Dolores G. Llamas

You see some people saying that atheists aren't atheists at all, but theists in denial. Whyyyy do some people do this??? it's like spitting on their words. Not only that, the theist makes him/erself look like an @$$.

If folks don't believe, then they don't believe. Why do some theists contend this???????

Ridiculous.

In Chinese restaurants, I have seen chow mein made with bean sprouts, as well as with pasta. However, on many menus, chow mein is offered with "soft noodle," and the term "soft noodle" is confusing. Both bean sprouts (when cooked) and pasta are soft, so what is the menu referring to when it says "soft noodle" - bean sprout, pasta, or something else?

Now I always thought I was open minded, but I found out that someone I was interested in goes to tanning salons. That actually turned me off, since it comes off as kinda prissy. I hate to use the word prissy, 'cause it sounds like I'm insulting the man, and I don't mean any kind of insult. However, tanning is prissier than me (who would never do it), and I have to be the prissier one in a relationship, even though I'm not that prissy.

What do you ladies think? And guys, what do you think of other guys who go to tanning salons?

A friend of mine is bisexual, and is thinking about finding a wife, but wants an open marriage. He wants to have a polyamorous relationship with his wife and another man. He doesn't want to merely have sex with other men, he wants to fall in love with them as well.

Here is what I say: Just because he likes men, doesn't mean he haaaaaas to have one, right? I mean, she likes men too, but does that mean she haaaaaas to have others, even while she's married? Isn't marriage a decision to be faithful to one another, foregoing all others??? This is the case in all marriages, straight or bi or gay or whatever, yes?

How many bisexual people have polyamorous marriages? And how many bisexual people have open marriages, not including other romances, but other sexual encounters, not involving falling in love?

I'm selling a wedding dress, books, and a chafing dish. I also want to sell a treadmill, some beveled crystal, a bed, videocassettes, a VCR, and more books. Which site would give a person more success? I need these things sold ASAP.

eBay or craigslist?

I've never liked them, don't much like the mock meats 'cause they're nasty. However, that was a few years ago. Has any improved? Have the dogs improved? What about the sliced deli-ish stuff? Or does it taste the same? I've been curious to try again, but don't wanna waste my money.

Do they taste the same as they did 3 yrs ago, or are they different now?

If you're divorced and want to re-marry, what is the chance you'll wind up divorced again?

For the record, I'm single and unattached. A friend of mine took a divorce class, and was told that the divorce rate among divorced people was a lot higher than for those in their first marriage. However, he doesn't remember the source.

Does anyone here have a source? Thanx.

This is in reference to another question of mine:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=200905...

A couple or so said they would try to convert that person. What if they wanted nothing to do with conversion, would you try talking your son/daughter out of it? Would you try to forbid it? Would you forget conversion and welcome them instead? Would you be neutral?

Just curious. And before anyone attacks, which is sooo prevalent here, I am a theist who is cool with atheists & agnostics, and I don't have kids.

Would you protest the wedding? Forbid it? Would you welcome their fiance? Would you encourage the wedding?

What?

Before anyone attacks, I have no kids, am a theist, and am cool with atheists/agnostics. I'm just asking a question, that's all.

I'm vegan, and yes, I would. No one can control this 100%, so I find it useless to try, 'cause it would only drive me nuts. Why do that?

What about you?

Let's say you are traveling internationally. Would you experience local dishes even if they contained meat/dairy/etc? Let's say you were invited to high tea, where the finger sandwiches weren't vegan, and some not even vegetarian. Would you participate and eat the non-veg*n sandwiches, just to get the experience of high tea? What if you traveled to the Far East, where street food is anything but green/hip. What would you do if someone asked you to try bugs on a stick? If you traveled to Hawaii and were invited to a luau, would you eat some of the roast pig? If you traveled to England, would you eat their meat pies? Fish & chips? What if you were invited into someone's home for a meal? I mean someone in another country, where you had the opportunity to enjoy the <real deal> cultural experience, and they served something that wasn't veg*an, would you partake or not?

These things are cultural experiences, not occuring every day. Would you fully participate, in order to learn first hand what people from other cultures experience, or would you hold back?

Why yes or why no?

Whenever I search for vegan shoes, they're always so goddamn ugly. I swear, they're hideous, like what a homeless hippie would find appealing. What I see are shoes that are designed for teenagers and very young adults, ones with a trendy homemade look, like looking shabby crappy is supposed to be cool. I'm 40 years old, there's NO WAY I'm gonna wear wheat colored hemp ballet slipper with white dots & green stripes on the sides and a rubber toe!

Does anyone know where one can find decent, NORMAL looking vegan shoes?? Anyone?? Anything is much appreciated, thanx.

I'd like to make some lentil loaves with red lentils, as I've made with the browns, but wanna know ahead of time if it's gonna taste differently.

I'm considering buying some, but won't if it tastes like soybeans.

I don't like soy products, they taste awful. They promise good stuff, but seriously can't deliver, so I dropped them alltogether.

