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Issue 650
NO YOLK, SNIPPETZ GIVES A THUMBS UP TO A GOOD EGG! by Lindsey Harrison 
“Nothing is so beautiful as spring – when weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush; Thrush’s eggs look little low heavens, and thrust through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring the ear, it strikes like lightning to hear him sing,”
– Gerard Manley Hopkins, English poet It’s that time of year again, when we anxiously await the warmer weather that we see glimpses of occasionally throughout the day. New blades of grass peek through the brown blanket covering our yards. Flowers start blooming, a physical reminder of our hopes that another freeze isn’t on its way. The Easter holiday prompts retailers across the country to begin stocking droves of egg paraphernalia. Stuffed animals clutching soft, pastel eggs; egg-shaped candies; egg-shaped candles; and egg-dying kits crowd the grocery store shelves. And of course, Snippetz just had to find out: what’s the deal with the egg? Which came first: the human or the egg? Chickens and eggs have been around much longer than recorded history has. East Indian history dates the domestication of wild fowl to as early as 3200 B.C. Records from Egypt and China indicate that man has been collected eggs laid by these domesticated fowl since 1400 B.C. Although some evidence points to the existence of fowl in America prior to Columbus’ arrival, it’s generally believed that, on his second trip in 1493, his ships carried the ancestors of our modern egg-laying chickens. What a good egg! In most cultures around the globe, chicken eggs feature in some way. The most common type of chicken egg that humans consume is from the Gallus domesticas. There are almost 200 breeds and varieties of chickens worldwide but the most common type used for egg production in the United States is the Single-Comb White Leghorn. World Egg Day Did you know that there is a World Egg Day? Well, if you didn’t, you do know. It’s celebrated on the second Friday in October. The first World Egg Day was celebrated in 1996 and countries all over the world celebrate the day in different ways. Cooking competitions and egg rolling contests have featured prominently in these celebrations. The 100-year old egg In today’s “fresh is best” mentality when it comes to buying food, the idea of an egg that has been aged for several weeks, months or even years might be somewhat off-putting. But the century egg or 100-year old egg, while not actually aged for that long, is a delicacy in several cultures like the Chinese culture. Here’s how the preservation process works: the eggs is coated in a mixture of clay, wood ash, salt, lime and rice straw. That’s it. Not much to it. But the result is a dark greenish grey yolk that has become creamy and smells strongly of sulfur and ammonia. The white of the egg becomes a dark brown, transparent jelly. Some have likened the process to a type of fermentation. Egg-dyeing and other egg-related traditions While most people associate egg-dyeing with Easter, the tradition can be traced back further than the advent of Christianity. In cultures all over the world, the egg symbolizes new life, fertility and rebirth. Iranians have used dyed eggs as a way to celebrate their New Year, which falls on the spring equinox. Egg-dyeing is a tradition deeply rooted in the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches. The eggs are dyed red to symbolize the blood of Jesus Christ that he shed while on the cross. For Christians, the egg itself symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus Christ, with the hard shell of the egg representing the sealed tomb in which he was placed when he was taken down from the cross. Cracking the shell represents his resurrection from the dead. In modern times, Christians have taken up the custom of dyeing eggs. Painted eggs are a part of the Persian New Year, called Norouz that occurs before the spring equinox. Each family member decorates a hard-boiled egg and then places it in a large bowl with the rest of the family’s decorated eggs. Since the 16th century, many cities in Spain have celebrated the feast of Corpus Christi, traditionally observed 60 days after Easter Sunday. On this day, they celebrate the tradition of the dancing egg, which consists of emptying an egg and positioning it over a water jet from a fountain. The egg will remain atop the jet and spin but won’t fall. Egg Snippetz
Issue 651
SNIPPETZ SAYS, "HEY YOU GUYS, READ UP ON DIALECTS" by Lindsey Harrison “From Dickens’s cockneys to Salinger’s phonies, from Kerouac’s beatniks to Cheech and Chong’s freaks, and on to hip hop’s homies, dialect has always been used as a way for generations to distinguish themselves.” – Christopher Moore, writer One of the most interesting things about language is how differently it can be spoken while still maintaining its meaning. If you’ve ever encountered someone from the South, for instance, you may have noticed that “y’all” is a term they commonly use. You don’t typically find people saying “y’all” in Colorado unless they’ve come from the South. Similarly, if you’re from the South and you’ve transplanted yourself to Colorado, you might be surprised to find people saying “you guys” instead of “y’all.” It doesn’t matter if that person is actually speaking to a group of men or a group of both women and men. In Colorado, “you guys” refers to any group of people, guys or not. These subtle differences in ways of speaking, these dialects are what we’re focusing on in this article. So read on, you guys and see if you don’t learn a thing or two about the many ways people in our country speak the English language! WHAT IS A DIALECT? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines dialect as a form of language that is spoken in a particular area and that uses some of its own words, grammar, and pronunciations. Many people confuse dialect with accent, but they are, in fact, different. Pretend, for a moment, that you have cousins from Boston. Let’s say you’re discussing with them the need for them to park their car in the garage. What they say to you would likely sound more like, “Paahk the caah.” That’s an accent. Now think back to the example from above about how you would address a group of two or more people. In most places in Colorado, people say you guys. However, in other parts of the country, people say the following: you all, yous/youse, you lot, you ‘uns, yinz, you, and y’all. Those different forms of referring to the same thing (a group of people) are different dialects. Good grief, that’s a lot of terms! And good grief just happens to be an oxymoron . . . if you’ll recall the oxymoron article from a couple of weeks ago! Soda, pop, coke Do you call a Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, or Mountain Dew a soda, pop or coke? In most places in the South, regardless of what the soft drink is that is being referred