Doc sends Nina to cooking school for Christmas (no, this episode is NOT late — technically we’re still within the Christmas season). She recounts her experiences with the hits and misses from her week of feasting.
Topics covered: green beans vs broad beans, The Eggnog Riot at West Point, adding fried eggs to meals, Doc’s ill-fated chicken dish, more bean discussion, the dangers of too much dairy, the sin of butter, meals for Lent
Nina says — Stay as authentic to the recipes as possible if you want to try cooking with the Black Friars. If you have dietary restrictions (like lactose intolerance) these will NOT be the recipes for you. You can, however, replace the meat with vegan options like Beyond Meat or Impossible meat.
In their Christmas episode, Doc explains the bizarre Medieval history of the carol, “Good King Wenceslas,” beginning with the pronunciation (which Nina bungles several times during this episode). They’ll discuss the confusing difference between the two Wenceslases (Wenceslii?), the real-life martyrdom of the correct Wenceslas, some fratricide, and the legend of Blanik Mountain. Plus, Nina successfully makes a connection between King Wenceslas and “The Lord of the Rings.”
Blīþe Gēol! In this very special episode of Pop Medieval, Doc tells Nina about two legends of Saint Nicholas. The first is the legend of St. Nicholas of Myra, who allegedly attended the Council of Nicaea and punched a heretic in the face. The second is the story of St. Nicholas resurrecting two butchered and pickled children from a vat. Finally, we hear Doc do a dramatic reading of Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer translated from modern English into Old English and back into modern English.
Also, Nina reveals her plans to return to a “traditional” Christmas.
Show Notes
Did St Nicholas of Myra / Santa Claus punch Arius at the Council of Nicaea? (Roger Pearce)
St Nicholas and the story of the three schoolboys murdered by an inn-keeper and stashed in a pickling cask (Roger Pearce)
Hrodulf, the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Old English to Modern English, by Philip Craig Chapman-Bell (Bakersfield College)
Nina’s Recommendations
Chaucer’s Mead for All Seasons (chaucerswine.com) [h/t – Eric from the Wine Dads podcast]
Doc’s Recommendations
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, or Sword of the Valiant (IMDB)
Why does Santa drive a team of reindeer, and where did their names come from? This trip through the etymology of reindeer and their most famous names explains some of the history of Santa Claus, and lots more besides!
