Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with traditional

What are the pans used for Moroccan shortbread cookies?

Houstonian — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:13:20 -0800

Please help me find a specialized cookie pan/sheet/mold, used for shortbread cookies in Morocco. I'm asking this question for a friend. Her mother in Morocco makes a traditional shortbread cookie, and uses a special pan to make them. My friend would like to give her mother some more of these pans, but finding them proves difficult. This is what I know:

The cookies are baked on a metal cookie sheet that has indentations, similar to the cookie sheets used for madeleine cookies.

The shape of the indentations are round (not shell-shaped, like with madeleines) with a design on the bottom.

The cookies are approximately the same size as madeleines (in diameter and also in thinness).

The pan is square, and makes 12 cookies.

Shortbread cookies in Morocco used to always be cooked in one of these pans, but this has stopped in recent years.

The cookies are called sablé, which I believe is French for "sandies" but I could have that wrong. They are not filled or frosted.

I thought the pan might be a double-duty sort of thing that is a ma'amoul mold and pan in one, but I've asked and it is not.

We would love to find one of these pans, or at least a official name for the pan that would help us better find them.

I guess I'm a 400 year old otaku.

lilnublet — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:16:21 -0800

There's something about an Edo period setting. Recommend to me some [more] books/movies/anime/video games. I don't even know what it is... the clothing? The artwork? Music? Social rules? General atmosphere? The romance of it all maybe? There's a certain look and feel that goes along with media set in this period and I can't put my finger on it but I love it. Maybe "Edo period" isn't even describing what enchants me... maybe the hive mind can help?

Here are things that I've liked that all seem to fall into this category:

Seven Samurai
Yojimbo
Zatoichi (the recent-ish movie)
Okami
Muramasa Demon Blade
Samurai Champloo

I'm a huge reader (although you'd never guess it from this list), so book recommendations are particularly appreciated. If there are any other games with this kind of feel I have access to a wii, 360, ps2, and a mac.

postscript: In reading this before posting I'm wondering if what I like is that setting with a modern spin? Example: I can casually appreciate ukiyoe but I have this kozyndan print hanging in my hall because I love love love it.

Any Halusky in Chicago?

Bengston — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:44:09 -0800

Any Halusky in Chicago? Does anyone know any Czech/Slovak places in Chicago where you can get halusky? All of my googling has presented me with very little even though I know that Chicago once had a ripe Czech population.

Recipe for truly succulent, traditional Jewish brisket?

roxie110 — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:01:41 -0800

How do you make truly tender, succulent Jewish-style brisket? I've had a craving for brisket-like-my-grandmother-used-to-make for about a year now. I finally got the meat and my mother's recipe and cooked it today. The taste is great and the thin end of the meat turned out close to what I was hoping for; the thick end is cooked through but not moist and falling apart like brisket in my world should be, and when I stick a fork in it gives a lot of resistance. I don't know if I over- or undercooked it. I should mention that my "dutch oven" (really a stockpot) was too narrow so I used a Calphalon deep covered 13" nonstick skillet instead--maybe a big mistake? I am such a brisket novice.

Below is a quick recap of how I cooked it. I've looked up a ton of recipes but each one is slightly different, and life's too short to try every one. My question is this: who has a foolproof (mostly) recipe for truly tender, traditional Jewish brisket!? And just as important, how do you know how long to cook it and when it's done? (Can you overcook a brisket, as long as there's still liquid in the pan?)

Recipe I used for half a first-cut brisket, about 3 pounds, fat trimmed:
Preheat oven to 350. Place thickly sliced onions, carrots, and a couple chopped garlic cloves in bottom of Dutch oven. Rub ketchup, ground pepper, paprika, and one envelope onion soup mix on all surfaces of brisket. Add liquid to 3/4 inches deep (I used 1.5 cans low-sodium beef broth; most of liquid was absorbed by the end of cooking). Place chunks of potato around meat. Cover tightly and roast for 2.5 hours. Baste two or three times during cooking. Remove from heat, cool meat, and slice across the grain.

Help! And thank you!

