Readers Digest Australia May 2022

She’s Curious Life’s Like That After a typical rapid-fire question THE GREAT TWEET-OFF: SUPERSTITION EDITION session with our five year old, my Of course the people of Twitter have wife wondered why she asks so their own strange particular beliefs. many questions. If you see a clock with 11:11 on it, make a wish. Her response: “Well, I don’t @FARKASVILKASRH know anything.” —via Reddit When at a large staff meeting, Let’s Jam event or any occasion that involves a round of applause, I always get ME, IN MY TEENS: This radio the last clap. If I have to, I will keep station is playing my jams. going. Don’t test me. You will lose. ME, IN MY 20s: This disco is playing my jams. @ABBYTRIBBLE ME, IN MY 30s: This supermarket is playing my jams. @mommajessiec I keep a broom by the door because I was told the ghosts will JUST YOU WAIT have to stop to count the broom straws and forget why they were My husband had a man-to- man talk with our grandson. coming to haunt us. He told him that in the future @D O N N E T TA _W he would have feelings for girls. Our grandson nodded When I was little, I noticed that and replied he already had movie vampires only ever bit their victims on the right side of their feelings for them. neck. I didn’t sleep on my left side Surprised, his granddad until I was 30. Just in case. asked what he meant. @MIKECHEQ123 Our grandson replied, “They make me really, really mad!” SUBMITTED BY DEMI ROBERTS readersdigest.com.au 49

READER’S DIGEST I Am The FOOD ON YOUR PLATE Pass The Please BY Kate Lowenstein, Daniel Gritzer AND Diane Godley T he sleepless princess in “The question of peas continues. The PHOTO: K. SYNOLD/TMB STUDIO Hans Christian Anders- anticipation of eating them, the pleas- en’s fairy tale, The Prin- ure of having eaten them, and the joy of cess and the Pea, was far eating them again are the three subjects from the only aristocrat that our princes have been discussing to fuss over a pea. In 16th- and 17th for four days ... It has become a fashion century France, the vogue vegeta- – indeed, a passion.” ble sent the nobility into a tizz. So great was the craze around eating Peas are among the oldest crops in these bright green mini-treats in human history, though exactly what the springtime that Madame de constitutes a pea is a little hard to pin Maintenon, the second wife of King down. Just about anything we call a Louis XIV, wrote one season: pea – whether a garden pea, snow pea, chickpea or peanut – grows in a pod 50 may 2022

I Am The Food On Your Plate and is a member of the larger legume during spring and summer, the tra- family called Fabaceae (generally pro- ditional folk treat became popular nounced “fuh-’bay-see-ee”). in Beijing during the Ming Dynasty That’s the same family from which (1368-1644), and spread to the impe- fava beans (also referred to as broad rial Forbidden City during the Qing beans) get their name. The peas we Dynasty (1644-1912) – establishing a eat when fresh, green and sweet – in- rightful place in Chinese cuisine for cluding garden peas, sugar snap peas perpetuity. Comprising dried yellow and snow peas – are usually mem- peas, sugar and water, it is a slightly bers of the Pisum genus. PULSES AND sweet and light treat and That also goes for green DRIED PEAS fairly simple to make split peas, which tend to HAVE BEEN (alt hough you’ll need be sold dried rather than USED IN CHINA to start a day ahead as fresh, and are frequent- TO MAKE the peas need overnight ly cooked into soup and CAKES AND soaking and slow cook- porridge, such as mushy DESSERTS FOR ing for three-plus hours). peas. HUNDREDS It is no wonder peas An all-time favourite have been dried for in Great Britain, mushy centuries. The season peas are traditionally for fresh sweet peas is made from marrowfat tantalisingly short. The peas. These peas are tender stalks and pods larger than regular peas and are left pop up as the winter months start to mature and dry naturally on the morphing into spring; within a few vine. They have a high starch content weeks, the plants are overgrown too, giving them a smooth, creamy and the peas not nearly as tasty. In consistency, and a very different tex- fact, as soon as you pick a pea off the ture to mushy peas that are made vine, its sugars start converting to with regular peas. Marrowfat peas starch, rendering it less delicate and are also used in Japan to make wasa- sweet. Hence why peas are so com- bi peas. Other types of peas, such as monly sold frozen – freezing them chickpeas and peanuts, belong to dif- when freshly picked preserves a lot ferent genera. of their desirable qualities. In China, peas aren’t reserved Had the court of Louis XIV en- just for savoury dishes. Pulses and joyed the luxury of refrigeration, dried peas have been used in cakes they might not have spent a few and desserts, such as Wandouhuang weeks every spring being so enthu- (or Beijing pea cake), for hundreds siastic over some tiny green vege- of years. Peddled at market fairs tables. readersdigest.com.au 51

READER’S DIGEST PASTA E PISELLI 52 may 2022 A quick, tasty pasta dish that includes green peas that the whole family will enjoy. • Place a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, add 2 tbls extra virgin olive oil and 110g diced pancetta. • Cook, stirring often, until most of the pancetta has lightly browned and most of its fat has rendered, about 7 minutes. • Add 1 minced small brown onion; cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the onion is softened, about 4 minutes. • Stir in 500g frozen peas, followed by 3 cups water and a large pinch of salt. • Bring to a boil, then add 500g pasta. Cook, stirring and scraping, until pasta is al dente, adding more boiling water, 1/2 cup at a time, as needed to keep the pasta just submerged. • Remove from heat, then season with salt and stir in about 15 torn mint leaves followed by 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. • Add boiling water if necessary to give the sauce a thickened but brothy consistency. • Serve right away, sprinkling with more grated Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table.

