Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

RESULTS OF THE POLL:
41 of you prefer Coke or some other Coke product (either Diet or Mexican); I also included those who said they'd drink either Coke or Pepsi.
A mere 8 people who responded said they preferred Pepsi, or would drink either.
9 of you said Neither or something entirely different.
Coke wins!
Thanks to all of you who good-naturedly participated in this poll, and satisfied my curiosity.

@simon: eeeeeeeeeew!

Diet Vanilla Coke - oh wait, they stopped making that. :(

@whoot. So why do you think that the DHC olive oil soap is expensive. I am not sure, but I don't think the Kiss My Face olive oil is particularly expensive. Not sure.

I prefer room temp pure almond oil for hair. takes normally frizzy hair and make it straight. messy during the soaking phase, but excellent after washing it

@emilytaylor - agreed: I work in Canadian Cosmeceutical regulations currently, yes--olive oil is darned good for your skin. It's quite expensive, that's why it tends to be diluted with other natural ingredients.

Olive oil contains a group of related natural products with potent antioxidant properties which give extra-virgin unprocessed olive oil its bitter and pungent taste and which are esters of tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol, including oleocanthal and oleuropein.

Olive oil can be used as an effective shaving oil to shave facial and other body hair giving results that are equivalent to expensive commercial products. Some studies on mice showed that application of olive oil immediately following exposure to UVB rays has a preventive effect on the formation of tumors and skin cancer too! Go heavy on the stuff...it's all good.

Note: Its best medium is in raw form.

So Okay:
by no means am I a full peta supporter; but they have an excellent registration program to guarantee no animal testing companies for consumer purchasing decisions. I recommend even just checking it out.

If its spelled out clearly in the begining and not ridiculuosly high then YES, if its an across the board policy. But in these economic times it is a tight-rope they walk between profit and loss and I understand the need because of an inconsiderate few that create the need for such policies. The question of a CC# is valid and is an important issue to be worked out as I have given mine to hold reservations in the past but now I would have second thoughts.

Will the restaurant pay me when they screwed up my birthday reservation and can't seat me and my 6 friends??

"...just ask you or your family (if you had passed) to fax a copy of your EMS report or something and you wouldn't get charged."

Wow.

Dear Diners out there...,

Most of the restaurants you mentioned have always charged this no-show fee.

Food prepared in a restaurant does not show up magically on your plate. If you go to a restaurant that has, oh say 9 or 12 courses, and that chef asks for reservations, this is because they need to know how much to prep for their night.

Every element duly considered and is made by a person. It is part of their workday. They typically get paid, otherwise they earn credits towards their own personal advancement, i.e. padding their resumes with great places they've worked and great things they've done, which is a form of compensation.

All of these require ingredients, a physical space to work in, tools, water, supplies. People that work in restaurants like to get paid, usually it is not as much as your fantasies take you towards believing but a fine balance between that and nothing.

If a Chef or restaurateur, decides to charge you for not showing up, good for them, good for their investors. Hopefully they'll still be open next year, because as a business, no one can survive by being so friendly and hospitable and open to all the excuses, you the patron can and will come up with to stand a restaurant up when you decide you don't feel like going out tonight.

It is my understanding that these fees come from restaurateurs that have enough experience with diners to have seen businesses fail, partly because of the reckless reservation habits of their patrons.

Hopefully, this is a sure way to keep the responsible, consistent and repeat customers called regulars that most restaurants depend on. If these kinds of policies drive away reckless diners that change their reservations willy-nilly, then that is what it is meant.

If you want to be spontaneous and live life without rigid rules, why even make a reservation, why go somewhere demands it or the fee associated in canceling? There are plenty of mediocre restaurants you can go to that won't charge you for not showing up. Live in mediocrity and get mediocrity.

Good Day.

Oatmeal or any hot cereal. Oatmeal cookies, granola, bread or muffins are fine. I just can't take it as hot breakfast cereal or any kind of Cream of Wheat type stuff either. Also can't take rice pudding but eat tons of rice otherwise.

@mollykate.....YES! Those little wooden ice cream spoons trigger my gag reflex too..and popsicle sticks, toothpicks, tongue depressors and pencils. I just now put the connection together. Thanks I think ;-)