A pineapple for £6195? Our latest pineapple was reduced to 69p! Nevertheless, pineapples used to be such a luxury that they sold for today’s equivalent of £6k. Initially, they were so hard to import and so difficult to grow that they were one of the most powerful symbols of status. If you’d like to get some idea of how venerated they were, have a look at the Falkirk ‘Pineapple’ – a most spectacular building 7 miles east of Stirling in Scotland.  https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/the-pineapple

In a moment of marketing genius, it was suggested that the Pineapple was the real fruit that caused such a stir in the Garden of Eden – a forbidden fruit. You can imagine how this enhanced the value of the Pineapple. Personally, the ‘naughtiness’ of the Pineapple did nothing to increase my appreciation of its value but knowing how highly esteemed the fruit used to be really added to my pleasure in devouring this delicious delicacy partnered with some most excellent cheese.

Then there are peppercorns. They, too, were once rare and therefore very expensive in England. It’s amazing how important black pepper and long pepper were to Roman and then Medieval recipes. The importance of such spices drove much of the effort to explore and open up our world – at least for trade.  Nowadays, I treat pepper with deep respect because of its history…

…which leads me to another blog in our own history of gratitude. It’s a dominant theme for Moodscope at the moment. I wondered what accessible luxuries you are grateful for that our predecessors would have counted as marvels? I find it fascinating that those of my age (I’m in my 60s) so often revert to a Monty Pythonesque sharing of the deprivations of our childhood. Frequently, Linoleum in Winter comes up, partnered with frost on the inside of the windows. This was before the days of Central Heating for many of us.

If your own memories or those of your relatives stretch back to rationing during WWII, you’ll know how precious sugar, meats, fats, bacon, and cheese were. Tinned goods, biscuits, and cereals were also limited. In the later years of the war, even clothes and soap were added to the list of rationed items. After the war, bread was added to the long list of items to which we had restricted access.

Thus, if you’re fond of a bacon sandwich or toastie, especially with a topping of cheese – or a biscuit with your coffee, you may feel even more grateful if you reflect on how rare these became in and after seasons of conflict.

The height of luxury remains, for me, the hot shower in a sunlit bathroom. My goatsmilk soap, and soft towels add to the sense of gratitude on a daily basis. We still have a modern Linoleum equivalent on the floor but there’s a heated towel-rail too.

What simple luxuries are you grateful for that were once out of reach for those who went before us?

Lex

A Moodscope member