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READER’S DIGEST 54 may 2022

MOTHER’S DAY SPECIAL Mama, This Story Is For You For many mothers, a card or some flowers are perfect. My mother is more unusual – and demands something special BY Helene Melyan F R O M T H E O R E G O N I A N ILLUSTRATIONS BY JOHN HENDRIX T here is a country – I read spoken. If she catches me staring at about it once – where the anything small enough to put in a local custom is that if you shopping bag, she hands it to me as I go to a house and praise leave. It does no good to protest. some small possession, the owners feel obliged to offer it to “I was merely staring at that photo- you as a gift. I don’t remember the graph of Mount Hood because I have name of the country; the only other one exactly like it in my living room.” place I know of with such a custom is Mama would only nod and say, “Of my mother’s apartment. course. You were thinking how nice Knowing Mama, I have always been it would be to have a set. If a mother careful with my compliments, but that doesn’t understand, who does?” doesn’t stop her. Mama senses ad- miration far more subtly than what’s Being with Mama is like watching an Alfred Hitchcock movie: I never know what’s going to happen next. readersdigest.com.au 55

READER’S DIGEST For instance, I have lasting memories “I know,” she sighs. “But that’s life. PREVIOUS SPREAD: MARIA AMADOR (BANNER AND FLOWERS). THIS SPREAD: MARIA AMADOR of childhood walks with her. Mama Maybe now that it’s spring ...” noticed everything. We had to stop to admire a nice house, a nice tree, a According to Mama, there is no nice flower. Mama regarded the peo- problem that will not be a little bit ple we saw (those who didn’t look like solved by the coming of spring. I grew her relatives) as portraits in a muse- up believing that there was only one um – no matter if people stared back. correct way to end a discussion of “She was pretty once, but has seen things unpleasant or troublesome: tragedy,” Mama would whisper, or, nod at the calendar, pat somebody on “Such a handsome man, but conceit- the back if possible, and sigh, “Maybe ed to the core.” Her sharpest epithet in the spring ...” was “Minky”, reserved for the type of woman Mama thought would wear a I could understand how certain mink fur coat to the supermarket. problems – sinus conditions, chapped lips, sticking windows – would re- As far back as I can remember, spond to the change of seasons. But I Mama was telling people they were in never tried to unravel the spring mag- the wrong line of work and suggest- ic that Mama vowed would help me ing alternative careers. If the landlord understand fractions or long division. fixed the sink, she told him he should I was not the only target of Mama’s have been a plumber. If he couldn’t fix philosophy. At one time or another, it, Mama would wait until the plumb- Mama had several dozen people in er came and then tell him he should the neighbourhood waiting for spring have been a landlord. And if either to relieve them of indigestion, mice, one of them told her a joke, she would domestic difficulties, and trouble with ask why he hadn’t gone into show the horizontal hold on their TV sets. business. My turn came when I grew up and became a housewife. Sometimes, sitting in school during history (which Mama promised me I’d “You missed your calling,” Mama find less boring in the spring), I would sighs, examining the doodles on my daydream my mother into other places phone book. “You should have been and other times. Once I saw her patting an artist.” Napoléon Bonaparte on the back, after he got the news from the Russian front. Later, when I tell her how I returned (“Maybe in spring ...”) She was looking rancid fish to the supermarket and de- over Thomas Edison’s shoulder, com- manded a refund, she amends this to forting him in his early failures. (“Don’t lawyer. worry; maybe in the spring you’ll try something new.”) “You missed your calling,” I tell Mama. “You should have been a vo- I have been worrying for weeks cational counsellor.” now about what to give my mother 56 may 2022

Mama, This Story Is For You There is always There is always the danger that a the danger that a gift given to Mama will bounce swift- gift given to Mama ly back to the giver. If I buy her some- thing wearable, she perceives in an will bounce instant that it could be let in here, let swiftly back to out there, and it would fit me perfect- ly. If I give her a plant, she cuts off the the giver top for me to take home and root in a glass of water. If I give her something for Mother’s Day. For most people, edible, she wants me to stay for lunch this is a modest problem, solved by and eat it. the purchase of a dressing gown or chocolates. For me, however, Moth- Papa, a sensible man, long ago er’s Day represents an annual chal- stopped trying to shop for Mama. In- lenge to do the impossible – find a gift stead, on Mother’s Day, her birthday, that will make neither Mama nor me and other appropriate occasions, feel terrible. he composes a short epic poem in which he tells of their meeting, Expensive gifts – which Mama de- courtship, and subsequent mar- fines as costing over $1.98 – are out, riage. After nearly 30 years of po- because they make Mama feel terri- ems, Papa sometimes worries that ble. (“This is awful,” she says, exam- the edge of his poetic inspiration has ining an apron. “I feel just terrible. dulled, but Mama doesn’t complain. You shouldn’t have spent the money She comes into the room while he is on me.”) Inexpensive presents – un- struggling over a gift poem and says, der $1.98 – please Mama, but they “It doesn’t have to rhyme as long as make me feel terrible. it’s from the heart.” This year, finally, I think I, too, have found a painless gift for Mama. I am going to give her a magazine ar- ticle, unrhymed but from the heart, in which I wish her “Happy Mother’s Day” and tell her there’s nothing Papa or I could ever buy, find, or make her that would be half good enough anyway. THIS STORY ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN THE MAY 1977 ISSUE OF READER’S DIGEST. THE OREGONIAN (OCTOBER 2, 1975), © 1975 BY OREGONIAN PUB. CO., OREGONLIVE.COM. readersdigest.com.au 57

READER’S DIGEST The Promise of Intermittent Fasting A popular diet trend works well for many weight watchers, and the benefits could extend beyond your waistline BY Rozalynn S. Frazier Like many people who put on turned 40, he found 90 kilograms on PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES extra weight, Jerico C. was his 1.82-metre frame. “Given my fam- surprised when it happened ily history of heart disease, high cho- to him. He loved walking, he lesterol and diabetes, I didn’t want to used to be able to eat what- create any additional risks,” he says. ever he wanted whenever he wanted and stay relatively thin. But It was around that time that he then life happened. A new advertis- came across a post on social media ing sales job meant more driving and by a friend who had dropped about less walking, and required company 27 kilograms. How did he do it? Jerico dinners and later nights. Two kids asked. “IF,” said the friend. left little time to think about healthy eating, and get-togethers with his “If? If what?” Jerico responded. extended Filipino family meant lots The answer was intermittent fast- of big meals. “When you welcome ing (IF): fasting completely for certain anyone into your home, it’s an au- periods of time and eating most any- tomatic feast,” he says. When Jerico thing you want otherwise. That can mean fasting for parts of a day, a day at a time, or two days a week. Jerico 58 may 2022

