The Straight Dope 03/19/2004

The Straight Dope -- By Cecil Adams
http://www.straightdope.com

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THE STRAIGHT DOPE 03/19/2004

Dear Cecil:

I worked for several years doing construction in arctic villages in
Alaska. When I first got there I heard a story about how when Tupperware
started making the rounds in rural Alaska the Yupik women used it to
make fermented seal oil, which is the Eskimo version of ketchup. But the
Tupperware made such a tight seal the oil not only fermented but created
an extremely toxic brew resulting in numerous deaths. What's up with
that? Is it crapola or is burping tantamount to festered oil?
--Alaska Vic

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Cecil replies:

Pleasure to get your letter, Vic--I can't remember the last time I had a
chance to put a billion-dollar corporation into a five-alarm panic. My
inquiry regarding your story elicited the following terse response from
a Tupperware vice president: {Tupperware has no knowledge of the
incident . . . and therefore cannot confirm or deny it.} Noted. But
while there's no reason to implicate Tupperware specifically, Eskimo
foods and airtight containers don't mix. One observes the following data
points: 

Anaerobic bacteria--that is, those that thrive in oxygen-free
environments--are among the most virulent known. One such bacterium is
Clostridium botulinum, producer of deadly botulism toxin. Other
clostridia to watch out for include C. tetani, which causes tetanus, and
C. perfringens, which gets into wounds and causes gas gangrene, an
affliction that's as bad as it sounds. Anaerobic bacteria are the ones
that make improperly sterilized canned goods puff up like a football.
Food in this condition should be destroyed immediately, unless you're
serving brunch to Osama bin Laden.

On August 17, 2001, the "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly," published by
the Centers for Disease Control, noted that three persons in a southwest
Alaskan village had come down with botulism after eating fermented
beaver tail and paw. 

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/040319.html

STAFF REPORT

Dear Straight Dope:

What, evolutionarily speaking, are cows? As far as I can tell they're
big, slow, fat creatures that eat grass and would be easy prey in the
wild. Friends claim they were bred purely for human consumption, but if
so, when and what from? --Courtney R.

SDSTAFF colibri replies:

Your puzzlement is understandable, Courtney, since the wild ancestor of
domestic cattle, unlike those of pigs, sheep, goats, and most other
domesticated species, became extinct several centuries ago. While this
beast looked like modern cattle, it was much bigger, swift, powerful,
fierce, and very dangerous. 

The aurochs (Bos primigenius), also known as the urus, originally ranged
through much of Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, and North Africa. 

For more, see: 
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/maurochs.html

STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC - 11/18/1983

Dear Cecil: 

My hard-drinking friend from Purdue and I are in a state of
disagreement. She insists the original (and hence "true") boilermaker
drink consists of a shot of whiskey dropped, glass and all, into a mug
of beer. Being from a more modest drinking background, I have only
experienced these concoctions under the name "depth charges," and am
familiar with the shot of whiskey with a beer chaser as a boilermaker.
What's the straight dope on this, and should I stay away from women who
can consume quantities of liquor in excess of their body weight? 
--C.M., Oak Park, Illinois

Dear C.:

To tell you the truth, I'd never heard of dropping a shot glass of
whiskey into your beer, and at first I assumed it was just some moronic
custom confined to brain-damaged Purdulians. However, an ex-bartender
buddy of mine informs me that the practice is actually widespread, God
help us. 

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_351b.html

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