Tag! You're It!

Column-worthy inspiration doesn't always whoosh in on time so occasionally I refer to the wacky holiday calendar to thwart deadline panic. That explains why I am sharing that today is National Noodle Ring Day.

What the heck is a noodle ring? (My first thought - a metal gizmo that lets the cook know when noodles are done?) One might think I would know, having grown up on The Hill in St. Louis, that it is a dish - to eat, not wash - of egg noodles, cheese, etc., baked in the oven in a bundt pan. It is heretical to admit, I realize, I am not a pasta fan, unless it is ravioli that has been toasted. Spaghetti with meatballs the way Mom made it, a la Chef Boyardee, is okay now and then though I doubt anyone these days would admit to serving it. (Mom can be excused. She grew up in the Bootheel).

This noodle ring recipe might be a notable exception. I already have an angel food cake pan - so I have the 'ring' requirement without buying a bundt pan for the trial. Fingers crossed the preparation bakes out the slippery sensation my palate doesn't savor. I don't want any more oysters, either, and I like my jello with chewable stuff in it.

Add noodle rings to the list of oddities that slip by some humans' awareness. Take vacuum cleaners - the ones still around that have electrical cords. I know a grown woman, a college graduate now a respected professional in the corporate world, who did not know that the top hook those cords are wound around twists so the cord can be released without the never-ending unwinding that can exasperate many so much that they wad it up after using the vacuum rather than stressing over the time-consuming unwinding at the next use. Apparently untangling is preferable to unwinding. (Hi, Sis! How ya doin')?

If you are one who did not know the secret of the top hook, there you go. You're welcome. I wish someone had clued me in earlier to the usefulness of those decorative loops at the top of the cowboy boots I have worn over the years. Wonder how much time I would have saved, not to mention the stress I would have avoided, by knowing sooner I could slip my pointer fingers in each loop and pull the boots on without yanking and tugging and sweating my make-up off?

These elementary life-hacks can certainly make us ordinary folks feel like oddities when we are hit with simple practical functions we somehow missed, like the hint on most gas gauges that tells you which side of a gas pump to pull up to. I am ever vigilant for other stuff I don't know but should, so maybe I will catch it before anyone else knows I had been missing it. Like a secret game of tag. You're it!