responses below: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" <curtisdeltablues@...> wrote: > > The only problem I have with what you have written Jim is your inclusion of > Lemon Meringue Pie and it being incapable of giving someone absolute > happiness. Here is how I break down the problems with most pies: > > First: Lemon filling over sweetened. Rookie mistake. See the perfect bite > includes the marsh mellowing effect of the meringue, so you need to keep the > filling tart or you blow the genius of this combination.
**Total agreement. And the marsh mellowy part of the meringue can't have that too uniform wtf is that chemical puffiness consistency. > Second: You know all undercrust are gunna get soggy with the wet filling > poured on, so pre bake the bottom crust. Go a little deeper with the crushed > graham and crush them yourself, do not under any circumstances go with a pre > made one. They all are over sweetened and suck. How hard is it to throw > some graham crackers into a processor with some unsalted butter and a little > sugar (not honey is will soften it before you begin). Big secret? Add in > some grated orange peal , not lemon and you wont have to over sweeten the > crust. A little cinnamon wont hurt, a lot will. **You make a good point, though Marie Callender's frozen pie crust is really close to homemade in taste and consistency. > > Third; This is what separates the easy bake oven bakers and the real kitchen > badass homeboys. **I am definitely the ez bake oven baker, making a minor art form of tweaking frozen nukable food into something tasty - lol, I can see your grimace. Leave it in the broiler long enough at the end to get the peaks just a touch over the browned stage. This is tricky just like with pizzas. If you can get some peaks to go beyond caramel into blacked, you will offset any over sweeting mistakes. Just a touch of bitter is the magic that makes this dessert the magical juxtaposition it can be. In this form, it IS absolute happiness believe me. **That is a very tricky bit. Yep, overcook at that point and the whole thing tastes like carbon. Last, I am lucky to have a lemon tree in the backyard and it makes great pies and juice. > > Anyhoooo, nice posts from both you and Turq. Happy baking. > ** Yes, and happy baking to you! > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "whynotnow7" <whynotnow7@> wrote: > > > > I agree that Maharishi's message was one of self sufficiency, and the irony > > you point out in the TMO is evident. I am curious though how you think one > > person can make another person weaker (or anything else), without the > > person being made weaker (or stronger for that matter) allowing it to > > happen? Even if someone is not willing to acknowledge their power of > > choice, it is always available. > > > > What seems to get us into trouble is the propensity built into us to find > > solutions. Its not digging a burrow or building a nest anymore, but same > > concept, to solve the problem. So the answer becomes MAHARISHI or AMMA or > > THE DEMOCRATS or TECH or LEMON MERINGUE PIE. Since we live so much in a > > world of ideas now, we can find absolute happiness for awhile in a belief > > system or a person or a series of stories, without dislodging such false > > anchors, without untying the knots that adhere us to these ideas, for an > > entire lifetime. > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Buck" <dhamiltony2k5@> wrote: > > > > > > Whoa, very nice waking state critique Turq. > > > Nice writing. -Buck > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > > > > > Today for some reason I found myself thinking back to > > > > the first time I saw Maharishi, in 1967. At that talk, > > > > at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, he said a few > > > > things that got me interested enough in the spiritual > > > > path that I set about walking it. > > > > > > > > He laid out the benefits of meditation as he saw it, > > > > that it offered a way to draw upon one's own inner > > > > resources for one's sense of self worth and happiness, > > > > and not be dependent on others and how they see us or > > > > what they tell us to do for those things. I remember > > > > him speaking about how meditation (as he saw it) > > > > required no belief for it to work, and no leaders or > > > > gurus for it to work. All that it did require was > > > > actually doing the work -- practicing meditation. And > > > > I remember him speaking about how meditation could > > > > help to develop one's own creativity, and how that > > > > could help to resolve the problems of life by being > > > > able to create more effective solutions to them. > > > > > > > > At one point a person stood up and asked a question. > > > > He talked about a particular problem he was having, > > > > and how it had left him in a quandary, not knowing > > > > what to do. He then asked Maharishi what to do. > > > > > > > > Maharishi's answer was the most impressive thing he'd > > > > said in the entire talk. He said, "If I tell you what > > > > to do, all that will happen is that it will make you > > > > weaker. The next time you have a problem, you'll want > > > > me to tell you what to do about it again. You will > > > > become dependent on me. What you should do instead is > > > > meditate, draw upon your own creativity, and solve > > > > the problem yourself. That will make you stronger." > > > > > > > > Compare and contrast to what Maharishi allowed his > > > > teaching and his spiritual movement to devolve into. > > > > What I find myself thinking today, remembering this > > > > first talk, is how SAD it is how little of what he > > > > said that day turned out to be true. Or at least how > > > > little of it turned out to be what he actually taught > > > > and how he conducted himself as the years went on. > > > > > > > > Instead of the independence and self-sufficiency he > > > > touted in that first talk, what happened -- and > > > > within a couple of years -- was an environment in > > > > which the students were taught to rely on him and > > > > what he told them to do. Being on the whole young > > > > and impressionable people in the 60's they may in > > > > fact have brought a lot of this tendency to rely > > > > on guru figures with them, but he allowed them to > > > > do so, and in fact encouraged it. > > > > > > > > He also encouraged "magical thinking," the view that > > > > all you had to do was meditate and that if you did, > > > > and listened to what he told you to do, magical > > > > forces that were larger than you would take care of > > > > you and make everything turn out right. "Do less and > > > > accomplish more," which in those early talks clearly > > > > meant "Meditate and recharge your energy and your > > > > creativity and then go out and USE it by working more > > > > efficiently for the things you want" turned into "Just > > > > meditate and everything will be taken care of." Prag- > > > > matic thinking gave way to magical thinking. > > > > > > > > And look what the outcome of this reliance on magical > > > > thinking has produced. People who can no longer imagine > > > > solutions to the problems of hunger and war and violence > > > > that come from humans using their own intelligence and > > > > working towards pragmatic solutions. Instead, the only > > > > source that they can imagine a solution to these prob- > > > > lems coming from is magic, in the form of some Woo Woo > > > > Rays emanating from the thuds of their butts on foam, > > > > or from other, even more magical Woo Woo Rays emanating > > > > from some teacher or guru or avatar. > > > > > > > > Call me crazy but I miss the message of that first > > > > Maharishi talk. I am hopeful that the problems of this > > > > planet, both individual and worldwide, can in fact be > > > > resolved. But I don't believe that they can only be > > > > resolved by some magical force outside ourselves, or > > > > by Woo Woo Rays. I think that these problems can only > > > > be resolved by the pragmatic, creative ideas of indi- > > > > vidual human beings, creative ideas that are possibly > > > > enhanced by meditation and other practices, but *our* > > > > ideas, not those of some avatar or guru or spiritual > > > > teacher or other source of magical Woo Woo. > > > > > > > > That, after all, was the message of the first talk I > > > > ever heard Maharishi give. It's just too bad that he > > > > either was lying about what he said, or didn't believe > > > > it thoroughly enough to follow through on it in his > > > > own teachings, and with his own students. If he had, > > > > the world might have been a much better place, and > > > > they would certainly have been much stronger human > > > > beings. Instead, just as he said in that first talk, > > > > he wound up making them weaker. > > > > > > > > > >