Why the obsession with speed?

[hardrider]

The attitude also exists with many BC extreme dudes that carry the large attitude that they are far superior,

.

I sense that ^^^^^ way more than the core-brah-speed-huck attitude you speak of.

[phUnk]

And what's the deal with airline peanuts?

[hardrider]

And what's the deal with airline peanuts?

last few times Ive flown its been pretzels. Thats the deal with airline peanuts.

[Arty50]

last few times Ive flown its been pretzels. Thats the deal with airline peanuts.

That's because 0.0000001% of the population is allergic to peanuts. And unfortunately almost 100% of the 0.0000001% is horribly allergic. But what about pretzels. I guarantee someone is allergic to pretzels.

Pretzel history: some little known facts

Pretzels were invented by monks, used for the teaching of religion, to feed the poor, and to symbolize the marriage bond. That is the hisory, now they are popular bar snacks.

That food is of a sacred nature goes without saying. Fresh produce from the garden fits in that category for me, but foods with a history can expand our appreciation both of cuisine and human ingenuity. What food is especially associated with prayer and almsgiving, has been used to help teach religion, saved a city from destruction, was a symbol of good fortune in medieval times, serious sustenance during the Great Depression, and is now mostly enjoyed at sporting events and parties?

If you said “the pretzel,” good for you. This humble food comes in a variety of shapes, flavors, and with coatings that would have amazed the humble monk who invented the pretzel sometime between the fifth and seventh centuries. Idling with leftover strips of dough, the monk-baker supposedly twisted and turned them until they resembled a person’s arms crossed in prayer, traditional posture for prayer in those days. The brother monks approved the tidbits, and began using them as rewards for the children under their tutelage.

The monks used the inter-connected sections of the “pretiola” (literally, “little prayers”) to help the children understand the Christian Trinity of “Father, Son and Holy Ghost.” Their success with the re-shaped crusts spread to monasteries far and wide, and soon the pretzel became an important symbol in church life. A page from the prayerbook of Catherine of Cleves depicts St. Bartholomew surrounded by pretzels, which were thought to bring good fortune, prosperity and spiritual wholeness to those who ate them.

It wasn’t long before pretzels were introduced into the wedding ceremony:the couple wished upon and broke a pretzel like a wishbone, then ate it to signify their oneness. A 17th century woodcut, copied from a cathedral in Bern, Switzerland, depicts the “marriage knot” as being a pretzel! But even earlier, the pretzel’s fame had emerged in a burst of glory from beyond the monastery walls. During the 1500’s, the city of Vienna was under seige by Ottoman Turks. Thwarted in their efforts to break through the city’s walled fortifications, the Turks began tunneling below ground. Pretzel bakers, working through the night, heard the strange noises in the cellars, and notified the guard. The city was saved, and the grateful emperor awarded the pretzel bakers an honorary coat of arms!

Despite their royal status, pretzels were a convenient way to hand food to the poor, and became a typical alms for the hungry. Apparently the homeless did not line up for soup or a sandwich, but for their daily pretzel. And those who gave the pretzels away were considered particularly blessed. Indeed, pretzels became such a sacred sign that they were often packed into coffins of the dead, no doubt replacing the jewels that were buried with the rich.

A more modern story of altruism is connected with the pretzel’s rise in popularity in this country. The first American pretzel bakery started when a kindly baker gave a drifter a free meal in the 1850’s. In turn, the drifter gave the baker a recipe for European pretzels, and soon became employed as the baker’s apprentice. As they whipped up batches of a new style of pretzel, they won the h nor of baking and selling the first hard and crusty version of the Pennsylvania Dutch hard pretzel.

But court records in the state of New York indicate some sort of pretzel made its appearance much earlier. In the mid-seventeenth century trouble broke out when a local baker was arrested for selling pretzels to the Indians, using the best flour for the Indians’ “bread,” and the leftovers for the settlers of Beverwyck, NY. “The heathens were eating flour while the Christians were eating bran,” the town history reports. Too bad the towns people didn’t understand about the benefits of eating whole grains.

