three things make a post

[redbird]

I've been plugging away at Duolingo French, and just passed another "castle" section-end test, which means I have access to more new lessons/topics. I'm trying not to let the way the gamification currently works keep me from making real progress: I can get 3-4 times as many points for practicing easy sections (the "legendary" level) as for new, more advanced material.

I am annoyed at (as well as puzzled by) the MBTA. Once again, it's given me the free transfer from an inbound 73 to an outbound 71, and then charged me two fares for the return trip. I'm also unhappy that when I tried adding money to my card yesterday, the bus driver made an error, so the box took my $10 bill but didn't put that money on my card. *sigh* That leaves me with a whopping 65 cents on my card, which means I will either try again to add value at the farebox, or get out the spare, take the bus to Harvard, and use the machines to add value to both cards.

The trip to Watertown was in order to shop for pine nuts, to use in the stuffing for our Thanksgiving turkey. I was looking there because we specifically want Mediterranean pine nuts, not the east Asian onces that are most of what's in stores. Neither Arax nor Sevan Bakery had pine nuts, and neither did the supermarket; I bought some raw sunflower seeds to use as a substitute. I did get sour cherry jam (for adrian_turtle), blueberries, chocolate baklava (not bad, but less interesting than it sounded), apple cider, and cookies (the last two from the supermarket), so that's all right.

Comments

[minoanmiss]

I know it's too late for T-day, and wildly expensive, but nuts.com does have mediterranean pine nuts.

https://nuts.com/nuts/pinenuts/mediterranean.html

[calimac]

Agree in preference for Mediterranean over Asian pine nuts, when I can get them.

[kareina]

Ok, what is the difference between pinenuts from the two different locations, and why is one better?

[calimac]

It's not location; I believe they are different species or subspecies of tree. I would describe the Mediterranean as larger and with a richer, more mellow flavor.

[redbird]

The difference is that they're from different species of pine tree. The ones from the trees that grow around the Mediterranean have significantly more flavor than the ones from the East Asian trees.

There's at least one species of western North American pine that produces edible nuts, but not in commercial quantities.

I'm not sure if this is like the differences between apple cultivars (about which I also have Opinions), or if it's more like walking into a store and just buying "tree nuts." The different kinds of pine nut look very much alike, which makes this trickier.

[kareina]

Now I wonder which we get here in Sweden. Certainly the Mediterranean is nearer, but distance isn't always the deciding factor for supply...

[cmcmck]

The ones we get in the UK tend to be Greek or Italian so they'd likely be those.

That said the Asian groceries tend to stock the Asian ones.

[calimac]

You can tell by shape, though it's easier to tell once you've seen both knowing which is which. Mediterranean nuts tend to be longer and more angular (bigger at one end than the other). Asian nuts tend to be rounder, also smaller.

Another taste difference is that Asian nuts can, in some people, produce a syndrome whereby everything you eat tastes metallic for a while. Mediterranean nuts don't do that.