When site published, the content will be centered in the page
|
Vertical Divider
|
Vertical Divider
Issue 910
WINTER, WINTER, WINTER-TIME... THE YEAR WITHOUT SUMMER By Lindsey Harrison 
“Mother Nature may be forgiving this year, or next year, but eventually she’s going to come around and whack you. You’ve got to be prepared.”
– Geraldo Rivera, American journalist “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes.” At least, that’s how the saying goes here in Colorado . . . and quite a few other places, too. Why? Because as much as we like to think that we can predict the weather and have it all mapped out so we can plan what to wear for the next 10 days, Mother Nature is in charge. Sure, we knew the weather was going to be bad on March 13, but it certainly caught many of us by surprise when we were hit with a “Bomb Cyclone.” Who knew that was even a thing? Literally hundreds of cars were stuck on various roads throughout the county and a certain writer and her son were on the last flight to leave Denver International Airport that morning before the entire thing was shut down. You’d think that would have made them happy, but when those two arrived in San Diego, a certain writer’s son came down with Type A flu and had to be quarantined in the hotel room for three days. Anyway, the point is that we’ve witnessed a lot of crazy weather lately, but there was one year in particular that goes down in the record books as one of the strangest ever. It was 1816 and it became known as “The Year Without a Summer.” Sounds interesting, right? That’s what we at Snippetz thought, and in light of the recent nuttiness in our weather, we felt it appropriate to relay the tale of that fateful year, the year that had no summer. IT STARTED WITH A BOOM Literally. The whole thing started with a boom . . . and several other explosions as the volcano, Tambora, erupted. Located on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, Tambora had been considered inactive until around 1812, when smoke began rising from the volcano. Definitely an ominous sign, wouldn’t you agree? But strangely enough, nothing else happened other than the smoke – and the occasional for the following three years. Nothing like a three-year hiatus to lull you into a false sense of security, right? But it was bound to happen, the eruption that seemed so imminent, and finally it did in April 1815. The explosion was so intense that it could be heard about 1,700 miles away from the volcano itself. To put it in perspective, that’s like having an explosion happen in Colorado Springs and people in Havana, Cuba, being able to hear it! As if that isn’t impressive enough, islands about 250 miles away from Sumbawa fell into complete darkness because of the ash in the air. Another peek at perspective: that would be like a volcano erupting in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and having all of Colorado Springs be plunged into darkness due to the ash. Need some more perspective? Here you go: the eruption of Tambora was 10 time bigger than the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines and 100 times more powerful than the 1981 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington state. Insane, right? But it happened. And sadly, about 12,000 of Sumbawa’s 14,000 people were killed in the eruption, which went on for three whole days. As if that wasn’t bad enough, but in total, about 90,000 additional people on other Indonesian islands were killed due secondary effects like polluted drinking water, disease and famine. Crops were destroyed every single island within a couple hundred miles of Sumbawa, thanks to ash rain. SUMMER? WHAT’S SUMMER? Based on the information we’ve just relayed, it’s likely so surprise that effects of Tambora’s eruption were felt worldwide and for more than just a day or two after the event. Remember how the eruption happened in April 1815? Well more than a year later, those effects were still, well, affecting the Earth in various ways. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s back up. To start off, it wasn’t just Tambora that erupted, causing the Year Without a Summer. Three others – Soufrière St. Vincent in the West Indies, Mount Mayon in the Philippines and Suwanose-Jima in Japan – all erupted at various times between 1812 and 1814. Suwanose-Jima actually erupted continuously from 1813-1815. OK, so clearly that didn’t help matters at all. But, wait! There’s more! The Earth itself was experiencing a long period of low solar energy output that began in the 1790s and ended in the mid-1820s. This period, called the Dalton Minimum, brought decreased temperatures to the entire globe. We’ve got some more perspective to offer up: the coldest part of the “Little Ice Age,” which lasted between 1645-1715, occurred during the Maunder Minimum, a similar period of low solar activity. So, what did that year look like? Well, between October 1815 and February 1816, temperatures were warmer than usual, which may be why it was so shocking when temperatures during the spring and summer were nearly indistinguishable from those of typical winter temperatures. In fact, as May turned to June, frosts and snowstorms were still a nearly nightly occurrence in portions of the American northeast. Although June started out very nice, by the 6th, temperatures dropped from the 70s, 80s and 90s, to the 40s, with an unpleasantly cold rain. That rain turned to snow and allegedly, birds who had traveled back to their “home base” after spending a winter further south, literally dropped dead. Not exactly the summer weather we’re all used to, huh? Exactly one month after that June snowfall, another cold spell swept the nation with temperatures dropping back into the 30s and 40s. Now, let’s not forget that during this time, crops that the entire nation depended on were supposed to be growing plentifully. But with freezing temperatures, snow and even hailstones as big as walnuts, those crops didn’t stand a chance. August didn’t fare much better. By the 20th, another frost had settled over the country, killing off whatever crops had struggled back to life after the previous two months’ assaults. And that was just what people in the United States experienced. Across the globe, similarly poor conditions and ridiculously low temperatures ravaged crops and brought widespread famine and disease. The price of such staples as wheat, oats and other grains rose to such astounding heights that poor people were spending up to half of their total income on these items alone. Although we can’t really blame anyone for The Year Without a Summer, we can certainly learn from it. And we can also hope and pray that nothing like that is headed our way anytime soon, although the crazy weather we’ve had so far this year isn’t exactly a promising indication of what’s to come! TAMBORA ERUPTION SNIPPETZ
Issue 911
NOTHING'S GUARANTEED EXCEPT DEATH AND TAXES By Lindsey Harrison “The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.” – Will Rogers, American actor If Christmastime is the “most wonderful time of the year,” then tax time is officially the “most horrible time of the year.” Of course, that’s entirely a matter of perspective. If you’re fortunate enough to get a refund, you probably don’t mind filing your income taxes every year. However, if you’re stuck paying the Internal Revenue Service any amount of money, tax season can be a scary time. And one that likely produces additional stress (and heartburn). While it can be frustrating, taxes (allegedly) serve a purpose, otherwise they wouldn’t have stuck around so darn long. From the ancient Egyptians to the ancient Romans – and just about everywhere else in the world that had a moderately civilized society – taxes were just a part of life. Now, we could go into the philosophical ideas about why taxes are good or bad, and we could argue the merits of Colorado’s Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) amendment, but that would make for a seriously boring (not to mention depressing) story. Instead, we at Snippetz felt it best to do something a little more upbeat and bestow upon you all the super cools facts we’ve learned about taxes throughout history. You’re going to love it!! THE TAX MAN COMETH Nowadays, we don’t exactly have a tax man that knocks on our doors, demanding we pay him. No, we just have daily reminders that we’re running out of time to pay. Like, since the beginning of the year, we’ve had them. Daily. Reminders. So, what’s worse? Who knows, really. Apparently, our ancestors thought they did because they changed our tax system over from the standard forms that were common around the world into the one we’ve all grown to “love” today. Here are some of those forms of taxation from way back when:
