1 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:11,400 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to food Stuff. I'm Any and I'm 2 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:16,240 Speaker 1: Lauren Vogelbaum. And today we're talking about absent. Yes, absent. 3 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:18,919 Speaker 1: I'm really excited to talk about this one. How about you? Yeah, yeah, 4 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:21,640 Speaker 1: I love absent, But what about what about you? Yeah? 5 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:26,319 Speaker 1: I until recently I thought it was illegal, like like well, 6 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 1: I mean it had been for a minute. I thought 7 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:32,360 Speaker 1: it was still allegal. And when I was in France, 8 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:37,120 Speaker 1: actually I was there in two thousand nine, oh so 9 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 1: it was still illegal and illegal. Um, there you go. 10 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:43,040 Speaker 1: I went to some kind of castle. It was like 11 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 1: a secret castle. What secret castle they have those apparently 12 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:52,760 Speaker 1: you know France, you know France castles everywhere, right, And 13 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 1: I felt, so I'm going to try Absinth in this 14 00:00:57,040 --> 00:01:02,040 Speaker 1: secret French castle and then um, it was fine. It's 15 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:05,119 Speaker 1: It's a sipping drink, that is for sure. Absolutely. I'm 16 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:06,880 Speaker 1: not good at sipping. And I do like the I 17 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 1: like the traditional preparation that has it a little bit 18 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:13,320 Speaker 1: watered down, right right, right, Yeah, it's speaking of when 19 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:16,200 Speaker 1: I was in Australia, I asked I was at a 20 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:19,679 Speaker 1: bar and I asked for water and the bartender said 21 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:23,800 Speaker 1: back to me agua, And I was like yeah. Yeah, 22 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:27,120 Speaker 1: um and strange for Spanish language to be popping up 23 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:30,480 Speaker 1: at Australia, but absolutely right. Well, he comes back with 24 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:36,320 Speaker 1: a green liquor of some kind and I said, I'm 25 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 1: I'm fairly certain that's not water. And he said, I 26 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 1: thought you meant agua the Bolivia, which is a drink 27 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:44,960 Speaker 1: that is not absent. But nobody knew what it was, 28 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:47,120 Speaker 1: and we all thought of suppence because it's bright green. 29 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 1: It's actually um, coca leaf liquor. Oh oh interesting, did 30 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 1: you drink it? Yeah, well he cocked the prize. He 31 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 1: gave it to me for free because of the mistake. 32 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 1: I also got water water though, which was good and 33 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:07,640 Speaker 1: that's lovely. Yes, okay, so so so absinthe Yeah, what 34 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 1: is it? Good question? What is it? Absente is a 35 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:16,640 Speaker 1: liquor traditionally a grape distillate flavored with wormwood and other herbs, 36 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: including aniseed and sweet fennel. It tastes sort of like 37 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:23,240 Speaker 1: a like a floral licorice, sort of sweet and tingly 38 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 1: and bitter and grassy or herbal just all the same time. Oh, 39 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:31,679 Speaker 1: that's a lot going on right there. It has a lot. Indeed, 40 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:34,000 Speaker 1: as we as we both fountained out during this research 41 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:37,560 Speaker 1: phase has a lot going on. And speaking of having 42 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 1: a lot going on, um, there are actually a whole 43 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 1: lot of species of wormwood. Wormwood is a kind of 44 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:46,960 Speaker 1: colloquial term for a whole genus called Artemisia um, but 45 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:51,080 Speaker 1: the type of wormwood needed to make authentic absinthe is 46 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 1: the aptly named Artemisia abscythium, more casually known as grande wormwood. 47 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:01,799 Speaker 1: Mugwort and tarragon by the way, their species of the 48 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:06,080 Speaker 1: Artemisia genus, along with another three or so plants, many 49 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 1: of which are used as herbal remedies or to flavor 50 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:13,239 Speaker 1: foods and drinks. A French poet arts for Rumbo gave 51 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 1: Absynth the nickname sage Rush of the Glaciers because wormwood 52 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:21,720 Speaker 1: is abundant in Switzerland's Val de Traverse area. This is 53 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:25,079 Speaker 1: where the Absynth Museum is located. Please write in if 54 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:27,960 Speaker 1: you've been. Oh there's a man. I love it when 55 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:32,000 Speaker 1: people make museums just about booze uh okay so so, 56 00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:35,440 Speaker 1: although although there's a lot in that location, grande wormwood 57 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 1: can be grown in lots of places. It's native to 58 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:41,680 Speaker 1: temperate regions of Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa, 59 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:45,040 Speaker 1: and also grows well in North America. The word absenth 60 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:49,120 Speaker 1: itself most likely comes from the Greek word absynthion, which 61 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 1: means wormwood are undrinkable, which itself is derived from the 62 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:56,600 Speaker 1: Latin name for wormwood. Yeah. I'm not sure about that 63 00:03:56,640 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 1: whole undrinkable meaning part. I certainly the term wormwood has 64 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: long been associated with bitter um. I think it's just 65 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:05,400 Speaker 1: an ancient plant name, you know, like a like a 66 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:10,520 Speaker 1: label that has come to have figurative meanings like undrinkable, bitter. 67 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 1: When it comes through that bitterness, wormwood is second only 68 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:17,720 Speaker 1: to rue uh. And this is thanks to a chemical 69 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: compound called absinthin, and it wasn't nailed down until nineteen. 70 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:26,920 Speaker 1: The bitterness threshold is so high that if you put 71 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:31,040 Speaker 1: one ounce of it into five gallons of water, you'd 72 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:34,000 Speaker 1: still be able to tell what was there. Oh wow, Yeah, 73 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:38,359 Speaker 1: that's pretty bitter. Absence has a bunch of nicknames, most 74 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:42,160 Speaker 1: prominently the Green Fairy, but also the Green Witch and 75 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:47,840 Speaker 1: the Queen of Poison. I would love a nickname like that. Oh, 76 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:50,320 Speaker 1: we can start working on it. Okay, cool. Before it 77 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:53,560 Speaker 1: earned its um sordid reputation. It was seen as a 78 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:56,760 Speaker 1: muse a drink for artists part of the Bohemian movement. 