whole lotta cocktail swag (bar equipment, coupe glasses<3333333, bottle of green chartreuse, the PDT book), couple of books and gift cards

50 Euro voucher for ‘Galvin For Men’ of Tullamore

Bunch of cookbooks, including Pierre Herme—Macarons

Sapphire & Steel DVD

Some money pre-emptively spent on a bottle of Ardbeg Corryvreckan

1 piping bag (for macarons)

Bunch of Blake & Mortimer books

John Hodgman—That Is All

Bought my other half a Kindle. She seemed pretty happy!

beermaking kit

some nice headphones (yay! needed these)

pair of vans

barbed wire pattern hoodie

a couple gift cards

a box of oatmeal (fuck yeah!)

the usual toiletries and socks and shit

mad men seasons 1–4

diptyque philsoykos

j0e you are so fucking making me a champagne cocktail in a coupe glass some time I swear to god.

We drank mimosas out of coupes today. Haven’t opened gifts yet.

Grandma bought me a bottle of Bluecoat gin. Grandma knows what’s up

Mmmm, gin.

I got a titanium straw, a ridiculously heavy cookbook (Silver Spoon), and a sock loom. Exciting times!

Also, some things from my amazon wishlist appeared out of the blue. Secret Santa? There was no packing list in the box. Thanking you, mystery shipper!

My wife is the only person who ever gives me gifts and she never knows what to give me, because I am admittedly a horrible person to figure out gifts for. Even I can’t do it.

Therefore my big gift this year will be shoes. These were accompanied by a fleece throw blanket, which is measure of the desperation she endures twice each year.

xp per an email i received, i’m pretty sure that was your secret santa, jaq

so far nothing

My wife and daughter got big gifts* and I was the one this year with a bunch of smaller gifts—a cast iron griddle/grill pan, a baguette rack, a bus-powered Magic Mouse charger, a Flann O’Brien book, a Samuel Delany book, an R. Crumb book, a cornbread cookbook, Murakami’s 1Q84, a pizza stone.

*a new camera; a PS3 + Skyrim

per an email i received, i’m pretty sure that was your secret santa, jaq

Thank you thank you secret Santa! In honor of the holiday, I’m reading Big Claus, Little Claus from the book you sent (which I had wanted for a long time).

My Obama-supporting dad gave me a switchblade with a sterling silver skull inlaid in the handle.

only mention Obama-supporting because it sometimes blows peoples’ minds that my dad is liberal, I’m a pretty radical leftist and our main bonding point is collecting guns and knives

^^Your both Texans, right? Mystery solved.

My X-mas: Some Criterions, the Smiths box,several shirts, candy etc.

chocolate, notebook (the paper kind)

- oldschool NASA t-shirt

- Nile Rodgers bio

- Portal 2 for PS3

- Carlos criterion dvd

- New Sennheiser PX-100’s

- Pastry mat for my baking

- Huge tin of peppermint bark <3

Oohh, the Nile Rodgers book. Wanted and didn’t get it and the Paul Nelson book.

Beef jerky, car stereo, kindle, steel-toed boots, han solo in carbonate ice cube tray, sweatshirts.

The kindle is quite a surprise. I usually just hit up the used book shops in whatever city I’m visiting that week.

Let’s see — latest Neal Stephenson book, latest MST3K DVD set, Star Wars Blu-ray (so I didn’t have to feel conflicted about getting it myself), Mike Leigh’s Topsy-Turvy on Criterion Blu-ray, Amoeba gift certificate, calendar, socks, placemats and napkins, some cash, a nice little haul...

meowsic keyboard, le creuset dutch oven, le creuset tea kettle (apparently there is a le creuset outlet and these were not full price so i don’t feel as bad) , some cookbooks, some fancy olive oil, gloves, underwear.

book about DEBT

book about SPACE (not the astronomy one, the space we live in and among)

book about JOHN MARTIN, sublime-ridiculous epic painter of my heart

umbrella

makings of hot chocolate

Snoopy pajamas, a book about John Huston, a gift certificate to the Russian Baths, a purse from Muji, a Le Creuset pot, a jewelry set that my dad had given my mom once upon a time.