to, people say coke. Pop is the word typically used by people in the North and soda is mostly used by people on the East Coast and West Coast, especially in the California area. The terms will occasionally change around, like when a certain area starts using a term usually associated with other areas. Yat dialect There are many different dialects within the United States and one place where dialects abound is New Orleans and Louisiana. Specifically, the Great New Orleans Area is home to the Yat dialect. Yat stems from the common use of the greeting “Where y’at?” The Yat dialect has a strong Louisiana French and Southern American English. Yat speakers are typically the white, working class population of the blue collar neighborhoods in the area. The accent associated with the Yat dialect is a more pronounced version of the New Orleans accent. It often includes varying degrees of Brooklyn-like pronunciations. Because of a variation in how distinctly a person’s Yat dialect comes through in their speech, it is often possible for people familiar with the dialect to determine whether or not a speaker is of higher or lower income. The New Orleans Saints, the state’s professional football team has a chant that is linked to the Yat dialect. The chant goes, “Who dat? What dat? Who dat say dey gonne beat dem Saints?” Fans of the team are collectively known as “Who Dat Nation.” Often, the Yat dialect is confused with Cajun or Creole, especially in Hollywood films. Two productions, HBO’s “Treme” and Werner Herzog’s “The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,” are more accurate depictions of the area because they feature new Orleans locals speaking Yat or one of its variations. Yooper Dialect The Yooper dialect is another notable dialect within the U.S., centered mainly in the Upper and Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Northeastern Wisconsin and Northern Minnesota. Yooper is strongly influenced by Finnish, French Canadian, Cornish, Scandinavian, German and Native American language. The Yooper dialect features the use of “eh” at the end of a sentence, which is often associated with Canadian English. This use of “eh” implies the expectation of an affirmative response from whomever that person is speaking to or to add emphasis to a statement. Yooper also includes the use of some words that aren’t found in English but that can be traced back to one of the other languages from which it derives. For example, “pank” means to compact or pat down and “chuk” or “chook” means a knit winter cap. In the Yooper dialect, speakers often leave off the ending “ing” in favor of just “in.” For example, “happening” becomes “happenin” in Yooper and “cooking” becomes “cookin.” Another notable characteristic of Yooper is the tendency to use a long “a” sound instead of a short “a” sound for words like “bag” and “wagon.” The words in Yooper sound like “bayg” and “waygon.” Hawaiian Pidgin dialect This dialect is a Creole-based language used by many of the residents of Hawaii. It is heavily influenced by Portuguese, Hawaiian, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, and to a lesser degree, Spanish. Although both English and Hawaiian are official languages of the state, Hawaiian Pidgin has become more widely used in everyday conversation and is often used in advertising targeted at native Hawaiians. Some characteristics of the Hawaiian Pidgin dialect include leaving off the L at the end of a word so that “mental” becomes “mento” and “people” becomes “peepo.” Also, as with several New England dialects, Hawaiian Pidgin leaves off the R at the end of a word in favor of an extended version of the last vowel. “Car” becomes “cah” and “letter” becomes “letta.” In Hawaiian Pidgin, “da” is often used in place of “the.” Similarly, “neva” is used in place of “never” or “didn’t.” Also, “fo” (for) is used in place of the “to” portion of a verb, so “to think” becomes “fo think.” Some of the most common greetings and goodbyes in Hawaiian Pidgin are as follows:
Dialect Snippetz
Issue 652
SNIPPETZ WANTS TO SOW THE SEEDS OF ORGANIC GARDENING IN YOUR MIND! by Lindsey Harrison 
“I grow plants for many reasons: to please my eye or to please my soul, to challenge the elements or challenge my patience, for novelty or for nostalgia, but mostly for the joy in seeing them grow.”
– David Hobson, politician It’s that time of year again, when people begin thinking about doing some gardening. Some feel the pressure to get their yards up to par with their neighbors’ yards. Others choose to garden because of the fresh fruits and vegetables that can be readily available in their own backyards. Whatever your motivation may be, gardening is a great way to get back to nature and feel the satisfaction of doing something not only beneficial for your family but for the Earth as well. You might have questions about how to start. Should you used raised beds or construct a greenhouse? What fertilizer would be best to use in a yard where kids and animals will be running amok? What is organic gardening and would it work better for you than traditional gardening? Snippetz has dug up some information on organic gardening, including how to do it, so you can decide for yourself if you would like to get your garden growing! What is organic gardening? The bottom line when it comes to organic gardening is that organic gardeners don’t use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides on their plants. But that’s not the end of the story. Organic gardeners look at the plants in their gardens as parts of a whole system that must work together with the soil, the water, the wildlife and even the insects in the area. The goal is to keep all the parts of the system working in harmony with each other so no part is negatively impacted by any other part. What you need to begin an organic garden Because an organic garden heavily depends on the soil used to grow the garden, special attention must be paid to what goes into that soil. The regular addition of organic matter is key to creating good organic soil. The best way to achieve this is to use organic resources that you have readily available. Lawn clippings, fall leaves and other decaying plant waste, eggshells, Epsom salts, bone meal and vegetable scraps from meals you’ve prepared are perfect for incorporating into your soil. Compost is another great material to add to your soil to provide excellent nutrients for your garden. Once you’ve gotten your soil ready to go, you’re ready to plant. But what to plant? As you can probably imagine, choosing plants that are adapted to your climate are better able to grow without lots of attention on your part. That’s not to say you can’t grow things that aren’t perfectly adapted to your area; you’ll just need to be prepared to put in extra work to help boost their natural defenses to help it grow well and be productive. GETTING YOUR GARDEN GROWING To begin your organic garden, you just need to follow a few simple steps.
