Totally agree. I tried pushing it to 30 days once and the whole batch dried out. Found that 28 days gives it enough time to set without getting brittle. The humidity in your space makes a difference too, so maybe check that if you're having issues.

But what if my bad month in Chiang Mai is just me eating instant noodles and crying?

Disagree completely because that old menu just traps you in the past. Those recipes were probably loaded with cheap fat and salt, the kind of cooking we moved away from for good reason. Finding value in a dead mall's leftover trash feels like celebrating failure. Your family might love that meatloaf now, but you're just bringing back the same bad habits that made the mall die in the first place. Progress means looking forward, not trying to revive things that were left behind to rot.

Ever feel like your kitchen is turning into a glass jar museum? I gave that a shot once and quickly learned my spaghetti sauce does not need a hint of pickled beets. Those lids never seem to fit again no matter how hard you try, so your bulk oats get weird and soft. My cabinet sounded like a wind chime in an earthquake whenever I needed a bowl. It felt less like saving the planet and more like running a failed jar hotel. Honestly, my reusable bag habit is about all the container chaos I can handle.

Disagree here. That percolator coffee was awful, hiding any real taste with burnt notes. With pour-over, I actually taste the coffee, like chocolate or fruit hints. It's more work, but it makes my morning routine better, and I don't miss the old way at all.