Countries represented on CookingBites

[caseydog]

I have learned so much from this community. The first time I read Aubergine I was clueless and had to ask. The same with dippy eggs, courgettes, gammon, marmite, so many other things. I have learned to weigh rather than measure when baking. I frequently use gram weights rather than ounces - more accurate. One thing that I find universal is twisted humor. I frequently burst into laughter while reading posts. G wants to know why I am laughing. I read the post. Sometimes he gets, frequently he does not.
I talk about my experiences on this forum to G and to my family.
I am eternally grateful that I stumbled on an international forum. I would find a U.S. forum boring after experiencing the diversity of this community.
You are all amazing people. In addition to being exceptional cooks you are warm, caring, funny, companionate, loving people. You all let strangers into your lives. You share you joy and sorrow. You are not just some anonymous name. You are all very real.
You are all amazing. I am glad that you are in my life.

I belong to a US cooking forum, and I really like almost everyone there (on any forum, one will find at least one person they don't like -- that's part of life). But, the diversity is limited to regions of the US, and there is a lot of crock pot and Instant Pot cooking over there. Nothing wrong with that -- it's just not my thing.

There are handful of "characters" here that I would love to meet up with at a bar/pub for a few beers. I imagine there being a lot of laughing going on -- and possibly getting thrown out.

CD

 

[caseydog]

We get quite a lot of new members but lots of them never post at all or post once and disappear. Its the nature of the internet. If you click on 'members' in the green toolbar and scroll down you will see the latest new members on the bottom left of screen. Currently this:

View attachment 54618

If you click on each one you can see where they are from. Iran. USA, Philippines, Cyprus, S.Africa, Spain, Manila etc. In the above example
only 4 have posted anything and only one posted more than once.

Some people join forums to create "connections" of some sort to their blogs, or something like that.

I had a next-door neighbor for almost ten years who was Persian (Iranian). He introduced me to Persian food. He was taken by cancer. His home was purchased by a Nigerian couple with young children. It was their house that had the major kitchen fire. So far, no Nigerian food. I don't know what Ademola was cooking when she set the kitchen ablaze. It was a bit overcooked in the end.

CD

 

[TastyReuben]

As you should. I either do a web search, or ask when someone posts something I have never heard of. Half the time I find out it is something we have here, but use a different name.

CD

I had to do that today with one of murphyscreek's recipes (doing my shopping list). He references "brown onions," and I was curious if that was some kind of exotic Down Under onion (Down Onion-der ), but according to the internet, it's just what we label yellow onions.

 

[rascal]

Some people join forums to create "connections" of some sort to their blogs, or something like that.

I had a next-door neighbor for almost ten years who was Persian (Iranian). He introduced me to Persian food. He was taken by cancer. His home was purchased by a Nigerian couple with young children. It was their house that had the major kitchen fire. So far, no Nigerian food. I don't know what Ademola was cooking when she set the kitchen ablaze. It was a bit overcooked in the end.

CD

Our next door neighbour are an Indian couple with two kids, we get along fine. Talk over the fence and wife gives them surplus from our garden. Smokes a bit of hooter in the weekend.

Russ

 

[rascal]

Some people join forums to create "connections" of some sort to their blogs, or something like that.

I had a next-door neighbor for almost ten years who was Persian (Iranian). He introduced me to Persian food. He was taken by cancer. His home was purchased by a Nigerian couple with young children. It was their house that had the major kitchen fire. So far, no Nigerian food. I don't know what Ademola was cooking when she set the kitchen ablaze. It was a bit overcooked in the end.

CD

A car site I'm on the banter was good except this one guy who kept bringing up politics. He and I had common interests of cars planes etc. he pmd me and explained stuff he had going on. He got banned eventually but he and I conversed for years. His e mail eventually stopped going through. I often wonder how his mental health is. He had sexual things from his childhood.

Russ

 

[caseydog]

A car site I'm on the banter was good except this one guy who kept bringing up politics. He and I had common interests of cars planes etc. he pmd me and explained stuff he had going on. He got banned eventually but he and I conversed for years. His e mail eventually stopped going through. I often wonder how his mental health is. He had sexual things from his childhood.

Russ

Car forums here are full of tools. The big off-topic threads problem is far right politics, and guns. The Audi North Texas forum became a gun forum that had a few car discussions.

CD

 

[TastyReuben]

Car forums here are full of tools. The big off-topic threads problem is far right politics, and guns. The Audi North Texas forum became a gun forum that had a few car discussions.

CD

I was on a FIAT forum for a long time, and the worst guy there was someone who was just naturally a smart-azz. He couldn't help it.

Someone would ask a question, even something simple, and his answers were never, ever helpful, just meant to make the person asking feel stupid, and he loved to be challenged on being such a jerk. He lasted a while, but he eventually got banned.

Other than that, it was just the usual set of know-it-alls.

 

[rascal]

I was on a FIAT forum for a long time, and the worst guy there was someone who was just naturally a smart-azz. He couldn't help it.