HEALTH readersdigest.com.au 59

READER’S DIGEST decided to try an 18:6 plan, which in- Intermittent fasting PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES volves carving out a six-hour window might ward off – say, from noon until 6pm – when he could eat whatever he wanted and neurological diseases then going the next 18  hours with such as Alzheimer's no food (but unlimited water, coffee, tea and other noncaloric beverag- when we eat, our bodies break down es). Two-and-a-half years later and the carbohydrates from the food 11 kilograms lighter (give or take a and turn them into a form of sugar few, thanks to the pandemic), Jerico known as glucose, one of the body’s hasn’t looked back. “I like it a lot,” he preferred fuels. Unused glucose is says. “It has made me realise that our stored for later use in your liver. So if appetite is more tied to seeing food you are eating three meals a day, your than needing it. I do miss breakfast body always has energy on hand as food, though. In fact, I regularly have well as a reserve it can tap. breakfast for dinner.” But when you’re fasting, your body No one would say that intermit- doesn’t have a steady stream of food tent fasting is easy, but it has many to turn into energy. That means it has advantages. There’s no counting to tap its reserves. After about eight kilojoules, resisting snacks, cutting hours, it depletes the stored glucose out food groups or various challenges and needs another source of energy. that come with other types of dieting. Instead of focusing on what you eat This is when the body begins as dieters do on Paleo (no processed burning fat for fuel, explains Mark P. foods, grains or sugar), Atkins (low Mattson, adjunct professor of neuro- carbs), Whole30 (no sugar, alcohol, science at Johns Hopkins University grain, dairy, legumes), and other re- School of Medicine. This, combined gimes, IF puts the emphasis on when you eat. “Rather than saying ‘Just eat less,’ we tell them not to eat after 6pm,” says Elisabetta Politi, a dietitian and the nutrition director for the Duke Diet and Fitness Center in North Carolina. “For those who have the discipline, it works.” No matter how long your fast- ing period, the metabolic impact on your body is similar. Typically, 60 may 2022

The Promise Of Intermittent Fasting with the fact that you are likely taking carefully weigh the benefits against in fewer kilojoules during the shorter the potential side effects. People with eating window, is going to help get rid diabetes, heart disease or gout should of excess weight. know that the lack of food triggers steep dips in blood sugar. If those were the only benefits of IF, it would be worth a look for many All types of fasting can cause head- people. But as the diet has become aches, fainting, weakness and dehy- more widespread, studies have dis- dration, says Dr Scott Kahan, the di- covered that its benefits extend be- rector of the National Center for Weight yond what you see on your scales. and Wellness in Washington, DC. In some cases, IF could backfire, leading Research in Nutrition Journal re- to increased appetite and binge-eating, vealed that IF reduces artery-block- as well as a slower metabolism. What’s ing LDL cholesterol as well as tria- more, a randomised control trial pub- cylglycerol, which causes hardening lished in a 2020 issue of the Journal and thickening of the arteries. Both of the American Medical Association arterial conditions are major factors found that most of the fasters’ lost in heart disease. A 2019 study in the weight was lean muscle, not fat. New England Journal of Medicine re- ported that IF might ward off neuro- Lastly, if you are under high lev- logical diseases such as Alzheimer’s, els of stress or in intense athletic Parkinson’s and Huntington’s. The training, consider steering clear. theory: the plaques that clog neurons In particular, you should avoid in the brain feed on glucose. 36:12 fasting, which calls for 12 hours of unlimited eating followed by Not surprisingly, glucose reduction 36 hours of zero kilojoules. also benefits people with diabetes. A study published in 2018 in JAMA Net- “When you do any type of fast, work Open showed that the 5:2 diet part of the benefit comes from mild- (limiting kilojoules to 2000 to 2500 per ly stressing your body; like when you day for two days and eating regularly lift weights, you damage the mus- for five days) results in weight loss and cle to make it stronger,” says Robin improved blood sugar control for peo- Foroutan, an integrative medicine di- ple with type 2 diabetes. These fasts etitian. “With fasting, you are stress- may promote autophagy, a deep cellu- ing out the body, but it gets stronger lar clean-up that allows your body to in response.” purge old, damaged cells and replace them with new ones. And, if you stick to the programme, it can get thinner too. That said, intermittent fasting isn’t a miracle, and as with any strict diet, With reporting by Denise Mann, you should consult your doctor and Kim Fredericks and Corey Whelan readersdigest.com.au 61

READER’S DIGEST 62 may 2022

SEE THE WORLD... Turn the page ›› readersdigest.com.au 63

READER’S DIGEST ...DIFFERENTLY AN EMPHATIC MESSAGE for the planet: 125,000 drawings and messages from children around the globe about climate change. The mosaic covered 2500 square metres of Switzerland’s Aletsch Glacier and was laid out in 2018 by activists. It aimed to inspire governments and people around the world to fight climate change while committing to limit the global temperature increase to a maximum of 1.5° C. The Aletsch Glacier, which is melting at an alarming rate, is the largest glacier in the Alps. PHOTOS: FABRICE COFFRINI/ AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES 64 may 2022

readersdigest.com.au 65

READER’S DIGEST LAUGHTER The Best Medicine “Wow, that’s taken years off you!” Like No M-Other “Yes,” she said, “As I’m leaving, can CARTOON: ROYSTON ROBERTSON. ILLUSTRATION; GETTY IMAGES you say ‘Goodbye, Mother’? It would A young man was walking through make me feel so much better.” a supermarket when he noticed an elderly lady following him around. “Sure,” answered the young man. Thinking nothing of it, he ignored her As the old woman was leaving, and continued on. he called out, “Goodbye, Mother!” As he stepped up to the checkout Finally he went to the checkout line, counter, he saw that his total was but she got in front of him. “Pardon $127.50. “How can that be?” he me,” she said. “I’m sorry if me staring asked, “I only purchased a few at you made you feel uncomfortable. things!” It’s just that you look just like my son, “Your mother said that you would who died recently.” pay for her,” said the shop assistant. “I’m very sorry,” said the young www.i30ownersclub.com man. “Is there anything I can do?” 66 may 2022

