martes, 31 de agosto de 2010
Silverware is Overrated
lunes, 30 de agosto de 2010
My New Best Friends
I have recently realized that chopsticks and my own hands are my best allies when it comes to eating with no silverware :D
domingo, 29 de agosto de 2010
I Miss the Knife
sábado, 28 de agosto de 2010
Survival: No Silverware
So far so good; No starvation or difficulties eating. However, I have found that there is a natural tendency to invent and to figure out ways to make life easier; having no silverware challenges every-day habits and makes me think of new ways in which I can perform simple tasks like eating ice cream. A couple of pictures...
jueves, 26 de agosto de 2010
What would we do without...? The Fork, a Misunderstood Necessity
A More Thorough History of the Fork
(Taken from http://www.maybe.org/~rodmur/sca/fork.html)
"Many people in the SCA think of the table fork as either "out of period" or "very late period." Often people insist that the only period forks have two tines. Actually, table forks were known and used before the year 1000 in the Middle East [Boger, Giblin]. Forks made before 1600 with as many as five tines still exist today. What is the real history of the table fork? Let us see.
The fork came to Europe through Italy's nobility in the eleventh century. Throughout the next five hundred years, the table fork spread throughout Europe, and into the lesser social classes. By 1600, the fork was known in England, although rare and viewed as an Italian affectation, while in Italy even the merchant classes were using forks regularly.
We can deduce that forks were not common by looking at various inventories and wills from the Middle Ages. The few forks listed were made of precious materials, and presumably kept primarily for dazzle and ostentation. They may also have been used as investment pieces for the value of the materials used [Bailey].
Forks also appear in an inventory of silverware in Florence, taken in 1361 [Giblin], in inventories of Charles V and Charles VI of France [Bailey], and in Italian cookbooks of the late 1400's [Giblin]. All these references do not mean that forks were common - the fork was known only to the very uppermost classes, and seldom used even among them.
A Byzantine princess introduced the table fork to Europe in the eleventh century. The story varies slightly depending on the source, but the essence is that a nobleman, probably Domenico Selvo (or Silvio), heir to the Doge of Venice, married a princess from Byzantium. This Byzantine princess brought a case of two- tined table forks to Venice as part of her luggage. Forks seem to have been novelties in Byzantium, but not unknown. Many examples can be found in Byzantine art, according to Boger and Henisch.
The princess outraged the populace and the clergy by refusing to eat with her hands:
"Instead of eating with her fingers like other people, the princess cuts up her food into small pieces and eats them by means of little golden forks with two prongs."[Giblin]
"God in his wisdom has provided man with natural forks - his fingers. Therefore it is an insult to Him to substitute artificial metallic forks for them when eating."[Giblin]
The princess apparently died before very long, of some wasting disease, prompting Peter Damian, Cardinal Bishop of Ostia to write,
"Of the Venetian Doge's wife, whose body, after her excessive delicacy, entirely rotted away"[Henisch]
Other evidence of the fork coming to Europe from the east is given in a letter by a Franciscan monk to Louis IX of France. He discusses the eating habits of the Tartars in the middle of the thirteenth century:
"With the point of a knife or a fork especially made for this purpose - like those with which we are accustomed to eat pears or apples cooked in wine - they offer to each of those standing around one or two mouthfuls."[Henisch]
This fragment of a letter and listings in inventories and wills link the fork with fruits and sweetmeats. We also see the fork was used to eat dishes that included a sticky sauce or that might stain the fingers [Boger, Bailey]. At one time, this practice was primarily that of courtesans, prompting the Church to ban the fork as an immoral influence [Gruber].
The fork would be used to spear a piece of food, lift it from the plate or serving bowl, and shake any excess sauce from it. Then one would pluck the food from the fork using the tips of the fingers and place the morsel in the mouth. The early forks were small, with short straight tines, and therefore probably used only for spearing and holding food, rather than scooping. The curve with which we are familiar in the modern fork was introduced in France in the seventeenth century [Boger.]
