Did you know? (Random things in life)

[Tricia]

Did you know that after vinegar, anchovies are the main ingredient in Worcestershire sauce?
It's essentially a fish sauce.
It also has Tamarind in it.

The crazy stuff we learn here.

 

[scott43]

Did you know it's pronounced "woooster-sher"..??

 

[fatbob]

Wuster where I come from

Also Wustersher is the carpet hub of the old Empire

And first mention of Huguenots in this thread as a bonus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidderminster_carpet_industry

 

[cantunamunch]

The Blast Heard By 31 People and 246 Cows...

Didn't stop the fake news of the time from calling it "terrorism".

In that spirit, malaria means bad air in Latin and the romans thought the swamp air caused the disease. The workers who built the Appian Way through the Palantine swamp south of Rome weren't very happy but the path was much faster.

Of course they were happy - they had better fish sauce than that nasty Wooster ick!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garum

 

[Jim McDonald]

Have a balut, you'll never complain about fish sauce again.

 

[Ogg]

Norwegians always try to get other people to try this but I’ve never seen one of them eat it. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutefisk

 

[James]

Did you know Swedes eat the most candy per person in the world? Roughly 30lbs /person/year. They try to confine it to Saturday so kids still have teeth. Don't know if that works.

Swedish salted black licorice, Salmiak, is about as close a candy can get to tasting like a dried fish product. Maybe a dried rotted lobster. At some point if you go to Sweden you will be challenged, coereced, cajoled, to try it. To see how Swedish you are.

Given the proximity of the sea you'd think they'd use like sea salt. Nope, it's ammonium chloride. The double salted version of the licorice is downright disgusting. Unless you're a Swede or a Finn.

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-gastronomy/how-to-eat-candy-like-a-swedish-person

 

[KingGrump]

Have a balut, you'll never complain about fish sauce again.

That stuff actually taste pretty good. Most of it is in your head. Great source of protein and calcium.
My Mom back in the days used to get them at the market. After chopping them. She would mixed it with Chinese medicinal herbs and a yellowish grain alcohol. The whole mixture is then steamed in a covered porcelain urn until done. It is said to eliminate morning sickness and migraine headaches.

 

[mdf]

Norwegians always try to get other people to try this but I’ve never seen one of them eat it. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutefisk

And this makes lutefisk sound positively mainstream:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hákarl

"...referred to as fermented shark or rotten shark in English... has a strong ammonia-rich smell and fishy taste."
"Those new to it may gag involuntarily on the first attempt to eat it."

 

[cantunamunch]

Swedish salted black licorice, Salmiak, is about as close a candy can get to tasting like a dried fish product. Maybe a dried rotted lobster. At some point if you go to Sweden you will be challenged, coereced, cajoled, to try it. To see how Swedish you are.

Given the proximity of the sea you'd think they'd use like sea salt. Nope, it's ammonium chloride. The double salted version of the licorice is downright disgusting. Unless you're a Swede or a Finn.

Notice the name 'Salmiak' - Then notice that the Latin name for ammonium chloride is sal ammoniac. Coincidence? I don't think so.


And it's the same stuff snorted by Victorians and current NFL players as 'smelling salts'

http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/st...lay-matthews-just-the-nfl-smelling-salt-users

Guess these guys just don't want the sugar rush or they'd be munching Swedish licorice.

 

[fatbob]

I remember seeing Kiviak - fermented auk in a seal carcass- featured on Human Planet and thinking hmm a Greenland Inuit wedding would be interesting

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiviak

 

[cantunamunch]

hmm a Greenland Inuit wedding would be interesting

Especially if you arrive by boat.

 

[Jenny]

Puffin beaks glow . . .

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/04/sharks-puffins-animals-biofluorescence-oceans/

 

[MarkP]

Home Pets & Animals Mammals Giraffes
How Many Vertebrae Does a Giraffe Have?

Although giraffes have extremely long necks, they only have seven cervical vertebrae, which is the same number found in humans. These vertebrae are elongated, giving the giraffe its extreme height. Each vertebrae may be over 10 inches long.

 

[scott43]

That stuff actually taste pretty good. Most of it is in your head.

Sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie but I'll never know cuz I'll never eat the filthy mother f*cker...

 

[KingGrump]

Sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie but I'll never know cuz I'll never eat the filthy mother f*cker...

You will when you are hungry enough.
They aren't that filthy so long you know how to clean them. Taste just like chicken.
Speaking of chicken. The way people handle chickens here in the US, I swear they are handling toxic waste. I really have serious doubts about eating any chicken here. Considering the usual recommended chicken handling procedures is way more stringent than the usual asbestos abatement protocols I have experienced.

 

[Bad Bob]

The Romans of old were into fish sauce, it was a condiment often offered by the street vendors.

receipt for "Eskimo Ice Cream" (Inuit). Whale or seal blubber and fresh or dried berries of your choice. Age to taste. Yes, I have eaten that.

 

[James]

Did you know in Baseball you're not necessarily out after 3 strikes?

If the catcher drops the ball or it goes by him, and no one's on first base, you can run to first and they have to throw you out or tag you.

 

[David Chaus]

The minimum possible number of pitches thrown by one team in a baseball game is 9.

Each inning the first batter up to the plate hits a triple on the first pitch. The on the first pitch to the next three batters, each batter interferes with the catcher trying to pick off the runner at 3rd, or interfering with the catcher if the runner tries to steal home. Batter is called out, pitch doesn’t count as an official pitch. Happens 3 times, so 3 outs.

Rinse, repeat for 9 innings.

Highly improbable, but still the theoretical minimum number of pitches.

 

[Jilly]

You will when you are hungry enough.
They aren't that filthy so long you know how to clean them. Taste just like chicken.
Speaking of chicken. The way people handle chickens here in the US, I swear they are handling toxic waste. I really have serious doubts about eating any chicken here. Considering the usual recommended chicken handling procedures is way more stringent than the usual asbestos abatement protocols I have experienced.

Frog legs taste like chicken...