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What things are ubiquitous in your life, that might not be for someone else? (pawb.social)

submitted 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I was watching a video the other day that mentioned the cassava plant, and how it's a staple food in many parts of the world. I may have had it once or twice, but for some people it's something they eat every day. This got me thinking - how many things do I assume that everyone else in the world must come in contact with and take for granted, because they're so ubiquitous in my life? It's very easy to take a self-centred view, and particularly when you assume that we live in a totally globalised world. But the experience of life for someone elsewhere may be completely different.

One silly example, in the UK nearly every house would have an electric kettle for brewing hot drinks. But a lot of countries don't.

What items, food, clothing, buildings do you have that other people may never come across in their lives?

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

In the Oregon Trail episode of Tasting History with Max Miller (YouTube), he mentioned a root plant kind of like an onion that natives showed to some trail followers. It was a major staple of their diet, and I can't even remember it's name.

Update: it's "Camus root"

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

The camas root? https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/camassia_quamash.shtml

Common camas bulbs were considered a delicacy by the Native American tribes within the range of the species including the Blackfoot, Cree, and Nez Perce. Bulbs would be steamed or pit cooked for one to three days breaking down complex carbohydrates into ample amounts of the sugar fructose. A full one third of a bulbs cooked weight becomes fructose when prepared in this fashion. Native Americans would dry out the cooked bulbs and grind them into a meal. The meal was used in variety of ways. At times it would be mixed with water to form a batter and then cooked like a pancake. Often the meal would be mixed with water and formed into large bricks and then cooked and stored for future use.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

Correct. I looked at the video to check.