#seriously the domestication of almonds is crazy to me

[underthehedge]

Two things. The first is that huh, I guess you kinda coppice cinnamon, which makes a lot of sense now I think about it. The second is that we eat almonds and cassava, both of which are, in their wild state, hilariously toxic.

Both contain copious amounts of cyanide, or more accurately, compounds that release cyanide when you eat them. And yet? Cassava became a staple for people in the Amazon and beyond, because despite the fact that eating improperly prepared wild cassava will straight up kill you, people worked out that if you grind it up into a wet paste and leave it covered for several hours to offgas its cyanide. Though some domesticated varieties can be detoxified just through proper boiling and discarding of the water, a lot of domestic strains still require this whole involved process to not fatally poison you.

Meanwhile almonds, wild almonds, are also deadly poisonous. It takes about 50 to kill and adult but as few as 5 bitter almonds can be fatal to a child. Thing is, wild almonds occasionally produce plants that aren't stuffed to the gills with cyanide. But still, it feels insane to me that people who lived off the land in the places where wild almonds grew found out that some of these plants wouldn't kill you, because idk I feel like my instinct there would be to not even try And yet? Almonds are a thing. (almonds were a very early domesticated fruit tree and there's some features of almond propagation that make this even more insane)

If something is potentially edible, and I really do mean capital-P-Potentially here, someone, somewhere figured out how to eat it, even if figuring that out involved a truly ludicrous string of steps and/or luck to not just fucking die from it.

harvesting cinnamon

[singingunderthecurtain]

Basta (Suho Fluff Drabble)

Image not mine, found it on google.

Author: @julietsoddeye AU: Canon / EXO Universe Genre: Fluff / very slight angst Pairing: Suho/KJM x Reader (Feat. Chen/KJD) Trigger Warning: None Word Count: 990

Plot: Your friend, Kim Junmyeon of EXO, suddenly barged in your apartment one Saturday morning to complain about his members as you were cooking breakfast.

“Basta” (Filipino)

It roughly means ‘simply because’ or ‘just because’, could be an expression when you don't feel like explaining what you feel or mean in detail.

~/Doorbell Buzz/~

You know it’s only one person who will ring your bell this early on a Saturday morning. You were cooking your breakfast and didn’t bother to answer the door because you know he will be entering your house on his own anyway since he has a spare key. You gave your friend a spare key to your apartment because sometimes things can get a little crazy in his dorm with his members, so he can go to you anytime he wishes (sometimes without permission, like today) so he can escape the mad house he currently lives in.

“What are you doing here again this early, Junmyeon?”

You said, in a teasing manner as you expertly flip the blueberry pancake without breaking a sweat.

“Everything’s insane. Minseok’s being an old man again, nagging me about the dirty dishes I forgot to do last night. Chanyeol and Baekhyun are being their usual noisy selves and I’ve been busy with practice, I haven’t slept in two days.”

Junmyeon yaps on. You turn off the stove and placed the platter of stacked pancakes on your kitchen island. He was sat on one of the stools with an exhausted look on his face. His pretty face seemed to age since the last time you saw him, which was only three days ago.

“Oh you poor baby, here eat this.”

You push the platter of food in front of Junmyeon along with a small bottle of maple syrup.

“I made that from scratch with organic eggs, oats and almond milk so that’s pretty healthy,”

You supplemented instantly with a huge grin on your face since he’s kind of a health freak. You learned to use healthier alternative ingredients because of him. His opinions matter to you if that’s not obvious yet.

“I don’t want to eat your breakfast.”

He slides the platter back to place.

“Why?”

You question him.

“What are you gonna eat if I ate this?”

Junmyeon purses his lips to tell you that he is seriously not gonna touch your food.

“We can share it, I can’t eat all that.”

You replied as you point to the huge stack of pancakes in front of you.

You finally convinced him that it’s okay, and you two are even sharing one pair of utensils. You were both too lazy to get another set and he doesn’t seem to mind to be sharing a fork with you. He even drank the Fruit smoothie you whip up from your own mason jar.

After breakfast, you’re both just lounging on your couch, watching the weekend morning news. You’re seated facing the television while Junmyeon is lying comfortably on your sofa, his head on your lap, eyes closed as you soothingly play with his soft and fluffy hair.

From a third person perspective, this may look really sweet or even domestic. But to the both of you, this is pretty normal. You’ve been best friends since high school and you don’t let this affect you in any way, at least you try not to.

But you’ve been feeling really lonely the past few years and you weren’t sure if you’re generating real feelings for him or if it’s just because he’s the only male figure you always see other than your overly handsome boss who is super married and have 2 kids already, by the way.

“Can I stay here with you until my manager calls me to go back?”

Junmyeon suddenly asks, his eyes still closed, you thought he had fallen asleep already. But you guess wrong.