Literary Families of Note

fugitivefromchaingang — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:44:03 -0800

Literary works that explore traditional and nontraditional (American) families? I teach at a university, and I am planning to propose a course for next year on the subject of traditional and non-traditional families in literature. Essentially what I'd like to explore are the ways in which literature can make the familiar unfamiliar and the unfamiliar familiar - the ways in which apparently traditional families are shown to be anything but, and the ways in which nontraditional literary families are often actually rather traditional.

I'd like to cast as wide a net as possible in searching for appropriate texts for the course. I've already thought of a bunch, but I'm sure there are more I'm not thinking of. I'm looking for American novels, short stories, and memoirs, and "traditional" and "nontraditional" can be interpreted as broadly as you want. Obviously, themes such as marriage, divorce, single-parenthood, adoption, and homosexuality probably need to be present.

Here are some examples (works I've already thought of):
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
The Wapshot Chronicle by John Cheever
"Fiesta, 1980" by Junot Diaz
"The Cinderella Waltz" by Ann Beattie

Thanks for the help!

Where can I find an mp3 of children singing the Swedish Christmas carol, "Nu är det jul igen"?

perpetualstroll — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:53:54 -0800

Where can I buy/find the mp3 of the traditional Swedish Christmas carol, "Nu är det jul igen" with children singing it? I'm looking for the song "Nu är det jul igen", but a very specific version. Does anyone know where I can find a version in which children are singing but not a church choir (the Mont-Royal version)... something less formal. I'm looking for as close as I can get to the background music in this video.

Thanks AskMeFi!

Non-annoying Traditional Kids CD's

Pater Aletheias — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:17:14 -0800

I'm looking for a recording of good traditional (American) children's songs. You know, stuff like "Itsy-Bitsy Spider" and "Five Little Ducks." My definition of "good" is that my two-year-old can enjoy it and learn the songs, but it won't drive me crazy to listen to. No silly sound effects, just decent music. Do you know any anything that might fit the bill?

In search of marketing case studies: Traditional vs. New Media

wmeredith — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:04:22 -0800

I'm trying to locate a couple of case studies that speak to old school traditional marketing versus the benefits of new media and integrated marketing campaigns ... especially online marketing. Googling has left me wanting, does anyone know of any such case studies available online?

Free Traditional Japanese Music

ollsen — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:57:20 -0800

Can you point me to traditional Japanese music on the web? Looking for free downloads. I am planning a cheesy indoor sushi picnic as a surprise for my girlfriend.
There will be kitschy stuff like a paper umbrellas and stuff, we'll be sitting on the floor, there will be loads of take-away sushi.
Now the multimedia part: I've downloaded a bunch of cliché photos from the interwebs (temples, Fujiyamas, Tokio at night - the works) that I will project as a slideshow at the living room wall.
What's missing is the soundtrack:
I am looking for traditional Japanese music on the meditative side (flutes, harps, instruments that I don't even know etc.) - no heavy drumming.
I've already spent some money on the decoration and I thought that at least I could get the music for free.
Google-fu failed me. Any free licence Japanes music out there for me to download?
Thanks!

How can I contribute to my IRAs as soon as possible?

Flunkie — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 18:19:10 -0800

How can I contribute to my IRAs as soon as possible? For tax year X, you are allowed to donate to IRAs at any point between January 1, X, and tax day, X+1. I would like to donate as soon as possible (January 1, X), and I generally have sufficient funds to do so. However, I do not do so - I am held back by my limited understanding of tax law.

I have three different IRA accounts: one that I've made Roth contributions to, one that I've made traditional deductible contributions to, and one that I've made traditional nondeductible contributions to.

My financial situation is, has been, and likely will be such that it is never entirely clear how much I will be allowed to contribute for each type of IRA, until my taxes are actually done. So, I never know how much to put into each account until I do my taxes.

This causes me to essentially lose a year (and more) of tax-friendly growth from every contribution, every year.

Is there a way that I can legally, easily, and safely get around this problem, and actually donate on January 1 of every year for that tax year?

