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Period health practices, updated
So this Pennsic was unusually dominated by All Things Medical -- not for any bad reason, simply because it's ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
unicornpearlz' specialty, and we spent a bunch of time talking about it. And so, after dropping her off for the second run of her Overview of 16th Century Medicine class, I found myself thinking about the humors.
You know about the humors -- the period notion that all things are some combination of hot and cold, wet and dry, and that balancing the humors is crucial to proper health. In period, many of the cookbooks talk about these characteristics of the dishes therein, and how they may thereby be used for medicinal purposes. Unfortunately, there isn't much period cooking at Pennsic. So I ruminated on what foods I should be eating at Pennsic in order to properly balance my humors. After a few minutes' thought, I came up with what I believe is a reasonably canonical list of the four purest options:
Gatorade: which is cold and wet.
Whiskey: which is, of course, hot and wet.
Chocolate: which is cold and dry. (Unless it is melted, in which case it is hot and wet, but whiskey still wins there.)
And finally, Bacon: the most perfect food that is hot and dry. (When correctly made.)
So it is that, by the proper application of these foods, we may keep ourselves healthy at Pennsic. For instance, when a fighter walks off the field, overheated and parched, we feed them Gatorade. Or when we wake up, cold and clammy from the night's dew, a suitable amount of Bacon (say, six slices) will balance our humors nicely. I leave it as an exercise for the reader to fill in the best uses of the other foods.
And so, good gentles, remember to stock properly when preparing for the War. Other foods are optional, but these four should be part of any careful plan...
unicornpearlz' specialty, and we spent a bunch of time talking about it. And so, after dropping her off for the second run of her Overview of 16th Century Medicine class, I found myself thinking about the humors.You know about the humors -- the period notion that all things are some combination of hot and cold, wet and dry, and that balancing the humors is crucial to proper health. In period, many of the cookbooks talk about these characteristics of the dishes therein, and how they may thereby be used for medicinal purposes. Unfortunately, there isn't much period cooking at Pennsic. So I ruminated on what foods I should be eating at Pennsic in order to properly balance my humors. After a few minutes' thought, I came up with what I believe is a reasonably canonical list of the four purest options:
Gatorade: which is cold and wet.
Whiskey: which is, of course, hot and wet.
Chocolate: which is cold and dry. (Unless it is melted, in which case it is hot and wet, but whiskey still wins there.)
And finally, Bacon: the most perfect food that is hot and dry. (When correctly made.)
So it is that, by the proper application of these foods, we may keep ourselves healthy at Pennsic. For instance, when a fighter walks off the field, overheated and parched, we feed them Gatorade. Or when we wake up, cold and clammy from the night's dew, a suitable amount of Bacon (say, six slices) will balance our humors nicely. I leave it as an exercise for the reader to fill in the best uses of the other foods.
And so, good gentles, remember to stock properly when preparing for the War. Other foods are optional, but these four should be part of any careful plan...
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I'm with you on everything but whiskey, though. I cannot give up chocolate for Pennsic, period or no ;).
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If you are REALLY looking for a double dose, put Whiskey in your Coffee. I prefer Bushmill's.
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Aristotle would be so disappointed.
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I may have to make some for my next road trip.
Since we're talking about my research...
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In fact, that's where the earliest rumors of spontaneous human combustion come from: cautionary tales during the 18th centiry gin craze of old women (already dry as shown by their wrinkles) overindulging in gin and tobacco until *poof*
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(First rule of SCA humor: deliberately don't do research beforehand -- it just takes your nice, pure point and complicates it with facts. Easier to wear the "Bad Laurel, no biscuit" placard afterwards.)
That said, surely something can be done with the spontaneous-combustion notion. I smell a filk coming on...
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Okay, so I can see whiskey bacon. And chocolate bacon makes some sense (might be too much of a good thing, apparently 'hot'). Chocolate whiskey is...well, it's a thing, but not unbelievable. So chocolate whiskey bacon is right around the corner, and might taste good.
But chocolate gatorade whiskey bacon?! Right out.
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This is so awesome that it hurts.
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Did have a lot of bacon. Didn't really need gatorade, not having left Tagmata much during the day, except to head up to EMS tent to change my bandages (they were really great - helpful and pleasant!) Whiskey of course, and some chocolate (Choc covered ginger, and chocolate covered almonds rolled in sea salt and red pepper from Trader Joe's, my favorite candy store)
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Bandages? I've missed a story...
Bandages
I should really learn how to find Lochleven. I try every year or two, and it is just random. Would be easier if I did it in daytime some time :)
Re: Bandages
(You can get there via the bog as well, and that might be shorter, but is a little harder to describe precisely. Basically, bear right at the Bard Simpson windwall, and up the road onto Hangover Hill, and we're on the left.)
Anyway, sympathies on the hand, and hope it heals well...