79 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:01,600 Speaker 1: As such, your cup overfloweth with quotes from poets, authors 80 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:06,400 Speaker 1: painters about absinthe. French poet role Ponchant wrote of absinthe, 81 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:08,960 Speaker 1: it seems when I drink you, I inhaled the young 82 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:14,479 Speaker 1: forced soul. This association between creative types and absinthe was 83 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:17,400 Speaker 1: so strong in Paris that instead of Happy Hour at 84 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:21,280 Speaker 1: five o'clock, cafes had little vail or the green hour. 85 00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:26,240 Speaker 1: Picasso frequently featured absinthe in his works, even creating a 86 00:05:26,279 --> 00:05:30,120 Speaker 1: sculpture called the Glass of Absinthe. Vincent then go painted 87 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:32,880 Speaker 1: absinthe and several of his works and drink a whole 88 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 1: lot of the green stuff. Allegedly, some historians think it 89 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:39,200 Speaker 1: might have led up to his mental breakdown, the chopping 90 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 1: off of his ear, and maybe even played a role 91 00:05:41,279 --> 00:05:45,680 Speaker 1: in his suicide. Yeah. Other famous creative types known to 92 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:48,400 Speaker 1: enjoy absinthe included but oh my goodness, not learned to 93 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:52,400 Speaker 1: do Baudelaire. Oscar Wilde, who wrote a glass of Absinthe 94 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 1: is as poetical as anything in the world. In a 95 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:58,120 Speaker 1: himming Way, who have this quote about it. It's supposed 96 00:05:58,120 --> 00:05:59,920 Speaker 1: to rotch your brain out, but I don't believe it. 97 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:04,160 Speaker 1: It only changes the ideas. He was a huge fan 98 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:07,599 Speaker 1: Absent pops up in the sun also rises and for 99 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:10,800 Speaker 1: whom the belts holes. And he invented a cocktail that 100 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:14,960 Speaker 1: combined champagne and absentthe he dubbed death in the Afternoon. 101 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:18,000 Speaker 1: I love this cocktail. By the way, have you had it? Oh? 102 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:20,960 Speaker 1: It's yeah, it's delicious. In the book that the recipe 103 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:23,359 Speaker 1: was felled to shame, the recipe says drink three to 104 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:27,400 Speaker 1: five of these slowly, so I certainly a headache in 105 00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:30,240 Speaker 1: the afternoon. By by the way, we forgot to mention 106 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:33,120 Speaker 1: at the top of the show, but hey, kids, drink responsibly. Yes, 107 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:36,440 Speaker 1: absolutely yes. And then, of course there is the infamous 108 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:39,479 Speaker 1: bohemian Henry did telous Latrek, who is reported to have 109 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:41,919 Speaker 1: kept vials of absent in the top of his walking 110 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:46,279 Speaker 1: cane towards the end of his life. Oh and also 111 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:50,680 Speaker 1: Marilyn Manson has endorsed a brand of absynth called man Synth. 112 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:56,200 Speaker 1: I I looked it up just before coming in here. 113 00:06:56,440 --> 00:07:00,479 Speaker 1: It has one at least one award, so well, good 114 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:06,200 Speaker 1: for good for mansinth, yes, good for anthon. There is 115 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:10,440 Speaker 1: a traditional preparation for drinking absinthe, including all this really 116 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:14,560 Speaker 1: pretty old timey a coutremont called absintheana, which is also 117 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:17,560 Speaker 1: a metal band um and and a built in watering 118 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:21,560 Speaker 1: down process with actual water, not champagne this time hemmingway 119 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:25,320 Speaker 1: yeah yeah um. This this ritual, and it is called 120 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:28,560 Speaker 1: the absent ritual, is definitely part of the whole mystique 121 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:30,840 Speaker 1: of the liquor. And it goes like this. So you 122 00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:33,080 Speaker 1: pour one to one and a half ounces of absinthe 123 00:07:33,080 --> 00:07:36,560 Speaker 1: into a small stemmed glass. You place on top of 124 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:39,640 Speaker 1: the glass a flat slotted spoon, and then stack a 125 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:42,840 Speaker 1: sugar cube on top of that. Then you slowly pour 126 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:45,360 Speaker 1: cold water like three to five ounces to taste over 127 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: the cube, allowing it to melt slowly into the booze below. 128 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:52,560 Speaker 1: Super Traditionally, you might drip water down over the spoon 129 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:56,679 Speaker 1: using an absent fountain, which is this large glass decanter 130 00:07:56,880 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 1: that has multiple spickets at the bottom designed to dispense 131 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:03,560 Speaker 1: chilled water one drop at a time. Wow. You stir 132 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:07,560 Speaker 1: the sugar in with the spoon, You sip and enjoy. Yeah, hypothetically, 133 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:09,440 Speaker 1: unless you really hate liquorice flavors, and then you probably 134 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:11,960 Speaker 1: aren't drinking it at all. Probably not. Yeah, we did 135 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:14,560 Speaker 1: do this. We went on a field trip to a 136 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:18,440 Speaker 1: local restaurant nearby and well, I got absent you did, 137 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 1: I think I got an absent cocktail. Yeah. Well, there's 138 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:23,960 Speaker 1: a place near us that kind of specializes in absent 139 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:26,880 Speaker 1: and oysters, and we went and got both. So it's lovely. 140 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 1: But the first time I saw this ritual, I had 141 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:31,520 Speaker 1: no idea what was happening. Oh yeah, I was really 142 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:34,199 Speaker 1: confused about it. I was I was like, what is 143 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:38,360 Speaker 1: that fancy punch bowl? And why does it appear to 144 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:42,679 Speaker 1: have vodka in it? What's going on here? Anyway? Um. 145 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:46,160 Speaker 1: Part of the reason for adding water to absent slowly 146 00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:49,360 Speaker 1: like this is that it becomes cloudy in these pretty 147 00:08:49,480 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 1: swirls as the water hits it, and this is called 148 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:55,760 Speaker 1: the luche. The term luche, by the way, is a 149 00:08:55,800 --> 00:08:59,640 Speaker 1: French word that means obscured or clouded or short, sort 150 00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:04,160 Speaker 1: of like shady or shifty um by extension, and was 151 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:06,720 Speaker 1: borrowed into English in the early eight hundreds to mean 152 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:11,080 Speaker 1: like disreputable. In an appealingly sordid, rakish and maybe sort 153 00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:14,200 Speaker 1: of overly glam kind of way. And now I'm really 154 00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:17,880 Speaker 1: wondering if the word lush comes from the word lush. 155 00:09:19,520 --> 00:09:21,320 Speaker 1: Doesn't seem like that much of a stretch to me. 156 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:27,360 Speaker 1: Amalogy is really exciting. Um. Scientifically, this cloudiness happens because 157 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:32,240 Speaker 1: absinthe contains aniseed, which contains an oily compound called an athol. 