# What foods do you indulge in, despite your better judgement?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-do-you-indulge-in-despite-your-better-judgement/707420>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [December 16, 2014, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-do-you-indulge-in-despite-your-better-judgement/707420 "2014-12-16T18:57:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-do-you-indulge-in-despite-your-better-judgement/707420/21 "2014-12-17T13:14:08Z")

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> [@chiroptera](#):
>
> Yah, I googled and found plenty of recipes but am still unclear about the ethnic origins.
> 
> I buy them for my dogs. 🙂

Lucky dogs! 😉

> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#):
>
> It’s a classic French dish, but it has been a very popular/trendy menu item in the US for about the past 5-10 years.

It’s also a traditional eastern european dish. I learned to eat bone marrow as a kid when we’d have rich hot stews in the winter made of beef on the bone and root vegetables. Scooping out the marrow and having it on black bread rubbed with garlic was considered a real treat. But I like it even more now when it’s served roasted, like in my OP.

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**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-do-you-indulge-in-despite-your-better-judgement/707420/22 "2014-12-17T13:15:25Z")

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> [@QuickSilver](#):
>
> Roasted beef bone marrow, on crostini with a vinegary, garlicky, salty chimichurri sauce.
> 
> I don’t make it at home because you need a band saw to cut open the bones lengthwise before roasting them. But I order it at a local restaurant we like very much.
> 
> It’s so rich and unctuous and I feel so… ugh!.. the next day. But I’ll do it to myself again a month later.

So how is it that your better judgment doesn’t tell you to indulge in that more often? Sounds awesome.

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**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-do-you-indulge-in-despite-your-better-judgement/707420/23 "2014-12-17T13:19:23Z")

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> [@kayaker](#):
>
> Ever had oxtail soup? My gf makes it a couple times a year. A local farm saves her a cutup tail when they slaughter. It takes a couple days to make, and I assume the marrow is a big part of its rich, complex goodness.

Yep! Very, very tasty. Though the marrow is usually dissolved – even better for me is when the marrow is still preserved whole.

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**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-do-you-indulge-in-despite-your-better-judgement/707420/24 "2014-12-17T13:19:41Z")

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> [@iiandyiiii](#):
>
> I absolutely love bone marrow, and sometimes get beef bones at the supermarket just to cook it up (you can boil it in the bone, even if it’s not sawed lengthwise, aside from roasting and grilling and probably other methods). And I feel no guilt over it – it’s very nutritious, if also very fatty. I don’t even put it on bread – I’ll eat it with a little spoon, right out of the bone.

> [@don\_t\_ask](#):
>
> So how is it that your better judgment doesn’t tell you to indulge in that more often? Sounds awesome.

I don’t feel guilty for eating it. I love it. It’s just so rich that it gives me a sort of queezy feeling in my gut for the next 12-24 hours. Could also be all that red wine I chase it down with. 🙂

> [@kayaker](#):
>
> Ever had oxtail soup? My gf makes it a couple times a year. A local farm saves her a cutup tail when they slaughter. It takes a couple days to make, and I assume the marrow is a big part of its rich, complex goodness.

It’s on my ‘to do’ list and I’ve just moved it up in priority sequence.

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**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-do-you-indulge-in-despite-your-better-judgement/707420/25 "2014-12-17T13:29:54Z")

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My mother used to make the best oxtail soup! Very rich. Maybe I should see if she still remembers the recipe and try some.

I looked up some bone marrow spread recipes - the butcher I get marrow bones for the dogs from would cut them lengthwise for me. But I associate marrow bones too much with “dog food” to be able to really enjoy it, I think.

A bakery about 15 miles from me has two things I find irresistable: Peanut-butter cheesecake, and cream cheese pumpkin rolls. All I can say is, it’s a good thing I’m not often in that part of town.

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**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-do-you-indulge-in-despite-your-better-judgement/707420/26 "2014-12-17T13:58:10Z")

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> [@chiroptera](#):
>
> My mother used to make the best oxtail soup! Very rich. Maybe I should see if she still remembers the recipe and try some.
> 
> I looked up some bone marrow spread recipes - the butcher I get marrow bones for the dogs from would cut them lengthwise for me. But I associate marrow bones too much with “dog food” to be able to really enjoy it, I think.
> 
> A bakery about 15 miles from me has two things I find irresistable: Peanut-butter cheesecake, and cream cheese pumpkin rolls. All I can say is, it’s a good thing I’m not often in that part of town.

Try Osso Bucco. Veal or lamb shanks. Marrow is just a small part of the dish, and if you don’t like it, there’s plenty of tasty veal/lamb.

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**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-do-you-indulge-in-despite-your-better-judgement/707420/27 "2014-12-17T15:23:50Z")

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Little Debbie snack cakes.

