[Sca-cooks] water and plums

[Suey]

Stefan makes me laugh. He wrote:
> What is the "Way of St. James"? Is this following the pilgrims path
Yes. There several routes. The most come is the French route going from 
Paris to Santiago de Compestela via Burgos and Leon. Another route goes 
along the coast of Biscay, via Vigo. Then there is a southern route for 
Spaniards, another from Lisbon and by sea from Scandinavia..
> I do have this Florilegium file on medieval water quality.
> bev-water-msg     (30K)  6/11/06    Water as a beverage in period.
>   
As St. James is the patron of Spain all Spaniards really feel they 
should walk this route some time during their lives from any point be it 
Paris, Leon, Burgos etc. I did it once from Astoria and would repeat it 
any time. I met people from all over the world walking. It was a 
wonderful experience. One can do it any time of the year or any year.
 
Stefan's msg does not deal the dangers of polluted rivers as does the 
10th Century text I read, which we can also translate as danger of 
changing the in take of different minerals. Today I do not drink tap 
water in Chicago, the Pocono mountains in PA, Barcelona etc. not because 
the water is not safe but different minerals affect my stomach.

> If you come across the details of this 10th century book on water  
> quality, I'd love to add that information to this file.
>   
You don't want it. It's in old Spanish and very hard reading for me and 
I can't find it so forget it..

> <<< The only figure I know who received material benefits through  
> cooking
> was not a cook but a messenger. He was little Jack Horner. He did not
> pull out a  plum from the pie he was taking to Henry VIII as a Christmas
> present  from the Abbot of Glastonbury but a deed to Mells Manor, common
> fare in those days to hide deeds in pies. The descendants still own the
> estate. >>>
>
> I've heard that many "nursery" rhymes actually sprung from political  
> satires disguised to keep the authors from getting in trouble. I have  
> this article on songs, but I would love to have more details on  
> whether what we think of as nursery rhymes, also originated that way.
>   
That is correct. Mother Goose flying on her broom stick, the old crone, 
living alone with an own cackles like witches and is symbolic of them. 
She probably was born during the 15th or before when 'witches' were 
blamed for all disasters from floods to famine to plagues but not 
recorded until out of period. Was Humpty Dumpty Richard II, Charles I or 
a cannon during that civil way in Colchester? Even some think he was 
Henry VI. To each his own. Mary had a little lamb is a critic of 
religion especially the Roman Catholic. Mary, Mary quite contrary 
reflects the queen's treatment of Protestants using instruments of 
torture / silver bells - and execution alive at the steak. Ring around 
the rosy is the Black Death - we all fall down. Old King Cole was King 
Coel, living in Colchester during the 3rd century. He married his 
daughter Helen off to a Roman general. She was the mother of Emperor 
Constantine who brought peace to England naming her or his uncles 
senators in Rome. By then Old King Cole lived merrily in heaven cause he 
had died  - or so they say about all of this.     
> . . . this Jack Horner story. That was quite  a "plum".  But did simply having possession of the deed also give you  possession of the property? I'd have thought that all the Abbot would  
> have to do was simply say that the deed was meant for the King. Or that the deed itself would have had words added to it transferring ownership to the King.  Either way, taking something from the King would seem to be a rather dangerous thing to do.
>
>   
Fascinating story and that the Horner family still owns the estate. We 
must organize some wars or whatever there so the family can give us 
their version of  'the plum'! Can you write a nursery rhyme about me?  
Wouldn't mind a plum miself! If you give me a pie with a plum like that 
I promise never to tell Queen Elizabeth.

We don't have Spanish nursery rhymes as such that we can think of. It is 
fascinating. A book can be written on all this material if not all 
ready!  Go for it. I will be your first buyer!

I am ending this message because when you read the end I hope you will 
be laughing so hard you won't want to read anymore.  I am not going to 
tell you about Little Red Riding Hood but I like this version: 
http://www.funnyandjokes.com/little-red-riding-hood-politically-correct-version.html
Suey