Laughter Rocked Their World REALISATION: The asteroid that ended the dinosaurs was technically the highest ratio of killing birds to one stone in Earth’s history. @cubosh Somewhat Arresting ON THE BRIGHT RIDE OF LIFE Could I do an impression of a flamingo being arrested? Easy, I Fill your tank up with our could do it standing on one leg with driving jokes. my hands tied behind my back. „ Subway is definitely the JAKE LAMBERT, COMEDIAN healthiest fast food available because they make you get Switch Off out of the car. HER: Are you going to walk around „ I’ve never once been able all day without a shirt on? to explain my car trouble to ME: Just giving you a show. a mechanic without resorting HER: Can I change the channel? to sound effects. @XplodingUnicorn „ Two dogs are walking along a street. They are passed by a Down, But Nut Out third dog driving a truck load of logs. One turns to the other A guy goes into a bar in the middle and says: “He started fetching a of the day. It’s quiet and practically stick and built up the business deserted. He sits alone, thinking from there.” about the twists and turns his life has taken. He hears a soft voice: „ I didn’t realise how bad of a “Nice tie.” driver I was until my sat nav said, “In 400 metres, do a slight He looks around but he doesn’t right, stop, and let me out.” see anyone. The voice speaks again: “Great haircut.” Seen on the internet A few moments later, he hears: readersdigest.com.au 67 “Congratulations on your promotion.” He waves over the bartender to ask her if she hears anything. The bartender says: “That’s the peanuts, they’re complimentary.” Seen online

HUMOUR RAISING KIDS: To Coddle, Or Neglect? BY Richard Glover The youngest sibling in I have had children. I have ob- PHOTOS: SAM ISLAND a family, according to served the children of others. The a recent report, is often only possible conclusion: standards sleeker and fitter than the slip with each additional child. first-born child. While I’m with the scientists when it comes to With the first born, everything global warming, the importance of must be perfect. They are fed a diet of vaccines, and the need for dental hy- high-quality vegetables and organi- giene, I must break ranks on this. cally reared meat. The staff, by which I mean the mother and father, are in 68 may 2022

the kitchen night and day, pausing superior – and so much more con- in their culinary efforts only to read venient”. The bedtime reading ses- linguistically challenging texts and sion, which, with the first child, had to perform ethnically diverse folk involved 50 minutes of funny voices dances for the child’s amusement. and entertaining asides, now lasts Photographs are taken, almost the three minutes between when constantly, recording events such as Daddy first lies on the bed and when First Burp, First Wriggle and What Daddy begins snoring. We Took To Be The First Smile But In The number of photographs mod- Retrospect Was Just Colic. erates from five a day to one every As the child grows older, a pro- six weeks. A trendy brand of jump- tective, loving and educationally suits in which the first child was rich system is established in which dressed has been replaced with they are permitted cheap copies from the to watch one hour of BALLET SHOES discount store. television each week, ARE BOUGHT. Television viewing is providing it’s a nature A CELLO IS NOT still restricted to ‘na- doc u ment a r y. ture documentaries’ CONSIDERED but the definition of Ballet shoes are pur- chased. A cello – a cel- TOO GREAT ‘nature documenta- lo! – is not considered AN EXPENSE ries’ appears to have too great an expense. widened to include The The first soccer game Lion King, Toy Story 4 is witnessed not by one parent, but and real-estate reality shows. by two parents, four grandparents, The soccer entourage has dwindled and an uncle visiting from overseas. to one rather hungover father, whose There are pop stars with smaller interest seems to be largely focused entourages. on finding something to eat. And the The child, inevitably, is considered request for a trumpet, in order to join ‘gifted’. the school band, is declined on the It’s at this point that the second basis of expense – why don’t you try child is born. Standards immediate- Mum’s old guitar? ly decline. All this, of course, is just limbering The hand-operated mincer, in up for the arrival of the third child, which baby food had been freshly at which point standards collapse prepared by the kitchen staff, is nev- completely. er retrieved from the bottom draw- The definition of toddler food has er. Instead, commercially produced now grown to include a serving of slop is suddenly rated “nutritionally nachos and some gnawing on the readersdigest.com.au 69

READER’S DIGEST edge of last night’s pizza. This ‘meal’ kid is still in the womb, and so the is served while watching a ‘nature proto-kid shifts its metabolism in or- documentary’ – one that appears to der to store more fat. involve Bruce Willis shooting at peo- This then becomes a lifetime habit, ple in a New York airport. with the first-borns waddling around The third child will be six years old trying to keep up with their sleeker, before they are the subject of a single younger siblings. photograph, and even THE THIRD What nonsense. then it’s just their right CHILD WILL Here’s my alternative leg in a photo of the theory: the younger dog. They are dressed BE SIX YEARS ones, having grown up in clothes handed OLD BEFORE with parents oblivious down from a second THEY ARE THE to their welfare, are now cousin, soaked in ex- living a life so dissolute tra-strength detergent SUBJECT OF A they don’t have time to to remove the stains. put on weight. They hitchhike to SINGLE PHOTO Or maybe, just may- soccer. be, humans are like They learn music on a kazoo. grapevines. The best wine often When it comes to table manners, comes from grapes planted in stony the only guidance they are given in- soil and starved of water. They thrive volves the phrase: “Don’t wipe your on the neglect. The grapes are smaller, hands on the furniture, that’s disgust- but more powerful, filled with flavour. ing. Use your T-shirt like your father.” And that may be the story of the fit, How, given all of this, can science slim, and intense younger siblings. still claim that the youngest siblings I’d like to prove my various theories tend to be the healthiest? by showing you photographs of these Their theory, should you be inter- later-born children, recording the cir- ested, goes like this: first-time moth- cumstances of their childhood and ers, it is said, are less adept at pump- adolescence. What a shame that there ing kilojoules into the kid when the appear to be none in existence. Quick Brain Teaser In a drawer you have black socks and white socks. They are not stored away in pairs. Without looking, how many times will you have to reach into the drawer to come out with a matching pair? ANSWER: TO BE GUARANTEED A PAIR YOU WILL HAVE TO REACH IN THE DRAWER THREE TIMES. 70 may 2022

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READER’S DIGEST 72 may 2022

WHAT IT’S LIKE TO ... Volunteer On An Archaeological DIG BY Gil Davis F R O M T H E C O N V E R S AT I O N PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES Afew more brushstrokes Croft – seeking powerful lost artefacts and the student gasped and unimaginable wealth. You don’t with excitement. There need me to tell you this is the stuff of in the dirt was a small, fantasy. Gone too are the days when bronze statue of a calf, real archaeologists just wanted to revealed for the first time in 3000 find palaces and temples and signifi- years. Places on archaeological digs cant objects to stuff in museums. are not confined to university stu- dents. If you are interested, there are The reality is more absorbing and opportunities to become involved in less dangerous. The questions that the fascinating world of archaeology interest us nowadays involve under- both locally and abroad. standing how people lived and inter- acted with their landscape. What did Archaeologists in popular imagina- they eat, drink, wear and believe, and tion are like Indiana Jones and Lara what tools and technologies did they readersdigest.com.au 73

