WEBVTT - Prized Possession 0:00:04.080 --> 0:00:07.440 Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 0:00:07.480 --> 0:00:14.440 iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of 0:00:14.480 --> 0:00:18.440 the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 0:00:18.480 --> 0:00:22.159 of these amazing tales are right there on display, just 0:00:22.200 --> 0:00:28.880 waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 0:00:36.240 --> 0:00:41.280 In twenty twenty two, archaeologists uncovered something fascinating carbonized flat 0:00:41.360 --> 0:00:44.640 grain cakes at an Israeli site. To their delicate layers 0:00:44.680 --> 0:00:48.240 preserved in ash dating confirmed that they were baked over 0:00:48.320 --> 0:00:51.800 seventy thousand years ago over hot rocks, making them the 0:00:51.840 --> 0:00:57.040 world's oldest known proto pancakes. Long before wheats was cultivated 0:00:57.080 --> 0:01:00.920 on a massive scale, early humans were experimented with porridges 0:01:00.960 --> 0:01:04.840 and batter like mixtures, turning simple grains into a quick, 0:01:04.920 --> 0:01:08.280 portable meal. That humble beginning set the stage for a 0:01:08.319 --> 0:01:11.800 food that would travel across continents, survive wars, and become 0:01:11.840 --> 0:01:15.720 a breakfast ritual for billions. Fast forward a few thousand 0:01:15.840 --> 0:01:19.120 years to the sunny streets of ancient Greece, where vendors 0:01:19.160 --> 0:01:23.720 flipped Taganiti's thin wheat flour cakes cooked on bronze griddles. 0:01:24.000 --> 0:01:26.600 These were not merely sustenance, though they were part of 0:01:26.640 --> 0:01:30.560 festivals and communal gatherings, and the Romans continued the tradition 0:01:30.720 --> 0:01:34.360 with alita delca, which were sweetened with honey, cheese, and 0:01:34.480 --> 0:01:38.160 sometimes even fruit, and in both cultures the pancake like 0:01:38.200 --> 0:01:42.160 food occupied a dual role, an everyday snack for laborers 0:01:42.200 --> 0:01:46.280 and a ceremonial offering for the gods. The basic formula 0:01:46.360 --> 0:01:49.200 of it all, a liquid, some flour and some heat, 0:01:49.560 --> 0:01:53.320 proved remarkably adaptable, a culinary canvas that could be dressed 0:01:53.400 --> 0:01:57.200 up or stripped down depending on the occasion. As Christianity 0:01:57.240 --> 0:02:00.440 spread throughout Europe, the pancake acquired new layers of meaning. 0:02:01.080 --> 0:02:04.760 No pun intended, I swear. The season of Lent demanded fasting, 0:02:04.880 --> 0:02:06.960 but one of the days leading up to it, known 0:02:07.000 --> 0:02:10.360 as Shrove Tuesday, offered a brief window to use up 0:02:10.400 --> 0:02:14.359 perishable riches, things like eggs, butter, and milk. In England, 0:02:14.560 --> 0:02:18.359 families gathered around a hearth, battering together a simple mixture 0:02:18.440 --> 0:02:21.160 and racing to flip it before the fire burned it out, 0:02:21.480 --> 0:02:24.960 and so naturally the day became known colloquially as pancake Day. 0:02:25.120 --> 0:02:29.160 A tradition that still persists in Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, 0:02:29.240 --> 0:02:32.440 and New Zealand. In France and part of the United States, 0:02:32.600 --> 0:02:35.720 the same feast is called Mardi Gras or fat Tuesday, 0:02:35.960 --> 0:02:40.000 underscoring how a practical need to avoid waste evolved into 0:02:40.080 --> 0:02:44.239 a festival ritual. Across the Atlantic, settlers brought their own 0:02:44.320 --> 0:02:47.200 versions of the flat cake. In the American colonies, the 0:02:47.200 --> 0:02:51.680 pancake appeared under many names, hoe cakes, johnny cakes, buckwheat cakes, 0:02:51.960 --> 0:02:56.480 griddle cakes, and flapjacks, reflecting the diverse origins of the pioneers. 