Book - Coffee: a dark history
I'm maybe 100 pages in to "Coffee: a dark history" by Antony Wild. So far it is brilliant.
My favorite part is that I've read most of that 100 pages and Europeans have barely played a bit part so far. Given my limited language skills (enough French to read a newspaper, about a kindergarten command of Spanish at best, enough German to confuse myself with street signs), it is very exciting when I get to read a history book that starts a story somewhere other than Europe.
Much of the early bit is all about 1400s Chinese trading voyages and stuff with the Ottoman empire and assorted other goodies. I like it greatly - the writing style is accessible and drops occasional little bits of comment that are rather snarky.
On a totally separate front, it keeps blowing my mind which words are old and which aren't. Again according to my friend the free Online Etymology Dictionary: yokel - 1800s, hick - 1500s in something roughly equivalent to current usage.
My favorite part is that I've read most of that 100 pages and Europeans have barely played a bit part so far. Given my limited language skills (enough French to read a newspaper, about a kindergarten command of Spanish at best, enough German to confuse myself with street signs), it is very exciting when I get to read a history book that starts a story somewhere other than Europe.
Much of the early bit is all about 1400s Chinese trading voyages and stuff with the Ottoman empire and assorted other goodies. I like it greatly - the writing style is accessible and drops occasional little bits of comment that are rather snarky.
On a totally separate front, it keeps blowing my mind which words are old and which aren't. Again according to my friend the free Online Etymology Dictionary: yokel - 1800s, hick - 1500s in something roughly equivalent to current usage.