Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2011 November 1

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November 1

face vail

I was told that at my birth I was born with a vail over my face. have you ever heard of such a case before? And what does it mean if anything. Thank You <e-mail and full name removed> — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.248.34.124 (talk) 00:57, 1 November 2011 (UTC)

A little Googling with the more likely correct spelling for "born with a veil" takes me to the Caul article. The line from there that you will probably most appreciate is "In medieval times the appearance of a caul on a newborn baby was seen as a sign of good luck". HiLo48 (talk) 01:12, 1 November 2011 (UTC)

Right. In the US, Vail is most commonly thought of as the location of several fine ski resorts. In that context, any reference to 'birth' and 'vail' in the same sentence probably means your mother didn't get off the slopes in time!

--DaHorsesMouth (talk) 02:08, 1 November 2011 (UTC)

Ouch, that was rude. Textorus (talk) 23:45, 1 November 2011 (UTC)

HEY READ THIS!!! (how to make a wikibot)

How do you make a wikibot,I'm doing it for the Sonic News Network?~Tailsman67~ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.71.52.26 (talk) 14:57, 1 November 2011 (UTC)

Maybe Wikipedia:Bots will be helpful? --Ouro (blah blah) 15:15, 1 November 2011 (UTC)

Cool thanks.:) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.71.52.26 (talk) 15:29, 1 November 2011 (UTC)

Please don't SHOUT, especially not to get attention. --ColinFine (talk) 23:41, 1 November 2011 (UTC)

But he got to his senses later, didn't he (it's the brackets, they're like a mild sedative for the mind). --Ouro (blah blah) 06:09, 2 November 2011 (UTC)

Why is Indian yogurt so delicious?

A couple years ago, I was traveling in India for a couple months. What I remember most about the food there was the dairy products, particularly the delicious yogurt. Is there anything in particular that makes Indian yogurt so delicious? Is it just a matter of people eating it just after it is prepared? Or that it is probably raw milk fresh from the cow? If I made yogurt in my house, would it taste as good? Any other tips? Thanks! Calliopejen1 (talk) 16:03, 1 November 2011 (UTC)

Context can matter. Check this out. Bus stop (talk) 16:10, 1 November 2011 (UTC)

Yeah, but I'd be the first to admit that there was a decent amount of crappy food there too - e.g. the ubiquitous mixed veg curry, which could be pretty bad when longhaul buses stopped at stalls along the road, or really bland (but hearty) food typical of the far north... I swear that it wasn't just context--the dairy stuff really stood out! :) Also, somehow I thought all the dairy products I ate in Varanasi were particularly good, and I was later informed that Varanasi is known for its dairy... I'm not sure how one city could have better milk than all the other cities, but who knows! Calliopejen1 (talk) 16:42, 1 November 2011 (UTC)

Could it be unpasteurized? Many people believe unpasteurized milk products taste better (see e.g. United States raw milk debate). --Colapeninsula (talk) 16:34, 1 November 2011 (UTC)

Yeah, like I said above, I bet that it was raw milk. I'm not sure if that's where the taste difference came from, though. If someone from India passes by, they could chime in, but I doubt that any of the silver containers of milk being transported around town had been pasteurized... Calliopejen1 (talk) 16:42, 1 November 2011 (UTC)

Indian yogurt frequently is made from full-fat mik or even cream, with about 10% of fat content. Most "yogurt" in the US, by comparison, is made from water, gelatin, starch, sugar, whitening agents, acidifiers, and homeopathic amounts of pasteurised reconstituted Ersatz skim milk ;-). Seriously, check the fat content. It makes a lot of difference for yogurt. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 16:51, 1 November 2011 (UTC)

Have you had Greek yoghurt? That redirects to Strained yoghurt, and mentions India. Greek yoghurt is usually live, although that article doesn't mention it and yoghurt only has a sentence about live cultures. (It's apparently low fat. I am surprised by that.) 213.122.59.44 (talk) 17:03, 1 November 2011 (UTC)

I believe many yogurts in the US also contain "active yogurt cultures" (live bacteria). StuRat (talk) 18:04, 1 November 2011 (UTC)

Indians generally sweeten their yogurt, if I remember correctly. Dualus (talk) 08:35, 2 November 2011 (UTC)

• I assume you talk about Lassi, right? Then you will find the reason in that article. --Nepenthes (talk) 17:57, 2 November 2011 (UTC)

No, not just lassi. Indian yogurt in general (typically called "curd") is delicious. Of course, by extension, yogurt-based products like lassi and raita are also good. Calliopejen1 (talk) 18:19, 2 November 2011 (UTC)

Wow you folks are all missing the obvious simple answer - Indian dairy products are so good because the milk comes from sacred cows. Roger (talk) 19:26, 2 November 2011 (UTC)

Coming to this late. I think the factors are: new full cream milk, yoghurt consumed soon after making. Making yoghurt at home is dead easy. Get a yoghurt you like with a live culture, choose the best milk you can and follow instructions you can easily get online, then it should taste really good. Itsmejudith (talk) 16:37, 3 November 2011 (UTC)

Yogurt is made from milk. Milk is not, forgive the pun, a homogenous product. It its flavour depends on the breed of cow and the diet the beasts are fed. No doubt there are Indian specificities to these factors. BrainyBabe (talk) 12:50, 4 November 2011 (UTC)

Date of publication

Can someone identify the actual date of publication (not July 7 - that doesn't make sense as it didn't lash the Carolinas until the evening of July 9) for this? Thanks. HurricaneFan25 21:52, 1 November 2011 (UTC)

Um, the page bears the date "Thursday, July 9, 1959" (click and drag the page to see it at the top). Deor (talk) 22:14, 1 November 2011 (UTC)

Oops, thanks. HurricaneFan25 22:23, 1 November 2011 (UTC)