The next time
you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't
just how you like it, think about how things used to be.
Here are some facts about the1500s: Most people got married in June because
they took their yearly bath in May and still smelled pretty good by June.
However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to
hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a
bouquet when getting married. Baths consisted of a big tub filled with
hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then
all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you
could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby
out with the bath water."
Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled
high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm,
so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it
rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and off the
roof. Hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs." There was
nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem
in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean
bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some
protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.
The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying "dirt poor". The wealthy had
slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread
thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they
adding more thresh until when you opened the door it would all start slipping
outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence
the saying a "thresh hold". (Getting quite an education,
aren't you?)
In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always
hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot.
They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew
for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start
over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite
a while. Hence the rhyme, "Peas porridge hot, peas
porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old". Sometimes
they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special.
When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a
sign of wealth that a man could "bring home the bacon." They would
cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew
the fat." Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid
content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning
death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so,
tomatoes were considered poisonous.
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the
loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or "upper
crust." Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would
sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along
the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid
out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather
around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a "wake."
And that's the truth... Now, whoever said that History was boring
! ! !
So is all of the above really the truth? Probably not – but I thought it was
interesting enough to pass it on to you.
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