Although I don't like it much, I still drink soymilk 'cause I need something to eat cereal with. I also cook with it, and this way, it tastes fine. As for other vegan non-dairy milks, so far I've tried rice milk but didn't like it, too slimy, so I poured it down the sink. I wanna finally stop making soymilk, but this will cut my consumption of a food that's rich in calcium and full protein. Yes, I realize that protein deficiency is rare in the West, and that protein is found aplenty in plants, but still, I wanna cover my trax.

Anywho, I came upon Bragg's online, and am under the impression that if I use it as a seasoning, I can still get the benefit of soy protein without that yucky soy favor. <And> I can stop drinking soymilk!

Sooo, what does it taste like? Does it have even a hint of puke - oops, I mean soybean - flavor?

I don't like soy products, they taste terrible. Am I the only one, or are there other vegans out there who also prefer black beans over tofu? Peanut butter & jam sandwich over a mock meat sandwich? Chocolate soy milk over plain soy milk?

(fake bologna.... ~~shudder!~~)

It wasn't Tom Bailey, it certainly wasn't Alannah Currie. Who was that Black guy with dreds? I looked in Wiki but it didn't give a straight answer, 'cause there was a lot of turnover in band membership. Besides, people are so flippin' PC now'days, no one's gonna edit Wiki to say that so-and-so was "The band's Black guy in dredlocks."

Does wnyone know who he is? Thanx.

I've read that you can make yoghurt by putting a spoonful of it in some milk. Can the same be done for soy? Can you put a plop of soy yoghurt into some soy milk, and will it turn into soy yoghurt?

I want to make some soy yoghurt, but from what I've read, it doesn't come out as thick as dairy yoghurt does, and the results have also been inconsistent. I like easy, and thought that the spoonful method might do the trick.

Yes? No? Anyone?

I know they eat food, or Chinese food, for those who wish to type in quick answers. What I wanna know is what do they typically eat for breakfast? Do they eat oatmeal? Cereal & milk? Fruit? Bread? Beans? Rice? Veggies?

Please let me know, thanx.

For clarity, I will include two definitions from the Merrian-Webster dictionary:

RELIGION

1 a: the state of a religious <a nun in her 20th year of religion> b (1): the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2): commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance

2: a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices

3archaic : scrupulous conformity : conscientiousness

4: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith

CHRISTIANITY

1 : the religion derived from Jesus Christ, based on the Bible as sacred scripture, and professed by Eastern, Roman Catholic, and Protestant bodies

2 : conformity to the Christian religion

3 : the practice of Christianity

Now, here's my question. Sorry for the long story.

I was talking with someone at work, and she said that Christianity isn't a religion. I thought, "Oh great, we've got one of <those>. (closes eyes, shakes head)"

I said that yes, Christianity <is> a religion, not just a relationship with God. Anyone can have a relationship with God, even non-Christians. Therefore, a human-God relationsihp is an inadequate definition of Christianity. She said that no, Christianity is a lifestyle, not a religion. I said that if you look up "religion" and "Christianity" in the dictionary, you'll find that yes, Christianity is in fact a religion. Individuals have relationships with God, but the belief system of Christianity altogether is a religion. She said that that's "man's definition" and not God's definition. I thought, "Oh dear Lord, she's one of those loons."

She was saying that Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, etc, are different religions. I said that no, they're different sects within the same religion of Christianity. I went on to explain that Christianity has three major branches: Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, and each is somewhat different, but all are Christian. Within Orthodoxy there are more schisms, and within Protestantism there are many more schisms, and that all together, Christianity has over 40 thousand schisms or sects. And all of these are branches of the same tree.

She totally disagreed and said, "I respect your opinion."

Christians, this is not my opinion. I didn't make it up. It's not opinion, it's fact. I was not giving things any new kind of definitions, only sticking to the standard definitions of things. Religion is a system of belief, and Christianity is a religion. I mean, there's nothing different or weird about saying this. What's weird, actually what's frustrating, is when some Christians concoct up new definitions of things, like saying that Christianity is not a religion. They're making up new rules as they go along, and expect everyone else to believe it too.

Look, those folks who put words into dictionaries happen to be linguistic scholars. I'm not gonna argue with any linguistic scholar. If they say a word means one thing, then I'll accept it, and not play The Arrogant One and say, "Nuh-uh, no it doesn't." To change the definitions of things is to make up new rules as you go along. This causes confusion, and it's very frustrating.

Why do you do it????? Who said you can change the established rules????? Christianity is a religion, gulp it and accept it. What's so hard about that?

For those of y'all who do this, why???

Balut

http://www.stuartxchange.org/Balut.html

Who has actually tried balut? Do you like it? Do you not? What's it like?

If you haven't, how much money would it take for you to eat it?

I'm adventurous with foods, and would even try fried bugs on a stick. But to try balut? I'm not adventurous enough. I mean, balut made it to Fear Factor, so it's got to be gross, yes? No? Are there any Asians here who are also grossed out by balut? My friend at work is Chinese American, and she won't touch the stuff, even though her husband loves it.

So, what's your take on balut?