For example, I think the best would be if I could just have a single IRA account that is allowed to hold all three types of contributions. If that's possible, then I could just dump the max in on January 1 of year X, and (just as I do today) figure out and report the exact breakdown when I do my taxes for year X in year X+1.

Or perhaps there's a way to move excessive contributions of an account of one type to an account of another type, without penalty? Again, then I could just dump in the max to one account on Jan. 1, year X, figure out the breakdown while doing taxes in year X+1, and then actually move funds between IRA accounts to make up for the difference.

In that case, though, what if I had, say, purchased stocks with the funds in the meantime? Do I move a number of shares that, in cost basis, corresponds to the amount I'm adjusting by? Or is it more complex?

Any information, suggestions, or advice on this would be appreciated. Thanks.

What was the name of that flamenco record?

KathyK — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 08:12:53 -0800

Help me find a traditional Spanish flamenco record from my past! I once attended a New Year's Eve party whose host had a massive collection of obscure and traditional music records. One of the records that he played was Spanish flamenco prominently featuring hand clapping, which I have since learned is called palmas. The cover of this record had a mid-range shot of a man dressed in a black and white bullfighter-looking costume with slicked-back hair standing on a cobblestone street with his hands raised to his side and looking like he was in mid-clap. Kind of like this photo complete with piercing eyes.

I would really like to find a copy of this music again as I've remembered it from time to time over the last ten years.

Thanks!

The old, weird Uganda?

1f2frfbf — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 09:27:41 -0800

What is your country's equivalent of The Anthology of American Folk Music? I'm looking for traditional folk music (ie. vocal and instrumental indigenous music, preferably from the first half of the twentieth centry) from various countries with multiple artists in various genres all together on one disc or in one box.

I've bookmarked this thread, and I've consumed many of the Putumayo CDs, but I'm looking for new and specific recommendations to expand my musical horizons.

How can one sell/rent a great old traditional house in a great part of Japan for full value, when terrible real-estate practices hamper the endeavor.

Redruin — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 15:31:47 -0800

How can one sell/rent a great old traditional house in a great part of Japan for full value, when terrible real-estate practices hamper the endeavor. My Japanese tutor of several years wants to sell or rent her childhood home in Fujisawa's great and popular Shounan area near the sea, but the current (and mortifying) real estate practices dictate that the land needs to be leveled, the 13 varieties of old and gigantic trees be cut down, and the traditionally crafted Japanese garden and house be obliterated (along with much sentimental value).

Here's the rub. Not only does this cost around $50,000.00 (USD equivalent) to have done, the value of the property drops MORE than 50k if they try to sell it as is.

The large 6-room house has many features that aren't made anymore and are hard to find, from Snow-viewing doors, to traditionally lacquered inner sliding doors and samurai style roof. She doesn't want to rent to Japanese --since another great law says that you can't evict them after a certain amount of time-- but she doesn't know what else to do. We thought maybe renting/selling to foreigners who can appreciate the value of traditional style and quality, or to some kind of collector/group, but have no idea where to start (besides here!).

It seems almost a crime against nature to bulldoze the lot in order to put up another concrete cell-block. Can you help prevent this tragedy?

I go to Blackpool for my holidays...

champthom — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 18:10:12 -0800

What are some popular, regional touristy type attractions? What I don't mean is obvious tourist stuff - Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, Mount Rushmore, etc.

What I mean is pretty much the following criteria places that are typically visited by people from the surrounding area. Put-In-Bay for Ohioans, Kennywood for Southern Pennsylvanians or places like the 1000 Islands for upstate New Yorkers like myself.

To some extent, I'd include places like Blackpool, England or Myrtle Beach. I don't mean places like Cancun or any other "package" city (though that would be an interesting question for some other time).

So essentially, I'm looking for places visited mostly by regional residents, mostly geared solely tourism, typically considered a "traditional" vacation, and ideally should have some kitsch factor involved.

Origins of traditional nursery rhymes

lundman — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 23:35:15 -0800

Folk/Childrens songs and similar traditional nursery rhymes or lullaby/melody/ditty, do we know where they originated? And why some cultures share them, and others do not.. I guess one would have to look at each one individually, but as a Swede, I have thought that many were probably English (itsy-spider/bahbah sheep and whatnot) and translated into Swedish to become traditional. And perhaps some were Swedish to start with (Sma Grodorna/Little Frogs).

