Quick food explanation: Negus is basically mulled port with a lot of citrus in it, it goes down very smoothly and has some medicinal and soothing properties for cold and flu season. :) Cold roast is roast beef, cold boiled is what we would call pot roast, a tough cut of beef such as brisket slow cooked in liquid. Cake would have almost definitely been fruitcake, heavily soaked in brandy or another dessert alcohol. Modern store-bought fruitcakes have a bad reputation because, being not so drunken, they tend to be dry.
Re: fruitcake. Alameda Natural Grocery was carrying gluten-free Toblerone this year, but I didn't notice until the day before Christmas, and I had to explain to Chris that it was too late because you have to start soaking it in rum weeks in advance.
“But you were always a good man of business, Jacob,' faltered Scrooge, who now began to apply this to himself. Business!' cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. "Mankind was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The deals of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!”
That was very cool! But it's still hard to follow for someone like me, who doesn't really understand how the dances work exactly... I wish the movies represented it well enough to use as examples, so you could cut to a scene after every figure or step mentioned
Charles Dickens wasn't the original author of "A Christmas Carol." Neither did he improve it--he hurriedly watered down an existing manuscript for popular consumption, to avoid impending debt. Then he concocted a theatrical lie about how he supposedly wrote it in a fit of inspiration, "walking the black streets of London many a night." The evidence can be found in my paper, entitled "Evidence That ‘A Christmas Carol’ Was Originally Written by Mathew Franklin Whittier and Abby Poyen Whittier, Rather Than by Charles Dickens," which can be downloaded from the link below. Incidentally, there is a line in this scene of "A Christmas Carol" in which dancing is characterized as "work." Mathew Franklin Whittier had previously referred to dancing as "work" in one of his earlier pieces. I don't know how common this was, but I think it was his own idiosyncratic portrayal. In "A Christmas Carol," we see: "Then old Fezziwig stood out to dance with Mrs. Fezziwig. Top couple too; with a good stiff piece of work cut out for them…" And in a story by Mathew Franklin Whittier: "Liz, who had fit shy of me all the evenin’ now come up to the work regular, and we went at it…" This story can definitely be traced back to Jan. of 1845, but based on the content, it was probably written earlier, in Jan. 1833. I also think that the character of "old Fezziwig" was based on Boston editor Joseph T. Buckingham, for whom Mathew worked when he was a boy of 12 after he ran away from home. www.ial.goldthread.com/MFW_APW_Carol.pdf
I try to reread A Christmas Carol sometime every December. The dance at Fezziwig’s is one of my favorite scenes. Thanks for doing this!
Commenting before watching the video just to say that it’s soooo nice to see you back!!
I did not realize it wasn't a full length novel, I will have to put this on my read list!
Love your new video space! And this is really interesting. Thanks!!
That was lovely. Thank you so much. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
That was lovely, thanks.
Quick food explanation:
Negus is basically mulled port with a lot of citrus in it, it goes down very smoothly and has some medicinal and soothing properties for cold and flu season. :)
Cold roast is roast beef, cold boiled is what we would call pot roast, a tough cut of beef such as brisket slow cooked in liquid.
Cake would have almost definitely been fruitcake, heavily soaked in brandy or another dessert alcohol. Modern store-bought fruitcakes have a bad reputation because, being not so drunken, they tend to be dry.
I tried to make negus for a ball back in college, but we weren't allowed to serve alcohol, so it had to be virgin, and it just wasn't the same!
Re: fruitcake. Alameda Natural Grocery was carrying gluten-free Toblerone this year, but I didn't notice until the day before Christmas, and I had to explain to Chris that it was too late because you have to start soaking it in rum weeks in advance.
Perhaps you could say "Have a Dickens of a Christmas? " Anyway, so lovely to see you on Christmas Day in your new home with the adorable Dax!
Thank you for this!
I'm so glad you made another video, and I love the new setting!
“But you were always a good man of business, Jacob,' faltered Scrooge, who now began to apply this to himself.
Business!' cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. "Mankind was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The deals of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!”
Having watched them, and having read about them, I am still convinced that they are the hardest dances to do. Happy to see you, again. Happy Holidays!
Thank you for this reading and analysis of a Christmas classic. Merry Christmas Cassiane and Dax.
Thanks! Merry Christmas to you too. Hopefully Dax's sister Kira will show up in my next video.
It’s nice to see you again 🧡
Merry Christmas 🎄 and a happy new year 💥
That was very cool! But it's still hard to follow for someone like me, who doesn't really understand how the dances work exactly... I wish the movies represented it well enough to use as examples, so you could cut to a scene after every figure or step mentioned
Yeah, it's frustrating for me because of that. I would love to give better demos for people with no ECD background.
Time space dimension travel is similar
to science fiction (?). The ghost acts
like Dr. Who without the Tardis vehicle.
Charles Dickens wasn't the original author of "A Christmas Carol." Neither did he improve it--he hurriedly watered down an existing manuscript for popular consumption, to avoid impending debt. Then he concocted a theatrical lie about how he supposedly wrote it in a fit of inspiration, "walking the black streets of London many a night." The evidence can be found in my paper, entitled "Evidence That ‘A Christmas Carol’ Was Originally Written by Mathew Franklin Whittier and Abby Poyen Whittier, Rather Than by Charles Dickens," which can be downloaded from the link below. Incidentally, there is a line in this scene of "A Christmas Carol" in which dancing is characterized as "work." Mathew Franklin Whittier had previously referred to dancing as "work" in one of his earlier pieces. I don't know how common this was, but I think it was his own idiosyncratic portrayal. In "A Christmas Carol," we see:
"Then old Fezziwig stood out to dance with Mrs. Fezziwig. Top couple too; with a good stiff piece of work cut out for them…"
And in a story by Mathew Franklin Whittier:
"Liz, who had fit shy of me all the evenin’ now come up to the work regular, and we went at it…"
This story can definitely be traced back to Jan. of 1845, but based on the content, it was probably written earlier, in Jan. 1833. I also think that the character of "old Fezziwig" was based on Boston editor Joseph T. Buckingham, for whom Mathew worked when he was a boy of 12 after he ran away from home.
www.ial.goldthread.com/MFW_APW_Carol.pdf