u/desi-auntie

Looking for personal experience, where you have used the service yourself.

I l could do it myself, case is simple enough. But due to work etc I find I am always putting it off. I need to just get this done and happy to pay to get the mental load and time off my hands.

But I find it hard - easier to just do this myself than handle the added stress of figuring out third party - as assessing services is surprisingly hard.

London area, and looking for recs from actual users.

Been seeing lots of posts about how recipes are not working, help!

So the basic tip - know your ingredients.

Chili is not just chili. Do you know the heat profile (scoville) of what you are using? Do you know the underlying heat profile of the chili used in the masala you buy? It takes experiments if it isn’t noted, but sometimes it isn’t you. It is that the recipe was developed using a chili or masala mix with different heat or balance profile. You need to try out proportions to get it right for the items you (not recipe) are using.

Ditto things line veg etc etc. For example - the eggplant was developed right here in the sub-continent. Whoch means - there is no such thing as just “eggplant.” A baingan that works for a lovely Bharta will not be suitable for a great Bengali bhaja. Or an ennai katyarikai. And don’t bother trying to ise them for East Asian dishes that require a different variety. Etc etc. The first rule of the baingan is - there is no such thing as a single veg called eggplant. You need to know which variety and what it is suitable for. Why do you think our part of the world developed so many varieties and cuisines around this one vegetable?

You can’t make a good onion theeyal using those fat and watery white onions in western markets.

The list goes on.

TLDR - know your varietals because that is where half the problem will lie.

Are you for real?

What am I paying for of not to not be spammed by forced cookies and ads?

Anybody else worh a paid subscription being harassed abd not able to go into their games without a gamut of accept cookies before you can play?

wtf? I won’t pay if my money cannot even buy my a minimal escape from crap pop up and forced cookies.

This is the steps I did for US passport renewal in UK. In case it helps anyone.

A) went to the US embassy site in London and followed their instructions and links exactly.

B) The link for for form is to US state dept, external. You don’t see the form - you go through the pages on the site, and it then uses the info you input on the site to populate a pdf form.

C) for emergency contact the form would not take spouse living in UK. They want a US emergency contact (I gave my brother). Form won’t tell you that, but it will keep giving errors when repopulating the info submitted on site onto the form.

C) There is no saved form etc or record once you print. CHECK the “printed form” carefully twice because you are not seeing the final pdf form on website, you are filling in website which then “pulls data” to generate the pdf form.

D) Check rhat form - seriously. The process of pulling data from website onto the final form can generate autocorrect changes. It messed up my name, then my address, then the zip code etc.

E) If form is messed up, you just have to go back in abd fabricate a new one via the website. Track the errors so you know which inputs are getting messed up. DO NOT use white out or any other ways of fixing the form. The state dept website doesn’t explain this, but the embassy website is pretty clear.

G) They do say only US letter paper, but I had to print on UK size and that worked fine. Nothing gets cut out or messes up the page set up if you save to pdf first and then print that.

F) For photo, go to snappy snaps!

G) There is no record of anything, even though you may presume that since you are filling in details on the state dept website something is being recorded as a submission. All that website is doing is walking you through inputs to fabricate the adobe pdf form.

H) So - once everything is ready and signed, go to royal mail. First get your prepaid envelope for the return of passport. Then put it all together in an envelope. THEN go back to the counter and send that to the embassy using another royal mail tracking envelope.

I) Save both the tracking numbers. Only way you have evidence your stuff reached them is rhe tracking you use for sending.

J) Once your new passport has been sent from state dept to embassy, you will THEN get a message from the embassy saying your passport has been processed and on its way.

Whole process fron time I sent the envelope to the embassy to when I heard back was 10 working days. During that time there is no record of anything so you just wait. Theee is no point trying to ask them unless it is more than the number of days they note on the embassy website. At that point your only proof of it having been sent is that first royal mail tracking showing it reached them.

The absence of any record even after you fill in forms via the state dept can be nerve wracking, as can the inability to show things were sent. So hoping the above steps help avoid unnecessary errors abd needless tension. The problem of the data getting messed up when they populate the adobe form is really capable of messing up stuff, so that step of multiple checks of rhe pdf before using it is really important.

Thanks for the peeps on this sub who patiently answered questions, hoping placing it all on one clear step by step post helps others.

Updated to add due to comments:

Your final package should be

A) form, multiple checks to ensure it is correctly filled, 2 pages

B) photo stapled as per instructions to form

C) print out of payment email

D) prepaid return envelope

E) passport.

All sent in another envelope that is sent via royal mail tracking.

Then wait.

Haven’t had luck figuring out decent spices. Some tips on the brands to look for would help!

What the title says.

Had difficulty getting the photo to work, and figured I need to go somewhere that knows the specs for the printing.

Prefer recommendations from folks who have used the place themselves and had good experience. Stratford area preferred but can go where the service is if need be.

Thanks in advance.

I have worked my entire life.

I had to. Since 18. Because otherwise I would not have been supported to meet my aims.

Some jobs I just took because - money. Some I did because I believed in them. I am not even counting the times I did pro bono because DV shelters also need accountants in this - only considering paid labor.

I have done everything from waitress to sales to child care, let alone my better paid career and finally retiring. Because I no longer feel the love for the work itself.

But I have never not worked myself to the bone to earn my keep, whether I liked what I did or not.

I feel weird. I suddenly feel as if I depend on my husband (even though the retirement money is both of us), or l am somehow not pulling my weight and need to show why I deserve stuff.

I know this is the patriarchy calling.

But it still calls hard. My man is so easy with his retirement but I am finding it hard. Just to even feel I deserve rest?

Anybody else been here?

Leaving with a heavy heart after 27 years. Can’t afford to retire in my own city. But I loved every minute here - wish I could stay.

Loved the nature, loved the culture, loved the quirk. And UW - will miss you, warts and all. Go Huskies

I am a BIPOC WoC. Tried 4 times to place something on London Reddit and aur removed because apparently the controllers of r/London are from that group?

No explanations. No reasons. No way to ask why.

Basically there is a group of folks harassing minority and expat folks at Stratford station. All my posts on that in the London Reddit about how they mobilize us expats or minorities for money at Stratford station are auto-removed.

No explanation. No where to ask for clarity or fix.

I have photos of all my posts and replies.

Basically a bunch of young brown men from a group by - Keith? - harass you for money. When you ask for more details they get aggressive. And when you say anything on the r/london Reddit you will get taken down sans explanation.

Do not give money without learning more. They target folks whom they imagine are soft targets. They just mistook me.

Apologies I just chose best flair. But I had no idea where to go as an immigrant once London group gave me zero explanation about why they rejected my posts. Apparently London likes peeps who predate on immigrants.