And Gutenberg Lived Here: World Licorice Day

Yesterday was world licorice day.

As I found out when I turned on the tv news,
hoping against hope for a quick catch-up on the world situation,
with my breakfast tea,

before getting dragged into speculation,
momentarily correct statistics,
and long prognoses
of the current war.

Not to mention the latest “he said she said”
US political campaigns.

And discovered that:

apparently a lot of other people were feeling the same way.

And with the stations running out of things to say,
(be kind: send them a list of things they could talk about)

we were offered:
world licorice day.

That’s right,
a fifteen minute special on:

the fact that in the year 2013, Christian Kaufmann,
a German blogger,
discovered the American holiday National Licorice Day,
started in 2004 by the Lincoln Nebraska company Licorice International,
whose aim was explaining the health benefits of black licorice,

(and sweetening the last three days before taxes were due)

And Christian decided to do his part.

And make licorice more “visible to the public.”

As if the 165 kinds currently sold here in Gutenberg land-

in all sizes, shapes, and colors of the rainbow,

aren’t visible enough…

But there is, of course, more to it than that.

Take, for example, the health issues:

Licorice is anti-septic.

It is also anti-inflamatory, anti-bacterial, anti-spasmodic,
anti-oxident,
and anti-depressant.

Unless men eat more than 100g of it,
at which point it becomes anti-potency.

And can raise blood pressure.

So say the web sources I have found.

Of course, since 100g is an entire BAG of licorice…

And, just as a quick footnote:
for women, it THEORETICALLY works as an aphrodesiac.
In small amounts.
hmmm.

Besides, for most people,
it just plain tastes good.

And speaking of taste,
there are so many tastes available,
from salty,
to sweet,
to downright sugared,
to the kind called “mimic-line-makers”
that are so strong, sharp, and pungent,
it pulls the entire face together.

Sounds like fun at a party, huh?

Then there are the colors-
all the colors of the rainbow,
up to and including mauve, and robins-egg blue.

And the shapes:
everything from licorice tobacco pipes, to wheels, to frogs,
to the multi-layered coconut cream tasting extravaganzas you get in the mixture packs.

And here, in Gutenberg land, not only do you get all of the 165 kinds, shapes, and colors,

you also get licorice, as a sweetener, in drinks, in herbal teas, tobaccos, you name it, it’s in there.
Just part of normal life here in Gutenberg Land.

And as for us Gutenbergers not born within the sound of the cathedral bells,
not born in the extended boundaries of the city,
but Gutenberger by choice
(there are actually three different historical words for the three kinds of Gutenberger):

My better half, Harald, being a Hunsrück mountain man, prefers his licorice to be the real stuff:
real licorice root boiled till it is strong, slightly salty, and with just a hint of anise taste.

Oh, and as for me, like most of the women here in Gutenberg Land, born, bred, or moved in:
I like my licorice in the form of vampire bats.
With different flavored bodies.

Dark Shadows, eat your heart out.

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