0:02:56.840 --> 0:03:00.440 These were often unleavined, made from corn meal or bucke wheat, 0:03:00.520 --> 0:03:03.080 and cooked on a cast iron skillet or even a 0:03:03.120 --> 0:03:08.239 farm implement repurposed as a griddle. The first truly American cookbook, 0:03:08.480 --> 0:03:12.440 American Cookery, written in seventeen ninety six by Amelia Simmons, 0:03:12.680 --> 0:03:17.480 listed two pancake recipes, a hoe cake and an Indian slapjack, 0:03:17.639 --> 0:03:21.320 a corn meal based variation. By the early nineteenth century, 0:03:21.320 --> 0:03:25.160 the word pancake began to dominate the lexicon, and dairy 0:03:25.400 --> 0:03:28.799 entered the batter in earnest as milk and cream replaced 0:03:28.880 --> 0:03:33.760 brandy or wine, signaling improved agricultural yields and a shift 0:03:33.800 --> 0:03:39.080 toward richer flavors. Industrialization transformed the pancake from a homestead 0:03:39.120 --> 0:03:43.320 staple into a mass produced convenience. The advent of powdered 0:03:43.360 --> 0:03:46.360 mixes in the nineteen thirties allowed families to whip up 0:03:46.400 --> 0:03:49.640 a stack in minutes and was perfect for factory workers. 0:03:49.960 --> 0:03:53.080 The cheap, quick breakfast became a symbol of comfort during 0:03:53.120 --> 0:03:56.320 the Great Depression and World War II, when rationing made 0:03:56.320 --> 0:04:01.600 elaborate meals nearly impossible. And meanwhile, back in France, delicate crapes, 0:04:01.760 --> 0:04:05.480 paper thin, rolled with sweet or savory fillings became a 0:04:05.560 --> 0:04:10.400 hallmark of culinary elegance. Russia's bleamy, traditionally served with caviar 0:04:10.520 --> 0:04:15.120 and sour cream, was eaten on the Orthodox celebration of Maslenitas, 0:04:15.200 --> 0:04:18.880 a week long festival bidding farewell to winter. And in 0:04:19.000 --> 0:04:23.239 my wife's own Swedish background, we have Swedish pancakes, something 0:04:23.279 --> 0:04:27.080 that's a staple of our holiday celebrations every single year. 0:04:27.600 --> 0:04:30.839 These global variations prove that the pancake's appeal is not 0:04:30.920 --> 0:04:35.120 confined to any single culture. It's a universal language of simple, 0:04:35.279 --> 0:04:39.719 adaptable nourishment. In recent decades, the pancake has experienced a 0:04:39.800 --> 0:04:45.039 renaissance among food artisans and nostalgic chefs. Heritage grain revivals 0:04:45.040 --> 0:04:48.120 have brought buckwheat, sorghum, and millet back to the griddle, 0:04:48.240 --> 0:04:51.400 and charitable events like National Pancake Day in the United 0:04:51.440 --> 0:04:55.400 States raise millions for children's hospitals, proving that the pancake 0:04:55.720 --> 0:04:59.120 can still serve a higher purpose beyond the plate. From 0:04:59.160 --> 0:05:01.920 a sevent one year old grain cake baked on a 0:05:01.960 --> 0:05:05.440 stone to glossy stacks drizzled with maple syrup on a 0:05:05.480 --> 0:05:09.719 Saturday morning, the pancakes journey mirrors humanity's own, its core 0:05:09.800 --> 0:05:14.200 components of staid, constant, while the ingredients, technology, and cultural 0:05:14.240 --> 0:05:17.960 meaning have shifted with each era and culture. The pancake 0:05:18.000 --> 0:05:22.080 has been a survival food for prehistoric hunters, a sacramental 0:05:22.120 --> 0:05:26.039 offering for Greeks and Romans, and a frontier staple for Americans. 