Red Sea Trade

One important fact was left out of the description of Admiral Russell's "cocktail party". The "bartenders" described were actually little boys dressed as cherubs, who paddled about and served the guests with long-handled dippers. That just makes it all SO much better...

There doesn't seem to be much rhyme nor reason to how these rules are applied. The WalMart near my home cards anyone under 27 for buying wine, yet the one near where I work wants to see ID for anyone under 40. 40?! Then again, I'm old enough to remember when the drinking age was 18, so they don't want to see MY ID... Still, I have never heard of carding anyone for a video.

I believe The Slaughtered Lamb in NYC takes its name from a similar inn in the classic horror/comedy film, "American Werewolf In London". Alas, my studies of taverns in the Mid-Atlantic states in the 18th century turned up singularly unexciting names. Many seemed to be simply named for the proprietor, so you find Fraunces Tavern, Haviland's Inn, Strang's Tavern, etc. As for me, my favorite name comes, not surprisingly, from my favorite pirate book, "The Rogue's Moon" by Robert Chambers. Much of the action takes place at The Lost Ship Tavern, which is a good, evocative name. I also think The Rogue's Moon would be a great tavern name, as would The Silver Oar.

I would guess that Dampier is referring to alum's notorious bitter taste. I use as my source that unimpeachable primary resource, Looney Tunes cartoons. Think of the reaction when, cartoon characters having accidentally ingested alum, their face puckers up and their entire heads shrink. Alum being used in pickling and other food preparation, Dampier may have encountered it in that way.

I try to live my life so that my family loves me, my friends respect me and the others can do whatever the hell they want. --John Wayne

I cook 17th and 18th century recipes all the time (used to teach open-hearth cooking at an 18th century tavern), but only do a full "piratical" menu for special occasions. I did a special dinner for last year's "Talk Like A Pirate Day": Fish House Punch Chesapeake Crab Stew Buccaneer's Rack O' Pork Corn Custard Indian Pudding I don't know if any actual sea-rovers ever enjoyed that particular menu, but it is all period correct (and delicious)!

I can only come for the day, but I will be there. Need an excuse to try out my brand new matchlock!

Much of what they offer is too early for our period, but www.by-the-sword.com has some nice coins. I don't think they carry anything after the era of Charles I, but they have some lovely Elizabethan coinage for the Sea Dogs among us. A bit pricey, as they are minted in real silver, but they are very pretty and they clink nicely in the hand...

The best man for the role, alas, has been dead for almost 50 years. Victor McLaglen, who played the dreaded "Hook" in "The Princess and the Pirate" had it all--huge, burly, swaggering lug with the busted-up nose and craggy face of the former boxer he was. Now if only human cloning could be perfected in the next few months...

Yes, he would do well, I think. The real challenge, however, will be Lt. Maynard. Will the director have the courage to portray him as a real Royal Navy officer (all buttoned up in frock coat, breeches, buckle shoes, waistcoat, neckcloth, cocked hat and wig, with nary an inch of skin showing but hands and face) or will he be the typical 18th century movie "dreamboat", with a waxed, boyish chest peaking through his permanently open shirt and some sort of ridiculous suede trousers? Perhaps portrayed by a fine thespian like Ashton Kutcher... Oh, why do I even ask?

I just want to interject: @#$%%&!!! That is my reaction to the fact that I will miss this event. I spent most of my first 40 years of life just down the Island for the site. Now, of course, when I am 1500 miles away, they have a pirate event. Pardon me while I feed myself slowly into a paper-shredder. You may resume your discussion.

I have pretty meaty calves myself (19 1/2 inches), and found that the British military style garters from G. Gedney Godwin fit me with room to spare. I think the leather is much more forgiving than a dog collar. Might be worth a try.

Do you suppose it is possible, just possiblethat Hollywood can resist the temptation to turn one of America's greatest true adventure stories into absolute, steaming offal? The story of Blackbeard has EVERYTHING--pitched sea battles, duels to the death, romance (of a sort), alcohol abuse, severed heads and a gigantic, cheery psychopath at the center. That being the case, Hollywood will probably cast Cameron Diaz as Lt. Maynard, the cross-dressing, spunky, proto-feminist; Morgan Freeman as Hassan, the all-knowing Moor and Tobey MacGuire as the gentle, wispy-bearded, misunderstood "Eddie" Teach. I can see it now, and I want to die.

I have a bunch of stuff available. Check your pm for details.

I have always loved this painting. The details contained are amazing (especially the gentleman vomiting into another's pocket) and it is a very colorful scene. Best of all, it was used by Winterthur Museum as the setting for one of their period rooms. I was there on a Christmas tour about 20 years ago, and one of the people in my group shouted out "They did this room to look like "Sea Captains Carousing In Suriname"!" The tour guide was suitably impressed.

Lord help us, that is a ghastly hat. The last time I saw anything like it, the person wearing it was wearing a serape, drinking Boone's Farm Strawberry wine and listening to Molly Hatchet. Period correct or not, I still think leather hats make as much sense as wrought iron underpants.

Tim Ridge at Swamp Fox Knives made a beautiful little hanger for me. He can't make anything with a particularly long blade (mine is no more than about 24 inches), but his work is very good and you'll never see another sword like it.

