SC - turkeys again

[Nanna Rögnvaldardóttir]

>     Alas, I must bring a point up here.  
> 
>     Alas, the substance was a tomato.  Evidence has been found in South 
> America (in the form of Chinese anchors), China (seeds and such), and the 
> remains of several Sultanate palaces that were ruins far before a modern cook 
> could have contaminated them.   I beleive the evidence is overwhelming....  
> ((btw, I do offer documentation, as soon as my moving is completed and I have 
> a chance to unpack it.))

All well and good, but do you have documentation that tomatoes were 
eaten in Europe during period? 
That is the gist of this discussion.
It is one thing to say that they were eaten at some banquets in Imperial 
China, and one incident of them being sent to Asia Minor, but another to 
say that that makes them a standard item of fare in a Feast in a 
Eurocentric Society, celebrating Eurocentric events and activities.

It is well established that Tomatoes were an established food crop in 
America, too, IIRC, but that continent is not Europe, either.

FWIW, There are other ways to give food the color of blood than by
tomatoes. I'd like to see your documentation.

I do not recall any mention of such seeds in any of the rather sparse 
literature on Chinese mummies I have seen, and I would love to see more.

Another thing, and occaisional trip to the Americas Does not automatically 
equate with a trading connection for bulk foods.

Tomatoes are notably perishable, and would not be likely to survive a sea 
voyage of several months from South America to the Chinese Mainland.
Therefore, if these were indeed a menu item for the Chinese they would 
have to be grown from seed _in China_. Such a tasty, nutritious, and 
useful food item should have utterly _swept_ a culture with a few food 
and medicinal taboos as the Chinese. 
I'd like to see the documentation for this too.

"Overwhelming evidence" should be easy to prove/disprove.
I await your documentation when you unpack it, but I will reserve the right 
to regard the theory of PreColumbian Chinese Tomato Trade with America 
as hokum until then.

A rock with a hole in it only means that something made a hole in a rock.
Chinese anchors would have to also be supported with other artifacts.
Where is the Chinese equivalent of Coke Bottles in the Village Midden?
The Chinese were a metalworking culture all through period. They should 
have left some lasting trace other than the occasional rock.
FWIW ...
If I wanted to make a weight to tie something like a boat or net to, and 
make it out of a rock, I have only two choices. 
I can either 
A)  put a hole in the rock and thread the rope through it (which WONT 
come loose), or 
B) tie the rope around the rock (which might come loose). 
If I choose A, that does not necessarily make me Chinese.

I have yet to be convinced.

Brandu