Concord grapes. Photo by Andrew Morrell.
Humans have been eating and making wine out of grapes for a very long time. The Ancient Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, and of course, Romans were all notable grape-growing cultures. But grapes also have a history in the New World. According to the medieval Saga of Erik the Red, the Norseman Lief Erikson was so enamored by the profusion of wild grapes growing in the southernmost of his North American encampments that he called the site “Vinland,” or Wine-Land, an area thought to be between Newfoundland and New England. It is known that American Indians had been eating indigenous varietals there long before the next batch of Europeans (the British) finally arrived in the seventeenth century. Unfortunately, these colonists’ European grape varietals all failed because of mildew and New England’s too-short growing season.
Diner Mug
In historic diners on the East Coast (often modeled from or after railway dining cars) mugs are still the coffee-delivery system. On the West Coast one tends to find that cups and saucers are the norm in coffee shops. The diner mugs are pure Americana, but I got to thinking, what is the genesis of the classic bell shaped diner mug?
Oil Painting by Michael Naples. michaelnaples.blogspot.com
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