Someone would ask a question, even something simple, and his answers were never, ever helpful, just meant to make the person asking feel stupid, and he loved to be challenged on being such a jerk. He lasted a while, but he eventually got banned.

Other than that, it was just the usual set of know-it-alls.

There's always one person eh?, I was banned for a week on one site, havnt been back,lol.

Russ

 

[Morning Glory]

Morning Glory
I am guilty of not replying to new members. Shame on me. I was so warmly welcomed when I joined. I will make an effort to welcome all new members. It is a shame that so few members participate.

Echoing what epicuric says, above.

Its probably not worth welcoming new members who join and then don't return after a week or more goes by - so maybe look at their top post and click on their avatar to see when they were last on-line before going out of your way to reply. Its inevitable that given we are open to anyone in the world with internet access, that there will be quite a lot who simply join and aren't serious, or are spammers. We get a lot of spammers. Most are rejected at source, but some get through to being a member. They have most likely joined any forum in sight.

As a mod. I've learned to be cynical!

 

[caseydog]

Echoing what epicuric says, above.

Its probably not worth welcoming new members who join and then don't return after a week or more goes by - so maybe look at their top post and click on their avatar to see when they were last on-line before going out of your way to reply. Its inevitable that given we are open to anyone in the world with internet access, that there will be quite a lot who simply join and aren't serious, or are spammers. We get a lot of spammers. Most are rejected at source, but some get through to being a member. They have most likely joined any forum in sight.

As a mod. I've learned to be cynical!

The worst are the one post wonders who ask a cooking question in their one post. A dozen members take the time to reply with an answer and/or advice, and the OP never returns. That's just plain rude.

CD

 

[Windigo]

The worst are the one post wonders who ask a cooking question in their one post. A dozen members take the time to reply with an answer and/or advice, and the OP never returns. That's just plain rude.

CD

Yes that's the reason I don't answer those. I will start answering them once the new member is also engaging elsewhere.

 

[lastmanstanding]

Echoing what epicuric says, above.

Its probably not worth welcoming new members who join and then don't return after a week or more goes by - so maybe look at their top post and click on their avatar to see when they were last on-line before going out of your way to reply. Its inevitable that given we are open to anyone in the world with internet access, that there will be quite a lot who simply join and aren't serious, or are spammers. We get a lot of spammers. Most are rejected at source, but some get through to being a member. They have most likely joined any forum in sight.

As a mod. I've learned to be cynical!

Usually there are a few major reasons why someone joins a forum. First is to spam, as we all know. But of others, many people come across fora while they are looking for a solution for some kind of problem. Tech fora get 90% of members from troubleshooting threads. Cooking fora from recipe threads. Usually people are motivated to join when they need a solution, and forget it when they've got what they needed.
Another thing that makes a forum going on is politics. A set of like-minded people go on talking about current politics which always have something new every day. I am a member of a very popular forum which has a section full of political discussions, and therefore inevitably fights. I go there for another reason but many people join to express their political opinions when they see something they have an opinion about.
But some fora are 100% objective oriented and they never go off-topic as there's no need to. One good example is the gsmhosting forum (of which I am a member since 2008). There, nothing goes astray on any thread, and everyone is totally focused on the matter under discussion.
Then there's the forum that is handled with an iron hand by the mods. One good example is the Supercell forum. A single post goes off-topic is moderated, and the members banned. But again that forum needs such handling as the members are online gamers.
To be honest, I think this forum has a really good balance of everything. Not flattering, I just think so.

 

[MypinchofItaly]

The worst are the one post wonders who ask a cooking question in their one post. A dozen members take the time to reply with an answer and/or advice, and the OP never returns. That's just plain rude.

CD

I don’t think it’s rude, but surely annoying.

 

[Hemulen]

Mate,we are both down in the dumps at present. Our beloved niece in the UK who is medical manager of a large care home has been going through hell 6 days a week , 16 hours a day at work. Because of staff shortages and as a skilled nurse, she took over the job of helping the dying to do so with dignity and love. Debs and her husband John (a great young man) have contracted covid 10 days ago. John is on a ventilator, Debs refused to go to hospital because she did not want to leave her young children alone. Like my friend Dil who caught it last year, face timing her is very distressing because like Dil she cannot comfortably speak.

Sorry to hear such sad news. I hope your loved ones recover soon and you and your wife can focus on nicer things. Best wishes (from the midst of a snowstorm )!

 

[Morning Glory]

Usually there are a few major reasons why someone joins a forum.

Everything you say above is true. I've many times thought that the word 'forum' conveys the wrong message (or too many multiple messages). Whilst by definition it is correct, it tends to convey too many 'fleeting' concepts such as 'a place to drop into to ask a technical question'. For example, if I want to know how to fix an issue on my phone I might drop into a Samsung Galaxy forum to ask, but I'm hardly likely to think of that forum as a community where I am going to spend time and get to know people.

Maybe we need a new word.