Extremely Difficult Trivia About "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991)

   It's the most wonderful month of the year again!  At least for horror fans such as myself.  I'd like to start off October by doing a trivia quiz on the classic "The Silence of the Lambs."  Some may say that this film is a "thriller," and not horror, but I disagree.  Kidnappings, cannibals, brutal violence and murders--this movie is psychological horror if ever there was one.  Also, this is the rare year when the Academy got it right--"The Silence of the Lambs" was richly rewarded with a slew of Oscars.  Anyway, let's get to it.  The usual format, questions followed by the answers, many SPOILERS ahead.

Questions:

1)    As Clarice Starling makes her way around the outdoor exercise course at the FBI, we see some signs on trees with single words on them.  What do they read?

2)    In Jack Crawford's office, the audience sees a written article hanging on the wall with the headline, "Bill Skins Fifth."  What periodical is this article from?

3)    What university did Starling graduate from?

4)    Crawford notes that during a seminar with Clarice, she grilled him hard about something.  What?

5)    What grade did Starling receive in this seminar taught by Crawford?

6)    What institution did Clarice serve a summer internship at?

7)    What is the name of the facility where Dr. Hannibal Lecter is incarcerated?

8)    According to Dr. Chilton, how long has it been since Dr. Lecter has even seen a woman?

9)    What are the six rules that Chilton tells Clarice to remember while dealing with Dr. Lecter?

10)   On what date did Dr. Lecter attack the nurse in the facility?

11)   While he was eating the nurse's tongue, what number did Dr. Lecter's pulse not exceed?

12)   What is the nickname for Miggs, who is incarcerated in the cell next to Dr. Lecter?

13)   According to Dr. Lecter, what kind of skin cream does Starling use, and what perfume?

14)   What drawing of Dr. Lecter's does Clarice mention and admire?

15)   What city's homicide section gave Buffalo Bill his nickname?

16)   According to a newspaper article, Dr. Lecter killed people and served them to dinner party guests, making them inadvertent cannibals.  What city council member was one of these guests?

17)   What is the name of the storage facility where Starling discovers the head of Benjamin Raspail?

18)   What is "Miss Hester Mofet" an anagram for?

19)   According to Dr. Lecter, what was Raspail's diagnosis?

20)   How does Dr. Chilton punish Dr. Lecter for killing Miggs?

21)   What city does Buffalo Bill kidnap Catherine Martin from?

22)   What clothing size does Catherine wear?  (Bill checks her clothing label.)

23)   What word does Buffalo Bill have tattooed on his left hand?  (Not counting a symbol.)

24)   What county in West Virginia is the latest Buffalo Bill victim found in?

25)   And what river was the victim found in?

26)   What is the name of funeral home where Starling, Crawford, and others examine the victim?

27)   What FBI agent accompanies Starling and Crawford on this trip?

28)   What is the name of the funeral director at this funeral home?

29)   What two features does Starling use to conclude that the latest Bill victim was not local, but from a bigger town?

30)   What are the names of the two insect experts that Starling uses to identify the pupa that was found in the victim's throat?

31)   What is the scientific name for the Death's Head Moth?

32)   How old is Catherin Martin?

33)   Catherine Martin's mother, Ruth, is an important politician.  What is Ruth's political position, and what political party does she belong to?

34)   Starling and Crawford offer Dr. Lecter a deal if he helps them find Buffalo Bill. (later it's proven to be fake).  What are the particulars of this deal?

35)   How old was Starling when her father was killed?

36)   After her father's death, Starling was sent to live with a cousin of her deceased mother, who ran a sheep and horse ranch.  In what state was this ranch located?

37)   According to Dr. Lecter, what are the three major (American) centers for transsexual surgery?

38)   For Ruth Martin's real deal, if Dr. Lecter helps them find Catherine alive, what facility will he be transferred to?

39)   In talking to Ruth Martin and her people, Dr. Lecter recalls several things about Buffalo Bill, including a physical description.  Name them.

40)   During his dealing with Ruth Martin, where is Dr. Lecter housed?

41)   According to Starling, what is the name that Dr. Lecter gave for Buffalo Bill, Louis Friend, an anagram for?

42)   After her futile attempt to save a lamb at her relative's ranch, where was Clarice sent to live?

43)   We see a periodical in Dr. Lecter's temporary cell in Tennessee.  What is it?