There are plenty of other societies that used taxation but as we mentioned before, it would be super boring to sit here and talk about that. Now that you have a taste of what taxes were like in previous times, let’s jump forward to something a bit more modern. THE BOSTON TEA PARTY For those of you who didn’t pay attention in middle school history class, the Boston Tea Party was not a tea party in the typical sense. No one came in fancy hats to sit around a cute table and eat things like crumpets or cucumber sandwiches, and to be honest, it wasn’t much of a party, either. But it did deeply impact taxation in soon-to-be United States of America. Here’s how it went: On Dec. 16, 1773, a political protest took place at Griffin’s Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts, to response to the newly-formed colonies’ anger at Great Britain for “taxation without representation.” Basically, the colonies wanted to have a say in how they were taxed because they ultimately wanted to be free from England’s grip anyway. To be fair, the American colonists had a point and it wasn’t just to pick a fight with Great Britain. For years, Britain had been in debt and Parliament imposed a series of taxes on the colonies to help repay those debts. Considering the fact that they never consulted the colonies about this form of repayment, and also considering the colonies were attempting to break away from Great Britain in the first place, the colonists were not pleased in the slightest. In 1773, the Tea Act was passed by British Parliament, which further frustrated the colonies because, once again, a tax was passed that unfairly benefited the British while “punishing” the colonies. Bottom line: on that fateful night in December 1773, some 342 chests of tea from Britain were thrown into the Boston Harbor. One source states that it took about three hours for the 100 colonists involved in the protest to throw all the tea overboard. Allegedly, it was about 90,000 pounds of tea in total, which – by today’s rates – would cost about $1 million. But did you know that there was actually a second Boston Tea Party, where the same type of protest took place? In March 1774, about 60 colonists climbed aboard a British ship and tossed about 30 chests of tea into the salty sea below. That particular “party” was in response to additional rules (called the Coercive Acts or the Intolerable Acts) placed on them by British Parliament after the first Boston Tea Party. In September 1774, the First Continental Congress was convened to try to figure out how to get out from under Great Britain’s thumb. Two years later, the Declaration of Independence was drafted and signed, bringing an end to Britain’s hold on the American colonies. TAXATION SNIPPETZ
Issue 912
SNIPPETZ SERVES UP SOME SODAS THAT DIDN'T QUITE POP By Lindsey Harrison 
“Failure is the key to success; each mistake teaches us something.”
– Morihei Ueshiba, Japanese martial artist Pretend for a moment that you are a big wig chief executive officer of a major brand of snack foods. To stay at the top of your game and be the treat all the kiddies reach for after school, you’d likely need to brainstorm different “innovative” ideas. In the food and beverage industry, it probably isn’t easy to come up with a new product to keep your brand relevant with. There are only so many ways you can make chocolate chip cookies or a yummy fruit juice drink. Eventually, it seems like you’d run out of ideas to stay at the forefront of the industry. That’s where Mr. Ueshiba’s quote we included above comes into play. The only way to innovate is to try something new. Sometimes that new idea is a hit and retailers can’t keep it on their shelves and other times, it’s a complete failure and retailers can’t give it away to save their lives. For this Snippetz article, we wanted to look at different soda pop drinks that weren’t exactly successful, because those failures have certainly taught the makers of such beverages what just doesn’t fly with consumers. And boy oh boy, are there some reeeaaaallly bad ideas! So, pick out your favorite soda (it’s unlikely to be one of the ones in this article!), put up your feet and let Snippetz regale you with some incredible pieces of knowledge! ORBITZ Considering that, in 2018, the average American was reported to have consumed 45 gallons of soda pop per year, it’s no wonder that different companies eagerly try to come up with different drinks to get their piece of the profit pie from those sales. We can only guess it was this desire to make money that allowed the creation of the Orbitz soda that debuted in 1997. The Clearly Canadian Beverage Corporation launched their drink with the claim that it was a “texturally enhanced alternative beverage,” which is fancy speak for a drink that had stuff floating in it. Literally. The Orbitz sodas consisted of a strangely thick fruit-flavored liquid (think eggnog consistency) with bits of colored gelatin balls floating in it. Now, on the shelf, the drink looked intriguing, especially to a young writer hoping to try a truly unique and tasty beverage. But that poor young writer had no idea what she was getting herself into. The Orbitz drink was worse than it sounds as we’ve described it here. That’s probably why it was discontinued within a year of its release. BRAINWASHED BLUE Anything with brain wash in the title is bound to be a bit sketchy, if you ask us. Anyway, this soda, which was distributed by Skeleteens Counter Culture Soda Company, may have sought to convince people of its appealing taste by making the same sound intriguing but the bottom line was that it just didn’t work. Not too many drinks, usually meant to taste good and satisfy your thirst, include jalapeno oil, which is certainly not a thirst-quencher. Although it’s still available online, Brainwashed Blue may not be up your alley if you’re not into having everything the drink touches turn blue, or to have it burn just a little bit going down. PICKLE JUICE SPORT Yes, you read that correctly. There is a drink, although not a popular one, that tastes like pickle juice and is marketed as a sports drink. It’s unclear how a carbonated pickle-flavored drink is supposed to be useful in a sporting-type situation, but Golden Beverages, Inc., apparently thought it was a good idea. Strangely enough, although it never sold well enough to be easy to find in grocery or convenience stores, it is still available online for anyone interested in harnessing the power of Pickle Juice. ABALI YOGURT SODA Call us a bit uncultured, but the mere idea of mixing cola flavoring with yogurt is almost enough to stimulate our gag reflexes. Apparently, yogurt soda is popular in other parts of the world, namely the Middle East. The Abali company is still going strong today, but as you probably guessed, the soda never hit the mainstream soda industry, therefore it tends to be harder to find. But a quick search on Google takes you right to the source and you can purchase a carbonated yogurt beverage quite easily. We’ll definitely take a pass on this one, but if it sounds good to you, go for it and let us know what you think!! NEW COKE This is a prime example of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Unless you’ve been literally living under a rock, you know what Coca-Cola is. And you probably know how it tastes and that it’s been a staple of the soda industry for decades. But in 1985, the Coca-Cola Company decided to launch a new, reformulated version of their classic (and most popular) drink in an effort to compete with Pepsi, whose popularity was on the rise. Unfortunately, the bold move was the completely wrong move. In less than three months, the company realized their grave mistake and pulled the product from the shelves. Let’s just hope Coca-Cola learned their lesson. 7-UP GOLD If Coca-Cola can launch a new flavor, why the heck can’t The Dr. Pepper Company? That must have been the logic behind the release of 7-Up Gold because honestly, we can’t think of any other reason why the company would make such a disastrous move. 7-Up Gold, which was said to taste a bit like cinnamon and spice (which, let’s be honest, is a great idea for a muffin or even hot tea), didn’t strike a chord with consumers. The reddish caramel color probably didn’t help either. That’s just not the 7-Up everyone was used to and evidently the change wasn’t a welcome one. Just over a year later, the drink was discontinued. CRYSTAL PEPSI Did we learn nothing from the failed attempts of the Coca-Cola and Dr. Pepper Companies to mess with a good thing? Apparently not. For some reason, Pepsico decided to jump on the band wagon and launched Crystal Pepsi. Perhaps it’s the idea of drinking a clear soda that tastes like regular old cola-flavored soda that put consumers off the new product. Or perhaps it’s the idea that clear soda doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better for you, even if that was the impression the Pepsico brand was hoping to portray. Either way, the caffeine-free drink was released in the early 1990s and discontinued in 1993, which tells you it clearly (see what we did there?) wasn’t a hit. However, for those who crave a clear decaffeinated cola, Amazon Pantry became the prime distributor of the drink in 2016, after it was re-released. This is another soda we’ll take a pass on, but again, if you’re dying to try it, let us know what you think when you do! HUBBA BUBBA SODA Yep, we’re talking about THAT Hubba Bubba, the pink bubble gum. Apparently, Steve Roeder, creator of the drink, felt the world needed a bubble gum flavored beverage and launched his product in 1987. Not surprisingly, it was discontinued in the 1990s. But can we really blame consumers for not enjoying it? It was pink. It tasted like bubble gum. It sounds a bit like trying to drink bubble gum flavored Pepto-Bismol. And you probably all remember how fun it was to drink that horrible medicine when you had an upset stomach. We can’t imagine opening up a fresh can or bottle of Hubba Bubba and chugging down a massive gulp of bubble gum flavoring. Ick. There are so many other failed soda pop drinks that we could practically fill up this whole magazine, but in the interest of time (and for the sake of our appetites) we’ve provided you with the above examples. Feel free to hunt down your own! Issue 913
CLOTHING THAT HAS WORN OUT ITS WELCOME: OBSOLETE APPAREL By Lindsey Harrison 
“Nothing is so hideous as an obsolete fashion.”
