There’s good reason to use your dishwasher instead of that nasty sponge in your sink.
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: We find it ironic that Black, whose kitchen always looks like it’s ready for a magazine photo shoot since she lives alone and rarely cooks, is explaining to Red, who loves to cook and whose kitchen is always a whirlwind of activity, how using the dishwasher can save time, money, and water.
It started on a typical afternoon; Black was skimming the Axios “Closer” newsletter when the bar chart under the headline “Two ways to clean a dish” caught her attention. The article bullet-pointed (one of the things she likes best about Axios) that Proctor & Gamble was heavily promoting the use of dishwashers, and how they save water, to increase sales of its Cascade dishwashing detergent. Since Black’s daily “dishes” consist of small single-serving French press coffee makers, a coffee cup, an occasional plate or two, and some silverware, most of which accumulate in her dishwasher throughout the week, it wouldn’t have much impact on her but might be valuable information for Red.
Of course, the subject line immediately caught Red’s attention. Mostly because it seemed so out of character for Black. A quick read later, Red started getting very excited at the thought that now she had some very good reasons to run the dishwasher more often, especially since it supported her efforts to change her habits into more environmentally-friendly ones.
But it also made gave her an idea, and she used Black as a sounding board (although Black thought it was just another example of her thinking out loud),
I’ve wanted a new dishwasher for a while but couldn’t rationalize it as my old dishwasher still works, although I feel it’s more of a sterilizer than a washer. But the new high-efficiency ones might provide the perfect excuse, although I know you’ll ask if I’ve crunched the numbers. And it’d be great to be able to give up handwashing everything, except my good knives, to help save water!
Black never expected to have a conversation about dishwashers, even though, over the years, she had gotten into heated discussions about the proper way to load them. And although she fully appreciated the logic of using the dishwasher more often, and all the “savings”, her focus was still on the marketing angle, and the use of humor,
I may only use my dishwasher once a week, but I love the Cascade advertising campaign, “Do IT Every Night.” And, if you have not already seen it, check out the version with Freddie Prinze, Jr. and his wife, Sarah Michelle Gellar.
When the news is challenging or life’s stressful, there’s something comforting about Girl Scout cookies. Always has been, which is why we’re rerunning this post from several years ago.
Girl Scouts, though, are about so much more than cookies, as year-round girls learn important life skills, gain confidence, and discover leadership skills. But buying cookies is such a sweet way (sorry, we couldn’t resist) to support the organization. Red’s favorite is the classic shortbread (now known as Trefoils), and Black buys a large assortment and gives them all away.
But hurry! Cookie season ends on March 23.
P.S. - If S’mores and Toast-Yay! are your favorites … make sure you stock up as this is the last year they’ll be available.
Let's play word association. If we say, "Girl Scouts," what's the first word that comes to mind? Ok, what's the second word?
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: When Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low organized the first Girl Scout meeting – hoping to create an organization that redefined what was possible for girls everywhere – there was no way for her to know the difference it would make in the lives of millions of girls and their communities.
Many people's first (and sometimes only) image of Girl Scouts is as cookie salespeople – either selling door-to-door or at a make-shift table at a grocery or other store (or having their parents hand you an order form). But if you've been a Girl Scout (both of us have) or know someone who has, you know that Girl Scouts are about so much more.
So, as we celebrate the Girls Scouts being around for over 100 years, we should celebrate the years of fun and friendships, and for helping girls learn important qualities such as responsibility, courage, strength, and independence. Qualities that are as important in 2021 as they were in 1912.
And what better way to celebrate than to buy some Girl Scout cookies? Guilt-free as you're helping a good cause.
Today’s turbulent times for Jews may overshadow the celebration of the Jewish New Year, one of the holiest of the Jewish holidays. Yet, ironically, we feel it should strengthen its significance, as the holiday is a time for reflection on the past and hope for the future.
If you think today’s politics are ugly … let’s talk about a man who named himself “dictator for life” of the Roman empire, and is then assassinated by a group of senators, including his best friend. (However, there’s a “pretty” part – Cleopatra was his mistress.) Food trivia and leadership lessons aside, the fact July is named after him is the perfect excuse to rerun one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites …
Quick! If someone says "Julius Caesar," what comes to mind?
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Almost everyone has heard of Julius Caesar, but how many of us really know much about him, or at least that's what Red starts to wonder when she receives the usual flippant, but still accurate, reply from her sister, after feeling very proud that she knew that July was named after the famous Roman.
Which is what got Red to realize, much to her surprise (shock, if truth be told), that even as a straight-A student with a love of history, that when it came to Julius Caesar, a famous historical figure and possibly one of the greatest generals and statesmen of all time, she couldn't tell you dates or battles or anything "historical" associated with him.
Even as a theater major in college, she never read Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar," although she knew just enough about the play to know that it was where the fortune teller warned Caesar to "Beware the Ides of March." Instead, her knowledge of Caesar came from her love of movies.
My first, and probably my most enduring, memory is of a brilliant general who not only commanded armies as he conquered lands far from home but was a great statesman who was also involved with one of the world's most beautiful women. And while he was Julius Caesar and the woman was Cleopatra, to me, they'll always be Rex Harrison and Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra, a movie almost as controversial as the general himself.
And Black? Besides knowing that Caesar Salad was invented by a different Caesar, she appreciates Julius Caesar's leadership skills and way with words,
There is much we can learn about leadership from Julius Caesar, whether on the battlefield, in politics, or in business (start small, take risks, communicate well), including what ultimately led to his death (always consider worst-case scenarios, never get complacent or arrogant). Many of his quotes speak (pun intended) to his powerful way with words, and the ability to not only deliver a message but to inspire (and story tell), with my favorite being, "I came, I saw, I conquered."