The Tingle Factor Box

What's A Coddled Egg

Imagine, you are a housewife living in the 1960s. You have a busy life, what with looking after the household and the children, and sadly, this week it has been worse than usual. The children have all been sick, one after another, and you have had your work cut out caring for them. Your trusty egg coddler has had its work cut out too - one of the few things the children have been able to stomach is a soft egg!

When I showed the children this old egg coddler, they had absolutely no idea what it could be. Today, there are so many modern appliances designed to cook eggs in whatever way you desire, but this old fashioned egg coddler was completely foreign to them. Indeed, the children did not even know what a coddled egg was!

A coddled egg is essentially a lightly cooked egg. Strictly speaking, many will say a coddled egg must be cooked a coddling dish, like the one I showed the children, but food historians disagree. In fact, strictly speaking, a coddled egg is any egg which has a barely solid outer white and warm, but not set yolk - so very soft boiled eggs certainly qualify. Yet today, coddled eggs, or at least eggs described as coddled, are relatively rare, and possibly most often used in dressings like Caesar Salad Dressing, where the egg is slightly cooked to create a thicker dressing (and reduce the possible dangers of a raw egg). Just like eggs themselves though, some sort of coddled egg has probably been eaten since the beginning of human history! Certainly in Ancient Egypt, Classical Greece and Ancient Rome, soft cooked eggs were well known. 

By the Medieval period, there was probably no food eaten more often than the humble egg, other than perhaps bread. Both were relatively cheap and commonly available and the combination of the two created a satisfactory meal complete with carbohydrate and protein. Of course, there were many different ways in which eggs could be prepared, from frying to roasting, but throughout history, right up until very recently, soft cooked eggs were the preferred type. In fact, they were believed to be easier to digest. This perceived ease of digestion is probably why coddling dishes were first created. Coddling dishes became common in the 1890s, and were possibly first created by Royal Worcester. Today, many people prefer their eggs cooked beyond the very soft or coddled stage, often because of the fear of salmonella which can live in the yolk. 

It Must Have Been So Hard To Make - Beaded Easter Egg

Imagine you are living in the Ukraine and it is rapidly approaching Easter. You have been working so hard to ensure your eggs are ready to gift to family and friends, but there is one which you are concerned about. Will you be able to finish it in time? The beaded Pysanka is taking longer than you thought. You just hope it is ready in time!

When the children saw this beautiful, beaded Easter Egg, their reaction was one of absolute amazement. Although they have seen Easter decorations, which are becoming more popular in the West recently, they had not seen such an intricately made egg, and thought it was just stunning. The children also commented on how ‘difficult that egg must be to make - it must have taken hours!’

 In the Ukraine, there is along tradition of decorating eggs as ornaments and gifts for Easter. In fact, there are even ceramic, bone, clay and stone eggs which have been excavated in the Ukraine and date to about 1000 years ago! However, perhaps the most famous of the pysanka, or Ukrainian Easter Eggs are those which are real eggs which have been carefully decorated. Although it is a real egg which is decorated in this way, the eggs are ornamental as opposed to being specifically for eating. Most are decorated using hot wax to mark out a pattern, and then dye to colour the non-waxed sections of the egg. 

 

Of course, creating eggs in this was is time consuming and difficult, especially since they will be either broken open and eaten, or even just thrown away. As a result, many in the Ukraine still make non-edible eggs which can be used for years. The beaded egg I showed the children is an evolution of biserky, which is an egg, coated with wax and with beads embedded into the wax as decoration. As time went by, Ukrainians learned to make nets of beads which could be fitted over an egg and reused. Today, many are sold with wooden eggs inside, purely as a decoration, or like mine, with a clear, glass egg, allowing the light to shine through and illuminate the patterns.

I Didn't Think These Lamps Were Real! 'Genie' Lamp

Imagine you are a child living in the early 1960s. Your father returned home today from a business trip which took him overseas to all sorts of exotic places. One of the wonderful places he saw was India, and he brought you something magical home – a lamp. It’s just like the ones you see in story books, but so far, no matter how much you rub it, no genie has appeared. It is fun to imagine though!

When I showed the children this oil lamp from India, their reactions were very amusing. Immediately, the children started rubbing all over the lamp, in the vague hope that some sort of magical spirit would appear. The older children, of course, thought this was unlikely, but I noticed that even they had a quick rub ‘just in case’. Of course, no Genie emerged from the lamp, but the children were fascinated none the less. One even said that ‘I thought they were just in books and movies. I didn’t think these lamps really existed!’

