A healthy, well-balanced and nutritious diet. I approve. Where were you living - in Ireland, perhaps? I am curious to learn the circumstances, if you feel like sharing. Sounds intriguing.
And did you know? Gargling with Guinness is excellent for a sore throat, or for anyone who is taxing the vocal chords with singing, acting, etc.. I learned this from my acting teacher, who learned it from his teacher, Lawrence Olivier. He would spit it out, but I myself swallow after gargling. Waste not, want not.
I used to have bad toothaches. Only thing that helped was gargling with Jim Beam. Some of it obviously got in my system cause I was feelinтАЩ NO pain after awhile. Hint: DonтАЩt try this before having to leave the house. ЁЯдкЁЯШ╡тАНЁЯТлЁЯеГ
Ah, Alcohol, blessing and curse! My grandmother swore by Lydia Pinkham's Herbal Compound, a popular remedy for "female complaints", that dated from the 1870s but which is still around today in modified form. The original alcohol content escapes me but it was something like 22%. Mrs. Pinkham, born a Quaker, knew what she was doing when she whipped up that brew. Couple toots of that during your monthlies and you'll be feeling finer than frog hair. I say it beats the hell out of prescription and OTC pharmas, opioids, etc..
They could also be subjected to FGM - not just hysterectomies - for the same reason. Yes, it was a standard medical practice in America for most of the 19th and 20th centuries. Under those circumstances I think I might reach for the laudanum myself.
Up in the barbarian northlands of my youth, we would rub the gums of our teething infants with Jim Beam (or Jack Daniels, for the Philistines), an excellent palliative and highly effective at sending little Susie to the Land of Nod.
That handy tip goes way, way back. I think I first read of it in Lydia Maria Child's iconic "The Frugal American Housewife" pub. 1828. But I have never heard of anyone actually doing this. I bet it worked like a charm. Many anecdotes exist of snake bites being treated with gunpowder, tobacco and any amount of whiskey. You use what you have. And if it didn't cure, at least it killed the pain, as Janet says.
Very interesting. I'll have to see about getting a copy of that book.
The whiskey trick was from my beloved grandmother, who lived through the Depression and WWII and was perhaps the wisest and kindest woman ever to walk the earth.
She taught me how to dig for clams, bake, keep a garden, play gin rummy, and too much else to go into here.
Clinics and doctors were few and far away, and she knew how to fix pretty much whatever ailed with what was on hand, and many of us still have the scars to prove it... ;-)
She sounds wonderful. We should all have grandmothers like that. Mine taught me to make preserves including watermelon pickle, how to test eggs, deal with rattlesnakes, make candy (she worked for the very first Sees, in 1920), tell naughty jokes, cook okra, catch fish, roll ravioli, make people feel welcome, embroider, drive with confidence over 70 mph, how to whistle up a wind, how to recognize fossils, learn a couple of centuries worth of Scottish and Irish folk ballads, and partake of the pride and sorrow of our family history.
"The Frugal American Housewife" is back in print, and not hard to find. Used copies are five bucks. I used it for a Living History program I was part of. It's a lovely little book.
It's very pretty to look at, but definitely not something most children would go for, more like a relish or chutney for a roast. Back then I pretended to like it for her sake. And now, you see, I've grown into it, and love it. There was a book of poetry that came out in 1966, a soulful collection by both well-known and obscure poets. Required reading in middle school and high school for the next several years; the title was "Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle". Who else knows this book? Off you go, people.
I remember my grandma's watermelon pickles as well. She would use just the white rind part and add a lot of spices. They turned out a refreshing pale green hue. I remember the distinctive taste, maybe mostly from the juniper berries. I have not heard of that book but it sounds intriguing. You know a lot of interesting sounding reading materials!
As a destitute student and traveller in the U.K., back when the pound was strong, making the Irish elixir a crucial component of survival.
Had never heard of the Guinness gargle (although I vaguely remember waking up with a Guinness gargoyle on occasion), what a fantastic idea! Especially given the source.
Once removed from Olivier. How very fortunate. Really would have liked to have met that man in person. What an incredible life and talent.
Yes, I have worshiped Olivier all my life, since childhood. His student Terence Knapp, who was my teacher, was an amazing man himself. He had some lovely stories about Sir Larry and the other greats from back in the day during his time at RADA. None of which I can recall these days. Terry had embraced Olivier's spitting thing (read about it, he spat all over Merle Oberon whilst filming "Wuthering Heights", how terribly romantic). I learned to never sit in the front row without a raincoat, if Terry was giving a performance. Quite the shower bath. Smelling of Guinness, no doubt.
Wait, are you saying that there is alcohol in beer? BEER??? Oh no, that's just not true. Beer is food.
I can verify.
I once lived almost exclusively on Guinness for months.
A healthy, well-balanced and nutritious diet. I approve. Where were you living - in Ireland, perhaps? I am curious to learn the circumstances, if you feel like sharing. Sounds intriguing.
