As I stared at the strange, green plant resembling a mix between broccoli and cauliflower in front of me, I couldn't help but notice the texture of the ridges... they looked like dinosaur scales or the grassland mountains from Panama... I couldn't decide which! Yet, at the bottom I could clearly see their conal shapes, and as my eyes drifted towards the top they became smaller and harder to differentiate. There was something strange about it, indeed.
I stared and stared, trying to wrap my mind about what was so weird about the vegetable. Something about the symmetry seemed too... perfect. But, I couldn't locate a description of the damn thing! Googling "Spikey Green Vegetable" wasn't helping, and neither was asking any of my friends. That is, of course, until Bethany Ladd - Paleolimnologist and Environmental Geochemist (aka Nature Nerd) - got word of this plant. She had the answer I was looking for.
The plant is called Romanesco Broccoli, and the number of cones on the plant are a natural Fibonacci number, meaning that starting from the outermost tip of a cone (one peak), you can count the number of peaks downward, and the number on the next row down will be the sum of the previous two rows. So, you can try to count the peaks downward and you should see 1 peak, then 1 peak, then 2 peaks, then 3 peaks, 5, 8, 13, 21, and so on. To actually attempt to count these is simultaneously endlessly amusing and one of the biggest wastes of time in my life. I don't know why people ever invented Rubick's Cubes or Gameboys (do people still even use those?) - just get a head of Romanesco Broccoli! All you people out there in the Paleo-sphere, if you really want to up your Paleo-ness, use Romanesco Broccoli. There is no doubt that this plant lead our Paleolithic ancestors to develop our current pattern-finding abilities.
While eating this marvel of nature, I decided I should play with my camera and film my experiences with the week one challenge. Thus, I present to you a masterpiece of cinematography, several minutes spent in the making, straight from GoLiveTheAdventure Studios:
I stared and stared, trying to wrap my mind about what was so weird about the vegetable. Something about the symmetry seemed too... perfect. But, I couldn't locate a description of the damn thing! Googling "Spikey Green Vegetable" wasn't helping, and neither was asking any of my friends. That is, of course, until Bethany Ladd - Paleolimnologist and Environmental Geochemist (aka Nature Nerd) - got word of this plant. She had the answer I was looking for.
The plant is called Romanesco Broccoli, and the number of cones on the plant are a natural Fibonacci number, meaning that starting from the outermost tip of a cone (one peak), you can count the number of peaks downward, and the number on the next row down will be the sum of the previous two rows. So, you can try to count the peaks downward and you should see 1 peak, then 1 peak, then 2 peaks, then 3 peaks, 5, 8, 13, 21, and so on. To actually attempt to count these is simultaneously endlessly amusing and one of the biggest wastes of time in my life. I don't know why people ever invented Rubick's Cubes or Gameboys (do people still even use those?) - just get a head of Romanesco Broccoli! All you people out there in the Paleo-sphere, if you really want to up your Paleo-ness, use Romanesco Broccoli. There is no doubt that this plant lead our Paleolithic ancestors to develop our current pattern-finding abilities.
While eating this marvel of nature, I decided I should play with my camera and film my experiences with the week one challenge. Thus, I present to you a masterpiece of cinematography, several minutes spent in the making, straight from GoLiveTheAdventure Studios:
Haha I like how I said "I'm going to talk with my mouth open." Because I normally talk with it closed...
So anyway, I simply used the Romanesco Broccoli in one of my classic soups, which as I explained in the video I make by simply steaming a bunch of vegetables, blending them with the water, and then after blending adding a bit of butter and maybe some apple cider vinegar. Delicious. Here's a link to some Not Your Average Broccoli Soup !
So, how did your challenge turn out? Leave a comment and let us know!
So anyway, I simply used the Romanesco Broccoli in one of my classic soups, which as I explained in the video I make by simply steaming a bunch of vegetables, blending them with the water, and then after blending adding a bit of butter and maybe some apple cider vinegar. Delicious. Here's a link to some Not Your Average Broccoli Soup !
So, how did your challenge turn out? Leave a comment and let us know!