Forks were known and used in Spain, at least by the upper classes, by the time of the Armada. A large assortment was recovered from the wreck of La Girona, which sank off the coast of Ireland in 1588. La Girona carried Don Alonso de Leiva and his retinue, who apparently traveled well equipped. Don Alonso is known to have entertained the Duke of Medina Sidonia before the Armada sailed, "in grand style, with musical accompaniment, at his table sumptuously set with silver plate and cutlery and gold-plated candelabra [Flanagan]." This cutlery included a large number of forks, with anywhere from two to five tines. These tines are all straight, as opposed to curved, although the five-tined variety appears to be slightly splayed at the points. The many pieces recovered are fragmentary - either tines or handles, but few pieces still joined. The handles include a simple baluster stem with a terminal in the form of a hoof, to elegant handles with terminals in the form of serpents or of human torsos, among others.
In other parts of Europe, it became customary to make knives and forks in sets. Better quality knives of the sixteenth century came in sets of a dozen or more contained in a leather case, and included a fork to be used for serving [Hayward]. This case or "stocke" is what the inventories of Henry VIII refer to. Only very wealthy households would provide knives for guests. It was much more common for people to carry their own cutlery with them [Hayward, Bailey]. Even the inns were not equipped with tableware, expecting the traveller to provide their own [Bailey]. As forks became more common, sets of knife and fork, often with a sheath or case for the pair, came into use. Some travelers had a collapsible or folding set of knife, fork, and spoon [Giblin], much like today's camping tableware.
So, there are a variety of table forks available for use in the period of the SCA. The persona most likely to use a fork would be a rich, late period Italian, while the least likely would be an early period Englishman (or Saxon, or Briton). A poor persona would be very unlikely to use a fork at any time in the SCA period. The richer, later period, and closer to Italy a western European is, the more likely they are to use a fork at table."
Response to Text
The fork was most likely invented to facilitate the handling of food that was dipped in sauce or that had a high fat content (like meat). It was a reaction to the developing eating habits of humans and, as such, it allowed people to change their eating habits slowly.
I think the invention of the fork happened out of a natural need to have tools that made eating easier and more comfortable.
Note: spoons and knifes had been used since prehistoric times (they were made out of stone or bones and were a basic tool for the first humans). Even though they are basic, the fork has been the eating utensile that has needed the most technology; that is why its history is presented here.
(Taken from http://www.maybe.org/~rodmur/sca/fork.html)
"Many people in the SCA think of the table fork as either "out of period" or "very late period." Often people insist that the only period forks have two tines. Actually, table forks were known and used before the year 1000 in the Middle East [Boger, Giblin]. Forks made before 1600 with as many as five tines still exist today. What is the real history of the table fork? Let us see.
The fork came to Europe through Italy's nobility in the eleventh century. Throughout the next five hundred years, the table fork spread throughout Europe, and into the lesser social classes. By 1600, the fork was known in England, although rare and viewed as an Italian affectation, while in Italy even the merchant classes were using forks regularly.
We can deduce that forks were not common by looking at various inventories and wills from the Middle Ages. The few forks listed were made of precious materials, and presumably kept primarily for dazzle and ostentation. They may also have been used as investment pieces for the value of the materials used [Bailey].
Forks also appear in an inventory of silverware in Florence, taken in 1361 [Giblin], in inventories of Charles V and Charles VI of France [Bailey], and in Italian cookbooks of the late 1400's [Giblin]. All these references do not mean that forks were common - the fork was known only to the very uppermost classes, and seldom used even among them.
A Byzantine princess introduced the table fork to Europe in the eleventh century. The story varies slightly depending on the source, but the essence is that a nobleman, probably Domenico Selvo (or Silvio), heir to the Doge of Venice, married a princess from Byzantium. This Byzantine princess brought a case of two- tined table forks to Venice as part of her luggage. Forks seem to have been novelties in Byzantium, but not unknown. Many examples can be found in Byzantine art, according to Boger and Henisch.
