1. K Rations were named after Dr. Ancel Keys, an American physiologist who was asked to develop compact but nutritionally adequate ration packs for paratroopers after the US became involved in the Second World War. He went shopping in a Minneapolis grocery store and concocted a mix of hard biscuits, dry sausage, hard candy and chocolate. Not exactly the kind of food Dr. Keys would eventually be recommending to the public, given that he was the first scientist to show a link between saturated fat intake and heart disease. Back in 1947, after perusing obituaries and noting an increase in heart attack deaths, Keys began a study of businessmen and found a link between blood cholesterol and heart disease. He went on to show that the culprit causing the high cholesterol levels was saturated fat in the diet and for his effort received the nickname “Mr. Cholesterol.” Keys then launched his famed “Seven Countries Study” which provided the first evidence that a diet rich in vegetables, fruit, pasta, bread and olive oil, with small amounts of meat, eggs and dairy products, reduced the risk of heart disease. Dr. Keys died in November at the age of 100 at his Italian villa where he undoubtedly consumed many healthy “Mediterranean” style meals. In 1961, Time magazine featured Dr. Keys on its cover crediting him with tracking down the cause of heart disease, instantly making saturated fats nutritional pariahs. But a little digging into Keys’ work unearths an unsettling fact. It seems he actually studied twenty two countries and did a little cherry-picking of the data. If one plots all the data, the association between saturated fat and heart disease disappears. Furthermore, the classic Framingham study that linked blood cholesterol to heart disease, showed no association between the disease and saturated fat intake.
2. Danbury, Connecticut, used to be the center of the American hat industry. It was also known for the “Danbury shakes,” a condition that encompassed tremors, incoherent speech, difficulty in walking and eventual feeble-mindedness. Victims of this disease were the hatters who used mercury compounds in the processing of felt! This condition was also known in Europe, as evidenced by Lewis Carrol’s “Mad Hatter” character in the famous Alice stories. Great care needs to be exercised in the handling of mercury. Fortunately, today mercury thermometers are rare so it is unlikely that you would have to deal with a broken one. But should that happen, the metal should be cleaned up with an eyedropper and placed in a sealed container. Never use a vacuum cleaner, it spreads the mercury vapor!
3. The ancient Greeks thought they knew where the entrance to hell was to be found. In a cave right beside the Temple of Apollo in Pamukkale, in what now is Turkey! No animal or man who wandered into the misty cave ever returned. That’s because the cave is permeated with subterranean hot streams which flow over deposits of limestone and pick up carbon dioxide gas. Then as the carbonated water reaches the surface, the pressure is released and the gas escapes. Since carbon dioxide is heavier than air, it pushes the air out of the cave. So anyone entering is quickly overcome by a lack of oxygen. One might call that a “hell of an explanation!”
4. Restaurants often offer mints to their patrons after a meal. This is an old tradition geared to reducing the chance of untoward gaseous emissions. Gas builds up in the intestine in various ways. Some air is swallowed, some carbon dioxide is produced when acids are neutralized by natural bicarbonate in the gut, and the action of bacteria on indigestible food components produces hydrogen and methane. The bottom line is that there is a build up of gas that has to come out one way or another. Peppermint contains natural oils that act as “carminatives,” meaning that they allow sphincter muscles to relax so that gases are expelled steadily instead of in an explosive staccato fashion.
5. The tradition of drinking white wine with fish and red with meat can be traced to the presence of tannic acid found in the grape skins from which red wine is made. Much of the flavor of red meat is due to compounds in the fat, but unfortunately fat coats the taste buds so that subsequent bites do not taste as good as the first. This is where tannic acid comes in. It has detergent properties, meaning that it can remove fat. So, sipping red wine between bites cleanses the taste buds. Fish has less fat, and tannic acid can also overpower the more delicate flavor of fish. Contrary to what some may think, it is not illegal to drink white wine with meat.
