[Sca-cooks] The more things are different, the more they are the same

[Susan Fox-Davis]

Maggie MacDonald wrote:

> [on food in Babylon 5]And wasn't there another show where there was discussion
> on swedish
> meatballs, and how just about every culture has some form of them?  I've
> noticed that there's more than a grain of truth in that. Everybody has some
> form of chopped up meat in little gobbets floating in a creamy-ish sauce.

Those who eat meat, probably so.  In vegetarian cultures, there are still chopped
fried vegs in creamy sauce, I know an Indian take-out near my house with something
like that.

My main image of the "culinary omnipresent" item is stuff wrapped in dough.
Burrito, won ton, kreplach, ravioli, pirogi, etc. etc.

> Have you ever noticed that just about every culture also uses garlic?  I
> don't think the Eskimo don't, but their growing season kind of stinks a
> lot.

The Japanese traditionally don't use much garlic.  I am given to understand that
an impolite Japanese expression for Koreans is "Garlic Eaters."  However, garlic
has made some inroads into Japanese cuisine in modern times if what we see on
"Iron Chef" is any indication.  On the other other [third?] hand, my mother's best
Korean buddy gives her a jar of chopped garlic whenever there is illness in the
house, labelled "Korean Penicillin."

> Did the viking sorts have garlic?

Oh yes.  Sirene spicery lists it on their "Norse Spice Chest" page
<http://www.silk.net/sirene/norse.htm>
I also find an interesting item about a famous Garlic Night festival in Finalnd:
<http://www.helsinki.fi/jarj/lks/fimsic/en/LC_Oulu.htm>

Huzzah for Garlic!

Selene Colfox