Live vicariously through the Wit & Wisdom from the depths of my Soul_Partners in Crime:Tea & Wine,A Book Enthusiast,A Foodie Extraordinaire,Movies,Art,World Music & Travel,Quintessentially Me..that's how I ROLL!
Vanilla!What's not to love about that flavor? Give me a minute & I'll tell you.Several years ago I stopped using this product...
...not because I fell out of love with that flavor_but I was going more natural instead of "IMITATION"...spelled out right there on the product! Now just in case you don't know what imitation means_according to Webster_something that is made or produced as a copy! Okay?...check! So,I started using these very expensive products or real Vanilla Beans which are a fortune!
..& I am so glad I did! http://www.nielsenmassey.com/consumer/index.php Guess where the "IMITATION" product comes from....are you ready?....okay,hold on tight,as you will be surprised,disgusted & amazed at the person/persons that test for this 'stuff"daily as a job choice & bring forth this "stuff' to your corner grocery store or online shopping center! It comes from this lovely creature...
!!!The Beaver (Genus Castor)_ primarily a nocturnal,large,semi-aquatic RODENT. Castoreum is a liquid found in Castor Sacs near the beaver's Anus!!! In the good ole US of A it is considered a GRAS( generally recognized as SAFE) food additive by the FDA_AND,is often referenced simply as a "NATURAL FLAVORING"used in food and beverages as a substitute for vanilla flavor_and is less commonly used as a part of raspberry or strawberry flavoring_but still used!
YOUR CHOICES......
Made in the Lab_Synthetic Vanillin_ instead of natural vanilla extract,vanillin is now more often used as a flavoring agent in foods, beverages, and pharmaceuticals.Chemically identical to real vanilla, artificial vanilla can be made from clove oil, pine bark, coal tar, bran, even cow dung. Until fairly recently, the chemical lignin, derived from wood pulp, was the most common way of synthesizing vanillin. OR.....BBIV~Beaver Butt Imitation Vanilla~
Dried perineal glands of beaver = artificial vanilla ,strawberry & raspberry flavoring. Castoreum comes from a beaver’s castor sacs, located between the pelvis and base of the tail. Due to its proximity to the anal glands, the slimy brown substance is often mixed with gland secretions and urine. “I lift up the animal’s tail,” Joanne Crawford, a wildlife ecologist at Southern Illinois University told National Geographic. “I’m like, ‘Get down there, and stick your nose near its bum.’” “People think I’m nuts,” she added. “I tell them, ‘Oh, but it’s beavers; it smells really good.’” Beavers use the brown slime, often compared to a thinner version of molasses, to mark their territory. The musky, vanilla scent is attributed to a beaver’s diet of bark and leaves. Manufacture have been using castoreum as an additive in foods and perfumes for at least 80 years, according to a 2007 study in the International Journal of Toxicology. But getting a beaver to emit castoreum is not easy. Foodies are willing to “milk” the animals in order to get their hands on the gooey substance. “You can milk the anal glands so you can extract the fluid,” Crawford said. “You can squirt [castoreum] out. It’s pretty gross.” Only 292-pounds per year is collected because the milking method is unpleasant for all parties involved. And the worst part? The FDA-approved castoreum is not required to be listed as an ingredient on food items. Manufacturers may list “natural flavoring” instead. Perhaps a bit too natural for the Kid! http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/10/01/beaver-butts-emit-goo-used-for-vanilla-flavoring/
OR...."THE REAL DEAL"
Vanilla is a flavor derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla.Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican people cultivated the vine of the vanilla orchid, called tlilxochitl by the Aztecs, and Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes is credited with introducing both vanilla and chocolate to Europe in the 1520s.
Vanilla Pods with all that "natural" goodness! FYI:
Bourbon vanilla or Bourbon-Madagascar vanilla, produced from V. planifolia plants introduced from the Americas, is the term used for vanilla from Indian Ocean islands such as Madagascar, the Comoros,and Reunion formerly the Île Bourbon. It is also used to describe the distinctive vanilla flavor derived from V. planifolia grown successfully in tropical countries such as India.