44)   What city and state was Frederica Bimmel (Bill's first victim) from?

45)   Most of the FBI head to one of Jame Gumb's previous homes.  In what city and state is this home?

46)   We hear two aliases that Jame Gumb uses.  Name them.

47)   Whose house, in Frederica Bimmel's home town, did Buffalo Bill/Jame Gumb purchase to use as a home base?

48)   We see two FBI seals, one in cake form.  What three words are on it, as mottoes?

49)   What classical song does Dr. Lecter listen to as he kills the guards and escapes from his temporary home in Tennessee?

50)   What kind of gun does Starling carry and use?

51)   What kind of gun do we see Buffalo Bill use?

52)   Was first victim Frederica Bimmel in a romantic relationship with Jame Gumb/Buffalo Bill?  (Conjectural)

53)   Famous horror director George Romero has a small cameo in this movie.  What role does he play?

Answers:

1)    Hurt, Agony, Pain, Love - it.

2)    The National Inquisitor.  Which is fictitious, and seems to be heavily modeled after the real National Inquirer tabloid.

3)    The University of Virginia.

4)    The FBI's civil rights record during the Hoover years.

5)    Crawford says he gave her an "A," but Clarice corrects him by saying it was an "A-".

6)    The Reitzinger Clinic, which is a fictional psychiatric facility.

7)    The Baltimore State Forensic Hospital.

8)    8 years.

9)    1)  Do not touch the glass. 2)  Do not approach the glass. 3)  You pass him nothing but soft paper.  4)  No pencils or pens.  5)  No staples or paper clips on his paper.  6)  Use the sliding food carrier.  With no exceptions.

10)   July 8th, 1981.

11)   85.

12)   Multiple Miggs.  Maybe this is a reference to how many people he killed?

13)   She uses Evyan skin cream, and sometimes wears L' Air du Temps perfume.  But not today, for the latter.

14)   It's of the Duomo as seen from the Belvedere, in Florence, Italy.

15)   Kansas City.  They don't clarify if it was the one in Missouri, or the one across the border in Kansas.

16)   Michael Ronboz.

17)   Your Self Storage.

18)   "Miss the rest of me."

19)   He was a garden variety manic-depressive.  Reportedly a tedious one.

20)   They took away his drawings, and force him to listen to/view a television showing religious gospel programs.

21)   Memphis, Tennessee.

22)   14.

23)   Ironically, it's "love."

24)   Clay County.

25)   The Elk River.  Which may also be the name of the town they visit--it's unclear.

'26)   Grieg.

27)   Special Agent Ray Terry.

28)   Lamar.

29)   Her ears are pierced three times, and she's wearing glitter nail polish.

30)   Roden and Pilcher.

31)   Acherontia styx.

32)   25.

33)   She's a  U.S. Senator for Tennessee, the junior one, and she's a Republican.

34)   He'll be transferred to the VA hospital in Oneida Park, NY, and his cell will have a view of the woods.  One week every year he'll be taken to the beach at Plum Island, on Long Island, NY, and be allowed to walk on the beach, or even swim in the ocean, under supervision, obviously.

35)   10 years old.

36)   Montana.

37)   Johns Hopkins, the University of Minnesota, and Columbia Medical Center.

38)   Brushy Mountain State Prison in Tennessee.

39)   His name was Louis Friend, and he was referred to Dr. Lector in April or May of 1980 by Raspail, his lover.  Louis murdered a transient, and....did things with the skin.  He was about 5 foot 10 inches tall, strongly built, about 180 pounds, with blonde hair and pale blue eyes.  He'd be about 35 now, and said he lived in Philadelphia, although that might have been a lie.

40)   Shelby County Courthouse.

41)   Iron sulfide, or fool's gold.

42)   The Lutheran orphanage in Bozeman, Montana.

43)   Bon Appetit, which is a real magazine, and still published currently.

44)   Belvedere, Ohio.

45)   Calumet City, Illinois, on the edge of Chicago.

46)   John Grant, and then he tells Starling his name is Jack Gordon, so he evidently likes to keep his initials consistent with his real name.

47)   Mrs. Lippman.

48)   Fidelity, bravery, and integrity.

49)   Johann Sebastian Bach's "Goldberg Variations," first published in 1741.