158 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:36,040 Speaker 1: Anthol is soluble in alcohol but not in water. So 159 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:39,160 Speaker 1: when water is mixed into absentthe it beats up, the 160 00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:43,679 Speaker 1: anathol beats up, and those beads dispersed themselves evenly throughout 161 00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:47,080 Speaker 1: the alcohol and water solution. And this isn't like all 162 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:50,240 Speaker 1: that interesting into and of itself, except for the fact 163 00:09:50,280 --> 00:09:53,240 Speaker 1: that it stays beaded and dispersed in a way that 164 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:56,960 Speaker 1: essentially confounds modern physics. Oh, I'm so excited to hear 165 00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:59,960 Speaker 1: about this. I mean, you basically just heard about it. 166 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:02,520 Speaker 1: Like researchers have no idea what's going on, but they're 167 00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:04,800 Speaker 1: looking into ways that this reaction, which is called the 168 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:08,320 Speaker 1: Uzo effect due to the Greek liquor uzos, similar annis 169 00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:11,599 Speaker 1: based properties could be applied to all sorts of industries 170 00:10:11,640 --> 00:10:17,439 Speaker 1: from like food science to cosmetics to nanotechnology. That's awesome. Also, 171 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:19,480 Speaker 1: I think it might be time for us to break 172 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:23,600 Speaker 1: out our slow motion camera and film this. Oh yes, 173 00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:26,760 Speaker 1: oh man, if there was ever a time for slow 174 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:29,240 Speaker 1: motion camera, now's the time, and a time to buy 175 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:32,560 Speaker 1: a bottle of absent on the company Time will answer 176 00:10:32,559 --> 00:10:38,200 Speaker 1: the call, don't you worry. Despite the rep absent has 177 00:10:38,240 --> 00:10:42,480 Speaker 1: of being dangerous and therefore illegal, it's probably legal where 178 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:45,640 Speaker 1: you live. In fact, even though a majority of western 179 00:10:45,679 --> 00:10:48,720 Speaker 1: countries did ban it in the early twentieth century, it 180 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:53,800 Speaker 1: may have never really been illegal. Technically. There were a 181 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:57,320 Speaker 1: lot of loopholes that allowed for continued production, distribution, and 182 00:10:57,360 --> 00:11:01,040 Speaker 1: consumption of absent by the ninety nineties, the largest loophole 183 00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:04,400 Speaker 1: being most countries do not have a legal definition of 184 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:10,160 Speaker 1: absinthe uh meaning you can make absentthe call it something else, 185 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:14,120 Speaker 1: and sell it no harm, no foul. Laws are generally 186 00:11:15,080 --> 00:11:18,920 Speaker 1: more concerned about the level of to jon, the powerful 187 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:21,720 Speaker 1: chemical present and absent that usually gets the blame for 188 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:25,680 Speaker 1: its psychedelic properties. Um the more on that later, But 189 00:11:25,679 --> 00:11:27,960 Speaker 1: there really isn't that much an absence. No no, no. 190 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:31,079 Speaker 1: You can get around it too by using stage oil 191 00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:34,520 Speaker 1: to joan versus wormwood to joon, which they do specify. 192 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:37,760 Speaker 1: For example, stage, by the way, has way more to 193 00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:43,000 Speaker 1: joan than wormwood does. The FDA here in the US 194 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:45,960 Speaker 1: puts to joan in the same category as chocolate or caffeine. 195 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:49,520 Speaker 1: The laws regarding distilling and selling of absent in the 196 00:11:49,559 --> 00:11:52,080 Speaker 1: US relax a bit in two thousand seven, and the 197 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:54,920 Speaker 1: first absent distillery in the U s since nineteen twelve 198 00:11:55,080 --> 00:11:58,800 Speaker 1: opened in California that same year. Yeah, you can sell 199 00:11:58,880 --> 00:12:01,599 Speaker 1: absent throughout the European Union, and the rates of to 200 00:12:01,760 --> 00:12:03,839 Speaker 1: jon and they allow are much higher than what we 201 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:07,760 Speaker 1: allow in the US. The birthplace of modern absence, Switzerland 202 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:10,920 Speaker 1: lifted its absence ban in two thousand five. Now they 203 00:12:10,920 --> 00:12:12,800 Speaker 1: only have two laws on the books for it. Um 204 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:16,600 Speaker 1: that it must be distilled and not artificially colored. Oh yeah, 205 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:19,720 Speaker 1: more in that later. Yeah. It was illegal in France 206 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:25,640 Speaker 1: until two thousand eleven. Um. Even though the EU legalized it, 207 00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:32,239 Speaker 1: in France preserved that part of the law saying Nope, 208 00:12:33,160 --> 00:12:34,720 Speaker 1: you can do it in the EU, but here in 209 00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:38,800 Speaker 1: France here um distillers could make it and export it. 210 00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:41,959 Speaker 1: But that was about it, and due to another French 211 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:46,760 Speaker 1: chemical restriction found in Fenel. Until recently, the pure stuff 212 00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:52,440 Speaker 1: coming out of Switzerland was completely illegal in France. But yeah, um, 213 00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:55,680 Speaker 1: Australia has even higher allowances for two joem than the EU, 214 00:12:55,880 --> 00:12:58,960 Speaker 1: and the UK never banned it, so they, you know, 215 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:01,560 Speaker 1: been enjoying it in this entire time or not really, 216 00:13:01,559 --> 00:13:03,240 Speaker 1: it never really caught on there. Yeah, that's true. That's 217 00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:06,880 Speaker 1: probably why it wasn't worthy abandoned. Um. So that kind 218 00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:11,040 Speaker 1: of leads us to history, and absent history is rife 219 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:16,840 Speaker 1: with scandal injurgue Art, so let's get to that. But 220 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:29,480 Speaker 1: first let's get to a word from our sponsor and 221 00:13:29,559 --> 00:13:33,319 Speaker 1: we're back. Thank you sponsor, Yes, thank you. Records show 222 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:38,080 Speaker 1: that the ancient Egyptians and Greeks used wormwood key ingredient 223 00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:43,560 Speaker 1: in absente Medicinally, it appeared in the fifteen fifty BC 224 00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:46,920 Speaker 1: Ebers Papyrus out of Egypt, though the writings on it 225 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:51,520 Speaker 1: could be as old as three thousand, and Greeks made 226 00:13:51,520 --> 00:13:54,320 Speaker 1: remedies out of wormwood leaves that were soaked in wine. 227 00:13:54,840 --> 00:13:57,520 Speaker 1: Some sources also suggest that Hippocrates might have been whipping 228 00:13:57,559 --> 00:14:00,800 Speaker 1: together a wormwood flavored wine that he would recommend for 229 00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:06,560 Speaker 1: flatulence and other digestive problems. Plenty are plenty wrote about 230 00:14:06,559 --> 00:14:09,920 Speaker 1: wormwood in the first century CE. Of course he did, uh. 231 00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:13,240 Speaker 1: He said that it was useful against intestinal worms. According 232 00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:17,080 Speaker 1: to him, Roman chariot race champions drink wine with wormwood 233 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:19,960 Speaker 1: leaves in it as a reminder that even glory could 234 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:23,120 Speaker 1: be bitter. Oh that is so goth, I know, isn't it. 235 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:27,160 Speaker 1: That's great. In second century CE, Galen recommended wormwood for 236 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:31,080 Speaker 1: swooning and to ease an upset stomach. Swooning. Yeah, you 237 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:35,280 Speaker 1: Varieties wrote about wormwood in his influential medical book from six, 238 00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:39,320 Speaker 1: positing that wormwood juice on your arms and legs would 239 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:42,200 Speaker 1: keep away fleas and nets, and if you left wormwood 240 00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:45,320 Speaker 1: leaves wherever you kept your clothes, it would repel moss 241 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:48,480 Speaker 1: like an early version of I think there is a 242 00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:51,280 Speaker 1: little bit of camphor in wormwood, in wormwood, which is 243 00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:53,840 Speaker 1: kind of the active ingredient in mothballs. So I guess, 244 00:14:54,080 --> 00:14:56,720 Speaker 1: I guess could actually work out. That's so exciting. Yeah. 245 00:14:57,280 --> 00:15:00,520 Speaker 1: Wormwood is mentioned in the Bible and Revelations. When the 246 00:15:00,680 --> 00:15:02,960 Speaker 1: seven trumpets sound herald the end of the world on 247 00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:06,320 Speaker 1: the third wormwood will replace a third of the world's 248 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:10,119 Speaker 1: water unless little way a pretty good chunk of the population. 