Oh, syphilis. I laugh every time I see a poster on the bus warning us that SYPHILIS IS BACK. I shouldn't laugh because it isn't funny, except that it so is.
I'm so evil and... skanky. And I think I'm kinda gay.
Willow ,'Storyteller'
Natter 57 Varieties
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
shrift - Apr 02, 2008 12:03:10 pm PDT #8975 of 10001
"You can't put a price on the joy of not giving a shit." -Zenkitty
sumi - Apr 02, 2008 12:03:33 pm PDT #8976 of 10001
Art Crawl!!!
avocados!
Ginger - Apr 02, 2008 12:07:09 pm PDT #8977 of 10001
"It didn't taste good. It tasted soooo horrible. It tasted like....a vodka martini." - Matilda
Cranberries and blueberries are New World too, right?
Yes, as are some types of grapes. Also peanuts and vanilla.
Tom Scola - Apr 02, 2008 12:07:15 pm PDT #8978 of 10001
Mr. Scola’s wardrobe by Botany 500
...but not coffee.
Kind of a dealbreaker, for me.
More hot cocoa for the rest of us!
Jars - Apr 02, 2008 12:13:02 pm PDT #8979 of 10001
I'm not particularly good at New World stuff, but emmer and einkorn wheats, barley, lentils, peas, vetch and chickpeas are the first crops in the Near East, as near as we can tell, and they moved through Europe, excepting chickpeas, weirdly. Rye and spelt came later, but not much. There's still controversy over which was first and whether cultivation began once for each species, or a number of times in different areas.
I'm not up to speed on Asian cultivation, but I think rice began to be cultivated about the same time, and people are starting to talk about bananas too.
tommyrot - Apr 02, 2008 12:21:43 pm PDT #8980 of 10001
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.
Years ago I read the theory that cultivation began so folks would have a ready supply of the ingredients for beer. Is that theory still... around?
Hil R. - Apr 02, 2008 12:23:14 pm PDT #8981 of 10001
Sometimes I think I might just move up to Vermont, open a bookstore or a vegan restaurant. Adam Schlesinger, z''l
Speaking of grains, I saw a package at the grocery store a few days ago labeled "Kosher for Passover only for those who eat kitniyot." (Kitniyot being beans, rice, corn, and a few other things not expressly forbidden, but not eaten for Passover by most Eastern European Jews.) I'm glad to see the Ashkenazic Passover monopoly fading a bit, even if it is only for peanut butter Bamba.
Sheryl - Apr 02, 2008 12:23:36 pm PDT #8982 of 10001
Fandom means never having to say "But where would I wear that?"
Timelies all!
Mmmm, vanilla. (Sorry, I've got nothing else)
Cashmere - Apr 02, 2008 12:24:29 pm PDT #8983 of 10001
Now tagless for your comfort.
Veganomicon
Damn, I want that just for the name. And I'm not even a vegetarian!
My friend in Cleveland bought that cookbook. She is a vegetarian, though. Her license plates also say, "Cthulhu." Really. Deb got a HUGE kick out them.
Jars - Apr 02, 2008 12:36:07 pm PDT #8984 of 10001
Years ago I read the theory that cultivation began so folks would have a ready supply of the ingredients for beer. Is that theory still... around?
Um, sort of. I think the general consensus is that some form of cultivation (or at least management of wild resources) has to occur before brewing can happen, as the most likely way that spontaneous fermentation would occur is when storing crops. Proper beer needs a prior knowledge of malting, also, which again probably wouldn't be seen except in crop storage.
There's an increase in the growing of fruit crops that coincides with the beginning of centralised settlement which has been proposed as indicative of the beginnings of alcohol production.
This is fun. It's been ages since I've had to think about anything outside of Irish archaeobotany.