50)   A Smith & Wesson Model 13, which is a .357 Magnum, although it can fire heavier loads like a .38 special.

51)   A Colt Python.  Like Starling's weapon, this is a .357 Magnum that can also fire .38 special rounds, among other loads.

52)   Possibly.  The movie makes a point to show us photos of Frederica posing for someone in her underwear hidden in her jewelry box.  Also, we learn from her dad that the last day he saw her she was going to Chicago for a job interview, which she attended, but she never made it home again.  Maybe when she got back to Belvedere from the interview she visited Jame Gumb first, and he then threw her down the well and imprisoned her.  It would appear that he also did sewing work for Mrs. Lippman, as did Frederica, and he may have met her there.  He then tricked her into thinking that they were in a romantic relationship so he could gain her trust and eventually kill her.  Since he was apparently into men sexually this would require some more faking on his part.  But maybe he strung her along, and didn't actually have sex with her.  Poor Frederica, with her complete lack of experience with dating and sex, would probably be easy to manipulate.  True, Frederica's friend Stacy said if Frederica had a boyfriend Stacy would have known it, but maybe Frederica successfully hid it from her.  Maybe because Jame Gumb was so much older, etc.  All of this, if true, makes Frederica's murder even more tragic and sad.

53)   Romero plays a character that's part of the group with Dr. Chilton that interrupt and remove Starling from her final conversation with Dr. Lecter.  I believe he even has a line--someone says "We found her," and it seems to be said by his character.

  

  

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A Vietnamese/American Mushroom

      This one was a happy accident.  While shopping for canned mushrooms recently, I saw a different kind--straw mushrooms.  They were the same price as the regular mushrooms, so I bought a can.  Later I happened to look more closely at the label, and saw that they were grown in Vietnam.  So score!  I love when stuff like that happens.  The brand of the can I got was Roland.

     I've reported on a few Roland wares before, such as a post about Chinese mussels on May 6, 2023, and another about Turkish stuffed grape leaves on June 25, 2022.  The latter article had a detailed history of the Roland company.  Therefore, I won't repeat myself too much--those interested in the company's background and history now know where to find it.

     I've also had straw mushrooms before.  I checked through my entire post history, and finally discovered exactly when--it was way back on November 28, 2013.  (In that post I also discussed some other, more obscure mushroom I've tried, such as chanterelles, morels, and namekos.)  Unfortunately, I didn't mention what brand provided the canned straw mushrooms I sampled.  I don't think it was Roland, but I'm not 100% sure.  So it's probably not a repeat, but I wouldn't testify to this in court or anything.  As for the mushroom type itself, it appears that the name is derived from what they're cultivated on in Asia, rice straw.  They're very popular in Asian cuisine.  So much so that they're reportedly the 3rd most consumed mushroom in the world.  Alas, during certain stages of the straw mushroom lifecycle they resemble a poisonous variety, the death cap.  Some Asian immigrants have accidently poisoned themselves by mistaking the death cap for the straw while wild collecting in California and Australia.  Additionally, straw mushrooms are sometimes added to soy sauce, both as a flavor enhancer, and to darken the color.

Roland broken straw mushrooms:  These slightly chopped up mushrooms were a light brown color, with a darker brown color around the perimeter of the cap.  Their texture was wet, and chewy.  I had some plain, some with just ketchup on them, and some mixed in with spaghetti and meatballs.  Their taste was a lot like regular mushrooms.  Maybe a tad lighter and airier.  I don't know if I could have told the difference between these and regular mushrooms in a blind taste test.  Which is still a compliment, as I enjoy regular mushrooms.  But these weren't dramatically better or worse.  So if you like typical mushrooms, you'll probably like these too.  I'd recommend them to anyone, unless you're a person who doesn't like mushrooms.

