“Every year as Easter approaches, if you are lucky, you might catch the scent of baking bread and fragrant anise wafting in the air in my hometown of Clarksburg, West Virginia. Easter bread, sweet and flavored with anise seed, is a holiday ritual in the Italian-American community here. With roots stretching back to Calabria, making Easter bread is a foodways tradition that now thrives in North Central West Virginia” — Lori Hostuttler, Assistant Director at West Virginia & Regional History Center
Steven P. Carriger Jr, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Abstract. This dissertation examines yaupon drink, a tea made from yaupon holly along with other ingredients, as a medicine bundle in the Atlantic World. Originally a medicinal drink used by Native Americans across the what is today the American South, over time the tea became a trade good demanded by the Spanish and a medicinal herb sought by European botanists and medical practitioners. Chapter One traces yaupon’s origins across the southeast and bundles the drink into the many cosmic and social connections it held. Chapter Two shows how the Spanish colonial presence offered an alternative to yaupon in Florida, through Christianity and its Sacraments even as the Spanish themselves began to commodify it, demanding it as an item of tribute. Chapter Three looks beyond Spanish Florida into the interior of the southeast as Creek, Cherokee, and Natchez towns negotiated the “Shatter Zone” and shows how towns of the Native Americans preserved or changed how they used yaupon in response to European colonialism. Chapter Four explains how the yaupon became a part of medicine and gardens in early modern Europe and how its leaves negotiated the changes that the Enlightenment brought. Using archaeology and European narrative histories, this dissertation examines yaupon drink within its relational fields, recognizing its affordances and how these help write a small piece of a decolonized history of the tangled relationships among Native Americans and Europeans in Southeast and the larger Atlantic World.
Dr. Gisela Olias, Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit, TUM
In some Christian traditions, especially among Catholics who observe dietary restrictions during Lent, chicory root has been used as a caffeine-free substitute for coffee. It’s commonly consumed in Louisiana and parts of Europe.
The term “Muckefuck” (pronounced “Mook-eh-fook”) is a traditional German word for coffee substitutes, particularly those made from roasted chicory root, barley, or other grains. No joke! “Muckefuck” is a real historical term in Germany, and while it may sound funny to English speakers, it has nothing to do with profanity.
The word likely comes from a mix of French and German dialects. One theory is that it originates from the French phrase “mocca faux”, meaning “fake coffee” (literally, “false mocha”).
Over time, German pronunciation altered it into “Muckefuck”, referring to coffee substitutes made from chicory, barley, or other roasted grains.
It was commonly used in Prussia, Bavaria, and other German-speaking areas, especially during times of war or economic hardship when real coffee was unavailable.
While the word may raise eyebrows for English speakers, it’s completely innocent in German! If you prefer, you can simply ask for “Chicorée Kaffee” or “Malzkaffee” in Munich to avoid any awkward moments.
“Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May” John Herrick | John William Waterhouse
“The Sound of Noon” on the Charlottesville Campus
University of New Hampshire
Good luck to all those helping to move their student in to UoB accommodation this weekend! It will be a busy time with lots of students moving in, but there will be lots of support on the day, so just ask!
There’s also lots to do on campus too so come along & have a wander around pic.twitter.com/xZHG3RA2z4
Abstract. Insights into the history and future of western civilization are found by applying information theory to the acoustical communication channel (ACC) of its worship spaces. Properties of the ACC have both influenced and reflected the choice of message coding (e.g., speech or music) at various times. Speech coding is efficient for acoustically dry ACCs, but hopeless for highly time-dispersive ACCs. Music coding is appropriate for time dispersive (reverberant) ACCs. The ACCs of synagogues, early Christian house churches, and many Protestant churches are relatively acoustically “dry” and thus well suited to spoken liturgies.
The spoken liturgy, dominant in synagogues, was carried over to early Christian churches, but became unworkable in Constantinian cathedrals and was largely replaced with a musical liturgy. After a millennium, the cathedral acoustic was altered to suit the doctrinal needs of reformation churches with its renewed emphasis on the spoken word. Worship forms continue to change, and the changes are reflected in the properties of the ACC. The pulpits of electronic churches may be evolving into radio and television performance spaces and naves into worshipers’ living rooms.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology is responsible for maintaining and disseminating official time in the United States. While NIST does not have a direct role in implementing clock changes for daylight saving time, it does play an important role in ensuring that timekeeping systems across the country are accurate and consistent.
Prior to the implementation of daylight saving time, NIST issues public announcements reminding individuals and organizations to adjust their clocks accordingly. NIST also provides resources to help people synchronize their clocks, such as the time.gov website and the NIST radio station WWV.
In addition, NIST is responsible for developing and maintaining the atomic clocks that are used to define Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the international standard for timekeeping. UTC is used as the basis for all civil time in the United States, and it is the reference time used by many systems, including the Global Positioning System (GPS) and the internet.
Overall, while NIST does not have a direct role in implementing clock changes for daylight saving time, it plays an important role in ensuring that timekeeping systems across the country are accurate and consistent, which is essential for the smooth implementation of any changes to the system.
👑 Today, Dutch King Willem-Alexander celebrates his 57th birthday with Queen Máxima and his daughters Amalia, Alexia and Ariane in Emmen, a town in the northeastern Netherlands.
— [Wim Dehandschutter] (@WDehandschutter) April 27, 2024
Stamppot is a Dutch comfort food known for its simplicity and versatility. It combines mashed potatoes with various vegetables, typically leafy greens like kale (boerenkool), endive (andijvie), or sauerkraut (zuurkool), and often includes bacon or sausage.
The name “stamppot” comes from the Dutch words “stampen” (to mash) and “pot” (pot). The dish is prepared by mashing the boiled potatoes and vegetables together in a single pot. The result is a slightly chunky mixture of mashed potatoes and vegetables.
There are many variations of stamppot, depending on the vegetables used. The most common types include boerenkool stamppot (kale stamppot), andijvie stamppot (endive stamppot), and zuurkool stamppot (sauerkraut stamppot). Each variation has its own distinct flavor and texture.
Stamppot runs deep in the Netherlands and is considered a staple of Dutch cuisine. It’s a dish that brings people together, especially during the traditional “Hutspot Day” (Hutspotfeest) celebrations in some regions.
Related: Dutch Student Stew
“Dutch Student Stew” also known as “Hutspot” in Dutch. It’s a traditional Dutch dish that consists of mashed potatoes, carrots, and onions, often flavored with salt, pepper, and sometimes bacon. It’s a hearty and simple comfort food that has been popular in the Netherlands for many years. The name “Dutch Student Stew” might be a colloquial or humorous reference to the fact that it’s an easy and inexpensive dish to prepare, making it suitable for students or anyone on a budget.
New update alert! The 2022 update to the Trademark Assignment Dataset is now available online. Find 1.29 million trademark assignments, involving 2.28 million unique trademark properties issued by the USPTO between March 1952 and January 2023: https://t.co/njrDAbSpwBpic.twitter.com/GkAXrHoQ9T