abstractconcept

Quote:

"I am my own muse. I am the subject I know best. The subject I want to better."

"Can one invent verbs? I want to tell you one: I sky you, so my wings extend so large to love you without measure."

~ Frida Kahlo


Facts: Sake/Seishu

1.) The word sake (酒) in Japanese usually means alcohol, which is a broader term. Nowadays, what we think is sake points to seishu, which is alcohol made from rice, rice malt and water with a special process unique to Japan. (This alcohol has an unique taste. Do I like it? I'm not sure.)


2.) You can drink sake cold or hot. You can mix it with other beverages if you like, but sake is at its best taken straight cold or hot. People admire the taste and aroma of it by drinking it without anything else. (This is why I am undetermined. I have only had the dry type warmed. I would love to try the sweet chilled. Do not confuse with Korean Soju. You might start a war. Not kidding.)

Quote:

"If you find someone who makes you smile, who checks up on you often to see if you're okay. Who watches out or you and wants the best for you. Who loves and respects you. Don't let them go. People like that are hard to find."

"You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet."

~ Franz Kafka


Facts: Tequila

1.) Blue Agave, the cornerstone of tequila, embarks on a slow journey to maturity. Taking a remarkable 8-12 years to fully mature. The maturation of the plant directly influences the quality and flavor of the tequila produced, with older plants yielding a richer, more complex flavor profile. (I prefer tequila mixed with something. Straight up gives me heartburn. Not my liquor of choice, but it is doable.)


2.) In the world of spirits, tequila stands out for its meticulous regulation. Every Weber blue agave plant, the essential ingredient for tequila, is not just grown but also numbered and registered. This precise tracking system, implemented by the Mexican government, ensures the authenticity and quality of tequila. (Wow, registered and numbered plants. I wonder if the Aztec also did that.)

Quote:

"Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you."

"... I'm much closer to the people at the bottom than the people at the top, and the latter won't forgive me for it."

~ Princess Diana


Facts: Mead

1.) It is Likely the Oldest Alcoholic Beverage on Earth.Evidence of mead fermentation dates back to 7000 B.C.E. in ancient Chinese pottery, predating both wine and beer. The first mead may have been a happy accident when early foragers drank rainwater mixed with fermented honey. Mead’s appeal spread globally, becoming popular with Vikings, Mayans, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. (Yes, I have had mead. Not at a Renaissance Festival, but at an Irish Festival in Missouri. It was good and no, the Honey Wine did not give me a headache or make me toss my cookies.)


2.) The Origin of the Honeymoon is because of this drink. Forget oysters—mead was the original aphrodisiac. The term “honeymoon” comes from the medieval tradition of drinking honey wine for a month after marriage, believed to ensure fertility. This practice was taken so seriously that a bride’s father often included a month’s worth of mead in her dowry. (Of course it's considered an aphrodisiac, you spend an entire month drinking and boning.)

Quote:

"I no longer listen to what people say, I just watch what they do. Behavior never lies."

"The gin and tonic has saved more Englishmen's lives, and minds, than all the doctors in the Empire."

~ Winston Churchill


Facts: Gin

1.) Gin hales from England. Genever, a malted spirit that is essentially light whisky with juniper, is the juniper distillate of the Netherlands. Gin was developed in London and is a unique and much purer spirit. (I honestly don't care where it's from. I don't enjoy the taste.)

2.) In 1929, Gin and tomato juice it was touted as a hangover cure in New York. This is well before the introduction of the Bloody Mary. (Yeah, no. Tomato juice cannot hide the sin that is gin.)

Quote:

"The only lies for which we are truly punished are those we tell ourselves."

"I always knew who I was and where I had come from. I was not looking for a home in other people's lands."

~ V. S. Naipaul

Quote:

"Let your dream devour your life, not your life devour your dream."

"The important thing is to strive toward a goal which is not immediately visible. That goal is not the concern of the mind, but of the spirit."

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery


Facts: Beer

1.) The oldest known recipe for beer dates back to around 1800 B.C. This ancient recipe provides a fascinating glimpse into the early origins of beer production. It reveals that even in the distant past, people had mastered the art of brewing, utilizing ingredients like barley, malt, and yeast to create a fermented beverage. (I would have been screwed in Ancient Times. I can't handle wine and beer makes me violently throw up. Even an ounce and I am throwing up.)


2.) In ancient Babylon, if a brewer made a bad batch of beer, they were drowned in it as a punishment. To maintain high standards, a severe punishment awaited those who produced subpar beer, which leads us to some fun facts about beer. In a rather macabre practice, if a brewer made a bad batch, they were subjected to a punishment that matched their offense: they were drowned in their own flawed creation. Despite the harsh consequences, it is fascinating to see how seriously beer quality was taken throughout history. This harsh consequence emphasized the significance of brewing excellence in ancient Babylonian society. (Harsh, but understandable. They didn't distill or purify water. So, a bad batch could lead to more than the brewer's life.) *all fact were copied from the Amazing Facts website*

Quote:

"Art, in the widest sense of the word, is the instrument Hellenism has used and would use for that purpose. All the arts, poetry, music, ritual, the visual arts, the theatre, must work singly and together to create the most comprehensive art of all, a humanized society, and its masterpiece, the free man."

"I wonder whether art has a higher function than to make me feel, appreciate, and enjoy natural objects for their art value?"

~ Bernard Berenson


Facts: Random

1.) Babe Ruth out-homered every American league team. The first time that this happened was in 1927. This totaled to around 35 different pitchers that Ruth had out-homered. (They were just built different back then.)


2.) Coca-cola was originally green. However, the company itself said that this may be due to the green bottles they once used. New marketing techniques switched to plastic bottles instead of glass later on. (Just another reason for me not to drink Coke. I've never been fond of ANY cola drink. When I drank soda it was a Dr Pepper, lemon-lime, cream or fruit soda. Peach being my favorite.)

Quote:

"No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn't trying."

"Knowledge is NOT power. Knowledge is only POTENTIAL power. Action is power."

~ Tony Robbins


Facts: Banana

1.) A cluster of bananas, called a “hand,” consists of 10 to 20 individual bananas, also known as fingers. In fact, the word banana comes from banan, the Arabic word for “finger.” (When I have had that many they tend to be call banana bread with banana icing. Never frosting, icing.)


2.) There is no such thing as a banana “tree.” Bananas are actually massive herbs related to palms, lilies, and orchids. Bananas are the largest plants on earth without a woody stem. The “trunk” is comprised of sheaths of overlapping leaves, wrapped tightly around each other. They reach their full height of up to 30 feet during their first year of growth. (So, the whole plant is an herb and the seed of its labor is a berry. It seems to be a sweet complicated thing.)