     While researching this post, I got interested in dangerous mushrooms.  Which can be pretty scary.  There are at least a dozen kinds, some quite common, that if eaten can result in a hospital stay, an organ transplant, or even death.  Some have a delayed reaction, too, so someone might think the mushrooms they ate were safe, and then days or even a couple of weeks later the symptoms appear and they might die.  There have been a few famous people who might have died of mushroom poisoning, whether accidental or intentional.  The Roman Emperor Claudius is thought by some historians to have been assassinated via mushrooms in A.D. 54.  Although some historians dispute this.  Pope Clement VII's death in 1534 may also have been from (accidental) mushroom poisoning.  And Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI is alleged to have died this way in 1740.  Obviously, all of these deaths were before the days of thorough and competent autopsies and lab testing, so it's not known for sure.  If you're curious, the death cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides) is reportedly the cause for 90% of human deaths from mushrooms.  Also very dangerous is Conocybe filaris, the webcaps (Cortinarius rubellus and Cortinarius orellanus), and the autumn skullcap (Galerina marginata).  Finally, there are several varieties of destroying angel mushrooms (in the Amanita genus) that can end your days as well.  So, as a public service announcement, I would have to strongly advise against picking and eating wild mushrooms unless you're an expert mycologist (fungi and mushroom specialist).  Mushrooms are quite tasty, but they're not worth dying over.  Especially since you can easily get safe ones in pretty much every supermarket or grocery store.

 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Two Jordanian Spreads

      Several years ago my local main grocery store, Shop-Rite, went through extensive renovations.  Which ended up taking a long time in total--perhaps even over a year?  (If it wasn't that long, it sure seemed like it.)  That period of time was very irritating.  It seemed like every time I shopped, some foods and/or drinks had been moved to another aisle.  I'm very much a creature of habit, so when something wasn't where I expected it to be, I was annoyed.  Anyway, eventually it was over.  For the past couple of years things have stayed in their usual, predictable spots, right where I expect them to reside.  And, I'm forced to admit that some of the permanent changes were positive.  One of these weas the addition of a specialty spread section.  Which is mostly things like hummus, dips, and such, often from around the globe.  That's where I got today's topics:  I tried two of Mezete's offerings--their classic hummus, and something called muhammara.

     The roots of Mezete are decently old--they just celebrated their centennial this year.  Back in 1926 a man named Hajj Raslan Kasih founded a company which he named, creatively, Raslan Kasih and Sons.  This Amman, Jordan-based business made halvah and tahini.  In 1996 one of Kasih's sons, Hajj Muhammad Adnan Kasih founded the Kasih Factories Group.  Apparently this was just a renaming, or reshuffling of the original company, as this business also primarily sold halvah and tahini.  Other products under the Kasih brand name include olives, beans, mushrooms, chickpeas, tomatoes, and hummus.  At some unspecified point Kasih introduced their Mezete brand.  Its products include dips like baba ghanouj, muhammara, and hummus, sauces like various flavors of tahini sauce, a couple of soups, a few stews, and some more portable "to go" versions of the previous products, some which come with breadsticks.  The current CEO of Kasih is Khaled Kasih, who is Raslan's grandson.  Most or all of Kasih's products undergo a process called ultra heat treatment (UHT), which enables their wares to have long shelf lives without using preservatives.  Kasih/Mezete products are exported to over 40 countries around the world.

     Hummus has become quite common in the past few decades, I think, so I assume most or all readers are familiar with it.  But, some may not know what muhammara is.  (I didn't.)  Muhammara is another kind of dip, which was developed in the Syrian city of Aleppo.  The origin date is a bit vague, but I saw a date of 1981 as the latest possible birthdate.  This dip is made with walnuts, red bell peppers, pomegranate molasses, bread crumbs, salt, olive oil, and sometimes lemon juice, tahini, and/or spices.  Aside from being a dip, muhammara is sometimes also used as a topping for a savory pastry called manakish, or as a sauce for kebabs.  A Turkish version is called acuka.

Mezete classic hummus:  Had an off-white color, and a slight, chickpea-ish odor.  The texture was smooth.  The taste was like regular plain hummus, creamy, smooth, and very good.  Not spicy, but I got the classic, non-spiced version.  So this was a very respectable example of the style.  I had some plain, and most of it on chips.

Mezete muhammara:  This one had a brownish-red color, and a slightly spicy odor.  Its appearance was not as smooth as the hummus, as I could see some chunks of pepper and such.  The flavor was very nice.  It was kind of sweet and spicy at the same time.  I had a little plain, and most of it on chips.  I was impressed either way.  As tasty as the hummus was, I preferred this one a bit more.  Therefore, my first experience with muhammara was a very positive one.  All in all, then, I would recommend both of these enthusiastically.  I'll also have to try Mezete's other products.

