Max
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Posts posted by Max
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In Mojitos and Piña Coladas. Somehow I never became a "serious" rum drinker. I have access to the best rums inthe world, but they never appealed to me the way single malt or armagnac do.
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Your change in attitude and current revulsion toward fatty food is a classic symptom of liver problems (seriously).
Does the reverse imply a healthy liver?
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SteveP, you wil find much sustanance for your point of view about religion in the article at the link below:
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A lucid summary of Sir Steven Runciman's three volume A History of the Crusades, written by a reader and posted on Amazon's site. I haven't read these books, but plan to.
Western Europe in the middle ages is often depicted as a static and insular social system--and, to be sure, certain aspects of medieval history support that impression. But the events described in this fine book challenge such portrayals, showing a Western Europe in the eleventh century that was intimately involved in the eastern Mediterranean. Runciman traces this interaction back to the Roman Empire, beginning his book with a charmingly concise yet informative history of Christian society in the East.We see how alert the West was to events in Asia Minor and the Levant: I was struck by how, a thousand years ago, tourism was such an important industry. Constantinople functioned almost as a modern-day theme park--with relics, art and architecture being the big-budget attractions--and as a crucial transportation hub along the pilgrimage route. The breakdown of this tourist industry due to local political instability--and its importance to the West--is what proximally prompted the Crusades.
And in the Crusades themselves is reflected the dynamic nature of medieval political history; in particular we see the restless aspirations of the powerful Norman warlords (especially their somewhat disenfranchised younger sons) played out as a key military motor of the Crusades. Reading the background Runciman gives to the Normans (Christianized descendants of the Vikings), and the Seldjuks (Islamized descendants of Turkish nomads), I could not help but notice a certain loose symmetry to their stories, and it didn't seem so odd that they would meet at the interface of the two great Mediterranean faiths.
There is much that I found eye-opening in the narrative: from the murderous anti-Jewish pogroms in Western Europe that the Crusaders used as warm-up exercises, to the pathetic lawlessness of their course through Hungary and Byzantium, to the Monty-Pythonesque absurdities of the "medieval mind" (e.g., the throng of German peasants led to the Crusades by "a goose that had been inspired by God").
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Crusades from a church perspective
Here's a look at the Crusades through a "biblical" lens.
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An excerpt from another source describing the social, ploitical and economic conditions prevailing in Europe during the period that gave birth to the first Crusades. As you read this, contrast the situation to the great noble story of "Onward Christian Soldiers"
then tell me that the "lord's" work was behind the Crusades...
Age of transition / crusades 1000 - 1500
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PERIOD:
Demography and economy:
Between the 10th century A.D. and the Plague in 1350 the population in Europe almost doubled in size. A lot of wasteland was cultivated in order to provide food for all these people, so much in fact that some were freed from the need to participate in primitive production of food and instead became clergy, artists or scientists.
Between 1347 and 1351 about one third of the European population was killed by the plague. After this disaster, smaller epidemics continued to strike Europe so that the population did not recover quickly. In addition to this, farmers had very small pieces of land and too much had been brought under cultivation. The growth that had taken place in the previous centuries was no longer possible. There was no new land available to be cultivated; the wasteland that was still there had to remain so since medieval farmers needed a certain amount of wasteland to run their business. In these conditions a bad harvest almost immediately led to famine.
Hard times had come for the farmers; besides famine and disease they had to cope with a bad grainmarket. The prices were low, because too much grain was being produced now that the population had diminished. Because of the low prices farmers produced even more the next year to get their usual amount of money. As a result the prices decreased further. Labourers on the other hand were very expensive. For many farmers it was not possible to change their business from grain-production to cattle breeding, which could have been a solution to this problem.
Many new cities had developed in the previous centuries, most of which appeared near citadels built during the invasions of the Norse. This did not mean however that Europe was urbanising quickly, as 90% of the population still made its living from agriculture and the cities often maintained a very rural character.
In Southern Europe, trade with the Near East as well as more remote areas was vital. The Italians played a mayor role in this respect, while the Jews were less active as a result of the crusades.
Politics:
The power of the church had diminished due to internal conflicts. People developed a very personal religion which included many mystical elements. Religious leaders responded to this development with the persecution of heretics during the 14th and 15th centuries. They also tried to spread Orthodox Christian beliefs to other areas, for instance by organising crusades.
Another seed of trouble lay in the conflict between central and local power within rising "states". There were many succession-right problems whereby cities and local lords wanted to keep their autonomy, whereas monarchs wanted to keep centralised power in their own hands.
A third political characteristic of Europe was a changing attitude towards the rest of the world. Europe was an area of expansion in the 11th to the 14th century, contrary to its previous position as a besieged fortress in the 9th and 10th centuries. Some contacts that already existed with Asia, the Middle East, overseas areas on the skirts of Africa and even America were strengthened and expanded upon during this period.
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According to Steven Dutch, Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
Not a bad exposition. I'll look for further historical interpretations.
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Well, I've just come back from scoring some scallops and green beans for supper and made an even wider search for Magi Sauce that proved as fruitless as the first - and see that this discussion has made no headway at all.
And people talk about the chattering of squirrels.
Did the boy score a nickle or a dime bag of scallops? and now's you're back, how 'bout heppin us po chatterin squirrels out with some a that cleah country logic. We seem to be really foundering heah. Have we reached the mindless drivel stage?
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To both Macrosan & Cakewalk - If you believe that god does exist, please show us some physical evidence
"If god does not exist, I paid too much for my carpeting."__Woody Allen
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No worry about religious dietary laws down south...
