Homecoming Carnival Post I | The Park | Friday, October 21

[bigdamnprincipal]

To signify the start of Homecoming Weekend, the park had been transformed once more into a bright, noisy carnival for the students and staff, residents of the town and, most importantly, any alumni who'd decided to come back for a visit.

The weather was still a little unseasonably warm during the day, which was probably good news for everyone potentially getting wet, and there were plenty of opportunities for fun and personal enjoyment... whatever your definition of that term might be!

[OCD is up! Kissing Booths | Dunk Tanks | Pie Tossings | OOC | The Second Post]

Homecoming Carnival Post II | The Park | Friday, October 21

[bigdamnprincipal]

To signify the start of Homecoming Weekend, the park had been transformed once more into a bright, noisy carnival for the students and staff, residents of the town and, most importantly, any alumni who'd decided to come back for a visit.

The weather was still a little unseasonably warm during the day, so there were plenty of cool treats for everyone to enjoy, and shady places to sit. If those places were kind of glittery, well, the alumni would have to admit that they'd kind of missed that sort of thing.

[OCD is up! Food and Drink | Tables | Rides | Games | OOC | The First Post]

Groovy Tunes, Friday

[rebelseekspizza]

Groovy Tunes was filled with the sound of jazz and early rock albums; Dante'd already spent much of yesterday just sitting around messing with his phone and didn't want to completely waste today the same way. So he'd grabbed some stuff he'd heard of but never bothered to listen to because it was outside of his usual style. Just on a whim, really.

Somehow, it grabbed him anyway. He couldn't say he was a big fan of most of the jazz stuff, but it was interesting to listen to. He kept trying to figure it out, the patterns...

Later in the afternoon, he'd gotten into the whole exercise. He'd be sitting in the back with the damn guitar, trying to figure out how to play along to that really old rock song he found. It didn't sound too complicated.

[[ open! if somewhat slow during the European day. ]]

Community Center Class: Flavors, Food Choices, and Menu Planning

[sharp_as_knives]

"Welcome back," Hannibal said to everybody, smiling. "I hope you all enjoyed vacation. This week, we'll be working with and discussing salt. Throughout Earth at least, salt is the most widely-used ingredient in food. It is also one of the oldest. Long before refrigeration, salt curing was used to preserve foods. Salt pulls moisture from food and inhibits bacterial growth."

He passed around a bit of home-made jerky. Beef, for those who were wondering. "In addition, it affects many of the chemical reactions involved in cooking. Because it helps protein gelatinization and alters the rate of fermentation, it affects the texture of meats, breads, cheeses - most things in which it's used." Bread and sausage (pork) were passed around next.

"Also, it affects other flavors. In small amounts, it can enhance sweetness - hence the salt you may find in fruit dishes and candies - and cut bitterness - hence its being used in pickling like the olives we had in our bitter foods class." Next were more of those olives, and some salted caramels to taste.

"The key with salt is using the right amount, and the right kind. You should at all costs avoid common table salt; it has additives to help it to pour, and iodine. Neither will do your dishes any favors. It melts too fast, behaves unsavorily," pun totally intended, "and offers no benefits other than easy access. Instead, you can use kosher salt or sea salt."

He put out several tiny bowls. "Kosher salt tends to have larger crystals, and so adds its own texture to a dish. It has fewer mineral notes than sea salt. It's a good choice especially when adding salt early in the cooking process.

"Sea salt comes in many forms - coarse, flakes, and so on - and there are a number of varieties." Including the grey, pink, and black ones he set out next. "The minerals in the area they come from offer subtle differences that can enhance a dish."

He nodded toward them. "So. Taste these, then make something of your own. Preferably that makes good use of at least one of them."

The Devil's Nest, Friday Evening

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

Allie was straightening up behind the bar while checking booze levels. It was Homecoming Weekend, you never knew who was going to need an excess of alcohol to survive.

The Arms Hotel, Friday

[montecito-east.livejournal.com]

Someone (probably Gunther) had replaced the fruit in the strategically-placed fruit bowl with fun-size candy bars. Mary helped herself to a few pieces as she went through her tasks, but the bowl never got empty. In fact, the amount of candy seemed to double if she wasn't looking. After leaving the lobby for a few minutes, she returned to find that the candy had tripled. There wasn't any room left in the bowl and candy was spilling out onto the front desk. So Mary spent the rest of her shift parked in front of the bowl, afraid to look away in case the candy continued to multiply if she didn't pay attention.

Welcome to the Arms Hotel
Today's Specials
Maple-Roasted Tomato Toast With Goat Cheese And Mint
Turkey Chili
Pumpkin and Chocolate Mousse Trifle

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