jsn102

Chinese is a challenge for sure, but it really depends on what you want to learn. Speaking: Certainly a challenge because of the tones (ways of pronouncing the same sound - Mandarin has 4, Cantonese has, I think, 7 or maybe more); but the grammar and syntax are exceptionally straightforward (no conjugations, tenses, etc.) Reading: Fine if you have a good visual memory to recognize characters (there isn't an alphabet except for pinyin - the intermediary language between Chinese and English) Writing: Evil. Just... really tough So, yes, I used to be conversationally fluent in spoken Mandarin, but that was several summer courses then ten years living in Beijing. And I was still only somewhat functional (everyone gives foreigners a lot of leeway in terms of pronunciation and vocabulary). Two years after leaving, I'd lost most of it. If you want to learn some phrases to better get on with someone, that is eminently doable. But keep in mind that, without a huge amount of effort, it's hard to get beyond "Oh, he's speaking some Chinese! How cute!" Not that that's a bad thing! I'll shut up now...

Maybe it's because I'm British too, but I always find @Jamie21 to be both hilarious AND insightful... (And one day I will manage to get round to seeing him...)

That must have been very disappointing! Any extenuating circumstances, or did you get the impression that’s par for the course?

I was wondering is anyone could share any recent feedback on either of these two guys. They've both been recommended on this forum it the past, but no one seems to have reported back for several years. I'll be happy to hit you up on DM for details that can't be shared here. MarkMarky seems to be something of a legend, but would love to know what to expect from a meeting and what's possible. Darksmooth hasn't updated his photos in 7 years, so I'm concerned about accuracy. MarkMarky - Male Escort, Gay massage - London | Rent.Men RENT.MEN MarkMarky Gay Escort in London, United Kingdom, available for Gay Escorting,Erotic Massage,Boyfriend Experience. | Find all the best Male Escorts at Rent.Men Darksmooth - Male Escort, Gay massage - London | Rent.Men RENT.MEN Darksmooth Gay Escort in London, United Kingdom, available for Gay Escorting,Erotic Massage. | Find all the best Male Escorts at Rent.Men Also, separately, has anyone ever seen Oz Bigdownunder? I haven't managed to find anything here... https://ozinlondon.co.uk Many thanks in advance!!

Would love to hear more detail! Feel free to DM me!

Ok, since BSR asked... As I said, this LOOKS fiddly, but it really is just the case of following the instructions precisely. Also, you want a slight burned crust on the bottom (not innuendo intended) - that's the socarrat and one of the tastiest bits. Feel free to message me if you have questions or want to tell me how bad my recipe was! 🙂 Two things: first, it is essential to use arborio rice (same for risotto) and equally essential to use a paella pan (somethings like this: https://www.amazon.com/Machika-Enameled-Steel-Paella-inch/dp/B08BG5TP5M/). If you don't have those, really don't bother. Things will stick and burn - the liquids release them and add to the flavor. Paella Valenciana Ingredients: - 1/2 lb chorizo or spicy sausage - 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs - 1 cup green beans or snow peas, cut in 2-in pieces - 12 small/medium shrimp - Salt and pepper - 1/4 cup olive oil - 1 small onion, diced - 2 cloves garlic, minced - 1 large tomato, grated - Pinch of saffron - 1/2 tsp paprika - 1/4 tsp cayenne - 1.25 cups arborio rice - 2.5 cups chicken stock Directions: - Cut sausage and chicken into 1/2-inch pieces. - Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper and mix well. - Heat olive oil in a traditional paella pan over medium heat. When hot, sprinkle 1/2 tsp of salt and continue to heat for 1 minute. - Add the chicken and sausage to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. - Add the onion and garlic to the pan and fry until soft, 2-3 minutes. - Add the shredded tomato and green beans, and fry for 1 minute, scraping anything up off the bottom of the pan. - Stir in the saffron, paprika and cayenne and then pour in the chicken stock. - Raise heat to medium-high and bring stock to a boil. Salt lightly and then let boil for 1 minute. - Add the rice, chicken and sausage to the pan and mix in. Then do not stir again for the rest of the cooking process. - 6 minutes after adding the rice, place the shrimp on top of the mixture. - 5 minutes after adding the shrimp, reduce the heat to medium. Cook for another 5 minutes. - Raise the heat to high and cook for 2 minutes. - Remove from heat and cover with a clean tea towel. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. - Serve and enjoy.

My go-to is always Paella Valencia. Ok, one caveat: you need a paella pan. But other than that, it is simplicity itself because you are just adding one ingredient at a time, stirring it, then leaving it until it's time for the next ingredient. Bonus points: most of the time you are hanging around (apart from the occasional stir) so you can talk with your date and have a glass or two of wine while technically showing off your cooking skills 🙂 Let me know if you want me to drop in the recipe and a link to the pan I use. I promise that it's easier than you might think! *Edited because I can't spell on a Saturday evening...*

Thank you for the masseur's perspective! I'd actually already had my eye on your profile from my lurking days on the forum. I'll be in the UK in March, so who knows? 🙂

Dr. Daddy, this is great! Thank you so much! I presume that you'd recommend I start looking on RentMasseur (or equivalents) rather than going the Rentmen route? And thank you everyone for the good - and friendly - advice!

Very new to the board, so apologies if this is in the wrong section - please do tell me where to move it, if that's the case. NYC-based here. My wife's hit menopause and her sex drive has dropped to zero, but I've been given a hall-pass to explore my bi-side. Was wondering what people think about erotic massages as a way to dip my toe in the water. And, related to that, how does one go about discussing 'extras' with a masseur without causing offense? As you can imagine, I'm very new to this! Any advice/recommendations would be much appreciated. Thanks!