Chinese prostitution / Books / Mrs. Fields Banana Nut Cookies
Today's Prostituted Yet Truly Morbid Fact!
The system of Chinese prostitution in 19th century San Francisco was based in slave ownership. Girls were bought in China for around eighty dollars, from parents who considered female children a nuisance and were more than willing to sell them. Once brought into San Francisco, such a girl was worth $400 to $1,000 depending on her youth and beauty. The girls were literally auctioned off in Chinatown. Once the price was established, it was paid (usually in gold) into the girl's hands, and she turned the money over to the man who had sold her, while signing a contract that read:
"For the consideration of [whatever sum] paid into my hands this day, I [name] promise to prostitute my body for the term of [number of] years. If, in that time, I am sick one day, two weeks shall be added to my time; and if more than one day, my term of prostitution shall continue an additional month. But if I run away or escape from the custody of my keeper, then I am to be held as a slave for life. [Signed.]"
Of course, the point of the "sick day" provision was that every month the girl would have a menstrual period, which would render her ineligible for prostitution and also extend her slavery a month. Many of these poor creatures never lived to see their freedom.
Culled from: San Francisco Confidential
**********************************************************************
Yesterday I mentioned that I had read Ascending Peculiarity - a compilation of interviews with Edward Gorey. It never occurred to me that anyone did not know who Edward Gorey is, but apparently I was wrong as I had a couple of questions about him. Therefore, I thought I'd feature a few links to the works of Edward Gorey for those of you who haven't discovered his genius yet.
Edward Gorey was an eccentric American illustrator and writer who specialized in drawing morose, Edwardian people who tended to suffer rather grim existences and even grimmer demises. He is best known for designing the opening credits for the PBS show Mystery. He created a number of treasurable little books in his lifetime - a few of which are linked below. Enjoy!
The Gashlycrumb Tinies (his masterpiece)
The Curious Sofa
The Beastly Baby
*******
Morbid Mirth Du Jour!
Stephen sends a morbid game recommendation:
"Dark Cut is a flash-animation based game that plays in your browser. There's a zillion of the things about these days, but this is the most morbid I've yet seen. You are a surgeon who must take on a small series of cases, with each case including some morbid tasks. For example... you need to remove an arrow from a soldier's leg, so you start by cutting the fletching off, sawing the shaft, pounding the remainder through, and then using tongs to pull the rest free. The second level includes fun like lancing boils, and the third level is a scream - but I'll leave that as a surprise."
"Anyway, if you've got 10 to 15 minutes and are in need of a little morbid fun, this'll fill that need nicely."
*******
Wretched Recommendations!
-kokoro shiki- heart mode recommended the movie Ginger Snaps a few days ago. Now, Katchaya turns the spotlight on the sequel:
Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed (2004)
"I saw an awesome movie on IFC last night called Ginger Snaps 2. Now I want to see 1 and 3. Not only is the story great (about teenage girls turning into werewolves), but the one I saw last night takes place in an old state hospital."
Mrs. Fields Banana Nut Cookies
Recipe By:
Serving Size: 48 Preparation Time: 0:00
Categories: Cookies
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
2 2/3 CUPS flour
1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
1/4 Teaspoon salt
1 cup light brown sugar -- packed
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup butter -- softened
1 Large egg
1 Teaspoon banana liqueur or extract
3/4 cup mashed ripe banana
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 300°F. In a medium bowl... combine flour, sugar, and salt. Mix well and set aside. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, blend sugars at medium speed. Add butter and mix to form a grainy paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add egg, liqueur, and banana. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Add the flour mixture, one cup of the chocolate chips, and the walnuts. Blend at low speed until just combined. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets, two inches apart. Sprinkle cookies with chocolate chips, six to eight per cookie. Bake 25-27 minutes until cookie edges begin to brown. Transfer immediately to a cool surface.
