Spice of Life

I write and publish informational articles about a wide variety of subjects. Before I begin, I think to myself will anybody care about this topic a hundred years from now? This is why I don't write about Britany Spears or Madonna or some other fading cultural icon.

Use of the word, fading, makes me wonder whether "fading" and "fad" have the same roots. A quick glance at the On-line Etymology Dictionary reveals this is possibly the case. Both words may derive from the Latin <i>fatuus</i>. This is a word to which I am sure we owe our "fatuous". It all means "silly".

I have recently embarked on a series of sites on Herbs and Spices. These have actually sparked intense interest for centuries. Interestingly enough, I can seem to find few cases where herbs provoked conflict. However, there are many incidents where spices inspired wholesale wars. Nutmeg and Cinnamon were particular culprits. Meanwhile Oregano was brought home from Italy after WWII and inspired much pizza consumption. (What could be a more peaceful than that?)

Trading spices only became a peaceful occupation when capitalism took precedence over merchantilism and the drive of individual entrepreneurs made the once very expensive and exclusive spices available to everyone. Now spice companies post homey recipes on the web, where they once sailed ships of war and destroyed each others factories.