May 15, 2015

Other Words for Underwear

Knickers is actually a standard word for underwear, mainly in Britain. "Knickers" derives from "knickerbockers," or "loose-fitting short pants gathered at the knee." Because the city's early Dutch settlers wore those pants, "New Yorkers" became known as "Knickerbockers." The Knickerbockers, more commonly "The Knicks" is the name of New York's NBA team.

In the 1500s, a corselet was something a soldier might wear, a piece of armor for the torso. The word comes from the French word for body. Several centuries later, the same word emerged and shortened to corset, to describe a combination of girdle and brassiere.

Drawers does not refer to where you store them, as in a chest of drawers. The word drawers has been used since the 16th century to refer to garments such as stockings, underpants, and pants. It comes from the verb draw used in the sense of pull, likely because you pull them up your legs.

The union suit gets its name by uniting the upper and lower pieces of underwear in one garment. Two-piece long johns are more common these days, and do not require a seat flap. Long johns are reputedly named after the late-19th-century heavyweight boxer John L. Sullivan, who wore a similar-looking garment in the ring. This explanation is uncertain and the true origin is unknown.

Singlet usually describes a sleeveless undershirt. It also refers to the one-piece suit a wrestler wears. It has only one thickness of cloth. A doublet is not underwear, but a lined jacket worn by men during the Renaissance.

Five Frozen Food Facts

Frozen foods do not require any added preservatives to keep them safe and consumable, because microbes cannot grow on food that is at a temperature less than 0°F. The microbes do not die at that temperature, but they stop multiplying and can come back as food is unfrozen.

Despite some old wives’ tales, freezing food does not remove any nutrients.

Freezer burn is just the result of air hitting frozen food and allowing the ice to sublimate; other color changes can be blamed on long freezing times or poor packaging. It might look gross, but if your frozen food has maintained a proper temperature, it is fine to eat.

Freezing food typically keeps items edible indefinitely, although taste and quality may diminish over time. Some items that stay tasty even after long freezes include uncooked game, poultry, and meat, which are still good after up to a year in the freezer.

Even though freezing food was used as a storage technique in cold weather climates for many years, it is believed it was first applied to industrial food sales sometime in the 1800s, when a Russian company froze a small quantity of duck and geese and shipped them to London. By 1899, the Baerselman Bros. company adapted frozen storage for their own Russia-to-England food shipping business, though they initially only operated during cold weather months. Birdseye fact here LINK.

Bacon Vitamins and Minerals

Bacon provides substantial amounts of important, necessary vitamins and minerals our bodies need to function healthfully. From bacon, we receive: 65% of our Recommended Daily Intake of Thiamin (Vitamin B1) as well as 47% of Niacin (Vitamin B3), 38% of Vitamin B12, 36% of Zinc, 24% of Vitamin B6, 22% of Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), 22% of Phosphorus, 10% of Pantothenate, 10% of Magnesium, 9% of Iron. The Protein to fat balance in bacon is actually 4 to 1, which is one of the highest protein to fat balances found in any meat, fish, or fowl.

I apologize ahead of time, but cannot get this silly diddy out of my head, bacon pancakes by Hugh Jackman, Wolverine LINK - and the original LINK.

Friday Quote

"I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals." Winston Churchill

May 8, 2015

Happy Friday

Don't reflect on the past, magnify the now.

I always magnify the fun of a Happy Friday!

Mother's Day

This Sunday, May 10 is Mother's Day. Be nice to your mother for a change.

International Battery

The battery has changed much over the years, but the core principle is still the same. The battery was invented during 1800, by Alessandro Volta (an Italian). He called it the Voltaic Pile and was combined layers of copper, zinc, and cardboard soaked in saltwater.

Almost early every stage in the evolution of the battery has come from a different country. An Englishman improved on Volta’s battery, a Frenchman developed the first rechargeable battery, and a Swede invented the nickel-cadmium battery. The only American influence came from Benjamin Franklin, who was the first person to use the word battery.

Bacon, Pancetta, and Prosciutto

Bacon and pancetta have the most in common. They are both typically made from pork belly and both are cured for a certain length of time. Both are also considered raw and need to be cooked before eating.