249 00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:15,440 Speaker 1: As early as first century CE, Chinese scholars wrote about 250 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:21,000 Speaker 1: wormwood's efficacy as a malaria treatment. British herbalist John Jared 251 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:25,880 Speaker 1: Gerard wrote in fifteen seven wormwood voteth away the worms 252 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:29,000 Speaker 1: of the guts, and in the sixteen and seventeen hundreds 253 00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:32,840 Speaker 1: people would burn wormwood to smoke the bubonic plague out 254 00:15:32,840 --> 00:15:39,320 Speaker 1: of infected homes. Absent modern history began in seventeen ninety 255 00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:42,400 Speaker 1: two when a retired French doctor by the name of 256 00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:47,880 Speaker 1: Pierre Ordinaire Pierre Ordinaire rhymes and it no, no, It's perfect, 257 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:52,680 Speaker 1: relocated to Switzerland to escape the French Revolution. At the time, 258 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:57,560 Speaker 1: wormwood was used to improve childbirth and rheumatism, and that 259 00:15:57,600 --> 00:16:00,440 Speaker 1: whole plague thing, and ordinary wanted to find find a 260 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:05,040 Speaker 1: new way for humans to use it medicinally. Since wormwood 261 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:08,080 Speaker 1: was quite better, he got the idea to distill it, 262 00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:11,160 Speaker 1: so he did, using a great spirit as the base 263 00:16:11,560 --> 00:16:16,400 Speaker 1: and adding macerated star annis, licorice, spinach, coriander, parsley, finnel, 264 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:19,880 Speaker 1: and other botanicals about fifteen total. He named his elixir 265 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:23,520 Speaker 1: x straped up synth. When Dr Ordinare died, he left 266 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:25,960 Speaker 1: his house, a decent amount of money and his absence 267 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:30,640 Speaker 1: recipe to his housekeepers, the Henriott sisters. They started selling it, 268 00:16:30,840 --> 00:16:33,280 Speaker 1: making small batches at a time, under the name doctor 269 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:38,480 Speaker 1: Ordinaire's Absente into another Frenchman, Major Daniel Henri Dubide, who, 270 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:42,280 Speaker 1: after trying the elixir one of the whole operation for himself. 271 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:44,960 Speaker 1: He must have made the sisters and offer they couldn't 272 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:48,840 Speaker 1: refuse because they sold him both the recipe and their business. 273 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:54,520 Speaker 1: Or that's one version of the story. Yeah, and add 274 00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:58,120 Speaker 1: for a bonus, Chaptanson out of the local Swiss paper 275 00:16:58,200 --> 00:17:01,640 Speaker 1: from seventeen sixty nine suggest that the sisters have been 276 00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:04,960 Speaker 1: making absent way before dr Ornire showed up, and that 277 00:17:05,119 --> 00:17:08,240 Speaker 1: he maybe stole it from them. He definitely was a 278 00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:13,240 Speaker 1: real person that definitely sold absent and it definitely originated 279 00:17:13,359 --> 00:17:16,280 Speaker 1: in the Val de Traverse region of Switzerland. But beyond 280 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:22,639 Speaker 1: that lost to history mysteries of history, history mysteries. Well, 281 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:27,280 Speaker 1: whatever the case, Major Duvide was the one to commercialize 282 00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:32,160 Speaker 1: absence in. A fellow by the name Abron Louis Perranu 283 00:17:32,280 --> 00:17:34,560 Speaker 1: started to distill it as a drink thing and not 284 00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:39,480 Speaker 1: a medicine thing. Probably people were drinking too much ascent 285 00:17:39,800 --> 00:17:42,480 Speaker 1: to keep good records. I guess, I don't know. Um. 286 00:17:42,600 --> 00:17:47,879 Speaker 1: Dubide's daughter Almodi, married parenteus son Henri Louis in and 287 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:51,200 Speaker 1: as part of that, Dubide got the absent formula from 288 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:54,960 Speaker 1: parentew if he didn't get it previously from the henryd sisters. 289 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:58,800 Speaker 1: So you know, whatever he got it, he got it, 290 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:01,639 Speaker 1: and Duvide highed his son in law to do the distilling. 291 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:05,639 Speaker 1: A year later, in to Be hired his own sons 292 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:09,720 Speaker 1: and named the business Do be Pa Feasts. To avoid 293 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:13,800 Speaker 1: paying taxes associated with the French border. Crossing the French border, 294 00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:17,560 Speaker 1: Henri Louis changed his last name just the spelling really 295 00:18:17,960 --> 00:18:20,560 Speaker 1: and up and moved to a French town right on 296 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:23,639 Speaker 1: the border. There he set up his own absent manufacturing 297 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:28,000 Speaker 1: company called PO New Feet, which is almost the same. Yeah, 298 00:18:28,400 --> 00:18:34,240 Speaker 1: but from there it made it all over, including the US. 299 00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:36,960 Speaker 1: In eighteen o six, the Old Absent House opened its 300 00:18:36,960 --> 00:18:39,480 Speaker 1: doors in New Orleans. It was well known for its 301 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:42,639 Speaker 1: absence cocktail, a mixture of absinth and sugar water. The 302 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:48,560 Speaker 1: asp also known as the Green Monster. It was quite 303 00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:53,040 Speaker 1: the happening spot. In eighteen twelve, the pirates Jean Lafitte 304 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:57,040 Speaker 1: and General Andrew Jackson negotiated joining forces in the War 305 00:18:57,080 --> 00:19:00,879 Speaker 1: of eighteen twelve. The Feet asked for and pardons for 306 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:03,439 Speaker 1: all of his men that participated, and they helped end 307 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:07,840 Speaker 1: the War of eighteen twelve. That's the legend anyway. Also, 308 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:10,119 Speaker 1: as with most things in New Orleans, numored to be haunted. 309 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:13,320 Speaker 1: Ghosts of plenty there. Yeah, still there did shut down 310 00:19:13,359 --> 00:19:16,920 Speaker 1: during prohibition, but it reopened its doors and is open 311 00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:20,959 Speaker 1: for business. Absence reputation for settling the stomach and curing 312 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:25,080 Speaker 1: fevers and discouraging insects gave the drink its crucial cultural 313 00:19:25,119 --> 00:19:28,200 Speaker 1: boost in the eighteen thirties and forties. During that time, 314 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:31,520 Speaker 1: France was attempting to take control of the territory that's 315 00:19:31,520 --> 00:19:34,520 Speaker 1: now Algeria. Due to this whole quarrel with the Ottoman 316 00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:37,960 Speaker 1: Empire and you know, trade and resources and money reasons. 