Genies have a long history, dating back many thousands of years. Their real name is Jinn or Jinni, which are Arabic words which were Romanized to ‘genie’. Jinn are descended from a whole line of creatures and figures associated with the Middle East and Africa and originally were seen as spirits who could take on the shapes of humans or animals. Often Jinn were blamed for diseases, or for the condition of lunatics who were thought to be tormented by them. However, most of what we know about Jinn, or Genies, comes from Muslim culture. Although Jinn date back long before the Qur’an was written, they have an important place in Muslim culture and the Qur’an specifically talks about them. According to the Qur’an, Jinn are creatures of free will made by God from smokeless fire - Muhammad was even said to be Prophet to men and Jinn.

Jinn, according to Muslim lore are not evil, but they are demonic and trick people into committing sins, something like the idea of the ‘devil on my shoulder’. This is where the idea of the ‘tricky’ genie comes from. Even today, we think of genies as being tricksters, not evil, but not entirely truthful either. Knowing exactly what to ask the Jinn to do, and how exactly to say it, is important, as the natural personality of the Jinn is to try to retaliate against the person who controls it, and not actually provide what is being asked for. It is also the Muslim tradition which first introduces the idea of binding Jinn to an object. Solomon bound Jinn as servants to him, using a ring to control them, until one Jinn stole the ring. Eventually, Soloman retrieved his ring, and as a punishment, he trapped that Jinn inside a vessel made of brass. It is really the tale of Aladdin which cements the idea of genies living in lamps though. The stories in Arabian Nights had been around for hundreds of years, but the first Europeans really know of them were the translations made by a man called Galland in the early 1700s. He added a few stories of his own which had never been included in the traditional tales before this time. One of the new tales was Aladdin – and his genie in the lamp.

How Would Powder Help? Calvert's Headache And Neuralgia Powder

Imagine, you are a mother, living in the 1930s. Christmas has just passed, and New Years will soon be upon us, and you are just about at your wits end. Your children are excited of course, but must they be so loud! You have a thumping headache, and feel like you would like nothing more than to retire to bed. Luckily, you have some headache powders which you purchased before Christmas, knowing such a headache might occur.

When I showed the children this advertising sign for Calvert’s Headache and Neuralgia Powders, they were intrigued. The children, of course, are all too aware of headaches, though they had no idea what neuralgia could be. They thought it sounded very painful though, when I explained that it was a pain centred on a nerve. The children also thought that, if the powders worked, they would have been very popular indeed, though they were dubious at the idea of using a powder. As one child put it ‘powder goes under your arms after a shower, and I don’t know how that could help!’

It was in the early 20^th century that headache powders began to become common. They were wildly popular with people who worked in mills or factories, or similar jobs. Such occupations were noisy and hot, and many workers suffered frequent headaches as a result. Of course pharmacists were quick to realise that they had the opportunity to market a product to these workers, and not only help to ease their pain, but make money in the process. Making pills was a complex process though, and so powders were much more attractive to these early pharmacists as they were quick and relatively simple to produce. Most of these powders were relatively similar to one another, containing a mix of aspirin and caffeine, which would indeed have to relieve the symptoms of pain.

The medicines worked, but they were also generally pretty much the same, so selling them relied heavily on having the best advertising. They were, essentially, treated as a ‘patent medicine’ in the way they were advertised. Like patent medicines, they promised to cure increasingly long lists of ailments, but unlike many patent medicines, they did actually have some effect, at least on some of the conditions they promised to relieve. Calvert’s Special Headache And Neuralgia Powders promised to cure not just headache and neuralgia, but toothache, colds and all nerve pains and, although there is nothing to indicate what the powder contained, it is likely that caffeine and aspirin were involved. These would, no doubt, have had some effect on most of these conditions.

He Must Have Been A Smart Shepherd! Magnets

Imagine you are a shepherd living in ancient Greece. You are dutifully tending your flock, living on the mountain among the animals. You have noticed something strange though. The buckle of your sandal keeps getting stuck on some of the rocks. That might not seem particularly odd, but it is like the buckle is attracted to the rock, not that your sandal is getting caught. You dig up the rock, and discover something amazing – this rock attracts iron!

