Article

2005-02-16 China-Japan-Koreas

N. Korea ~~Forced to~~ Marks Kimmie's 63rd Birthday

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Posted by Steve White 2005-02-16 00:00:00|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Alcohol is a traditional food?

Beer was invented in Egypt as a way to preserve surplus grain from spoilage. That drinking it leads to an altered mental state is a mere side effect of consuming the preserved grain (or benefit, depending on one's mental state). I imagine that, given recent diet of most North Koreans, quite a few of them be keenly aware of the effect of that first glass of preserved grain -- as there will be nothing in their stomachs to absorb the unaccustomed dose of alcohol.

Posted by trailing wife 2005-02-16 1:16:06 AM|| 2005-02-16 1:16:06 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 If you read contemporary accounts fron 17th and 18th century Britain, one thing that is striking is everyone drank beer all the time. Even poor people drank beer for breakfast everyday. I suspect becuase in the days before mains water, it was a way to get water free of harmful parasites and bacteria. The beer was relatively low alcohol content and referred to as 'small beer'. A term that is now used to refer to something of minor consequence.

Posted by phil_b 2005-02-16 1:44:39 AM|| 2005-02-16 1:44:39 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 When we first moved to Germany in 1991, I stopped in a tea room with Trailing Daughter, then about 18 months old. I ordered tea for myself, and asked for tap water for TD, to make up a bottle. The dear little old ladies in the shop were appalled -- tap water is for cooking only, they explained in halting English. For drinking one must use bottled water, to be safe. This was in the spa town of Bad Soden above Frankfurt, where the healthy spring waters bubbled up in fountains spotted all around the village, and those taking the "cure" drank a cupful directly from each one every day.

To be fair, while the tap water in that village was perfectly safe, I wouldn't drink tap water in Frankfurt proper, which I believe comes from either the Rhein or Main rivers; both carry the waste of all the communities and industries from Switzerland on down.

Posted by trailing wife 2005-02-16 2:02:52 AM|| 2005-02-16 2:02:52 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 The rest of the peasants had an extra half-cup of grass soup for dinner.

Steve : You forgot to mention. Only members of the Communist Party in good standing get a dandelion blossom added for extra flavor in the soup!!!

Posted by BigEd 2005-02-16 11:52:52 AM|| 2005-02-16 11:52:52 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 Kimjongilia: a condition resulting in poofy hair

Posted by Frank G 2005-02-16 12:11:40 PM|| 2005-02-16 12:11:40 PM|| Front Page Top

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