h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A Jersey tradition, the city of Venice (c. 17th Century), Greece and quite possibly your grandmother's kitchen all have a certain connection. What might it be?

There are klaxons for the obvious and wrong. It might take a while to get there, but anything Quite Interesting gets most points, remember!

As far as I know, Venice in the 17th Century held the same status as the port of Alexandria had from the 4th Century BC to the 3rd Century AD. At that time Alexandria was known as 'The Gateway to the Mediterranian.

Could it be that Venice became kinow as the 'Gateway to Europe' in the 17th Century???

Greece would come into the story as a massive exporter of Olive Oil, where cookery comes into the story, introducing frying in oil to Western Europe....

Grannies kitchen may come into the story with the invention of the 'Chip Pan', made specically frying chipped potatoes.

Bring on the klaxons, KB!!!



GT

By "a Jersey tradition" I'm going to assume you mean some obscure cultural aspect of one of the Channel Islands and not the bad habits of those forced to live in the US state of New Jersey.

It was from NJ that the radio signal was sent ordering a German U-boat to follow the Lusitania as she sailed out of New York Harbour. The radio mast was also used as a Zeppelin dock in the 1930s. The whole area is a Baptist Bible Camp now.

Cows you say! Jerseys and Guernseys. Hmmm...


~jwf~

In the 17th Century, Venice was in the midst of conflicts against the Ottoman empire, including eventually losing Crete. It also would have had the remains (skin, minus ears and nose) of Marco Antonio Bragadin as a shrine throughout this time.

So... related to the title about cooking, is this to do with skinning things (which presumably Grandma may have had some implement for back in the day?)

Not sure what that's got to do with Jerseys and Greece mind...

They all smell nice?

Working backwwards.


Grandmothers...hmmmm.

Venice c. 17th Century - a home for the dilettantes of high fashion perhaps?

Jersey - perchance?


Is the answer .... knitting?


*hides from the loud noise*

The word 'ciao' derives from the Venetian dialect meaning 'I am your slave' from around that time. Is the connection slavery?

they are all thats left of old empires/ kingdoms

jersey and the channel isles are all thats left of the dutchy of normandy

venice was the last remnant of some empire

greece was the remnant of alexanders empire

and you grannt used to rule the roost but now all she has is her kitchen

Is it something to do with tomatoes?

yoghurt?

It's a kind of multi-layered set of connections, so it might be hard.

for cattle, I'm sorry to say!

Masaqui, it's not specifically related to skinning things, but there's a medical connection.

toybox - the nub of the issue might smell nice. The smell isn't really the point, though.

pedro - I'll give you a DGI for an etymology angle, but it's not slavery.

Taff - "and you granny used to rule the roost but now all she has is her kitchen" - you really were struggling by that stage, weren't you?

Not tomatoes or yoghurt either.

*jumps up and down trying to get noticed*

I'm fairly sure *that* is not the answer...

I think he was going for the +2 points.

Sorry Clive, do forgive me old chap. Nothing to do with sheep or wool. The Venice thing *was* a fashion of a sort, in that it was considered the best around - but nothing to do with clothes.

Nothing correct in post 2 then, KB??

Could the Medici family come into this.

They started off the Banking Business in that area I believe (or was that Florence?)



GT

Steam?

is it saying about the bleeding obvious

like

you dont teach your granny to suck eggs in her own kitchen....

you dont need to teach a venician to row a boat

never look a greek horse in the mouth

that sort of thing-a-me-bob

Medical connection? Well, bloodletting was common in ancient greece, but i'm not sure grandma did that in the kitchen much

greek horse? I always thought it was 'gift' horse as in if you're given a horse as a gift, dont then be critical by checking it's age, accept it graciously...

Beware of Greeks bearing horses