SC - once again bread

[Decker, Terry D.]

Lady Elisabeth said:

> But to turn the topic towards food/eating patterns,  I seem to recall that
in
>Medieval times, if you were a good sized person, it proved you ate well,
and
>were well-to-do to be able to eat well.  Also, is not the current trend of
anorexic
>only recent as 20th century?  I remember reading a list of qualities to
look for
>in a bride, and wide hips for children, good bosom for nursing are part of
the
>description. Any comments?

I had a teacher in grad school who was from Australia, and can still
remember his ringing accolade of one young woman as having "wonderful
child-bearing hips!"  (Said the way he did, it was not harassment but
appreciation.)  So it's not just a medieval thing, but a matter of culture
and personal taste.  There is a Mexican (Hispanic?) saying that "A true
woman is built like a guitarra," which pretty well summarizes THEIR opinion
on the subject.

Yes, in many times, being well-fed meant you had the money, and not just for
quantities of food but for the right types - calorie- and fat-laden meats,
sugar and other sweetenings, and so forth.  Also, it signaled that you
didn't have some horrible disease such as consumption, which is not called
"the wasting disease" for nothing.  Just as today, very thin people are
suspicioned to have (1) AIDS, (2) a drug habit, or (3) anorexia.

It is interesting to note that today, many in the poorer classes have a
trouble with overweight because so much of the inexpensive,
easily-available, quick-to-eat food is high-calorie and high-salt.  If you
have a slim, toned body it means you have the money to buy low-cal foods,
and probably the time to work out or do other things to keep your weight
down.  Also, you're more likely to be working, which cuts down on the time
sitting around like a lump doing elbow exercises.

>OTOH, an ill-fitting bodice can look bad on any body type.  I recall a waif
of a
>woman about 90 lbs soaking wet that wanted to desparately have her bodice 
>create a c-cup chest from a flat-as-a-board chest.  Works both ways.

Yep - without something as a starter, nothing is going to happen.  Was she
issued a couple of gym socks?


					---= Morgan (one of those
"guitar-women")


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	                   Morgan Cely Cain * Steppes, Ansteorra


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	                     For they shall certainly need it.

	      For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism.

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