>  ML> Hard for me to imagine how they work, but it would seem
>  ML> that the one that got the most use would be the off button.
>  ML> On the other hand, it could be that the off was merely a
>  ML> release, so there wasn't an electrical contact component to it.
> Richard would probably have a better idea what was involved there, both
> mechanical and electrical...  

It's a man's job [g]

>  >  ML> I seldom have made the land crossing but have had no
>  >  ML> problem, just a couple amusing events. And truth be told,
>  >  ML> generally the airplane crossing has been uneventful -
>  >  ML> getting back stateside has occasionally been annoying.
>  > Uneventful would be very nice....
>  ML> It seems to be a kind of standard lowish level of
>  ML> annoyance entering Canada, somewhat higher going
>  ML> into Montreal, somewhat less into Toronto. Then a
>  ML> standard moderately high irritation reentering the
>  ML> US. Of course the last time was during a shutdown 
>  ML> period, so the preclearance wasn't working.
> I don't recall any sort of annoyance on my returns through Canada
> (Toronto) from my UK trips... but that was pre-9/11... I do remember a

I used to get a "welcome home, SIR" and a wave.
No longer.

> customs agent in Toronto being amazed at the small amount of luggage I
> had with me for my fortnight's trip once... 

Occasionally I get that. What's the additional threat in
taking less stuff I can't figure. For short trips, I've
been known to take zilch, which also seems to bother them.

> This last crossing, into and out of Canada to pick up the kid at
> Montreal Airport turned out to be quite uneventful, and not even a
> particularly long wait either direction.... He had a slightly more
> extensive deal at the Canadian customs at the airport... I waited for
> him to appear at the Passenger egress for a couple of hours, even though
> his plane had been a tad early, and I'd gotten there in good time... The
> Airport itself was quite busy at the time, though, which may also have
> accounted for some of it...

Also, it seems to depend on the nationalities of
the other passengers arriving at the same time.
Coming into France once Carol Bryant and I had
to stand in an exceedingly fractious line and
wait for an insufficient number of immigration
officers to process a few planes that had come
in from Africa and the Middle East, probably
several minutes of scrutiny and grilling per 
dark-skinned passenger. When we finally got to
the booth, an hour or more later, the agent 
glanced at the blueness of our passports - I don't 
recall he even opened them - and shooed us along.

>  ML> My next trip, which may have started by the time
>  ML> you read this, is kind of experimental. I lost my
>  ML> preferred status on my birthday by forgetting to
>  ML> have it renewed, and this will be the first time in
>  ML> a decade I'm traveling with someone with neither of
>  ML> us having preclearance.
> And how well did it work....?

15 minutes extra or so. Not much in the larger scheme
of things but quite a bit considering my record time
through the precheck lane, which was more like that
many seconds.

>  > Not that you would see that as a reason for getting yourself a
>  > smartphone.... 
>  ML> Nope. Some airports actually have counters where I
>  ML> can ask, others have hotlines to headquarters, and
>  ML> a few (vanishing in the US) have real public phones.
>  ML> The last time anything dire happened, I hustled to the
>  ML> United desk, and an earnest-looking young agent said
>  ML> "I was just about to go to the gate to meet you."
> Well, that worked out well enough then...   I was able to get some
> useful information from the airport help desk at YUL about RJ's flight
> arrival and where to await him... My phone didn't work in that airport
> anyway.... 

Information desks vary widely in helpfulness,
though one can usually get enough to go on.

>  >  ML> It's true that only rarely have I encountered
>  >  ML> people whose tastes have substantially contracted
>  >  ML> in scope over the years.
>  > True here too.  
>  ML> One would hope that absent some traumatic event
>  ML> (I am put in mind of when some joker put a 
>  ML> formaldehyded pig tail in my friend Pete's pulled
>  ML> pork sandwich; he's now mostly a vegetarian), it's
>  ML> not a frequent event.
> That's what I'd figure, too... I can see that pigtail putting one off,
> too... Was that the main reason he went vegetarian, or was that just
> another notch...?

I figure another notch. I think his stance has
changed a bit over the years.

> ... Fat free cheese is like meat-free beef.

Or fat-free beef, for that matter.

Korean steak tartare
categories; starter, main, Korean, beef, raw
servings: 1 or 2

1 Asian pear, cored, quartered
1 1/4 ts fresh lemon juice, divided
2 Tb finely chopped scallions
2 Tb reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 ts toasted sesame seeds, divided
1 1/2 ts toasted sesame oil
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1/8 ts freshly ground black pepper
8 oz filet mignon, 1/8: cubes
Kosher salt
chives for garnish

yuk hae, yook hwe, etc,

Peel 1 pear quarter; cut into very small cubes 
(about 1/8". Place in a small bowl and toss 
with 1/4 ts lemon juice. Cut remaining pear 
quarters into thin slices. Place in a medium 
bowl and toss with remaining lemon juice.

Whisk scallions, soy sauce, 1 ts sesame seeds, 
sesame oil, garlic, and pepper in a medium bowl. 
Add filet mignon and pear cubes and gently toss 
until just combined; season to taste with salt.

Neatly spoon tartare over pear slices. Sprinkle 
with remaining sesame seeds and garnish with chives.

after Bon Appetit
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