Tips to achieving a successful garden organically
Issue 653
SNIPPETZ AGREES HE WAS UNFORGETTABLE: NAT KING COLE WAS A JAZZY OLD SOUL... by Lindsey Harrison “I’m an interpreter of stories. When I perform, it’s like sitting down at my piano and telling fairy stories.” – Nat King Cole Whenever you hear the phrase, “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire . . .” do you find yourself instantly transported back to a cold winter night, where the snow was lightly falling and you were cuddled up warm in your house with the lights from the Christmas tree glowing softly? We know it’s not the holiday season, but the man behind that holiday classic has certainly earned a spot in our hearts all year ‘round. In case you don’t know, we’re talking about Nat King Cole. While he made major contributions to jazz and big band music, Cole also was one of the major influences on early rock and roll, earning a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It’s easy to see that the man was talented. But there’s more to Cole than just his music. In order to find out, Snippetz decided to take a look back at Nat King Cole’s life and accomplishments to see what lurks beneath the surface of this incredible musician. Early life Nat King Cole was born Nathaniel Adams Cole on March 17, 1919 in Montgomery, Alabama. He had three brothers and a half-sister. When he was four years old, Cole’s moved with his family to Chicago, where his mother and father became heavily involved in a Baptist church there. His father, Edward became the minister and his mother, Perlina became the organist. Perlina taught her son, Nat to play the organ and his first performance was “Yes! We Have No Bananas.” Cole didn’t begin to take formal piano lessons until he was 12 but when he began to play, he played everything from jazz to gospel to country music. His interest in music was insatiable and as he got older, Cole would sneak out of his house at night to hang around outside the clubs in the area so he could listen to the musicians performing there. Making music He acquired a taste for the music of Earl Hines during this time and decided to pursue a career as a performer in the mid-1930s. Cole was still just a teenager at that time but with the addition of his brother Eddie as a bass player, Nat (as he had decided to be called) managed to make his first recording in 1936. He and Eddie also were mainstays at local clubs at this time. Cole secured a spot as a pianist on a national tour of Eubie Blake’s revue, “Shuffle Along.” When the tour showed up in Long Beach, California, it unexpectedly failed. With nothing else to do, Cole decided to stick around Long Beach and see what he could make of himself on the West Coast. While in Long Beach, Cole joined forces with two other musicians and formed the “King Cole Swingers.” The other two musicians were Oscar Moore on guitar and Wesley Prince on double bass. Cole continued to play the piano. The band played several local bars to make ends meet but eventually landed a gig on the Long Beach Pike for $90 per week, which is the equivalent of $1,530 per week in today’s economy. Cole was not just the pianist for the trio but also did a bit of double-duty, singing in between instrumental sets. People apparently took a liking to his vocal abilities and began requesting more. Cole happily agreed. Hitting the big time The King Cole Trio signed on with the newly-formed Capitol Records in 1943. By that time, Wesley Prince had left the group and has been replaced by Johnny Miller. Miller would later be replaced by Charlie Harris in the 1950s. The revenue from the trio’s record sales was a large part of Capitol Records’ success and it believed to have been a large factor in the funding behind the construction of the Capitol Records building near Hollywood and Vine in Los Angeles. The building, completed in 1956, was the world’s first circular office building and earned the nickname “The House that Nat Built.” Cole’s unique setup with a piano, guitar and bass, in a time when big bands were all the rage, became a popular lineup for other jazz trios, emulated by many other musicians like Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson. Although he had had success as a musician, his first mainstream vocal hit was in 1943, singing the song, “Straighten Up and Fly Right.” Cole was invited by Johnny Mercer to record it for Capitol Records and it sold over 500,000 copies. Starting in the late 1940s, Cole began performing and recording pop material for mainstream audiences, essentially solidifying his status as a pop culture icon. Although some would criticize him for his departure from jazz music, Cole maintained his roots and even recorded an all-jazz album “After Midnight” in 1956. Cole debuted his own variety program on NBC on November 5, 1956, called The Nat King Cole Show. It started out as a 15-minute pops show and was eventually expanded to a half-hour program in 1957. It was the first variety program hosted by an African-American, which created some controversy. Even though his show featured many iconic musicians at the time, such as Ella Fitzgerald, Harry Belafonte and Eartha Kitt, The Nat King Cole Show wasn’t able to secure the sponsorship necessary to continue its run. The last episode aired on December 17, 1957. Throughout the following almost decade, Cole continued his success as a musician and singer. He ventured into short films, sitcoms and television shows and appeared on The Jack Benny Program. He was introduced as “the best friend a song ever had” and sang “When I Fall in Love,” which ended up being one of his last performances. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in December, 1964 and died on February 15, 1965. Nat King Cole Snippetz
Issue 654
SNIPPETZ WANTS TO KNOW: HOW REVOLUTIONARY WAS THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION? by Lindsey Harrison “The Industrial Revolution was another of those extraordinary jumps forward in the story of civilization.” – Stephen Gardiner, architect Have you ever stopped to wonder what life would be like without your car or your oven or the clothes on your back? Sure, you could walk wherever you needed to go or you could light a fire and cook the food you wanted to eat. And you could probably find a way to make clothes that would keep you warm enough to survive. But how much easier is life with the option to hop in your car and drive to the supermarket so you can buy the food you want to cook in your oven for dinner or to go to a department store to buy a nice new shirt for your spouse’s birthday. It’s much easier, no question. But where did it all start? It started with the Industrial Revolution. It’s fair to say that the Industrial Revolution plays a major role in our everyday lives, even though it began over 200 years ago. Without the huge advances made during the revolution, we wouldn’t have many of the creature comforts we all enjoy today. So, what exactly was the Industrial Revolution and why is it still so important? Read on because we’ve got the all the information you need to know about how the Industrial Revolution made life better for all of us today. What was the Industrial Revolution? The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain in the late 1700s. As technology progressed, it expanded throughout Europe and made its way across the Atlantic to America. The British passed legislation to prohibit the exportation of their technology and skilled workers in an attempt to maintain their position as an industrial powerhouse, but obviously that didn’t work and by the early 1900s, the United States had become the world’s foremost industrial nation. The key thing to know about the Industrial Revolution was that it marked a period of transition from the old way of producing things to the new way. The old way was by hand. Clothes were sewn by hand. Tools were created by hand. Everything was done with those two appendages we have hanging from our arms. The new way was the way of the machine. Machines were developed to make production faster and more efficient. Some machines relied on new technology like steam power and coal instead of wood. With new technologies allowing for faster, more efficient production, goods were more readily available. And with new shipping methods like steam-powered boats, ships and trains, large-scale manufacturing processes could get their products to far-off places much more quickly. By putting