– Stendhal, French writer While Stendhal might have a point, it seems a bit harsh to say nothing is as hideous as an obsolete fashion. First off, fashion comes and goes. Trends are in one season and out the next and half the time, the “fashion” that can be seen on the runways in New York is only “fashion” in the very broadest of terms. Sure, those rags you’ve sewn together are a perfectly reasonable estimation of a dress that the average woman – who is NOT a size 0, we might add – would wear to the office every day. In case it was unclear, that whole prior sentence was sarcasm. Anyway, fashion truly has been a finicky thing over the years. And who’s to blame? Well, people are, obviously. For whatever reason we buy into the fashion trends of the times, regardless of how practical or effective they really are. Can we please move past the stocking cap in the middle of the summer phase? It needs to die. But while the stocking cap has a time and place – it’s called Alaska in winter – there are other pieces of clothing or apparel that have clearly worn out their welcome. Or at least their trendiness. We at Snippetz just couldn’t give up the chance to weigh in on the obsolete apparel of fashion history, so grab your favorite piece of clothing (you never know when it might become obsolete!) and check out these totally useless pieces of apparel! CODPIECE Because this piece of apparel is as ridiculous as it is obsolete, we thought we’d start here! The codpiece, for those of you who don’t know, is a feature of male apparel that dates back to the 1400s and 1500s. For whatever reason, probably to illustrate a man’s virility, the codpiece was a piece of clothing that was used to join the two legs of a set of pants. Eventually, however, that little triangle of cloth became a focal point of men’s fashion and everyone wanted to make theirs more, well, noticeable than the next guy’s. Interestingly enough, the codpiece often served a purpose other than to draw attention to a man’s nether regions: it could be used to hide a secret pocket or (guys, try not to wince at this one) as a pincushion. Why you’d want to use a codpiece as a pincushion is something that is probably better left to the Renaissance fashion police. Oh, and in case you were wondering about the interesting name, the codpiece is named as such because it covers the man’s, well you know, and the Middle English term “cod” means “scrotum.” DUNCE CAP This one has a rather interesting history behind it. First off, let’s explain what a dunce cap looks like: it’s a funnel- shaped hat that basically looks like an upside down cone. Think old-timey wizard hat. Now, the reason the dunce cap came into existence is actually due to a philosophical idea that knowledge could be funneled from the universe into your head. Who came up with such a “genius” idea? None other than John Duns Scotus, a Franciscan friar and teacher who lived in the Middle Ages. He was a fairly well-known philosopher of his time and eventually earned himself a following, people who came to be known as Dunsmen, or just Dunces to make things easier. Now, while the Dunces appeared to be holding their own in the world of philosophy, they were actually the laughing stock of the intellectual crowds of their time. They became so poorly regarded that the term “dunce” became synonymous with “idiot.” Fast forward to the pictures we’ve all seen of kids sitting in the corner of the classroom with the huge Dunce cap on their head. How in the world did that tradition ever come about? It’s unclear but the idea was that kids would rather play nice and learn their lessons properly than wear the Dunce cap. Naturally, that theory has gone out the window what with the advent of behavioral psychology which has found that students learn better and work harder to earn a reward rather than to avoid a punishment. SPATS Guys, this one sort of makes sense, but at the same time, it seems like such a huge waste of time and energy! Spats, or spatterdash as they were formally called, were pieces of linen or canvas that covered your shoes to keep them (and your ankles) from getting dirty whilst walking through muddy, wet streets. But spats are actually an offshoot of a type of footwear known as gaiters, which were long pieces of leather or cloth that covered not only your shoes but your entire lower leg up to the knee. Gaiters came about in the 1600s to serve the same purpose as their successor, but to a more dramatic degree. Spats, although initially used for a logical purpose, eventually turned into more of a fashion statement, especially in the 1900s. They were made in various colors and sometimes came embellished with pearl buttons. Eventually, taller boots became more fashionable (and more practical) and spats were phased out of popularity by about the 1940s. HOOP SKIRTS Whoever thought it was a good idea to put a bunch of hoops underneath the skirt of a woman’s dress should be beaten. Luckily, most women nowadays don’t have to consider wearing a hoop skirt outside of a Halloween party or off-Broadway production. Prior to being actual hoops around a woman’s legs, pieces of apparel similar to hoop skirts were used in various ways. For instance, the pannier, which was popular in France in the 1700s, was a sort of cage that jutted out from either side of a woman’s hips. It was often made from whalebone or basket-willow and was worn underneath said woman’s dress. Allegedly, the idea was that the pannier created the illusion of wider hips, which meant better success in child-bearing, which we all know was incredibly important in a time when passing on one’s legacy through one’s heirs was paramount. Skip ahead a century or two and head across the Atlantic Ocean to the American south. The hoop skirt, as strange as it may seem, was actually the lesser of the two evils when it came to women’s fashion. After the pannier was abandoned for less obvious dressing methods, women tended to wear many – and we mean many – layers of petticoats to achieve a similar, if more understated, look. But massive amounts of layers equaled unnecessary weight and burden. In 1846, or thereabouts, a new idea appeared . . . or reappeared in a different iteration. The hoop skirt took the same principle as the pannier by using a cage-like apparatus to achieve the desired rounded skirt look, thus relieving women of the additional weight and freeing them up from the waist down quite literally. Hoop skirts were much more inexpensively made, making them accessible to women of all classes and allowed for more range of motion in a woman’s legs, making work a bit easier . . . allegedly. We doubt anyone would rather wear a hoop skirt to work in the garden rather than a pair of pants or capris, but whatever. Clearly, the idea of having more mobility appealed to women, especially in America where you’d be hard-pressed to find a woman who wears a skirt or dress every single day of her life, assuming she has the choice. That fashion trend may never reach the nuns in the convents around the world, but we feel fairly certain hoop skirts have been deemed obsolete. Issue 914
