The Lair

Every culture, it seems, has a seemingly inexhaustible storehouse of axioms, homilies and quotes – usually translated as “rural wisdom”. Some of these homilies are grounded in science – for example, boil cassava roots in an open pot (to allow the toxic cyanides to evaporate).
Who the hell first discovered that? How many people died to figure it out? Those are the things they never teach you in school.

There are other homilies, however, which are probably grounded in science but no one follows these days. For example, when I was young I was strictly forbidden to eat more than one egg per day. No, really. More than that is bad for me, I was told. I will get lower voice into a hushed whisper high cholesterol. Yes, this is probably true but other aspects of my lifestyle (which attract no comment) are probably higher risk activities than eating a couple of eggs for breakfast.

Another one: don’t put too much vinegar on your food (especially the delicious raw fruit mixed with chillie and sugar preparations) because the acid will melt your bones. Wait, what? I don’t understand the science behind that one at all.

Then there is the entire class of things called heaty food – which includes prawns, pineapples and (I strongly suspect) most things which taste good. Eating too much of such things retains heat, and therefore causes all sorts of medical problems. They must immediately be neutralized with cooling food. Again, science? There is probably some in this, but I wonder.

There are plenty more where that came from … but are they really relevant today? I somehow suspect they aren’t