these two improvements together, capitalist countries (such as ours) were able to make incredible gains in their per capita income. Important industrial developments of the Industrial Revolution In 1712, Englishman Thomas Newcomen invented the first steam engine. The steam engine played a major role in the revolution because it enabled machinery, locomotives and ships to be powered by steam. Those innovations themselves helped push the Industrial Revolution forward but they possibly wouldn’t have been as successful without the steam engine. Sometime around 1764, Englishman James Hargreaves invented a machine that allowed a person to produce multiple spools of threads all at once. Prior to his invention, only one spool could be produced at a time. But his invention, the spinning jenny, greatly increased the productivity of each person using it. By the time Hargreaves died, over 20,000 spinning jennys were being used across Britain. Another innovation in the area of textiles was the power loom, invented by Englishman Edmund Cartwright in the 1780s. The power loom made it possible for a machine to weave cloth rather than having the cloth woven by hand. Central to many of the new developments in machinery were developments in the iron industry. A cheaper, easier method to producing cast iron was created by Englishman Abraham Darby in the early 1700s. He determined that the answer was the use of a coke-fueled furnace rather than a charcoal-fired one. The coke in question is not the carbonated beverage you may enjoy with your lunch. We’re talking about a fuel that is made from coal but contains a high carbon content and has very few impurities. Prior to Darby’s discovery, iron-making used large quantities of charcoal, which was produced by burning wood. Concern about the dwindling forests was a motivating factor in switching from charcoal to coke. Also key to the Industrial Revolution was the development of an inexpensive process for mass-producing steel. Henry Bessemer discovered this process in the 1850s and because both iron and steel were crucial materials used in building just about everything, the new process was an instant hit. Important transportation developments of the Industrial Revolution Prior to the development of the steam engine, raw materials and other goods were hauled and distributed by horse-drawn wagons or boats along rivers and canals. That all changed when American Robert Fulton built the first steamboat in the early 1800s that proved to be successful for commercial use. By the mid-1800s, steamboats were routinely used to carry cargo across the Atlantic Ocean. About the same time as the steamboat made its way onto the scene, steam-powered locomotives also appeared. In the early 1800s, Englishman Richard Trevithick developed and built the first railway steam locomotive. Less than 50 years later, Britain had more than 6,000 miles of railroads. Other important developments The telegraph made communication infinitely easier and you can probably guess when it was developed. Right in the middle of the Industrial Revolution. Englishmen William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone patented the first commercial electrical telegraph in 1837. Three years later, the railways had picked up on the Cooke-Wheatstone telegraph system and in 1866, a telegraph cable was laid across the Atlantic. The Industrial Revolution also brought innovations in the field of banking and finance. The first official stock exchange was established in London in the 1770s and the New York Stock Exchange was founded about 20 years later. The downside of industrialization While the Industrial Revolution was arguably one of the most important times in our history, it wasn’t all good for everyone. The working class often spent long hours in unsafe conditions and children were sent to work to help families make ends meet. In the early 1860s, it was estimated that one-fifth of the whole population of Britain that worked in the textile industry was younger than 15. People who had previously held jobs as skilled craftsmen suddenly saw themselves replaced by machines that could do the work more quickly and more cheaply. If a worker managed to find a position in a factory, they were often paid poorly and had little or no job security. Because people migrated to the cities to find jobs, overcrowded and inadequate living conditions were common. Disease was rampant and pollution became a serious concern. Industrial Revolution Snippetz
Issue 655
SNIPPETZ CHECKS OUT DETOX DIETS TO CLEAN UP OUR ACT! by Lindsey Harrison “If you don’t take care of this the most magnificent machine that you will ever be given . . . where are you going to live?” – Karyn Calabrese, writer The last time you were waiting in line at the grocery store, did you happen to take a peek at the headlines on any of the magazines or tabloids? If so, you’ve probably seen a few different fad weight loss programs, each claiming to be the next big thing in weight loss. Some are diet pills that claim to help people drop a lot of weight without any dietary changes. Others are total dietary take-overs that require giving up just about everything you normally eat in favor or nothing but water and cayenne pepper. Diets like the latter are considered “detox” diets. So what’s the deal with detox diets? What are they? Do they work? Are they dangerous? Even if you don’t need to lose weight, should you consider detoxing, too? Snippetz wanted to know all about detox diets and here’s what we’ve found! What is Detoxification? Detoxification, usually just called detox, is a natural process that the human body goes through to rid itself of toxins. Some potentially dangerous toxins that are the products of normal cell activity include ammonia and lactic acid. Other toxins come from outside elements like the environment, food and water. The lymphatic system within the body works with the liver, intestines, kidneys, lungs, skin and blood to help either neutralize or eliminate those toxins. Sometimes, those natural processes may not be enough to completely rid the body of everything within it that could be potentially harmful. That’s where detox comes in. In instances of drug or alcohol abuse, detox is a method of treatment that rids the body of those toxins but in a detox diet, the foods, drinks, herbs, etc. that a person consumes help the body’s natural detoxification processes. Why Detox? It’s thought that the chemicals you take in on a daily basis through the foods you eat, the beverages you drink (including water), and the air you breathe can get deposited in the fat cells in your body. The chemicals include pesticides, antibiotics, household cleaners, food additives and pollution. Sometimes, your diet lacks certain nutrients that can help the natural detox process and that can potentially lead to an increased level of toxins in your system. So what’s the big deal with having those toxins in your system? Well, it’s believed that those toxins, if left in your system, especially at elevated levels, can lead to illnesses and diseases. Other symptoms that you might need to consider a detox include indigestion, headaches, bad breath, poor skin and fatigue. People who have tried detox diets claim to have a host of improvements to the way they feel, including clearer skin, improved concentration and increased energy. It is very important to note that you should consult a qualified healthcare professional or your primary care physician before embarking on any detoxification diet. To Detox or Not To Detox There is some conflict about whether or not detox diets really work. Some claim that the human body is built to detoxify itself and that it does the job well enough that it doesn’t need additional help. Others say that detoxification can be considered a sort of “internal cleansing.” Because it’s much more difficult to see inside out bodies, it’s hard to tell what parts might need help. So if one of the organs responsible for the detoxification process isn’t functioning at its peak level, a detox through the use of dietary changes can be beneficial. Detoxification Foods Detox diets are not meant to be used for the long term. And honestly, not everyone is cut out for hard-core detox diets. So what can the average person do to help their bodies cleanse themselves of the toxins that could be floating through their systems? Here are a few different foods that could be beneficial to your detox journey.
