Noticed the same thing everywhere, not just Bali. Local coffee shops back home started charging for wifi or limiting laptop hours too. Kinda feels like the whole remote work boom made places realize they can squeeze us for cash instead of just letting us hang out.

Oh totally, the two years thing hit me hard because I was exactly the same before this. It's honestly wild how much time we waste just guessing at what sounds good versus having someone who already knows the shortcuts. The back and forth loop is the worst part, I used to spend entire afternoons just rewriting the same email five times because my boss wanted it "warmer" or whatever that means. Having a mentor who can just say 'try this instead' cuts out like 90% of the frustration, especially compared to the sink or swim approach most managers take.

Used to think proofing time was all that mattered, tbh. Then my dough did the same pancake thing when my kitchen was around 65 degrees. That temp is way too low for sourdough, your starter gets sluggish. I'd say bump it up to around 75-78 degrees for the bulk ferment.

Devil's advocate here - a teaspoon of baking soda in a whole pot of chili is honestly not that much, especially if you're cooking a big batch. The soap taste usually means it wasn't mixed in evenly or you added it too close to serving. @the_eva brought up a good point about timing. Next time try stirring it in early with the tomatoes and give it 30 minutes to cook down, the chemical reaction needs time to settle. Your aunt might have been onto something, maybe just needed a lighter hand.

Oh wow, 100 days is no joke, that's actually impressive lol. I got into a similar groove last summer when I was trying to save up for a trip and it totally flipped how I see meal planning. Now I keep a running list on my phone of what ingredients I have left and just riff off that instead of stressing over fancy recipes. It's kinda freeing not to feel like you gotta run to the store for one missing thing you know?