Karud: the weapon that did not exist:-)

ariel · 30th August 2017, 04:52 PM

During Napoleonic wars Brits could not import French or Spanish wines and switched to Portugese sources. Wines got oxidized during sea voyages, and alcohol had to be added to prevent fermentation. That's how port (from Oporto) became popular in Britain.
When we vacationed in the middle of nowhere in Portugal, in a small bed and breakfast place surrounded by mountaines and overlooking a lake. One day I spent 3 hours on the patio , eating ugly pears that tasted like ambrosia and writing a paper I procrastinated over for a year. Drank 2 bottles of local Port ( ~$3 per 750 ml bottle) and wrote away without any inhibitions. The paper was accepted without corrections.
Back home I tried to find the magic brew, but could not. My scientific productivity plummeted since.....

30th August 2017, 04:52 PM	#13
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	During Napoleonic wars Brits could not import French or Spanish wines and switched to Portugese sources. Wines got oxidized during sea voyages, and alcohol had to be added to prevent fermentation. That's how port (from Oporto) became popular in Britain. When we vacationed in the middle of nowhere in Portugal, in a small bed and breakfast place surrounded by mountaines and overlooking a lake. One day I spent 3 hours on the patio , eating ugly pears that tasted like ambrosia and writing a paper I procrastinated over for a year. Drank 2 bottles of local Port ( ~$3 per 750 ml bottle) and wrote away without any inhibitions. The paper was accepted without corrections. Back home I tried to find the magic brew, but could not. My scientific productivity plummeted since.....