READER’S DIGEST use? This comes under the rubric of HOW DOES A DIG WORK? ‘material culture’. A typical dig in the Middle East, Eu- Excavation is the essential part, but rope and the UK will start with a it is destructive. We excavate the min- survey to identify what is likely to be imum area possible to answer specif- found and the most promising areas ic research questions. We leave the to excavate. This includes plotting sur- remainder for future archaeologists face finds. with different questions and even bet- ter technologies. Just as sultanas in a cake mix will come to the surface, ubiquitous bro- Uncovering architectural remains ken sherds of pottery litter the ground. and artefacts is vital, but only if we Diagnostic elements can be identified, can interpret the finds. To do so, we giving a snapshot of what lies beneath. need to employ a wide range of spe- Geophysical surveying reveals the cialisations, many of them scientif- outline of subterranean structures. ic. For example, a team in Israel was excavating the site of Ramat Rachel, The dig director then decides which was the administrative centre of where to dig in 5m-by-5m squares. the Persians outside Jerusalem. It was Each square has a supervisor and a complete with a palace and pleasure few people to help dig and record the gardens traditionally kept by Eastern finds. Those squares don’t dig them- potentates – think the Garden of Eden selves. First you get down to the levels full of exotic species. No plants had of interest by removing all the topsoil. survived from 2500 years ago, but the It’s usually filled with tree roots and walls in the garden were plastered an- rocks. Mattocks, spades and an end- nually, and in the plaster was micro- less supply of buckets are the go. scopic evidence of pollens and phyto- liths (the mineralised remains). Bingo! This is where your labour comes in. Most digs need volunteers to do Brushes are used to carefully the hard work. The dig supplies the remove dirt from artefacts equipment, training and supervision; the volunteers do the work. Soon the team reaches the levels of inter- est. The work becomes more careful, turning to trowels and brushes. Volun- teers become adept at identifying and recording finds and levels. Fit people don’t need a gym on a dig. Others less physically able will contribute to light duties, logistics and preparing meals. A dig draws on a wide range of expertise including geophysics,

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES surveying, photography, computing, Pottery sherds are studied to reveal pottery, biology, zoology, archaeome- their age, style and composition tallurgy, chemistry and isotopic analy- sis. There is always call for volunteers are ideal, such as ones in Menorca able to offer specialised skills. People (Spain), Ireland and Bulgaria. The with medical and health training are Archaeological Institute of America especially welcome, as are those who also lists many opportunities. For can speak a local language. digs in Australia, and other regions of the world, inquire at universities that Australian sites are handled differ- offer archaeology to find out which ently as they mostly deal with under- digs they are doing and whether they standing Aboriginal and Torres Strait accept volunteers. Islander use of land and historical (post-European settlement) sites. Re- WHY DO IT? search questions are usually linked to cultural heritage management. A dig offers a unique and worthwhile experience. You challenge yourself in The way the sites present does not many ways, work in a team and cre- lend itself to excavating in squares ate amazing friendships with and is more to do with plotting sur- like-minded people. As you gain ex- face finds such as campsites spread perience, you become more valuable. out over a wide area. Nonetheless, You could then be employed as a su- volunteers are usually welcome and pervisor and not have to pay. Many specialised skills and knowledge are volunteers become archaeology prized. junkies who can’t wait to spend their next holiday digging up the dirt. HOW TO VOLUNTEER Gil Davis is Associate Professor and Be mentally prepared. It’s tough work Director, Ancient Israel Program, in the dirt with long hours and very Australian Catholic University. basic accommodation. Hats and sun- screen are essential – but not whips REPUBLISHED UNDER A CREATIVE like Indiana Jones. Usually, you pay COMMONS LICENCE for the privilege of participating, though the dig will supply your ac- commodation, food and transport. There are endless opportunities to volunteer but finding them takes a bit of sleuthing on the internet. Some countries provide a contact point. For digs in Israel, contact the Israel Antiquities Authority. Field schools readersdigest.com.au 75

TELL ME WHY... Flamingos Are Pink How the gangly birds get their distinctive colour BY Jen McCaffery Flamingos are so famous for orange molecules. Those molecules PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES their colour that they’ve even are absorbed by fats in the liver and inspired their own hot pink are eventually deposited into flamin- lawn ornament. So they must go’s skin, feathers, beak and legs. Over be born rosy, right? time on this diet, a flamingo’s feathers will gradually turn from grey to a more Nope. It turns out that flamingos are vibrant hue. not naturally pink. The lanky-limbed birds are actually born with light grey Of course, flamingo feathers range feathers. Pink is not in their DNA. in colour from white to many different shades of pink to orange and red. So what causes the birds to turn pink? Well, their favourite things to The colour a flamingo’s feathers eat in the wild are brine shrimp, larvae turns depends on where they’re lo- and blue-green algae. All three con- cated and what they’re eating. For tain compounds called carotenoids, or example, the pink feathers of some yellow, red or orange pigments. When flamingos living in zoos started to these foods make their way into a fla- fade until zookeepers started feed- mingo’s digestive tract, enzymes break ing the birds a synthetic version of the carotenoids down into pink and the pink dye. 76 may 2022

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CULTURE Only two monks know the full recipe for Chartreuse, and it remains frozen in time BY Marion Renault FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES Monks, circa 1953, collect herbs for making Chartreuse 78 may 2022

PHOTOS: (LEFT) GETTY IMAGES; (RIGHT) ALAMY IMAGES An Ancient readersdigest.com.au 79

W WHEN THE WORLD went into lock- down, for the monks of Chartreuse it landslides, terrible fires, religious was simply another tick on their 938- wars, pillaging, evictions and exile, year record of self-imposed isolation. military occupation, the French Rev- olution, and, yes, plagues. Through The Chartreux brothers, also times of earthly chaos, the Chartreux known as Carthusians, embrace a thrive in accordance with their Mid- deeply ascetic existence near Gre- dle Ages-era motto: Stat crux dum noble in the western French Alps, volvitur orbis (‘The cross is steady observing customs that have barely while the world turns’). changed since their Christian order was founded. The monks pass the “This order has lasted because they days alone, praying for humanity know how to live beyond time, and and listening for God in the silence they know how to live, also, in the that surrounds them. Frugal meals present,” says Nadège Druzkowski, of bread, cheese, eggs, fruits, vege- an artist and journalist who spent tables, nuts and fish arrive through a cubbyhole in their individual quar- ters. With few exceptions, the monks do not enter one another’s quarters, and they rarely interact – save for midnight and daytime church ser- vices, where no musical instruments are allowed. And once a week, they stroll in pairs through the forests that fortify the monastery. This lifestyle has survived centu- ries of external turmoil – avalanches, 80 may 2022

