The $400 gecko
Our aircon downstairs has been acting erratically, until finally last week it was acting so erratically as to be not working at all. It's still under warranty, so we called in the repair guy. He discovered that the cause of our trouble was a gecko that had crept into the unit, and ultimately shorted out a component in there. He doesn't think it's covered under warranty. (In which case they might as well not make their units waterproof and say any rain damage is not covered under warranty for all the control over the local environment we'd need to have.)
In other news, I have laid down my life for science and actually tasted some kei apples. They are very acid, but not inedibly so - they come in at about the same point as very ripe lemons that can actually be eaten (by me). I chose some very ripe looking ones to try, and they taste ripe - fruity, and like the acid is meant to be there, unlike the kind of acid taste I associate with underripe fruit. There is another fruity taste as well, definitely more in the flesh just under the skin (the middle is just acid, really) which is somewhere in the vicinity of apricot or cherry - certainly the texture reminds me of those.
I peeled them like the advice says (and since it's so easy, why not?) but I did also taste the skin and it's a bit bitter as well as acid and very tough and yep, peeling is very definitely the way to go.
I cut a couple into quarters and sprinkled some sugar on and let them stand. I don't know that I'd actually say that makes them more edible, as the combination of the sugar and acid makes for a very rich combination, almost like eating jam, and I needed to eat them just as paced as without sugar. But I have no trouble believing I got my daily vitamin C in the process. Jammy experiments next!
(Click through from more photos 'on site')
In other news, I have laid down my life for science and actually tasted some kei apples. They are very acid, but not inedibly so - they come in at about the same point as very ripe lemons that can actually be eaten (by me). I chose some very ripe looking ones to try, and they taste ripe - fruity, and like the acid is meant to be there, unlike the kind of acid taste I associate with underripe fruit. There is another fruity taste as well, definitely more in the flesh just under the skin (the middle is just acid, really) which is somewhere in the vicinity of apricot or cherry - certainly the texture reminds me of those.
I peeled them like the advice says (and since it's so easy, why not?) but I did also taste the skin and it's a bit bitter as well as acid and very tough and yep, peeling is very definitely the way to go.
I cut a couple into quarters and sprinkled some sugar on and let them stand. I don't know that I'd actually say that makes them more edible, as the combination of the sugar and acid makes for a very rich combination, almost like eating jam, and I needed to eat them just as paced as without sugar. But I have no trouble believing I got my daily vitamin C in the process. Jammy experiments next!
(Click through from more photos 'on site')