Posted by Dr. Science on 11/23/2011 in
Question |
When I was growing up, you could get stewed prunes at any pancake house in the country. Now, even with microwave ovens, you can hardly find stewed prunes anymore. What’s going on?
———- from Roger Harding of Rogue River OR
Roger, yours is the kind of letter that reminds me that there are great people out there whose minds work like mine does. Indeed, what has happened to prunes? When did pancakes supplant prunes? I think it had something to do with atomic testing on prune reserves in 1956 and the subsequent great prune shortage of ’57. Or it might have something to do with international pancake futures and insider trading in the maple syrup commodity market. These are complicated issues, ones better left to pruny old men, the kind you see on “Nightline.”
