BOC#020 Box of Chocolates
Auto-Brewery Syndrome, Steinbeck, Apples, & Jerry-Rigged
3 MINUTE MUNCH
DID YOU KNOW THAT GIFTING A TEACHER WITH AN APPLE…
…was once considered a token of appreciation. Some theories associate the practice with the biblical story of Adam and Eve and the ‘Tree of Knowledge’ whose fruits were apples. Another theory links the custom to the American western frontier whereby communities assumed responsibility for feeding and housing teachers as a means of payment. Whatever the origins, the apple, or the ‘big red apple’ became a symbol of prosperity during the golden age of apple cultivation during the late 19th century, giving birth to the phrase ‘the big apple’. While the term ‘the big apple’ went on to be a synonym for New York, in 1920 it was also used to describe Los Angeles, or anything inspirational for that matter. By the 1970s, the ‘big apple’ became most notably associated with New York in an attempt to bolster the city’s reputation amidst high crime rates, and economic difficulty.
WHAT IS AUTO-BREWERY SYNDROME (ABS)?
Also known as gut-fermentation syndrome, ABS is a very rare condition that causes drunkenness without having consumed a single drop of alcohol. The condition is caused when certain bacteria and yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans) break down carbohydrates in the gut, producing ethanol in the process. Crohn’s disease, liver cirrhosis, and diabetes are thought to increase a person’s likelihood of suffering from ABS.
PASSAGE FROM EAST OF EDEN BY JOHN STEINBECK*:
“Do you take pride in your hurt? Does it make you seem large and tragic? ...Well, think about it. Maybe you're playing a part on a great stage with only yourself as audience.”
ON THIS DAY: 19th MAY…
in 1897, having been sentenced to two years of hard labour, poet Oscar Wilde was released from Reading Gaol. He had been convicted of ‘gross indecency’ in 1895. Today is also the birthday of Vietnamese revolutionary Ho Chi Minh who was born in 1890. He died of a heart attack in 1969 at the height of the Vietnam war and was subsequently replaced as party leader by Le Duan. It’s also a memorable day for the British royal family with Harry and Meghan Markle celebrating their 7th wedding anniversary, and King Charles remembering his 2015 visit to Ireland where he became the first member of the royal family to meet (and shake hands with) Sinn Fein leader, Gerry Adams.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JERRY-BUILT AND JERRY-RIGGED?
Often confused, a thing said to be jerry-built is generally built on the cheap with little regard to quality. A thing said to be jerry-rigged, however, is a thing made in haste with whatever materials are available, usually as a temporary measure.
ADVICE FROM SURVIVALIST ED STAFFORD TO HIS SON:
'Don't put your hands where you wouldn't put your willy' - Ed Stafford.
(Former British Army officer come T.V survival expert Ed Stafford became the first man to walk the length of the Amazon river in 2010. The walk was documented in a TV series called ‘Walking the Amazon’.
”TAXES AREN’T JUST FROM THE GOVERNMENT…
…Seneca wrote to his friend Lucilius, “All the things which cause complaint or dread are like the taxes of life—things from which, my dear Lucilius, you should never hope for exemption or seek escape.” - Ryan Holiday
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