The process for making the two is slightly different. Pancetta is simply cured with salt, but spices and other aromatics are often added to infuse the pancetta with other flavors. Pancetta is sometimes sold sliced paper thin, or cubed. The thin slices can be wrapped around vegetables or meat before cooking. The pancetta cubes are often used like bacon, sautéed with onions or garlic to form the base of a soup, pasta, or risotto.

Bacon is also cured, like pancetta, but the meat is smoked after it has been cured. This is usually a cold-smoking process, meaning that the bacon isn't actually heated or cooked during smoking and remains raw. Smoking can be done with a wide range of woods, from apple to maple, which each give their own distinctive flavors to the meat.

So pancetta is cured and unsmoked, while bacon is cured and smoked, but both need to be cooked before being eaten. They can be used interchangeably in dishes.

Prosciutto is very different from either bacon or pancetta. Prosciutto is made from the hind leg of a pig (ie, the ham), and outside Italy, calling it prosciutto indicates a ham that has been cured.

The quality of prosciutto depends on the curing process. The outside of the ham is usually rubbed with just salt and sometimes a mix of spices. This draws out moisture and concentrates the flavor while the ham slowly air-dries. This process can take from a few months to a several years depending on the desired result. Once cured, prosciutto is usually thinly sliced and eaten as is, uncooked. Sometimes prosciutto gets lightly cooked as a finishing touch to a pasta sauce or other dish, but this is more to bring out the aroma and merge flavors.

Longer Days

The earth is gradually slowing down. Every few years, an extra second is added to make up for lost time. Millions of years ago, a day on Earth would have been only 20 hours long. It is believed that, in another million years time, a day on Earth will be 27 hours long.

Wallet vs. Billfold

The word 'wallet' has been in use since the late 14th century to refer to a bag or a knapsack for carrying articles.

A billfold is a type of wallet carried by a man that folds over. Billfold is one of those practical words that describe the function, as folding bills. It is like the kitchen cupboard, which was originally a wall attached board used to store cups and plates.

Americans call their paper money bills, even though they are really Federal Reserve Notes. Other English speaking countries call them notes.

Although billfold and wallet are used interchangeably, it is now more common to use wallet. Technically, a wallet is the type women usually carry in their purse. It has a long section where they can put money without folding it

Wallets were developed after the introduction of paper currency to the West in the 1600s. The first paper currency was introduced in the New World by the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1690. Prior to the introduction of paper currency, coin purses, usually simple drawstring leather pouches, were used for storing coins. Early wallets were made primarily of cow or horse leather and included a small pouch for printed calling cards.

During the 1800s, in addition to money or currency, a wallet would also be used for carrying dried meat, victuals, treasures, and "things not to be exposed". Wallets originally were used by early industrial Americans. It was considered semi-civilized in 19th century America to carry a wallet attached to the belt.

Incidentally, 'share of wallet' is a marketing measurement for the proportion of money the customer spends on a product brand in preference to the competing brands.

Bottom line, all billfolds are wallets, but not all wallets are billfolds.

Cancer and Sex

A man is 35% more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than a woman is to be diagnosed with breast cancer.

Sriracha Sauce

Rooster sauce, as it is also known has around since the 1980s. During the early 1980’s, David Tran immigrated to the United States from Vietnam and settled in Los Angeles. He was unable to find a hot sauce that he liked and began making his own. His recipe was modeled and named after the local hot sauces in Sri Racha, Thailand.

He began selling the sauce out of the back of his van and as the popularity of the sauce grew. Huy Fong Foods grew swiftly and today over ten million bottles of Huy Fong Foods Sriracha Sauce are sold every year.

The bright red, multi-purpose hot sauce is made from red chili peppers, garlic, vinegar, salt, and sugar. The sauce is hot and tangy with just a hint of sweetness. The flavor is unique, addictive, and very versatile.

Sriracha sauce is often served as a condiment in Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese restaurants throughout the United States. The most popular brand is manufactured in the US by Huy Fong Foods, which is owned by Tran.