When I showed the children this old magnet, they were at first not particularly interested, beyond its initial appearance, though they did wonder where poor Christopher Robins legs went. They became more intrigued though when I asked them a simple question – what makes a magnet a magnet. They could all tell me what magnets do, but none had any idea how they came to be used.

As the ‘imagine’ story above relates, magnets were first discovered by a shepherd named Magnes, who lived about 2600 years ago in Magnesia, a place not far from Mount Ida in Greece. When he noticed that the buckle of his sandals, and other iron object were attracted to rocks on the mountain, he dug up the soil to find what are known as lodestones. These stones contain magnetite, which is a naturally magnetic material and the name magnet directly refers to this tale, being derived from the Greek magnetis lithos (meaning stone from Magnesia). The Chinese were the first to actually document the use of lodestones as compasses in approximately 1088 but by about a century later, in 1180, they were being used by Europeans as a compass on ships. The lodestones (the name for which comes from the Anglo-Saxon, and means leading stones) would be used to magnetise a needle shape, or shaped into a needle themselves, which would then be suspended, or floated on water. Being magnetised, it would align itself in the north-south direction, providing a basic navigation tool.

Although lodestones and these basic magnets worked for navigational purposes, nobody really knew why until the 1600s when the English scientist, William Gilbert was able to finally confirm observations about the magnetic poles. This led him to conclude that the Earth itself was a magnet. Gilbert also discovered that you could make a magnet by beating wrought iron, and that heating caused that ‘induced’ magnetism to disappear. In 1730 Servington Savery created the first compound magnet, which was made by binding together various naturally magnetic materials. Just 10 years later, the first commercially available magnets were produced by Gowen Knight. Then, in 1820, Hans Christian Oersted conclusively proved that there was a relationship between electricity and magnetism, and this led to the discovery of magnetic fields. It has taken well over 2000 years since the discovery of natural magnets for us to discover their secrets, but today the concept of magnetism, or even magnets themselves are used in just about every modern technology which is available, from door fasteners, to medicine!

It's Useless, But Pretty - Half Doll

Imagine you are a well to do lady living in the early 1900s. You have many ways to spend you day, looking after the household, visiting friends, and even attending charity events. Yet you also love to spend a quiet day enjoying a little craft work. You have been looking forward to having such a quiet day for some time, as you have a beautiful little half doll which your husband gifted to you, and you have great plans for her. You plan to create a lovely skirt for her before displaying her on the mantle piece.

When I showed this half doll to the children, they struggled to understand why anybody would be interesting in having such a doll. To them, a porcelain doll isn’t all that appealing because ‘it would break if you tried to play with it’. When combined with a complete lack of legs, most of the children thought the little half doll was ‘pretty much useless, but quite pretty’. They were intrigued to discover that half dolls were extremely popular in the past though, and could understand their use as decorative items, if not in more functional terms.

Half dolls first appeared in the late 1800s and the oldest, and indeed some of the most beautiful of the half dolls were made in German potteries. One of the earliest companies to create half dolls was the German pottery company Dressel and Kister, which had a factory in Lower Bavaria. These original half dolls were often likenesses of customers, who supplied a portrait which would then be used by the artists in the pottery workshops to create a unique doll. Other dolls focused on characters from legends or famous ladies of the day. The dolls of this time were exquisitely made, with carefully modelled arms, fine porcelain and incredibly detailed featured. As half dolls became more popular, they began to also become mass produced. Thousands of dolls were created during this period, first in Germany, and then in other countries which could produce dolls to meet the increasing demand. France, Japan and America joined Germany in having a thriving half doll industry, with the height of production falling between 1900 and 1920.

So what exactly were half dolls used for? Many were simply decorative, and were given beautifully made dresses or skirts, often heavily beaded. Others though served a more functional purpose. Some were attached to pincushions, tea cosies or even to brushes and kitchen items! Sometimes these functions have even led to alternative names for half dolls, such as pincushion doll, tea-cosy doll or brush doll. There were even dolls made for men, where they were often attached to items like a lint brush. Most dolls produced for men were more masculine, and often they didn’t feature a lady at all, but instead the top half of an animal, often a dog, cat, bird or rabbit. Others depicted masculine subjects like soldiers.

