Family meal night

For this post, I'm taking a break from business topics and back to food. As in past musings about food, it’s more about the experience than the recipe.

We have always made a point to eat as a family for dinner. Breakfasts and lunches are trickier, doing our best when we can. Call us old-fashioned, but it was something that we tried to instill in our children. Having meals together is one of the best times to really talk to each other. Find out what’s happening in each other’s lives. Getting all the schedules to align wasn’t and isn’t always easy. Sometimes meals are early or late to accommodate a family member. Rather than skip or exclude we have tried to make it work.

Most days the conversation is nothing more than the usual “How was your day?” banter. But it is still conversation and usually evolves into something more serious, and sometimes not so serious. It may be only for the duration of the meal, but it allows everyone to take a breath, catch up, and recharge.

The focus on dining together has morphed into special meals and “days”. Sundays have now become family breakfast days. And although some have moved out on their own, they occasionally return for the Sunday specialties. While we each will try a unique breakfast, Sundays have become my wife’s chance to show off and make some special meals.

Pizza night

Friday’s have turned into Pizza night. Having a hankering for cast iron deep-dish pizza I set out making one. It was a hit so the next week I tried a different version of a pizza by making my own dough. The sensation caught on and now we have homemade pizza every Friday we’re home. Each of us takes a different week and comes up with our own creations, from traditional versions to exotic.

Deconstructed meals

The “bowl” options at many fast-casual restaurants have inspired us to make our own bowls at home. Mediterranean, Mexican, Japanese, even Italian, we have deconstructed just about any dish normally served in a wrap or other type of containment. It has become a happy challenge for me and anticipation for the family to see what we can break down. To add to the enjoyment the ingredients are set up in a build your own, assembly line, fashion along the kitchen counter. This allows everyone to get even more creative and adjust the meal to his or her taste.

Burrito bowls have been commercially prepared for years. Nothing new here, just a fun meal in a bowl at home. Shawarma isn’t really “deconstructed” but it is one of our favorites and still fun to build and eat with warm naan bread.

One of our all-time favorites is a deconstructed California roll, which is the bowl featured as the post picture. Made with everything you’d find in the roll such as imitation crabmeat, avocado, cucumber strips, carrots, sesame seeds, and seaweed “chips” as a garnish. I used jasmine rice for its aroma and stickiness.

Nothing here is going to end up on Food Network. This isn’t a panacea that fixes all family problems. It is a family tradition that harkens to childhoods and playing outside until called to supper. Or you heard the dinner bell. Funny thing is, my wife and I both grew up in the same state but in different parts. Not so different that both our families did, in fact, have dinner bells. And we ran when we heard them. Because you had meals as a family. That was that. At that moment in time, you know where everyone is. That everyone is safe.

Check the blog archive for other posts relating to food, meals, and recipes.

Omelet station observations July 2018

Recipe for history December 2017

No autographs, please

Beginning April 14, 2018, some of the major credit card companies eliminated the need to sign receipts, for any amount. American Express, Mastercard, Visa, and Discover had a previous signature requirement for any purchase over $50. The major card companies ended the requirement hoping to expedite customer experience at checkout. Since the announcement, it seems as if every store now has a different requirement at checkout. Some checkouts are as simple as tap and go-some still require a signature.

Signing

Signing the keypads was a holdover from the credit receipt days when your signature acknowledged that you were responsible for the charge. This carried over to the electronic signature pads, which really just became an acknowledgment of the purchase. Even if someone did steal your card they could sign any name. Credit card companies and merchants would use the signature to settle sale disputes, but with advancement, in fraud detection technology they say signatures are no longer necessary. Over the years the need for a signature had become a joke to some. People scribble on signature pads, sometimes with their fingers, illegible signatures or actually write, “This is not my card”, to test cashiers. The truth is, cashiers would rarely look at the back of the cards. With the advent of the keypads, the cards rarely exchanged hands so cashiers could not compare the signatures. Some retailers would ask for ID to compare the customer with the name on the card. This is becoming even rarer.

Why sign the back?

Most cards require a signature on the card to “validate” the card. In an attempt at fraud protection, some customers refuse to sign the card or write, “Ask for ID”.  Sometimes this works, but most of the feedback I’ve heard is the cashier refusing to accept the card. If the card is not signed and is stolen then the thief could use his or her own signature. 

Card signatures are probably moot because the card rarely exchanges hands. Except in the restaurant industry. With all of the fraud protection and level of security awareness, we assume we achieve, a restaurant is still one of the very few places we had our cards to strangers and allows them to walk out of our view.

As fraud detection technology advanced the need for signatures has decreased in the last several years. The implementation of the EMV (Europay, Mastercard, Visa-Which are the companies that developed the technology) chip and contactless readers has eliminated the need for the signature as these advancements have decreased the use of fraudulent cards. Unlike the magnetic strips, chips protect against hacking as the chips produce a one-time password or token to exchange the card data. Hackers may be able to obtain the information through breaches but it is unlikely they would be able to use the data or it would be too costly to decipher. This is the same technology used when using a Smartphone to pay at a contactless reader.  

Speed speed speed

In reading all the news releases regarding the removal of the signature requirement, the constant theme was speed at the checkout. Banks and merchants want to get customers through the checkout as quickly as possible. This also removes the cashier’s interaction with the customer’s card. The onus is on the “system”, not the cashier to verify the card. What it doesn’t do is verify the identity of the possessor.

Chip technology only proves that the card is real. It does not provide security as to the identity of the possessor. Therefore, if your card is stolen it can still be used until canceled. That is why it is extremely important to report your cards as lost or stolen immediately after discovering such. Some banks offer a mobile feature that allows you to remotely freeze your card until it can be found or verified that it has been lost or stolen.

Banks are experimenting with biometric identification methods to further verify the card’s user. Similar to your Smartphone, fingerprint verification would be needed to approve the transaction. Europeans have been using chip-embedded cards, since 1994. The next step in European credit security will be chip and PIN, which will require users to enter a PIN to verify identity. The same as using a debit card. America had been slow to adopt chip-embedded cards due to the millions of magnetic strips already in use. With the push for speed at checkout, Americans will get use to not having a signature pause and may balk at having to add a PIN to the process.

Retailers will have the decision whether or not to require the signature. Some have already become removing the requirement. Some may be restricted by the hardware used to complete the credit transactions. As point of sale equipment is updated even more merchants will not require signatures.

Until then don’t be shocked if the clerk just smiles and hands you the receipt. Or would you like it emailed?

Refer to the blog archive and categories for more posts about identity theft and fraud.