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| LIFE IN SOLERA | NOVEMBER 2024 | 27 Thi & Tha By the Solera Ghostwriter Do you like spicy foods? Spicy foods, such as chili peppers, contain a chemical that stimulates the same nerve endings in the mouth as does a rise in temperature. These nerves, not knowing the difference, send a message to the brain telling it the temperature near the face had risen. The brain reacts by activating cooling mechanisms to reduce the temperature around the face, and one of these mechanisms is perspiration. did you get a white elephant? This is said to have originated with the King of Siam, who supposedly gave white elephants to members of his court he wished to ruin. White elephants, at the time, were considered sacred and were not allowed to do work, yet they still had to be fed and cared for. Thus, a possession that must be maintained at high cost but that offers no productive output in return is said to be a "white elephant." stealing someone's thunder? In 1709, an English play wright named John Dennis produced a play called Appius and Virginia, which opened at Drury Lane in London. For the play's sound effects, Dennis had developed a new way of simulating the sound of thunder using wooden troughs. The thunder was a success, but Dennis' play was a failure, and the people at Drury Lane soon closed it. A bit later, Dennis went to Drury Lane to see a performance of Macbeth and was enraged to discover that his new technique of making thunder was being used. He was quoted as saying, "That's my thunder, by God! The villains will not play my play, but they steal my thunder!" This gave rise to the expression. wheat & weddings Since early Roman times some grain, usually wheat, has been associated with the wedding ceremony. Wheat, a symbol of fertility, was carried in the bride's hand or worn by her in the form of a garland. As the bride left the church, grains of wheat were tossed at her, and young girls rushed to pick up the grains that had actually touched the bride. These were assumed to have the power to ensure the young girl a wedding of her own in the near future. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, wheat was no longer tossed at brides but was instead baked into small cakes that were then crumbled and tossed over the bride's head. Later the small cakes were replaced by one large one, which was cooked and eaten. This change in ceremony left the wedding guests feeling deprived, since they had nothing to toss at the bride. Since at that time rice was cheap, clean, and white, it seemed a good substitute for the more expensive wheat cakes.