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING A PLANT By Lindsey Harrison “Healthy forests and wetlands stand sentry against the dangers of climate change, absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and locking it away in plants, root systems and soil.” – Frances Beinecke, American environmentalist With spring in full swing and summer right around the corner, it’s likely that you’ve given at least a passing thought to what the plants around you are up to. Perhaps you’ve noticed the buds on the trees or the leaves of tulips poking through the ground like weird little green hands reaching up from their winter graves. OK, maybe that was a bit dramatic. Doesn’t matter. What does matter is that this is the time of year when people start to think about plants a bit more. Maybe it’s because you’re feeling every piece of pollen in the air right now. Or maybe it’s because you’re finally going to plant the vegetable garden you’ve wanted to plant for the past three years. Whatever your motivation, whatever the reason, plants are kind of a big deal right about now. But the truth is that plants have ALWAYS been incredibly important to the success of, well, the world. And no, that’s not too dramatic. That’s the truth, son. Don’t believe us? Fine. Keep reading and by the end of this ridiculously informative and well-written Snippetz article, we guarantee you’ll be convinced! WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? The importance of plants has been something that has low-key been understood throughout history. Even in biblical times, the people knew how important plants were. Jesus knew and we have proof. Remember how he turned water into wine? Well, he couldn’t have done that (theoretically speaking) without the grapes that make the wine. Granted, he was the Son of God and could probably have made something else work, but the fact is that he made water into wine and wine is made from grapes and grapes come from plants. Jesus experienced the most excruciating and humiliating death when he was crucified. But after he had finally succumbed to the torture he endured, his faithful followers used myrrh to cleanse and soothe his battered body. And guess what? Myrrh is a plant. Remember how it was brought to him on the night he was born in that manger in Bethlehem by the Three Wise Men? We do too and that provides more proof that plants have been extremely valued in many different ways, even since the birth of Christ. Oh, and just in case you were on the fence about that claim, let’s not forget that frankincense is also a plant, more specifically a tree. THESE PLANTS ARE “CROPPING” UP EVERYWHERE! Unless you’re a farmer, it’s likely that you don’t consider the importance of the plants that the rest of us take for granted. Or if you do, it’s probably in the most superficial way. No offense. Anyway, crops – which are plants in case that wasn’t clear – are important to the human race beyond the typical person’s comprehension. But we aren’t typical people so we know how important they are and that’s why we wanted to share what we know with you. So, with that in mind, here are some of the world’s most important crops!
YOU REALLY NEED MORE CONVINCING? We thought by now you’d have realized that plants are stupid important to the whole in general and the human race more specifically. But apparently, you aren’t quite sold. Fine. Here are some other (sometimes obvious) reasons that plants are important. They provide food, as we mentioned above, but they also produce the air we breathe. That air contains about 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen. That oxygen, which is essential for our cells to produce energy (and for us to live, basically) is produced by plants as a by-product of their metabolization of the sunlight they use to produce their own energy. Luckily for the plants, we breathe out carbon dioxide, which they need to live so it’s a really a win-win situation. As strange as it sounds, we actually rely on plants for water, too. Through transpiration, plants suck up the water from the ground around their roots and kind-of-sort-of exhale it into the atmosphere. That water accumulates into clouds, which in turn, produce the rain we depend on to fill our rivers, streams and the like. Guys, did you know that we can actually use plants as clothing and for shelter? No, not just in the “Survivor” situations where we have to build a shelter out of the branches and leaves around us. More like, using the wood from trees (plants, as you may recall) to build our houses. Humans are the only ones to build shelter from plants. What do you see most bird nests made from? Twigs and such which comes from . . . wait for it . . . plants! And what about clothes? Well, guess what? Cotton, that favorite fabric so many people love, comes from a plant. As controversial as the term “hemp” may be, the fiber from this plant has been used as fiber for something like 10,000 years so clearly, whatever we’ve been doing with it clothing-wise is working. If we haven’t convinced you by now, you may be a lost cause. No offense or anything, but this was a really educational, well-thought-out and nearly perfectly-executed article that should leave no room for doubt in anyone’s mind. Issue 915
WE'RE NOT PLAYING AROUND, SNIPPETZ LOVES VINTAGE COIN-OP ARCADE GAMES! By Lindsey Harrison 
“When I put a quarter into an arcade machine or call up an emulated game on my computer, I do it to escape the world that is a slave to the time that makes things fall apart. I have never played these games to occupy my world.”
