Hello, world!

[…] When a person fails to begin a project that they care about, it’s typically due to either a) anxiety about their attempts not being “good enough” or b) confusion about what the first steps of the task are. Not laziness. In fact, procrastination is more likely when the task is meaningful and the individual cares about doing it well.

• vanilla is the 2nd most expensive spice in the world (2nd to saffron)
• which is why more than 99% of what we call "vanilla extract" is actually vanillin (vanilla's dominant flavor compound) and is not extracted from real vanilla.
• luckily, even professionals struggle to tell the difference when it comes to things like baked goods. but there is a distinct difference in non-heat treated products like vanilla ice cream. real vanilla has a more complex, individualized flavor profile.
• why is vanilla so expensive? because it is a ridiculously delicate & demanding crop. complete primadonna.
• vanilla beans come from vanilla orchids. these crazy flowers bloom for A SINGLE DAY and have to be HAND-POLLINATED in a process that is exhausting, delicate, and requires specialist knowledge passed down over generations.
• then, if you're lucky, you get vanilla beans.
• which then require months of further specialized treatment.
• the entire process takes about a year and can go wrong at any stage

• vanilla has been cultivated for over 800 years (possibly much longer). the first known cultivators are the Totonac, an indigenous people of Mexico.
• the Aztecs used it as a sweetener to balance out the bitter taste of cocoa. it was popular in a drink called xocolatl--the precursor to modern hot chocolate!
• it is only pollinated by a very specific orchid bee!!!
• which is why no fruit could be grown outside of Mexico until the 1800s
• Edmond Albius, born into slavery, invented the pollination method we still use today--launching a global industry when he was just 12 years old.
• today, the majority of the world's vanilla is grown in Madagascar
• if you want real vanilla, read the labels carefully--it's harder to find than you think!

• THREE TO A FUCKING FLOWER.
• it takes 75,000 flowers to make ONE POUND of saffron
• do u see this field? do u see this fucking field?

• this field will produce enough saffron to fit in a goddam...baggie? a basket? a smallish bucket, perhaps?
• and did I MENTION
• the harvesting has to be done BY HAND
• are u
• are u comprehending
• the Bullshit, are u comprehending it yet?
• can u imagine. having to sit over a pile of thousands of blossoms and pick each. motherfucking. thread. by hand.
• and after hours and hours
• (your joints aching)
• (your fingers stained)
• after hours of this nonsense, lo and behold! you have harvested--about a thimble full of fucking saffron
• jesus wept and so should you