Issue 656
WHAT A GEM! SNIPPETZ LOOKS INTO THE POWERS OF GEMSTONES by Lindsey Harrison “I adore wearing gems, but not because they are mine. You can’t possess radiance, you can only admire it.” – Elizabeth Taylor Look around. The earth is full of natural beauty, from blossoming apples trees to snow-capped mountains. Underneath all that beauty lies another type of beautiful gift from Mother Nature; one that mankind has admired for thousands of years. We’re talking about gemstones. Whether it’s a diamond from Africa or a ruby from Thailand or Burma, gemstones have always held a certain pull for humans. We want them. We pay thousands of dollars to get them. In some cases, we kill for them. But what makes them so special? They’re really nothing more than rocks. Granted, they are arguably far more beautiful than the average rock but the value we place on them seems to come from something we’ve created, not because they actually hold any value. Or do they? For centuries, humans have believed that certain gemstones hold certain powers; powers to heal or to bring good fortune. Snippetz just had to find out what all the fuss is about gemstones! WHAT IS A GEMSTONE? A gemstone is typically defined as a piece of mineral that, when cut and polished can be used to make jewelry or other adornments. Traditional classification based on the distinction first noted by the Ancient Greeks separates gemstones into two categories: precious and semi-precious. The precious stones as we define them in modern times are diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires. All other gemstones are considered semi-precious. Why are some gemstones precious and others aren’t? Well, it depends on how rare that particular stone is. The rarer the stone, the more precious it’s considered to be. Precious stones are also categorized as such due to their quality. In their purest forms, all are translucent with very rich color, except for the colorless diamond. They are all very hard as well. Some semi-precious stones are rarer than poor-quality versions of precious stones, making those semi-precious ones more valuable. WHAT POWERS DO GEMSTONES HAVE? It’s thought that by wearing certain gemstones, you can bolster certain feelings and ideas. For instance, if you feel like you need help with unfinished business you may have, wearing aquamarine or carnelian may help you wrap things up. Perhaps you’re feeling a bit down. Wearing aventurine, fire opal, garnet, labradorite or rhodocrosite could help bring you some much-needed enthusiasm. Been having bad luck lately? Maybe you should find some agate, ametrine, aventurine, amber, chrysoprase, garnet, malachite, moonstone, sunstone or turquoise to wear to help turn your luck around. Or maybe you’re feeling a bit lonely and unloved. You might need to get yourself some chrysoprase, emerald, moonstone, rhodochrosite, rose quartz, ruby or watermelon tourmaline to bring more love your way. These are just some of the supposed powers that gemstones are thought to have. But many claim that some gemstones contain actual healing powers. Here’s a taste of what they may be able to do:
There are many, many more gemstones out there that are said to contain healing properties. In fact, Abbes Hildegard von Bingen actually wrote the book on the healing powers of gemstones to alleviate certain issues in her book “Physica.” The book inspired a school of thought known as Hildegard medicine and seems to largely focus on ways to help with mental or emotional issues. For example, in an excerpt from her book which was written several hundred years ago, she said, “Who is dull and would like to be clever, should, in a sober state, frequently lick with the tongue on a sapphire, because the gemstone’s warmth and power, combined with the saliva’s moisture, will expel the harmful juices that affect the intellect. Thus, the man will attain a good intellect.” If it truly was that easy, perhaps we’d all be as smart as Albert Einstein. Other powers are scientifically supported such as piezoelectricity, which is the ability of some materials to generate an electric potential when subjected to mechanical stress. This discovery is how the highly accurate quartz clocks were developed, through the use of quartz oscillators. Other gemstones have been used in other practical applications because of their special properties, such as the use of kyanite in the manufacture of spark plugs, heating elements and high voltage insulators, thanks to its high melting point and low thermal expansion. BIRTHSTONES For thousands of years, people have attached specific meanings to specific gemstones. In fact, it’s thought that the Assyrians were the first to do this as early as 1400 B.C. During the first century, however, Flavius Josephus dedicated a specific gemstone to each of the zodiac signs. If you wore the correct stone each month, you ensured that you had access to certain healing or magical powers. Naturally, not everyone was wealthy enough to be able to obtain a stone for each month but if you could, you were thought to have “equipped” yourself with power and protection for the entire year. As a way to remember which stone correlates with which month, it’s thought that Jewish gem traders in Poland or possibly jewelers in Germany developed poems to do just that. The jewelry company Tiffany & Co. published one such poem in 1870. Through this poem, certain traits were assigned to the gems. Here’s a taste of what that poem states: “She who from April dates her years, Diamonds shall wear, lest bitter tears For vain repentance flow; this stone, Emblem of innocence, is known. Who first beholds the light of day In spring’s sweet flowery month of May And wears an emerald all her life Shall be a loved and happy wife. Who comes with summer to this earth, And owes to June her hour of birth, With ring of agate on her hand Can health, wealth, and long life command. The glowing ruby shall adorn, Those who in July are born; Then they’ll be exempt and free From love’s doubts and anxiety.” The National Association of Jewelers created a modern list of birthstones in 1912, which they updated in 1952 by adding alexandrite to June and citrine to November; specifying pink tourmaline as October’s birthstone; and replacing December’s lapis with zircon. In 2002, tanzanite was added to the list for December’s birthstones. Here is the list of birthstones:
Issue 657
