It's All Greek to You and Me, So What Is It to the Greeks? Part 1 - Greek

That's Greek to me or it's (all) Greek to me is an idiom in English, expressing that something is difficult to understand.

The idiom is typically used with respect to something of a foreign nature, however it may be considered an insult to some. Complexity or imprecision of verbal or written expression or diagram, often containing excessive use of jargon, dialect, mathematics, science, symbols, or diagrams. The metaphor makes reference to Greek (either ancient or modern), as an archetypal foreign form of communication both written and spoken. Technically, the phrase is classified as a dead metaphor, meaning that its components cannot be used separately, unlike for example the dormant metaphor "foot of the hill", which permits saying "that hill has a tree at its foot".

This week, if it's all Greek to you and me, what is it to the Greeks?

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions." - Alfred Lord Tennyson (British poet, 1809 - 1892)

   It's All Greek to You and Me, So What is It to the Greeks Part 1 - Greek by fredwine on Scribd

This Is What Fruit Looked Like Before Humans Intervened

Fruit. It's good for you, filled with dietary fiber, vitamins (especially vitamin C), and antioxidants. In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate seeds. Apricots, bananas, and grapes, as well as bean pods, corn grains, tomatoes, cucumbers, and (in their shells) acorns and almonds, are all technically fruits. Popularly, however, the term is restricted to the ripened ovaries that are sweet and either succulent or pulpy.

But they don't look and/or taste like they used to. In some cases, that's probably good.

This week, what some fruit looked like before humans intervened.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "You do your best work if you do a job that makes you happy." - Bob Ross (American artist and TV presenter, 1942 - 1995) 

This is What Fruit Looked Like Before Humans Intervened by fredwine on Scribd

This Is What Vegetables Looked Like Before Humans Intervened

Vegetables. They're good for you, filled with antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Some grow underground, including root vegetables like potatoes, yams, carrots, turnips and beetroot as well as bulbs like onion and garlic. Green vegetables include leaf vegetables like spinach and cabbage as well as certain legumes like peas and string beans. Many vegetables have seeds inside, and the best-known of these include pumpkin, squash, eggplant and the many kinds of pepper like the green pepper, chilli pepper and the bell pepper or capsicum. Salad vegetables such as lettuce and cucumber are eaten raw while other vegetables, including cauliflower, mushrooms and stem vegetables like asparagus and celery, can be eaten either raw or cooked.
 
But they don't look and/or taste like they used to. In some cases, that's probably good.

This week, what some vegetables looked like before humans intervened.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed." - Alexander Pope (English poet and satirist, 1688 - 1744)

   This is What Vegetables Looked Like Before Humans Intervened by fredwine on Scribd

Inside the quest to save the banana from extinction – Part 2: Science!

In the 15th and 16th centuries, Portuguese colonists started banana plantations in the Atlantic Islands, Brazil, and western Africa. North Americans began consuming bananas on a small scale at very high prices shortly after the Civil War, though it was only in the 1880s that the food became more widespread.  As late as the Victorian Era, bananas were not widely known in Europe, although they were available.

And then, the Sixth Duke of Devonshire, William Cavendish, had a banana. And it was good.

This week, the rest of the story on the quest to save the banana from extinction and how Science! could be the answer.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Either I've been missing something or nothing has been going on." - Karen Elizabeth Gordon (American author, 1947 - )

   Inside the Quest to Save the Banana From Extinction 2 by fredwine on Scribd

Inside the quest to save the banana from extinction – Part 1: History

A banana is an edible fruit, and no surprise to anyone who reads this blog, botanically a berry. While the plant it referred to as a "tree," it is actually the largest herbaceous flowering plant on the planet. Recent archaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence in Papua New Guinea suggests that banana cultivation there goes back to at least 5000 BCE, and possibly to 8000 BCE.

And now they are threatened by extinction by disease. How and why, you ask?

This week, we go inside the quest to save the banana from extinction, and start where we should, with some history.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "The summit of happiness is reached when a person is ready to be what he is." - Desiderius Erasmus (Dutch author, philosopher and scholar, 1466 - 1536) 

   Inside the Quest to Save the Banana From Extinction 1 by fredwine on Scribd

The Subversive, Surprising History of Curry Powder

Spice blends were found to be in use almost 4000 years ago, with key ingredients like ginger, garlic, and turmeric, during the days of Indus Valley Civilization. The chili pepper, a ubiquitous ingredient in curry, was brought to the Indian subcontinent from the Americas through the Columbian Exchange in the 16th century.

Curry powder and the contemporary English use of the word "curry" are Western inventions and do not reflect any specific food from the Indian subcontinent, though a similar mixture of spices used in the Northern regions of the Indian subcontinent is called garam masala. Curry powder was used as an ingredient in 18th century British recipe books, and commercially available from the late 18th century. British traders introduced the powder to Meiji Japan, in the mid 19th century, where it became known as Japanese curry.

This week, a look at the subversive, surprising history of curry powder.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line." - Oscar Levant (American concert pianist, composer, music conductor, bestselling author, radio game show panelist and personality, television talk show host, and actor, 1906 - 1972) 

   The Subversive, Surprising History of Curry Powder by fredwine on Scribd

The Century-Long Scientific Journey of the Affordable Grocery Store Orchid

The Orchidaceae are a diverse and widespread family of flowering plants, with blooms that are often colorful and fragrant, commonly known as the orchid family.

Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering plants. The Orchidaceae have about 28,000 currently accepted species, distributed in about 763 genera. The determination of which family is larger is still under debate, because verified data on the members of such enormous families are continually in flux. Regardless, the number of orchid species nearly equals the number of bony fishes and is more than twice the number of bird species, and about four times the number of mammal species. 

The family encompasses about 6–11% of all seed plants. It also includes Vanilla – the genus of the vanilla plant, the type genus Orchis, and many commonly cultivated plants such as Phalaenopsis and Cattleya. Moreover, since the introduction of tropical species into cultivation in the 19th century, horticulturists have produced more than 100,000 hybrids and cultivars. 

This week, a look at the century-long scientific journey of the affordable grocery store orchid.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "[Memory is] a man's real possession...In nothing else is he rich, in nothing else is he poor." - Alexander Smith (Scottish essayist and poet, 1830 - 1867)
 
The Century-Long Scientific Journey of the Affordable Grocery Store Orchid by fredwine on Scribd