Re: Way,WAY off topic diatribe -was : Paying to present

[John Clement <clement@HAL-PC.ORG>]

OK, I had not seen the evidence that she had actually never said that.  I
knew that the original remark was let them eat brioche, but not that it was
actually made by someone else.  I have had what the French now call brioche
and it rather resembles sweet American white bread.  As such it is favored
by children.  Perhaps the quote should be "Let them eat expensive bakery
rolls".

And yes Marie and Louis were not really as awful as most histories paint
them.  They were caught up in events which they might not have been able to
control, and happened to be in the wrong position.  I would put the top
people in ENRON as being far more criminal because they aspired to do what
they did, and were not born into the positions they were in.  Should they be
beheaded?  Unfortunately if their money is taken away it will be given to
creditors who should have known better and all of the employees who were
innocently defrauded of their pensions will see little.  Of could Bush be
persuaded to give them the money which they lost?

Let's stop slandering Marie Antoinette, but perhaps some better authentic
quotes from real villains.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Forum for Physics Educators [mailto:PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu] On Behalf
> Of Bernard Cleyet
> Sent: Saturday, March 06, 2004 4:34 PM
> To: PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu
> Subject: Re: Way,WAY off topic diatribe -was : Paying to present
>
> There's more to the history.  It's another example of how natural events
> make history.  The main difference between brioche and bread is the type
> of wheat.  Bread is made from hi gluten wheat flour, while brioche, lo,
> cake flour.  The year before the revolution the winter was longer and
> destroyed the early (bread wheat) crop.  The late crop (low gluten,
> cake) survived, so was available.  I suppose the bakers could have made
> a, not very satisfactory, bread from the available cake flour,  I
> suspect even so, there wouldn't have been enuff to satisfy need.
> Because of the lo gluten more time is spent in expanding the dough.
> Most recipes require 3 X and use an enriched dough (eggs and cream).
> The original brioche used brie.  [Invented in the Brie region of
> France.]  By Marie's time the Brie was replaced by butter and eggs, and
> often sweetener.  Therefore, Brioche is a cake and, I'm rather certain,
> much more expensive than a simple salt, flour, water, and yeast bread.
>
> There are now many types of brioche bearing such names as brioche bread,
> brioche cake, and even challah.
>
> Brioche bread is baked in bread tins or on a sheet, brioche cake in
> brioche tins (muffin).
>
> History:
>
>
> http://letsbake.frostbitten.org/bk110/bk110day6.html
>
>
> http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_334.html
>
>
>
> http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_marie_antoinette.htm
>
> bc
>
> John Clement wrote:
>
> > > =20
> > > [But I say only: Let them eat cake
> >
> > Remember that this comment attributed to Marie Antoinette is very mis=
> > quoted.
> > She actually said "Let them eat brioche".  Brioche is a type of sweet=
> > bread
> > which does not be come stale for a long time.  In contrast the baguet=
> > te must
> > be eaten immediately.  The bakers were not baking baguette, but there=
> > was
> > not a shortage of brioche.  Yes, it was a bit snotty, but not as much=
> > as the
> > misquoted version.
> >
> > John M. Clement
> > Houston, TX