# Cafe Society **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/cafe-society/15.md?page=33 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 34 --- ## [Dan Simmons has died](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-simmons-has-died/1028140)
**Author:** [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2026, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-simmons-has-died/1028140 "2026-03-04T16:16:41Z")
The Hyperion Cantos is still one of my favorite book series. Too bad he turned into such a nutjob douchebag in later years. --- ## [It's...meatcake! (Sorry, Mr. Carlin)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-meatcake-sorry-mr-carlin/1028126)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2026, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-meatcake-sorry-mr-carlin/1028126 "2026-03-04T06:14:07Z")
For reasons I cannot explain (but you are free to speculate on :grinning\_face:) we have been tasked to make a lamb dish in the form of a cake, instead of the usual cake in the shape of a lamb. Either a sheet “cake”, or … --- ## [Favorite series of comic covers?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-series-of-comic-covers/939106)
**Author:** [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [March 3, 2026, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-series-of-comic-covers/939106 "2026-03-03T18:53:01Z")
I was browsing through some old comic covers and it struck me how plesant the covers for the complete run of New Mutants volume 2 are, most of them being pretty simple character studies with muted colors and no extraneou… --- ## [Sugar-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugar-free-chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe/1028123)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [March 3, 2026, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugar-free-chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe/1028123 "2026-03-03T16:04:16Z")
I’ve been searching online for a sugar-free chocolate chip cookie recipe and haven’t found one that looks even remotely appetizing. I used to make amazing chocolate chip cookies back in my sugar-eating days, and even the… --- ## [Some new restaurants have opened up near me](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-new-restaurants-have-opened-up-near-me/1028032)
**Author:** [@bodangus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bodangus)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2026, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-new-restaurants-have-opened-up-near-me/1028032 "2026-03-02T14:53:06Z")
I want to go and order only two things off of the offered menu at each place. This would be In the hope of determining the quality and authenticity of the food and more importantly whether I’ll come back. In my case, on… --- ## [First Few Sci-Fi Movies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-few-sci-fi-movies/98629)
**Author:** [@Diff\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diff_T)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2026, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-few-sci-fi-movies/98629 "2026-03-02T12:43:46Z")
ok, so A Trip to the Moon was one (the first?). Any other early movies you can add? Doesn’t have to be the first, or close to it… just the first of it’s kind? --- ## [Khadaji’s Whatcha Reading Thread - February 2026 edition](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2026-edition/1027219)
**Author:** [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)\ **Replies:** 85\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2026, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2026-edition/1027219 "2026-03-02T01:40:52Z")
February is here and my part of the state got our FIRST snow of the year (2nd of the season) but, of course, climate change isn’t real… What is real is BOOKS! Lots of books, comics, graphic novels, manga, plotlines scri… --- ## [What music subscription services do you pay for that you feel are worth it](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-subscription-services-do-you-pay-for-that-you-feel-are-worth-it/1028080)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2026, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-subscription-services-do-you-pay-for-that-you-feel-are-worth-it/1028080 "2026-03-02T01:28:21Z")
I have spotify, which is always good. There is an app called swipefy, I think I pay around $8 a year for it but it allows me to discover new music that I may not have noticed before. What do other people have that they… --- ## [Q about Time Traveler's Wife (movie) - NOT a spoiler](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-about-time-travelers-wife-movie-not-a-spoiler/817535)
**Author:** [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2026, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-about-time-travelers-wife-movie-not-a-spoiler/817535 "2026-03-01T06:22:35Z")
At least, I hope this won’t give away any plot points… I just saw the movie on tv. In the final scene, there is a closeup of a pair of shoes. There are no shoelaces in those shoes, and that seems odd to me. Can anyone e… --- ## [Wulfleet! Or: How far back can you read English?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wulfleet-or-how-far-back-can-you-read-english/1027992)
**Author:** [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2026, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wulfleet-or-how-far-back-can-you-read-english/1027992 "2026-03-01T05:15:21Z")
A fairly amazing piece of writing here, which is not only a decent story in itself but is primarily a fantastic illustration of how the English language has changed over the centuries. How far back in time can you under… --- ## [Scream Movie Series](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scream-movie-series/1028093)
