More fascinating useless bits courtesy of the internet

[rikibeth]

Okay, so, I've got the flu, which means I'm mostly banished to my room, so I don't breathe germs on eternaleponine, but last night, she IMs up to me (what? of COURSE we IM from room to room. We will not discuss the occasions on which we IM although WE ARE SITTING RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER) "The Doctor is going to meet Agatha Christie." When I ascertain that she means RIGHT NOW, and that she is willing to risk me coughing all over everywhere, I go downstairs to watch.

Leaving aside any petty criticisms of the episode, it reminded me that I had some Agatha Christies on the bookshelf, courtesy of goddessfarmer, and that was probably well suited to my focus level (fever brain, also probably oxygen-deficient from all the coughing), so I grabbed The Tuesday Club Murders and took it upstairs to read while I took a nice hot bath. With all of a LUSH Marathon bubble bar in it. Cinnamon. Warming. Good for flu, right? Also, unlikely to dump glitter all over the tub, and I was in no mood for glitter.

Well, in the first story (published 1928), "The Tuesday Night Club," it was mentioned that one character was "banting." From context, it was clear that she was dieting; however, I was a bit curious about the word itself.

You know what it is?

19th-century Atkins.

I AM NOT KIDDING.

Now the only mystery left is what on EARTH was that "bowl of cornflour" requested by the character with the upset stomach? I know "cornflour" is Britglish for "cornstarch," but it can't just have been a bowl of powder. Cornstarch-thickened milk pudding, maybe? It doesn't sound very digestion-soothing to me, but I know that custards were historically thought of as good food for invalids, so.

erastes, kay_taylor, or any other Brits on my list? Can you shed any light on the subject?

ETA: Okay, more choosy Googling suggests it really WAS just a cornstarch-and-water paste. The "banting" character must REALLY have been craving carbs like a maniac to be willing to drink THAT. Gross!

Comments

[auspeople.livejournal.com]

I love you.

[surelle.livejournal.com]

That article was interesting! :)

And panzerschrek is still getting over the flu, himself...

[sapphorlando.livejournal.com]

Hmm, interesting. From what I've found, I think it probably refers to cornflour pudding -- cornstarch, milk, sugar, and some kind of flavouring.

From consulting my mum (who seems to have read everything by and about Christie), the character asked for the dish due to stomach upset (blamed on lobster), then decided against it. Another character argued that 'banting' was unhealthy -- more to the point, that her naturally 'stout' form was not unhealthy -- and convinced her to eat it after all.

This was somehow relevant to exonerating another character (though I'm unclear how).

The only other thing I know about this dish is that it has unusual physical properties. So-called 'oobleck' is a non-Newtonian 'dilatant' (pressure-thickening) fluid, which is fluid at rest but becomes thicker when force is applied - the more force, the more thickening. This has something to do with the molecules having trouble getting over and around each other quickly. If you punch a bowl of cornstarch pudding, it will feel solid.

SPOILERS

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

The one with the upset stomach was the victim, and was the one who asked for "a bowl of cornflour." But when she got it, she didn't want it after all (because it wasn't just the tinned lobster making her feel bad, but the arsenic she'd been given as well). The other character, her companion, was the one who was "banting" (and thus had skipped the arsenic-garnished dessert). And the companion was the one who said "if you don't want the cornflour, I'll have it, it looks tasty." And was encouraged to do so by the victim, who, indeed, disapproved of the "banting." And the companion didn't die. So it was made clear that the bowl of cornflour wasn't the poison vector. It didn't actually exonerate anyone, though the banting provided a way for Miss Marple to deduce the dessert-skipping.

Google suggests that the "bowl of cornflour" meant as a stomach remedy really WAS just oobleck (about whose weird properties I already knew), as there are a couple of culturally-Brit sources claiming it as an old-wives' remedy, and a couple of other sources suggesting it for veterinary use.

As I said, you'd have to have MAJOR carb cravings to want to eat that voluntarily, even if the cook made it nicely with no lumps, as the companion noted.

Re: SPOILERS

[sapphorlando.livejournal.com]

Ah, me mum, you're slipping.. Well, at least she read it, which I didn't.

The stuff sounds positively disgusting to eat. But probably fun to play with.

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

Argh, flu. That really sucks. *hug*

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

I sound like an adolescent boy, because my throat is so wrecked from coughing.

[kebbykate.livejournal.com]

As Spock would say, "Fascinating."

[chowyunsmut.livejournal.com]

I actually like that episode. (It's still fairly fresh in my mind, as I watched the entire season with The Guy this week-end, even though he'd already seen it. He's turning me into a geek. Next week-end, I am DETERMINED to watch The Sarah-Jane Adventures.)

Also, there's other LUSH stuff that can help with that cold. Green Day, or Christmas Day, or whatever, is good, and so is Geo Phyzz. The pine/cypress in them will help, among other things. I've not worked there for a few months, so I'm a touch hazy on the other ingredients that make them good, but I know that those will help.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

I have Green Day. Maybe I'll use it later. And is Christmas Day a star shaped bath bomb with glitter in it? I've got one of those too. I've used up all my cute sample size Geo Phyzzes, but that one always just reminded me of Queen Helene Batherapy anyway.

[chowyunsmut.livejournal.com]

Christmas Day is just like Green Day, only with a red star on instead of a green one. It's a bubble bar.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Nope, don't have that one.

[fasteronfire525.livejournal.com]

When you say the Doctor, you do mean the tenth Doctor, right? David Tennant himself?! If that were the case, i certainly would have risked outbreak, although, not without first shouting "Allonsy~!"

/nerdlove

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Yes, Ten. And no, can't shout. Voice wrecked.

[fasteronfire525.livejournal.com]

Didn't know you were a fan.
<3

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

darlin', I'm OLD, I was coming home from school to watch TOM BAKER (Four) when PBS used to show the repeats (and old Monty Python). Somewhere in my parents' house there is a photo they took of me in London in 1986 at Madame Tussaud's where I'm standing next to the statue of Four.

I'm just catching up with the new series.

[fasteronfire525.livejournal.com]

I've never seen the old ones but my bf has one of the seasons (i think with Six?) on dvd. He lent me the new seasons 1, 2, and 3 over the summer and i watched them. I think Ten is marvelous, but i'm still not sure about Nine. He was a good enough actor, and a charismatic douchebag, but i cannot get used to his face at all, and the Nine/Rose thing makes him look like a pedofile. XD

Because i don't know how far through them you are, i won't spoil anything, but i will say that the Shakespeare episode was fairly grand, the end of Season 2 made me cry buckets for hours, and the Master is awesome and has wonderful taste in terrible music. ^_^

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

See, I'm used to the actor for Nine being crazy, because I first saw Christopher Eccleston in "Shallow Grave," where he was very, very crazy. And -- Rose was Billie Piper, yes? Who is a good bit older than 15 or 16? Was ROSE meant to be under 16? 'Cause, honestly, you're talking someone who's 900 years old, give or take a bit, and if Rose was old enough to pursue her own interests, I can't get too bent out of shape about it. I also think "Harold and Maude" is a terribly romantic movie.

I'm sort of casually dipping into the series. The truly hooked may come later.