An Ancient Elixir PHOTO: CARLO D’ALESSANDRO/ATELIER K almost five years putting together a The monastery is in the Chartreuse documentary project on the monas- Mountains in south-eastern France tery and its surrounding landscapes. “It’s humbling.” sharp, bright and profoundly herbal. In Evelyn Waugh’s novel Brideshead In 2020, the Chartreux philoso- Revisited, Anthony Blanche compares phy worked in reverse: as COVID-19 it to ingesting the rainbow, “like swal- ground the world to a halt, the Carthu- lowing a spectrum.” sian way of life went on, unchanged. Bartender Brendan Finnert y, a The Carthusians sustain this isolat- Chartreuse superfan, says it tastes ed lifestyle largely through the produc- “like Christmas in a glass” or “grassy tion and sale of Chartreuse, a liqueur Jägermeister”. To me, it has the colour the monks developed centuries ago. and flavour of summer sunlight strik- Like its mountainous namesake and ing a canopy of leaves – impossibly the hue named after it, Chartreuse is readersdigest.com.au 81

READER’S DIGEST vibrant, sparkling with life, green mission of good will and benevo- PHOTO: COLIN CLARK/THE NEW YORK TIMES beyond belief. lence, donating a portion of sales to a support programme for the US hos- When France went into periods pitality industry and gifting 10,000 of pandemic confinement, little litres of pure alcohol to a Grenoble changed at the Chartreuse pro- hospital for much-needed hand san- duction site – even as the country’s itiser. The monks also sacrificed their winemakers and producers of other weekly social walks, in solidarity liquors, such as Cognac and Coin- with the outside world. treau, struggled. Shutdowns in France and beyond did, however, “We were separated from all, but close the bars and restaurants that participated through our prayer,” usually function as the secular con- says Michael Holleran, a Catholic duit for the monastic liqueur. Char- priest and a former Carthusian; he treuse sales dropped to two-thirds of was at the order’s head monastery, their usual level, according to a press Grande Chartreuse, for almost five officer for the distilling company years. And, the liqueur company Chartreuse Diffusion. followed the path of its founders and remained patient. “We have had “That world sank in a dramat- to learn to live with the virus,” Ro- ic way,” says Philippe Rochez, the chez says, and that will take time. At brand’s ex por t director, “so we Chartreuse, luckily, there’s nothing turned to what was open.” The en- but time. terprise pivoted from the service in- dustry to wine merchants and liquor “The Carthusians have a wonder- stores, hoping to place Chartreuse in ful perspective,” Father Holleran household cabinets. says. “The days pass very quickly when you’re immersed in the shad- Throughout the pandemic the ow of eternity.” company also upheld its founding 82 may 2022

An Ancient Elixir Emmanuel Delafon (left), Chartreuse Diffusion CEO, with Father Dom Benoît, one of the monks who oversaw production until he recently stepped down PHOTO: PHILIPPE DESMA ZES/AFP/GE T T Y IMAGES A Millennium Ago monks formulated a milder version, Green Chartreuse (55 per cent alco- The year was 1084, and seven men hol), and a sweeter Yellow Chartreuse in search of isolation and solitude (43 per cent). Both have become pop- took refuge in south-eastern France’s ular cocktail ingredients, while the Chartreuse Mountains – “the emer- Elixir continues to be sold medicinally ald of the Alps”, as the French writ- for ailments such as indigestion, sore er known as Stendhal called them. throat and nausea. According to legend, centuries later, in 1605, the order’s monastery near Today, the order sells about 1.5 mil- Paris received an alchemist’s ancient lion bottles of its three hallmark prod- manuscript for a perfectly concocted ucts annually, with the yellow and medicinal tonic of about 130 herbs green liqueurs going for about US$60, and plants: the ‘Elixir of Long Life’. and cask-aged versions for US$180 or more. About half its production run is The monks studied and slowly re- sold in France, with the US the largest fined the recipe until by 1764 they export market. had a potent (69 per cent alcohol) Elix- ir Végétal, which a lone monk, Frère Royalties go back to about 370 Car- Charles, delivered by mule to near- thusian monks and nuns residing in by towns and villages. In 1840, the 24 charterhouses spread across the readersdigest.com.au 83

READER’S DIGEST globe, including Argentina, Brazil, Beyond the two monks Brother Germany, Italy, Slovenia, South Ko- Jean-Jacques and Brother Raphaël rea, Spain, the UK and the US. Re- Marie, who now protect the recipe, markably, among them, only two all others involved in the production monks know the full 130-ingredient of Chartreuse – Carthusian or not – recipe. know only fragments of it. “The secret of Chartreuse has long Old-Fashioned been the despair of distillers, just as Quality Control the natural blue of forget-me-nots has been the despair of painters,” reads Inside the Grande Chartreuse, skilled an 1886 document referred to in a monks receive, measure and sort 130 recent history of the company and unlabelled plants and herbs into gi- order. Father Holleran spent almost ant sacks. Then, at the distillery, five five years overseeing the distillation non-Carthusian employees work process, ordering ingredients and alongside two white-robed monks to planning its production schedules. macerate, distil, blend and age the li- When he departed the site in 1990, queur. A computerised system allows he became the only living outsider to them to monitor the distilling from know the liqueur’s ancient formula. the monastery. Along its five-week distilling process, and throughout “It’s safe with me,” he says. “Odd- the subsequent years of ageing, those ly enough, they didn’t make me sign two monks are also the ones who anything when I left.” But the formu- taste the product and decide when it la is extremely complicated, he adds, is ready to be bottled and sold. and involves lived expertise passed on through generations. “No one has “They are the quality control,” says ever been able to duplicate the Char- Emmanuel Delafon, the current CEO treuse, or could ever do so.” of Chartreuse Diffusion. The order owns the company almost exclu- This trade secret is both a market- sively, and works with the business’s ing coup and a potential catastro- secular employees, who carry out the phe. “I am very scared always,” a tasks too foreign to the monks’ her- Chartreuse Diffusion president told metic vocation. “It’s their product, The New Yorker in 1984. “Only three and we’re at their service,” Delafon of the brothers know how to make it adds. “They need it to maintain their – nobody else knows the recipe. And financial independence. They trust each morning they drive together to us to make the link between monas- the distillery. And they drive a very tic life and everything else.” old car. And they drive it very badly.” In 1935, the city of Voiron became He added, “I really have no idea the liqueur’s main manufacturing what it is I sell.” 84 may 2022

