e n u b i tr THE
EXP
U T R IB RESS
N E , JU
7, 20 NE 1
Sweet! The origins of candy PAGE 2 Pick out a special topping for your toffee apples PAGE 4
Meet the world’s ugliest man! PAGE 5
Run for the hills! The oysters are coming! PAGE 6
12
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JUNE 17, 2012
Hi light g
Do you you llov love ove e ca cand candy? dy? D Do o you constantly drea dr eam m of living livin ng in the th candy house dream from Hansel Ha H anse sell an and d Gr Grete e Have you ever from Gretel? wond wo nder ered w here he re this deliciously wondered where scru sc rump mpti tiou ouss treat comes scrumptious from fr om?? Want Want some s from? juicy candy fact fa ctss to go go along a facts with your swee sw eets ts?? We Wellll worry no more! sweets? This week wee w eekk w This we look into the hist hi stor oryy of candy! Sweet! history Let’ Le t’ss go on on a lick down lolLet’s lilipo pop p road roa ro a and discover lipop the origins or the of candy!
2 The term candy takes its inspiration from the word ‘qandi’, a word of Arabic origin which means something made out of sugar. This description fits as people used to cover bits of fruits in sugar and call it candy. Even today we have treats like marzipan and fondant which are made from sugar and almonds and eaten as candy as well as used to decorate cakes and cupcakes.
While While the Indians India In dians ns were were discoverdiscove disc overr ing the were i chocolate, h l h Egyptians i busy making solid candy by dipping fruits and nuts in honey with a stick. Not wanting to waste the sweet nectar, they most likely licked the stick, thus inventing the world’s first lollipop. Good for them (good for us). Soon enough, everyone from the Middle East to China was dipping everything from flowers to seeds in honey to make candy.
The history of candy dates way back to 1200 BC when the first cocoa was grown by the Olmec Indians. Back then the natives did not realise the tastiness of their discovery and would merely use cocoa as money. Historians say that the natives finally discovered how to make yummy chocolate from cocoa and archaeologists have even found artefacts containing traces of a chocolate drink dating back to 250 BC!
Cockroach Bites: China Everybody loves candy but like everything else in this world, candy can get a little mundane. Aren’t you tired of the normal rectangular pieces of chocolate? Do you want something new and different! Well thankfully, we have some truly unique sweets to show you. Wait, did we say thankfully? We meant horrifyingly. Yes, that’s much better. When you see these candies, we think you’ll agree.
This weeks topic was suggested by Zainab Zahra. Thanks Zainab! If you too would like to suggest a topic, please send an email to hifive@tribune.com.pk and let us know!
Bugs are probably the last thing that you want to eat. The Cockroach Bites look just like real cockroaches, kroaches, so this candy can truly creep ep you out. The crunchy outer er layer to this candy is the most st disturbing, because it makes es you feel like you’re actually eatatting a big crunchy bug. How gross ss is that? Yuck!
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JUNE 17, 2012
Hi light ht
In the seventh century, Persian monks learned how to refine raw sugar by boiling it with lime water and bullock’s blood; they used the sugar for developing new medicines. When the Arabs invaded Persia, they developed a taste for candy and sweet Persian remedies; to that end, they turned Sicily and Spain into sugar production centres.
It’s weird to think of candy as medicine isn’t it? Well the Europeans were so sure that it would improve their health that in the Middle Ages, wealthy Europeans ate confections of spices and sugar to aid digestion. In Britain, candy was even sold as a cure for the common cold: Sugar was sold in twisted sticks, flavoured with oil of wintergreen. Imagine if candy was still thought of as medicine! Snickers for your cold, M&M’s for a fever and minty candy canes for when your tummy hurts! Sweet!
There was a revolution in the candy industry when the ‘Candy Press’ was invented in 1847. Now, candy could be produced in many different shapes and sizes and the advancement in technology made the prices come down even further.
