# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 16, 2024, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636 "2024-02-16T02:56:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 150
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2024, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/2982 "2024-08-15T02:14:05Z")
What’s a signature dish? How often do I have to experiment to count for this? The real answer is neither “never” nor “often”. I make roast chicken pretty often. I don’t mess with that much, but fiddle with the cooking temps. I make a special family recipe lemon angel pie for passover. I mostly follow the recipe, but the hardest part is making the lemon curd, and I’ve tried buying lemon curd and making it in the instant pot, to see if I could simplify that part. Neither experiment was as good as the recipe, so I only di them once. On the other hand, I switched from using a box grater to a microplane for zesting the lemons, and that is much easier and works fine. We also have a family chocolate cake recipe that I don’t mess with. And a chocolate torte recipe where i use different brands of chocolate, depending on my mood and what’s available. (The cake is ALWAYS Hersheys cocoa powderm, and its frosting is always Bakers unsweetened chocolate.) But I do some stir fry-y things and some stews and a wild rice stuffing that are always a little different. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2024, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/2983 "2024-08-15T04:00:03Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > What’s a signature dish? How often do I have to experiment to count for this? The real answer is neither “never” nor “often”. Yeah. Ratatouille is rarely the same twice; it depends on what I have around. And I rarely follow a recipe precisely. But I’m not always messing with things trying to improve them; I just don’t bother measuring unless it really matters, and I don’t always have the same ingredients available, though some things are pretty standard. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2024, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/2984 "2024-08-15T08:17:16Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > “God damn” is an imperative, describing a wish for the Deity to damn something. > [@DCnDC](#): > > And being honest about being a jerk does not negate the being of a jerk. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/BQQOiAIZMFc/hqdefault.jpg "Damn these glasses!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQQOiAIZMFc) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2024, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/2985 "2024-08-15T11:32:01Z")
The thing I enjoy about preparing a meal is tweaking the recipe a bit each time I prepare a dish. Otherwise, I’m just assembling an IKEA bookcase. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2024, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/2986 "2024-08-15T15:15:00Z")
I chose Zambia, but Senegal was a close second. It seems like a fascinating place. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2024, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/2987 "2024-08-15T17:43:14Z")
I travel all the time, and never lock my luggage. - TSA needs to be able to open the suitcase. - If they can open it, so can anyone else. - So i see no value in locking it, which just makes it harder to use my suitcase. If I’m carrying something valuable that i don’t want to keep on my person all day, like my passport, i will lock it in the hotel safe. If the hotel doesn’t have a safe, i might carry it, or i might hide it in a suitcase pocket that’s also full of other stuff, like paperwork. I sometimes travel with a laptop, and i just leave that in the hotel room, unlocked. So does everyone else i know. I’ve never heard on anyone losing a laptop in a hotel room. Presumably, the resale value isn’t worth losing your job. Fwiw, i also use a travel laptop that i can afford to lose. I have it mostly because it’s small and light and flips into a tent shape that’s great for watching movies on airplanes. But… I can afford to lose it. No one is going to steal my (used) clothes. Or most of what i carry in my suitcase. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2024, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/2988 "2024-08-15T17:49:34Z")
I said I use the safe, but really, that’s only because my wife is worried about stuff being stolen. When she’s not with me my iPad, laptop, air pods, and anything else is left in the room unsecured. For international travel I’m a little more careful, and will lock up my passport and perhaps the other stuff too. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2024, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/2989 "2024-08-15T17:55:24Z")
Back when i sometimes carried wads of cash when i traveled, i locked that with my passport, in the hotel safe. But these days enough people take plastic that i rarely have enough cash to bother. I don’t intentionally leave cash lying around the hotel room, but fwiw, i have sometimes done so by accident, and never lost any. Last time i traveled, the maid didn’t even take the tip i left on the pillow. I’ve always assumed that a smallish amount of money left in the center of the pillow would be understood to be a tip, but… People need to feel safe in hotel rooms, and i think hotels are pretty clear to staff that stealing from the customers is a major problem. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2024, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/2990 "2024-08-15T18:04:45Z")
I have a new suitcase with a TSA lock. I can finally lock mu luggage again. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2024, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/2991 "2024-08-15T18:51:31Z")
Everyone should be aware that TSA locks can be opened by anyone now, since the Washington Post stupidly published a photo of the keys in 2015. Plans for 3D printing the keys are widely available. > **[TSA's master luggage keys available to 3D print after photos leaked design](https://www.theverge.com/2015/9/10/9304627/tsa-master-luggage-keys-3d-printing)** > > The Verge is about technology and how it makes us feel. Founded in 2011, we offer our audience everything from breaking news to reviews to award-winning features and investigations, on our site, in video, and in podcasts. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2024, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/2992 "2024-08-15T18:59:37Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Everyone should be aware that TSA locks can be opened by anyone now, since the Washington Post stupidly published a photo of the keys in 2015. I don’t lock my luggage for the flight to keep somebody from stealing stuff. I lock it to make sure the zipper stays closed. As our luggage is soft-sided, a sharp knife will open the suitcase. I’d love to avoid Ohio. But that would mean never visiting the graves of my relatives. So I chose Florida. Don’t have anybody buried there that I want to visit, and it’s too hot. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2024, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/2993 "2024-08-15T19:00:20Z")
I don’t use locks or the hotel safe. Anywhere I travel, I leave my iPad plugged in while I’m away, and nothing has ever happened to it. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2024, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/2994 "2024-08-15T19:17:33Z")
I haven’t flown in so long that I don’t remember what I did; but I’m pretty sure I just left my ancient non-TSA Samsonite unlocked. I wasn’t staying in a hotel, but with friends and family, and didn’t see any reason to lock it there. I don’t think that the last time I did stay in a hotel (having driven there) that I locked my suitcase, either. There wouldn’t have been anything particularly valuable in it. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2024, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/2995 "2024-08-16T01:25:14Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Everyone should be aware that TSA locks can be opened by anyone now Anyone who’s a competent or habitual thief, maybe. Opportunistic ones aren’t going to come prepared with a key. Perhaps the latter are in a minority, but even so locking the suitcase would at least provide some protection. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2024, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/2996 "2024-08-16T01:34:21Z")
Yes, I didn’t say that locking a suitcase is useless. I just want to make sure that no one thinks that TSA agents are the only people who might have a master key to a TSA approved lock. That was true at one time but has not been so since 2015. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2024, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/2997 "2024-08-16T02:07:01Z")
I seriously doubt it has ever been true that only TSA agents have the master key. When those things first came out, I looked at them and thought, “huh, that has a pretty obvious security hole.” I imagine someone relieved a TSA agent of his master key within days of them being distributed. Probably within hours. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2024, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/2998 "2024-08-16T02:33:11Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > No one is going to steal my (used) clothes. Actually, what was stolen from our hotel room in Austria (by a non-employee, as far as we could determine) was our clothing items that had a high resale value. About a third of the garments we had with us. It was an enormous PITA not to have enough clothes because we were already traveling light. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2024, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/2999 "2024-08-16T03:53:29Z")
Well, if they actually looked through and picked the stuff with resale value, i have nothing to worry about. I really don’t think my clothes have resale value. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2024, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/3000 "2024-08-16T06:16:57Z")
Yeah. I mean I have some nice stuff- _when new_- but not after a decade of wear. Maybe a few bucks on ebay… ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2024, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/3001 "2024-08-16T13:04:09Z")
The vacation poll had an excluded middle. I would like to return to a favorite place every couple of years, but still see new places. Didn’t vote. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636.md?page=149) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636.md?page=151)