An Ancient Elixir site. But in 2011, Delafon says, re- alcohol, two major ingredients in gional officials tightened distilling liqueur, the company is exploring regulations, mostly aimed at the other plant-based products that hazards of making such high-proof could be more in line, morally, alcohol – fires and vapour-fuelled ex- with the monastery’s values: herbal plosions, notably. After all, the Elixir medicine, aromatherapy, balms and barely escapes the International Air ointments, for example. Transport Organisa- It would not be the tion’s threshold for “NO ONE HAS first time the Carthu- dangerous goods. BEEN ABLE TO sians reinvent them- Officials deemed the DUPLICATE THE selves. Over their Chartreuse distillery nearly 1000-year his- dangerously close to CHARTREUSE, tory, the order has re- schools and homes. OR EVER covered from natural COULD” disasters, government So, looking for expulsions, pestilence a new production home, Chartreuse set- and poverty. “Every tled on a plot of land time, they have lifted previously owned and farmed by the themselves up, recovered, and rede- Carthusians in the 17th century. By fined themselves,” says Nadège Dru- 2020 the entire process, from distil- zkowski, the documentary maker. lation to bottling, had moved to its That willingness to transform while new million-dollar facility in rural remaining loyal to the order’s legacy is Aiguenoire. It’s a 15-minute drive both a luxury and a safeguard during from Chartreuse’s mountainside times of turmoil, according to Dela- headquarters and three kilometres fon. “When you have roots this deep,” from the source of water used to he says, “it allows you to forget the make the liqueur. “The Carthusians short term and project your vision far came home,” Delafon says. into the future.” With the growing concerns over FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES (DECEMBER 17, 2020), t he hea lt h ef fec t s of suga r a nd © 2020 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY Broom And Gloom An old English and Cornish superstition holds buying a new broom in May is unlucky: “Buy a broom in May, and you will sweep your family (and friends) away.” Oh, and apparently, you shouldn’t wash any blankets either! ARCHIVAL MOMENTS readersdigest.com.au 85

PHOTO FEATURE PHOTO: BARCROFT MEDIA VIA GETTY IMAGES/DIETER KLEIN/BARCROFT MEDIA Once Upon A TIME The hands of time show no mercy to anyone or anything. This cycle of inevitable decay can at least be somewhat spectacular BY Doris Kochanek 86 may 2022

How long will it take for nature to completely overgrow this unintended sculpture of wrecked cars? The bodies of the lowest row, at any rate, have almost sunk into the Swedish forest floor. readersdigest.com.au 87

Colourful graffiti adorns the remains of a disused ice factory in the historic PHOTOS: (COOLING TOWER) MIRNA PAVLOVIC; (ICE FACTORY) GER BEEKES/AL AMY STOCK PHOTO; (SHIP) MICHAEL POLIZ A Luisenstadt district of Berlin. No doubt to the disappointment of local children, ice cream was never manufactured here. Instead, until 1991, only ice for food refrigeration was produced at the facility. The interior of this cooling tower at an abandoned power plant near Charleroi in Belgium would make a good backdrop for an end-of-the-world movie. However, its demolition is imminent.

Once Upon A Time The Eduard Bohlen seems to be stranded in the desert. The ship ran aground off the Skeleton Coast of Namibia in 1909. Over the years, the desert has expanded, engulfing the shore; the wreck now lies hundreds of metres inland. readersdigest.com.au 89

READER’S DIGEST PHOTOS: (LIGHTHOUSE) PANTHER MEDIA GMBH/AL AMY STOCK PHOTO; (STAIRWELL) DIMITRI BOURRIAU, JAHZ-DESIGN; (NEON SIGN) JA XPIX/AL AMY STOCK PHOTO From 1900 to 1968, the Rubjerg Knude lighthouse in northern Jutland, Denmark, indicated the way for ships. Then the ever-shifting sand dune, whose name it bears, took away its function. By 2019, the colossus was only a few metres away from the edge of the coast, and in danger of collapsing. In a spectacular operation, it was lifted with hydraulic presses and transported 80 metres inland. The 122-year-old lighthouse is a popular tourist site, attracting about 250,000 people a year. 90 may 2022

Once Upon A Time Once, their flashing and blinking attracted gamblers and pleasure seekers to the bars and casinos of Las Vegas. Today, visitors to the city’s Neon Museum can see discarded neon signs that divulge the city’s colourful history. Today, silence reigns in the ornate readersdigest.com.au 91 stairwell of a chateau in the French municipality of Dammartin-sur- Tigeaux. When the building still housed a sanatorium, the footsteps of nurses could be heard up and down the stairs.

READER’S DIGEST QUOTABLE QUOTES Your image isn’t Just as you think your character. you know someone, Character it turns out you is what you actually have no are as a person. idea who a person DEREK JETER, really is until you’ve travelled BASEBALL PLAYER with them. You have brains in GABRIELLE UNION, ACTRESS your head. You have THE BEGINNING IS THE feet in your MOST IMPORTANT PART shoes. You can steer OF THE WORK. yourself any direction you PLATO, PHILOSOPHER choose. WHEN WE DR. SEUSS, RECOGNISE THE VIRTUES, CHILDREN’S AUTHOR THE TALENT, THE BEAUTY OF MOTHER EARTH, Write it on your PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES SOMETHING heart that every IS BORN IN US, day is the best SOME KIND OF day in the year. CONNECTION, LOVE IS BORN. RALPH WALDO EMERSON, POET THICH NHAT HANH, CLERGYMAN 92 may 2022



