A list of curious facts
One: The low-carb diet may seem like a modern recipe for misery, but a version of it dates all the way back to ancient China. It was then called ‘bigu’ or ‘grain avoidance’—and involved giving up the ‘five grains’: various cultivars of rice, wheat and millet, hemp seeds, soybeans etc. The earliest reference is in ‘Zhuangzi’—a foundational text of Taoist philosophy—that goes like this:
“[F]ar away on the hill of Gu Ye there dwelt a spirit-like man whose flesh and skin were as ice and snow; whose manner was elegant and delicate as that of a virgin; who did not eat any of the five grains, but inhaled the wind and drank the dew. He mounted on the clouds and rode on flying dragons, wandering and enjoying himself beyond the four seas.”
Going bread-less was way more fun back in the day. (South China Morning Post)
Two: Back in 1963, a German children’s writer Hans Traxler published a book called ‘The Truth About Hansel and Gretel’—and convinced the entire world that the fairy tale was actually true. The ‘witch’ was, in fact, Katharina Schraderin who was known for inventing her famous gingerbread back in 1647. Hans Metzler—another famous baker was an obsessive suitor whom she rejected—and who followed Schraderin to her home in the forest along with his sister Grete… and killed her. Traxler’s literary fraud—which was accompanied by very convincing photos of bones, baking tools and more—was eventually exposed. But it still remains an amazing tale to retell. We recommend checking out the detailed version over at Atlas Obscura.
Three: Visual Capitalist recently looked at how much prime real estate—defined as the top 5% of the market—you can buy for $1 million around the world. The most expensive: Monaco—where you will get a paltry 157 square feet—followed by Hong Kong (229) and London (329). Mumbai is positively affordable in comparison—coming in at #17 with 1,164 sq ft. (Visual Capitalist)
Four: Did you know that Indira Gandhi is one of India’s greatest wildlife conservationist heroes? She pushed through the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972—and launched Project Tiger a year later. All this at a time when big game hunting safaris for “dollar” tourists were routine—and snow leopard pelts were openly sold in Delhi’s markets. One trigger for her passion: a tiger skin gifted to her father by the maharaja of Rewa.
You can watch David Attenborough tell the story of Gandhi’s pioneering work or read Mahesh Rangarajan’s account in The Telegraph—and read a strong critique of it here. On the right is Gandhi with a tiger cub on her 50th birthday—we’re not sure when the other one was taken.