No. 6 · This week

Living beforefridges

On paper, there were 94 “ice men”

In the Zhou li, an old Chinese book. It sets out the offices of an ideal court.

A painting: beside the slatted door of an ice store, a kneeling man breaks a block of ice in a basket with a chisel; a second man leans out of the doorway holding a scoop, and another block sits in a basket under a carrying pole.

Two men take ice out of an ice store, in a Ming food manual, 1368 to 1644.

Image:
Anonymous, two men take ice out of an ice store, painting from the Shiwu bencao, Ming dynasty, 1368 to 1644. Wellcome Collection. Public Domain Mark.
Source:
Zhou li (Rites of Zhou), Tianguan, the ice men, our translation

Food and drink before fridges, in China, Persia, Mughal India, Cairo, the Andes, Amsterdam and Virginia: ice men, ice stacked in a pit at night to music, saltpetre, porous jars, potatoes left out in the frost, and a great deal of salt.

Read the entry →

People had teeth before toothbrushes.

Edited by Alex Vita
  1. No. 1Living beforeglasses
  2. No. 2Living beforetoothbrushes
  3. No. 3Living beforealarm clocks
  4. No. 4Living beforenail clippers
  5. No. 5Living beforesafety razors
  6. No. 6Living beforefridges