– D. B. Weiss, American producer For some years now, video games have gotten a bit of a bad rap. They’re too violent or too graphic, some would say. It’s true, games have become much more violent than what they used to be. But let’s not forget that one of the first “games” at the penny arcade featured still images of a scantily dressed woman that, as you turned the handle, meshed into a moving video and was called Peep Show. Now, those two types of games, the violent ones and the overtly sexual ones, are extreme examples of what type of entertainment people enjoyed at various times in human history. That’s not the point, though. The point, especially of this article, is to show how the progression of things we as humans used to entertain ourselves has evolved to what we now consider the norm. But it all had to start someplace, right? Maybe it didn’t start out with blood and guts; it did sort of start with an almost naked lady and that’s scandalous in and of itself (especially back when it was first developed), right? As usual, we at Snippetz are getting a bit ahead of ourselves. So, backing up, this article aims to track the evolution of coin-operated arcade games. Not sure what exactly those are? Keep reading, buddy. You’ll get the picture soon. WHERE DID IT ALL BEGIN? When it comes to coin-operated arcade games, you probably don’t think of Egypt at the birthplace of said games. But, to a degree, it is! The point of coin-operated machines of any type is that you deposit currency (like coins) into the machine and receive something in return, be it a candy bar or a chance to play a game. However, the first documented plans for a coin-operated machine dates back to an Egyptian mathematician named Hero of Alexandria, who hailed from *gasp* Alexandria. Hero invented a device that would dispense holy water and planned to have them at temple throughout Egypt. Incredibly entrepreneurial for a man who lived from 10 A.D. to 70 A.D. That guy was definitely going places. Credit must be given to the first actual coin-operated machine to be constructed, which was called an “honour box,” and was first documented in England in about 1615. The point of the box was to allow a person to deposit a coin and in turn, the box would open and the person would have accessibility to the tobacco snuff located within it. The term “honour” refers to the fact that there was no way to monitor whether or not someone took a pinch of the snuff equal to the value of the coin they deposited. “YOUR FORTUNE FOR A QUARTER” If you’ve ever taken a jaunt into Manitou Springs to visit the Penny Arcade, you may have come across the fortune telling gypsy machine. If so, you may recall her saying she would tell your fortune for a quarter . . . over and over and over again. Well, that type of machine (minus the automated gypsy) was the earliest documented amusement-type coin-operated machine. It was constructed by J. Parkes in 1867 and only cost a penny, which sounds crazy reasonable to us now but may have caused some people to think twice before spending their money on a fortune. Now, if you’re superstitious and actually believe those fortunes, you must know something: the original design of the fortune telling machine was less about telling your specific fortune and more about answering a pre-determined question on a disk. Each disk cost one penny and customers would deposit said disk into the machine where it would inevitably fall into the hole in the machine that matched the diameter of the disk. The result? A printed ticket with the answer to said question, also known as that customer’s “fortune.” THE OWL LIFTER Not exactly a catchy name, but oh well. It’s the name of the first coin-operated tester of one’s ability. That probably doesn’t make much sense but consider the grip tester machines or even the love tester machines. The goal is to determine how strong your grip is or (arbitrarily) how good of a lover you are. The Owl Lifter, released by the Mills Novelty Company in 1897, operates under the same concept. No, you don’t lift an owl to see how strong you are, although strength is the ability being tested by The Owl Lifter. You actually grab onto a pair of handles and pull up. That’s it. The display, which looks a lot like clock, has a hand that spins to indicate your strength level. The “owl” part of The Owl Lifter actually refers to the metal owl found on the frame of the display. PINBALL AND SKEE-BALL AND PEEP SHOW, OH MY! While we could spend an entire article talking about the peep show machines, here are the only things you really need to know about them: they were called mutoscopes and came on the scene in about 1886. Using a crank, the cylinder inside the machine would turn and the images affixed to the outside of said cylinder appeared to be one moving image. Now, on to one of the most classic coin-operated games at the arcade: pinball. The concept was not a new one when the first pinball game was developed in the 1930s; in fact, similar games have been around since the 1700s in France and even earlier in Japan. But if we’re talking about the first actual pinball machine, the credit goes to David Gottlieb. Gottlieb’s game was called Baffle Ball and, true to penny arcade form, cost one penny to play. Each player got five to seven balls to bounce around the game console’s interior. Considering the times – namely the Great Depression and the onset of the Second World War – anything that was fun and inexpensive was bound to be popular. Pinball fit that bill. But the game isn’t without its share of drama. In the early 1940s, New York City instituted a pinball ban, calling it a game of chance which were either strictly regulated or in NYC’s case, completely prohibited. It actually took until 1976 for pinball to be officially legal in NYC again, in no small part thanks to Roger Sharpe who managed to prove pinball is a game of skill, not chance. The game and its associated components went through many iterations over the years, including the development of the flippers in 1947 by Harry Mabs and the replacement of glass marbles to steel balls. Speaking of balls, let’s move on to Skee-Ball. It was created by Joseph Fourestier Simpson in 1907 and began as a sort of smaller, portable version of bowling. The goal was to roll the ball up the ramp, over the hump and into a hole to earn points. He called his game “Skee-Ball” because it was kind of like the ball was “skiing” along the ramp. Originally the ramp was about 32 to 36 feet long, but that was cut in half to allow the games to fit into smaller spaces. Currently, 10 feet is the standard ramp length. Simpson received the patent for his invention in 1908 but thanks to whatever powers control things like who gets credit for inventing Skee-Ball, it was J. Dickinson Este who was deemed the creator. Today, about 125,000 Skee-Ball machines are in operation around the world, with some of the earliest machines dating back to the 1940s. Issue 916
"YOU'LL SHOOT YOUR EYE OUT!" SNIPPETZ EXPLORES SOME ILL-ADVISED TOYS By Lindsey Harrison “In a rising market, enough of your bad ideas will pay off so that you’ll never learn that you should have fewer ideas.” – Daniel Kahneman, Israeli psychologist Let’s be honest: there are good ideas and then there are bad ideas in any industry. That goes the same for the toy industry. But apparently, Mr. Kahneman’s observation also applies to the toy industry because there are certainly more than a few bad toy ideas that have made it onto the store shelves. And for some reason, they always end up being a gift at your child’s birthday party. Who wouldn’t love a massive collection of teeny tiny beads to use for jewelry making? Well, the mom who has to hound their child not to spill the container of beads and eventually to clean up all the beads that have spilled and made their way to various locations around the house, that’s who. Truthfully, though, that isn’t even the worst example we found. Beads may not be ideal if you don’t enjoy finding them everywhere, but they’re certainly better than toys that have been connected to the deaths of multiple children. Yup, toys can be dangerous as well as just plain bad ideas. If you know anything about us at Snippetz, you know that we love a good controversy and that love naturally extends to toys. So, get ready to take a trip back in time as we toy with the knowledge that, throughout history, there have been some really ill-advised toys on the market. GILBERT U-238 ATOMIC ENERGY LAB Not that we have favorites or anything, but if we had to choose one toy that seemed like a really bad idea from the get-go, we’d have to say it’s the Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab. Now, don’t get us wrong; we’re all for kids experimenting with science and learning through play. What we’re not too keen on is the fact that this particular set came with THREE radioactive compounds for kids to play with. To be fair, the kit also included a Geiger-Mueller radiation counter and a