# What are some things you do the old, harder, less rational way? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 22, 2008, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236 "2008-05-22T13:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236/21 "2008-05-22T20:05:32Z")
[QUOTE=Small Clanger] My day to day text editor is **vi** \* For file transfers I use command line ftp [/QUOTE] I have a very nice GUI ftp program, but sometimes it’s just faster and easier to use the command line ftp. Especially when you know how to use regular expressions. I haven’t used vi in a while, though. I used to use it for everything. In the mid-80s it was the best cross-platform editor I could find. I had versions on DOS, Solaris, BSD, Aegis (the Apollo OS) and Mac. I seem to remember it being the first command I typed when I first loaded Linux. If I remember correctly, I even had vi for OS/2 Warp. I should probably look into VIM, since it’s bundled with every Mac nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236/22 "2008-05-22T20:14:44Z")
[QUOTE=Sigmagirl] Gee, I make rice in a pan on the stove! [/QUOTE] Me three. My husband had a rice cooker but I never used it so I think it went to Goodwill. I refuse to use the food processor. I don’t know how and have no desire to learn how. It seems like a big PITA and I actually enjoy chopping veggies and stuff when cooking anyway. If I am ever making something that absolutely calls for it and I can’t get away with using the blender, I ask my husband to do it for me. I do use one of those Pampered Chef mini choppers occasionally for onions though. Just makes for less tears. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236/23 "2008-05-22T20:21:00Z")
[QUOTE=Sigmagirl] Gee, I make rice in a pan on the stove! [/QUOTE] Me too. I know what a rice cooker is, but only from my relationship with a Thai girl, and this thread is honestly the first time I heard of making rice in the microwave. You can do that? ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236/24 "2008-05-22T20:28:10Z")
When my gf makes dinner (and I help) we make everything from scratch. For a pasta dinner that means starting with tomatoes, oil, garlic, etc for the sauce. Herbs are harvested from her garden. While the sauce simmers, we make the pasta using flour, water, egg (she has 3 hens), etc. We start around 3 pm and eat at 9. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236/25 "2008-05-22T20:43:09Z")
I keep a handwritten daily diary. We don’t need no stinking blogs. ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236/26 "2008-05-22T20:49:36Z")
When the mood strikes, I’ll make my own bread from scratch. And by that, I mean mixing, kneading and shaping by hand… the bread machine I got for Xmas a few years back gets very irregular use. We tend to make most of our soups, broths/stocks, pestos, and pasta sauces from scratch as well. I’ll admit to buying the canned/jarred stuff to keep on hand in case of emergency, but it rarely comes out to play. We’re working our way up to making our own pickles, jams and other condiments. I crochet and sew, albeit not as much as I’d like due to lack of free time plus my epic procrastination skills. I code HTML in WordPad. I don’t trust WYSIWYG programs - though I’m sure they’ve come a long way since I last bothered with one. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236/27 "2008-05-22T21:08:10Z")
I still use a shaving brush, mug for shaving soap, and ye olde safety razor to scrub my mug. I tried a straight razor, but just never got the hang of it. I do have an electric razor for days when I’m in a hurry. But I like the leisurely morning ritual of whipping up my shaving soap with the brush. It’s very Zen. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236/28 "2008-05-22T21:30:12Z")
I mount pretty much all my own motorcycle and Jeep tires by hand. I generate all my “new” trees by clippings/cuttings from existing ones. I do both these things and many more because I’m a cheap bastard. ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236/29 "2008-05-22T21:32:06Z")
Cooking–I make almost everything from scratch. We buy bread, pasta, condiments… a few other things, but 'most everything I do from scratch. It’s partly a creative exercise, partly for frugality, but mostly just because it tastes better. I even kill and butcher our own meat when I can arrange it. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236/30 "2008-05-22T22:12:52Z")
