Wednesday, May 11, 2005
I wasn't going to post on this, but then I saw Kottke's post on spilling maple syrup, ("My first reaction upon seeing the sticky pointy superhero of a mess was to abandon all my possessions and move immediately to a new apartment. After seriously considering that for a few seconds, I then decided to leave it for the ants.") and now I think we can get some sort of a meme going.
As is my custom, I made mint syrup for juleps on Derby Day. The problem with mint juleps is that the recipe for simple syrup necessary to make them yields roughly enough to make about 40 cocktails. Now, heaven knows I'm not one to complain about too many cocktails, but the race is two minutes long, and truth to tell, I really prefer my bourbon neat. So if A has one, and I have one, that leaves me with a lot of greenish syrup. In years past I have kept this in the refrigerator, and that works fine-- some time around Thanksgiving I will say, "What the hell is this?" and throw it out. This time, for some reason, I poured it into a mason jar and put some plastic wrap over it, thinking that perhaps another julep might be refreshing later in the week, I guess. I left it on the counter, because I didn't want it to crystallize.
Last night at dinner A announced, "You have to throw out your stupid mint syrup." "Okay honey," I meekly replied, "Why?". "It is full of ants," she replied, establishing once and for all who it is in our household who is constitutionally incapable of throwing anything away. I mean, a jar of mint syrup is one thing-- I'd have thrown it away ultimately, but in the meantime there may have been occasion to use a tablespoon or so of it. Confronted with a jar of mint syrup full of ants, however, A did not throw it away-- even though she knew that this was something that should be done. She didn't, because she can't. I guess it comes down to a matter of degrees, or something. Anyway, there is still bourbon, which will be drunk neat.
As is my custom, I made mint syrup for juleps on Derby Day. The problem with mint juleps is that the recipe for simple syrup necessary to make them yields roughly enough to make about 40 cocktails. Now, heaven knows I'm not one to complain about too many cocktails, but the race is two minutes long, and truth to tell, I really prefer my bourbon neat. So if A has one, and I have one, that leaves me with a lot of greenish syrup. In years past I have kept this in the refrigerator, and that works fine-- some time around Thanksgiving I will say, "What the hell is this?" and throw it out. This time, for some reason, I poured it into a mason jar and put some plastic wrap over it, thinking that perhaps another julep might be refreshing later in the week, I guess. I left it on the counter, because I didn't want it to crystallize.
Last night at dinner A announced, "You have to throw out your stupid mint syrup." "Okay honey," I meekly replied, "Why?". "It is full of ants," she replied, establishing once and for all who it is in our household who is constitutionally incapable of throwing anything away. I mean, a jar of mint syrup is one thing-- I'd have thrown it away ultimately, but in the meantime there may have been occasion to use a tablespoon or so of it. Confronted with a jar of mint syrup full of ants, however, A did not throw it away-- even though she knew that this was something that should be done. She didn't, because she can't. I guess it comes down to a matter of degrees, or something. Anyway, there is still bourbon, which will be drunk neat.
// posted by Bill @ 10:50 AM 
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