     Additionally, I learned that a "Hajj" before the other words in a personal name signifies that they have made the sacred Muslim journey to the city of Mecca.  The trip itself is called a "hajj."  So it's an honorific title, based on a religious accomplishment.

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Some Ecuadorian/American Plantain Chips, and Some Obscure Slang Trivia

      A while ago, in my local grocery, I saw what can only be described as a small plastic drum of plantain chips.  Since it was an unfamiliar brand/company name, and the plantains were grown in Ecuador, I quickly decided to buy one.  For the record, this was a container of the garlic flavored plantain chips from the El Sol company, out of Florida.

     I've complained umpteen times about companies that provide little to no information about their history, founders, and such.  And I'm going to do it again today.  Apparently, the owner of El Sol is either hiding from the Mob, or is a bigger Luddite than even myself.  The official company website just basically had product lists, recipes, and the like.  El Sol. which means "the sun" in English, sells Latin American and Caribbean fruits, vegetables, and a few prepared/processed fruit and vegetable items.  Some of these include tamarind, tomatillos, sugar cane, long beans (I didn't know exactly what these were--after some checking they're a relative of the cowpea, originally grown in parts of China and Southeast Asia.  These beans are also known as asparagus beans, Chinese long beans, snake beans, bodi, borboti, bora, long-podded cowpeas, and yardlong beans), chili peppers, yuca, breadfruit, bananas, avocados, coconut milk, and squash.  Some of the countries that grow their wares are the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Honduras.  And that's about all I could get.   Business-related websites did indicate that the owner and current CEO of El Sol is Carl (aka Chris) DelPrete, and that the company started over 20 years ago.  Alas, Googling that name mainly showcases another man named Carl DelPrete, who co-founded and runs the Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace, a New York-based Italian supermarket.  And, in previous posts I've already reported on fun facts about Ecuador, and some famous people with Ecuadorian heritage.  Furthermore, I've previously gone into some detail about plantains in posts about plantain and banana products.  So I'm kind of stuck--sorry.  Therefore, the final paragraph will be some unrelated information about an obscure bit of slang that I used in the first sentence of this paragraph.

El Sol Brands, Inc., plantain chips, garlic (or in Spanish ajo) flavor:  These chips were yellow circular discs, about 1.5 inches (about 3.5 cm.) in diameter.  The texture was dry and crunchy.  The flavor was kind of bland.  The garlic flavoring wasn't that strong.  They grew on me a little as I ate them, but they were still not one of the better plantain chips I've sampled.  I also tried some with ranch dressing on them, and this improved things.  Therefore, in conclusion, I would recommend these only slightly--if you're looking for an alternative to regular potato chips, these are okay, especially if you dip them in something.  But there are definitely better plantain chips out there.

     On to the expression.  For starters, "umpteen," or "umpteenth," refers to large but unspecified position in a sequence.  So in my sentence earlier, I'm using it as an exaggeration, to indicate that I've discussed companies that provide little to no information about their founders, and company history, many, many times.  I've been using this expression for years, but I didn't know the origins.  Which, as I discovered, are not conclusive.  The term "umpty" seems to date back to around the year 1905, as a slang term for the dash in Morse Code.  Telegraph operators would sometimes start a long story with a string of dashes as placeholders, so this became synonymous for an indefinite number.  Then, in the era of World War I (1914-18), soldiers took the "umpty" and substituted a "teen" for the ending "ty" of umpty, or "umpteen."  This was used to indicate an unspecified amount of something.  The Oxford English Dictionary notes a 1918 writing by pilot J.T.B. McCudden as the first appearance in a published work.  However, this is disputed.  The Canadians were allegedly earlier, as there are supposedly published account using the word from 1908 or even 1902, although the word was used in a different way.  Moving on, folks in the opposite side of the globe may have used the term even earlier than this.  A New Zealand article reportedly used the expression, in the modern definition, back in 1878.  And the Australians were supposedly using it throughout the late 1800's as well.  So, it would appear that I've been using a late 19th century New Zealand/Australian slang term, which was also popularized in North America during World War I.  Maybe independently, or perhaps borrowed from our friends Down Under.  Ultimately the most important thing is that I use a slang word that is probably only understood by folks over the age of 60 or more.