And did you know? Gargling with Guinness is excellent for a sore throat, or for anyone who is taxing the vocal chords with singing, acting, etc.. I learned this from my acting teacher, who learned it from his teacher, Lawrence Olivier. He would spit it out, but I myself swallow after gargling. Waste not, want not.
I used to have bad toothaches. Only thing that helped was gargling with Jim Beam. Some of it obviously got in my system cause I was feelinтАЩ NO pain after awhile. Hint: DonтАЩt try this before having to leave the house. ЁЯдкЁЯШ╡тАНЁЯТлЁЯеГ
Ah, Alcohol, blessing and curse! My grandmother swore by Lydia Pinkham's Herbal Compound, a popular remedy for "female complaints", that dated from the 1870s but which is still around today in modified form. The original alcohol content escapes me but it was something like 22%. Mrs. Pinkham, born a Quaker, knew what she was doing when she whipped up that brew. Couple toots of that during your monthlies and you'll be feeling finer than frog hair. I say it beats the hell out of prescription and OTC pharmas, opioids, etc..
Management of side effects easier IтАЩd say. But back then a woman could be thrown in an insane asylum for being, shall we say, a woman. ЁЯШ▒ЁЯШ▒ЁЯШ▒
They could also be subjected to FGM - not just hysterectomies - for the same reason. Yes, it was a standard medical practice in America for most of the 19th and 20th centuries. Under those circumstances I think I might reach for the laudanum myself.
Up in the barbarian northlands of my youth, we would rub the gums of our teething infants with Jim Beam (or Jack Daniels, for the Philistines), an excellent palliative and highly effective at sending little Susie to the Land of Nod.
We used to call it Alaskan Anbesol.
That handy tip goes way, way back. I think I first read of it in Lydia Maria Child's iconic "The Frugal American Housewife" pub. 1828. But I have never heard of anyone actually doing this. I bet it worked like a charm. Many anecdotes exist of snake bites being treated with gunpowder, tobacco and any amount of whiskey. You use what you have. And if it didn't cure, at least it killed the pain, as Janet says.
Very interesting. I'll have to see about getting a copy of that book.
The whiskey trick was from my beloved grandmother, who lived through the Depression and WWII and was perhaps the wisest and kindest woman ever to walk the earth.
She taught me how to dig for clams, bake, keep a garden, play gin rummy, and too much else to go into here.
Clinics and doctors were few and far away, and she knew how to fix pretty much whatever ailed with what was on hand, and many of us still have the scars to prove it... ;-)
She sounds wonderful. We should all have grandmothers like that. Mine taught me to make preserves including watermelon pickle, how to test eggs, deal with rattlesnakes, make candy (she worked for the very first Sees, in 1920), tell naughty jokes, cook okra, catch fish, roll ravioli, make people feel welcome, embroider, drive with confidence over 70 mph, how to whistle up a wind, how to recognize fossils, learn a couple of centuries worth of Scottish and Irish folk ballads, and partake of the pride and sorrow of our family history.
"The Frugal American Housewife" is back in print, and not hard to find. Used copies are five bucks. I used it for a Living History program I was part of. It's a lovely little book.
She sounds absolutely lovely.
Watermelon pickle! Now that sounds awesome.
It's very pretty to look at, but definitely not something most children would go for, more like a relish or chutney for a roast. Back then I pretended to like it for her sake. And now, you see, I've grown into it, and love it. There was a book of poetry that came out in 1966, a soulful collection by both well-known and obscure poets. Required reading in middle school and high school for the next several years; the title was "Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle". Who else knows this book? Off you go, people.
I remember my grandma's watermelon pickles as well. She would use just the white rind part and add a lot of spices. They turned out a refreshing pale green hue. I remember the distinctive taste, maybe mostly from the juniper berries. I have not heard of that book but it sounds intriguing. You know a lot of interesting sounding reading materials!
As a destitute student and traveller in the U.K., back when the pound was strong, making the Irish elixir a crucial component of survival.
Had never heard of the Guinness gargle (although I vaguely remember waking up with a Guinness gargoyle on occasion), what a fantastic idea! Especially given the source.
Once removed from Olivier. How very fortunate. Really would have liked to have met that man in person. What an incredible life and talent.
Yes, I have worshiped Olivier all my life, since childhood. His student Terence Knapp, who was my teacher, was an amazing man himself. He had some lovely stories about Sir Larry and the other greats from back in the day during his time at RADA. None of which I can recall these days. Terry had embraced Olivier's spitting thing (read about it, he spat all over Merle Oberon whilst filming "Wuthering Heights", how terribly romantic). I learned to never sit in the front row without a raincoat, if Terry was giving a performance. Quite the shower bath. Smelling of Guinness, no doubt.
I lived in Ireland for a year. A very old farmer neighbor always gave Guinness to his sick cows. He swore by its healing powers!
That is wonderful! Thanks for sharing that story.
Man can not live on bread alone...