SNIPPETZ CLEARS UP THE CONFUSION OVER FUSION... FUSION CUISINE THAT IS! by Lindsey Harrison “Fusion food as a concept is kind of trying to quite consciously fuse things that are sometimes quite contradictory, sometimes quite far apart, to see if they’d work.” – Yotam Ottolenghi, Israeli chef In this day and age, we all want something we’ve never seen before. It’s gotta be new and it’s gotta be better than before. Whether it’s the newest phone or the next hybrid car, we want something that’s innovative and different. That mentality doesn’t stop when we sit down for a meal. Fusion cuisine is our answer to the same old menus at the same old restaurants. But what is fusion cuisine, anyway? It sounds cool, kind of scientific and mysterious. And above all else, is it any good? To figure out what all the “fusion” fuss is about, Snippetz decided to take a closer look at this style of cooking. And to help educate all those curious palates out there, we decided to break it down for you . . . and it’s all right here! What is fusion cuisine? The term “fusion” pretty much sums up what fusion cuisine is all about. It’s about merging two or more forms or styles of cooking to create something new. Sometimes it involves combining two different regions’ styles of cooking, such as foods from two different parts of Asia to create Asian fusion cuisine. Different regions of Asia are merged into one meal to create a new breed of food. Other fusion cuisine involves bringing together food from completely different areas of the Earth. For example, bringing together traditional ingredients from Mexico or France with pizza to create a brand new form of a typically Italian dish. Fusion cuisine isn’t limited to just the use of ingredients from different areas merged together. It can also be the use of different cooking techniques that aren’t typically used in a certain style of cooking can be considered fusion cuisine. For example, using typically Greek ingredients like spiced lamb and capers rolled together with Greek-style rice and grape leaves, mimicking the way Chinese eggs rolls are prepared can be termed fusion cuisine. This innovative type of cooking isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Some critics have mocked fusion cuisine by terming it “confusion cuisine.” They claim that some chefs will call their food fusion cuisine as a gimmick to bring in customers but that the quality of the flavor and overall food itself isn’t what it should be. When did the art of food fusion begin? One of the earliest documented forms of fusion cuisine is from the ancient court of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, which existed from 1350 to 1767. They combined Thai red curry, Chinese roast duck and Persian grapes to create a dish called “kaeng phet pet yang” or Thai roast duck curry. Modern day fusion cuisine is usually considered to have started in the 1970s even though it’s clear that it wasn’t the first time in history that the idea of combining strange cooking styles or ingredients occurred to humans. The fusion cuisine movements started with a group of French chefs who put together traditional French food with Asian food, especially that of Vietnam and China. Apparently, the outcome was a success because the concept took hold and spread throughout Europe and Asia and eventually emerged in California. The history of modern fusion cuisine Famous chef Wolfgang Puck is often considered one of the pioneers of fusion cuisine. However, the term “fusion” is usually attributed to Florida chef Norman Van Aken, who is thought to have borrowed the term from the music world. He said it was a perfect descriptor for the type of cooking he was doing, which was heavily influenced by Spanish, Cuban, African American, Native American, French and West Indian flavors and techniques. Wolfgang Puck opened his first fusion-inspired restaurant in 1983 in Santa Monica, California. It was called Chinois and featured Asian cuisine, merged with the fresh, bright tastes of California cooking. He said he got the idea because he wanted to do Chinese food the way he wanted to, not necessarily in the textbook Chinese manner. The fusion idea took hold and chefs around the world began trying different flavor profile and style combinations. Although fusion cuisine had been widely used for at least a decade, it went mainstream in the 1990s. Chefs like Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa, who brought together Japanese techniques with South American ingredients, helped spread the word about successful fusion cuisine. Nobu Matsuhisa opened his first fusion restaurant in Beverly Hills in 1987. In 1992, the restaurant, The Cheesecake Factory jumped on the fusion bandwagon and began serving fusion cuisine, which featured the successful Spanish-Italian combination chicken chipotle pasta. That same year, Jean-Georges Vongerichten opened his restaurant Vong in Manhattan which featured a French-Thai fusion. His menu highlighted entrees like sautéed foie gras with caramelized mango and ginger sauce. In 2010, chef Danny Bowien opened Mission Chinese in San Francisco. By then, people were concerned with the care with which fusion restaurants were creating their dishes and Bowien had to defend his idea by claiming it wouldn’t be a strange Mexican-Chinese food truck but instead termed his dishes “Americanized Oriental food.” Three years later, Bowien opened Mission Cantina in Manhattan which featured dishes similar to those at his San Francisco-based restaurant. Both have demonstrated successful fusion cuisine. Close but no cigar Not all fusion cuisine works. And history has shown us that, even though it can work when done well, it can also work to the detriment of a restaurant when not executed properly. Critics of fusion cuisine, as we mentioned before, claim that too many chefs or restaurateurs have attempted to merge styles in a manner that just doesn’t quite fit the bill. Some claim that it cheapens the food because the fusion isn’t being done in an intelligent, thoughtful manner. It’s used to bring customers in and that’s about it. In the early 2000s, fusion cuisine critics began hammering careless cooking. In 2001, Albert Sonnenfeld, co-author of “Food: A Culinary History” claimed that fusion cuisine often combines too many elements together, confusing ingredients with flavor. In 2002, Felipe Fernandez-Armesto wrote “Near a Thousand Tables: A History of Food” and said that fusion cooking should be called “Lego cookery” because it haphazardly combines ingredients without care. To make fusion cuisine truly work, the masters of this cooking technique say that the food shouldn’t seem forced. Rather, it should be an organic, seamless extension of what they know to be successful. It should include elements of their experiences, interests and often their unique heritage as well. What is the future of fusion cuisine? While it seems that fusion cuisine may have lost some of its steam in recent years, it appears that it is here to stay. With thoughtful execution and cooking shows like “Chopped” that require chefs to combine elements that typically wouldn’t be used together, it’s likely that we’ll see more fusion-inspired restaurants in our future. And let’s not underestimate the influence we consumers have on the food industry. We want new, different, unusual and above all, we want options. As long as it’s tasty, we’ll keep coming back for more . . . but we’re also going to want to try the next big thing so chefs had better keep fusing or we might lose interest! Issue 658