 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A Chinese/American Ginger

      A while ago I saw some jarred sushi ginger (which is sliced strips of pickled ginger), and it brought back memories.  As I've probably mentioned previously, I've had a ton of sushi in my life--surely hundreds of pounds of it, or more.  On some of my archaeological projects on the road I literally ate sushi 4-5 times a week.  (Looking back, it's a wonder that I didn't die from mercury poisoning.)  Anyway, sushi ginger is a very common garnish on sushi servings, kind of like a type of solid, warm sorbet.  Meaning I've also eaten quite a lot of sushi ginger in my time on Earth as well.  Which I've liked so much that I've also consumed containers of sushi ginger without the sushi, all by itself.  All of this is to try to explain some of my culinary obsessions.  The jar I'll discuss today is from The Ginger People brand, made by the Ginger People Group out of California.

     Regular readers with astounding memories may recognize the company and brand name, since I covered another Ginger People Group product in my post on April 16th, 2017, about "gin gins," their ginger based candy.  So this is admittedly a repeat of sorts.  However, the gins gins were made with ginger that was cultivated in Fiji, and the sushi ginger I'll talk about in this post was grown in China.  So I think that's different enough, at least technically.  With all that in mind, I'll try not to repeat myself too much.  The Ginger People Group founders were Abbie and Bruce Leeson, and their company is nearing its 40th anniversary, meaning it started in the mid to late 1980's.  The Leesons are major fans of ginger, to the point that they think it has "healing powers" and such.  Aside from China and Fiji, the business also imports ginger from Australia, Indonesia, and Peru.  And aside from the gin gins and sushi ginger, other Ginger People products include tablets and lozenges, health shots (which are drinks), juices, beverages, cooking and baking products, sauces, and specialty deli items.  All, clearly are ginger-based.  Somewhat surprisingly, for a company that prides itself on being organic and health-based, there is a risk of allergens in Ginger People's products, as the facility they're made in also process peanuts and soy.  So keep that in mind if you're allergic to these things.

The Ginger People, organic sushi ginger:  The ginger strips were the typical sushi ginger size and shape--very thin pieces, roughly rectangular, and ranging between 1-3 inches (or 2.5 to 7.5 cm.) in length and about half an inch to a inch (or about 1.25 cm to 2.5 cm.) in width.  The color and odor were regular too--dull yellow and a slightly spicy, respectively.  And the texture was slightly chewy and wet (they were suspended in a liquid).  The taste was fairly typical too--maybe a tad sweeter than most at first, but it ended with the usual gingery spice bite.  So, all in all, this was a good example of the style.  I would recommend this ginger, definitely.  I did have my ginger plain, since I'm not a sushi chef.  But I'm sure it would pair nicely with sushi as pickled ginger usually does.

     I often note, and sometimes make fun of company mascots and advertising logos.  But in this case, it did what it was designed to do, and stuck in my brain.  I had forgotten The Ginger People brand and company name, but the mascot struck a chord when I saw it again on the official website.  This character, Mr. Knobs, is basically an anthropomorphic ginger man, with a head, and separate arms and legs, all made out of ginger.  Who might be a cannibal--see my post on April 16th, 2017 for more about that.  Actually, when I reread that earlier post, it also mentioned real, human eating human cannibalism, too.  So if that intrigues you, give it a read.

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A French Mustard

      So today we're back to condiments.  In general I'm not a huge mustard fan--I do enjoy it on certain foods though, such as hot dogs, hamburgers, and subs.  The one I'll be discussing in this post is the honey Dijon mustard from the Maille company.

     The Maille company is old--impressively so.  It's actually older than the U.S.A., since it dates back to 1747.  In that long ago year, a French man named Antoine-Claude Maille opened up a business called La Maison Maille in Paris.  It sold vinegar.  Maille was actually a second generation vinegar maker, as his dad (who had the same name as his son) had already become notable for his vinegar in the 1720's.  The older Maille even thought that imbibing vinegar could protect folks from the plague.  (For the record, this wasn't true.)  Well, the younger Maille's vinegar quickly became renowned, so much so that he became the official vinegar supplier to the court of King Louis XV.  In 1760 Maille became the supplier to the royal courts of Hungary and Austria as well.  And in 1771 the company achieved the same distinction to Catherine the Great's Russian court.  In 1800 Maille sold his business to an associate named Andre-Arnoult Acloque.  Although one of his sons still was involved in the family business, just not as an owner, or the son of the owner.  In 1885 the Maille company was sold to another famous mustard/condiment business, Grey Poupon.  Ownership changed hands several more times over the next century, including a Rothschild, and Poupon on and off, until finally it was sold to the behemoth Unilever in 2000.  In addition to selling various types of mustard, Maille also markets cooking oils, cornichons (see my post on February 17, 2016 for more info about this food type) salad dressings, and even stoneware and kitchen gifts.