Until the 19th century sugar was really expensive and candy was only consumed by the rich and wealthy. European kings and queens even employed court confectioners to spin fantastic sugar sculptures. Queen Isabella of Castile, as it happens, was particularly fond of sweets and the queen’s servants would keep her tables fully stocked with sweets. Isabella was so crazy about sweets that as a Christmas present for her daughters, she gave them boxes brimming with sugar. Luckily enough, in the 17th century sugar became really cheap and candy grew popular since everyone could afford some. More delicious stuff was found and in 1492, the same year that America was discovered, Chocolate was found too.
Insect Candy: America
Box of Boogers: America
As much as you love candy, you would w uld wo have to think long and hard about ut trying these because this unique candyy is a little different from the others we m mentioned. entioned. Californian candy company, Hot Hotlix, makes otlix, m akes candy with actual bugs inside! side! e! Their Th candy range includes scorpions, ants an and crickets nd cricket ts encased in lollipops, or dipped chocolate. pped in choc olat l te.
Candy picked just for you, right out of someone’s nose! These sour and sweet gummy boogers look real enough gh to gross out anyone! Super nasty piececec es of crusted snot come in different sizes and three different flavours; Snottermelmelon, Sour Green Boogy, and Lemon Loogy, all you have ave to do is pick your favourite. e.
3
The Americans were finally introduced to candy in the early 18th century when it came to them from Britain and France. There were very few people who were good at cooking with sugar and creating nice sugary treats for people. All of us chocolate lovers owe a lot to Joseph Fry, an Englishman who invented the chocolate bar! Fry and his sons made the first chocolate bar in 1847 after they figured out a way to mix melted cocoa butter, cocoa powder and sugar to create a paste that could then be moulded. The result was a bitter chocolate bar called Fry’s Chocolate Cream Bar. Milk chocolate was introduced a few years later in 1875 by Henry Nestle and Daniel Peter in Switzerland and the world was never the same again!
Chocka Ca-Ca: Canada da Poop is gross. Just ask anyone who has had to change a baby’s diaper. So imagine eating this crazy treat! The Chocka a Ca-Ca diaper comes in blue, pink, or yellow colours and each one contains a little chocolate piece of poop oop inside. Yum!
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JUNE 17, 2012
Activity Corner
4 Toffee Apples
Treat yourself to toffee apples this summer. The best part is that you can have any topping you like, from chocolate chips to crushed Oreos or a healthy sprinkling of flaked almonds or crushed hazelnuts.
: d e d e e n s Supplie • 8 small red apples • 1 ½ cup of caster sugar • 1 tablespoon of vinegar • 1/2 cup water • 8 lollypop sticks Toppings: Sprinkles, crushed Oreos, hazelnuts, chocolate chips, almonds (anything else that you fancy) Directions: 1. Wash the apples and dry them thoroughly. Remove the stalks and push the stick into the centre of each apple. 2. Add sugar, water and vinegar into a heavy-based saucepan and heat gently for five minutes or until the sugar dissolves. 3. Turn up the heat and boil the mixture for approximately eight minutes until the toffee starts to turn golden. Test to see if the toffee is going to set, after every six minutes, by dipping a teaspoon in the pan and dribbling the toffee into a glass of cold water. When the threads are hard, it’s ready. 4. Remove from the heat and dip the apples into the toffee. Twirl each apple to make sure it is well coated and that the excess drips off. Then roll the apples in a topping of your choice and place on a grease-proof paper to cool. Later, freeze the apple for 10-15 minutes to allow them to set. Remember kids, always get permission from your parents before you start. Let your parents do the cooking since the hot toffee mixture can be very dangerous.
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JUNE 17, 2012
World wide weird
5
Get your weekly dose of the unusual and funny from across the globe!
