Happy National Doughnut Day! Today we celebrate those sweet wheels of deliciousness that pop up in every flavor imaginable. We’re bringing you a fall doughnut recipe that you’ll want to drop everything for and try immediately. Nothing says autumn goodness like Apple Cider Doughnuts. First, let’s find out how long we’ve been enjoying these popular pastries. Continue reading
Category Archives: Culture
Bon Appetit Wednesday! Happy National Doughnut Day
Halloween, “The War of the Worlds” and Why We Love Flying Machines
“War-of-the-worlds-tripod” by Henrique Alvim Correa,1906
Happy Halloween! AntiquityNOW has been celebrating Halloween this year with blog posts about doppelgangers, the origins of tricks and treats, modern and 2,000 year old ghost stories, and now, an original short story by author Victoria Weisfeld.
For inspiration Weisfeld draws from the legend of the events of October 31, 1938 when American producer, playwright and actor Orson Welles presented the CBS radio play, The War of the Worlds, adapted from the 1898 novel of the same name penned by British author H.G. Wells. The play centers around what happens when a Martian craft lands in the small, rural community of Grover’s Mill, New Jersey, which is the setting of Weisfeld’s short story. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Celebrities, Culture, Holidays, Literature, Meteorology, Public Life, Religion, Science and Technology, Science Fiction
Tagged ancient aliens, ancient science fiction, ancient space ships, AntiquityNOW, H.G. Wells, Halloween, Mahabharata, Orson Welles, Ramayana, The War of the Worlds
The Colorful Past of Halloween Treats
Lads, look at yourselves. Why are you, boy, wearing that Skull face? And you, boy, carrying a scythe, and you, lad, made up like a Witch? And you, you, you!” He thrust his bony finger at each mask. “You don’t know, do you? You just put on those faces and old mothball clothes and jump out, but you don’t really know, do you? – Ray Bradbury (The Halloween Tree)
Remember the sweet satisfaction of a pillowcase, paper bag or plastic pumpkin-head swelling with the weight of Halloween candy? Think of the candy bars, lollipops and bubble gum mingling together in the monstrous payload you’ve been waiting all year to collect and consume in one riotous night of excitement. It’s so exciting in fact, that you may never pause to ponder why on earth you do it. What happy trick of fate empowered you to don a disguise and march up to strange doorways demanding treats? Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Crime, Culture, Holidays, Public Life, Recreation
Tagged All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day, Ancient Egypt, ancient history, AntiquityNOW, Aztecs, Celts, Dio de Los Muertos, guising, Guy Fawkes Day, Halloween, mumming, souling, trick-or-treat
Bon Appetit Wednesday! A 200-Year-Old Recipe for Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin cheesecake, even pumpkin spice Oreos! When the leaves start to change and weather starts to cool, pumpkin season is in full swing. Whether it’s carving one or cooking one, pumpkins just put you into the holiday mood. And we aren’t the only ones to appreciate this icon of autumn. The pumpkin has been serving up nutritious deliciousness for centuries. Today we’re bringing you a recipe for 200-year-old pumpkin pie. You can’t go wrong with this time-honored recipe full of ancient pumpkin goodness. Continue reading
Double Trouble: Doppelgangers and the Mythology of Spirit Doubles
It’s almost Halloween! In our recent posts we’ve been delving into why some of us are so drawn to the supernatural, the paranormal and the scaring the pants off terrifying. In today’s post we hurl ourselves once more into the realm of the supernatural. A twice look at terror, as it were. Continue reading
Posted in Ancient Origins, Blog, Culture, Holidays, Literature, Psychology, Public Life, Religion, Science and Technology
Tagged ancient doppelgangers, ancient folklore, Ancient Origins, AntiquityNOW, doppelgangers, Egyptian mythology, Halloween, Native American mythology, Norse mythology, spirit doubles
A Frightful History: Author P J Hodge Presents “The Ghost Hunter”
Last Tuesday’s blog explored the neurology of fear and introduced a 2000 year old horror story from Pliny the Younger. Despite its antiquity, this story (actually contained in a missive to an acquaintance by the prolific letter writer) exhibited remarkable 21st century elements. Today’s post is a short story titled “The Ghost Hunter.” Written by Paul Hodge, it is a modern take on storytelling in the gothic style. Notice the common elements with Pliny’s tale: the abandoned residence, unexplained occurrences and a man of doughty character determined to get to the bottom of whatever is going on. Continue reading
Bon Appetit Wednesday! An Ancient Roman Salad
This week we’re bringing you a recipe straight out of ancient Rome. The Columella Salad, named for its author, Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella, is the perfect side dish and would fit easily on any modern menu. Yet it was created in the first century CE! Full of scrumptious, fresh ingredients, this salad is light, tasty and ancient. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Bon Appetit Wednesday, Culinary, Culture
Tagged ancient history, ancient recipes, Ancient Rome, ancient salads, AntiquityNOW, Columella, De Re Rustica, Roman salads
Why We Love to Be Scared: Dopamine, Genes and a 2,000 Year Old Horror Story
Image credit: Barbara on Flickr.
It’s that time of year again. Halloween. What is it about houses moaning with restless spirits and apparitions rising from graveyard mists that so intrigue us? Today we have movies, TV shows, video games and books regaling us with the most horror-filled scenarios. Dystopias with—name your monster—demons and vampires and zombies threatening to eradicate our species (as if we don’t do a good enough job on our own). There are possessions, evil twins, vivified dolls and deranged clowns. We even have self-proclaimed ghost hunters with their own “reality” shows and the ad revenues, market penetration and viewer numbers demonstrating that scary stuff really can rake in the dough. Why is it we are so enthralled and terrified by the supernatural? Continue reading
Girl Be Heard and AntiquityNOW present Generations: Voices of Women From Antiquity to Modern Day
In association with AntiquityNOW, Girl Be Heard will be presenting Generations on Wednesday, October 22 at 6:30 pm at the East 4th Street Theatre, 83 East 4th Street, New York, NY as part of their workshop series for the 2014-15 theater season. Generations is being performed during the Estrogenius Festival 2014.
Generations is an ensemble performance devised by Girl Be Heard Company Members in collaboration with women and girls, ages 17 to 61. This is the first show in Girl Be Heard’s history that has brought together women of all ages to research, discuss and write about women across history. This inter-generational laboratory reveals stories of resiliency, both personal and historic. Continue reading
Posted in AntiquityNOW News, Blog, Culture
Tagged AN News, ancient women, AntiquityNOW, Estrogenius Festival, Girl Be Heard, theater
Bon Appetit Wednesday! Tempura Fried Maple Leaves
They’re everywhere! Autumn leaves are falling, falling, falling and collecting in great, heaping, colorful piles all over lawns, roofs, streets and sidewalks. Beautiful and vibrant for sure, but what to do with so many little pieces of autumn? Most of the time we just bag them up and throw them away, but today we’re giving you another option. Courtesy of Japan, we bring you Fried Maple Leaves! There are accounts that these leaves have been eaten for thousands of years in Japan, but since tempura only arrived in the 16th century, the truth is they’ve probably been around for a little over 500 years. We’re bringing you an updated modern version created by James Wong, a chef who wanted to try the treat, but was nowhere near Japan. His version is made with maple leaves, pumpkin and fig. Continue reading
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