scholar of the mind

There really really ought to be a book about how the staple crops of different civilizations shape and influence those civilizations, and I really want to read it.

Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky and A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage (three are alcohol, three have caffeine) are not quite that, but may still be of interest?

I read Salt back in the day and it's so so good, second the rec. I have heard of 6 Glasses and not read it but I am sure I would probably love it. Gotta see if the library has it. Thank you!

Gonna throw Empire of Cotton by Sven Beckert in the ring here! You'll never see the modern world the same way again.

I'll throw in a rec for Pickled, Potted, and Canned by Sue Shephard - a very interesting look at food preservation and how the availability of different types of food preservation shaped cultures and cuisines.

Sweetness and Power is this but for the topic of sugar

The Lost Supper: Searching for the Future of Food in the Flavors of the Past might also be up your alley. It's about "forgotten" foods and staples. They talk about different types of wheat, sauces, veggies, etc and a little about the cultures from whence they come

Also: Much Depends on Dinner by Margaret Visser. One of my favourite books.

Also, The Rice Theory of Culture https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1172&context=orpc By Thomas Talhelm

Wow wtf HIV/AIDS was discovered by Flossie Wong-Staal, an Chinese-American woman, and she’s the reason the HIV test even exists. AND THEN she invented the molecular knife that lead to treatments for HIV/AIDS. And she’s STILL ALIVE. We don’t hear about the contributions of Women of Color enough, my word. Madness.

you can always tell a major breakthrough is made by a woman, a woc or any poc because it’s either completely ignored or never credited like it just happened by itself

the people in La Princess De Clèves are so messy and crazy you have no idea.. tbh the whole 17th c. attitude about how Love is horrible and the worst thing ever because it is out of your control and makes you feel all sort of horrible uncontrollable feelings for the wrong people and messes up everything in your life and causes you to neglect your duties etc. and always ends in disaster and tragedy makes me feel a lot better about being a bachelor. SO true you guys, i could be ruining my life pining for some random woman who is playing with me for political gains in the french court and also is married and her husband (the king) will get me executed when he finds out

i can't remember anyone's names but the worst guy so far (excluding Henry the 8th) is the vidame of Chartres who was dating three women at once once of which is literally the queen!!!!!!!!!! but then the woman he is 'in love with' realized he was sleeping with another woman (the woman he was just using for sex basically.) and so she got really mad at him and started pretending to not be in love with him anymore which really upset him and caused him to pretty much blow his cover with the third woman (who is the queen and whom he doesn't actually like romantically he just likes the benefits he gets from being her special loverboy) BUT she thinks he's in love with her daughter-in-law because he spends so much time at her place BUT the reason he spends so much time at her place is because he is now in love with a fourth woman who spends a lot of time there. i hope the queen kills him i really hate him wtff. see what ravages love will bring. #celibacy #asexual

everyone who goes “this only happens online you’ll never have to worry about it irl” are LIARS come to Oregon and you will have two agps holding each others leashes and introduce themselves to you by saying “you have tboy swag”