Twist it like Tang g Some might exclaim “oh he’s so ugly!” butt that doesn’t take the spotlight away from 43-yearyearold Tang Shuquan. He has a Guinness World orld Record for making the most twisted face. And now, he’s launched a challenge to the public blic to see if anyone out there can match him.. Tang has offered a 100,000 yuan ($10,250 50 or Rs967,528) reward to anyone who can defeat him in a face-off. Tang, from Chenggdu City, Sichuan province, China, says he’ss the world’s foremost gurning expert and no one e can can match him. He perfected his art for seven years ears to create th the he m most ost twisted face possible before unleashing his is unique talent on the world 10 years ago. In March he took part in an Italian Guinness ess World Records TV show on the country’s Channel 5 and was awarded $10,000 (Rs943,930) in prize medal. SOURCE e money and a Guinness medal SOURCE: DAILYMAIL.CO.UK DAILYMAIL CO UK
Ascending with style Some students practically climb the wallss waiting for the school year to end, but a group of engineering students from Utah h State University prefers to literally climb the walls. They’re known as the “Ascending Aggies” and recently won acclaim for a device they invented called the Personal Vacuum Assisted Climber (PVAC) that turns anyone into a wall-walker on par with Spider Man. The device is basically a vacuum motorr that powers two suction paddles, and sticks onto any building surface, be it glass, stucco or brick, and is powerful enough to support up to 700 pounds, depending on the altitude. The team set out to create the incline-scaling invention as part of a national competition sponsored by the Air Force and performed so well that the military is investing $100,000 (Rs9.44 million) towards developing the PVAC further. “We went into this competition not knowing what the requirements were going to be,” team captain TJ Morton told USU News. “The competition allowed us to use everything we had learned about in our engineering courses and apply it to a genuine design problem.” The Aggies competed against teams from 16 other schools to see who could get four soldiers up a sheer 90-foot face in 20 minutes with a device that weighed less than 20 pounds. “The logistics of this project became real very quick,” team member Dan Aguirre told the Salt Lake Tribune. “Someone was actually relying on our design to climb a wall. You can’t get that in a textbook.” SOURCE: HUFFINGTONPOST.COM
All aboard! ard! Almost everyone is a fan of the Guinness book ook of world records. LL Bean, a US company, is hoping oping to get into the Guinness inness Book of Records after creating a 400feett long kayak. The impressive vessel — made outt of 100 standard kayaks — was builtt to celebrate the firm’s m’s centenary. And, after six months onths of planning, 100 employees took to the kayak ayak for its maiden voyage on a lake in Freeport, Maine. The team managed to paddle away from the jetty and make a successful tour around the stretch of water. The outdoor gear firm their nota notary-certified Guinness World Rea fi m has ssubmitted bmitted thei ce tified application to the G inne ess Wo ld Re cords for consideration. Company spokesman Scot Balentine said: “It was pretty incredible to look down the boat, you could tell people had a smile on their face. Then, when we started to paddle, it was amazing to watch the whole thing go.” SOURCE: WEB.ORANGE.CO.UK
FFishy belief D you believe in miracles? There are many who blindly Do dly put their faith in bad advice to rid them of their various p us ttroubles. In this instance, tens of thousands of asthmaassufferers mobbed a southern Indian stadium to swallow ow llive sardines smeared with a yellow herbal paste they believed would cure their breathing problems. b Despite doctors’ criticism, the Goud family has drawn wn tthrongs of people for years with a secret fish and herbal formula that it claims it received from a Hindu h ssaint about 170 years ago. They give it away for free annually and refuse to reveal the mix, saying the saintt warned it a would lose its potency if commercialised. One man died of a heart attack and several others sought medical attention for breathing difficulty after waiting hours for the treatment, Hyderabad police said. They said the stadium was unprepared to deal with the 70,000 people who rushed to the gates when they opened. The family offers the treatment annually on a day chosen by astrologers. After swallowing the live fish, believers are told to abstain from fried foods and keep to a strict 45-day diet of 25 different foods, including lamb, rice, white sugar, dried mango, spinach and clarified butter. SOURCE: HUFFINGTONPOST.COM