Wilson Cloud Chamber. But we gotta say, that still doesn’t outweigh the fact that the makers were intentionally putting radioactive compounds into the hands of CHILDREN. Interestingly enough, two other toys from the Gilbert company made our list: The Gilbert’s Kaster Kit, which provided all the necessary tools to cast toy soldiers out of molten lead, and the Gilbert Glass Blowing Kit, which was just what it sounds like. A glass-blowing kit designed just for kids. Awesome, as long as your kids are well-versed in how to handle a substance that must be heated to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit in order to work with it. That substance is glass, in case you were confused. TOYS R US WRITING SET This toy sounds super cool and totally innocuous at first glance. But don’t let it deceive you; it was actually quite dangerous. The Toys R Us Writing Set was a submarine-shaped writing and craft supply storage case. Awesome idea, right? Well, for whatever reason, the set included a small razor blade. Not the razor blade found inside a pencil sharpener, just a razor blade. It was recalled in 1988. AQUA DOTS A certain writer’s children had these nifty little things, which were beads that could be placed into designs and patterns, then sprayed with water to make them fuse together. Admittedly, said writer’s children were not young enough at the time to put them in their mouths. If they had, said writer would’ve been shocked to find out her children had been drugged with gamma hydroxybutryrate, otherwise known as GHB or the “date rape” drug. The little balls released the GHB compound when ingested, which for some reason, wasn’t acknowledged when they were developed in 2007. It took three children falling into comas after eating the Aqua Dots for the Consumer Safety Product Commission to recall about 4.2 million kits. LAWN DARTS This sounds like some sort of demented toy from the “Hunger Games” or something. “Here, throw these darts in the air and whomever doesn’t get impaled wins!” But they were real toys that were popular in the 1970s and 1980s. The premise is simple: throw the weighted darts into the air and they’ll land spike-first into whatever is beneath them, be it grass or child’s foot. By the time they were finally banned in 1988, more than 6,000 kids had been injured and at least three children died as a result of playing with Lawn Darts. CSI: FINGERPRINT EXAMINATION KIT & CSI: INVESTIAGTION FORENSICS LAB KIT Remember how we said we’re all for kids learning through play and experimenting with science projects and the like? Well, this isn’t exactly what we had in mind. Sure, the chance to learn about crime scene processing at a young age could come in handy when kids get older, but both kits contained a form of asbestos, a cancer-causing substance that really should not have been included in something released in 2007. Consequently, the CSI: Fingerprint Examination Kit and the CSI: Investigation Forensics Lab Kit were the subject of a class action lawsuit in 2009. ORIGINAL CREEPY CRAWLERS OVEN Ahh, the 1960s. What a great time to release a toy that has children melting plastic in metal molds in their very own oven. What could go wrong? Well, children could obviously burn themselves on the metal, the oven lightbulb or the melted plastic. Additionally, they could ingest the plastic and end up dying, considering the plastic was toxic. Those are all the things that could (and did) go wrong with the Original Creepy Crawlers Oven. AUSTIN MAGIC PISTOL Pistols are ALWAYS a good toy for kids, especially ones that shoot flaming ping pong balls more than 70 feet (please note the use of intense sarcasm here). The “magic pistol” required the use of “magic crystals,” otherwise known as calcium carbide. Those crystals, when exposed to water, make a highly flammable gas that causes a small explosion, which was how the ping pong ball was expelled from the gun. But flammable is generally bad when it comes to the world of toys, especially if the resulting explosion was how the toy worked. YELLIES Ill-advised toys aren’t labeled as such just because they are dangerous. In some instances, they’re seriously the worst idea ever and we literally cannot believe how the research and design teams approved the ideas. Consider for a moment the Hasbro company, who thought it would be an awesome idea to create a toy shaped like a spider (something many people, not just kids, are afraid of anyway) that chases kids when they make noise. Not only does a Yellie chase whomever is making the noise, like say a yelling child, it also goes faster the louder the child gets. So, a child is terrified of the toy and screams, right? The toy then chases the child who turns to run away, likely screaming even louder, but that only encourages the toy to come after them faster. Yep, that’s a winning idea. Oh, and it wasn’t developed decades ago. This toy came on the market in 2018. If you’re a bit deranged and feel like scarring your children for life, you can still buy this today. Issue 917
MOVIES BASED ON A TRUE STORY... THAT WASN'T TRUE! By Lindsey Harrison “Man’s mind is so formed that it is far more susceptible to falsehood than to truth.” – Desiderius Erasmus, Dutch scholar We’ve all seen that intriguing note at the beginning of a movie that states: “Based on a true story,” “inspired by true events,” or something to that effect. And doesn’t that simple statement make the following film that much more interesting? You think to yourself, “Gosh, this all really happened,” and maybe even pay a little bit better attention to the film. But the truth of the matter is that Hollywood, the actors, the directors, the producers, everyone involved in the filmmaking industry makes their money by telling stories. Not all of those stories are completely fictional, but just because something was based on a true story or inspired by true events does not mean the stories adhere to the exact events as they occurred. There’s this pesky little thing called “artistic license” that is a way the film industry explains away certain alterations to the story they’re telling. Artistic license is what allows them to still claim their story was based on a true story, even if things don’t quite match up. But man, isn’t that a bit deceptive? You go into a theater thinking you’re going to see a true story only to find out that thing were changed along the way. In some cases, the diversion from the truth is much bigger than others. But more often than not, there’s at least something in a true story that isn’t actually true and that’s what we at Snippetz decided we wanted to find out about. Buckle up, ladies and gentlemen, it’s going to be a bumpy ride! COOL RUNNINGS (1993) We’re starting with this one because a certain writer absolutely loves this movie and was devastated to learn that the movie doesn’t strictly adhere to the events that occurred in the 1988 Winter Olympics as advertised. Here’s the general premise: a team of Jamaican runners don’t make the 1988 Summer Olympic team, so they band together and create the first-ever Jamaican bobsled team. With the help of a former bobsled coach, they make a huge splash at the games but don’t win. That doesn’t matter, though, because by that time, they’ve proven that they have heart and we love them all. How we were duped: The real Jamaican bobsled team was not comprised of runners who didn’t qualify for the Summer Olympics. They were actually specifically recruited from the Army by a pair of Americans who were interested in the similarities between push-cart racing – a version of soap box racing – and bobsledding. Additionally, the Jamaicans were never treated as outcasts at the Games. They were actually greeted with a warm welcome. But the movie wouldn’t be as dramatic if the discord between the Jamaicans and the Swiss didn’t exist . . . allegedly, anyway. There are other examples, but this is by far the largest and more egregious. BRAVEHEART (1995) We move next to “Braveheart,” another movie that a certain writer absolutely adores. This movie follows the story of William Wallace, the leader of the Scottish resistance against the British in about 1296. Wallace loses his family early on and is taken in by an uncle who educates him and trains him to fight. When he returns to his village as a grown man, Wallace meets the girl he knew from long ago, obviously as a grown woman. They fall in love, the British kill her and Wallace vows not only to avenge her but to keep Scotland free from British rule. In the words of the movie version of William Wallace, “FREEDOM!” How we were duped: If you’re a historian, then you know the entire timeline of events is completely and totally wrong, wrong, wrong. In the movie, King Edward – known as Longshanks – has just conquered Scotland after Alexander III died in 1280. But Alexander III didn’t die until after 1286 and Wallace’s rebellion occurred much later. And what about the beautiful Isabella of France? Not only does she NOT have an