A sewing machine, a gift certificate to my favorite fabric store, the Going Postal DVD, the last Harry Potter DVD, a black pearl necklace, a bottle of Little Penguin Pinot Noir, and a bottle opener.

• $120 cash from my mother and grandparents

• A new wallet from my sister to replace the one that was stolen when I got mugged a couple weeks ago.

• $20 Amazon gift card from my other sister (which I used to buy Teach Yourself German and a new stereo cable).

• Socks ’n’ undies from parents

whole lotta cocktail swag (bar equipment, coupe glasses<3333333, bottle of green chartreuse, the PDT book), couple of books and gift cards

― silvana mangano, Sunday, December 25, 2011 11:06 AM (10 hours ago) Bookmark Permalink

FUN! love the PDT book

Ansel Adams calendar

Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin

Transit Maps of the World

Officially Licensed New York City Articulated Bus, featuring Authentic Markings, Opening Doors, and Power Friction

han solo in carbonate ice cube tray

Score

I really need to make better use of my dutch oven.

New iMac.

12 pairs of socks.

Booze.

A DVD of Beats, Rhymes, and Life

- gift card to starbucks

- grandpa gave mea tiny non-working plastic antique radio with a clock on the front, believe i saw it in a Shell about 3 years ago, gotta be a regift

- some cash

Brecht Evens’ The Wrong Place, The Quay Brothers: Into a Metaphysical Playroom, The Illusionist on blu-ray, and a nice pair of gloves that, unbeknownst to me and the gift-giver, only come in ladies’ sizes. Which sucks, because I looked for ages trying to find something with a black-and-white plaid that would match my scarf and shoes and all the fingerless mens’ gloves are ugly as hell, but eh, what can you do.

i also got a bunch of great kitchen hand-me-downs from newly married (&newly kitted out with fancy kitchen gear) sister: mini cuisinart, hand blender, toaster, wustoff knives, a roasting pan, etc. food is going to taste better in 2k12.

I got the “Winter is coming” hoodie!! Wearing now, obv.

Good knives

Tons of other stuff, kind of burnt out on thinking at the mo, can’t piece together. Cute Smartwool socks w extra-cushy bottoms cos sister is awesome.

I’ve not had any gifts or cards yet, surprising myself at how little this is bothering me. I hadn’t thought about it until this thread popped up.

$150 check from grandmother

Apron, dish cloths, and a Blue Willow sugar bowl from inlaws

Scrapple from my parents

Inlaws gave Jef a Dremel so I’m counting that as my gift, too.

My wife and daughter got big gifts* and I was the one this year with a bunch of smaller gifts—a cast iron griddle/grill pan, a baguette rack, a bus-powered Magic Mouse charger, a Flann O’Brien book, a Samuel Delany book, an R. Crumb book, a cornbread cookbook, Murakami’s 1Q84, a pizza stone.

*a new camera; a PS3 + Skyrim

― William (C), 25 December 2011 21:36 (Yesterday)

win imo

contributions towards a new swanky tv i had to get myself a few weeks back

two jumpers and a bottle of glenfiddich

dvd boxsets- the trip, the ricky gervais show and house of cards trilogy

two book compilations- hitchens & alistair cooke

ilx secret santa—pepys on excess :)

cash!

aftershave and whiskey from boss

jar of delicious chocolate ganache, already half gone tbh

this, which i am not allowed put up in the bedroom ffs

also, posh milk foamer/heater for a nespresso

this, which i am not allowed put up in the bedroom ffs

belongs in the smallest room shawley.