I've Never Heard Of Them - Sydney Flour Company

Imagine you are a housewife living in the 1940s. You have many important jobs to do, what with raising the children, cleaning the house, doing the mending but the one which you seem to spend most time on is cooking for your hungry family! Cooking the same things all the time can be quite boring though, so you were quite pleased when you received the free booklet from Sydney Flour. With some lovely new recipes to try out, it will be quite a wonderful addition to your collection!

When I showed the children this free booklet from Sydney Flour, they were quite intrigued. The children tend not to think a lot about where their flour comes from, taking for granted the biscuits, bread, cakes and so on which they regularly enjoy, but Sydney Flour was a company which captured their interest simply because they had ‘never heard of it’.  They were intrigued at the names suggestion that flour was once milled in Sydney itself, and were eager to flip through the pages of the booklet in search of cooking inspiration.

Today, flour is part of the daily diet of millions of people worldwide, yet it has a remarkably long history, probably dating back before the invention of the wheel. Ancient people discovered many thousands of years ago that seeds could be ground between stones to form a fine powder which could then be cooked and eaten. They also discovered that this primitive flour was often easier to digest than the seeds themselves and thus a better source of nutrition. Many of the nomadic ancient groups began to settle in one place, growing and grinding grain from their own crops. Flour did not just assure life to small groups of ancient nomads turned farmers though, it assured the future of civilisation, with civilisations growing up wherever enough cereal crops (such as wheat) could be grown, ground and, of course, eaten.

Early humans ground their grains between simple grindstones, but the Romans wanted a more efficient method to allow them to feed the booming population. They created simple mills which were powered by animals or slaves, and later began to use water mills to speed production of flour. Right through until the middle ages, this technology continued to be used, but then, in the 12^th century, wind power began to be used with windmills coming to the west. Wind and water powered mills continued to be the norm until the industrial revolution, when the first ever steam powered mills were built. These mills were ever more productive, producing more flour and as more flour was produced, an ever greater population could be supported. In Australia too, mills were being built and during a severe drought in the late 1800s, many small mills merged to form the giant Sydney Flour Company who produced the booklet which I showed the children.

Shes So Old! Minnie Mouse

Imagine you are rummaging around in the bins behind Disney studios. You heard they have been clearing up, and you hope to find some hint of Disney magic thrown away. Then, you spot it, a beautiful drawing of Minnie Mouse, thrown away as if it was nothing more than trash. You continue digging hoping to find something else wonderful, but nothing as beautiful as that drawing is to be found.

When I showed the children this picture of Minnie Mouse, they simply loved it. Although modern cartoons may be a long way from the old cartoons which this image comes from, children continue to love the older characters. Indeed, Minnie and Mickey Mouse are extremely recognisable, and all children know who they are. The children were fascinated to think though that so many images of Minnie, and of the other characters, would have been disposed of over the years.

Although Mickey Mouse may be the more famous, Mickey and Minnie Mouse were actually born in the same year, and for the same movie. Just like Mickey, Minnie first appeared to the public in 1928 in Steamboat Willie, but she was also in Plane Crazy and The Gallopin’ Guacho with Mickey, both of which were actually created before Steamboat Willie, but aired later. From that time on Minnie continued to be an important, founding member of the Disney cartoon characters. Minnie (whose full name is actually Minerva Mouse, according to the 1942 comic strip ‘The Gleam’), just like Mickey was created by a collaboration between Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, and it was actually Iwerks who first drew her. Since 1928 she has appeared in over 70 cartoons, usually alongside Mickey.

So how exactly did Minnie come to be? Mickey Mouse was created as a replacement for an earlier cartoon character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and continued to have several of the same character traits. One of these, which was vital to Minnie’s creation was that Oswald was a flirt and was constantly pursuing lady rabbits. Mickey therefore needed a potential sweetheart and Minnie was born. When first created, Minnie was a flapper, just like the fashionable girls of the 1920s, but in the 1940s and 50s she became more conservative and in 1940 the hat which she once wore was replaced by her now famous bow. As time went by, Mickey and Minnies relationship also changed. At first, Mickey pursued Minnie, trying to woo her, but as time went by they became a real couple.

It Doesn't Look Like A Baby Bottle - Feeding Bottle

Imagine you are a mother living in the 1800s. You have recently had a new child, and you are enjoying having a little human to look after. Less enjoyable was feeding the little one though. Your husband knew feeding time was rather painful for you though, and the wonderful man recently brought home with him a lovely glass baby feeder. It is so much easier, and far less traumatic for both you and the baby.

