diab123, We went through a very similar decision - we had (and loved) Miele MasterChef Speed Oven, Miele Microwave and Warming Oven. We remodeled and tore out the ancient in-island Chambers electric oven so we needed a 2nd oven (to our beloved speed oven.) We had a hard time justifying the retail price of the Miele over the Electrolux as the Elux is so well liked on GW. And, the MasterChef is even more $ than the Chef model (as you know). However, the dealer (whom we like) had a floor model 30" Chef that we got for an extremely good deal so Miele was the way we went - made it easy. To your questions: Europa and Classic is simply a difference in the handles MasterChef does get you rotisserie MasterChef also gets you Auto Roast which many here like. I believe I read somewhere that the 30" Elux is a little larger than the 30" Mieles All that being said, my DW LOVES the Miele Chef oven: 1) Everything she has made in it has come out wonderfully (I can attest) 2) It (of course) has the wonderful fingerprint resistant stainless which I think is a Miele exclusive and DW LOVES this feature. 3) It matches our other Miele appliances (although not a big deal - now that we have it - it is pretty cool). 4) We did not like (at all) the look of the Elux Wave Touch with the curved handle - this did not seem to bring the "high scale" look we were trying to achieve in our remodel. And, the Miele handles are straight - which means the oven would look different in that manner as well. So, we were limited to the Elux Icon Professional (with a straight handle) at around $2,700. We purchased our (floor model) Miele Chef for less than that so it became a "no brainer" for us. 5) When it is cooking away at 400 degrees it is very quiet and the cabinet sides are not warm at all - the front is also not very warm - can easily touch - it is a high quality unit. DW figured out a little trick since we have the MasterChef speed oven - if DW is uncertain what baking mode to use in the chef oven (this is our first convection oven) she goes to the MasterChef menu on the speed oven and figures it out and then uses that mode in the Chef oven - kinda cool. In our remodel the new oven has been placed on the opposite side of the kitchen from the other Miele appliances so we could have (more easily) lived with another brand oven. However, we are just as happy with the new Miele oven as we are with the Speed Oven. Best of luck - I really think the ELux Icon Professional would be a fantastic oven too - another issue - we could not find an Icon Professional in the entire Denver Metro area that we could even go to look at (I think for the $1,000 difference most people go with the standard ELux oven). Best of luck!

My mother would buy the square Tea Cake from Amy's Bakery in Montebello, CA since I can remember. They still sell them. You can see the image of it on their website. Take the 60 fwy, exit Wilcox or Garfield Ave. Go south to Beverly Blvd. and Amy's Bakery is on the NW corner of Wilcox & Beverly. Make sure to grab a number as soon as you enter. Once when I worked in Lancaster, CA a rep came in and dropped off a pink box of little pink & yellow tea cakes in our lounge. I knew exactly what they were but no one else did but the box did not have a bakery name on it. They went for the other box of pastries and needless to say by the time the day was over I had eaten the entire box! (good for me) :) Last time I bought a tea cake from Amy's (in the 80's) I ate the whole cake before we got it home. (with my bare hands) No, I don't do that kind of stuff! It surprised me too! Yes, these cakes are that good. The cake from Amy's Bakery is like a 9x9 and has the light brown colored glaze/frosting on it. In my opinion, it's the best.

Everyone looks for different things, different amenities, different opportunities, when they can choose where they live. Some don't have a choice or haven't had enough experiences or courage to know about alternatives. We lead our lives differently, with the opportunities to choose or the lack of such opportunities as our circumstances and luck allow. Fortunately, we don't all like the same thing as it would be even more crowded in those few places. Enjoy and be glad about where you are, that offends no one. Pushing yourselves up by pushing others down does. Fooling yourself into thinking you or your area is special in some way, also does. Nothing more or less.

