Rats, seeds, chili, and coffee

You wouldn't think a rat would cause a nuclear meltdown and you wouldn’t think that pouring beer over bread or Wheaties would be considered the “breakfast of champions”. It sounds gross, but I would like to try it sometime. Hanson seems to touch on lots of different aspects of the importance of plants and people in this weeks assigned readings. I find it interesting that seeds and rodents happened to co-evolve. In many cases, the relationships that developed became mutually beneficial-the gnawers got something to eat and also dispersed a few of the plant’s seed in the process (115). I found the chapter on nuts and the almendro seed to be somewhat boring, I am not sure if it is because of the writing or the story. I even felt like the chili chapter was a slow read. I did; however, enjoy the bit on the French naval officer Gabriel-Mathieu de Clieu who famously shared his water ration with a small coffee tree while travelling across the Atlantic, only to found coffee plantations all over the Caribbean.

           Once mother plants began packing lunches for their babies, everything from dinosaurs to fungi wanted a taste, and evolution of seed defenses became inevitable (123). Plants are stationary. Their lot in life is to stay put and endure, a situation tailor-made for the evolution of chemicals. If you can’t flee or fight back physically (beyond the occasional spine or thorn), it makes perfect sense to repel attackers with alkaloids, tannins, terpenes, phenols, or any other compounds invented by plants (139). Plants are amazing. They seem so much stronger than us. Proof of this lies in the “Death by Umbrella” chapter, just a small prick of poison from a deadly seed could promptly kill a human, giving our body no time to defend itself.

           I found it really interesting that humans used to have a forward, snout-like projection to the jawbones to withstand large loads such as cracking hard shells. I appreciated Hanson's example with the orange slices in his mouth running around like an ape, the metaphor helped me understand how the early human head may have looked like.  The modern human faces appear flat because our bones are small, probably an adaptation for eating soft, cooked foods (126).   

          Even though I had a hard time with the chili chapter I did enjoy reading about how capsaicin from chilies is used for certain medicinals such as arthritis creams and weight loss programs. I also found the small fact on how Olympic show-jumpers have been disqualified for rubbing it on the legs of their horses (142) to be interesting.

         In Europe, the coffee transition occurred on the heels of reformation, and its promise of sobriety and productivity fit neatly in the era’s emerging philosophy (152).  Gatherings in the famous coffee house in Leipzig exemplified the role that coffee had begun to play socially and culturally in the eighteenth century (153). The coffee house even now is a place of business, pleasure, a place to study, and even a place to relax. The coffee house is an important place culturally and politically both in the past and today. 

          All of these stories about plants connect the dots looking backwards and the dots of history through time have connected to the present role of plants and their importance to people.

References:

 Hanson, Thor. The Triumph of Seeds: How Grains, Nuts, Kernels, Pulses & Pips Conquered the Plant Kingdom and Shaped Human History. Basic Books, 2015. (P. 113-160; 161-175)

Gabriel-Mathieu de Clieu picture: http://abic.com.br/o-cafe/historia/linha-do-tempo/gabriel-mathieu-de-clieu-capitao-da-marinha-francesa-viaja-para-a-martinica-levando-mudas-de-cafe/

chili pepper picture: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-world-s-top-chili-pepper-producing-countries.html

cafe zimmerman picture: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2012/June12/Bach_Concertos_Alpha811.htm