     Moving on, the history of Dijon mustard is very extensive, too.  Its roots go all the way back to 1336, when it was made for the French King Philip VI.  However, the French town of Dijon, in Burgundy, became the center of its manufacture, as this place was granted the exclusive rights to produce it in the 1600's.  In 1856 a Dijon resident named Jean Naigeon made a revolutionary change--substituting verjuice (the acidic juice from unripe grapes) for the traditional vinegar.  Although, confusingly, this alternative doesn't appear to be strictly followed, as many modern Dijon mustards still use vinegar instead of verjuice.  The traditional ingredients for Dijon mustard are brown mustard seeds, white wine, vinegar (or verjuice), salt, and water.  Finally, unlike some products, which have to be produced in an officially designated area, like champagne has to be made in that region of France, or ouzo has to be created in Greece or Cyprus, or Roquefort cheese has to originate from a specific area in France, Dijon mustard isn't protected in that way.  So if you're in Tasmania, or Djibouti, or in Toledo, Ohio, you can make and sell Dijon mustard, under that name, and no one can stop you. 

Maille honey Dijon mustard:  Had a light yellow color, and a rich, heady odor.  I had a bit plain, some on a hoagie (aka sub, grinder, etc.), and some on Vienna sausages.  It was really good for all of these.  A great flavor--savory and sweet.  Very respectable condiment.  I would highly recommend this, unless you're a person who actively hates mustard, I guess.

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Off Color Blueberries

      A few months ago (given what I later learned about this food's growing season, it was presumably in April or May), I saw something new in the berry section at my local Shop-Rite--blueberries which weren't, in fact, blue.  These "Color Rush" berries were instead "blue"berries that were green, and purplish.  Needless to say, I had to give them a try.  The company that behind this was Naturipe.

     I've reported on a Naturipe product before--another type of blueberry, this one grown in Peru, way back on January 14, 2023.  In that post I covered the history of the Naturipe company.  To avoid repetition, if you're curious about the founders of Naturipe and such, please consult that earlier post.  I will mention that the Color Rush blueberry variant was created by Naturipe, and they're grown in Florida.  The berries can be yellow, pink, green, or fuchsia.  Many consumers claim that their texture is especially crisp and snappy.  And that their flavor is extra sweet.

     As for blueberries, they are native to North America.  Although they've been successfully introduced to many other places, such as parts of Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and South America.  (Maybe Africa too?  I'm not sure.)  The blueberry plant is known for being tolerant of cold temperatures.  Also, some of them put out rhizomes, which are underground stems.  Which then often grow to the surface and bloom themselves.  Meaning a cluster of blueberry plants may be basically one plant with many parts.  I'm surprised that a sci-fi/horror story hasn't been written about a huge blueberry plant cluster that becomes super intelligent and aggressive--a single organism with a "hive mind" bent on world domination.  Returning to reality, Hammonton, New Jersey is known as the Blueberry Capital of the World.

Naturipe Color Rush premium blueberries.  These blueberries were the typical size and shape as regular blueberries.  The color was obviously different, as they were green, or purplish, or a bit of both.  I didn't notice a shaper or crisper texture, as I'd read I would--they just seemed like a normal blueberry texture.  Also, I didn't find them sweeter than regular blueberries.  At all--they were significantly worse, being very bland, almost tasteless.  I found these to be extremely disappointing--the different colors were kind of cool, but the flavor was very dull.  I would strongly recommend against buying these.

     I did just learn something about blueberries which I found amusing.  Mainly, despite the name, the berries aren't actually blue.  They contain a pigment called anthocyanin that makes them dark red.  However, tiny structures (nanostructures) in the waxy outer layer reflect blue and ultraviolet light, making them appear blue to our eyes.  This is rather amazing to me.  What's next--are the citrus fruits called oranges not really an orange color?!  My whole world doesn't make sense anymore, all because of a tiny little berry.