“Uhh sure, I guess. But I will leave for a little bit tonight if that’s okay…”

You trail off. You now pretend to be really invested on the television, but you’re really not. You’re so distracted with the way your skin tingle lightly as you play with his hair.

“Where are you going?”

“I uhh—“

Junmyeon now opens his eyes to look at your face. Your eyeballs twitch as you think of a way to explain.

“You…”

“I have uhh— a date.”

You finally let out with a stutter. Well, it’s not exactly a date, but you’re not lying to him either. You really are going out tonight with someone. It was planned… For a month now.

“Wow, a date, with whom?”

Junmyeon asks genuinely curious. He seemed happy that you’re finally going on a date with an actual living and breathing guy. But you caught the shake of his eyeballs and the minuscule wince of his face.

“Basta!”

You answered him a word your co-worker taught you, hesitated to tell him at first.

“Don’t use that word on me again!”

Junmyeon protested.

“With—with Jongdae.”

You purse your lips after you answered. You’re not looking at him anymore, and you felt the heaviness of his head leave your lap.

“Oh.”

Was his only answer.

“So he finally asked you out. A few weeks ago he told me he likes you.”

He suddenly clears his throat and the air around you became thick and awkward.

“Oh.”

You reiterate.

“Hello.”

You answer your ringing phone without looking at who was calling; you just awoke from a very stressful nap after Junmyeon suddenly left this morning.

“It’s Jongdae.”

You can hear the slight edge in his voice.

“What’s up Jongdae?”

You stretch your arms and you stood up from your couch.

“The plan worked noona! Junmyeon Hyung confron—“

His words were cut off immediately when someone snatched his phone away from him.

“I’m going back there right now, you better explain yourself to me. Jongdae won’t tell me anything!”

Junmyeon’s slightly confused and slightly angry voice blares out all of a sudden.

“Junmyeon calm down.”

You giggled through the phone.

“Don’t scare me like that again. I almost cried. Don’t date anyone okay, date me instead.”

Junmyeon’s voice was small and sincere through the phone.

“Finally, I was waiting for you to say that.”

You smiled even though he can’t see you.

A/N: LOOOOOL LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK? XD

[lordhenry]

survey 22: favourites

I can’t even just pick one on most categories lol.

