Problem: Article: Your friend is certain about their orientation, so whether or not it’s a choice is irrelevant. If you want to be a good friend, take their word for it. Treat your friend’s orientation as a simple fact, like their height, and avoid using language that suggests it is a choice or lifestyle. You don’t have to ignore or forget about your friend’s orientation, but don’t make a big deal of it, either. Treat your friend the same way you did before, and keep spending time together and doing the same things as always. Remember that your friend isn’t defined by their orientation or sex life any more than you are defined by yours. Be there for your friend when they need company or emotional support. Include them in your plans, and offer to help them come out to other people. If someone harasses or bullies your friend, stand up for them. If your friend is dating someone, meet that person. This shows that you have a genuine interest in your friend’s life. When your friend comes out to you, your knee-jerk response might be to worry that they’re sexually interested in you. Try to dismiss this worry. You don’t put the moves on everyone of the opposite gender, so there’s no reason to assume that your friend wants to make a move on you, either.  There is a small chance that your friend may develop feelings for you. If this happens, don’t make a big deal of it. Just say something like, “I’m flattered, but I’m straight.” If they’re a good friend, they’ll understand and respect your wishes. Don’t experiment sexually with your friend, even if you’re curious. Your friend may end up feeling used, especially if you aren’t serious. The risk of ruining your friendship isn’t worth it. Don’t out your friend to anyone else. Ask them who else they have told, and reassure them that they can trust you to keep their orientation confidential. Even if you decide that you can’t maintain the friendship, be respectful of your friend’s privacy and keep the reason to yourself. If anyone asks, just say you drifted apart.
Summary: Accept that you aren’t going to change your friend’s orientation. Avoid becoming fixated on your friend’s orientation. Support your friend. Trust your friend to respect your friendship. Keep your friend’s confidence.

Problem: Article: If you’re using plums, peaches, apricots, or any other fruit that contains a pit, cut it in half and use a knife or spoon to remove the pit. If you’re using pineapple or any other fruit with a hard, inedible peel, use a knife to carefully  remove the peel. Use a large, sharp knife to carefully chop your fruit into pieces that are roughly 1 inch (2.5 cm) square. Softer fruits like plums may get a little mushy and juicy when cut, which is fine. if you’re using it. Fresh ginger will give you the best flavor, but there’s nothing wrong with using dried ginger to save time. Remove the outer peel from the ginger with a small knife or vegetable peeler, and use a fine grater or zester to grate it. Place your knife flat on top of the garlic and press down on it with your hand to crush the clove. This will make it easier to remove the peel. After you’ve peeled the garlic, cut it into very fine pieces with a knife or use a garlic press to mince it. Use a large knife to slide your chopped fruit off the cutting board into the saucepan, along with any juice that may have gathered on the cutting board. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir them a few times. Set the heat to medium and let the mixture come to a boil. Stir it every 1 minute or so to make sure the mixture isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan. Make sure you are using your stirring spoon to reach the corners of the pan and remove any sauce that might stick there. Once the mixture has come to a full boil and you see large, rapid bubbles in the liquid, set the heat to low. Set the timer for 30 minutes, and stir the sauce every 5 minutes or so. If it has, turn the heat off. If not, cook it for another 5 minutes and check it again, repeating this process until the sauce has become thick. Stir it every time you check it. A food processor on a low setting should blend your sauce until it’s smooth. If you use an immersion blender, make sure your saucepan is deep enough that the blender’s blades can be fully submerged when you use it. Blend it until it appears smooth and you don’t see any chunks. If some chunks remain after blending the sauce several times, you can also strain the mixture through a sieve. Put whatever’s left of your sauce in an airtight container, preferably glass, and put it your fridge. It should stay fresh for up to 3 weeks.
Summary:
Remove any pits or hard peels from the fruits. Cut all the fruit into chunks 1 inch (2.5 cm) square.  Peel and grate the fresh ginger Peel and mince the fresh garlic if you’re using it. Add all the ingredients to a medium-sized saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring occasionally. Turn the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes. Check the sauce to see if it has thickened. Puree the sauce with a food processor or immersion blender. Store any unused sauce in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.