General chat thread

[Hatless Nuance]

So Monday I'm getting cardioversion to (hopefully) fix my arrythmia.

As part of this I had some basic bloodwork done and my doctor told me something hilarious; I need more salt in my diet.

Apparently I went too hard on cutting out sodium to reduce my blood pressure and I'm developing a salt deficiency.

Click to shrink...

Well, while overloading on salt sucks, it is worth remembering; salt (mainly of the classic NaCl kind, and occasionally other more obscure ones) is used in more individual human body processes than even water. So a noted deficiency of it can be about as damaging as chronic dehydration, just in slightly different ways.

Pity that this doesn't translate to drinking salt water being a workable thing for health. Or at least, not water with enough salt to make a difference. Ideally, I guess what would be wanted would be something like Gatorade (electrolytes, and so on), but with notably less sugar.

 

[MadGreenSon]

Ideally, I guess what would be wanted would be something like Gatorade (electrolytes, and so on), but with notably less sugar.

Click to shrink...

Stuff like Gatorade is okay for electrolytes, but honestly I've hated sugary drinks for decades, partially because of what they did to my teeth and partially because they just never really quench my thirst.

I can up the salt content in my diet easily, so it's not really a big deal, I just thought it was funny.

 

[Scygnus]

Apparently I went too hard on cutting out sodium to reduce my blood pressure and I'm developing a salt deficiency.

Click to shrink...

People are really hard on cutting salt out of their diets when it's actually pretty important, especially if you're going to be out sweating. Sure you can overdo it, but the health nuts are all about cutting it out completely these days.

On top of that, you need to be sure you get some iodized salt (or eat seafood) or you can wind up with a goiter, which doesn't look at all fun.

 

[BrokenAscendent]

Fish is yummy. Recommended for centuries.

 

[Scygnus]

Fish is yummy. Recommended for centuries.

Click to shrink...

If I could stand it, I would. I can't even be in the same room without the smell wanting to make me hurl. Closest I can get is fish sticks, which I am assured is not real fish.

I know one day the doctor's going to ban me from everything I can actually stand to eat and I'll have to find some nutrient paste or starve, but I'm just gonna eat as good as I can before that happens.

 

[Hatless Nuance]

If I could stand it, I would. I can't even be in the same room without the smell wanting to make me hurl. Closest I can get is fish sticks, which I am assured is not real fish.

I know one day the doctor's going to ban me from everything I can actually stand to eat and I'll have to find some nutrient paste or starve, but I'm just gonna eat as good as I can before that happens.

Click to shrink...

Or you can find some nutritional supplements like fish oil and/or vitamins, take a couple of those, and continue on with your life otherwise.

Generally, you would just want a medical check for any significant deficiencies, and just take supplements specifically for that. Generic multivitamins are often a waste of time and effort.

 

[TheMidnightRook]

Closest I can get is fish sticks, which I am assured is not real fish.

Click to shrink...

Assured by who and what do they think fish sticks are actually made of?

 

[Mistodon]

Fish is yummy. Recommended for centuries.

Click to shrink...

Fish is yummy, though I can't stand having to pick out the bones. The ones that haven't been processed in such a way that the bones are soft enough that I could just bite through them.

 

[Scygnus]

Assured by who and what do they think fish sticks are actually made of?

Click to shrink...

I... don't actually recall. Was probably more than ten years ago. I assumed that cast-off bits of meat they use to make them was lacking something.

 

[TheMidnightRook]

I... don't actually recall. Was probably more than ten years ago. I assumed that cast-off bits of meat they use to make them was lacking something.

Click to shrink...

I'mma let you in on a secret.

*whispers* That's not how fish sticks are made. They just chop up a bunch of different fish, mix them together, and then put the blended fish into stick form

 

[Scygnus]

I'mma let you in on a secret.

*whispers* That's not how fish sticks are made. They just chop up a bunch of different fish, mix them together, and then put the blended fish into stick form

Click to shrink...

No, I'm pretty sure they make them the same way they do hot dogs- when a bit of fish can't be sold as a full fillet or whatever other part, they toss it into the fish stick pile and then do all that. It's the bits of meat that don't make the cut for more expensive packaging.

 

[evildice]

I hate how expensive Fish & Chips has become.

After having locals sell me on the concept in NZ and the UK, I found some decent places back in NYC, but now they're priced like luxury food -- for the same basic, cheap experience.

Guess I'll have to learn to make lightly fried fish fillets myself.

 

[Mistodon]

It would be like some major cosmic joke if iconic UK fast food fish and chips gets its price raised to bougie-ness and all we're left with is the other iconic UK fast food, jellied eels.

Are jellied eels still cheap? I don't actually know.

 

[ShogunTrooper]

It would be like some major cosmic joke if iconic UK fast food fish and chips gets its price raised to bougie-ness and all we're left with is the other iconic UK fast food, jellied eels.

Are jellied eels still cheap? I don't actually know.

Click to shrink...

Looking it up, a 200g pot of Jellied Eels costs about 4-5 Pound, or roughly 5-6 Euros.

Not sure how that compares with other UK Fast Food prices, since, well, I've never bought Fast Food in the UK.

 

[khatun]

The same thing happened to catfish here in the states. It used to be it was a fantastic option for poor and lower middle class folks when we wanted seafood but the bougies buy it all up now. It's like thrice the price it used to be when I was growing up.

If the same thing happens to crawdads I will probably cry.

 

[vyor]

So Monday I'm getting cardioversion to (hopefully) fix my arrythmia.

As part of this I had some basic bloodwork done and my doctor told me something hilarious; I need more salt in my diet.

Apparently I went too hard on cutting out sodium to reduce my blood pressure and I'm developing a salt deficiency.

Click to shrink...