And bacon.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-do-you-indulge-in-despite-your-better-judgement/707420/28 "2014-12-17T15:29:57Z")

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Hard cheese. Sometimes a fancy aged gouda, sometimes a half-pound block of sharp cheddar from the supermarket. Always too much in one sitting.

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**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-do-you-indulge-in-despite-your-better-judgement/707420/29 "2014-12-17T15:32:19Z")

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Corn. Popcorn and corn chips. I crave salty-crunchy sometimes, and they do it for me. Tortilla chips are basically the only remnant of processed food in my diet.

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**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-do-you-indulge-in-despite-your-better-judgement/707420/30 "2014-12-17T15:37:24Z")

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Nuts, pistachios, cashews, any kind. Except peanuts. I got nuts for nuts. A handful now and then is supposed to be good for you, but I lack an ‘off’ button when it comes to nuts and will eat them all at once. No pecan pie ever gets made around here because I can’t resist tha main ingredient.

White corn tortilla chips, too, just plain out of the bag. I don’t know why, I don’t actually like them that much. Must be the crunch. And the salt.

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**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-do-you-indulge-in-despite-your-better-judgement/707420/31 "2014-12-17T15:45:29Z")

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I go to Taco Bell once every few months to get a Nacho Bell Grande, bean burrito and a Steak Gordita Supreme even though I know I’ll feel sick afterwards.

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**Author:** ![SykoSkotty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SykoSkotty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SykoSkotty)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-do-you-indulge-in-despite-your-better-judgement/707420/32 "2014-12-17T15:46:08Z")

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Potato chips. No dip, no funky added flavors. Just plain ol’ salty, crunchy, hydrogenated slices of paradise in a vacuum sealed bright yellow bag.

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**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-do-you-indulge-in-despite-your-better-judgement/707420/33 "2014-12-17T16:22:39Z")

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The Whole Foods salad and hot food bar - I always end up putting way too much junk in my bowl and feel obligated to eat it all after paying for it by weight. I end up with a protein bonanza instead of vegetables and flavor.

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**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-do-you-indulge-in-despite-your-better-judgement/707420/34 "2014-12-17T16:59:34Z")

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> [@SykoSkotty](#):
>
> Potato chips. No dip, no funky added flavors. Just plain ol’ salty, crunchy, hydrogenated slices of paradise in a vacuum sealed bright yellow bag.

This is me too. I like the thick-ridge kind, but none of these new-fangled flavors. ([Cappuccino flavor?](https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=AwrB8pwutpFUZFAADlqJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTIyMWI5ODVvBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZANjNzUwMWExMjRkMmE3ZTcxNGFjOWY0Mzk1YzFjOGUzNwRncG9zAzIEaXQDYmluZw--?.origin=&back=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fyhs%2Fsearch%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3Dcappuccino%2Bpotato%2Bchips%26fr%3Dyhs-mozilla-001%26hsimp%3Dyhs-001%26hspart%3Dmozilla%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D2&w=398&h=500&imgurl=farm3.staticflickr.com%2F2925%2F14781257352_c404421ed8.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theimpulsivebuy.com%2Fwordpress%2F2014%2F07%2F30%2Freview-lays-cappuccino-potato-chips%2F&size=60.9KB&name=Lay%26%2339%3Bs+Do+Us+a+Flavor+Finalist+%3Cb%3ECappuccino+Potato+Chips%3C%2Fb%3E&p=cappuccino+potato+chips&oid=c7501a124d2a7e714ac9f4395c1c8e37&fr2=&fr=yhs-mozilla-001&tt=Lay%26%2339%3Bs+Do+Us+a+Flavor+Finalist+%3Cb%3ECappuccino+Potato+Chips%3C%2Fb%3E&b=0&ni=21&no=2&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=12oi319hm&sigb=14mpgtbl0&sigi=11mnrbmgn&sigt=12005samj&sign=12005samj&.crumb=cI0USOKkwpc&fr=yhs-mozilla-001&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=mozilla) Really? REALLY?)

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**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-do-you-indulge-in-despite-your-better-judgement/707420/35 "2014-12-17T17:52:36Z")

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> [@Ethilrist](#):
>
> Well, if you only eat it every month or so, that much bread probably isn’t doing much damage.

That’s a joke, right?

> [@SykoSkotty](#):
>
> Potato chips. No dip, no funky added flavors. Just plain ol’ salty, crunchy, hydrogenated slices of paradise in a vacuum sealed bright yellow bag.