Indeed, pretzels today are made from many different grains.

Toppings go beyond coarse salt, poppy or sesame seeds, and now boast such exotic coverings as cheese, chocolate and pizza flavorings. Although pretzel rods, ultra thin pretzels and pretzels chunks, clumps, sticks, rings and chips are also sold by such companies at Bachman, Snyder’s and others, the original “pretiola” shaped snack still sells best, the hard sourdough kind being Oprah Winfrey’s reputed favorite snack food.

Interestingly, the crunchy hard pretzel evolved from the error of a baker who put them in the oven without rising and forgot about them. Baked too long and unrisen, the pretzels grew dark, hard and crunchy—and turned out to be a wild success. Recipes exist for home-baking both the favored hard pretzel, or the chewy “midwestern” type. People who remember the Depression era recall the pretzel vendors in the cities, especially the cities of the Midwest, where inexpensive hot pretzels sold and eaten on the street were lunchtime sustenance. A friend recalls moving to the German section of St. Louis as a child and watching the children line up during recess to buy large, hot pretzels, probably dipped in mustard, from a street cart. Until she tried one herself, she envied them their long-lasting snack. When she tried one, she was unimpressed, but has since found a butter-flavored variety quite irresistible.

German children had other connections to the pretzel, too. They tied pretzels on a string around their necks at the beginning of a new year for prosperity, health and good fortune. An embarrassing story recalls to my mind that some people still use pretzels as decoration.In my first year back at work after raising our three children and helping to raise a few grandchildren, I was often teased by my lovable nun-boss for my single-minded ability to immerse myself in the big issues in my job, leaving minor details with scant attention. One day Sister called me into her office and asked me to do a certain chore. When she finally let me leave the room, her booming voice quickly called me back.

She asked if I noticed anything different about her. I didn’t, until she turned her head quickly from side-to-side. Only then did I see the huge pretzels, decorated with glitter and hung by bright red ribbons from Sister Jeanette’s ears! She teased me forever afterward for not noticing her holiday attire!

In modern times, pretzels find their way into salads, hors-d'ouvres and to accompany soups, dips and fruit. Obviously craftspeople, those with creative ways in the kitchen, and teachers trying to illustrate some religious point to their students still look to the pretzel for a rich resource. With beer or without, this mighty snack has won devoted followers from ballgames to classrooms. Some more modern bizarre pretzel facts include these noteworthy items: Largest pretzel ever baked:40 lbs, 5-feet across, by Joe Nacchio of Federal Baking, Philadelphia, PA; Pretzels in the movies: 20 lb., 4’ pretzel in “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World”—same baker; Pretzel capitol of the world: Reading, PA., where one plant can package over 10 million pretzels per day!

As for skiing, it's like I told my friends in South America. "I'm not that good. I just ski fast."

[hardrider]

. I just ski fast."

So Ive heard. Of course Id like to see it some day. Oh snap-dizzle.

[Arty50]

Groomers are gay unless you point 'em.
Moguls are gay unless you point 'em.
Mach this, figure eleven that.

Doesn't anyone like turning anymore?

Says the guy who's movies show people straigtlining 3,000 foot coulies and making 4-5 turns down 5,000 foot 70 degree faces.

Well, someone had to say it.

As for you hardrider (AKA Mr. Red Pants)...don't make me beat you.

[The Suit]

Says the guy who's movies show people straigtlining 3,000 foot coulies and making 4-5 turns down 5,000 foot 70 degree faces.

I can't keep up with those guys, either.

[bigtrubs]

I personally enjoy the happy medium- a few fast huge turns down a face... even choppy crud or soft moguls- screw turning, bomb right through them!

as for the pretzel... kinda on the fence for that one.

[snowsprite]

I hear the latest is skiing on your hands!

Sprite

[Woodsy]

speed is fun, we ski slow

[powderwhore]

I straightline to conserve pow.