The princess outraged the populace and the clergy by refusing to eat with her hands:
"Instead of eating with her fingers like other people, the princess cuts up her food into small pieces and eats them by means of little golden forks with two prongs."[Giblin]
"God in his wisdom has provided man with natural forks - his fingers. Therefore it is an insult to Him to substitute artificial metallic forks for them when eating."[Giblin]
The princess apparently died before very long, of some wasting disease, prompting Peter Damian, Cardinal Bishop of Ostia to write,
"Of the Venetian Doge's wife, whose body, after her excessive delicacy, entirely rotted away"[Henisch]
Other evidence of the fork coming to Europe from the east is given in a letter by a Franciscan monk to Louis IX of France. He discusses the eating habits of the Tartars in the middle of the thirteenth century:
"With the point of a knife or a fork especially made for this purpose - like those with which we are accustomed to eat pears or apples cooked in wine - they offer to each of those standing around one or two mouthfuls."[Henisch]
This fragment of a letter and listings in inventories and wills link the fork with fruits and sweetmeats. We also see the fork was used to eat dishes that included a sticky sauce or that might stain the fingers [Boger, Bailey]. At one time, this practice was primarily that of courtesans, prompting the Church to ban the fork as an immoral influence [Gruber].
The fork would be used to spear a piece of food, lift it from the plate or serving bowl, and shake any excess sauce from it. Then one would pluck the food from the fork using the tips of the fingers and place the morsel in the mouth. The early forks were small, with short straight tines, and therefore probably used only for spearing and holding food, rather than scooping. The curve with which we are familiar in the modern fork was introduced in France in the seventeenth century [Boger.]
Forks were known and used in Spain, at least by the upper classes, by the time of the Armada. A large assortment was recovered from the wreck of La Girona, which sank off the coast of Ireland in 1588. La Girona carried Don Alonso de Leiva and his retinue, who apparently traveled well equipped. Don Alonso is known to have entertained the Duke of Medina Sidonia before the Armada sailed, "in grand style, with musical accompaniment, at his table sumptuously set with silver plate and cutlery and gold-plated candelabra [Flanagan]." This cutlery included a large number of forks, with anywhere from two to five tines. These tines are all straight, as opposed to curved, although the five-tined variety appears to be slightly splayed at the points. The many pieces recovered are fragmentary - either tines or handles, but few pieces still joined. The handles include a simple baluster stem with a terminal in the form of a hoof, to elegant handles with terminals in the form of serpents or of human torsos, among others.
In other parts of Europe, it became customary to make knives and forks in sets. Better quality knives of the sixteenth century came in sets of a dozen or more contained in a leather case, and included a fork to be used for serving [Hayward]. This case or "stocke" is what the inventories of Henry VIII refer to. Only very wealthy households would provide knives for guests. It was much more common for people to carry their own cutlery with them [Hayward, Bailey]. Even the inns were not equipped with tableware, expecting the traveller to provide their own [Bailey]. As forks became more common, sets of knife and fork, often with a sheath or case for the pair, came into use. Some travelers had a collapsible or folding set of knife, fork, and spoon [Giblin], much like today's camping tableware.
So, there are a variety of table forks available for use in the period of the SCA. The persona most likely to use a fork would be a rich, late period Italian, while the least likely would be an early period Englishman (or Saxon, or Briton). A poor persona would be very unlikely to use a fork at any time in the SCA period. The richer, later period, and closer to Italy a western European is, the more likely they are to use a fork at table."
Response to Text
The fork was most likely invented to facilitate the handling of food that was dipped in sauce or that had a high fat content (like meat). It was a reaction to the developing eating habits of humans and, as such, it allowed people to change their eating habits slowly.
I think the invention of the fork happened out of a natural need to have tools that made eating easier and more comfortable.
Note: spoons and knifes had been used since prehistoric times (they were made out of stone or bones and were a basic tool for the first humans). Even though they are basic, the fork has been the eating utensile that has needed the most technology; that is why its history is presented here.
lunes, 23 de agosto de 2010
Inventions
TABLE FORK
Forks were first used by the Greeks as utensils to serve their food. It was common for forks to have only two straight tines, so they could only be used to serve or spear food. Later, during the Byzantine era, in the year 972, the use of the table fork in the Western society was faciltated by the Empress Theophanu and her husband, the Emperor Otto II. Later, it was taken to Italy (during the 11th century) where it became a popular eating utensile amongst members of the upper class.
The fork is a piece of cutlery or kitchenware, usually metallic, consisting of a handle with narrow tines at one end. It is used as an eating utensile; it can serve to lift food to the mouth or hold it in place while cooking or cutting. To lift the food, the fork has sharp tines to spear it or a curved surface to hold it on the tines.