0:05:26.600 --> 0:05:29.479 Whenever we hear the familiar hiss of batter meeting a 0:05:29.520 --> 0:05:32.760 hot pan, we're really listening to a sizzle that has 0:05:32.800 --> 0:05:49.440 spanned thousands of years of human history. Take a moment 0:05:49.480 --> 0:05:52.080 to look around yourself right now, no matter where you 0:05:52.120 --> 0:05:55.200 are in your apartment, car, office, or even going for 0:05:55.279 --> 0:05:57.880 a walk. Odds are you aren't far from an object 0:05:57.920 --> 0:06:01.280 that means something to you. If it's a little knickknack 0:06:01.320 --> 0:06:03.680 that reminds you of an important person or time in 0:06:03.680 --> 0:06:06.320 your life, or maybe it's something you use every day, 0:06:06.480 --> 0:06:10.320 a tool or an article of clothing in the stage 0:06:10.320 --> 0:06:13.240 play of your life. These things are important props. They 0:06:13.279 --> 0:06:16.360 have some sort of utility or meaning to you. Some 0:06:16.440 --> 0:06:19.600 might even last long enough to become a beloved family keepsake, 0:06:19.640 --> 0:06:22.320 which is passed on to your children and maybe even 0:06:22.360 --> 0:06:25.400 your grandchildren. You may see where I'm going with this. 0:06:25.920 --> 0:06:28.599 Once an object is old enough, it feels like it 0:06:28.640 --> 0:06:31.960 gains a weight and importance of its own. Maybe you 0:06:32.040 --> 0:06:35.040 felt this while going through the possessions of a deceased relative. 0:06:35.440 --> 0:06:38.800 But in Japanese folklore, you must be wary of items 0:06:38.800 --> 0:06:41.320 that have been around for this long, because that object 0:06:41.640 --> 0:06:44.800 might have more than just memories attached to it. In 0:06:44.839 --> 0:06:48.800 the Japanese Shinto religion, spirits known as kami influence the 0:06:48.839 --> 0:06:51.880 world around us. Some are as great as the sun 0:06:51.960 --> 0:06:55.880 god Ama Terasu, and others are household objects that have 0:06:55.920 --> 0:06:58.760 been allowed to grow old the exact amount of time 0:06:58.800 --> 0:07:02.880 required is vague. Most say one hundred years, some say less. 0:07:03.080 --> 0:07:05.760 But once enough time has passed, an item will become 0:07:05.839 --> 0:07:10.520 a tsuku mogami, a haunted object. Tsuko mogami are born 0:07:10.600 --> 0:07:14.280 out of all kinds of things, too, sandals, furniture, pots, 0:07:14.280 --> 0:07:19.760 and dishes. Some of the most popular stories feature haunted umbrellas, saddles, kimonos, 0:07:19.800 --> 0:07:23.120 and teapots, a stirrup that a soldier died in, or 0:07:23.160 --> 0:07:25.640 a pot that has been chipped and cracked over many, 0:07:25.760 --> 0:07:29.120 many years. And although it's said that some tsuko mogami 0:07:29.160 --> 0:07:32.160 are benign, most of these stories feature objects that are 0:07:32.200 --> 0:07:35.040 not happy with the way they've been treated. The word, 0:07:35.080 --> 0:07:39.760 when spelled out in Kanji script, literally means grief inflicting God. 0:07:40.160 --> 0:07:43.400 For instance, that stirrup that the soldier died in becomes 0:07:43.440 --> 0:07:46.640 a creature that eternally waits for the return of its master. 0:07:47.040 --> 0:07:50.760 Broken pots and pans wait to be repaired. In fact, 0:07:50.840 --> 0:07:53.720 it's the forgotten and neglected objects that seem to have 0:07:53.800 --> 0:07:57.200 the most potency as spirits, like haunted houses on a 0:07:57.280 --> 0:08:01.040 much much smaller scale. Eighteenth century art of these sorts 0:08:01.040 --> 0:08:04.840 of kami depicts a long abandoned futon dragging itself across 0:08:04.840 --> 0:08:08.280 the floor, gathering forgotten pots and pans as it goes. 0:08:08.640 --> 0:08:12.880 The assembled creature was called the crockery General. Now the 0:08:13.000 --> 0:08:16.880 earliest tsukomogami stories we have are from the year eleven twenty. 0:08:17.160 --> 0:08:21.120 They tell of household objects getting possessed by demons and spirits. 