Will Oller .com

I just heard this line in a podcast I’m listening to. It’s an unabridged reading of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey. I had to rewind and listen to it several times to be sure of what I was hearing:

Such was Catherine Morland at ten. At fifteen, appearances were mending; she began to curl her hair and long for balls; her complexion improved, her features were softened by plumpness and colour, her eyes gained more animation, and her figure more consequence. –Northanger Abbey, Chapter 1

“Long for balls”? My mind is right in the gutter. Could somebody please explain to me what this means? I am less familiar with Victorian terminology than I should be… Maybe a ball like a dance? A big fancy costume ball? God I hope so.

WTF was wrong with those Victorians.

WTF is wrong with me.

In the Devil’s Garden
by Stuart Lee Allen

A fantastical romp through the seven deadly sins and the foods that most encourage them. Bizzare dishes run rampant, including rare little birds drowned in liquer and eaten whole, fish in scalding sauce served wriggling, psychoactive Absinthe, even “man’s milk” (you don’t want to know). Next to them on the forbidden list: tomatoes, potatoes, corn, beef, rye, wine, beer, and chocolate.

This is truly a must-read for anyone who cares about what goes into their mouths, what stays out, and the history behind the food on your table.

A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw.

The screw and the screwdriver are implements that seem to have appeared spontaneously, as each is practically useless without the other. The clues to thier origin are scattered throughout Western history, and are pieced together as Rybczynski tells about how he came to write the New York Magazine article ”Most Useful Tool of the Millennium.”

This book is short and to the point, and stuffed with stories of the technological advancements that brought about the advent, popularity, and finally the exquisite precision of the helical screw.

Tidbits

• In England, the square-tipped screwdriver is more popular than the Phillips (popular in the States). In my own experience, the square-tipped driver is the perfect tool for removing stripped (damaged) Phillips screws.
• The helical water pump has been used since ancient times.
• The first screws were made by hand on lathes, which themselves needed screws to be constructed.

Pollan takes a new look at the symbiotic relationship between man and domesticated plants, this time from the plant’s perspective. Plant species that get picked up by humans thrive, at the cost of other plants and sometimes we humans ourselves.

The book goes into detail about four such human-friendly plants: the apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potato.

Tidbits

• Apples and apple trees grown from seed look and taste completely different from their parent plant. All Golden Delicious apples are clones of the original Golden Delicious apple tree.
• Johnny Appleseed was a wealthy land tycoon, as well as a cooky hermit.
• A mad desire for tulips nearly caused economic collapse.
• Cannabinoid (THC) receptors are found all over the brain, as well as immune and reproductive systems. Their study has advanced neurobiology since the ’60s.
• Potatos are surprisingly high in vitamins B and C.

This is a positive must-read. You will never look at Johnny Appleseed the same way again.

Other books by Michael Pollan:

Every American should read this book. It captures a bit of the spirit of exploration and a kind of Manifest Destiny too often suppressed by the sedintary American lifestyle.