that a tomato was a vegetable.
Speaking of vegetables, do you remember using a pressure cooker, or maybe you still use one? When I was kid, we had a big, heavy steel pot, whose interlocking lid had a gasket, and it was topped off by a large metal cap that allowed the steam to escape. My favorite item was filling that pan with fresh picked green beans (we would sit under the cherry trees in the back and break the stems off both ends and snap them in half) along with a ham hock, pour in a cup of water and lock down the pot. The cap on top would start to rock as the water turned to steam and acted as a pressure relief as it rocked back and forth letting off little spurts of steam. When the cap stopped rocking the beans were ready. There was in my mind..no better eating. I could be satisfied just eating a whole plate of green beans for dinner. With that in mind I went out and bought a new one, which of course they are way different today than the one I had when I was a kid. Today they have all kinds of electronics attached to the side of the pan along with a digital read-out.
Now, that is all well and good but one would think they would include a recipe book, or at least a guide on how to prepare the basics, but no such luck. Being the good consumer that I am, I called their help line to see if they had something they could send me. The first attempt, the gentleman, with a very heavy accent, said they did not have anything. I told him that made no sense, there had to be some kind of how to use/cook instructions, so I asked to speak to his supervisor. Well, I waited and waited until I was disconnected. So, I thought I would try their chat line. I registered and submitted my inquiry. My first response was something about this group did not handle any of the warranty services for this brand, which was not my question at all. So I tried again and my second response was even more bizarre, they said they did not handle any electrical equipment. I kid you not! I am tempted to write them a letter but not sure it is worth the effort or the stamp.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
“Thank your customer for complaining and mean it. Most will never bother to complain. They’ll just walk away.” Marilyn Suttle
SHOPPING
A family enters a large store. After browsing for several moments they purchase some goods and head for the large counter at the front of the store. They notice a robotic seal standing in a corner situated near the counter. It is dressed in a tuxedo and each time goods are packaged the seal nods as if in agreement. After the third purchase is made the father asks the counter assistant why the robot nods each time. The assistant replies, “Isn’t it obvious? It’s our seal of approval.”
That is all I have for today. As always, be good, do good, play safe, and remember: no matter what you call it, fresh tomatoes are the best.
JR