And let us not forget that he co-starred in "The Buccaneer". OK, so he wasn't a buccaneer, but still...

I must say, this discussion is one I find absolutely fascinating. It plays off things I have thought for many years, but seldom had a forum in which to talk them through. I think that, for most modern Americans, the past is viewed with a mixture of awe and contempt. We are taught (or were, when I was a boy) that our forefathers were plaster gods--magnificent, but cold and distant. We responded in kind, with a form of worship that allowed no affection. This in turn spawned a reaction. Sure, the 18th century saw the Enlightenment, the Declaration of Independence, Mozart and the greatest assembly of political minds this country has ever seen...but they were SHORT! Yeah, that's it, we're taller. And cleaner. And...uh, we know more stuff. Well, we may be cleaner (although a quick trip on the subway of any major city may call that into question), but I always wonder if we really do know more than a typical American of 200 years ago. What we know is differentstuff. Sure, I know how to operate a VCR, a car and an ATM, but I would have starved to death in the 18th century. I have absolutely no practical knowledge of planting crops or tending livestock. I have never prepared a winter's worth of food for storage. I have never set a broken bone or drawn an infected tooth. What I have always felt is crucial in speaking of the past to visitors is getting across the idea of what was needed to get by. Here is where presentism comes in. All of our technical knowledge would be completely useless in a pre-technological era. We would be as lost, hopeless and helpless in 17th century America as a resident of 1690's Boston would be in our present day. It certainly helps keep me humble when I speak of the past with this in mind.

Ah, but what could be more controversial than the Father of Our Country kicking ass and getting the girl?

I disagree that the hero or heroine has to be modern to be successful. Most European period films avoid this trap, yet it is never difficult to figure out who the hero is. I think that American filmmakers just take the path of least resistance--instead of character development, they use visual shorthand. I have always maintained that a real, authentic film about the early life of George Washington would absolutely blow peoples' minds. He was the First Action Hero-- huge, macho, romantic, immensely strong, recklessly brave, desired by women. He traveled on secret missions, fought Indians and Frenchmen, swam icy rivers, dodged bullets at extreme close range and (literally) swept the ladies of Virginia off their feet. He was James Bond in knee breeches, but nobody has the guts to portray him as such. James Bond keeps his jacket on when he fights, yet we know he is the hero. Couldn't some brave director try the same thing with an earlier era?

Excellent point about the Jetsons. Yes, the "future" always seems to look a lot like the present in popular culture. In addition, the "past" (especially in movies) is always laid out in terms of our present. A perfect example: Any American movie of the past 30 years set in the 18th century (or pretty much any other century) always has one crucial component. The more sympathetic the characters, the more modern they look and behave. The villains may wear tricorns, high collars, funny pants and wigs, but the hero goes bareheaded and walks around without a coat or waistcoat and has his shirt undone. He is, we are shown, not "really" old-fashioned, he's just a guy like us. He's cool, not like those "squares" in the funny clothes. Heaven forbid that anyone should attempt to show that, underneath those odd clothes, were men just as cool as (or cooler than) we are.

I worked for many years in buildings associated with George Washington. Most Americans have an awestruck relationship with ol' GW, but an increasing number were absolutely fixated on his role as a slaveowner. "Yes", I would invariably reply, "he owned slaves. But I believe he was the most extraordinary man that our nation has ever birthed." That baffled people. How, if he had unenlightened racial attitudes, could there be ANYTHING redeeming about the man? They took it as a package-- anyone who did not fully agree with them was inherently worthless. That, in a nutshell, is presentism. I tried to combat it with one simple statement: "Please keep in mind that, in 200 years, Americans of the future will look back at you with the same mixture of disdain and disgust that you feel for General Washington." Nobody ever believed me, of course. To do so would be to imply that their current preferences, attitudes and mores might actually not last for all time. If I wanted to prove my point it was easy. All I had to do was say "What do you think about your yearbook photo? Is there anything about it that might seem a bit...dated?" Ah, the cold, wet slap of reality!

On the topic of redheads (I'm not one, but let us say it is a subject dear to my heart), I read an interesting treatise on British folklore some time ago that addressed the topic. The author surmised that redheads being considered unlucky, which is a mostly English phenomenon, might go back to the era of the Vikings. A visit from one of those particular redheads might have been unlucky indeed. In Scotland, just to make it all more confusing, redheads are the essential GOOD luck charm for New Year's Day.

A traditional (and, I believe, period correct) sauce for venison is Cumberland Sauce. It is usually made with Port wine, but I don't see why a zesty rum couldn't substitute. Juice of one lemon plus some of the lemon zest Juice of one orang plus some of the zest 1 cup currant jelly 1/8 tsp. ground cloves 1/8 tsp. ground ginger 1 tsp. dry mustard 3/4 cup dark rum 2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in a small amount of cold water Mix together citrus juices, rum and spices in a saucepan over low heat. Add currant jelly, stirring until it is dissolved and blended. Stir in cornstarch and allow to thicken. Chill before serving. Now, alas, my tuna sandwich doesn't seem terribly exciting...