I just attended an event at the Daycare here in Japan, only to hear the tune of "Sma Grodorna" sung to something in Japanese. (Which appeared not to be about kaeru, nor did it have the dance associated with it). So who got it from whom? It is not a tune that is generally known by English speakers (although, perhaps known now due to Minority Report movie)

A Danish friend knew the finger-family dance song, but only in Danish (daddy finger, mommy finger, brother/sister/baby finger).. where did that come from originally?

Or are most of these so long ago, nobody cares? :) Just found it interesting that Sweden and Japan can share a traditional (?) nursery rhyme when we have not really been close in the past.

Do I know the words yet? No, not yet!

bleary — Sun, 14 May 2006 14:20:31 -0800

The professor and his students break into drunken song in Madadayo. Are those traditional songs? I would like to know the lyrics. One has a refrain that goes something like, "One-two pharmacist" and another is about the moon.

Interactive storytelling – good examples of both traditional and electronic?

chocolatepeanutbuttercup — Mon, 24 Oct 2005 18:28:43 -0800

There’s a long tradition of telling a story, say, around a campfire, or to a group of friends in a bar, and based on the feedback you get, changing the story to suit or entertain your audience. Today, the web gives everyone the ability to tell a story and receive feedback from a much wider audience than was previously possible. Two examples I can think of are the blogging phenomenon and Shelley Jackson’s hypertext writings. I’m looking for traditional/historical examples and sources as well as as well as online equivalents?

Surprise Birthday Ideas Needed

thebarron — Wed, 12 Oct 2005 19:51:09 -0800

I have a very good friend and colleague and our organization is surprising her for her 60th birthday this Friday at a supposed TGIF. She's a Chinese American and very proud of her roots, so I'd like to get her something special or do something because of this. She celebrates all of the traditional Chinese holidays and still speaks the language with her family members. I being Anglo as they come, don't have any good ideas or much time left, so any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks!

Migraines: triggers and prescribed treatments?

kimota — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 14:45:04 -0800

Migraine sufferers, what are your triggers, how quickly/consistently do they bring on your migraines, and what prescription meds work best for you? I can't tell which one or several of the following are triggers for me: activity after sedentariness, caffeine, sunlight, artificial coloring, sinus problems, aspartame, possibly bad posture while sitting, etc. Some combination of the first five tends to be involved for me, most of the time, but not always. I've had a couple of instances where I'd get a migraine shortly after walking from work to various fast food places and getting a soda with lunch. I've had more instances where I'd get a migraine after leaving a 75 or 90 minute class (where, typically but not always, I'd had a soda and sat in flourescent lighting then left for the sunny outdoors).

I never have migraines at home, on the weekends (except for one time when I was at work), and I've only had one after the hours of noon-6 PM (it was still twilight when it happened), and I think I've only had one on a rainy day.

I can't tell if my triggers are nearly immediate, or if they're longer term but I'm considering the wrong things to be triggers (post hoc ergo propter hoc). I've tried different prescription medicines, and while the first time I took Imitrex, it blew out the migraine in a matter of minutes, I haven't had quite so much success any other time with it, Maxalt, or Zomig, even when I pop the pill as soon as I see the aura, which is always in my right eye (and the pain that follows about 45 minutes later is always on the left side of my head). I'd love to hear from those of you who've isolated your triggers and/or have found successful experiences with prescribed solutions. [Sorry for going on so long.]

Jazz quote?

Dallasfilm — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 08:14:46 -0800

Quotefilter: I've been introducing my girlfriend to jazz lately and half-recalled a witty quote I read once about traditional jazz vs. avant garde jazz. More inside. It went along the lines of "In traditional jazz, the musicians listen to each other, then play whatever they want. In avant garde jazz they don't listen to each, then play whatever they want." I think it was from a musician magazine. Anybody have any ideas as to what the exact quote is and who/where it came from?