Salt does not increase blood pressure.

 

[TanaNari]

Salt does not increase blood pressure.

Click to shrink...

Depends on genetics and age. Some people? No significant effect on the blood pressure, though the increase in stomach cancer and osteoporosis still isn't all that great.

Other people- especially overweight, elderly, and/or black individuals- Even a small amount of excess salt can ravage the circulatory system and cause all sorts of problems. Like killing your kidneys. Or a stroke. Which, all considered, the high blood pressure seems like a relatively minor problem.

 

[MadGreenSon]

Depends on genetics and age. Some people? No significant effect on the blood pressure, though the increase in stomach cancer and osteoporosis still isn't all that great.

Other people- especially overweight, elderly, and/or black individuals- Even a small amount of excess salt can ravage the circulatory system and cause all sorts of problems. Like killing your kidneys. Or a stroke. Which, all considered, the high blood pressure seems like a relatively minor problem.

Click to shrink...

To be sure the arrythmia is my main concern at the moment since it was explained to me in graphic detail exactly how a blood clot could form in my heart because of it and then get fired out like a bullet to something I don't want a blood clot in. Like my brain.

Needless to say I take the blood thinner like my doctor told me to so I can avoid that.

 

[vyor]

Depends on genetics and age. Some people? No significant effect on the blood pressure, though the increase in stomach cancer and osteoporosis still isn't all that great.

Other people- especially overweight, elderly, and/or black individuals- Even a small amount of excess salt can ravage the circulatory system and cause all sorts of problems. Like killing your kidneys. Or a stroke. Which, all considered, the high blood pressure seems like a relatively minor problem.

Click to shrink...

See, here's the thing, there's never been much proof for that.

 

[Mistodon]

So I read this manga called Today's Burger and in its first chapter it claims that a Cuban hamburger is basically a chicken-fried steak sandwich. Is that actually a thing in Cuba? Because Google is just showing me conventional ground beef patty hamburgers instead of schneitzel sandwiches though admittedly I didn't look very hard.

 

[TanaNari]

Don't know enough about Cuba to say, but chicken fried (often called country fried) hamburger steak is a big thing in the American south.

Chicken-Fried Hamburger Steak and Gravy - Southern Cast Iron

Using ground beef is an affordable alternative to steaks that doesn’t sacrifice flavor. It also allows for seasonings to be added to the meat without the need for a long marinating time. From breading to gravy, get our easy-to-follow prep steps here. Chicken-Fried Hamburger Steak and Gravy...

southerncastiron.com

It's actually delicious.


And chicken fried steak sandwiches are popular just about everywhere in the midwest and southern states.

Route 66 Chicken Fried Steak Sandwich

Steak is marinated and breaded like fried chicken and then air-fried for these delicious steak sandwiches that remind you of food served along route 66.

www.allrecipes.com

Are these a thing in Cuba? Maybe. I know they're a thing in Mexico. They're a huge thing in Texas.

And someone calling it a 'hamburger' wouldn't surprise me in the least.

 

[MadGreenSon]

Well, after having a large man shave my chest, I got the cardioversion and it worked. Like the doctor said I can feel the difference. If nothing else my former pulse was 35-45 which is very bad and now it's 60-70. Which I'm told is good.

I'll probably feel even better when I sleep off the side effects of the anesthetic.

 

[Treble]

I think there's something in the human mind that finds pleasure in the aesthetic of a smoothly functioning machine with lots of gears, wheels, and loud noises.

 

[khatun]

I think there's something in the human mind that finds pleasure in the aesthetic of a smoothly functioning machine with lots of gears, wheels, and loud noises.

Click to shrink...

Pattern finding monkey brain likes lots of repeating patterns and sounds, likes it when puzzles and tasks are finished, and likes making lots of loud noises.

Working on a project car or motorcycle that you then rev the engine on afterwards satisfies all of those at once. This applies to a lot of machinery.

 

[Treble]

This applies to a lot of machinery.

Click to shrink...

Must be why kids have been playing with wheeled toys since before Rome was a thing. Or Hellenic Greece, for that matter.

Wheels and gears soothe the human soul.

 

[Treble]

Tumblr artstyle is just weird. Is it some new thing you guys are trying out, because your cartoons have started resembling it lately. It's a weird kind of artstyle where colors are pastel, anything resembling the female form becomes removed and masculine traits are overly emphasized, outlines are just wavey and I can't find any sharp features.

It's unbelievably ugly. Stick to Disney.

 

[wasprider]

I think there's something in the human mind that finds pleasure in the aesthetic of a smoothly functioning machine with lots of gears, wheels, and loud noises.

Click to shrink...

Human male mind. Women occasionally enjoy it, but once it gets past a certain level of complexity, they don't. Men still have a threshold, it just tends to be higher. 4-cylinder engines are a decent boundary.

 

[Ragnarok]

TIL "Anarchy" comes from the Greek word "Anarkhia" which literally means "No Archon." An Archon was a ruler/magistrate of the Greek city-states in ancient Greece.

 

[Treble]

TIL "Anarchy" comes from the Greek word "Anarkhia" which literally means "No Archon." An Archon was a ruler/magistrate of the Greek city-states in ancient Greece.

Click to shrink...

So literally lawlessness.

 

[NuclearBird]

Customs and border torture (CBT) is a bureaucratic activity involving the application of customs or red tape to the international package. This may involve directly physical activities, such as paperwork, tax play, misclassification, dismantling, packaging-busting, box flogging, receipt play, warehouse torture, bureaucratic despair stimulation, seizure or banning. The recipient of such activities may receive direct physical pain via masochism, or financial pain through financial humiliation, or knowledge that the customs process has swallowed his valuable spent money with no refunds or restitution. Many of these practices carry significant health risks.