Personal Criteria
Forks were developed mainly to help with cooking; their purpose, at first, was to spear food to keep it in place or to remove excess juice from it. Since they were straight, they could only be used to spear food (to cut it or hold it while cooking it).
Rudimentary forks found in China (not considered the first forks because of their simplicity) were made out of bones. As history progressed, the discovery of metals and the different techniques for shaping them made it possible for men to design the ancient, two-tine forks. In the Greek times, these forks were big and bulky; later, during the seveth century, the fork had been redesigned and was made a small, practical golden tool. After being used by the upper class for many years, the fork was made as popular as it is now, and several different types of forks were developed. These types include the spork, a fork that serves as fork and spoon.
The fork has great impact on society: it has allowed the variety of foods that human beings consume and it has shaped the table manners that most of society accepts. Without it, the simple act of eating a meal would be dirty and more complicated (the fork allows precision in cutting and spearing). Also, the fork helped to shape the upper classes of society and their standards (manners).
TOOTHBRUSH
Even though tools used for dental hygiene have been used for longer than we know, the first record of a toothbrush is from 3000 B.C., and it consisted of a twig with a frayed end called a chewstick. Indian and Chinese cultures were the first to use the toothbrush (similar tools that served the same purpose and were made using the twigs of the neem or banyan tree or horse hairs and ox bones (the Muslims were also some of the first people to use this oral hygiene tool). The toothbrush as we know it was invented in England in the 1780’s.
The toothbrush is “an oral hygiene instrument used to clean the teeth and gums that consists of a head of tightly clustered bristles mounted on a handle, which facilitates the cleansing of hard-to-reach areas of the mouth. Toothpaste, which often contains fluoride, is commonly used in conjunction with a toothbrush to increase the effectiveness of toothbrushing.”
Personal Criteria
The toothbrush was created in response to a generalized need to clean the mouth and preserve the teeth. It is an extremely useful tool that provides comfort and, at the same time, ensures the health of one of the most important body parts: the mouth.
The toothbrush, at first, was a very elemental tool. However, with the advances in technology, people were able to turn it into the extremely efficient tool we know now. When there was enough technology to get the horse hairs into a handle (required very precise cutting tools and a way of attaching the hairs securely), the toothbrush began its evolution. Right now, technological advances have made toothbrushes with movable heads, specialized fibers, and much more possible.
Like most inventions, toothbrushes were only available (in Europe) for the nobility and the members of the highest social classes. However, when it became mass produced (in England) for the first time, it became an article of common usage (the cheap toothbrushes were made of pig bristle while the more expensive ones used badge hair). During the time the toothbrush was mass-produced, England was facing a time of riots and social problems. The founder of the company that was to mass-produce toothbrushes came up with the idea in jail, after being held prisoner for starting a riot. While in jail, he figured a way to make the cleaning of teeth easier: he “took a small animal bone, drilled small holes in it, obtained some bristles from a guard, tied them in tufts, passed the tufts through the holes on the bone, and glued them.”
This invention has greatly improved humanity’s dental hygiene and, therefore, it has improved human quality of life. If the toothbrush didn’t exist, humans would begin to have problems with their teeth at an early age and, eventually, would have to eat only liquid things. The toothbrush makes eating solid foods at a relatively old age possible.
TOILET PAPER
Toilet paper was invented in medieval China, and dates back to the 6th century AD. Toilet paper is “a soft paper product (tissue paper) used to maintain personal hygiene after human defecation or urination. However, it can also be used for other purposes such as absorbing spillages or craft projects.”
Personal Criteria
Toilet paper was created to deal with the problem of having to defecate in rivers or to wipe with wool, lace or hemp, rags, wood shavings, leaves, grass, hay, stone, sand, moss, water, snow, maize, ferns, plant husks, fruit skins, or seashells, and corn cobs; it was much easier to use paper. In China, paper was first used by the wealthy (the emperors) and was manually made and perfumed. Since the Chinese were the ones who invented paper, they thought it was the best tool to use when it came to hygiene.
Toilet paper, although somewhat overlooked, is vital in modern society. Without toilet paper, it would be much harder to live in the modern societies we know today. It is a very important tool in our lives and provides a comfortable, efficient method of dealing with a problem that seems less important than what it really is.
Suscribirse a:
Entradas (Atom)