I know multiple people who have told me that the local HEB they went to was sold out of eggs, water, toilet paper, and something else I can't remember.

Texas is so unprepared. Texans are so unprepared. It's supposed to get to 33f/1c Sunday for about five hrs, then down to 28f/-2c and back above freezing overnight Monday night. People are panic buying like it was the freeze of 2021, regardless of whether it happens or not.

It's also going to hit 50/10 on Sunday, and 47/8 on Monday. So I dunno. Whatever.

[–] Snort_Owl@hexbear.net 9 points 2 months ago (2 children)

-2 lol. A slightly frosty morning is -2

[–] Keld@hexbear.net 8 points 2 months ago

The issue is that the infrastructure is not built for it. Very few are worried that they're going to freeze to death because it's -2 celsius for a few hours (Although it will suck for the unhoused), what people worry is that the power grid will go down and the pipes will freeze.

[–] LeeeroooyJeeenkiiins@hexbear.net 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It's going to be -8F where I live on monday and in case Europeans need to be made aware that's -22C

[–] aanes_appreciator@hexbear.net 3 points 2 months ago

yeah lower than -5C would be pretty catastrophic in the UK too. Wishing you safety and warmth.

[–] Awoo@hexbear.net 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Excuse me just a couple degrees below freezing? Put a coat on for a few hours.

[–] came_apart_at_Kmart@hexbear.net 12 points 2 months ago (1 children)

the panic is that the power grid in texas is completely distinct from the rest of the US system (aka the Texas Interconnect).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Interconnection

it never adopted the standards laid out by the central government as part of the New Deal over a century ago.

it is also run entirely for corporate interests and has a captive commission that allows extreme price gouging.

as a result, it is less resilient to disruption and more expensive for users than the power grids of many undeveloped countries.

the last cold weather event in 2021 killed about 1000 people after days of no power or water (also due to widespread loss of power)

[–] Assian_Candor@hexbear.net 5 points 2 months ago

Yeah it's completely understandable for people to be scared. The last cold weather event was really, really bad.

[–] FlakesBongler@hexbear.net 11 points 2 months ago

lmayo

[–] Arahnya@hexbear.net 6 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

my grocery store doesnt sell habanero, but they did have all their jalapenos, serranos, and poblanos. Almost every onion was gone. Normally the onions are pretty much untouched.

[–] LeeeroooyJeeenkiiins@hexbear.net 5 points 2 months ago

I really want to know what the fuck people are making with all the shit they get for storms. You'd think every fucker in the country is waking up to fresh quiche with how they go through the damn eggs

[–] queermunist@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 months ago

I have a sudden craving for stuffed habs now. Maybe batter fried.

[–] aanes_appreciator@hexbear.net 4 points 2 months ago

If you were desperate, vinegar and heat both denature capsaicin. You could pickle and/or boil these down into soups or sauces to remove a lot of the spice... if you had the time, means, and weren't alienated from food like most American proles are.

[–] Aradino@hexbear.net 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Habaneros? Spicy?

[–] Keld@hexbear.net 7 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Are you doing that thing where you pretend nothing is spicy to show how macho you are? Because habaneros are spicy. To get spicier peppers you basically have to resort to the cultivars bred for spice challenges.

[–] KobaCumTribute@hexbear.net 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

You know that if someone eats hot peppers regularly they literally lose the ability to feel any heat from peppers milder than habaneros, right? The neurons responsible for interpreting that specific type of pain response get overstimulated and die off, fundamentally changing how you experience them^[Not only in intensity, but also in duration. With no tolerance people seem to experience prolonged burning from capsaicin and hunt for ways to take the burning away, whereas with tolerance even the hottest peppers fade away to completely undetectable within a minute or so. You get a brief flash of pain, a bit of lingering warmth, and then maybe a barely detectable tingling after that.]. That's part of the trick to it, and why they're addictive: you stop being able to feel most or all of the pain, but it still trips nerves that are saying "I have been severely burned, dump endorphins immediately this is an emergency" giving a warm fuzzy floaty body high.

cultivars bred for spice challenges.

The hottest pepper I've ever encountered, and the only one that actually made food too hot to eat (I ate it anyways), was an Indian cultivar bred to season large pots of stew. Other hot peppers like ghost and scorpion have incredible and unique flavor profiles unlike anything else (although of those, scorpion peppers are easier to pair into dishes because they've got a sharp, tangy flavor that works with a lot of things, while the sort of smoky taste of ghost peppers clashes with a lot of things).

[–] LeeeroooyJeeenkiiins@hexbear.net 2 points 2 months ago

I promise you I will have your ass laid up shitting and vomiting fire if you challenge me. Oh, habaneros aren't spicy enough? What if I added more?

I have a packet of powdered habanero I made at work when we had a shitload of habaneros going bad and I call it my PAIN POWDER for a reason.

My sous chef was all "here let me..." and tried a dried one before i powderized it and her face was all fucked up for 4 hours

It's too spicy for my Turkish coworker who eats more spicy shit than anyone i know

C O N C E N T R A T I O N

[–] Aradino@hexbear.net 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Why would I want people to think I'm macho?

[–] Keld@hexbear.net 6 points 2 months ago

I have no idea. Hence me asking.