SNIPPETZ WONDERS, JUST HOW COMPETITIVE ARE YOU? by Lindsey Harrison “For me, half the joy of achieving has been the struggle and the fight, the pitting myself against the world and all its competition – and winning.” – Conrad Veidt, German actor Admit it. You like competition. We all do, on some level. Whether it’s getting a better deal on a designer outfit than your best friend or beating your colleague at a round of golf, everyone loves to come out on top. But when is enough, well, enough? There has to be a line somewhere that you just don’t cross when it comes to competition; that one thing that you would never imagine yourself being competitive about in a million years. For some people, that line is obvious. For others, the competitive spirit runs so deep, they’ll find just about any excuse to compete. And Snippetz has done a bit of digging to find some of the craziest, wackiest competitions on the planet and wants to know: are YOU competitive enough to take part in these weird competitions? Air Guitar World Championship Musicians are pretty cool. And by nature, they have to be somewhat competitive in order to make it big in the music industry. But what about those people who are less musically-inclined but still have the heart of a rock star? In that case, there’s the Air Guitar World Championships, where competitors show off their best air-guitar routine in the hopes of coming out on top. The first air guitar competitions date back to the early 1980s in the United States and Sweden. The official Air Guitar World Championship dates back to 1996 as part of the Oulu Music Video Festival in Oulu, Finland. Rules include: “No back-up bands – air or real – are allowed” and “The instruments must be invisible and be a guitar; air drums are not allowed.” Judging criteria includes the following: technical merit, stage presence and “airness,” which is defined as “the extent to which a performance transcends the imitation of a real guitar and becomes an art form in and of itself.” World Gurning Championship According to the English Dialect Dictionary, to gurn means to snarl as a dog; to look savage; to distort the countenance. Basically, it means to make a weird face. Although the origins of gurning contests are unclear, it has been held since at least 1852 in England. The most popular gurning contest is the World Gurning Championship held at the Egremont Crab Fair in Egremont, Cumbria, England. Traditionally, the contestants stick their heads through a horse collar and gurn, known as “gurnin’ through a braffin.” The best-known gurner is England’s own Peter Jackman, who won the championship four times, starting in 1998. His famous gurn is called the “Bela Lugosi.” In order to achieve this masterpiece as effectively as possible, Jackman had his teeth removed to make his features easier to manipulate. Jackman isn’t the winningest gurner, however. Tommy Mattinson has won the world title 15 times since 1986. World Worm Charming Championship Did you know worms could even BE charmed? It’s not really charming in the sense that these worm charming contestants don’t lure the worms out of the ground by charming them out. Instead, they bang, tap and stab the ground to lure them out. The actual World Worm Charming Championship began in 1980 and is held annually in Willaston, near Nantwich, Cheshire, England. It was devised by John Bailey. The idea is to collect as many worms in your designated three-square-meter plot as possible in 30 minutes. The first world record was a whopping 511 worms charmed from the earth by Tom Shufflebotham in 1980 but his record was broken in 2009 by Mr. M and Mrs. S Smith who collected 567 worms from their plot. For all you aspiring worm-charmers out there, the most effective method of raising the worms from the ground is hand-vibrating a four-tine garden fork that has been inserted about 15 cm into the ground. Locals call this method “twanging.” Toe wrestling Similar to arm wrestling, toe wrestling consists of contestants who, minus their shoes and socks, link toes and attempt to pin their opponent’s toe for three seconds. Pinning is accomplished when one contestant has their foot on top of the other’s foot, trapping in underneath. Typically, there are three rounds and the winner of two of those rounds ultimately wins the match. This competition dates back to 1976 and began at Ye Olde Royal Oak Inn in Wetton, Derbyshire, England (what’s with all the weird competitions coming out of England?). In 1997, the organizers of the event at the time applied for it to be included in the Olympic Games but their application was declined. Current toe wrestling competitions are held at the Bentley Brook Inn in Ashbourne, Derbyshire. The current world champion is Alan “Nasty” Nash. Cheese Rolling Again, we head to England for the cheese-rolling competition in Gloucester on Cooper’s Hill. The tradition dates back to the early 1800s and the point is pretty simple: catch the cheese before it reaches the bottom of the hill. Typically, no one catches the cheese because the steep hill causes them to fall. But that’s where the fun lies . . . not for the contestants as much as for the spectators! The official competition has been cancelled indefinitely due to liability issues but local enthusiasts continue the tradition in an unofficial cheese-rolling event. World’s Ugliest Dog Contest Held every year at the coliseum in Petaluma, California as part of the Sonoma-Marin Fair, the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest decides just that; who has the ugliest dog. It’s worth your dog’s public humiliation because the winner’s owner gets $1,000. The contest usually takes place during the fourth week of June and dates back to the 1970s. Winners include a hairless, three-legged, one-eye Chinese Crested and the most recent, a “Huge-headed, duck-footed mix of beagle, boxer and basset hound” named Walle. Extreme Ironing World Championship Yep, we’re talking about THAT kind of ironing. The competition started in Leicester, England in 1997 and is describing by the official Extreme Ironing Bureau as “an outdoor activity that combines the danger and excitement of an ‘extreme’ sport with the satisfaction of a well pressed shirt. It involved taking an iron and board (if possible) to remote locations and ironing a few items of laundry.” Some “extreme” locations include a mountainside and underwater. We aren’t sure how well that underwater ironing session went but perhaps the quality of the freshly-ironed product isn’t as important as where that item was ironed. World Sauna Championship This competition started in 1999 in Heinola, Finland and was held every August until 2010. The point was to sit in a 110° sauna and endure the heat while half a liter of water was added every 30 seconds. Rules included sitting with thighs and buttocks on the seat; no touching any surface with hands; and forearms must be in an upright position. The person to stay inside the sauna the longest wins. The competition grew in popularity, eventually including contestants from over 20 different countries until it was cancelled indefinitely after a terrible accident in 2010 that led to the death of one of the contestants. The contestant who died possibly used painkillers and ointments that were forbidden in the competition because they could lead to death under those extreme conditions. Issue 659