WHITE SHART LANE

tickets to 7 spurs games

2 dress shirts

pants

books: steve reich book writing about his music; parks and rec comedy book

dvd: eastbound and down s2

vg: goldeneye 007, old xmen game

cash

gift cards

candy

euroyuppie cashmere scarf

viz annual

chocolate orange

aeropress

Cosmos DVD set

Fattypuffs and Thinifers by Andre Maurois

The Saddest Music in the World DVD

Lebkuchen

this, which i am not allowed put up in the bedroom ffs

belongs in the smallest room shawley.

― N1ck, 26 December 2011 18:37 (2 hours ago) Bookmark Permalink

WHITE SHART LANE

― More hoes than Alan Titchmarsh. Yes folks, it’s the s-dog, AKA (snoball), 26 December 2011 18:59 (2 hours ago) Bookmark Permalink

guys guys

from T. best christmas present I’ve received! and a mint copy of Terry Allen’s Lubbock (On Everything) and a smaller cast iron skillet

sweet sweet cash

lego architecture burj khalifa

gift certificate for encore records in ann arbor (already redeemed)

33 1/3 on pet sounds

miles davis bootleg series live in europe set

smashing pumpkins siamese dream remaster box

super excited for my wife’s gifts too:

wusthof steak knife set with box

le creuset french oven

wtf is w le creuset all of a sudden?? My housemate was talking abt his and then abt 35 ilxors got them for Xmas and jeez what is up w these things??

Can’t speak for your life, Stevie, but maybe this is a case of you just starting to notice? Because it’s not a sudden thing, Le Creuset has been a super-nice cookware name for at least 20 years that I can vouch for.

xp Been a heavily marketed thing in Europe for at least 10 years ime (and probably before that too). They’re not necessarily better than comparable cast iron casseroles but they come in funky colours and they are indeed *everywhere*.

idk i agree w/stevie at least in usa/canada its become sorta a ~thing~ in a way that they werent before w/in the last 3 years

Maybe as they got more name recognition in the US, they started turning up in discount shops, the parent company opened outlet stores, etc, it’s made them more accessible and more common, but I still think 3 years is WAY too little time. My friends were getting them as gifts just like on this thread at least 10 years ago, and my mom’s had hers since I was a kid.

Predict it’s also a bit of the aging cohort stage, like as people get a bit settled w their housing, get to liking to cook, it’s an obvious kind of nice “welcome to adulthood” present?

yeah i couldnt find any annual reports online so w/e. it could very well be a case of only noticing how many ppl drive hondas until after you buy one

I got tickets to see Adam Ant.

(x-post)

And they’re recommended by Jeanette Winterson:

“...when she first arrived in London as a boyish twentysomething, she serviced frustrated married women from the Home Counties in hotel rooms off Knightsbridge and Sloane Square. Having minimal access to the hard stuff, they paid her in Le Creuset.”

I think Le Creuset is definitely more prominent in the States than it was 20 years ago, though it was here then. I’m pretty sure most of mine is second-hand or used—it’s not cheap.

I got mine from an outlet, they are def $$$ but I adore my French oven SO much.

Basically I got:

A Sweater

Some money that I used to buy work clothes

Gift cards that I also used to buy work clothes

lol

oh, also the Patti Smith book and Devil in the White City from my secret santa at work

I had never heard about Le Creuset before now, definitely outside my wheelhouse. I only know my wife has wanted one forever, because her mom still has an 18 year-old one she uses on an almost weekly basis.

re: enameled cast iron, comparable pieces from Lodge are = or >, and much cheaper.

i got a galley copy of the Will Hermes book, but put it on my xmas list anyway because the cover art was so nice

xp I’d bet that’s true, but it must have had to do with LC being European and therefore prestigious to Americans, somehow? Also getting to the market WAY before Lodge—I just had a look at the latter’s website, and it’s not very well-designed, items don’t come in all colors, and there aren’t many colors to start with. They could have identified and gone after the yuppie market years ago but their site won’t even let you click on photos! Having a poor website for your retail item is just throwing money away.