Really, its just fun to ski fast. One doesn't get many opportunities in a season to straightbomb West Rus or mach down Highboy, when the conditions are good and smooth you have to. Plus its just a blast, and it takes care of that adrenalin rush I need.

[Mcwop]

I like turns.

[Trackhead]

and like mckonkey, when something gets in my way.... i turn.

Maybe that is what I was thinking when I almost ran into you on 'Bonkers'.

[Beaver]

Doesn't anyone like turning anymore?

Anymore? I never did. I guess that is why I sucked at racing slalom but was good at DH.

[Max Gosey]

Can't we just bring back the peanuts?

[MikeB]

Going fast is just plain fun. Gets the adrenaline flowin, just such a great feeling... Not to mention it's easier to make less turns, and my skiing style is very lazy. High speed turns are fun too, it's a cool feeling when you feel those G's... I personally don't understand the point to many low speed turns - you put in more effort and get less enjoyment.

[myBALLSareSOhuge]

Searching for something else and I found this.

I vote all of the above. Turns, straightlines, and peanuts with my pretzels.

It's all good baby.

[splat]

The worst part about skiing with the SUPER CORE MOFOs is that I often have to stop and buckle my boots at the top of a lift, and by the time I’m done with that, and I find the play button on my tuner, the CORE MOFOs are gone. They wait for no one, not even on a groomer day.

I totally had the image of you bending over to buckle your boots, then fiddle with your ipod, then look around to no one there. As someone who often needs to buckle, I totally relate. Then you have to straightline everything to catch up.

Yeah, MacDaddy.

[East Coast]

Anymore? I never did. I guess that is why I sucked at racing slalom but was good at DH.

agreed. speed = good.

[Rossta]

A wise old man in the lift line bestowed the answer to this question upon me on a prolific day.

I'm standing in line patiently waiting my turn as adrenaline courses through my body from the past run. I feel something poke me, but I figure its just a gaper flailing around so i ignore it. then it happens again, but harder.

i turn around to see angry old man with his scrunched up pruny looking old man face. he goes, and i quote "you were going way too fast sonny" i say something to the effect of that's how i roll. he then moves in closer as he's about to bestow his profound life learned knowledge to me. as if his face wasn't scrunched enough, his eyes narrow to dark little slits, and he says "you are a foolish young man." i am left speechless. i might have laughed out loud.

so there you have it. quit the tomfoolery yungins, make some turns, or you too may experience the wrath of pruny old man.

[Finntroll]

[jwproulx]

I ski fast (at resorts) because I'm lazy and can never get my lazy ass out of the house in time to make the first lift. I ski fast so that I can make up the time I lost groggily sipping coffee and trying to wake up enough to operate my car.

I'm actually kind of serious. The second-to-last run, when my legs are burning and I'm desparately trying to get to the lift before it closes, is always the fastest, like the last 100 yards of a mile footrace.




Oh, yeah. Also, skiing fast is fun.

[The Dad]

Doesn't anyone like turning anymore?

Why don't you take it to Gapicski, JONG?!?!?!

[splat]

A wise old man in the lift line bestowed the answer to this question upon me on a prolific day.

I'm standing in line patiently waiting my turn as adrenaline courses through my body from the past run. I feel something poke me, but I figure its just a gaper flailing around so i ignore it. then it happens again, but harder.

i turn around to see angry old man with his scrunched up pruny looking old man face. he goes, and i quote "you were going way too fast sonny" i say something to the effect of that's how i roll. he then moves in closer as he's about to bestow his profound life learned knowledge to me. as if his face wasn't scrunched enough, his eyes narrow to dark little slits, and he says "you are a foolish young man." i am left speechless. i might have laughed out loud.

so there you have it. quit the tomfoolery yungins, make some turns, or you too may experience the wrath of pruny old man.

The flip side of that is being a pruny old man getting chased by punkass patrollers tellin you to slow down.

[marc07]

I ski fast so I can ski more, slower speeds = less lift rides = less skiing, and right now i'm at the closest, 2 hours from a mountain, so I take as much as I can get.