Talk:Stephenson:Neal:Quicksilver:576:rotten fish (Neal Stephenson)

From the Quicksilver Metaweb.

Odd

Odder still, Louis Joseph, Duke of Vendôme ties into what Ben Franklin was talking to Enoch Root about - the Asiento.

Instincto

There is a dietary practice known as "anopsology," "instinctive eating," or "instincto." The short explanation of this is that practitioners eat only uncooked single foods, one at a time. They determine what to eat based on smell, and eat that one thing until it stops tasting good. My favorite reference is an article called An Ex-Instincto's Guide to Instinctive Eating. This article contains the story of a woman who for about a month ate only fruit and spoiling raw fish, which seemed to have caused her rheumatoid arthritis to go into remission. --Jeremy

Garum is the Latin name for a sauce made of rotten fish that was exported from Gadir (modern Cádiz, in Spain) to all the Roman Empire.

It's amazing

I can understand, a bit, from where Instinctos are coming from. For myself the changes in how a food tastes, or, in how it affects me, are dramatic, going from palatable to the feeling one is eating, as best as I can describe it, broken glass which has been soaked in Sulfuric Acid -- always makes me think of eating Raw Skunk Cabage. Forcing oneself to continue eating after this change becomes noticable generaly results in greater and greater degrees of pain, pain which can persist for some time after the meal has ended.

Oddly Enough

In both a similar, and disimilar way to what Kirt Nief describes in Jeremey's link, this change happens very, very rapidly, for me, when I eat raw foods, slightly less so with "Healthy", Vegetarian meals, and far, far slower with the meals typicaly served at a Greasy Spoon. Consequently I eat very little raw foods, Other than Sushi that is! Which appears to be in direct opposition to the Instinctos Diet, well, other than the fish.

Am I alone here?

Is there a Carnivores Diet which is also based on Taste Changes?

timberbee 14:42, 5 Jan 2004 (PST)

The Swedes (OK, _some_ Swedes) are apparently fond of a dish called surströmming, which translates as "fermented herring". I thought that we were being given a clue to the nationality of Eliza's kidnapper in his unusual diet. Of course, Jack's later discoveries in Paris suggest otherwise. (Search for web references to the dish for various explicit descriptions of this dish's foul smell, its prohibition from consuption in public, etc.)

Did you miss the bit where Jack says pirates & navies were encouraged with cash monies to sack Qwghlm by the English

Durians

The durian is a type of tropical fruit predominantly found in Southeast Asia. The fruit is green to brown, oblong to round, prickly with strong sharp thorns and emits a strong, distinctive smell that for most people is offensive-smelling.

The durian is native to Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei, although it can grow in any similar climate. The center of ecologic diversity for durian is the island of Borneo. Thailand is a major exporter of durians. Other places where durian is grown include Mindanao in the Philippines, Queensland in Australia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, India, and Sri Lanka.

Because the fruit's odour is offensive to some people, it is forbidden to bring durians as hand luggage on to aircraft belonging to some airlines. They are also forbidden on the Singapore public transit system.

Many people regard the durian to be a very tasty fruit; it is often called the "king of fruits" by locals. Some Westerners have described the fruit as "like eating custard in a public lavatory". The mild-tasting, large seeds can be roasted and eaten.

The durian tree grows up to 40 metres in height and durians can hang from any branches, and a typical durian can weigh 1-2 kg, so a durian plantation during durian season is hardhat territory. A durian falling on a person's head can cause serious injuries.

The scientific name for the durian of commerce is Durio zibethinus. Other edible durian species are sometimes available in the local markets of Southeast Asia.

For the adventurous living in the Seattle area, you can find durian in Asian food stores, most notably Uwajimaya. Overcome by curiosity, I admit to trying durian ice cream. It would carry a nice fruity flavor if the dirty diaper were somehow excised. --Zak 11:06, 2004 Jan 9 (PST)

It can land you in Jail! The smell lingers ... - Sparky 16:02, 2004 Jan 9 (PST)