Devil detox for babies Spain has a lot to offer — bullfighting and the tomato festival val are only a few of the many great tourist attractions. Some of the lesser known but equally popular festivals include the El Colacho festival. The event which is held in the small Spanish sh town of Castrill involves a man dressed as the devil jumping g over a mat full of babies in order to cleanse them from evil spirits. More than 200 people participated in this year’s event, ent, which dates back to 1621. The event recalls the eternal fight ht between good and evil and is believed to put the babies on a path to a good life, opening the entrance to heaven for them. According to the tradition, parents put their one-year-old d babies on a mattress at the central square of a small village. Then a man, dressed in a cheerful yellow costume, meant to symbolise the devil, takes a running start and jumps over the kids. Meanwhile while a grim man dressed in black marches around beating a drum. m. Over the centuries there have been no reports of injuries b butt th the festival is still considered to be one of the riskiest in the world. rld. SOURCE: DAILYMAIL.CO.UK
He’s just a big pussycat In many ways Enzo is just like any other house cat: he likes attention, loves sleeping and can’t wait to get his claws into the furniture. The only difference is that this adorable e one-year-old is a 27-stone pet Bengal tiger er who lives with Michael Jamison and his girlirlfriend Jackie Smit in Brakpan, South Africa. ca. The couple shares their home with the tiger and 14 dogs. Yes, you heard that right ght one tiger and fourteen dogs. Who in theirr right mind would keep fourteen dogs? They bought Enzo as a cute nine-week-old cub but a year later he has grown into o a hulk after wolfing down 11lbs of meat a day. Mr Jamison, 37, said: ‘Having Enzo is quite amazing. mazing. I can’t compare it to anything else because every day is different.’ Enzo is very much part of the family. He starts his day by running into the kitchen and leaping onto the kitchen table. Then Mr Jamison or Miss Smit, 29, will bottle feed him milk. After that it’s time for a nap, either on the couple’s bed or on the handy chaise longue. On waking Enzo might watch a spot of TV with Mr Jamison before the pair have a bit of rough and tumble, which the South African admits can get out of hand. Then it’s time for dinner. Enzo loves cat food, according to Mr Jamison but insists on gobbling it atop the kitchen table, which he really is too big for. For now though, Enzo is happy to just be a very large house cat. SOURCE: DAILYMAIL.CO.UK
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JUNE 17, 2012
Did you know?
6
s n i g i r O Word Put On Your Thinking Cap Don’t scratch your head if your teacher asks you to put on n your thinking cap. She is surely not referring to the cap you wear during soccer or recess when out in the sun. The phrase originated in olden times when it was customary for judges to put a cap on before sentencing criminals. They were respected thinkers and would put on a cap, referred to as a “thinking cap”, before convicting criminals. Most texts use the term figuratively and there is no suggestion that it actually refers to a real cap. The figure who comes to mind when wondering who might wear such a cap is Sherlock Holmes.
Crazy laws!
Cool facts
In Miami, Florida, it is illegal to skateboard in a police station.
An apple, potato, and onion all taste the same if you eat them with your nose plugged.
In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on Sundays can be jailed.
A company in Taiwan makes dinnerware out of wheat, so you can eat your plate!
In Texas, it is illegal for one to shoot a buffalo from the second story of a hotel. In Boulder, Colorado, it is illegal to kill a bird within the city limit. In Alabama, it is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while driving a vehicle. In Chico, California, the law states that anybody who detonates a nuclear device within the city limits is liable to a fine of $500. In British Columbia, it is illegal to kill a Sasquatch or Bigfoot if one is ever found. In Minnesota, it is against the law to hang male and female underwear together on the same washing line. In Texas, it is illegal to sell one’s own eye.
The average person walks the equivalent of twice around the world in a lifetime. Marco Hort has the world record for fitting 264 straws in his mouth at once! Mel Blanc — the voice of Bugs Bunny — was allergic to carrots. In the Caribbean there are oysters that can climb trees. Worms eat their own poo. Over 1,000 birds a year die from smashing into windows.
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JUNE 17, 2012
7
Fun & games
Want to be hi five’s artist of the week?
Send your drawing with your name and age to: hifive@tribune.com.pk
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JUNE 17, 2012
Make your way through the maze
SOURCE:BECKSTONE.CUMBRIA.SCH.UK
From Our Readers
Age: 8 arhan Zainab F
Farqaleet Syed
Age: 7