affair with Wallace, of which she later whispers to the dying Longshanks and discloses that Wallace impregnated her, she was only nine years old at the time of the rebellion. Oh, and the name “Braveheart?” That was actually a nickname given to Robert the Bruce, a Scottish man who is sadly portrayed as a traitor in the movie. Now that’s some artistic license we just can’t get onboard with. RUDY (1993) A classic if there ever was one, “Rudy” is allegedly based on the story of an underdog student named Daniel “Rudy” Ruttiger at Notre Dame in the 1970s who absolutely loves the school’s football team. He makes it onto the team as a “walk-on” after several failed attempts. He clearly doesn’t have the talent to hold his own against the other collegiate players, but because of his show of heart, he convinces the coach to put him in for the last game of his senior year and he makes a huge play. Afterwards, he is carried off the field by his teammates. How we were duped: Well, how about we start with the most memorable part of the film: right before Rudy is allowed to take the field for the first time, the crowd starts chanting “Rudy! Rudy!” Yeah, that never happened. And remember how the players all banded together to get the coach to let Rudy dress out for the game? They all took off their jerseys and put them on the coach’s desk, indicating they wouldn’t play unless Rudy did. Also, not true. Dang. Just popped that inspirational bubble. THE BLIND SIDE (2009) Yet another example of how artistic license can be a double-edged sword, “The Blind Side” tells the “true” story of Michael Oher, a poor but talented African American teenager who is taken in by a rich Caucasian family and taught how to player football. He overcomes the odds by not only becoming successfully academically but turns into an outstanding player and is eventually drafted into the National Football League. How we were duped: In another example of really poor use of artistic license, the makes of this film chose to portray Michael Oher as a somewhat slow boy, uneducated and completely unfamiliar with the game of football. In reality, Oher, who was pretty offended by the way he was portrayed, said he had been studying the game for years. In an interview with NPR (National Public Radio), “I felt like it portrayed me as dumb instead of as a kid who had never had consistent academic instruction and ended up thriving once he got it.” And there were several more families and individuals who helped Oher along the way that the film essentially ignores. Boooo. CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (2013) This movie is based off an event that occurred in 2009 in which the Maersk Alabama sea vessel was hijacked by Somali pirates off the Horn of Africa. In the film, Captain Phillips – the ship’s captain, duh – comes to the rescue by giving himself up to save the crew. How we were duped: Any movie starring Tom Hanks is generally going to be a good one. But perhaps his good guy personality was a poor fit for the real-life character of Captain Richard Phillips in this film. According to several crew members, Phillips was not a great guy after all. In fact, it was Chief Engineer Mike Perry who they claim was the real hero, but he got only a small role in the film. In fact, it’s said that Phillips’ actions were irresponsible when he ignored warnings about increased piracy in the area and was just about asking for the hijacking by ignoring safety protocols. Wow. What a hero, right? Now, there are quite a few more movies that are based on “true” stories, but we’d pretty much be here all day if we discussed them all. Honestly, we should all probably learn to take “based on a true story” with a grain of salt. Issue 918
LIVING ON THE EDGE! ...IN THE 1940'S By Lindsey Harrison “I’m constantly being inspired by the old days and taking things from the past and allowing them to lift me up where I am now.” – Valerie June, American musician In today’s culture of constant connectivity, you’d think we’d be happier than when we weren’t so easily reached, when it actually took some effort to contact someone. You’d think we’d be happier when we could just click a button and order groceries, clothes, virtually anything. You’d think, with life being so much easier, we’d all be happier. But the truth of the matter is that, many people long for the “good old days.” Sure, maybe as we were living through them they didn’t seem all that good, but by comparison, most would agree that life just seemed better. Perhaps it was the slower pace to our everyday lives. Or maybe it was the awesome clothes we used to wear or the music we listened to. But wait, you’re probably saying to yourself. Just when exactly were the good old days? For our purposes, we’ve chosen the 1940s. Yes, we know there was a war going on and there is no way we can properly express how terrible that war was for those who experienced it. There were some awesomely awesome things about living in the 1940s that definitely make us here at Snippetz feeling nostalgic and longing for that simpler time. What were they? Well, why don’t you keep reading, nosy noserton. We’ll tell you all about it! BIRTHDAYS Before we go too far into what was so great about the 1940s, we’d be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge that some super rad people were born in that decade. For instance, Larry Wellmann, that cool golfing grandpa who never fails to keep the laughter coming. There’s also Chuck Harrison, the Papa who cries when he laughs . . . but it’s all completely silent, and Glenna Harrison, the goat-raising Goo-Gah. Without these incredible people, life would be way worse and super boring. THE GOLDEN AGE OF RADIO Granted, radio had been around for awhile by the time the 1940s rolled around, it was still considered part of the Golden Age of Radio. And with good reason. If you’re “aged to perfection” and are lucky enough to remember listening to the radio back then, you’ll understand what we mean. In fact, if you love watching shows on T.V., you can relate because many radio programs that hooked listeners back then morphed into the first television shows that became equally addictive to viewers later on. We’ve pulled out a selection of radio shows to give you a taste of what was available back then. As usual, we can’t list them all or there would be no space for anything else! Amos ‘n’ Andy: if a radio show could survive from about 1928 to 1960, it was probably a good one. In today’s culture, “Amos ‘n’ Andy” likely wouldn’t survive, considering the deep racist undertones. But back then, the idea of a young black man, working hard and trying to find success in a variety of well-meaning schemes went over pretty well. Obviously. The show aired five times per week from 1932 to 1960, which also illustrates the program’s popularity. Fibber McGee and Molly: another obvious success, “Fibber McGee and Molly” premiered in 1935 and ran until 1959. And with that name, is there any question why? But more than just because it’s name rocked, this show was successful because it showcased comic and musical talent that helped make light of the plight of those suffering from the fallout of the Great Depression and World War II. Considering it was set in a place called Wistful Vista, it’s clear escapism was the name of the game for this program. The Lone Ranger: if you haven’t heard of this radio program, you’re likely just getting your first taste of the real world in darn near a century. All joking aside, “The Lone Ranger” originally aired in 1933 and ran until 1956, making it another staple of 1940s radio. Three different actors played the lead character – George Seaton, Earle Graser and Brace Beemer – who was the lone survivor of a group of six Texas Rangers. Along with his sidekick, Tonto, which is a name we certainly wouldn’t use nowadays considering it means “stupid” in Spanish, were popular with both adults and children, which may account for its long run on the air. And don’t forget his trusty stead, Silver . . . Hi-Yo Silver! CLOTHING This is probably one of the areas that people miss the most, especially considering today’s youth can often be found in pants sagging below their butts and in clothes with so many holes, they may as well just throw on a couple wash rags and be done. Of course, that’s always a matter of opinion. Even though a certain writer is not the type to dress super provocatively, the oversized hoodies and jeans she tends to favor wouldn’t have gone over well back then either. Women’s fashion As the country was pulling itself out of the Depression Era and leaving behind both World Wars, much of the clothing popular with women featured homemade dress with square shoulders and skirts that hit just above the knee. Pants began to come into fashion for women after about 1947 and was often paired with a shirt that had rounded shoulders to give it a more feminine flair. And let’s not forget the quintessential sport sweaters, cozy knee-length skirts and bobby