317 00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:43,160 Speaker 1: The government sent its military rations of wormwood and absinthe 318 00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:45,760 Speaker 1: with the thought that it could purify water and help 319 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:50,320 Speaker 1: fight illnesses like malaria. When the soldiers returned victorious, they 320 00:19:50,359 --> 00:19:53,840 Speaker 1: brought with them a serious taste for absinthe and a 321 00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:56,919 Speaker 1: whole lot of cultural sway. National pride was really high. 322 00:19:57,200 --> 00:20:01,560 Speaker 1: By eighteen forty nine, France's twenty absent distilleries were making 323 00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:06,320 Speaker 1: ten million liters per year. In eighteen fifty nine, Manet 324 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:11,280 Speaker 1: debut his first major painting, The Absinthe Drink. Debut makes 325 00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:14,280 Speaker 1: it sound grander than it was actually. It was widely 326 00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:17,720 Speaker 1: criticized for his choice of subject matter, an alcoholic fellow 327 00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:20,520 Speaker 1: with a glass of absinthe, even by his mentor who 328 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:23,800 Speaker 1: told him, my poor friend, you are the absent drinker. 329 00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:27,960 Speaker 1: It is you who have lost your moral faculty. Yeah, 330 00:20:28,040 --> 00:20:33,120 Speaker 1: those are some strong words. Later on, in eighteen seventy six, 331 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:36,000 Speaker 1: de Got would face a similar blacklash with his painting 332 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:39,320 Speaker 1: love song You've probably Seen It and a woman stares 333 00:20:39,359 --> 00:20:42,359 Speaker 1: off forlornly a glass of absence on the table. People 334 00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:45,600 Speaker 1: called it repulsive, not because it was poorly painted, but 335 00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:50,639 Speaker 1: because it showcased vice. Yeah, but part of the popularity 336 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:53,879 Speaker 1: of absence had nothing to do with absence itself, but 337 00:20:54,040 --> 00:20:57,879 Speaker 1: rather with the French wine industry. The French wine industry, 338 00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:01,320 Speaker 1: Oh yeah. In the eighteen six these through the nineties, 339 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:06,560 Speaker 1: a mysterious plague wiped out millions of hectors of French vineyards. 340 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:09,120 Speaker 1: The plants were withering on the stalk. No one had 341 00:21:09,160 --> 00:21:12,200 Speaker 1: any idea what to do. Wine makers were burning entire 342 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:15,520 Speaker 1: fields to attempt to contain the disease, but to no avail. 343 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:19,120 Speaker 1: And people blamed everything from the laying of iron railways 344 00:21:19,119 --> 00:21:21,760 Speaker 1: in the soil to the sins of mankind. And they 345 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:25,439 Speaker 1: tried everything from volcanic ash from Pompeii to mixtures of 346 00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:29,560 Speaker 1: like whale oil and gasoline, and for decades nothing worked. 347 00:21:29,920 --> 00:21:33,760 Speaker 1: Farmers started fleeing to Algeria and South America for fresh starts. 348 00:21:34,080 --> 00:21:37,600 Speaker 1: Wine costs skyrocketed, the the upper upper crust of the 349 00:21:37,600 --> 00:21:41,159 Speaker 1: military turned to whiskey and soda but I know, ridiculous, 350 00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:46,359 Speaker 1: and the proletariat turned to absinthe It turned out that 351 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:49,560 Speaker 1: this American a fit was to blame, then named Filo's 352 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:53,320 Speaker 1: Sarah Vasta tricks. A few of these tiny yellow bugs 353 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:55,760 Speaker 1: had hitched a ride over in eighteen sixty two on 354 00:21:55,840 --> 00:22:00,000 Speaker 1: a case of American vines, which are resistant to the insects. 355 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:03,280 Speaker 1: The French vines weren't, and the bugs were burrowing into 356 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:06,000 Speaker 1: the soil and sucking the vines dry through the roots. 357 00:22:07,119 --> 00:22:09,560 Speaker 1: And each one of these buggers could could produce over 358 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:15,919 Speaker 1: twenty five billion descendants per year. Whoa, uh, upwards of 359 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:20,520 Speaker 1: sevent of French vineyards had to be entirely replanted. This time, 360 00:22:20,560 --> 00:22:24,320 Speaker 1: grafting on a varietal of wine grape from Texas called St. 361 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:28,199 Speaker 1: George to lend the genes would prevent destruction, but the 362 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:31,000 Speaker 1: damage was done, and absinthe was the drink of the 363 00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:34,119 Speaker 1: children of the revolution. Ah. We'll have to do a 364 00:22:34,119 --> 00:22:36,920 Speaker 1: whole episode on this wine plague sometime. It's a really 365 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:40,879 Speaker 1: fascinating story about scientific fallacies and cultural biases and like 366 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:43,960 Speaker 1: to this day, these bugs are a problem around the world, 367 00:22:44,200 --> 00:22:47,399 Speaker 1: and Chile is the only major wine producer on the 368 00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:55,080 Speaker 1: planet that has survived completely, unscathed and ungrafted with American vines. Huh. Anyway, uh, yeah, 369 00:22:55,119 --> 00:22:58,440 Speaker 1: folks were drinking absence instead of wine. Yes, yes. In 370 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:02,119 Speaker 1: the eighteen seventies and eighties. The bourgeois got in on 371 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:05,200 Speaker 1: the absent absent trend as well, and this is where 372 00:23:05,359 --> 00:23:10,159 Speaker 1: you get the aforementioned um absynthiana from famous silversmiths and 373 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:13,960 Speaker 1: glassblowers were creating these ever fancier spoons and fountains to 374 00:23:14,119 --> 00:23:18,480 Speaker 1: enjoy your absence with absinthe therefore was not only a 375 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:22,119 Speaker 1: drink of of commoners gutter escapism and of the poor 376 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:26,720 Speaker 1: but decadent bohemian, but also of the wealthies showy extravagance. 377 00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:29,520 Speaker 1: Some of these implements, by the way, are still kicking 378 00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:32,800 Speaker 1: on the collector's circuit and cost thousands of dollars like 379 00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:37,320 Speaker 1: per spoon, her spoon, her spoon, spoon budget. You know, 380 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:43,480 Speaker 1: I'm working towards that level one day. In France, the 381 00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:48,600 Speaker 1: amount of absinthe consumed increased by fifteen times from eighty 382 00:23:49,119 --> 00:23:54,200 Speaker 1: to nineteen, and meanwhile, the public mood in France was changing. 383 00:23:54,640 --> 00:23:58,600 Speaker 1: With the Industrial Revolution came the economic and cultural movements 384 00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:01,119 Speaker 1: that allowed for all of this are an opulence. But 385 00:24:01,160 --> 00:24:05,240 Speaker 1: there were also more poor working class folks struggling in cities, 386 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:08,080 Speaker 1: and lower birth rates because of the higher employment and 387 00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:12,639 Speaker 1: education of women and all those convention defying artistic types, 388 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:17,359 Speaker 1: and a a boost in diagnoses of insanity, probably because 389 00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:21,879 Speaker 1: of a shift in in diagnostics. But public officials were concerned. 390 00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:25,560 Speaker 1: There was this nationalistic concept that the French population was 391 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:30,120 Speaker 1: in decline or even degenerating, and people wanted reasons enter. 