Basically, all legal free speech is allowed. We will assist the authorities in dealing with illegal speech. You are each other’s moderators. Have fun. And don’t forget to MAGA at nuclear levels.
After going through the elements, we now enjoy a sequence of RANDOM somewhat pseudo-random topics that will be thrown out for investigation and commentary on each open thread. At some point, in a way something like composite numbers, I will accidentally hit a second occurrence of one of them – that’s just normal.
Have fun!
Citizen U
(a.k.a. W on the OTHER site)
Day 134 – sulfites in wine
The U Tree 
Sulfur dioxide is added to wine after fermentation and mixing in order to prevent oxidation and spoilage. This is somewhat ironic in that wine is essentially spoiled grape juice in the first place. It is an ancient practice — the Romans would burn sulfur-containing candles inside to prep amphorae for wine shipment.
Red wines require very little — the tannins from the grape skins serve much the same purpose. White wines require more. Prepared meats and canned soups have significantly more than wine — and frozen juices have almost twice as much (wouldn’t want ’em to spontaneously turn into wine, would we?). Dried fruit contains many times the amount of sulfites as wine.
The US and Australia are complete ninnies about this, requiring that a wine’s label says “contains sulfites” if the wine has over 10 ppm. In actual fact, reds will have up to 160 ppm; whites up to 210 ppm for whites, and up to 400 ppm for sweet wines. By contrast, dried fruit can be up to 1000 ppm.
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Incidentally, the Davis campus of the University of California has long has academic departments for Viticulture and Enology (growing grapes and making wine) and Food Science and Technology [N.B. that’s two departments — VEN and FST] in order to help California agricultural products compete with long-standing European traditions. These guys are very good at what they do and are in the top-tier of such institutions around the world.
I would guess that there are a fair number of theses in their library regarding sulfites in food.
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Musical Interlude #1 —
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I recently went to my new doctor. After two visits and exhaustive tests, he said I was doing ‘fairly well’ for my age. I was a bit worried what he meant by that, so I asked him, “Do you think I’ll live to be eighty, Doc?”
He looked at me and asked me, “Do you smoke or drink beer or wine?”
I said, “No, nothing like that. And I don’t do drugs either.”
He looked at me again and asked me, “Okay, do you eat rib-eye steaks and barbecued ribs?”
I said, “No, my old doctor told me that all red meat is very unhealthy.”
He looked at me again and asked me, “Do you spend a lot of time in the sun, like playing golf, sailing, hiking, or bicycling?”
I replied, “No, nothing like that.”
He looked at me again and asked me, “And do you gamble, drive fast cars, or have a lot of sex?”
I said, “No, nothing like that, Doc.”
He looked at me again and said, “Then why do you even care?”
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Musical Interlude #2 —
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At a wine merchant’s, the regular taster died and the director started looking for a new one to employ. A drunkard with a ragged, dirty look came to apply for the position. While the Managing Director wondered how to send him away, the staff gave him a glass to drink.
The drunkard tried it and said, “It’s a Muscat, three years old, grown on a north slope, matured in steel containers, not best quality but acceptable.” The staffers informed the MD that the information was entirely correct.
Another glass….“It’s a Cabernet Sauvignon, eight years old, a south-western slope, oak barrels, matured at 68 degrees, requires three more years for finest results…..” “Correct again,” said the staff.
And so followed a third glass….”It’s a Pinot Blanc Champagne, drinking well and exclusive,” calmly said the drunk. The director was astonished and winked at his secretary to suggest something different.
She left the room, and came back in with a glass of urine. The sot tried it, wrinkled his nose, and spat it on the floor, then said, “It’s a blonde, 26 years old, three months pregnant….
…..and, if you don’t give me the job, I’ll name the father.”
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Musical Interlude #3 —
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A drunken dipsomaniac was stumbling down the street with one foot on the curb and one foot in the gutter. A cop pulled up and said, “I’ve got to take you in, sir. You’re obviously drunk.”
The wasted wino asked, “Ociffer, are ya absolutely sure I’m drunk?”
“Yeah, buddy, I’m sure,” said the copper. “Let’s go.”
Obviously relieved, the sot said “Oh, thank God! — I thought I was a cripple.”
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LIKE!!!
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