The moment I moved out on my own, succotash became only an answer to a clue in a crossword puzzle, and has continued to be so for 34 years and will be for many years to come.
Even more nerdy; " In a recent scholium Professors Robert Brumbaugh and Jessica Schwartz argue that the Pythagorean prohibition of beans is best understood as a commonsense injunction aimed at preventing acute hemolytic anemia in individuals with a hereditary deficiency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in their red blood cells. They claim that only this hypothesis makes the extension of the prohibition to walking through bean fields “seem reasonable.”1 Since this kind of explanation appeals so strongly to our modern secular understanding which frequently assimilates justifications for behavior to anticipated physiological consequences for the agent, it seems obligatory to observe (1) that this suggestion actually makes Pythagorean behavior more puzzling and most unreasonable, (2) that it ignores relevant ancient evidence, and (3) that a more plausible explanation of the injunction’s rationale is available."
More good stuff from the article referenced above:
“Aristotle does include “because they are destructive” in his list of possible reasons why Pythagoreans abstain from beans,5 which could just possibly refer to their poisonousness for a few children, although it most probably refers to their property of producing flatulence, which can destroy mental peace by keeping one awake with a rumbling stomach.6 The most interesting of Aristotle’s four other reasons are “because they are like genitals”7 and “because they are like the gates of Hades, [the stems] alone [of all plants] being without joints,” since these two correlate well with traits connecting beans with human life and generation cited by other ancient writers. A chewed bean placed in the sun smells of human semen or of murderously spilt human blood,8 beans and men arose together from within the primeval earth (ibid.), and a bean or bean blossom put into a container and buried is eventually transformed into blood or a human head.9 A frequently cited, and undoubtedly the most striking, explanation of the prohibition is that “eating beans is the same as eating the heads of one’s parents.”10 "
Concerning the fate of Pythagoras himself, the accounts varied. Some say that he perished in the temple with his disciples,43 others that he fled first to Tarentum, and that, being driven from there, he escaped to Metapontum, and there starved himself to death.44 His tomb was shown at Metapontum in the time of Cicero.45
Michelle Morris over 10 years ago
Human beans.
JudyAz over 10 years ago
beans, beans,are good for your heart…
ossiningaling over 10 years ago
Carmen stole those beans from Lima!
QuietStorm27 over 10 years ago
I haven’t eaten lima beans since I was forced to as a child.
finale over 10 years ago
Beans contain the f*rt and soul of others?
celeconecca over 10 years ago
The moment I moved out on my own, succotash became only an answer to a clue in a crossword puzzle, and has continued to be so for 34 years and will be for many years to come.
Comic Minister Premium Member over 10 years ago
Great red lipgloss you got on Lucy!
ottod Premium Member over 10 years ago
Pythagoras’ beans would have bean a different species than the ones in (traditional) succotash.
ZBicyclist Premium Member over 10 years ago
Even more nerdy; " In a recent scholium Professors Robert Brumbaugh and Jessica Schwartz argue that the Pythagorean prohibition of beans is best understood as a commonsense injunction aimed at preventing acute hemolytic anemia in individuals with a hereditary deficiency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in their red blood cells. They claim that only this hypothesis makes the extension of the prohibition to walking through bean fields “seem reasonable.”1 Since this kind of explanation appeals so strongly to our modern secular understanding which frequently assimilates justifications for behavior to anticipated physiological consequences for the agent, it seems obligatory to observe (1) that this suggestion actually makes Pythagorean behavior more puzzling and most unreasonable, (2) that it ignores relevant ancient evidence, and (3) that a more plausible explanation of the injunction’s rationale is available."
from http://users.ucom.net/~vegan/beans.htm
ZBicyclist Premium Member over 10 years ago
More good stuff from the article referenced above:
“Aristotle does include “because they are destructive” in his list of possible reasons why Pythagoreans abstain from beans,5 which could just possibly refer to their poisonousness for a few children, although it most probably refers to their property of producing flatulence, which can destroy mental peace by keeping one awake with a rumbling stomach.6 The most interesting of Aristotle’s four other reasons are “because they are like genitals”7 and “because they are like the gates of Hades, [the stems] alone [of all plants] being without joints,” since these two correlate well with traits connecting beans with human life and generation cited by other ancient writers. A chewed bean placed in the sun smells of human semen or of murderously spilt human blood,8 beans and men arose together from within the primeval earth (ibid.), and a bean or bean blossom put into a container and buried is eventually transformed into blood or a human head.9 A frequently cited, and undoubtedly the most striking, explanation of the prohibition is that “eating beans is the same as eating the heads of one’s parents.”10 "
The numbers are footnotes.
Stephen Gilberg over 10 years ago
That story is a load of succotash.
Michael Beeson Premium Member over 10 years ago
From Wikipedia’s article on Pythagoras:
Concerning the fate of Pythagoras himself, the accounts varied. Some say that he perished in the temple with his disciples,43 others that he fled first to Tarentum, and that, being driven from there, he escaped to Metapontum, and there starved himself to death.44 His tomb was shown at Metapontum in the time of Cicero.45