392 00:24:30,280 --> 00:24:34,679 Speaker 1: One Valentine Magnon, a psychiatrist working as the physician in 393 00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:38,439 Speaker 1: chief at the Saint Anne Asylum. He saw that the 394 00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:42,400 Speaker 1: mental and physical health effects of over indulgence in absinthe, 395 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:44,920 Speaker 1: and he set out to prove that it was worse 396 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:48,679 Speaker 1: than regular alcohol. He set up this experiment where he 397 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:51,160 Speaker 1: placed he had two guinea pigs. Okay, he put one 398 00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:53,600 Speaker 1: in a glass case with an open dish of pure 399 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:56,840 Speaker 1: alcohol and the other in a case with an open 400 00:24:56,880 --> 00:25:02,040 Speaker 1: dish of wormwood oil. Uh. The alcohol guinea pig got 401 00:25:02,040 --> 00:25:05,760 Speaker 1: all stumbly and drunk. The wormwood guinea pig got kind 402 00:25:05,800 --> 00:25:10,040 Speaker 1: of excited and then went into seizure. Oh no, yeah, yeah, 403 00:25:10,080 --> 00:25:11,960 Speaker 1: but he tried this with other animals, but I'm not 404 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:13,280 Speaker 1: going to go through all of them because it's kind 405 00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:15,359 Speaker 1: of depressing. Um. He would go on to publish a 406 00:25:15,359 --> 00:25:19,280 Speaker 1: study of two fifty alcoholics who he said had seizures 407 00:25:19,280 --> 00:25:24,960 Speaker 1: and hallucinations on absinthe but not on regular alcohol. Yeah. 408 00:25:25,119 --> 00:25:29,879 Speaker 1: He thus defined absinthe is um as different than alcoholism 409 00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:32,840 Speaker 1: in eighteen sixty nine, and people took to this definition. 410 00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:35,560 Speaker 1: Of course, it didn't hurt that the temperance movement was 411 00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:38,080 Speaker 1: in full swing at this point, and lots of people 412 00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:41,200 Speaker 1: who were preaching the evils of alcohol were super ready 413 00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:45,280 Speaker 1: to get on board with the demonization of any alcoholic beverage. Right. 414 00:25:46,119 --> 00:25:50,280 Speaker 1: In eighteen ninety, Marie Corelli published Wormwood, an anti absentthe 415 00:25:50,280 --> 00:25:55,080 Speaker 1: book following the downfall of the once respected Gaston thanks 416 00:25:55,080 --> 00:25:59,560 Speaker 1: to Absinthe. It had super subtle anti Absinthe, anti French. 417 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:02,560 Speaker 1: Since a months like this one, there are no doubt 418 00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:06,840 Speaker 1: many causes for the wretchedly low standard of moral responsibility 419 00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:10,320 Speaker 1: and fine feeling displayed by the Parisians of today, but 420 00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:12,720 Speaker 1: I do not hesitate to say that one of those 421 00:26:12,720 --> 00:26:17,040 Speaker 1: causes is the reckless absinthe mania which pervade all classes, 422 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:20,919 Speaker 1: rich and poor. Like no romanticist can exaggerate the terrific 423 00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:25,040 Speaker 1: reality of the evil. Yeah, some reports say that in 424 00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:28,320 Speaker 1: nineteen o three that compound we mentioned earlier called to 425 00:26:28,440 --> 00:26:31,119 Speaker 1: Jean was reported by a French doctor to be the 426 00:26:31,200 --> 00:26:34,720 Speaker 1: key ingredient in the madness of absinthe. But like Man, 427 00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:37,760 Speaker 1: I cannot track down a reliable source for this. Uh. 428 00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:40,560 Speaker 1: It had been isolated to Jean from Wormwood back in 429 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:43,560 Speaker 1: eighteen forty five, and like the turn of the century, 430 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:46,840 Speaker 1: was around the time that mcnunn and his ideological followers 431 00:26:47,119 --> 00:26:53,240 Speaker 1: latched onto Jean as the culprit of Absinthe is um. Though. Yeah, 432 00:26:53,520 --> 00:26:56,080 Speaker 1: there's a lot of a lot of trouble tracking down 433 00:26:56,119 --> 00:26:59,720 Speaker 1: of resources. There's there's a lot of mystique there is. 434 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:03,359 Speaker 1: Oh when speaking of mystique, this brings us to the 435 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:08,320 Speaker 1: Absinthe Murder. A new podcast coming to you from that 436 00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:12,000 Speaker 1: How Stuff Works. Wouldn't be surprised look for it. No, 437 00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:15,480 Speaker 1: I don't know um. Towards the end of August, and 438 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:19,800 Speaker 1: a small village in Switzerland, three coffins, one larger and 439 00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:23,399 Speaker 1: two smaller stood in the open air, and the larger 440 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:27,000 Speaker 1: one was the wife of Jean Lefrey, and the smaller 441 00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:30,080 Speaker 1: two held his daughters, aged four and two years old. 442 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:33,439 Speaker 1: Laundree had shot and killed them, but claimed he couldn't 443 00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:35,840 Speaker 1: recall doing it. Please tell me I haven't done this, 444 00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:39,560 Speaker 1: he said. The day of his family's murder, he had 445 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:46,080 Speaker 1: imvibed a substantial amount, beginning with a pre dawn shot 446 00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:49,800 Speaker 1: of absent mixed with water that was followed with another shot, 447 00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:53,760 Speaker 1: then six glasses of wine for lunch, then one more 448 00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:56,000 Speaker 1: glass before he left work, and then on his way 449 00:27:56,040 --> 00:27:58,640 Speaker 1: home he got some brandy laced coffee at a cafe. 450 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:01,320 Speaker 1: That's where I thought it ended. But no. Then when 451 00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:04,639 Speaker 1: he got home, he drank a liter of wine. He 452 00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:07,040 Speaker 1: and his wife got in a fight, and he grabbed 453 00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:09,199 Speaker 1: a loaded rifle from the wall and shot her in 454 00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:12,000 Speaker 1: the head. The oldest daughter came to see what the 455 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:14,520 Speaker 1: commotion was and he shot her too. Then he took 456 00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:16,439 Speaker 1: his rifle and went to the room of the youngest 457 00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:20,200 Speaker 1: daughter and shot her as well. Some sources wrote that 458 00:28:20,320 --> 00:28:23,440 Speaker 1: his wife was pregnant, so that was another victim. And 459 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:26,280 Speaker 1: then he shot himself in the head, but he survived. 460 00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:32,200 Speaker 1: The community decided the Absente was to blame despite all 461 00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:35,320 Speaker 1: the other Yeah, it was the okay, sure, totally. In 462 00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:38,480 Speaker 1: a public address, the mayor named absent as the direct 463 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:42,840 Speaker 1: cause behind a quote series of bloody crimes, and it 464 00:28:42,880 --> 00:28:45,760 Speaker 1: took only a few days for a petition to ban 465 00:28:45,880 --> 00:28:49,800 Speaker 1: it to garner over two names. And this was before 466 00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:53,360 Speaker 1: online petitioning, So yeah, people were. People were up in 467 00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:57,600 Speaker 1: arms about it. Yeah. And then comes the press, capitalizing 468 00:28:57,600 --> 00:29:01,400 Speaker 1: on the anti absent sentiment growing throughout Europe, giving it 469 00:29:01,480 --> 00:29:04,520 Speaker 1: the name the Absinthe murder. One Swiss paper wrote the 470 00:29:04,520 --> 00:29:11,560 Speaker 1: premier cause of bloodthirsty crime in this century Absinthe wo. Yeah, um. 471 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:14,479 Speaker 1: When time came for Lamfrey's trial, his lawyers claimed it 472 00:29:14,520 --> 00:29:17,840 Speaker 1: was an open and shut case of absinthe madness. That 473 00:29:17,920 --> 00:29:20,240 Speaker 1: defense didn't hold, and he was found guilty on four 474 00:29:20,280 --> 00:29:23,800 Speaker 1: counts of murder. On his third day in jail, Lamfrey 475 00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:27,240 Speaker 1: hung himself. The canton, which is um sort of a 476 00:29:27,280 --> 00:29:30,960 Speaker 1: district or territory, outlawed absinthe a month later, and a 477 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:34,200 Speaker 1: neighboring canton that suffered its own absence murder did the 478 00:29:34,240 --> 00:29:37,480 Speaker 1: same soon after. By nineteen ten, it was illegal in 479 00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:40,400 Speaker 1: all Switzerland, as well as the Netherlands and Belgium, which 480 00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:44,560 Speaker 1: had outlawed it in the nineteen of five. France wasn't 481 00:29:44,560 --> 00:29:48,000 Speaker 1: slowing down, though, going through about thirty six million liters 482 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:52,240 Speaker 1: of absent per year in nineteen ten. The US Pure 483 00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:55,360 Speaker 1: Food Board banned it in nineteen twelve, with these words, 484 00:29:56,040 --> 00:29:59,040 Speaker 1: one of the worst enemies of man. And if we 485 00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:01,800 Speaker 1: can keep the people of United States from becoming slaves 486 00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:05,160 Speaker 1: to this demon, we will do it. Wow. I feel 487 00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:07,400 Speaker 1: like we need a lot of like like Gavel noises 488 00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:11,440 Speaker 1: in the back. It's a very fist pounding kind of episode. 