u/bfunk84

I really dislike walking into a restaurant or cafe and being confronted by a screen where I have to place my order. Part of going out to eat or getting a drink is the human interaction with employees, and this just robs all of us of that.

Is there any way to counteract this, other than simply not patronizing digital establishments? I’d rather think of a creative way to influence establishments to return to humans taking orders rather than denying them business.

I suppose writing an email is the obvious answer, but curious if anyone is aware of some kind of more organized effort/campaign related to this.

I’m an American living in a city with a large Ethiopian and Eritrean population. Ethiopian food is one of my favorite cuisines. I love how unique it is, it’s truly its own thing.

That said, I kind of think I’d like to have a fork when eating it. Injera is wonderful, and Ethiopian food wouldn’t be the same without it, but having to eat injera with every single bite feels like overkill. Especially with the salad that’s usually included, I’d like to just have a bite of refreshing lettuce on its own. And recently I got doro wot and it was awkward to strip the meat off the chicken bone by hand.

So my question is: how much disgrace would I bring upon myself, my family, and my ancestors if I asked for a fork next time I was at an Ethiopian restaurant?

The Hurricanes’ recent Stanley Cup victory got me thinking of all the expansion and relocated franchises that have won Cups since our beloved Tiburones (shout out Mark Purdy) were founded: Ducks, Stars, Canes, Panthers, Knights, and Lightning.

1. It got me thinking: has anyone done a deep dive explaining why the Sharks underperformed in the playoffs during the glory years when Joe Thornton was leading the team?

The simple explanation I’ve heard is that those teams were “soft”. Maybe that’s true, but seems like too easy/cliched of an answer. Besides the playoffs being a bit random due to small sample size, were there any other characteristics of those Sharks teams that made them excel in the regular season but struggle in the playoffs?

2. Which leads to a related question: What exactly is “playoff hockey”? My impression is that it’s more intense, more physical, and less penalties are called. I assume that means more skilled teams and those that rely on the power play will be put at a relative disadvantage. Also, I would think depth may not be as important in the playoffs, as coaches are willing to put top players on the ice for longer durations. Then again, four rounds of playoffs (including possible multiple overtime games) is a grind in and of itself, so maybe depth is just as important.

Any insights are much appreciated. From a casual fan’s perspective, hockey seems pretty chaotic, so I’m interested to learn more about how the game works.

Maybe this is blasphemy, but I think 99% of donut shops put too much glaze on their donuts. The fried dough should be the star of the show, and the glaze should be a nice accompaniment, not the other way around. I found one shop that applied a thinner glaze, and they were wonderful. I asked the owner about why she used less glaze, and she said “We want to be able to eat them too.” In other words, she wouldn’t be able to regularly eat oversweetened donuts. Sadly, this shop closed a few years ago.

Anyways, curious if anyone else feels the same way. I do eat the occasional glaze, but usually opt for plain old fashioned or cake dipped in coffee.