> [@Icarus](#):
>
> This is me too. I like the thick-ridge kind, but none of these new-fangled flavors. ([Cappuccino flavor?](https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=AwrB8pwutpFUZFAADlqJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTIyMWI5ODVvBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZANjNzUwMWExMjRkMmE3ZTcxNGFjOWY0Mzk1YzFjOGUzNwRncG9zAzIEaXQDYmluZw--?.origin=&back=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fyhs%2Fsearch%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3Dcappuccino%2Bpotato%2Bchips%26fr%3Dyhs-mozilla-001%26hsimp%3Dyhs-001%26hspart%3Dmozilla%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D2&w=398&h=500&imgurl=farm3.staticflickr.com%2F2925%2F14781257352_c404421ed8.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theimpulsivebuy.com%2Fwordpress%2F2014%2F07%2F30%2Freview-lays-cappuccino-potato-chips%2F&size=60.9KB&name=Lay%26%2339%3Bs+Do+Us+a+Flavor+Finalist+%3Cb%3ECappuccino+Potato+Chips%3C%2Fb%3E&p=cappuccino+potato+chips&oid=c7501a124d2a7e714ac9f4395c1c8e37&fr2=&fr=yhs-mozilla-001&tt=Lay%26%2339%3Bs+Do+Us+a+Flavor+Finalist+%3Cb%3ECappuccino+Potato+Chips%3C%2Fb%3E&b=0&ni=21&no=2&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=12oi319hm&sigb=14mpgtbl0&sigi=11mnrbmgn&sigt=12005samj&sign=12005samj&.crumb=cI0USOKkwpc&fr=yhs-mozilla-001&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=mozilla) Really? REALLY?)

Me three. I can easily eat a whole bag of chips in one sitting, but it has to be just regular. Any brand (except Pringles), as long as it’s not flavored. I can’t even stand to eat one of those flavored abominations. BBQ flavor? More like burnt salt with more salt added on top.

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**Author:** ![zoog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7ea924/32.png) [@zoog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoog)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-do-you-indulge-in-despite-your-better-judgement/707420/36 "2014-12-17T18:06:37Z")

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Fast food burgers now and then. I know they’re bad for me and I know that they aren’t going to live up to my hopes, but once in a while I just get a jones for something from Carl’s Jr. or Jack In The Box. I always feel crappy for a day afterward, but I just gotta do it.

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**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-do-you-indulge-in-despite-your-better-judgement/707420/37 "2014-12-17T19:05:01Z")

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I just got back from Vienna, where I had beef marrow for the first time as part of the delicious [Tafelspitz](http://www.plachutta.at/en/tafelspitz/) dish at a place called Plachutta.

For me personally, it’s probably ice cream and pizza. I don’t believe in “bad” foods, but in the quantities I consume of pizza and ice cream, anything would be unhealthy.

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**Author:** ![Postariti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Postariti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Postariti)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-do-you-indulge-in-despite-your-better-judgement/707420/38 "2014-12-17T19:21:12Z")

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> [@Trinopus](#):
>
> Is there a real scientific/medical reason that some people crave salt so much? I’m far from the only one!

I need salt because I have low blood pressure. I’m under doctor’s orders to eat “a lot” of salt. Last time I got a check-up I asked his nurse practitioner exactly how much was “a lot.” He said, “salt everything you eat.” Yay!

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**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-do-you-indulge-in-despite-your-better-judgement/707420/39 "2014-12-17T19:54:53Z")

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> [@Trinopus](#):
>
> Is there a real scientific/medical reason that some people crave salt so much? I’m far from the only one!

Salt, and fat. I’m pretty sure that’s because historically in our evolutionary history those were taste cues to high-protein diets like meat that were scarce but linked to health benefits and survival. Today we have too much of it, but we’re still the products of evolution, so you stick a greasy salty McBurger piece of garbage in your mouth along with over-salted fries and all your tastebuds are going “good! good! eat! eat!” while your arteries clog, your heart starts failing, and your digestive system tries to deal with a massive influx of bacteria. Mmmmm – I could use a Big Mac right now! 😛

> [@John\_Mace](#):
>
> Me three. I can easily eat a whole bag of chips in one sitting, but it has to be just regular. Any brand (except Pringles), as long as it’s not flavored. I can’t even stand to eat one of those flavored abominations. BBQ flavor? More like burnt salt with more salt added on top.

Me four, and I agree about Pringles. And I get it about really weird flavors in potato chips. Quality plain fresh chips are one of my weaknesses, too, but lately I’ve developed an addiction to Lay’s Barbecue. Basically fried and dried carcinogenic crap flavored with chemicals to fool your mouth into thinking that it’s actually food, but if I have them I can’t help myself. I mostly deal with it by refusing to buy potato chips of any kind but once in a while I break down.

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**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-do-you-indulge-in-despite-your-better-judgement/707420/40 "2014-12-17T20:44:10Z")

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Fo me, at least, it’s better if I manage “bad” cravings rather try and be puritanical. If I know I get a bag of chips every few weeks, I’ll probably eat less of them than if I imagine and try to enforce the idea that I will never eat them.

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