"The stomach is the seat of courage..."

So, is indigestion the Mephistopheles of the midgut then?

I just ran across one of those dusty tomes from yesteryear called "Cooking for Two: A Handbook for Young Housekeepers" (although it was on Google books, so it lacked some of the joy of finding it in a dusty half-price bin).

Nevertheless, this blast from 1900s injected great hilarity into my weekend morning grocery list making and gave much credence to my earlier moaning to Bosco about being too hungry to do anything, and I quote:

"...and when mid-day is reached neither of you feel willing to do any more work, until you have eaten you mid-day meal. Your energy and motive power are gone. The movements you have made of your own accord in working about the house, but also those made involuntarily by your heart in beating, your lungs in breathing , and your brain in thinking have wasted your stock of energy and worn away tissues of flesh, blood and bones."

And I'M overly dramatic?

Sadly, while devilishly tempted to try something from Chapter IX. "Gelatinous Soups and Jellies: Proteid Sparers", in the end it's back to epicurious.com for me!

But hey, if you are looking for a chuckle or two, check it out more thoroughly. I especially like the "sermonet" at the back; never have I heard the extolling of the benefits of dishwashing for brain stimulation put quite so succinctly (p378).