THEN AND NOW The GYM For some of us, they’re like back as far as the sixth century BCE, a second home. For others, although back then they were little PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES more than a shady area of packed they’re entirely foreign. earth next to a river. They were But either way, gyms have thought to have originated as a way a fascinating – and well for young Greek men to improve their fitness in readiness for warfare. But defined – back story. the fact that it turned them into Greek Gods wasn’t at all unwelcome either BY Zoë Meunier – the body beautiful was as important then as it is now. To truly appreciate just how different the gyms With time, Gymnasia were housed of yesteryear were, one within large buildings. Typical sports must first understand included wrestling, running, box- that the word ‘gymna- ing, jumping, discus and gymnastics, sium’ derives from the along with those useful for warfare Greek word for nudity (gymnos). Yes, such as archery, javelin and armed back in the day, activities at these all- combat. male venues were undertaken in the nude. Feel free to wince. Along with exercising, men visiting a gymnasium could bathe, get massag- The earliest known examples date es, or attend a philosophical lecture by Plato or Aristotle ... wait, what? Yes, as Gymnasia became common features 94 may 2022

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in cities, they slowly transformed into exercise video while lounging in front of the TV. centres of intellectual endeavour – What galvanised people into action and a vital part of the Greek world. in the late 1700s was, once again, the hope of creating superior soldiers. When the Romans conquered Ancient German physical educationalist Jo- Greece, they adopted the Gymnasia. hann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths (more conveniently known as the After the collapse of the Greco- ‘Grandfather of Gymnastics’) wrote of the importance of strengthening chil- Roman civilisation, many centuries dren’s bodies to build strong future soldiers. passed before the gym re-emerged. Another German physical educa- The ‘Dark Ages’ witnessed a rever- tionist, Friedrich Ludwig Jahn (aka, somewhat unoriginally, the ‘Father sal of any appreciation for the body, of Gymnastics’), was motivated by avenging Prussia’s humiliating defeat given the Catholic Church’s reli- by Napoleon Bonaparte. He devel- oped the Turnplatz, or exercise field, gious doctrine that the body was an which combined sports like running, discus and javelin – with the use of object of sin. equipment of his own design. These PHOTOS AND ILLUSTRATIONS: GETTY IMAGES; PUBLIC DOMAIN would become the basis for the gym- It wasn’t until the Renaissance nastics we know today, such as the parallel bars, rings, pommel horse, that gym culture started to have a re- vaulting horse, beam and high bar. naissance, as people began to reread Jahn’s ‘Turner system’ encouraged Greek texts on exercise. Italian physi- cian Girolamo Mercuriale’s 1569 book De Arte Gymnastica, featuring draw- ings of muscular men working out, helped revive interest. But while these books were studied by doctors, who recommended exer- cise for health benefits, it remained a purely academic curios- ity, the ancient equiv- GYM alent of watching an JUNKIES Over the years ANCIENT GREECE 19TH CENTURY 19TH CENTURY TRAINING CENTRES HEALTH BENEFITS FREE WEIGHTS 96 may 2022

The Gym copy-cats in England, France, Italy, Physical Culture, it was modelled on a Spain, and, in time, the US. gentlemen’s club, with wood panelling and Persian rugs marking each exer- Also muscling in on the action was cise station. Swedish educationalist Pehr Henrik Ling, whose system, later known as Sandow would also stage one of ‘Swedish gymnastics’, promised to the first physique (bodybuilding) improve people’s health. The Swed- contests in 1901 in London’s Albert ish and Turner systems remained the Hall. Sandow’s remarkable physique heavyweights of gymnastics from the and that of his mentor, ‘Professor At- mid-19th century to the opening dec- tila’, who also operated a famous New ades of the 20th century. York gym, would see a boom in gyms populated by ‘muscle men’ – which At the end of the 19th century, an made them slightly intimidating to imposing figure would flex his in- their less-built brothers – and sisters. fluence on the gym scene – circus While women were never excluded strongman Friedrich Wilhelm Müller. from the 19th and early 20th century Dubbing himself the apparently more gymnasia, they weren’t specifically virile-sounding Eugen Sandow, he catered for either. was an early adopter of weight train- ing. He was also a shrewd entrepre- What was missing were gyms for neur, marketing various physical people who didn’t want to resemble a culture publications, exercise devices circus strongman but simply wished and dietary products. Sandow opened to work out. a gymnasium in London in 1897 at a time when YMCA gyms were emerg- Stepping in to fill the void was fit- ing in Britain and the US, making the ness legend Jack LaLanne who, in idea of going to the gym more accept- 1936, opened one of the first modern able. Called the London’s Institute of fitness centres, catering to ‘ordinary’ men and women. Fellow bodybuilder 1970s 1970s TODAY BODYBUILDING NAUTILUS TREADMILL readersdigest.com.au 97

READER’S DIGEST Vic Tanny then raised the bar by Providing them with some strong opening the first large-scale health competition was Arthur Jones and his centres in the US during the 1950s Nautilus system, which fostered a new and 1960s, which offered ‘luxury’ interest in exercising with machines. workouts with health spas and tennis After the aerobics revolution, gyms courts attached. really had to lift their game. Along- The late 1960s were a pivotal mo- side the more traditional resistance ment in the fitness industry, with more training activities, they needed to people becoming interest- offer cardio equipment ed in exercise. The follow- such as bikes, treadmills ing two decades would and cross trainers, along see the peak of the YMCA with exercise classes. (and its accompanying These extended from song and dance), as well aerobics to yoga, Pilates, as more diversity when dance classes, cycling it came to health studios, classes and more. gyms and fitness centres. With health and fit- Meanwhile the aerobics ness continuing to thrive boom, spearheaded by a The aerobics today, competition in leotard-and-leg-warm- boom the gym sphere at the ered Jane Fonda – and brought start of this decade had aided and abetted by Ol- never been higher, with ivia Newton-John’s Physi- women into more and more players cal music video – brought gyms bringing exciting new women into gyms in large developments – CrossFit, numbers. Zumba, boxing studios, aerial yoga, But that didn’t mean the muscle- to name but a few, as massive-scale bound powerlifters had withered gym complexes went bicep to bicep away. Did somebody say Arnold with smaller boutique gyms. Schwarzenegger? As Mr Universe The Covid-19 pandemic has seen and Mr Olympia contests grew in the gym industry take a big hit to the popularit y, so did bodybuilding, belt, with many g yms collapsing with Arnie as the impressive poster permanently under the weight of boy. Powerhouse gyms such as Gold’s lockdowns and people turning to PHOTO: PUBLIC DOMAIN Gym and World Gym, both founded home workouts and streaming ser- by bodybuilder Joe Gold in ‘Muscle vices to get their sweat on. But if any Beach’, aka Venice Beach, Califor- industr y is strong enough to rise nia, were soon sprouting around the above the challenges brought to world. bear on it, it’s this one. 98 may 2022