When I showed the children this infant feeding bottle, they were most bemused by it. They are, of course, very familiar with babies bottles, but this bottle was nothing like the bottles they recognise. They were intrigued to discover that the history of babies bottles was much longer and more complex than they expected. They were also confused slightly by how the bottle would work, as its teat is missing. The thing which amazed the children most though was the story of how babies bottles were once quite deadly.

The history of baby feeding bottles is remarkably long and fascinating. Many may assume that before modern plastics were available, mothers simply breast fed, or employed a wet nurse to do it for them, if they could afford it. Yet, although wet nurses were certainly popular, there is evidence that baby feeding devices date right back to the ancient civilisations and possibly even into prehistory! The earliest examples of baby feeding devices appear to have been terracotta, but instead of being the bottle shape we recognise today, they were very small jugs which fit in the palm of the hand and had very fine spouts which only allowed the liquid to trickle out, drop by drop. In the middle ages cow horns fitted with a leather ‘teat’ were used in place of these early feeders.

It was not until the 16^th century that feeding bottles actually took the bottle shape. There were at the time high rate of infant death and doctors and wet nurses recognised the need to develop new ways to feed babies. They created bottles made from a wide variety of materials, ranging from metal to glass, but the cheapest and most common were made of wood. Often a piece of sponge was placed over the end to stop the child hurting their gums. These bottles, although an improvement, did not do much for infant mortality. The pewter bottles actually dissolved slowly in the milk, rendering the milk itself toxic, while other bottles simply weren’t cleaned sufficiently and were filled with bacteria and germs. The industrial revolution didn’t improve things either. Modern society was demanding a cheaper, more practical way to feed babies and in 1860 the long tube feeding bottle (a glass bottle fitted with a rubber tube) was created. It allowed the baby to almost feed itself, but the tubes later became known as ‘killer tubes’ as they provided such a perfect home for bacteria. These bottles were actually banned in 1910. It wasn’t until 1924, that the straight bottle we recognise today started to become increasingly common, and the neck and teats of the bottles also became wider to allow the bottles to be properly cleaned.

It Would Get Cold! Toast Rack

Imagine you are a lady living in an elegant house in the late 1900s. You have just woken up, and you can hear your maid approaching with breakfast. You always feel so luxurious, sitting in bed and enjoying your breakfast! You particularly love the toast rack which is used for your breakfast. With lovely little birds and beautiful bright orange flowers, it is such a cheery start to the day, even if the weather is bleak!

When I showed the children this china toast rack, they were unsure what exactly it was. They had never seen anything like the little rack, and were perplexed by what it could possibly be used for. When I explained the little rack was used for holding warm toast, they were even more confused. As one child said, ‘wouldn’t the toast get cold quickly’ and as another one simply summed it up ‘why would you bother?’

Toast has a remarkable history, which is, perhaps unsurprisingly, closely linked to bread. Without bread, you can’t make toast, but bread is a staple part of the diet of many cultures, and has been around for thousands of years. Very early bread, which was probably unleavened (flat bread) may have been quite different to what we think of today, but leavened bread which we use today is pretty old itself – dating back to the Ancient Egyptians. In fact, the people who built the pyramids may have been paid, at least in part, in bread! Of course, this softer, tastier bread quickly went stale, especially when left out in the desert heat, so soon after people came up with the idea of making toast. Toast wasn’t a breakfast food, it was a way to prevent food wastage and the word actually comes from the Latin word tostum, which translates as to burn or scorch.

The earliest toast was probably made simply by laying bread on a stone very near the fire. It wasn’t long though before people began to create ways to hold the bread in the fire itself, and wire frames or even just sticks were soon being used to make toasting bread easier and tastier. There was one problem associated with toast though – sogginess. If the toast was allowed to touch a plate, or even another piece of toast, the steam condensed and the toast went soggy. In about 1770 the first toast rack was made, specifically designed to prevent toast going soggy. It allowed air to circulate, stopping the steam from condensing and turning the crisp, delicious toast into an unappetising soggy mess. All the circulating air did lead to another problem though – the toast went cold more quickly. Today, most people avoid all of these problems simply by eating their toast soon after it is made, but toast racks continue to be made and sold none the less. In fact, you can get plastic, folding toast racks for when you’re travelling!