socks. Men’s fashion War has a way of affecting every aspect of a person’s life and that was certainly true for men’s fashion during the first half of the 1940s. If men weren’t wearing military uniforms of one sort or another, they often worse clothing inspired by them. This allowed for less material to be used in their construction, which was a key to rationing fabric, and thus, certain style like the double-lapel on a suit jacket or the folded up bottom of suit pants was essentially eliminated. COOKING Also affected by the war was cooking throughout the country. When it’s hard to come by the more exotic items in your diet, food can be kinda boring. Imagine not having access to an unlimited supply of meats, sugar or coffee. To break up the monotony, it became necessary for women (who were usually the ones to cook the meal back then) to get creative. For instance, one recipe calls for all the ingredients to be thrown together to make a “delicious combination” as follows: apples, canned peas, celery, carrots, diced bananas, pineapple, whipping cream and mayonnaise. This delightful concoction was to be served on a plate with a ring of maraschino cherries around it. Excuse us while we gag. The actual law requiring food rationing was passed in 1942 and ended in 1947 so for that period of time, many people turned to substitutes for their favorite hard-to-get items, like using honey instead of sugar. But probably most noticeable was the advent of the “Victory Garden,” which was the name given to small garden plots people frequently created in their own yards to grow fruits and vegetables to supplement what they got through the rationing program. Although it certainly wasn’t the most peaceful time in our world’s history, the 1940s were certainly a decade that gave us much to be thankful for and there’s definitely no shame in that! Issue 919
SAY WHAT? SNIPPETZ LOOKS AT THE ORIGINS OF FOOD NAMES By Lindsey Harrison “If God did not intend for us to eat animals, then why did he make them out of meat?” – John Cleese, English actor Yes, we know how silly the above statement from Mr. Cleese is. We did make the conscious decision to include it, after all. That said, have you ever really sat back to consider where your food comes from? Maybe you have. If you buy organic anything, you certainly have. But have you ever stopped to consider where the NAMES of your food came from? Why is a coconut called a coconut, when it is not a nut and is obviously not made of chocolate (a.k.a. cocoa)? And what’s with cheese? What about mushrooms? What about succotash and sundaes? See, there are tons of foods that have peculiar names that we at Snippetz just couldn’t ignore anymore. Honestly, if we didn’t investigate a bit more about the foods we put in our mouths, we should have our Grown-Up cards revoked. Wait, you don’t have a Grown-Up card? Sorry, you’ll have to take that up with the Feds. We can’t help you. As far as food name origins are concerned, however, we’ve totally got you covered! MUSHROOM We simply had to start with this strange but “fungi.” Get it? Anyway, you might assume that mushrooms are named as such because they can be a bit mushy when cooked. You’d be wrong, if you did. Mushrooms probably got their name from a someone somewhere misunderstanding another person’s pronunciation of “mousseron,” which is the French word for mushroom. That, of course, has its origins in Latin, as does just about everything. Prior to the word mushroom becoming popular, many varieties of fungi were called “toad hats,” which makes sense based on their appearance. COCONUT Remember how we said coconuts aren’t actually nuts, nor are they made from chocolate? That is all still true but here’s how the coconut got its funky name. Imagine you’re a Portuguese explorer sailing around the continent of Africa. Might you be surprised to see something hanging from a tree that appeared to be a large nut? It’s got sort of a shell, after all. That’s probably how the “nut” portion of the name came about but it’s almost certain the “coco” part came from the fact that coconuts hanging down can look a bit like a face. Maybe a grinning one at that. In that case, putting the Portuguese word for “grinning face” with “nut” gives us . . . coconut! SUCCOTASH If you have ever watched an episode of the “Looney Toons,” you’ve probably heard the phrase, “Suffering succotash!” A certain writer heard it plenty while she was growing up which is a huge reason why she decided to figure out where such a strange name came from. First off, what is succotash? It’s a side dish consisting of mainly of corn and Lima beans, although recipes vary depending on the cook. But neither corn nor Lima beans sounds anything like succotash. However, the Narragansett Indian word “msickquatash,” does and that awesome word means “boiled whole kernels of corn.” Makes more sense, now, right? SUNDAE Dating all the way back to 1892, the sundae allegedly comes from the tasty treat served up by a certain pharmacist to a certain reverend each Sunday when he came by for an after-church snack. The dessert, which is said to originally consist of vanilla ice cream drizzled in cherry syrup and topped with a candied cherry. If you ask any random selection of 10 people, you’ll likely hear different variations of that recipe from each person. EGGS BENEDICT This is another dish that comes with a legend behind its name. Although it may or may not be true, the legend of the Eggs Benedict dish goes like this: in 1894, a super hungover stockbroker on Wall Street made his way to the Waldorf Hotel to have breakfast. Of course, being hung over, the man – Lemuel Benedict – ordered whatever sounded good from the a la carte menu, which just happened to be poached eggs, buttered toast and bacon with hollandaise sauce on the side. Allegedly, someone on the restaurant’s staff took notice of the strange request and tried it for himself. However, this person used English muffins in place of the toast and ham in place of the bacon. Considering that person, named Oscar Tschirky, became the namesake of Oscar’s Brasserie at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, he probably knew what he was talking about. People with bad taste don’t usually have restaurants named after them. CHEESE We don’t care who you are, we have to include cheese on our list simply because it’s so darn yummy. Anyway, cheese has been around for literally centuries but obviously it wasn’t always called “cheese.” The earliest form of the word referring to this type of food is the Latin word “caseus.” If that’s the case, how in the world did the Italians start calling it “formaggio?” Well, initially most cheese was soft and fresh. But eventually the Roman discovered how to make harder cheeses, those that held their shape or form. The word “formed” in Latin in “formatus,” so the Italians took their cue from that term when they developed their own word for cheese. BUTTER Speaking of cheese, let’s talk about butter for a minute. The Greek word for butter is “bouturon,” which literally means “cow cheese.” Now, we know butter doesn’t come out of the cow in its finalized form; there’s churning and whatnot involved. But that’s the word they used so deal with it. Anyway, the Romans took to pronouncing the word as “butyrum,” and from there, the word “butter” was created. Voila! GRAHAM CRACKER Back in the 1800s, mass production of things, including food, was the name of the game and families began buying their staples, like breads, instead of making them at home. Sadly, that food was often lacking in nutrients, which an evangelical minister from Connecticut named Sylvester Graham consider a tragedy. More than anything, though, he worried that the foods people were eating were actually leading to things like headaches, spinal disease, epilepsy and *gasp* carnal desires. So, he developed his own “bread,” which was the original version of the Graham cracker. In about 1882, 31 years after Graham died, recipes for Graham crackers popped up in cookbooks across the nation. Nabisco began selling them in 1898, but included sugar in their recipe, probably because the original Graham cracker was bland as all get-out. BANANAS FOSTER This delicious dessert was invented by a businessman named Richard Foster, who lived and worked in New Orleans in the early 1950s. Well, technically he didn’t invent it. The chef at Brennan’s restaurant, Paul Blange, did. But Foster was a good friend of the Brennan’s owner, Owen Brennan, so he received the honor of being the dessert’s namesake. Here’s how it came to pass: Brennan tasked Blange with creating a dessert that included bananas, which were easy to come by at the time and were cheap since they were imported by the boatload from Central and South America. Blange threw together butter, sugar, bananas, cinnamon, vanilla ice cream, banana liqueur and dark rum. And for the proverbial cherry on top, he lit the dish on fire. Not necessarily safe, but it worked. |
Vertical Divider
|