le creuset french oven

never heard of it, but i pay about negative 46 attention to the french oven scene

It’s never occurred to me to look at Lodge’s own website — I always check prices at Amazon.

the outlet prices are pretty damn good—mine was around $130 for a 4.5 qt round oven. the 7 qt one was even cheaper than that, but it was a bit too big for me.

i got some things.

like the pkd exegesis

h.p. lovecraft letters vol. 1

dream quest of unknown kadath 1st standalone printing

comics like black hole, fat freddy’s cat, and modesty blaise.

i got a jacket for my birthday.

i got some socks

and swedish fish

and a game about being a werewolf?

and some eco-friendly playing cards

star trek mug

star trek t-shirt

star wars boxer shorts

will someone plz sing the praises of le creuset and what makes it so nice?

enameled cast iron v easy to clean, super beautifully conductive, everything browns and cooks and braises so well and colors make them v pleasing to look at.

I love reg cast iron & stoneware too, but LC is just kind of classic. Makes my kitchen feel older, and reminds me of my grandma and all her ye olde utensils & cookware

chocolate

a shirt

more chocolate

a sweater

carcassonne

and also one garden centre voucher with which I’m gonna buy me a god damn pond

carcassonne?

I think the benefits of LC are the same as those of all enameled cast iron cookware. But some of the other available brands are clearly knock-offs of LC at lower price points, and after applying high heat, browning, washing, etc, the enamel gets damaged and cracks or flakes. LC, otoh, used to have a life-time warranty where you could return any piece with damaged enamel to them to be re-coated for free. (I imagine, like other luxury/top-quality products that have gone mass market, that the lifetime warranty is either invalid now or has some many limitations that it might as well be?)

http://www.irawoods.com/Le-Creuset-Warranty-Information

Staub is pretty good upmarket French cast iron cookware, too. My LC dutch oven is pretty old and as perfectly functional as ever. I’ve been in kitchens in France where some of the LC cookware dated back to the 50’s or older.

carcassonne?

it’s a board game sorta thing. think it’s german? basically you have to lay tiles down to build roads and cities and stuff. looks simple enough to play with the kids but also looks like you can also get deep enough into strategy if you want to play more seriously

not the city in france then, ok

Jumper

Two scarfs

Loads of chocolate

Bodywash, face scrub, stuff like that (some nice, some meh)

Journal

Book with all the photos of Alfred Stieglitz and his Camera Work magazine from 1900–1920s (win)

why did they stop calling them dutch ovens?

they started making them in france

Don’t they call them Dutch ovens in the US anymore?

whiney calls them british ovens

They do prepare blood sausages best tbh

I always thought “Dutch oven” was strictly US terminology.

It is, although wikipedia taught me tonight it was a British person in 1704 copying the Dutch pans and exporting them to America where they became known as Dutch ovens. Plus, “The name has lived on for more than 300 years”.

sweater

chamois shirt

pizza stone (!!!)

mess o books—the singapore grip, my early years by churchill, letters of sacco & vanzetti, rashomon & other stories

tiny bottles of maker’s mark & hennessy

socks

PS3 Skyrim

an Edna Crabapple + desk + accesories Simpsons toy (sort of an in joke)

set of coffee mugs that stack up to form a stylized geisha image down their sides

espresso glasses (man, I know I drink coffee but geez guys)

ABC Shop giftcard

small bar of Lush solid shampoo from Lush-employed friend

various bottles of wine, if bringing them to xmas eve party counts I guess

letters of sacco & vanzetti

Ohhh, great gift, great book!

black beret (!), paisley shirt, pair of grey cord trousers. couple belts. also a cookbook by “revolutionary” chef alice waters. and one of those vacuum-seal things for open wine bottles. all very practical and appreciated.

pizza stone (!!!)

Nice!