0:08:21.440 --> 0:08:24.760 One particularly grim story tells of an oil pot that 0:08:24.880 --> 0:08:28.080 kills a sick girl. But these stories of possession would 0:08:28.160 --> 0:08:31.400 eventually give way to the more classical tsukomogami, where the 0:08:31.400 --> 0:08:34.560 object isn't possessed so much as it's gained a life 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:37.960 and perspective of its own. These stories started appearing as 0:08:38.040 --> 0:08:41.920 popular entertainment and folklore in the late fifteenth century, and 0:08:42.120 --> 0:08:46.240 exploded in popularity throughout the sixteenth and seventeen well into 0:08:46.320 --> 0:08:49.640 the Edo period. And what these beings do once they've 0:08:49.679 --> 0:08:53.120 come to life varies from story to story. Some merely 0:08:53.200 --> 0:08:55.840 flee your house out into the wild, seeking a home 0:08:55.840 --> 0:08:58.920 where they won't be mistreated or neglected. In fact, some 0:08:59.080 --> 0:09:02.320 creatures in the world wilderness, like foxes or raccoon dogs, 0:09:02.640 --> 0:09:06.800 were once ssukomogami, who left their original homes and became 0:09:06.960 --> 0:09:11.120 woodland spirits. Other ssukomogami, though refused to leave their homes. 0:09:11.320 --> 0:09:14.959 They instead turn on their owners in revenge for their disuse. 0:09:15.280 --> 0:09:18.360 This revenge seems to be fairly harmless, though it usually 0:09:18.360 --> 0:09:20.559 comes in the form of pranks. But the moral of 0:09:20.600 --> 0:09:23.440 the story is pretty clear. Treat your household items with 0:09:23.520 --> 0:09:26.760 respect and they will not grow to resent you. There's 0:09:26.840 --> 0:09:30.200 more to being a responsible homeowner than keeping your family fit. Apparently, 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:34.960 you must also show care and respect to the home itself. Nowadays, 0:09:35.000 --> 0:09:39.000 you'll find plenty of references to Ssukomogami in Japanese entertainment, 0:09:39.160 --> 0:09:42.760 from anime to manga and everything in between, but be 0:09:42.880 --> 0:09:46.240 careful never to forget the lesson of the original folk tale. 0:09:46.720 --> 0:09:49.720 As Madonna once said, we live in a material world. 0:09:50.000 --> 0:09:53.160 Our possessions bring joy to us. They make household tasks 0:09:53.240 --> 0:09:56.880 easier and fill a home with purpose. But acquiring such 0:09:56.920 --> 0:10:00.680 an object also comes with a responsibility either way, though 0:10:00.760 --> 0:10:03.120 it certainly gives a whole new meaning to the common 0:10:03.160 --> 0:10:11.000 phrase prized possession. I hope you enjoyed today's guided tour 0:10:11.120 --> 0:10:14.520 through the Cabinet of Curiosities. This show was created by 0:10:14.559 --> 0:10:18.760 me Aaron Mankey in partnership with iHeart Podcasts, researched and 0:10:18.760 --> 0:10:21.360 written by the Grim and Mild team and produced by 0:10:21.440 --> 0:10:24.160 Jesse Funk. Learn more about the show and the people 0:10:24.200 --> 0:10:28.280 who make it over at Grimandmild dot com slash Curiosities. 0:10:28.559 --> 0:10:30.880 You'll also find a link to the official Cabinet of 0:10:30.920 --> 0:10:35.040 Curiosity's hardcover book, available in bookstores and online, as well 0:10:35.080 --> 0:10:37.800 as ebook and audiobook. And if you're looking for an 0:10:37.840 --> 0:10:41.120 ad free option, consider joining our Patreon. It's all the 0:10:41.160 --> 0:10:44.920 same stories, but without the interruption for a small monthly fee. 0:10:45.040 --> 0:10:47.920 Learn more and sign up over at patreon dot com 0:10:47.920 --> 0:10:52.600 slash Grimandmild, and until next time, stay curious.