Colour: White / Navy blue / Purple. Colour to wear: Black. Eye colour: Green. Natural hair colour: It’s advantageous to choose blonde—easy to dye. Number: None. (Seriously, nothing comes to mind.) Domestic animal: Cats. Wild animal: Tigers. Sea animal: There’s nothing I especially like. I’m not too fond of the ocean, but uhh.. sea horse? Forest animal: Deers. Snack food: Lately, it’s been Chaltteok! I’m obsessed with it. Fruit: Mango, Kiwi, Banana, Peach, Strawberry, Blueberry, etc. I love fruits lol. Vegetable: Broccoli and lettuce. Meat: Chicken and crab. Nut: Cashew and almond. Ice cream: Mint chocolate chip, vanilla, green tea, strawberry cheesecake, ahhh a lot. Cake flavour: Red Velvet. Candy: Anytime—it’s a milk + mint Korean candy. Chip flavour: Either plain/salted or cheddar. Soup: Pumpkin... or creamy mushroom. Salad dressing: Caesar, vinaigrette or ranch. Lunchmeat: Roast beef and smoked ham. Soda: I’d rather not, but.. root beer. Alcoholic beverage: Hands down, the very simple White Russian. Type of coffee: Latte. Juice: Ripe mango. Pizza toppings: Uhhh. I usually just eat 4-cheese pizzas, but I also like pepperoni. International cuisine: Japanese. Movie: This is too tough. American Psycho? I dunno. Actors: This varies a lot. I don’t care much about actors. But right now I’m into Russell Crowe movies. Actresses: I don’t care. Director: I don’t care. Horror movie: I don’t care... Action movie: Probably the classic first Die Hard movie. Romance movie: I don’t care. Nothing comes to mind. Gee, this may seem like I don’t watch movies at all, but it’s really just that I don’t have a definitive favourite lmao. Comedy movie: Death At A Funeral. Wait, that or Love Actually. Black and white movie: Blank. Blank. Blank. I’m honestly not very good at remembering things. Musical: The very cliche Les Miserables. TV show: Of all time? Probably Sherlock, but I’m not obsessed with it yet so it might actually not be. Ugh. Lol I’m the worst at these things, I tend to either be obsessed with things or not at all. Latest favourite would be Running Man though. Talk show: I don’t watch TV, but online I like Jimmy Kimmel and Fallon, Ellen, Graham Norton, and the other usual talk shows. Band: Led Zeppelin, of all time. Female vocalist: Amy Winehouse. Male vocalist: Eddie Vedder, Robert Plant, Chris Cornell, Freddie Mercury... there’s just too many good voices, don’t make me pick just one! Song: Of all time, it’s The Rain Song by Led Zeppelin. Right now, it’s still Oceans by Pearl Jam. Music video: I. CANNOT. Album: I DOUBLE CANNOT. What is this questionnaire doing to me omg. Concert you’ve been to: Don’t insult me like this. Do you know how many artists I love I cannot ever see because they just won’t rise from the grave or they won’t tour ever? Music genre: Rock. Painting: I’m an uncultured swine with no favourite painting. Artist: I’m an uncultured swine with no favourite artist. I take that back, I like Michaelangelo just because he was a little dick. And I like da Vinci just as much if not a little less because of the whole Michaelangelo vs da Vinci feud hahahahahaha...... Sculpture: No definitive favourite, but I like Ancient Greek sculptures. Art style: Gothic. I like the look and feel of it. Book: The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Page turner. It was the best book-reading experience I’ve ever had so far. I could not even put it down. Author: This is not an easy thing to answer lol. Book series: The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, just because I don’t usually like series. Genre of literature: Fiction mostly. Magazine: N/A. Biography/autobiography: Kurt Cobain’s Diaries. T-shirt you own: I have this black garden top that I don’t wear often because I like it a lot lol. Clothing style: I’m boring. I like clean minimalistic outfits, I dunno. Laidback business casual? Type of bottoms: High-rise pants, slim cut. Type of bathing suit: I don’t care. Shoes: Depends on what kind, but it’s definitely not going to be flashy. Clothing brand: Zara or Mango. Clothing store: Idk. Grocery store: My favourite is honestly those Korean groceries Pam and I like to go to. They sell the best snacks. Convenience store: 7 Eleven? Family Mart? Idk lmao. Restaurant: It depends on what cuisine I want to have tbh. I don’t like going back to the same places all the time. EXCEPT FOR Hard Rock Cafe! I always go back. Bar: OoOohh Ooohh any speakeasy is fine with me! I like the thought of hidden bars. Fast food place: For burgers, Wendy’s or Burger King, but the funny thing is the fast food chain I frequent the most is McDonald’s lol. Donut shop: Krispy Kreme. Breakfast food: Hash Brown. Girl’s name: N/A. Boy’s name: N/A. Family member: Uhm, my cat. Friend: I’d rather not rationalise this in my head right now. Poem: The very long Ballad of Reading Gaol. Poet: Oscar Wilde, followed closely by Emily Dickinson and Sylvia Plath. Nail colour: Nude colours. Makeup brand: Since my favourite type of makeup is lipstick, and most of my lipsticks are Mac, I’ll go with that. Makeup: Lipstick. Comedian: I don’t really have one. Celebrity: I don’t really have one lol. Superhero: Batman. Superhero movie: BATMAN MOVIESSSS. Comic book/Graphic novel: Does manga count, I don’t read comics. Supervillain: Scarecrow and Joker. Perfume: Hypnotic Poison by Dior is the scent I’m known for lmao. As well as Coco Chanel Mademoiselle. But for an every day scent, I’ll go with White Musk by The Body Shop. Candle scent: Freshly washed linen or Peppermint. Smell: White Musk, Iris, and Patchoulli. Nature smell: Wood and rain. Flower: Lily and Baby’s breath. Tree: Weeping Willows and Sakura. Phone app: Um. Probably transportation apps like Uber because it saves my ass all the time. Piece of jewellery: I like my ring, but if I had to pick just one type to wear forever it’ll be a watch—they’re actually useful. Colour of jewellery: White gold. Politician: *shrugs* Political party: Fuck all this. Hairstyle: Idk Jesus Christ. Summer activity: Hiking. Winter activity: Making snowmen. Fall activity: Decorating for halloween. Spring activity: Sight-seeing. Conversation topic: Similarities with the person, psychology, and music. Piercing or tattoo you have: N/A. Joke: Aside from my existence, that offensive Kiwi-Sheep joke my dad told me once. Insect/bug/arachnid: Ew, but I guess butterflies aren’t that bad. Season: Spring. Month: April? YouTuber: Filthy Frank, You Suck At Cooking, etc. Movie franchise: Uhhh? Harry Potter? Dunno. Kid’s cartoon: Adventure Time. Adult cartoon: Anime? Disney movie: Shoot me now because I’m not into Disney shit. Disney princess: Always been fond of Belle. Car: 60s vintage cars. Colour for cars: White. Party game: Cards Against Humanity, Beer Pong, Jenga, etc. Video game: Zombie stuff like Resident Evil. Computer game: N/A. I haven’t played computer games in a long time. I own a Mac. It’s not exactly for gaming. Instrument: Guitar, bass, and cello. Planet: Uranus.