Fact or Fiction

@1humblepalateRemember the Reader’s Digest?The ones that used to pile up in your living room or the house of someone you know, after a subscription gone wrong that never got cancelled?

Those tiny magazines had everything in them. Short stories, jokes, puzzles, recipes and trivia, with some tabloid issues here and there.

Well, I was doing some sorting and cleaning (as rare as that is) in the house and came across one of these confounded little magazines. I ran immediately for the jokes section – “All in a day’s work,” I think it was called. It has a custom of running away when you need it the most, this being one such occasion.

Anyway, focusing on what’s ahead, I came across a very interesting article about food and the various facts, myths and ‘tales’ that have floated through time and, to some extent, have influenced how we either cook or not cook. These myths, which may need busting, along with some true or false claims, have been regarded as gospel truths by many aunties who will not waver or move from their belief in one or more such aspect.

Fish is the best brain food you can find: True

Of course there are many things to eat that will inadvertently boost brain function, but in terms of affordability and availability, fish was always the go-to back then and should still be now. Packed with healthy fats and omega 3 oils, the brain is happiest when it is receiving bits of the yumminess from the oceans and rivers.

Chicken soup will cure

a cold: Stretch

Chicken soup, or any other type of soup, makes it easier to take in your required nutrients when you might not have readily been able to do so. It makes the cold more comfortable to ride out. Studies show that chicken soup may help reduce inflammation in the lungs by slowing down the activity of white blood cells that cause the problem. Also, a bowl of soup just feeds the soul, too, and drives warmth to the core of one’s heart.

An apple a day keeps

the doctor away: Stretch

Ask yourself how many times you have uttered this phrase, either trying to convince some to eat an apple or pester someone to fully engross themselves with a more veggie and fruit appropriate diet. If apples alone dictated our health standing, with the lack of consuming one leading us to seeking the services of a healthcare practitioner, then they would be the most expensive commodities on the exchange.

You always have to wash your pasta after cooking it: False

Apart from eliminating all the starchy yumminess and goodness, washing your pasta should never be an ordinarily common thing. Sure, we’ve all done it in the past, but if the Italian nonas (aunties) saw you do this despicable act, then I’d fear for your hands and head, as they would receive an intense pounding. The starch after you cook pasta helps the sauce stick to the pasta. Bring the pasta to the sauce, not the other way round, and watch the magic happen.

Ouma’s honey is good till the end of time: True

This I found fascinating. Honey does not go bad. According to the United States’ National Honey Board, when it is properly stored in sealed containers, honey can remain stable for centuries. However, it might crystallise or lose some of its aroma and flavour over time, so that’s why you may see an expiration date on the bottle.

Quite fascinating, all these things, but as we move with time, we tend to realise that most of these things we pick up along the way inform who we are as home cooks and influence those around us, leading our children to use phrases like “My momma always says that…”

From the Digest, I’ll leave you with this: “If I had four eggs, and a thief gave me three, and my rooster laid five more, how many eggs do I have?”

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