**Author:** [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2026, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scream-movie-series/1028093 "2026-03-01T01:17:05Z")
Scream 7 was released yesterday. Without open spoiling it, I had a good time. Not my favorite, not the worst, not invested in the behind-the-scenes drama. It is so strange it’s been 30 years and I’ve liked every movie in… --- ## [New series of Red Dwarf begins today](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-of-red-dwarf-begins-today/636726)
**Author:** [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2026, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-of-red-dwarf-begins-today/636726 "2026-02-28T19:30:15Z")
For all its faults I thought back to earth wasn’t so bad. The cast was in good form and there were some funny jokes. The story mostly sucked though. Haven’t heard much of this new series, but I’m cautiously optimistic. T… --- ## [Earliest example of a song that subverts the expectation of a bawdy rhyme (better explained in OP)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-example-of-a-song-that-subverts-the-expectation-of-a-bawdy-rhyme-better-explained-in-op/1027985)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2026, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-example-of-a-song-that-subverts-the-expectation-of-a-bawdy-rhyme-better-explained-in-op/1027985 "2026-02-28T12:02:00Z")
I watched a tv show recently where a character sang a bawdy song. The joke was, each stanza set you up for a ribald rhyme, but doesn’t deliver. Kind of like this (making it up in my head) : My daughter has a suitor A s… --- ## [Robert Carradine dies at 71](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-carradine-dies-at-71/1027934)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2026, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-carradine-dies-at-71/1027934 "2026-02-28T02:58:55Z")
Robert started as a child actor. He was in John Wayne’s film The Cowboys 1972. Robert was one of the young boys helping with the cattle drive. Born in 1954, Robert was 30 when he played a Frat boy in Revenge of the Nerd… --- ## [What is the biggest rock band with no living, original members?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-rock-band-with-no-living-original-members/1027744)
**Author:** [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Replies:** 85\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2026, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-rock-band-with-no-living-original-members/1027744 "2026-02-28T01:12:44Z")
Continuing the discussion from TPUSA Halftime show featuring Kid Rock: It’s interesting that after 50-60 years, all of the biggest rock bands still have living members – some of them still performing: Beatles, Stones, W… --- ## [Oklahoma! a groundbreaking musical](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-a-groundbreaking-musical/1027747)
**Author:** [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [February 27, 2026, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-a-groundbreaking-musical/1027747 "2026-02-27T19:11:41Z")
The famous Rogers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma! opened on Broadway a human lifetime ago back in 1943. I’ve heard more than one theater critic call it ‘the first modern musical’ or say words to the effect that Oklahom… --- ## [Drops of God - Apple TV+](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drops-of-god-apple-tv/1025835)
**Author:** [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [February 27, 2026, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drops-of-god-apple-tv/1025835 "2026-02-27T15:48:21Z")
Just finished Season 1 of Drops of God. It was released on Apple TV+ in 2023. Season 2 is going to be released in Late January 2026. The series received a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating. Season 1 is self containe… --- ## [Mr. Clean retires! What's that you say?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-clean-retires-whats-that-you-say/1027959)
**Author:** [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [February 27, 2026, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-clean-retires-whats-that-you-say/1027959 "2026-02-27T02:12:00Z")
Mr. Clean, the Bald, Broad-Shouldered Cleaning Mascot, Retires The character became the face of a household cleaner in 1958. It’s not clear what the brand plans for its next mascot. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/24/u… --- ## [The Lone Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456)
**Author:** [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Replies:** 86\ **Last updated:** [February 26, 2026, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456 "2026-02-26T20:05:18Z")
I was scrolling through YouTube and saw in the feed The Lone Ranger Takes on the Masked woman. The masked woman was played by Phyllis Coates who played Lois Lane from The Adventures of Superman. It was a fun episode that… --- ## [Closed Captioning question - possibly BBC related](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closed-captioning-question-possibly-bbc-related/1027962)
**Author:** [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [February 26, 2026, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closed-captioning-question-possibly-bbc-related/1027962 "2026-02-26T15:21:19Z")
Possibly an FQ but since it’s about TV I thought I’d put it here. My wife and I watch British murder mysteries on Britbox. One thing we’ve noticed is that whenever someone is reading something aloud or quoting someone, t… --- ## [The man from the motor trade](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-from-the-motor-trade/1027655)
