SC - Modern vs. Middle Ages-OT-OOP

[LrdRas at aol.com]

In a message dated 7/16/98 1:44:57 AM Eastern Daylight Time, parlei at algonet.se
writes:

<< A household with
 perhaps 10-15 members (not unreasonable on a farmstead, or in town)  
 should be able to eat all of this before it goes bad, even if none of it
 gets smoked, prickled or salted. Earth-cellars, springhouses and such
 were there to keep things cool, so they'd last longer. 
 
 /UlfR >>

Nice reminder. :-) Far too often we forget the actual level of technology that
existed in the MA preferring to feel that because we do a thing in the modern
world it is more advanced when in fact the opposite is the case in many areas
(woodworking, glass production, metalsmithing, sewing, food preservation and
most of your basic handcrafts come to mind). Certainly materials have improved
inn some areas BUT the basic finished product has deteriorated to an alarming
degree with regards to workmanship and ornamentation.

Keeping the above in mind I would also point out that basic things like ham,
bacon and fish preservation is m for the most part, in a sorry state of
affairs in the modern world. Have you tried to hang a ham or a package of
bacon, or for that matter a piece of smoked fish up in the kitchen lately? Not
a good idea! As a child I vividly remember my grandmother going to the smoke
house and cutting off a piece of side bacon then carefully scraping off the
green part, thinly slicing ithe remainder and frying. A dish to swoon over,
IMO. :-)

We must be carefully about assuming that electricity, refrigeration and modern
industrial production have produced a "better" way of doing things. In a large
number of cases, this is simply not the case. Ease and comfort do not
translate into "better than" or even "more advanced ways". :-)
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