Who Knew?

November 29, 2012 Off By Lisa

What did we ever do without Google?

I find it simply fascinating that Googl-ing is verb – as in to Google something.  Ask a question to which no one in the near vicinity knows the answer and some wise soul will suggest that you “Google it” to find the answer.

I like verbs. I like doing.  People really should, in the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, endeavor to “be up and doing” so that we might labor, live, and learn well.

And so, in an effort to give this wonderful new verb a fair shake, I Google fairly often when I want to learn the answer to something quickly. For example…

Want to know the answer to the great question of life, the universe, and everything?  Google it.

Forty-two.

Trying to remember the name of that actor in the movie with the Batman guy where he loses his job and resorts to wielding a chainsaw to intimidate his wife’s new boss?  Google that, too.

The movie in question would be Mr. Mom.  And the Batman guy in this particular scenario is Michael Keaton – a very young Michael Keaton with a lot of hair.

In the last several days, I found myself once again in need of some quick wisdom and so I did it again.  I Googled.

My quest? To find a suitable substitute for vanilla extract so that I could make these Cranberry Pancakes from Modern Meals for Two.  Look good, do they?  Yes, I thought so, too.  Fab Hub went on a hunt-and-gather expedition to the Supermarket from Hell (they’re remodeling…ugh) and came back with all necessary ingredients except for vanilla.

It wasn’t his fault; vanilla simply wasn’t on the list.  I didn’t ask him to get vanilla because vanilla is one of those things you just always have in your kitchen cupboard, like salt and pepper and yellow macaroni and cheese from a box.  (Oh, that’s just our house?  My bad.)

Now without vanilla, I was in a mood and a half because these pancakes needed  to happen. I opened the laptop, hit Google, and asked my question. The rewards were great – about 2,390,000 results in 0.17 seconds, to be precise.

Turns out maple syrup can be substituted teaspoon for teaspoon for vanilla extract.

Who knew?

In addition, I was showered with many other suggestions (such as Grand Marnier) and a handful of debates as to whether or not running out of vanilla extract and needing a substitute in the first place is the first cardinal sin of baking (it is).

But thanks to my option to Google, all is well in Chez Meaning now. We have a newly-purchased bottle of vanilla extract nestled securely in its usual place on the spice rack. Whew.

Time to go watch some Mr. Mom.

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Mama’s Losin’ It

CategoryLife
Tagsfood funny stuff writing

About The Author

Lisa A. Listwa is a self-employed writer with experience in education, publishing, and the martial arts. Believing there was more to life than punching someone else’s time clock and inspired by the words of Henry David Thoreau, she traded her life as a high school educator for a life as a writer and hasn’t looked back. She is mother to one glorious handful of a daughter, wife to the nicest guy on the planet, and reluctant but devoted owner of three Rotten Cats. You can find her adventures and thoughts on living life deliberately here on the blog.

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