SNIPPETZ HAS THE SCOOP ON ICE CREAM by Lindsey Harrison “You can’t buy happiness. But you can buy ice cream and that’s kind of the same thing.” – Anonymous The days are getting longer and the weather is getting hotter. These are the days when staying in your swimsuit all day is acceptable and when chasing a truck down the street begging for ice cream is practically expected. Of course, we’re talking about chasing the ice cream truck. Those magical trucks could be your salvation on a hot day, couldn’t they? You’d be standing in line behind all your neighborhood friends, trying to decide what treat to pick. Or perhaps meeting your friends at the local ice cream shop was more your speed. A place like Palmer Lake’s Rock House Ice Cream is exactly the type of local hangout that becomes like a second home during the dog days of summer. Where did this marvelous treat come from (besides Heaven)? Who thought up this wonderful dessert? To answer these questions and more, Snippetz went on a crusade to find out all about ice cream! What is ice cream? Yes, we’ve probably all had ice cream. But do you know what’s in the stuff you’re eating? Ice cream is usually made from milk and cream and combined with fruits, candies or other ingredients or flavors. Once everything is added, the mixture is slowly stirred while it’s cooled to help incorporate air and to keep large ice crystals from forming. The end product is a smooth, scoop-able dessert that can be served by the bowl, in a cone, in a drink, alongside another dessert, etc. Ice cream’s origins Ice cream wasn’t a discovery like gravity or electricity. Rather, it was developed over time as techniques grew more sophisticated and people got more curious about flavors. Alexander the Great was one such person who had a taste for these pre-ice cream type treats. He liked to eat snow flavored with honey and nectar. Similarly, Nero Claudius Caesar liked to partake in snow brought from the mountains that he flavored with fruits and juices. Evidence indicates that around 200 B.C., a frozen mixture of milk and rice was common in China. Marco Polo, the famous Italian explorer is often thought to have brought back a recipe from his explorations in the Far East that is basically what we now call sherbet. This recipe is often thought to be what eventually evolved into modern-day ice cream, although it’s not certain which country (or who) actually created the treat we all enjoy nowadays. England and Italy appear to have created ice cream at about the same time, with royalty like Charles I treating himself to it on a regular basis. By 1553, France had rolled out its own version of the “cream ice” treat, thanks to the Italian Catherine de Medici who married France’s Henry II. Naturally, a dessert like that couldn’t be had by just anyone . . . at least, not before 1660. But by then, a café in Paris began serving a dessert made from blending milk, cream, butter and eggs to the general population. Coming to America . . . Ice cream made its way across the Atlantic Ocean and references to its existence here date back to at least 1744. Apparently, President George Washington liked it so much that he spent about $200 on ice cream in the summer of 1790. Even President Thomas Jefferson jumped on the ice cream band wagon and developed his own 18-step recipe for creating a dessert with ice cream. Although it was gaining in popularity, ice cream was still a treat that the upper class took advantage of. But around 1800, insulated ice boxes were invented, making it easier to manufacture and store ice cream. Jacob Fussell, a milk dealer from Baltimore made a living off making ice cream and created and industry around the dessert. With the Industrial Revolution, new ways to mass-produce the treat were developed and the total frozen dairy production in the United States is over 1.6 billion gallons each year. Ice cream or something like it There are ice cream variations literally all over the world. Some places use less milk than typically found in ice cream, such as the Italian dessert, gelato. Others include ingredients that we don’t often associate with dessert, like Ais kacang, from Malaysia and Singapore. This dessert is made from shaved iced, syrup and boiled red beans, all topped with evaporated milk. Another very popular variation of the standard ice cream is the use of liquid nitrogen as the primary method of freezing the ice cream. The result is what most of us know as “Dippin’ Dots.” The small balls of ice cream make for a unique eating experience. Old school ice cream treats Most of us didn’t grow up with Dippin’ Dots as a standard ice cream option. Rather, we had Bomb Pops, ice cream sandwiches and other less science fiction-like creations. Where did these treats come from? Bomb Pops were created by James S. Merritt and D.S. Abernethy in Missouri on July 30, 1955. The original Bomb Pop contained three colors and flavors; cherry, lime and blues raspberry. There are now 10 main types of Bomb Pops available and have become such a staple of summertime fun that a day was created to commemorate the Bomb Pop. The last Thursday in June is the official National Bomb Pop Day. Ice cream sandwiches are common in many countries around the world but the kind that we usually think of includes a slab of vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two chocolate wafers. There is also the kind where chocolate chip cookies take the place of the wafers. But that’s just what we Americans think of when we consider ice cream sandwiches. In Vietnam, an ice cream sandwich is called bánh mì kẹp kem and consists of a few scoops of ice cream tucked inside a type of bread and then topped with crushed peanuts. Similar creations can be found in Iran and the Philippines as well. In New Zealand, the classic ice cream sandwich is called the Vanilla Slice and is a sort of deconstructed ice cream sandwich with pink wafer biscuits. All the components are wrapped separately and are intended to be put together to be eaten. Ice cream Snippetz
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