I used to teach computer programming, and would often sing New Math as an introduction to non-decimal bases; once I had a student ask me to slow down so he could take notes, and another wanted to know if it would be on the exam.
Sigh.

Deccan Spice, Gartner Plaza, got it! Thanks! Let’s see. The 2nd-best Chinese restaurant in N’ville — now long gone — used to be Hunan Inn, next door to the Colonial Restaurant/Inn (forget which), which was an old-fashioned family-diner place, pretty good American cooking. There was also a place kitty-corner across the parking lot next to Casey’s supermarket (if it’s still there).

There used to be an exceptional Siamese restaurant in the little plaza at the SE corner of Jackson & Washington — Bangkok Restaurant/House. Alas, also long gone.

Next time you run up (or over) to N’ville for the food, there is (still, I assume) an Egg Harbor Café next to House of Sushi. You enter the building; Sushi on the left, Egg Harbor on the right.

.

Fun talking about shoes & ships & sealing wax, and number systems and food. Thanks to Neo and all the commentariat. :>)))

On my way out, I took one of their business cards with me and the manager (owner?) earnestly asked me to recommend them to folks. Since I live about 1000 miles away, I didn’t think I’d ever have occasion to do so effectively, but whaddaya know! 🙂

I’ll try and remember that sushi place.

A good Indian restaurant in N’ville? I’m a fan of Indian food (I’am a fan of food!), but I’m gonna have a hard time persuading her to drive me down there. Still, maybe one of these days … What’s its name, and roughly where is it?

I’ll have to look into this Five Forks.

By the way, House of Sushi, or Sushi House (whichever) is right across the street from the library downtown, and it really is good, if you get out that way again. (But I imagine Benihana in Lombard is still The Place as a hibachi restaurant.)

(I know an interesting Indian restaurant in Naperville. I found it on my last trip to Brookfield.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXlfXirQF3A

(Me, I like good Thai food, but like Chinese even more. Alas, I don’t know of a really good Chinese place anywhere in Illinois anymore, but then I no longer visit Chicago.)

There used to be at least three knockouts here: Bishop’s Cafeteria, where we were taken as a special treat when I were a young’un; Anchor Inn, which was a wonderful chain whose menu was all-you-can-eat shrimp and (not “or”) chicken, alas now one with the angels; and the Sweden House, which was a genuine smörgasbord restaurant, fair enough because Rockford historically was almost a Little Sweden. They also closed many years ago, so all this is just reminiscence.

Actually I’m with him on this: “It’s the thought idea that counts.” I mean a number is just the presecribed-by-dead-white-males “answer,” but the idea is *hushed whisper* philosophy.

.

Somewhat more seriously, wrt to the conversation about conversions vs. what I might call recognition, I definitely do subtraction step-by-step, which is like a “conversion” method, instead of “just” recognizing the answer, or even the answer as it occurs in each column. Only I usually do it “backwards,” left-to-right, which is slightly less tortuous for me personally.

I once had to take a subtraction test to qualify for a summer position at Woolworth’s. There were 50 problems, at most 3 digits. Should have been easy for a math major in between 2nd and 3rd years, right?

To my undying embarrassment, I missed not one but two of these 3rd-grade simple arithmetic problems. I was mortified. My only excuse was that well, after all I could hardly take my socks off in public.

Unsurprisingly, I did not get the job. Surprisingly, it was because my score on the test was too high. (They said people like that never stayed, so not worth hiring them.)

I tell this story fairly often because it tickles me, so if y’all have heard it before, I apologize…mildly. ;>)

I was in Rockford twice. I discovered it has some good restaurants. Abreo, Egg Harbor Cafe, Five Forks, that Thai place…