**Author:** [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Replies:** 79\ **Last updated:** [February 26, 2026, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-from-the-motor-trade/1027655 "2026-02-26T15:20:28Z")
In The Beatles’ song She’s Leaving Home, Friday morning at nine o’clock she is far away Waiting to keep the appointment she made Meeting a man from the motor trade. This has never been very clear to me. First, “motor… --- ## [My thoughts on albums everybody has already heard.(recommendations accepted)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217)
**Author:** [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Replies:** 508\ **Last updated:** [February 26, 2026, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-thoughts-on-albums-everybody-has-already-heard-recommendations-accepted/667217 "2026-02-26T15:08:26Z")
I am looking for suggestions, so please leave yours for me to “review” if you like. Also, please add yours if you had similar experiences. I grew up rather musically clueless. I listen to no popular music, or really any… --- ## [Films directed by Francis Ford Coppola](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-directed-by-francis-ford-coppola/975271)
**Author:** [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [February 26, 2026, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-directed-by-francis-ford-coppola/975271 "2026-02-26T14:33:58Z")
For very different reasons, I think The Godfather and Apocalypse Now are among the all-time best from any director, and The Godfather Part II is almost in the same category, IMO. The rest that I’ve seen are just okay: Br… --- ## [Lauren Chapin aka "Kitten" of Father Knows Best, dead at 80](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lauren-chapin-aka-kitten-of-father-knows-best-dead-at-80/1027982)
**Author:** [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [February 26, 2026, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lauren-chapin-aka-kitten-of-father-knows-best-dead-at-80/1027982 "2026-02-26T02:14:01Z")
Lauren Chapin, Youngest Child on ‘Father Knows Best,’ Dies at 80 For six seasons, she was Kathy, a giggly tomboy whose father, played by Robert Young, called her Kitten. Her offscreen life, however, was harrowing https… --- ## [What has replaced 'mix tapes' for you?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-replaced-mix-tapes-for-you/1027944)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [February 25, 2026, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-replaced-mix-tapes-for-you/1027944 "2026-02-25T22:13:21Z")
I still have a lot of CDs and a CD burner but no CD player. I don’t think cars even come with them anymore, do they? It seems like all of the convenient ways to listen to a compilation of your favorite music has gone by … --- ## [Here’s what I think of casting Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-s-what-i-think-of-casting-tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher/1027876)
**Author:** [@hideousidiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hideousidiot)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [February 25, 2026, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-s-what-i-think-of-casting-tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher/1027876 "2026-02-25T14:33:51Z")
If they would have cast the tiny (5’7”?) Cruise as the gigantic Jack Reacher but cast all the other parts with very short actors (except the actors who played in scenes without Cruise in them, like the shooting victims, … --- ## [What music are you listening to right now](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-are-you-listening-to-right-now/1015881)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 90\ **Last updated:** [February 25, 2026, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-are-you-listening-to-right-now/1015881 "2026-02-25T03:11:38Z")
We lost our entire music collection in the fire, decades of filk, gone. I put on Meg Davis’s Captain Jack And The Mermaid on Amazon Prime not long ago and “My Winter Rose” is currently playing. I’ll probably put on Fis… --- ## [Do you "sweat" vegetables? Tell us more](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sweat-vegetables-tell-us-more/1027925)
**Author:** [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [February 25, 2026, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sweat-vegetables-tell-us-more/1027925 "2026-02-25T00:50:11Z")
I had never heard of “sweating” vegetables until 2004, when I took a cooking class with a Four Seasons chef in Cairo, Egypt. At that point, I thought of myself as a reasonably educated home chef. I would not go so far … --- ## [Very dark movie: The Rule of Jenny Pen (possible spoilers after the OP)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-dark-movie-the-rule-of-jenny-pen-possible-spoilers-after-the-op/1027912)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [February 24, 2026, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-dark-movie-the-rule-of-jenny-pen-possible-spoilers-after-the-op/1027912 "2026-02-24T18:44:19Z")
Described thusly: “Confined to a secluded rest home and trapped within his stroke-ridden body, a former Judge must stop an elderly psychopath who employs a child’s puppet to abuse the home’s residents with deadly conseq… --- ## [Celery quality in decline?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celery-quality-in-decline/1027888)
**Author:** [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [February 24, 2026, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celery-quality-in-decline/1027888 "2026-02-24T15:58:06Z")
(In Cafe Society because food). All fall and through this winter, I’ve been having a hard time finding celery at any of a number of grocery stores that is useable. It seems like at least half of any given bunch of cele… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/cafe-society/15.md?page=32) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/cafe-society/15.md?page=34)