Attention What are you doing at the moment? 2024-25

[rareboy]

Yup.

Brioche today. It really isn't that difficult, but has a few steps with waiting times.

The dough is now made and in the refrigerator until tomorrow morning for final proofing and baking.

Otherwise it is as cold and rainy as a March day so no outdoors work.

Mizzy and I are soon headed up for a read and a nap.

 

[rareboy]

BTW.

The recipe called for 2 pounds of 84% butter....which now sells here for $17 per pound.

But oh, so good.

 

[Alistair]

Just home from work. Got a lot accomplished today with no one else there.

 

[me203]

The recipe called for 2 pounds of 84% butter....which now sells here for $17 per pound.

So someone baking brioche might need a second mortgage to obtain the butter?!?

 

[me203]

Just home from work. Got a lot accomplished today with no one else there.

Can be helpful being alone...

My father had a habit for years of going in early, and I now have to wonder if part of that wasn't that he found he was able to more done before his colleagues staggered in for the day.

 

[NotHardUp1]

Just in from mowing.

I see Iran is finally giving Israel a dose of her own medicine. We'll see if she swallows.

 

[rareboy]

Listening to the rain pouring outside.

I have the brioche rising in the pans...

 

[Vannie]

Was reading a U.S. letter postage stamp is going up to .73 cents.

 

[NotHardUp1]

Was reading a U.S. letter postage stamp is going up to .73 cents.

Price is no object.

When the letter is going to take 10 days to go two states away, IF it even gets there, who is their market supposed to be?

The USPS should have have to charge all customers equally by weight. Instead, we're subisdizing all that garbage they carry for mass marketers at "business class" rates.

Take that crap out of the stream, service improves, and we would all feel fine about paying $1 or $2 to see that a letter got there reliably an on time.

Good morning.

 

[NotHardUp1]

So someone baking brioche might need a second mortgage to obtain the butter?!?

Methinks that is a Canadian tariff problem.

Even if one concedes that the US subsidizes dairy, it doesn't explain how you cannot buy imported butter, like Kerrygold, a lot cheaper than that.

Even here, the Irish butter is only $11 per pound at Publix, and cheaper yet at Costco.

And, at 82%, Kerrygold cannot be materially different than that the 84%. This isn't a fuel injection engine.

 

[Vannie]

Take that crap out of the stream, service improves, and we would all feel fine about paying $1 or $2 to see that a letter got there reliably an on time.

Good morning.

Yeah I agree with that.

And Good morning to you my little Buttercup Lol

 

[rareboy]

Methinks that is a Canadian tariff problem.

Even if one concedes that the US subsidizes dairy, it doesn't explain how you cannot buy imported butter, like Kerrygold, a lot cheaper than that.

Even here, the Irish butter is only $11 per pound at Publix, and cheaper yet at Costco.

And, at 82%, Kerrygold cannot be materially different than that the 84%. This isn't a fuel injection engine.

Because of Brexit, we can't even buy Kerrygold or any British cheese or butter now in Canada because our trade agreements are with the EU and Canada and Britain cannot come to terms on a trade agreement because of resistance by Brits to Canadian pork products in their market.

Nope. The butter we are buying is not tarriffed. But Canadian dairies produce so little of it that it is priced at a premium.

Add 30% to 40% to your $11 per pound to take into account the exchange rate and you are starting to get close to what we would be paying for Kerrygold and our dairies price it accordingly.

I did recently see it priced at about $15 per pound but we already had about 6 pounds in the freezer.

 

[rareboy]

Was reading a U.S. letter postage stamp is going up to .73 cents.

We have been paying $1.07 per single stamp for some time now ($.92 if purchased by roll or book). So you are catching up.

The US ridiculously subsidizes shipping for Amazon et al and for years has tried to bankrupt the postal service so that it could be privatized.

 

[NotHardUp1]

Because of Brexit, we can't even buy Kerrygold or any British cheese or butter now in Canada because our trade agreements are with the EU and Canada and Britain cannot come to terms on a trade agreement because of resistance by Brits to Canadian pork products in their market.

Nope. The butter we are buying is not tarriffed. But Canadian dairies produce so little of it that it is priced at a premium.

Add 30% to 40% to your $11 per pound to take into account the exchange rate and you are starting to get close to what we would be paying for Kerrygold and our dairies price it accordingly.

I did recently see it priced at about $15 per pound but we already had about 6 pounds in the freezer.

I thought US dairy IS subject to tariffs entering Canada. Or are you saying you cannot get high butterfat from US producers?

USMCA Panel Releases Canada Dairy Report

A dispute settlement panel established under the USMCA has released a report regarding Canada’s dairy tariff-rate quota allocation measures.

fas.usda.gov

 

[Alistair]

I thought US dairy IS subject to tariffs entering Canada. Or are you saying you cannot get high butterfat from US producers?

USMCA Panel Releases Canada Dairy Report

A dispute settlement panel established under the USMCA has released a report regarding Canada’s dairy tariff-rate quota allocation measures.

fas.usda.gov

He didn’t say that he bought US butter he bought Canadian butter

 

[Alistair]

Finished filing my taxes. Back to beans and wieners for dinner for awhile.

 

[NotHardUp1]

He didn’t say that he bought US butter he bought Canadian butter

Yes, I understood. I was venturing a guess that the cheaper American butter was not available because it was priced out of competition by the tariffs.

Of course, it might simply be inferior to the Canadian.

 

[me203]

I wonder if the butter problem could be fixed with margarine... Would you be able to eat brioche made with margarine and say: "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!"?

 

[me203]

paying $1 or $2 to see that a letter got there reliably an on time.

Paying $2? Even $1?

 

[me203]

I haven't had problems with letters not arriving that I know of--although my mail volume is pretty low. But I sure have noticed how long it takes now. I sent a birthday card a few weeks ago that (from what the recipient said) took something like a week to get there. Ten years ago, it would have been 2-3 days. Maybe 4 days around Christmas.

I sometimes think of sending letters more, but with the mail service the way it is...

Although, being fair, the post office isn't the only one sluggish. I got a form that had to be returned by such-and-so a date. I got it two days before the stated deadline. I'd been told a week before that it was being sent out, and I discovered that the date on the letter was the day I was told about the form. But the post mark was several days later, so the agency apparently was sluggish getting it out. I don't think the deadline was too rigid, but I ended up faxing it just so they'd have it on the day they stated. Fortunately, the library has free fax service.