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Event of the Week
The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
There’s only one gig in town this week. You can’t go because (a) you’re too old, (b) it’s mostly sold out and (c) you’ll be too stuffed with turkey to move. Never fear, though, as the world-famous Royal Institution Christmas Lectures are to be broadcast on Five from Boxing Day.
This year, the subject is something close to everyone’s hearts. A couple of inches away, in fact. The contents of our stomachs are (non-literally) examined by Sir John Krebs in a history-and-science-of-food lecture series. (For all the biochemists out there: no, not that Krebs. It’s his son.) Some of the questions he’ll be posing:
How did the turkey tradition start?
What did people have for Christmas dinner 500 years ago?
Just how is your Christmas meal turned into you?
What is it that happens to food when we grill it to make it so tasty?
What is the secret of successful dieting?
What happens when people react to food with an allergy?
Is the earth capable of producing enough food for the future?
You should also have a play on the accompanying website. We learnt not to eat cherry stones and raw potatoes, and that too many Brussels sprouts stop you digesting protein properly. Oh, and the UK’s top food allergy is apparently towards something called ‘other’. Expect to hear the phrase 'food for thought' quite a bit over the week of lectures.
The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures will be broadcast by Five at 7.15 each evening Mon 26-Fri 30 December.
Cogito Ergo Summary will be taking a break over the Christmas period, but will return in the New Year. Merry Christmas to y'all.