Mexican vanilla, made from the native V. planifolia, is produced in much less quantity and marketed as the vanilla from the land of its origin. Vanilla sold in tourist markets around Mexico is sometimes not actual vanilla extract but is mixed with an extract of the tonka bean,which contains coumarin.Tonka bean extract smells and tastes like vanilla, but coumarin has been shown to cause liver damage in lab animals and is banned in food in the US by the FDA since 1954.
Tahitian vanilla is the name for vanilla from French Polynesia made with the V. tahitiensis strain. Genetic analysis shows this species is possibly a cultivar from a hybrid-cross of V. planifolia and V. odorata.
West Indian vanilla is made from the V. pompona strain grown in the Caribbean and Central and South America.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla
Okay,so this is why I have "Trust Issues". BEWARE of Labels that read_"natural flavoring,imitation,artificial,Ethyl Vanillin, etc. Or when food looks like this...
There's other's like human hair used as flavor enhancer in bagels,artificially-dyed food made from coal tar,anti-freeze in Salad Dressing listed as propylene glycol,biodiesel additive listed as TBHQ in chicken nuggets, sand listed as silicon dioxide(to prevent clumping) in salts,soups,etc.,jet fuel additive listed as BHT in cereal to keep it fresh longer... AND..... http://sagebookwhisperer.blogspot.com/2013/06/ill-have-order-of-carbon-monoxide-wmy.html ..BVO (brominated vegetable oil)*aka* FLAME RETARDANT....found in all citrus-flavored drinks_of which I discussed my health issues when I was addicted to Mountain Dew.
Time spent looking up a beaver's behind..equals imitation vanilla. Time spent on cures for illness causes by junk in our food equals...Healthcare Crisis! I smell a Beaver Revolution..
Now, that's a hellva' transition! On last evening I watched a movie called "Kinky Boots"_inspired by the true story of the shoe factory, WJ Brooks, in Northampton, England owned by the Pateman family.The first records of shoemaking in Northampton England date way back to the 13th century. The trade thrived, in the 17th and 18th centuries, as shoemaking became the area's staple industry and local identity. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays the part of Lola/Simon .OMG!!! that dude owned that role.My favorite line in the movie was when the Shoemaker & staff were trying to determine what Lola meant when she said, "Sex is in the Heel,make a STILETTO". One of the ladies said "Stiletto's require constant balance from the upper leg causing the muscles of the backside to tense and appear pert & READY for Mating"! Lola wanted this boot...
...instead of this flat heeled boot....
And we all know_'Whatever Lola wants,Lola gets"...Right?
It's Tina Turner Time!
What I didn't know....Stiletto's have been around since the 19th century.As a matter of fact , Andre Perugia (a shoe designer) began designing ~stiletto~shoes in 1906!!! High heel shoes were worn by "Men & Women COURTIERS".
A nice lilac pair of "Stiletto's" would match his outfit! "Robert Dudley,1st Earl of Leicester"
The stiletto heel came with the advent of technology using a supporting metal shaft or stem embedded into the heel, instead of wood or other, weaker materials that required a wide heel. As time went on, stiletto heels would become known more for their erotic nature than for their ability to make height. Stiletto heels are a common fetish item. Stiletto heels are particularly associated with the image of the Femme Fatale. They are often considered to be a seductive item of clothing, and often feature in popular culture.
FYI: Stilettos, like all similar high-heeled shoes, give the optical illusion of a longer, slimmer leg, a smaller foot, and overall greater height. They alter the wearer's posture and gait, flexing the calf muscles and making the bust and buttocks more prominent. FYI: The down-side..they counter the natural functionality of the foot,create skeletal and muscular problems overtime,venous complaints such as pain, fatigue, and heavy-feeling legs, and have been found to provoke venous hypertension in the lower limbs,etc. Stiletto heels concentrate a large amount of force into a small area. The great pressure under such a heel, which has been liken to greater than that under the feet of an elephant, can cause damage to carpets and floors.
Well, I guess they can also be used as a "Self-Defense Weapon" like in the movie.....
This movie_my friends is a far cry from Chiwetel Ejiofor in_ Amistad (1997),12 Years a Slave (2013) ..btw he has 35 Nominations from various groups including The Academy for Best Actor Award,etc...He makes for a "Pretty Woman",indeed!