Dixon estimates he'll sell about 500 pounds of (pork) jowl by New Year's Day. He said it's typically cooked in a pot of black-eyed peas as seasoning for the legumes, but that some people will eat it."What we've learned is that what people eat on New Year's Day is highly influenced by where they grew up," Dosier said.
Despite the differences, which Dosier attributes to factors such as region, ancestry, ethnicity and economic status, Southern states share some common themes. "Pork seems to be high on the list because of the role it plays in Southern food in general," Dosier said.
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Nickn: Yes. Wars now seem to fought more on the basis of hegemony and access to resources. At the top of the list of the latter, at this time, are oil and water.
All wars, at the root, are fought over resources. Access to fertile land and water, then stored food was the locus of wars early in man's history. Slave labor became an objective of warriors. The wars between the tribes of Native Americans were about resources. Over time, control of natural resources replaced food, and control of cheap labor replaced slave labor as objectives of war. Organized religion, allied with the ruling class, was the handmaiden of the war makers. Name a major war and dig deep and you will uncover an economic base of the conflict. More death and destruction has been justified in the name of one god or another but really fought to control some resource.
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There are other gems too just for the asking.
I'm asking. I'm asking. Any '85s?
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I don't know my ass from my champagne flute.
I presume a generous champagne flute will hold about 250 cl of the stuff.
You'll have to make the comparison.
'82 Dom, if kept well, should be fantastic. '82 was a great year. It is drinkable and should be at its peak now. It would be easier to drink it from a flute, unless you are double jointed, like the guy in my avatar.
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Last I looked, 1990 Dom was $180 for 750 ML. Where do you get it at $100? That's a good price.
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Actually Dom is very reasonably priced. You can still buy the 1990 in this country for $100 and in the U.K for $70. Most champagnes are more expensive then that. Krug is $100 in Europe and over $125 here.
I am alway disappointed by Dom. It lacks the depth and roundness that I like in an older vintage chamagne. So even at $100, it is no bargain for me. I would rather drink Ayala '95 at about $30 a bottle.
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All I'm saying is that there are a considerable number of people who intentionally join spartan groups because for some reason they are searching for a lack of freedom. For them, self-denial provides comfortable and easy to discern boundries.
Recovering addicts and "lost" souls are drawn to very restrictive cults for just that reason.
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First of all it's Cristal. Second, can you buy some old wine please? 1973 Cristal, now that's great wine. Or even the 1990. Sheesh.
Yes, you're right. Cristal. I just am conditioned by the German spelling. Don't know why.
I do prefer the older vintages. Toasty, rich taste. Not the thinner, acidic taste of the NV stuff. But I drank up all my '73 Cristal between Thanskgiving and Christmas. Went through three magnums of the stuff. I have a case of '88 Clos de Mensil, 750s but I couldn't get to it in time. All I could get on short notice at the local store was the '96 Cristal, so I thought I'd make do. Sometimes one has to compromise. say la vee.
I have a case of the '95 Egly-Oriat in the cellar which I've yet to crack. It gets very good reviews. I'll probaly crack a bottle this weekend. Let you know what I think of it.
I also like the Veuve Cliquot Grand Dame '95 and
Philipponnat Clos des Goisses 1982.
Despite its prestige image, I have often found Dom Perignon lacking in finesse and depth, even in the older vintages. There's a classic case of
branding supporting an undeservedly high price.
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Some people equate sacrifice and restriction and discipline with piety. They are looking for structure.
That's what I said a while ago but with many more words.
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Just me and my sweetie.
4 oz of Iranian osetra with Creme Fraiches.
Frozen FRIS Vodka
Jumbo shrimp with cocktail sauce
1996 Kristal
Shaved Brussel sprouts with peccorino cheese
Aged prime porterhouse steaks with pepper crust.
Chocolate truffles
'67 Ch. Suduiraut
Bed
Fireworks (hope that's not too explicit)
Sleep.
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(I])saw before me a ruggedly handsome young man holding an immense pepper grinder. "Always carry your own," he replied cryptically, and disappeared into the Men's Wash Room,
I love your metaphoric eloquence.
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Isn't "it" really "all about" the "Hokey Pokey"?
You put your left foot in....
Oh shit, you are totally right. I had too much wine tonight.
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But in the first century CE, when the decision to drop Jewish dietary law was made, Christianity was a religion of the poor. Forget Satan, the appeal was that suffering in this life would lead to reward in the next. Matthew 5:3-11:
My point is that it has nothing to do with dietary law. But dietary law has a lot to do with control. Which was the original question Tony asked. Control what people eat, and control their sexula activity and you effectively control their lives. And, like the hucklebuck, that's what it's all about.
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But is Islam not one of the fastest growing religions even in the United States? And were the various peoples who converted to Christianity particularly prosperous? I'm just not sure the dietary restrictions issue can be pinpointed as one that explains the success or lack thereof of a religion.
True, but who is it that are converting. the poorest and most oppressed. African-Ameicans adopted Islam. Why, one has to ask, if they were part of the "system" and benefited from it in proportion to the rest of the population, would they have had as much incentive to convert. The Anglo-Christian church betrayed them. Are Americans of European extraction converting? I think not. I don't think it has anything to do with dietary laws today. it is more about poilitics and economics.
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Religious Dietary Laws
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted · Edited by Max (log)
Bill Moyers show NOW on WNET tonight (Friday) was a discussion about this very subject in the context of the coexistence of religion and democracy. There was discussion of atrocities committed in the name of Christianity and Islam. The contradictions between religious ideology and Americn democracy. Fascinating stuff. I wish I had a tape of it. There were some very insightful views and and excellent panel. It was like watching this thread come to life (or at least some of it).