Will be a fun time trying to figure out what he has. Because it might also not be Barcelona. Heritage Roses In Australia Journal Sep 2020) Page 19. Vol 42, No. 3. By Hillary Merrifield (Sep 2020) Page(s) 19. Vol 42, No. 3. Includes photo(s). Hillary Merrifield. Francis Dubreuil and Barcelona. For many years, a black-flushed crimson rose originating from the Europa-Rosarium, Sangerhausen has been sold around the world as the Tea Francis Dubreuil, (Dubreuil, 1894). Recently it has been equated in the United States with the Hybrid Tea Barcelona (Kordes, 1932). The discovery by Patricia Routley of a named plant of Barcelona in a country garden in South Western Australia has raised doubt about this assumption. The garden was established in 1959-60 by the mother of the present owner, David Martin. Mrs Martin drew up a numbered plan of her garden giving the position of all the roses she planted. Most are still in the positions given on the plan. No. 41, Barcelona, is one of these and was purchased at Dawsons nursery, Perth, about 1960. This gives it an excellent provenance. More information and photographs can be found on HelpMeFind under “David Martin’s No. 41”. Barcelona was introduced into Australia by Hazlewood in 1934 not long after its release in Europe. It was a popular rose that was recommended by rose societies around the country through the 1930s, 40s and 50s. In Western Australia it remained on nursery lists until the early 1970s. The original Francis Dubreuil was offered by nurseries in Australia up to the mid-1940s but no plants are known to have survived. The Sangerhausen rose that is presently being sold here as Francis Dubreuil was imported by the Rumseys in 1981. In order to discover whether the Francis Dubreuil in commerce today is identical to Barcelona, Lynne Chapman, Billy West and I decided to grow this rose and Martin’s Barcelona side by in our gardens in different parts of Perth. For almost two years, their appearance and behaviour over the seasons and in different weather conditions have been studied and their botanical details recorded. A table was drawn up to compare the observed botanical features of the two roses and, from the literature, those of the original Tea Francis Dubreuil and Kordes’ Barcelona. This comparison shows that the present Francis Dubreuil is not the original rose and is not a Tea nor the same as Barcelona, and because we do not know its identity, we have given it the study name of “Not Francis Dubreuil”. Martin’s Barcelona seems to be the same as the Kordes’ Barcelona. When we started this experiment, we had two aims. One was to find out if “Not Francis Dubreuil” was the same as Barcelona, and we have found that it is not. The other was to see if Martin’s Barcelona was correctly named. We usually hesitate to identify a rose unless it matches early descriptions and plates in the literature, is the same as a reliably named specimen in an established garden and has a verifiable heritage. Martin’s Barcelona has met all these requirements and we feel confident that it is the original Kordes rose. The main differences between Barcelona and “Not Francis Dubreuil” (NFD) Inflorescence: The flowers on Barcelona are held on long strong stems, NFD’s are shorter. Flower life: Barcelona’s flowers last for a long time but those of NFD are short lived. Bud: The bud on Barcelona shows a flat top as it opens and this is not seen in NFD. Flower size: Barcelona has a bigger flower and can reach 12 cms in diameter and those of NFD are medium and 7-9 cms. Flower shape: Flower shapes are not the same when fully open, Barcelona’s is a shallow cup, while that of NFD is a more rounded cup. Petal numbers: Barcelona can have up to 100 petals and NFD’s are usually around 30-42. Flower colour: Both are dark red roses with black shading in varying degrees on the inside of the petals but this is much more obvious in NFD. The colour of Barcelona is very variable, ranging from dark to vivid crimson with a hint of blue through to lighter red and occasionally a pinkish colour. It can age to a quite attractive purple (which was noted early on in Australia by Hazlewood). NFD’s colour is stable and does not blue. Receptacle: Barcelona has a large flared or rounded cup and NFD ‘s is a small slender cup which looks smooth but has bands of stalked glands at top and base. Stamens: Barcelona’s filaments are creamy yellow and those of NFD are pink. Fragrance: The sweet old-rose fragrance of Barcelona is moderate to strong and has a hint of cloves. The fragrance of NFD is strong and damask-like. Leaves: The new leaves of Barcelona can be a quite dark purple-red, whereas those of NFD are red brown. Bush: Barcelona has thick strong canes like a Hybrid Tea and its growth habit is upright and angular, while NFD is lower-growing, bushier, with quite dense foliage. Disease susceptibility: Barcelona is very prone to mildew. NFD can mildew occasionally under certain weather conditions. https://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=66.1331&tab=3&qn=28&qc=27