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| FOOD SUPERSTITIONS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| One of the earliest uses of salt was as a preservative. As such, it was thought to be a protector of men and food alike Spilling such a valuable item was thought to be a bad omen, and to forestall bad luck, one should toss a pinch of the spilt salt over the left shoulder (the side that devils sit on) to bribe the devils from harming you. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt is also associated with tears. A relative of a friend of mine has a saying, "When salt is spilt, someone will shed enough tears to disolve the salt. Hence the more salt spilt, the more sadness to come. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Another salt-related myth is that salt is a good housewarming gift. The Greeks did this because they thought that the salt in the sea was the thing that made it so full of life, and would bless the new house. Asian cultures put a pinch of salt by the front door of a house to preserve the happiness inside and ward off evil. Some were even paid in salt in acient times. The word for salt was "sal", giving us the word "salary". | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Apples | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" Well, there's lots of potassium in apples, so I guess that could help. Apples were used in lots of ancient pagan rituals also, and the seeds of apples have been used as a "he loves me...he loves me not" sing-song. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Onions and Garlic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ancient Egyptians took oaths with their right hand on an onion because they believed its many layers held some sort of magic in them. From this, many spinoff superstitions came into being. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Onion on a shelf will absorb germs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Onion on a snakebite will absorb poison | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Onion on bug bite will prevent itching | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Onion in soup will prevent a cold | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Onion on the breath will prevent a kiss (this one is true!) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Garlic has been made famous for its anti-vampire quialities. Believers of this often posted garlic wreaths near a door or even around the neck while sleeping to prevent an attack. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bread Crusts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Eating bread crusts makes your hair curl" is a phrase one person told her grandmother swore by. Bread has long been associated with health and good luck. When a baby is born, a lock of its hair is cut and saved to bring it long life and good luck. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fish | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Some say fish is brain food. This is more propaganda than superstition. The French Chemist Jean Dumas was the one who proved fish is high in phosphorous, and since the brain contains large amounts of this chemical, the fish industry loved this idea. Later, this myth was used to explain Japanese academic ability. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back to Home | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This webpage is the intellectual property of Quynh Bliss. All rights reserved, copyright 2000.� | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||