Lola/Simon v Solomon Northup
Stiletto, I look at it more as an attitude as opposed to a high-heeled shoe.~Lita Ford~
To Be Sure...this is a "Vinegar Valentine"!They are sometimes called a "Penny Dreadful".How- ever "Penny Dreadfuls"was a type of British fiction publication in the 19th century that featured lurid serial stories appearing in parts for weeks & weeks_each costing one (old) penny.
The term morphed to include any cheap fiction that was printed on pulp paper_thus "Vinegar Valentines" are sometimes aka "Penny Dreadfuls"(or Penny Horrible,Penny Awful,Penny Blood,etc..).This is an example of a "Penny Dreadful"...
Soooo, now that we have that all settled_ let's talk about Valentine Cards (Greeting Cards) that were "Greeting-LESS"! Rather they were decorated with a caricature,often below an insulting poem,given on Valentines Day,often sent to someone like a Spinster,Loud Mouth, Floozy,Show-Off,Wanna -Be-Ladies Man,etc.. you get the picture,right?
A Modern Day Fiend that causes "Road Rage".
Blah,Blah,Blah....
& more Blah,Blah,Blah....
Who does that anymore...The Chain Smoker?
The Boozer Fiend
The KimKGlamourPuss... &
The Pouting,Posing Belles
?????Is there one for Tongues hanging out of the side of one's mouth & Twerking & Bad Behavior among Teen Stars? There has to be one for "Training people how to communicate by Eye to Eye, Mouth to Mouth as opposed to concentrating on some Handheld Device, Right "? This TV Commercial says it all "Look Up"! Look at Me! Look at Me!
But of course_don't forget...
Miss Nosey...in other folks Bizness! These cynical,sarcastic,mean-spirited "Greeting-Less Cards" were first produced in America as early as the 1840s.They were cheaply made printed on one side of a single sheet, cost a penny. It is interesting that one of the reasons for the success of these cards was the increased "literacy"rates among the poor & working classes_who rarely had more than a penny for luxuries like cards! However, the Upper Crust got a real kick out of these as well according to the VP of the National Valentines Collectors Association. http://valentinecollectors.com/
Back tooo...
Mr. Cheap-Skate
Ms. Painted Doll
Well,I Do Declare...not nice!
Open Mouth,Insert Foot
Now,if that's for The Lady...those are FIGHTING WORDS! And "Fighting Words" they were indeed! Reportedly,these unflattering cards created a stir on all social levels_sometimes provoking fistfights and arguments. ~This is the "KICKER"~
Back in the day,a person who received one of these cards via mail often by an anonymous "admirer"_(right?)_paid for the right to be insulted! It was the "RECEIVER_NOT THE SENDER"_responsible for the costof postage up until 1840s!!!. **NOTE: Do Not Get this confused with the NON-ANONYMOUS NASTY COMMENTS_that people leave on the Internet's various websites that suggest a comment,that is_"Up Front in Your Face" comments_without coming face-to face for a BATTLE! Furthermore.....
Getting on"My Last Nerve"....LOL & A Silly Singer...oh boy!
The Ice Queen...Cold Shoulder at it's BEST!
I understand why from a Dude like this....
I'd BETTER NOT EVER...receive one of these_just because I Love Books! Ms.SpellemBad
I'm Kinda -Sorta guilty of being a "Spelling Policer". BUT,some folks I know are really OBSESSED by correct Spelling, Basic Grammar, etc...Scared of them for sure! This is my FAVORITE....I see nothing wrong with this concept....just sayin'!
These "Vinegar Valentines" were about the size of a modern greeting card_later produced in the form of a postcard.Sent anonymously,sometimes Postmasters confiscated them as unfit to mail.At the end of the 1940s & 50s_the cost shot up from one penny to FIVE(5) cents! ...like the price of postage now_it keeps going UP!Up! This could be a fun thing to Collect if you have that sensibility for ephemera. I saw one card in particular on EBay_ present Bid is $57.00_for this circa 1920 U.S.Woman Suffrage Vote Vinegar Valentine Sheet......
Good Luck with that!.....Meantime,I'm settling for the "Old Fashion Hugs & Kisses"_ & And,maybe Lindt Dark Chocolate Truffles this Valentine's Day! This candy got me in trouble last year...as in I ate far to much,Love it,melt in yo' mouth,partee in yo' mouth!!!