The system of Chinese prostitution in 19th century San Francisco was based in slave ownership. Girls were bought in China for around eighty dollars, from parents who considered female children a nuisance and were more than willing to sell them. Once brought into San Francisco, such a girl was worth $400 to $1,000 depending on her youth and beauty. The girls were literally auctioned off in Chinatown. Once the price was established, it was paid (usually in gold) into the girl's hands, and she turned the money over to the man who had sold her, while signing a contract that read:
"For the consideration of [whatever sum] paid into my hands this day, I [name] promise to prostitute my body for the term of [number of] years. If, in that time, I am sick one day, two weeks shall be added to my time; and if more than one day, my term of prostitution shall continue an additional month. But if I run away or escape from the custody of my keeper, then I am to be held as a slave for life. [Signed.]"
Of course, the point of the "sick day" provision was that every month the girl would have a menstrual period, which would render her ineligible for prostitution and also extend her slavery a month. Many of these poor creatures never lived to see their freedom.
Culled from: San Francisco Confidential
**********************************************************************
Yesterday I mentioned that I had read Ascending Peculiarity - a compilation of interviews with Edward Gorey. It never occurred to me that anyone did not know who Edward Gorey is, but apparently I was wrong as I had a couple of questions about him. Therefore, I thought I'd feature a few links to the works of Edward Gorey for those of you who haven't discovered his genius yet.
Edward Gorey was an eccentric American illustrator and writer who specialized in drawing morose, Edwardian people who tended to suffer rather grim existences and even grimmer demises. He is best known for designing the opening credits for the PBS show Mystery. He created a number of treasurable little books in his lifetime - a few of which are linked below. Enjoy!
The Gashlycrumb Tinies (his masterpiece)
The Curious Sofa
The Beastly Baby
*******
Morbid Mirth Du Jour!
Stephen sends a morbid game recommendation:
"Dark Cut is a flash-animation based game that plays in your browser. There's a zillion of the things about these days, but this is the most morbid I've yet seen. You are a surgeon who must take on a small series of cases, with each case including some morbid tasks. For example... you need to remove an arrow from a soldier's leg, so you start by cutting the fletching off, sawing the shaft, pounding the remainder through, and then using tongs to pull the rest free. The second level includes fun like lancing boils, and the third level is a scream - but I'll leave that as a surprise."
"Anyway, if you've got 10 to 15 minutes and are in need of a little morbid fun, this'll fill that need nicely."
*******
Wretched Recommendations!
-kokoro shiki- heart mode recommended the movie Ginger Snaps a few days ago. Now, Katchaya turns the spotlight on the sequel:
Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed (2004)
"I saw an awesome movie on IFC last night called Ginger Snaps 2. Now I want to see 1 and 3. Not only is the story great (about teenage girls turning into werewolves), but the one I saw last night takes place in an old state hospital."
Mrs. Fields Banana Nut Cookies
Recipe By:
Serving Size: 48 Preparation Time: 0:00
Categories: Cookies
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
2 2/3 CUPS flour
1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
1/4 Teaspoon salt
1 cup light brown sugar -- packed
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup butter -- softened
1 Large egg
1 Teaspoon banana liqueur or extract
3/4 cup mashed ripe banana
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 300°F. In a medium bowl... combine flour, sugar, and salt. Mix well and set aside. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, blend sugars at medium speed. Add butter and mix to form a grainy paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add egg, liqueur, and banana. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Add the flour mixture, one cup of the chocolate chips, and the walnuts. Blend at low speed until just combined. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets, two inches apart. Sprinkle cookies with chocolate chips, six to eight per cookie. Bake 25-27 minutes until cookie edges begin to brown. Transfer immediately to a cool surface.
Labels: 2004, alcoholic drinks, books, chinese, comics, eddie, games, golden, jokes, laws, maxed-out tags limit, money, morbid facts, movies, reading, recipes, redrum, sex, sick, stephen
posted by Flami at 10:55:00 PM
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