489 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:14,320 Speaker 1: It is. France did go on to ban it in 490 00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:17,960 Speaker 1: nineteen fifteen. The government blamed it for alcoholism in the 491 00:30:17,960 --> 00:30:21,720 Speaker 1: country and for the French Army, up to of men 492 00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:26,560 Speaker 1: failed the army's health test, so they were like, it's 493 00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:28,880 Speaker 1: time to shape up and stop drinking this absence stuff. 494 00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:31,600 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, and that ban, as we said, what wasn't 495 00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:34,719 Speaker 1: lifted in France until and even then it was basically 496 00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:38,200 Speaker 1: under economic pressure provided by Switzerland having lifted that ban 497 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:42,320 Speaker 1: into two thousan five and the US and two thou seven. Yeah. 498 00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:46,080 Speaker 1: But this brings us to the appertaining question. Was there 499 00:30:46,120 --> 00:30:49,840 Speaker 1: really a difference and a danger between absinthe drunk and 500 00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:53,680 Speaker 1: good old regular drunk. We'll get into that after we 501 00:30:53,720 --> 00:30:56,320 Speaker 1: get into one last break for a word from our sponsors, 502 00:31:06,080 --> 00:31:10,240 Speaker 1: and we're back, Thank you sponsors. So what's the deal 503 00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:13,560 Speaker 1: with all this absinthe madness? Does it really cause hallucinations? 504 00:31:14,360 --> 00:31:19,440 Speaker 1: Will it drive you insane? Will it? No? Okay? The 505 00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:21,880 Speaker 1: absence that was being sold in the mid eight hundreds 506 00:31:22,040 --> 00:31:24,440 Speaker 1: was around a hundred and ten to a hundred and 507 00:31:24,480 --> 00:31:30,440 Speaker 1: forty proof. That's like alcohol by volume. Your average liquor, 508 00:31:30,520 --> 00:31:32,960 Speaker 1: by the way, like gin or whiskey r vodka today 509 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:37,040 Speaker 1: is about eight to nine proof or about forty alcohol 510 00:31:37,080 --> 00:31:40,600 Speaker 1: bi volume, which means that drink for drink. People were 511 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:45,960 Speaker 1: mostly just getting drank yeah yeah um, and maybe lightly 512 00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:50,200 Speaker 1: poisoned by cheaply distilled alcohol base, especially as the wine 513 00:31:50,200 --> 00:31:53,560 Speaker 1: plaguement that good quality grape distill it became scarce and 514 00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:56,400 Speaker 1: producers turned to cheap stuff like beats and grains and 515 00:31:56,560 --> 00:31:59,240 Speaker 1: cheap manufacturing methods that might have led to adulter in 516 00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:02,440 Speaker 1: like a copper selfate or chloride getting bottled in along 517 00:32:02,480 --> 00:32:04,920 Speaker 1: with the booze. Uh you know, same as the problem 518 00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:08,400 Speaker 1: with cheap gin in England in the same period of 519 00:32:08,520 --> 00:32:12,080 Speaker 1: Totally there's a myth that these absence were made with 520 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:16,600 Speaker 1: more wormwood and that's contained more to jan than modern absence, 521 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:20,680 Speaker 1: but that conclusion was based in bad science. Contemporary absence 522 00:32:20,840 --> 00:32:25,240 Speaker 1: contained as much or less to joan as modern stuff does, 523 00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:28,920 Speaker 1: and laws current laws do say that absence must contain 524 00:32:29,040 --> 00:32:32,360 Speaker 1: less than ten milligrams of t jon per leader of 525 00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:35,480 Speaker 1: alcohol in the U s y. Yeah, in the EU 526 00:32:35,600 --> 00:32:38,720 Speaker 1: it's more like thirty five milligrams, but that doesn't really 527 00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:42,200 Speaker 1: matter anyway. Oh. A research in the mid twentieth century 528 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:45,320 Speaker 1: revealed that although to joan and the active ingredient in 529 00:32:45,360 --> 00:32:49,520 Speaker 1: cannabis th HC, have a similar molecular structure to zone 530 00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:53,400 Speaker 1: doesn't trigger cannabinoid receptors the way that th HC does. 531 00:32:54,480 --> 00:32:58,200 Speaker 1: It does, however, to Jean inhibit a process in the brain, 532 00:32:58,600 --> 00:33:02,000 Speaker 1: which in very large doses means that it can cause 533 00:33:02,080 --> 00:33:05,720 Speaker 1: muscle spasms and convulsions. But really, like you'd have to 534 00:33:05,760 --> 00:33:08,840 Speaker 1: be consuming pure warmwood oil to get this effect the 535 00:33:08,840 --> 00:33:12,760 Speaker 1: amount in absinthe, you'd pass out a long time before 536 00:33:12,880 --> 00:33:18,240 Speaker 1: you could get poisoned by the two zone, right, So yeah, drunkenness, Yeah, 537 00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:20,840 Speaker 1: I mean, I guess if you're getting there much faster 538 00:33:20,920 --> 00:33:24,880 Speaker 1: than you're used to on anything else, I mean drunk drunkeness. 539 00:33:24,880 --> 00:33:27,400 Speaker 1: And they were, they were high on life. I'm sure 540 00:33:27,400 --> 00:33:30,520 Speaker 1: they weren't high on anything else. Oh yeah, absolutely not, 541 00:33:30,840 --> 00:33:35,640 Speaker 1: no way. Um oh and other science note. Absinthe is 542 00:33:35,680 --> 00:33:39,920 Speaker 1: made by taking um, a high proof, colorless, flavorless alcohol, 543 00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:43,480 Speaker 1: and then redistilling it with a steam bag or maceration 544 00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:48,200 Speaker 1: of your botanicals. Again just like gin. Yeah. Yeah. Traditionally, 545 00:33:48,360 --> 00:33:50,320 Speaker 1: you get the color in a little bit of extra 546 00:33:50,360 --> 00:33:53,920 Speaker 1: flavor and absent by soaking another bag of botanicals in 547 00:33:53,960 --> 00:33:58,000 Speaker 1: that distill it afterward. The green coloration of absinthe was 548 00:33:58,040 --> 00:34:02,920 Speaker 1: from chlorophyll from the herbs leaves. Due to that second masceration, 549 00:34:03,520 --> 00:34:06,400 Speaker 1: the colorful molecules would break down when exposed to sunlight though, 550 00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:08,399 Speaker 1: which is part of why absinthe was bottled in those 551 00:34:08,640 --> 00:34:12,280 Speaker 1: green or sort of cloudy or sort of cloudy green bottles. 552 00:34:12,960 --> 00:34:16,440 Speaker 1: Also they're just pretty. Yeah, the color today maybe artificial, 553 00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:19,239 Speaker 1: as it is more expensive to do that final maceration 554 00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:21,040 Speaker 1: soak than it is to just you know, toss in 555 00:34:21,080 --> 00:34:22,920 Speaker 1: some food coloring. But as we said at the top 556 00:34:22,960 --> 00:34:25,800 Speaker 1: of the episode, that is illegal to be called absinthe 557 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:30,080 Speaker 1: in some some places like Switzerland, absent just has this 558 00:34:30,440 --> 00:34:35,640 Speaker 1: whole mystique to it. That's a good word. Um, it 559 00:34:35,719 --> 00:34:39,600 Speaker 1: is beautiful. It is and I think I um, the 560 00:34:39,640 --> 00:34:41,719 Speaker 1: first time I heard of it, it was I can't 561 00:34:41,719 --> 00:34:43,439 Speaker 1: believe this is the second time we're going to mention 562 00:34:43,440 --> 00:34:47,640 Speaker 1: bulan rouge on food stuff, the beginning of food stuff 563 00:34:47,680 --> 00:34:51,279 Speaker 1: like a Womacgregor goes to Paris and drinks Absynth and 564 00:34:51,320 --> 00:34:53,560 Speaker 1: he sees the green ferry at the beginning of mulan Ruge, 565 00:34:53,600 --> 00:34:57,120 Speaker 1: at the beginning of food stuff. Yes, yes, if that's 566 00:34:57,160 --> 00:35:01,280 Speaker 1: how food stuff becan for you, m M, you're absolutely 567 00:35:01,320 --> 00:35:03,120 Speaker 1: maybe it's maybe there is yeah, I mean there is 568 00:35:03,160 --> 00:35:05,919 Speaker 1: a green ferry at play, but yeah, yeah, yeah, it's 569 00:35:05,960 --> 00:35:10,320 Speaker 1: just it's got this kind of fascinating it has such 570 00:35:10,560 --> 00:35:13,520 Speaker 1: a feel to it that we've we put on it. 571 00:35:13,560 --> 00:35:16,399 Speaker 1: But I think it's really really interesting. It's all it's 572 00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:18,680 Speaker 1: all about that that milky swirl. For me, it's so 573 00:35:18,840 --> 00:35:22,480 Speaker 1: per lescent and just pretty to look at. Ye like 574 00:35:22,520 --> 00:35:28,080 Speaker 1: it is magic. It's nano technology that is awesome. Yeah, 575 00:35:28,719 --> 00:35:33,200 Speaker 1: so that's happen yeah, yeah, and it brings us to 576 00:35:34,160 --> 00:35:39,000 Speaker 1: listener male listener me yay. I wanted to start off 577 00:35:39,080 --> 00:35:43,319 Speaker 1: by thanking everybody who sent us something over the holidays. 