I can pickles and preserves. I never use frozen pie crust. I sometimes make my own bread. I _never_ buy salad dressing - I like to control what goes in it. I really don’t understand why anybody would buy baking mixes, either - make your own, it’s cheaper and you control it. It isn’t hard. I rarely use the microwave - well, I do use it to reheat stuff. That’s it, though. ETA - and pasta sauce? Ugh. I never buy that, either. I don’t understand why you’d want to “buy jarred and add to it.” Why not just do the add to it part? ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236/31 "2008-05-22T22:19:54Z")
Buying music. I still go to music stores. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236/32 "2008-05-22T22:59:03Z")
Oh, and since Himself has opened a film camera store I do my own photo processing. (I mean, not for everything - I use my digital for just “pictures”, I use the film one for “art pictures”.) ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236/33 "2008-05-22T23:27:50Z")
[QUOTE=Rocketeer] I shift my own gears in my car. 🙂 [/QUOTE] Fist bump. ---
**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:** [May 23, 2008, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236/34 "2008-05-23T05:55:18Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] . We start around 3 pm and eat at 9. [/QUOTE] sounds like fun, but maybe once a month I’d have that kind of time. What, no kids? For me: I prefer washing my car myself to the drive through car wash (not sure that’s really “less rational” as I do a better job–and only do it occasionally anyway) i prefer wooden pencils to mechanical ones, despite the need to sharpen I refuse to get any kind of fireplace/stove except one that actually burns wood. My gf wants a gas one in the bedroom to avoid splitting wood and carrying it all the way up there. I want a real fire or none at all. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236/35 "2008-05-23T12:46:03Z")
[QUOTE=Procrustus] sounds like fun, but maybe once a month I’d have that kind of time. What, no kids? [/QUOTE] Well, my gf has none and mine live with their mother, but we have gotten the kids involved as well. My son (14) now makes himself a great tofu frittata and my seventeen year old daughter likes to bake. It’s a good thing, as their mother doesn’t do kitchen. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236/36 "2008-05-23T12:53:14Z")
I pay bills by check. I enjoy sitting there and physically writing out the check and then putting into an envelope with a stamp. I look forward to geting my monthly statement in the mail, with the returned checks, and balancing my checkbook by hand. I actually have online banking. I use it to track the debit card purchases (and keep tabs on my wife’s shopping!). Bu for me it’s only for keeping an eye on things, not for paying bills, etc. And here’s another vote for avoiding drive-throughs at all costs. I like to be able to relax and peruse my options and then order at my leisure, even if I’m taking the food to go. I don’t want to feel rushed if there is someone behind me in a car. Also, the line inside is usually shorter anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236/37 "2008-05-23T12:54:32Z")
[QUOTE=Gatopescado] I mount pretty much all my own motorcycle and Jeep tires by hand. I generate all my “new” trees by clippings/cuttings from existing ones. [/QUOTE] But how do you melt them and mold them into a new…oh. new _trees_. Nevermind. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236/38 "2008-05-23T13:12:30Z")
I own a dishwasher, but have always preferred to do the dishes by hand and use the dishwasher as a dish drainer. Generally I’ll suck it up and run the washer once a month or so, but with only two of us at home, eating erratically, it takes days to fill the dishwasher, and I hate the though of crusty, manky dishes sitting in there. Besides, I tend to use the same few pieces over and over. ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236/39 "2008-05-23T13:33:01Z")
[QUOTE=Ludovic] But how do you melt them and mold them into a new…oh. new _trees_. Nevermind. [/QUOTE] I read it as “tires” too. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236/40 "2008-05-23T13:34:19Z")
[QUOTE=kunilou] My wife is convinced she can’t make rice in the microwave. Not that rice can’t be made – she’s fine if I make the rice – but she pulls out the old rice cooker, which takes longer and is harder to clean. [/QUOTE] Her and me both. I love my microwave, but it’s for one thing and one thing only - HEATING STUFF UP. I didn’t come to this with a luddite mindset either - _I have tried_ using microwaves to cook stuff, but even when it works, it’s never as good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-things-you-do-the-old-harder-less-rational-way/450236.md?page=3)