578 00:35:44,080 --> 00:35:48,160 Speaker 1: Both Lauren and I were out on holiday or I 579 00:35:48,200 --> 00:35:51,120 Speaker 1: actually was working. You were, but it was a fun 580 00:35:51,160 --> 00:35:54,440 Speaker 1: I was out nonetheless, and so we didn't have time 581 00:35:54,520 --> 00:35:59,080 Speaker 1: to like individually mentioned everybody, but thank you. You tend 582 00:35:59,160 --> 00:36:01,839 Speaker 1: to say books and beautiful things that it's been so 583 00:36:01,880 --> 00:36:05,400 Speaker 1: wonderful receiving those, and we appreciate it so much. We 584 00:36:05,520 --> 00:36:09,560 Speaker 1: really do. We are always so like it's thrilled. Yeah, 585 00:36:10,400 --> 00:36:12,319 Speaker 1: it can. It can be really I I hope it 586 00:36:12,360 --> 00:36:14,400 Speaker 1: sounds like fun when we when we come into the studio, 587 00:36:14,440 --> 00:36:17,560 Speaker 1: but it can be really grinding day to day to 588 00:36:17,600 --> 00:36:19,839 Speaker 1: get through some of this stuff. So it's it's such 589 00:36:19,840 --> 00:36:23,760 Speaker 1: a lovely break, thank you. Yes. So the first letter 590 00:36:23,920 --> 00:36:28,440 Speaker 1: we shall be reading is from Cindy, who wrote, I 591 00:36:28,480 --> 00:36:30,680 Speaker 1: just listened to the episodes on fat diets, and the 592 00:36:30,719 --> 00:36:32,800 Speaker 1: first thing that popped into my brain when you mentioned 593 00:36:32,920 --> 00:36:36,000 Speaker 1: that the grapefruit is still a worldwide symbol of dieting was, hey, 594 00:36:36,080 --> 00:36:38,040 Speaker 1: I'm pretty sure that's mentioned in one of the Harry 595 00:36:38,040 --> 00:36:41,720 Speaker 1: Potter books. Yes, I am that level of HP geek, 596 00:36:41,880 --> 00:36:45,040 Speaker 1: so am I. Early in the fourth book, Goblet of Fire, 597 00:36:45,120 --> 00:36:47,640 Speaker 1: while Harry is still with the Dursleys, it is mentioned 598 00:36:47,719 --> 00:36:49,319 Speaker 1: that Dudley has to go on a diet, so the 599 00:36:49,360 --> 00:36:51,680 Speaker 1: rest of them have to as well. What did Aunt 600 00:36:51,680 --> 00:36:55,520 Speaker 1: Petunia sur for breakfast that morning? Grapefruit wedges. I think 601 00:36:55,520 --> 00:36:57,880 Speaker 1: it's a little crazy how these things can become a 602 00:36:57,960 --> 00:37:01,359 Speaker 1: lasting symbol or stereotype of a concert. Upt. On an 603 00:37:01,440 --> 00:37:04,600 Speaker 1: unrelated note, I also have a funny story about chocolate 604 00:37:04,640 --> 00:37:07,239 Speaker 1: my family. I don't remember if it was mentioned in 605 00:37:07,239 --> 00:37:08,799 Speaker 1: the episode or if it was a listener mail, but 606 00:37:08,840 --> 00:37:11,239 Speaker 1: the story about the girl whose family member always told 607 00:37:11,280 --> 00:37:14,040 Speaker 1: her she was allergic to chocolate sparked a funny memory 608 00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:16,880 Speaker 1: in my life. When we were kids. My older sister 609 00:37:16,880 --> 00:37:18,839 Speaker 1: and I both had blonde hair and blue eyes, while 610 00:37:18,840 --> 00:37:22,040 Speaker 1: my younger sister had dark brown hair and eyes. Obviously, 611 00:37:22,120 --> 00:37:23,880 Speaker 1: this made her stand out a bit in the group. 612 00:37:24,719 --> 00:37:27,480 Speaker 1: To make her feel better about this, my grandmother would 613 00:37:27,520 --> 00:37:30,919 Speaker 1: and still sometimes tell my little sister that having dark 614 00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:32,960 Speaker 1: hair and eyes meant that she just had to eat 615 00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:35,479 Speaker 1: lots of chocolate or her eyes and hair would start 616 00:37:35,480 --> 00:37:38,359 Speaker 1: to fade. She would even do checks to see if 617 00:37:38,400 --> 00:37:41,640 Speaker 1: my sister needed another hersh's miniature. To this day, she's 618 00:37:41,680 --> 00:37:44,600 Speaker 1: twenty three now, she is by far the biggest chocoholic 619 00:37:44,640 --> 00:37:46,239 Speaker 1: of the family, and when you tease her about it, 620 00:37:46,480 --> 00:37:48,840 Speaker 1: she will sometimes tell you jokingly that she needs it 621 00:37:48,880 --> 00:37:52,600 Speaker 1: for her eyes. That's a beautiful story, it is. Oh, 622 00:37:52,640 --> 00:37:56,879 Speaker 1: that's so sweet. Um Alvin wrote in about our fat 623 00:37:57,080 --> 00:38:00,000 Speaker 1: diet episode, I'm inspired to write to you about something 624 00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:03,200 Speaker 1: that you mentioned that seemed puzzling to you. Lord Byron 625 00:38:03,320 --> 00:38:08,080 Speaker 1: and his vinegar based diet. George Gordon Byron later Lord Byron, 626 00:38:08,239 --> 00:38:12,120 Speaker 1: an exemplar of regency fashioning culture, was a fat child 627 00:38:12,520 --> 00:38:14,799 Speaker 1: and he had a limp. According to an article from 628 00:38:14,840 --> 00:38:17,960 Speaker 1: the u K's The Guardian newspaper profiling a two thousand 629 00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:22,360 Speaker 1: eleven documentary by the amazing Lucy Worsley that mentioned Byron. 630 00:38:22,680 --> 00:38:25,799 Speaker 1: There are still ledgers recording Byron's weight and the five 631 00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:29,280 Speaker 1: ft eight inch or about one point seven meter eighteen 632 00:38:29,320 --> 00:38:33,000 Speaker 1: year old Byron weighs in at a hefty thirteen stone 633 00:38:33,120 --> 00:38:37,319 Speaker 1: twelve pounds or eight ks, which the program makers are 634 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:40,520 Speaker 1: classing as borderline obese. Because he had his boots on, 635 00:38:41,400 --> 00:38:44,600 Speaker 1: Byron went to great efforts to lose his weight, such 636 00:38:44,640 --> 00:38:47,360 Speaker 1: as playing cricket with seven waistcoats and a great coat 637 00:38:47,400 --> 00:38:49,560 Speaker 1: on and going to steam rooms to sweat it off, 638 00:38:50,160 --> 00:38:52,759 Speaker 1: and to be fair worsely said, he was down to 639 00:38:53,120 --> 00:38:56,160 Speaker 1: nine stone eleven pounds when he was twenty three. Byron 640 00:38:56,200 --> 00:38:59,279 Speaker 1: also suffered from a problem foot from childhood, resulting in 641 00:38:59,280 --> 00:39:03,240 Speaker 1: a life long limp. And in case you're wondering, thirteen 642 00:39:03,320 --> 00:39:05,480 Speaker 1: stone is about a hundred and eighty two pounds, so 643 00:39:05,520 --> 00:39:10,120 Speaker 1: at eighteen, Byron at five ft eight inches wade about 644 00:39:10,120 --> 00:39:15,000 Speaker 1: a hundred and ninety four pounds. Yeah, besides being a 645 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:18,840 Speaker 1: poster child for Regency Dandy's Lord, Byron, because of his childhood, 646 00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:23,399 Speaker 1: was a prime mark for fat diets. And now you know, well, 647 00:39:23,400 --> 00:39:26,200 Speaker 1: thank you, Alvin knowing is half the battle, it is. 648 00:39:26,440 --> 00:39:30,400 Speaker 1: I was kind of surprised that the whole sweating it 649 00:39:30,440 --> 00:39:35,040 Speaker 1: out thing was around Oh yeah, back then, oh forever 650 00:39:35,080 --> 00:39:39,319 Speaker 1: and ever. It's just always been there. Well, thanks to 651 00:39:39,520 --> 00:39:42,160 Speaker 1: both of them for writing in. If you would like 652 00:39:42,239 --> 00:39:44,600 Speaker 1: to write to us, you can do so. Our email 653 00:39:44,719 --> 00:39:47,200 Speaker 1: is food Stuff at hawstaff Works dot com, where also 654 00:39:47,239 --> 00:39:49,440 Speaker 1: on social media you can find us on Twitter and 655 00:39:49,520 --> 00:39:52,759 Speaker 1: Facebook at food Stuff hs W. You can also find 656 00:39:52,800 --> 00:39:55,440 Speaker 1: us on Instagram at food stuff. We would love to 657 00:39:55,480 --> 00:39:58,880 Speaker 1: hear from you. Thanks so much to our amazing producer, 658 00:39:58,960 --> 00:40:03,560 Speaker 1: Dylan Fagin. M hm, he is not absent. He is 659 00:40:03,560 --> 00:40:06,520 Speaker 1: always present. I don't know. I was trying to come 660 00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:09,320 Speaker 1: up with a dumb like riff on his name, and 661 00:40:09,360 --> 00:40:12,160 Speaker 1: I never succeed. I think I think that works. Let's 662 00:40:12,160 --> 00:40:16,640 Speaker 1: go with it. Okay, we'll do right now. Thank you too, 663 00:40:16,719 --> 00:40:18,839 Speaker 1: y'all for listening, and we hope that lots more good 664 00:40:18,880 --> 00:40:22,680 Speaker 1: things are coming your way